On That Day We | sakook

chapter 23.

Jungkook's POV

　
　
It had been my everyday ritual to drive to Seomyeon to grab my coffee fix at Kim Daily, a local gem I stumbled upon years ago through Sana. 

Recently, I befriended the owner, Kim Namjoon, which led to an exciting partnership. Ever since then, we've been running successful cross-promotions with Kim Daily at our restaurant.

With my latte in hand, I got into my car and headed straight to the restaurant.

Lately, we've been dealing with some supply issues, and since Yoongi hyung jetted off to London for personal reasons he didn't want to disclose, it has fallen on me to handle all the restaurant duties.

That was why he kept telling me to come home immediately days ago while I was in Seoul.

Before I make my way down to the loading dock to check on the inventory and supplies, I'd have to make a pit stop at the restaurant. It's part of the daily drill, making sure everything's ticking along smoothly.

Just as I stepped in the hotel elevator, a buzz tickled my pocket. I fished out my phone to find a message from Rosé. It simply read: "Meet me later tonight?"

My thumb hovered over the reply, ready to type a quick "Sure, your place?" But then, I suddenly remembered that tonight was the big dinner ― a chance to meet with a potential investor for opening a new restaurant in Seoul. There was no way I could miss it.

The elevator dinged. I was now at the third floor of the hotel.

I typed out a quick message to her as I was walking inside the restaurant, the staff greeting me as I entered. I managed to greet them back while I was tapping onto my phone screen:

"I can't. Got an important meeting later."

Just as I slipped my phone back into my pocket, a voice cut through the air, calling my name.

"Jungkook?"

I spun around, searching for the source. There, a woman stood bathed in the warm glow of the restaurant lights. Her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders and her face framed with a pair of rectangular eyeglasses. I furrowed my brow, squinting slightly as I tried to recognize her face.

Do I know her?

As if on cue, she removed her glasses, the smile widening. A soft giggle escaped her lips at my continued blank expression. "It's Sooyoung," she said, her voice tinged with amusement.

That name rings a bell. Sooyoung... Where have I heard that before?

"From The Lily, remember?" she asked, her eyes sparkling as she widened them playfully.

Oh, I know now. 

She was Sana's co-worker before, the other manager from The Lily.

"Oh, yeah! Sooyoung!" I blurted out, sheepishly chuckling at myself. "Wow, sorry about that. I didn't recognize you with the glasses."

Sooyoung's laugh filled the air, warm and friendly. "No worries at all," she said. "Oh, are you meeting someone here? Sorry, I just couldn't resist saying hi ― I recognized you right away!"

"Ah, actually no," I said. "I work here."

Sooyoung's eyes widened further, "wow, really? That's amazing!" she exclaimed. "So, what do you do here?"

"Yep," I grinned. "One of the owners, actually." Her jaw dropped, and she gasped, instinctively covering her mouth with one hand.

"Seriously? No wonder the place looks so good," she stammered, eyes scanning the restaurant. "This is actually my first time here.