To Find Something True

※ forty-three

Hoseok left his office to look for Jiah after realizing she hadn't been appearing in his office since brunch hour. His feet stopped before the main area, observing the scene with both of his palms on his hips.

On the couch, Taehyung was watching something on a phone with Jungkook. Loud cheers and announcers narrating could be heard, indicating a live sports match. Jisoo was at the counter, organizing the table, while Jimin was fixing the cashing machine. Seokjin sat in front of a desktop, looking bored as he scrolled the mouse wheel with his index finger.

In front of Seokjin, Yoongi leaned his hip against the counter wall, engrossed in a paper sheet on the table. With Chuseok approaching, he might be organizing the staff's schedule. Wheein was assisting a customer, squatting down to find different shoe sizes. Scanning the area again, Hoseok feared he might miss the sight of his assistant, but her silhouette was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Lee Jiah?" he asked. All of his staff, except Wheein, looked at him.

Seokjin replied with a flat tone, "She went out with Wendy."

Surprised, Hoseok raised his voice, asking, "What?"

Seokjin clicked his tongue and repeated forcefully, "She went out with Wendy!"

"I heard you just fine," Hoseok drawled, his eyebrows furrowed. "Wendy came?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me?" the boss asked, groaning.

"I saw no point in telling you," the brown-haired man replied in a flat tone.

Hoseok sensed Seokjin's foul mood and decided to stop talking to him. He didn't want to bother the other staff, so he returned to his office. He walked to his table and picked up his phone, opening an app and calling Jiah's number. He waited as the phone rang, placing it to his ear. After a few seconds, Jiah answered.

"Hello?" Jiah's voice came through.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm on my way back. What's wrong?" His assistant asked.

"Who were you with?"

There was a long pause before Jiah hesitantly answered, "Wen... Wendy."

Inhaling deeply, Hoseok muttered, "Why didn't you tell me Wendy was here?"

Jiah let out a short buzz. "Hmm... It's not that I didn't want to tell you—"

"Then what? She asked you not to tell?"

"Aish, let me finish talking!" Hoseok bit his lips in response to the scold. Jiah continued, "I know you'd get mad if I said I'm going out with Wendy."

Rolling his neck to one side, Hoseok exhaled another sigh, rubbing his face with his slender hand. "What were you two doing?" He asked.

"She took me to the spa, and we talked. Then we went to the café and kept talking," Jiah explained.

Hoseok waited, expecting Jiah to say more, but nothing else came. He asked, "That's it?"

"Yup, that's it."

"What did you talk about?"

"Many things. We talked more about ourselves." Jiah sighed, "Wendy isn't a bad person, you know."

"How do you know she isn't a bad person? You've only met her twice," he emphasized.

"You're right, but there's a side you don't know," Jiah paused, creating a brief silence. "I'm almost there! Talk to you later." And she hung up.