Bargain (Not Met) (JungHope)

Interlude - Mesmerized

"Now that I think about it, you haven't had anything to eat today, have you?"

Hoseok jerked, causing a stray piece of paper near his elbow to go sailing across the cubicle, and turned toward Jungkook with a slight frown.

The three of them had been silently working on individual tasks for the better of thirty minutes. Thus, Hoseok had kind of blocked out the rest of the world and focused on editing the mistakes Namjoon had made on his assignment for the day, promptly chewing him out because he was that much of a dick today.

So when Jungkook, a demon who wasn't supposed to experience standard human functions, commented on Hoseok's health, he was more than a little surprised.

"Wonder whose fault that is?" Hoseok muttered, bending over the side of his office chair to pick up the paper that had fallen.

"We're not the ones holding you back from just picking up a quick lunch," Jimin interjected, placing a sheet of paper into the shredder he had decided to bring in during minute fifteen. "If you just did that, I wouldn't have to listen to your stomach grumbling every two minutes."

Hoseok slowly spun his chair so that he was facing Jimin. He waited a few moments until the angel finally turned his head toward the office worker, tilting his head questionably.

"What?" Jimin questioned after a few beats of silence passed between them. "Finally seeing a flaw in your angry logic?"

"I could actually strangle you right now," Hoseok growled, lifting himself out of his chair and grabbing his laptop before storming out of the cubicle.

He clutched the fist that wasn't currently holding his laptop tightly as he listened to the howling laughter that echoed from his cubicle.

An angry huff of breath puffed past Hoseok's lips as he continued to make his journey down to the cafeteria. A sense of dread settled into his stomach as he thought about the fact that he would more than likely run into Seokjin and get bombarded by vulgar accusations by both him and his usual crew. Unfortunately, to add more stress to Hoseok's mind, it was also a high possibility that he might run into Namjoon, who he had yet to give any mercy to in regards of editing his mistakes.

So, really, Hoseok had only two choices regarding lunch: get out of the company building and get something to go (which would take a bit of a blow to his diminishing funds) or suck it up and take all the sex jokes that Seokjin threw his way while eating the free, and pretty decently made, lunch at the company's cafeteria. (While also avoiding the inevitable stares from Namjoon with a guilty conscience.)

"Why do I do this to myself?" Hoseok muttered to himself, pressing the down button on the elevator.

The doors shuddered with a pained groan and creaked opened, startling Hoseok into silence when he realized that there was already another person inside the lift; someone he definitely didn't recognize. Awkwardly, Hoseok shuffled into the elevator and slipped in beside the lone man, disgruntled that he hadn't bothered to perhaps give him some more elbow room, but instead stood in the middle of the cramped space. Shouldering past the man's build, Hoseok reached toward the floor level buttons and pressed firmly down onto the first-floor button, eyes flicking up toward the button that was already lit up.

A shockwave of emotions washed over Hoseok, freezing him in his current position.

The mysterious man was going to the fifth floor; to the boss.

Did his manager ask for an alibi? Did the man have the alibi? Or was the man the alibi?

Hoseok shook his head and backed away from the buttons, shoulder accidentally hitting the man who had yet to move out of the way, and leaned against the corner of the elevator wall, head tilting backward and hitting square against the wall.