To Find Something True

※ thirty-two

She invited them to a fast food restaurant for a meal. Hoseok was hesitant to reject, so there they were.

The four of them sat at the same table together. Seokjin sat beside Wendy, and Jiah sat beside her boss. Across from Jiah was Wendy, and she felt awkward with the woman's soft gaze fixed on her. An aura of elegance emanated from her, leading Jiah to assume that she came from a wealthy family and was possibly more educated than herself.

Then there was Hoseok. He tended to be quiet most of the time, but the quietness he displayed now was different. There was no shyness in his demeanor. He stared straight at the wall behind Seokjin, his jaws clenched, yet he sat humbly and stiffly. Jiah was certain that his hands were clenching and unclenching under the table.

'Who is this girl?' she wondered.

Their food, except for Wendy who only ordered fries and a soda, had arrived long ago and remained untouched. Wendy had an arm positioned under her breast, and with her slender hand, she controlled the bites she brought into her mouth. After pushing a small piece into her mouth, she rubbed her fingers together to remove the residue from the fries.

Her chuckle was soft, and it even melted Jiah. "Why aren't you eating?" the woman asked in a gentle tone.

No one answered until Seokjin spoke up, "It's impolite to eat before our boss, don't you agree?"

That was a ridiculous excuse, especially considering he was the oldest one there.

Confused, Jiah arched her eyebrows. "Boss?"

Seokjin replied, "Yes."

Wendy turned to look at the quiet man beside him and smiled. "Congratulations," she said with the same softness in her tone.

Wendy seemed to have a close relationship with her boss in the past. However, she didn't seem to know how he got the boss position. If she knew, she wouldn't have reacted with such confusion.

"How are you and Yoongi?" Wendy asked.

Seokjin answered again, "I'm great. Same goes for the ramen head." Wendy laughed at his joke, which seemed to help lighten the tense atmosphere. Seokjin then looked at Hoseok and added, "And what about Jiah's shadow? I don't know."

"Jiah?" Wendy looked at her. "Your name is Jiah." Her tone was confident yet still soft.

Lee Jiah nodded.

A smile spread across Wendy's lips. "Are you Seokjin's girlfriend?"

Jiah gasped, flustered. She frantically waved her hand, denying, "No, no, no, no. I'm not Seokjin's girlfriend."

Wendy's smile became lopsided. "Hoseok's girlfriend then?"

"Oh, no! Not his either," Jiah answered, and Wendy chuckled. "I'm Hoseok's P.A."

"Oh!" The blonde exclaimed, raising her eyebrows. She looked at the stiffened Hoseok. "I'm sure Hoseok has troubled you a lot."

Jiah waved her hand dismissively, let out a breathy laugh, and said, "He hasn't done anything like that. He's been a good boss."

Chuckling, Wendy commented, "I've known Hoseok. He's quite a troublemaker."

She heard Seokjin mumble, "Agreeable. He's given me and his sister a lot of headaches."