HEARTBEAT | VKOOK - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

The bright rays of sun poured into the room through the open windows, making Taehyung grunt at the light that fell over his face, illuminating his handsome features. The aforementioned male turned to the other side of the bed to avoid the blinding light, burying his head in a pillow underneath him.
The smell of freshly cooked pancakes reached his nostrils, making his stomach rumble and pull Taehyung out of his dreams. A groan left the male's lips as he turned to lay on his back, squinting his eyes at the blinding light.
It took him a couple of minutes to adjust to the light and take a good look of his surroundings after acknowledging how certain things in his room seemed different. When did I leave the curtains open? And why the hell are they purple?
Taehyung's eyes widened like saucers and he frantically looked around once he noticed that he wasn't in his room. However, it seemed oddly familiar to him.
A sharp pain shot through his skull, blurring his vision for a second as he reached up to hold his head in his hands, ruffling his brown locks. His face scrunched into a pained look as the throbbing of his head got worse, making him groan in agony as he clutched his head.
His eyes casted down to his body, only to see that he was shirtless. The male's eyes widened at the sight and he quickly yanked the sheets off him and examined his body.
The male only donned a pair of shorts from last night. However, to Taehyung's relief, there were no marks to prove the accusation in his mind, which made him release a sigh, only to groan at the peircing pain shooting through his cerebrum.
Taehyung reluctantly got off the bed, clutching his head with his hands as he attempted to clear his vision. The aforementioned male walked out of the room, finding the staircase that led him downstairs.
A frown embedded over his delicate features as he caught on the smell of freshly cooked pancakes lingering in the air. The brunette's frown deepened once he noticed a certain someone's presence in the kitchen that could be seen halfway up the stairs.
"Who the hell are you and where am I?" His voice came out raspy due to his morning voice, brows creased to a frown as he examined the raven haired male in the kitchen.
"I see you've woken up," The ravenette commented, his back turned to the older as he focused on whatever he was cooking. "I'm surprised how you can't recognise your best friend's place."
"What the hell are you saying?" Taehyung mumbled, an exasperated look replacing his frown as he clutched his head, striding into the kitchen to take a seat on one of the stools in the island.
"Dude, you're nuts. I'm Jeongguk if you didn't hear me at the party and it's obviously Jimin hyung's place." Jeongguk turned to look at the male with an equally exasperated look etched on his face before shaking his head and turning off the stove. "How do you call yourself a best friend if you don't know the way his house seems like?"
Jeongguk placed a plate of pancakes in front of the older who was bemused by the whole situation. "How am I here and what the hell are you doing in Jimin's house?"
"Look, I'm really not in the mood to talk to an asshole like you or answer your ridiculous questions. Do you really not remember anything from last night?" Jeongguk frowned, taking a seat in front of the older who watched him with a baffled look.
"What happened? Don't tell me it's-" Taehyung's eyes widened, lips parting in utter shock and bewilderment as he stared at the younger who sat a few meters away from him.
Jeongguk choked on his banana milk, face scrunching into a disgusted look as he stared at the older, cutting him off from finishing his sentence, "No way! You really don't remember or are you pretending?"
"Listen here you little shit, my head hurts and if you're going to be an annoying prick and not answer my questions, I'm gonna beat your ass right here." Taehyung hissed, glaring at the younger for a brief moment before his face contorted to a pained look, hands tugging at his brown locks in frustration.
"You could've just said that you know," Jeongguk rose up from his seat and walked away, leaving Taehyung to clutch his head and almost at the verge of crying out in pain.
The younger male appeared shortly afterwards, walking over to the older and handing him the painkillers. Taehyung wasted no time and quickly grabbed the pills, gulping them down without thinking twice.
"Dude, calm down, you're insane." Jeongguk muttered, watching the male in fascination as he swallowed the pills without water. Taehyung then turned to look at him in distaste, arising from his seat,
"Fuck off."
"Asshole," Jeongguk mumbled under his breath as he watched the older male walk away, eyes glaring daggers at the older's retreating back as he ascended upstairs wordlessly.
Jeongguk turned away with a sigh, walking back to his seat and resuming to eat his pancakes, which to his surprise, tasted better than the last time he tried to cook.
However, his little moment of ecstasy had to come to an end once his eyes landed over the male rushing down the stairs, who had ruined his day terribly from the start. Jeongguk expected it to be better, he thought they could be good friends since all of Jimin's friends were surprisingly welcoming.
However, his expectations were a little too far from reality. He had totally forgotten that the CEO had a terrible attitude, mixed with hostility and arrogance, looking down at the people who weren't up to his standards- he could never be welcoming to those who weren't like him.
"Where's Jimin?" Taehyung queried once he reached the living room, now completely dressed in a white T-shirt and denim jeans, face monotone as he locked eyes with the younger.
Jeongguk swallowed his food before answering, "He's at his dad's place. He'll be back later."
"And how am I here?" Taehyung quirked a brow, eyeing Jeongguk questioningly who only scoffed in return. "You were drunk out of your mind, bitching me with your annoying questions and following me everywhere. I had no other option and I don't know your place."
"But I didn't ask you to help me though," Taehyung muttered, quite amused by the younger whose face contorted to a scowl.
"Oh yeah? Wasn't it you who didn't want to leave my side and stick to me like a fucking koala? You literally followed me everywhere and even forced me to sleep with you in the same bed saying you didn't want to be alone!"
"Wait, we slept in the same bed?" Taehyung's eyes went wide in surprise as he shot the younger a bemused look, unable to recall any of the events from last night.
"No way in hell I'd be sleeping with an asshole like you. Of course I left despite your dumb protests." Jeongguk rolled his eyes, taking another bite of his delicious pancakes.
A moment of silence engulfed the two of them in an awkward tension as Taehyung stood in the living room, contemplating his thoughts for a while with a frown on his face. His eyes then flickered over to the male, holding his gaze, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm staying here for the moment till I find a job and an apartment, I hope that answers your question." Jeongguk mumbled, averting his gaze down to his plate as he continued to eat.
"No wonder." Taehyung muttered under his breath, heading for the door as the younger's eyes followed him curiously. The older male slipped his feet into his shoes and walked out, slamming the door shut behind him, making Jeongguk flinch slightly at the sudden sound before scowling,
"Fucking bitch."
"Jimin, why didn't you tell me you left for Busan?" Taehyung questioned once the person on the other side of the line picked up the call, brows creased together in a small frown.
"Sorry, Taehyung. I had to leave immidiately and I couldn't find you or the others so I just told Jeonggukie about it."
"Speaking of Jeongguk, is he staying at your place?"
"Kinda. He's searching for a job. Oh wait, is your offer still up?"
"What offer?" Taehyung frowned, pulling out a file from his shelf and peeling the cover of the folder open.
"To hire an assistant or something."
"Oh that, did you find someone?"
"Yes." Jimin's voice came out sleek through the phone, which made Taehyung's eyes brighten up at the sudden information.
"Who is it? I'll ask Mr. Choi to interrogate him perfectly and check out his skills and work experience-" Taehyung was cut off by Jimin who replied monotonously,
"Jeongguk. Jeon Jeongguk will be your new assistant."
Taehyung's face dropped to a frown at the sudden announcement, his bright demeanour faltering to a grim expression, "What? You're kidding, right?"
"Nope, Jeonggukie told me how much of an asshole you were to him the whole time. You were also mean to him at the party and I saw it all. So as an apology, you'll hire him."
"No way! That dimwit doesn't deserve to be my assistant! I thought you'd find someone whose up to my expectations." Taehyung's voice was laced with disappointment and slight anger as he yelled over the phone, "And  I'm never apologising to him! He doesn't deserve it."
"Oh you're so gonna do it. Of course he's up to your expectations in terms of work. Jeongguk is a really hardworking and a determined guy, he'll never fail you, I know him. Even if he isn't experienced, he's a quick learner."
"And how do you think he is capable to work with me? He's nothing but a worthless being! My company has a huge reputation and respect around the whole country. To add to that, my dad doesn't want me to add unprofessional people to the company 'cause that would only ruin our reputation." Taehyung attempted to explain, brows creased together in a frown as he ran his fingers through his brown locks.
"Jeongguk isn't unprofessional, Tae. Yes, it might take him sometime to learn a few things but trust me, he's the best choice for you."
"No, he isn't! He's nothing but a broke college student with no skill or experience. Neither does he have anything that could prove him as a professional. Listen, my company is highly respected and appreciated around the world. I need someone who's capable to work with me. Not some incapable and mannerless brat."
"Oh you will. Or I'm sending all the videos of you in the party and the real footage of the meeting hall to your dad. You don't want him to see it, do you?" Jimin threatened mischievously through the other end of the line, making Taehyung turn speechless and bewildered at his statement.
"Park fucking Jimin! Are you kidding me? No way you're threatening me to hire a guy like him! He's broke! He has nothing that could prove him to be my assistant!" Taehyung yelled, getting extremely furious by each second as he listened to the male on the other end of the line.
"You act rude to him, hurt him and even blame him for something he never tried to do! He deserves an apology regardless of his life issues. He's a human being. You-" Jimin was interrupted by Taehyung who hollered, practically ripping off his eardrums.
"I WON'T HIRE HIM!"
"Then watch your dad bust your ass for not attending the meeting last night. Also, you said he doesn't like unprofessional people, right? What if I show him the pictures of you at the party?"
"Park Jimin! You're crossing your limits!"
"I always did, nobody could ever catch me. And nobody ever will. So are you hiring him or not?"
"I'll never go to your reckless parties again! I trusted you. I thought you were my friend." Taehyung mumbled, voice laced with utter disappointment and sadness as  he slumped down in his seat.
"I am and I'll always be. But I'm Jeongguk's friend too and what you've done to him isn't right. You don't know what he's been through and you're treating him like shit. I know him better and I can't tolerate such hate directed to my second best friend."
"So you'll betray the first one? Great, I hate you." Taehyung mumbled sarcastically, the scowl on his face deepening as he hung up the call, running his fingers through his hair. The aforementioned male let out a heavy sigh as he hunched over in his seat, placing his elbows over his thighs and interlacing his fingers as he contemplated his thoughts.
Taehyung absolutely hated the idea and was totally against it. However, he didn't want his father to know about him cancelling a meeting without his consent, hell not even about the party, knowing fully well of what his father could possibly do when he's really furious.