Secretary Jeon [Jungkook x Reader]

♡ 19

CHAPTER 19

I'd managed to convince Jungkook to spare a little time for me the weekend before the project was due. He hadn't put up too much of a fight once I'd promised I'd stay out of the way and spend my time cooking him dinner. Now, I was here in his apartment standing in the entryway, taking in the sight. It was my first time here, so naturally, I was feeling a bit on edge. It was everything I'd imagined on the way over- modern and simple with touches of his personality thrown into the décor. The one thing that stood out to me was the utter chaos on his dining table. Scraps of fabric and notebook papers were scattered all over the place.

"It's a bit of a mess, I'm sorry," Jungkook quietly spoke up, following the movement of my eyes.

"It's perfectly understandable," I offered a warm smile. I'd been in similar situations myself- stuck with a near impossible deadline to the point that my living room was overflowing with stacks of work.

"I'll leave you to it, then?" he asked softly, starting to walk backwards towards the dining table, as if waiting for my permission to return to his design.

"Get ready for the best meal of your life!" I shouted, urging him onward.

I immediately regretted my overabundant show of confidence as I pulled the ingredients out from my bags and placed them on the kitchen counter. It was as if they were staring at me like I was an imposter. It's not like I couldn't cook... After leaving the main estate and living on my own, I'd always prepared my own meals when I needed to. The problem was, I almost never needed to. My life was fueled by eating out at restaurants for work or ordering takeout because I simply had no time left in the day.

I'd decided to make kimchi fried rice. For one, it was relatively simple, and I wouldn't have to worry about cooking a meat and accidentally poisoning Jungkook. Aside from that, there were so many different recipes for it that I didn't have to worry about it tasting a specific way. Grabbing the pan, I turned up the heat and started to melt butter for the onions and kimchi. Waiting for the ingredients to come to a boil, I set a timer for myself. So far so good.

Once it was time to add the rice, I mixed it up with the sauce and continued to let it cook while I prepped the soy sauce and sesame oil. Referencing the recipe on my phone, I realized it was time to prep the fried eggs in separate pan. Okay, okay. I've got this I can multitask. I happily watched over the eggs sizzling in the pan before I realized I hadn't stirred the rice even once since the initial mixing. I winced as I stuck the spatula in the pan of rice and found the bottom had turned charcoal black.

"Y/N why does it smell like that?" Jungkook called from the dining room. Lovely, totally the best question to hear while you are cooking.

"Eh- no reason," I called back, hoping he would leave it be so I could start over and pretend I hadn't just burned rice. My ancestors were certainly crying.

"Are you going to burn down my apartment?" he questioned, and I recognized his voice being right behind me. No escaping now.

"Probably," I pouted in defeat, pulling the pan off the heat, and turning to face him. "I'll try again, I just got distracted."

"It's kind of nice to know that there's something you're not good at," he teased playfully. "As much as I'd love to taste your homecooked meal, I think for our safety and the safety of everyone who lives in this building, we should just order in."

He held out his arms, urging me closer. I obliged and wrapped my arms around his hips, resting my head against his chest. "I do appreciate the effort, Y/N" he spoke lowly, before placing a kiss on the top of my head.

With this action I stopped pouting and regained my energy. "I'll order us something so you can get back to work while I clean up here." Begrudgingly, I stepped out of his grasp.

Even after smelling my disastrous burnt creation, I still had the taste for Korean food, so I placed an order for some non-burnt kimchi fried rice, tteokbokki, japchae, and bulgolgi. I'd probably gone overboard with the amount of food I'd requested but I was hopeful that it would suffice as an apology for nearly destroying his apartment.

After cleaning up my mess, there was still some time to kill. While I waited for the delivery, I took a seat at the dining table, cautious not to disturb Jungkook's focus. With a sewing needle between his teeth as he pinned the fabric in front of him, and his brows scrunched together, he looked completely engrossed with his design. He was paying careful attention to every little detail, referencing his notes and sketches.

I spent a bit too long staring at him, admiring his passion, before the doorbell pulled me from my daze. Appearing back at the table with the bags of food I cleared my throat, "Time to take a break."

I'd apparently pulled him from a daze of his own, as he looked up at me startled. "Oh, yeah," he said, rising from his chair. "Let me clear some of this up."

"Whoa, you got us a feast!" he exclaimed, as I set the dishes out on the table in front of us. His eyes lit up and a cheeky smile crept up on his face. He was always like a little kid when it came to food. Definitely the way to his heart.

"This is my 'please forgive me for burning the first thing I've ever tried to cook for you' dinner," I whined, burying my head in my hands.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Jungkook spoke, reaching across the table for my hand. "It's really sweet of you to find a way for us to spend time together even when both of us are busy."

I intertwined my fingers with his and lifted my head. He was the sweet one, and kind, and understanding. I didn't deserve him. That was the one thought that kept creeping up in my mind, threatening to eat me and whatever feelings I was developing alive.