THE MANAGER NIM

13. EUPHONIOUS VOICE

*Bold Italics - Conversation in Korean

*Hyung - Elder brother
_

Anxiety is an untamable beast which will grow into a massive mammoth when you try to tame it, without you realising. It does have a leash, but at the sight of the glassy name panel which says "Bang Shi-hyuk" ahead, you can't even see a thread of that leash.

Soft bubbles of anxiety were emerging from the pit of your stomach, since you arrived here and you were ephemerally distracted by Taehyung's abrupt confession. But now with every step towards his room, it elevated high and reached the brim of your brain.

Accumulating all those dissolving molecules of confidence, you tug out your trembling hand from your trouser pocket and proceed to knock at the door.

But, when you listen to the ongoing conversation inside the room, your hand lingers over the handle. Two male voices are wrangling over something.

Even if you are left stranded in the midst of a village fair, you can easily pinpoint that high pitched, adenoidal voice of Bang PD. So, it's obvious that one among the quarrelling men is Bang PD.

The other male voice is arguing in Korean, his tone walking the line between resentment and wariness.

But that voice,

That euphonious voice which wrapped your imagination around various things in your teenage years, which you've never experienced in real life, namely a sweet romance with a prince Charming. That dulcet voice which accompanied you through all your firsts and all your grieves. That silvery voice which makes adrenaline rush soar through your veins and moist your eyes with tears, every time you hear it.

That voice. That damn voice.

"Jungkook! Are you a 5 year old or what?! Act your age, not your shoe size!" Bang PD sounds exasperated max.

Seems like by objecting to his decision regarding something, Jungkook ruffled the feathers of Bang PD. But, you must be incredibly delusional to constantly hear your name in between their heated arguments.

"I don't even know who that y/n is and I don't give a damn about those otherworldly qualities she possesses, as you claim. I was not even there in person during that accidental interview, as you termed it. Moreover, how do you expect me to trust a complete stranger and accept her as my manager, legit after my own manager who was like family to me, ditched me for mere money. And to top it all, you think I'll be okay with you appointing a female personal manager for me? Are you insane hyung?"

Jungkook defies his image as the main vocalist of BTS and proves how he should've been a part of BTS's rapline with that breathless verse of tantrums he just threw off.

Nevertheless, his voice sounds like the collision of velvet and satin.

Squarely, Jeon Jungkook, your ex-bias, the man who fostered all your ticky-tacky day dreams, for whom you gotta be the personal manager, doesn't trust you and hates you with a passion even before meeting you in person.

Great!

And what's with that female manager part, you do know that he is such a shy bug around ladies, but surely you smelled a strong stench of hatred when he was enquiring Bang PD about his decision to appoint a female manager. Something about his words irks your inner feminist.

You decide to leave the spot in a fit of pique.

"Who are you?" You whirl around in a flash as yet another nasal voice calmly enquires you from behind.

Your breath hitches when you meet a pair of eyes, inlaid with sparkling galaxies instead of pupils. His exposed forehead elevates the temperature in the air. You've always adored his sharp jawline, but now as you witness it with your own naked eye, his chiseled jaw seems sharp enough to slash your poor heart into two.

Jung hoseok a.k.a Jhope, BTS's dance machine and the sleekest rapper. The complete embodiment of sunshine and happiness.

His lips are slightly frowned upside in a skeptical smile, which looks like a warm sunrise and as you continue to gaze at his radiating smile in a dazed state, abandoning all those clashing worries, it feels like a pair of invisible arms are wrapping around you, making you feel safe and happy.

He snaps his fingers to snap you out of your stunned state.

"Are you alright? Oh wait!" He softly slaps over his forehead, "Are you alright?" He starts to enquire in English, assuming that you couldn't understand Korean.

"Yeah! Yes sir! I'm completely alright!" You yourself don't know what made you sound like a military soldier, but your serious tone and stiff posture gains his iconic ha-ha.

"So, who are you and why are you standing near the doorway?"

"Ahh, hi! I'm y/n, newly appointed personal manager of Mr.Jeon", You lost count of how many times you repeated this dialogue.

His smile slowly elapses into a sunset, brightness evansing away to darkness where there would be no dawn.

He stares straight into your eyes with a stern face, the same way as others did , halting your voyage into the galaxy of his eyes. To think about it now, Namjoon was the only person who reacted normally, but still as a veteran army you know for a fact that he is too good at hiding his emotions.

But unlike others, Jhope didn't fake a smile in minutes. He continues to stare at you with an unreadable face, totally contrasting to his goofy personality.

"Alright hyung! Did you explain her everything about this job, I mean EVERYTHING?" Jungkook questions Bang PD in a gravelly voice, emphasizing that "everything" part, the awkward silence surrounding you made it audible enough for both of you.

What exactly have you got yourself into this time?!

"What are they talking about?" You shift your attention back to Jhope and ask him about the hidden details, which you couldn't decipher from their conversation. But he persume that you couldn't understand Korean.

He looks at your face with concern engulfed eyes, "Y/n, Why would you d_"

Before he could finish his sentence, the door promptly pulled open, revealing Bang PD.

"Oh y/n-shi you're here! Please come in! " He cheerfully invites you and looks over your shoulder, "Hoseokka you're here too, but you had a commercial shoot scheduled today right? He questions him dubiously.

"It got postponed" Jhope replies softly in a monotonous tone, absent-mindedly. His brows twitches, indicating his perturbed state.

Bang PD studies both your faces for a solid minute.

"Umm Bang PD-nim, I... uhh..." You try to convey the truth that you overheard their conversation and you will leave the office now as you already know that you're not gonna be appointed, but all you could do is stutter.

"Hyung!" Said euphonious voice interrupts your stutter show.

As you peer at the direction the voice came from, a silhouette under the pale light raises up behind the translucent glass partition.

That slender silhouette turns towards you, seems like it is a one way partition and he could see you from there.

"I accept your decision to appoint y/n as my new personal manager."