walls gold-plated (but the room feels like you)

5. Diamonds are a Whore's Best Friend

Jeongguk places utmost importance on effective time management. Time is the most valuable commodity there is, after all - so when he is the reason his mid-week direct report meeting is interrupted, he is vexed to say the least.

"Our number one priority at this time is the Chiyoda contract until it's finalized. We shouldn't have to put anything on standby while I'm out of office next week, so let's keep the momentum going on all projects that are underway. Let's schedule a video conference with the Tianjin branch for this week. I don't want to put it off until after I return. Junseo, what's the status on the community engagement project? The shelter fundraiser?"

"The event planner has finalized the venue and catering. Newsletter and invitations went out last week. Your speech is ready for review."

"Get it to Seokjin, please. Any questions or comments before we move on?" Jeongguk asks, eyes sweeping around the meeting room as he's met with the eight shaking heads of his executive team.

A marimba ringtone chimes through the conference room. Everyone except Jeongguk reflexively reaches for their cell phones, but the tone continues.

"Whose phone is that?" Jeongguk barks.

"Yours, sir."

Jeongguk looks down at the conference room table in agitated confusion and sees it is, in fact, his phone that's causing the interruption. The call is coming from an unknown number, but the area code looks familiar. He silences it and quickly recovers. "Sorry about that. Yoojin, let's start on second quarter projections-"

His phone starts buzzing on the table. Another call from the same number.

Jeongguk snatches the phone from the table. "Go ahead with your presentation, Yoojin. I'll be right back."

As soon as the conference room door closes behind him, Jeongguk swipes to answer the call before it goes to voicemail.

"Hello?" he says into the receiver, a bit gruffly.

" Hey, handsome. " He'd recognize that voice in a windstorm.

"Taehyung?" he says, surprised. "Why are you calling me?" Is everything okay?

" Jeonggukie, " Taehyung purs, drawing the word out. " I wanted to talk to you for a minute. Is now a bad time? "

"I'm in the middle of a meeting," Jeongguk grumbles, pacing down the hallway and trying to keep his voice hushed. "I don't really have time to talk right now."

" Don't hang up, " Taehyung says quickly. " Sorry, I know you're busy. I saw you haven't booked me for next week yet. I thought maybe you might have forgotten to make the call. "

Oh, shit. That . That little promise he'd made Taehyung after four glasses of wine and getting his brains fucked straight out of his head. The cowardly part of him that likes to stay buried in the back of his mind had hoped Taehyung would somehow forget about it or wouldn't hold him to it. "What call?"