BEHIND THE SCENES

chapter 9: an epiphany

<OST: It's You - Chungha>

Jieun couldn't believe the situation she was in, but she was even more flabbergasted about the person she was involved in this situation with.

Jeon Jungkook.

Really? Two times in two consecutive days? What were the odds? Were they really that 'fated' to be? And to think that he, the high and mighty Jeon Jungkook, would do something like this for her? There's no way it could possibly have happened - Jieun herself wouldn't even have believed it if she wasn't right there in Jungkook's arms, looking right into his face. Actually, looking at him up close now, he didn't look as mean as she remembered. Maybe he really wasn't as bad as she had made him out to be after all-

Splash!

Jieun fell to the ground with a loud splash as Jungkook released his grip on her, causing the coffee on the floor to splash up and soak through her dress. Jieun gasped as she looked down at her coffee-stained outfit, holding her arms out awkwardly and smelling like a whole coffee bean factory.

Jieun was furious. What was she even expecting from someone like him? "You-"

But to Jieun's even greater dismay, Jungkook didn't seem to show any sense of remorse. Before Jieun could even react, Jungkook got to his feet, dusted himself off, pulled his bucket hat lower and ran towards the door.

"Ya!" Jieun scrambled to her feet quickly, reaching out a hand and trying to grab hold of Jungkook's shirt. "How dare you, for the second time-"

Seokjin stepped in front of Jieun, grabbing hold of Jieun's hand and putting it down, shaking his head frantically. "Please, Jieun-ssi, no. Let him go for my sake, please? Look at all the people standing around you."

With her fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, Jieun looked around and spotted the people around her whispering and pointing as they glanced in her direction. Even if no one knew the girl in the article was her, Jieun herself knew. She already had a scandal with Jungkook yesterday, she couldn't possibly have another one a day after...

"Come on-" Seokjin glanced down at Jieun's sopped dress, before looking away just as quickly after realising that the coffee had made her dress slightly translucent. He took off his jacket nonchalantly, throwing it over Jieun's shoulders and wrapping it around her tightly. "Let's go, Jieun-ssi. Let me go find some clothes for you to wear."

Shivering a little, Jieun looked up at Seokjin and flashed him a grateful smile. She covered her face with both hands, allowing Seokjin to guide her by her shoulders out of the door, towards the company building. As Seokjin led her through the company doors and through corridor after corridor, Jieun kept on thinking: Why did he catch her if he was gonna let her fall again anyway?

"Seokjin-ssi," Jieun asked Seokjin a while later when Seokjin brought her into one of the tiny dressing rooms meant for the company artists. "Let me ask you something."

"Hm?"

"That guy..." Jieun narrowed her eyes. "Is he even human?"

"W-What...?" Seokjin burst into laughter, covering his mouth as he laughed loudly, momentarily turning away from the rack of clothes he was flipping through. "What kind of question is that?"