HEARTBEAT | VKOOK - Chapter 14: Chapter 14

A cool breeze swept past his face, messing his hair and causing his bangs to fall over his forehead. However, the boy paid no mind to it— too occupied with the sight in front of him that left him totally speechless.
His doe eyes shimmered with astonishment— eyes wide and lips slightly parted as he lifted his face to look up at the exquisite colossal structure that represented a company.
A frown fell on Jeongguk's face as he scrutinized the building, pursing his lips as he allowed his thoughts to wander in his mind. It must be a really high ranked company for being so fancy. For such a classy company, it's weird to be choosing candidates without an application, isn't it?
Or maybe I'm just overthinking. He pressed his tongue to the walls of his cheek, contemplating his thoughts as he stood there, glued to the ground in front of the building, catching the attention of the guards around the entrance who eyed him weirdly.
"What are you doing, mister?" A guard called out, breaking the male's train of thoughts as his gaze flickered from the colossal building to the man donning a black suit with a pair of matching sunglasses.
Jeongguk bit down on his bottom lip and shook his head before allowing his gaze to cast over the huge glass doors of the entrance that slid open every minute a person entered or exited the edifice.
Jeongguk felt awfully nervous, his palms were sweating and his fingers were jittery, his heartbeat starting to show erratic alternating between poundings and jiggers. However, he took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to proceeded towards the entrance— ignoring the guards who followed him with their eyes with a bored look.
As he got closer, he noticed the sign above the huge glass doors of the entrance that read, "KIM CORPORATIONS" in golden colored block letters. Jeongguk walked past the security guards and into the building, approaching the receptionist who was busy typing away in her computer to acknowledge his presence.
"Um— excuse me?" The lady snapped her attention to the male in front of her, eyes taking in his appearance before meeting his gaze, a baffled look visible on her face.
"How may I help you today?"
"I-I was— I was called in for an interview today," His tone was rather faltering, something that made the girl behind the counter chuckle.
"Relax. You're the selected candidate Jeon Jeongguk, I presume?" She queried in a perky voice, a sweet smile spreading on her lips once the male nodded his head, nervously shifting his weight from one feet to the other.
"Well, Mr. Choi is expecting you today. Don't keep him waiting, he's on the 5th floor, third door to the right." She offered him a sweet smile to which the male simply nodded and thanked her, returning the cordial smile.
He then strode to the elevator and pressed the button, gnawing at his bottom lip as he looked around intently, hands placed in front of him in accord to appear as formal as he could. Jeongguk aimed to get this job in any way, he could only hope to not face the rejection again since he's been accustomed to it.
Once the doors to the elevator opened, he stepped inside and pressed the button to the 5th floor, watching the metal doors slide shut. Jeongguk rubbed his hands together in an attempt to relax himself and fill his mind with positive thoughts in hopes of drowning out the negativity.
He was awfully tense just by being there; he didn't fit in there in any way. All these neat and wealthy people he had encountered before getting on the elevator made him feel small, And honestly? Cheap. Very cheap.
As though he didn't deserve to be here.
His treads were shaky and tentative as he got out and shuffled towards the right. He stood in front of a white door a few moments later and took a deep breath, licking his chapped lips. His eyes lingered on the nameplate nailed on the door that read, 'Choi Minsuk, Manager of HR Department'.
He dropped his gaze and harshly swallowed the lump forming in his throat, proceeding to lift his fist and knock thrice softly on the door, awaiting a sort of response from the other side.
Upon hearing a soft 'come in', Jeongguk twisted the doorknob and stepped into the office, eyes landing on a middle aged man, his partially grey hair standing out in his ebony locks. The old man tore his gaze from the computer screen and directed towards the young male in front of him who bowed down to him out of respect and straightened himself.
"Hello, I'm Jeon Jeongguk, the chosen candidate for Mr. Kim's personal assistant." He spoke, attempting to not stammer in his words which earned him a soft smile from the old man, followed by a slow nod.
"Ah, Jeon Jeongguk— please take a seat." His lips curled up into an elegant smile as he gestured at the seats and turned to face the male, interlacing his fingers over the desk— eyes wrinkling into crescents. As Jeongguk complied, his eyes then darted to his watch, reading the time before looking up at the boy.
"You're five minutes late," A deep sigh emerged from his lips— pursing them into a thin line afterwards as he averted his gaze. "Even though you haven't gotten the job yet, it's better to not be late for things like this. Our employees are all expected to be at least five minutes early and never late. Your boss, the CEO, hates tardiness. He'll fire you immidiately."
"I-I apologise, I'll make sure to never be late again, sir." Jeongguk averted his gaze, gnawing at his lower lip out of habit, signifying his nervousness. He felt anxiety bubbling in his chest, focus all scattered, body completely tense and filled with nervous anticipation. He wondered of the possibilities of him being rejected yet again or ever getting a job.
As though luck was just never on his side.
However, he shook away those thoughts before they could get to him, wanting nothing but to focus on the interview he was bound to be giving. He couldn't be distracted now, for it could ruin everything.
"So let's begin," Minsuk proceeded to pick up a blue spiral binded file from his table, flipping through the pages with his eyes trailing down the words, a small frown evident on his face, signifying how serious he was. "I'll get straight to it. What's your strength?"
Jeongguk though for a moment, wondering about his possible strengths before answering, "I'm a quick learner and a great team player."
"What's your weakness?"
"I concentrate on one thing at a time." He scrunched his nose a bit, rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans as he glanced at the old man.
"Very well. Describe your management style." He hummed, lips twitching in amusement as his eyes trailed down the file in his hand.
"I-I could keep track of assigned work and finish the assigned task before deadlines." He answered, to which the man nodded with a small hum, placing the file on the table afterwards and closing it.
He then leaned forward, fingers interlacing over the desk as his eyes found Jeongguk's. "Why have you been unemployed for such a long time?"
Jeongguk bit his lower lip, uncertain of what to answer to that as he parted his thin pink lips, "I-I tried for many other jobs, but they all rejected me for some reason."
The man paused, pursing his lips for a moment, allowing silence to engulf the two of them. Causing Jeongguk to gulp as he peered up at him through his thick monarch's wing like lashes.
He was almost confirmed for being rejected yet again, without a particular reason as it has happened to him often. Either someone had taken the position he'd apply for or he just wouldn't be up to their expectations and qualifications. And jeongguk has lost track of the countless of times he had faced rejection, this one adding up to the number.
Or perhaps, only this time, luck was by his side.
"We'll hire you," His deep raspy voice resonated through the room, breaking the ice that was trapping Jeongguk slowly in a world of denial, where numerous thoughts wandered in his mind, and questions that were left unanswered. The tense silence being the cause of his melancholy as he was almost sure of being rejected yet again.
However, hope sprouted in his heart the moment Jeongguk's ears perked up at the man's voice, wide doe eyes snapping up at him in utter shock and bewilderment. "W-What did you say?"
"We'll hire you, Jeongguk." The man offered him a sweet smile, happiness blooming in his heart as he watched the young boy part his lips in utter shock- doe eyes sparkling with hope as a smile crept up to his lips, displaying his front bunny teeth.
"Really?" A gasp left his lips as he smiled to himself, unable to believe the man's words. "I-I'm hired."
"Yes but there's a condition." The man paused, retrieving a few papers stapled together from underneath the bunch of files placed over his desk. His eyes trailed down the words as he spoke, "After a deep discussion with the HR department, we agreed that this deal could be seen as an investment if you're tied down to the company for a number of years, if that's okay with you."
"Our company will pay you about eighty-three million won per year. So you don't need to worry about it. We've settled an agreement for you, so there's no potential risk of you suddenly leaving the company after receiving the money."
"How many years? And is that the only condition you require?"
"I was just about to get into that. You'll be working for us for three years and that's not the only condition. Obviously there are employee protection laws for you, but besides those major exceptions, we expect you to toughen up against our CEO and hold your position for the entire duration. He could be awfully rude sometimes, but hopefully, you'd be able to take it?"
"Okay." Jeongguk muttered after a moment of silence, eyes darting to the papers on the table which were glided over to him along with a pen handed to him. "Please sign the contract if you're agreeing to the terms and conditions."
His eyes trailed down the papers, the number of conditions were many, however, Jeongguk could hopefully manage to keep up with all of them and make sure he's on the right track. Distraction in work wasn't an option and the CEO despised whoever seemed to be distracted by their thoughts. Although Jeongguk had a habit of spacing out at times, he could still work on it, couldn't he?
And it didn't sound so bad. Three years at a nice company sounded better than working as a waiter depending on meagre wages and tips to live a decent life.
Hence he made up his mind- scribbling down his pristine signature without much of a thought. Although he had flaws, he was sure to work on them and present his best to the company. For the company- the Kim Corporations held a high reputation around the world.
"Great. So your boss, Mr. Kim's on the 8th floor, second door to the right. Like I said earlier, please be on time. If you've any other queries, feel free to stop by." He offered him a gentle smile, earning a small nod from Jeongguk, "T-thank you, Mr. Choi. It was a pleasure meeting you."
"No problem," The man smiled, his eyes wrinkling at the corners as he watched Jeongguk bow down to him before leaving his office.
Once outside in the hallways, Jeongguk heaved a deep breath, lips stretching into a bunny smile as he scrunched his nose. Happiness bubbling in his chest as a series of soft giggles left his thin princess lips. Jeongguk stood there for a while, smiling to himself as he replayed the manager's words over and over again. At this point, he was glad the hallways were vacant and eerie, he couldn't bear the embarrassment of someone witnessing him giggling like a fool.
For they'd never know why the bot was so enthusiastic in the first place. The happiness was undeniable. And Jeongguk's never felt so happy in years. He cherished this moment with all his heart. For this was the first step to his new life.
He then approached the elevator again, hoping it'd work this time. The doors of the elevator slid open, allowing him to step in only to have his jaw dropped to the floor.
He had expected it to be vacant or occupied by the employees, however, instead, he was left in utter shock and bewilderment, unable to comprehend the situation he was dropped in as he stared into the eyes of the very person he despised to see at the moment.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Mr. Jeon, good to see you here." Taehyung mumbled monotonously, face devoid of emotion as he threw an empty stare at the younger male. "I'm surprised that you actually appeared, well, fifteen minutes later. That's expected of you, isn't
it?"
"What do you mean? Why the hell are you here?" Jeongguk was utterly bemused, brows creasing into a frown as his gaze flickered down the male's attire— who was dressed in a suit that made him appear rather professional and manly, absolutely fancy and composed than the boy he had seen the other night.
"Wait— you work here?"
That caused the older to snort, breaking into a fit of uncontrollable laughter that only puzzled the younger more. The laughter simmered down not a minute later and the male glanced up at Jeongguk, an amused smirk growing at the corners of his lips, "I must say you're a great actor, Jeon. But not great enough to fool me. How? Just how do you think I'm an employee of my own damn company?"
Jeongguk's eyes went wide for a few seconds, and it's like he forgot how to make speech with the vocal cords in his mouth. He stood there dumbfounded, feet glued to the ground, gawking at the older unblinkingly.
"Well," Taehyung spoke articulately, looking at Jeongguk who seemed frozen on his spot, unable to think of a way to avoid the situation. "You've wasted two minutes and eighteen seconds of my time. Are you here to get the job or to be rejected on your own?"
"I-I—" Jeongguk stammered, attempting to settle the lump in his throat, the nervousness washed over him like a bucket full of water. How could he know that the very person he despised and never wished to see at the moment was the CEO of the company he was hired to work for?
Thankfully, the doors of the elevator slid open, grasping their attention as they stepped out. Taehyung spared the male one last glance before walking away, muttering a, "Follow me."
"But— how?! I-I'm not here for you! I never applied for your company. I-I— how the fuck am I even selected to work for someone like you? I don't want to work for you!" Jeongguk yelled, a scowl etching on his face as he glared daggers a the older's retreating back. A tense silence dawned ovee the two as Taehyung haulted in his steps and slowly turned his head to the younger, a grim expression falling on his face.
"You will work for me, Jeongguk." His voice was rather calm, and deep, which sent shivers down Jeongguk's spine. However the male simply chose to ignore it, attempting to seem as mad as he could appear.
"No. Find yourself someone else because I'm out." Jeongguk was about to approach the elevator to get to the ground floor, however, froze when his stern voice ricocheted in the awful silence of the dull white hallway.
"I don't think you would want to make that mistake, Jeon." He rose his voice a bit in accord for the other to hear him, which caused the younger to freeze. Soft footsteps resonated in the eerie silence of the almost vacant hallway, signifying that the older was walking up to him.
"Apparently, you've been rejected from almost all the jobs, and mine being the only one to select you for this position. And I bet you got the job already, hm?" Taehyung stated, approaching the boy slowly yet cautiously. "There's no other choice. Accept it, you're lucky I'm offering this to you."
A scowl embedded on his bunny-like features as he whipped his head towards Taehyung, who stood a few meters away from him with his hands buried in the pockets of his pants. Taehyung stayed silent for a few seconds, lips pursed and watching the younger with a blank look.
"How are you so calm even while knowing that I'm tied to you for the next three years? I thought the feeling was mutual?" This caught Taehyung off guard as he paused for a moment, a frown appearing on his mundane features as he shot the younger a perplexed look.
"What are you talking about?"
"Cut the bull, Kim." Jeongguk scoffed in utter disbelief, crossing his arms over his chest, his muscles flexing in the process. "Don't pretend to be a fool, Taehyung."
"Trust me, I don't know what you're talking about." The frown on his face and the puzzled look was a dead giveaway of the fact that he had no idea what the younger was rambling about. Which caused Jeongguk to pause and meet the older's perplexed gaze with a small frown, "You really don't?"
"How the hell are you tied to me for the next three years?" Taehyung narrowed his gaze at the younger, "What did Choi say?"
This had Jeongguk's frown dropping to a monotonous look as he parted his pink princess lips and gawked at the older with wide doe eyes, arms loosening over his chest. He dumbly blinked at the older, "Y-You really don't know?"
"What the hell did Choi say, Jeongguk?" His voice was menacing and stern laced with a growl— demanding an answer, almost venomously. Which caused Jeongguk's stomach to drop at how the older male's voice had dropped an octave lower, delinquent eyes now glaring at the younger perilously.
Jeongguk swallowed harshly, averting his gaze from the older as he felt awfully small under his gaze, perhaps due to his intense obsidian orbs that were solely focused on him, demanding an answer.
"H-He said this deal was an investment and that he had discussed it with the HR department. T-The agreement... he made an accord for me to be tied to your company for the next three years. I had no idea that you were the CEO, else I wouldn't have signed it." Jeongguk muttered, attempting not to stammer on his words and sound brave as possible. As though he wasn't actually feeling weak and small under the older's menacing glare. However, his faltering voice didn't go unnoticed by Taehyung whose frown deepened even more.
Jeongguk peered up at him through his monarch's wing like lashes, watching as the older clenched his jaw, dropping his gaze to the floor, a scowl clearly evident on his features. He could tell the older was clearly pissed off and infuriated about something regarding this matter, but he didn't know what it was.
As he watched Taehyung retrieve his phone from the pocket of his pants and dial a number with a deep frown, pressing the device onto his ear afterwards as his frown crumbled to a grim look- a sigh then emerging from his manly lips. Jeongguk couldn't help but wonder what must've gone wrong in this agreement issue.
Why wouldn't the HR department inform their CEO of the contract? Perhaps, they did. However, Taehyung didn't know of the duration of the agreement. It could probably be the latter for all he knows.
"Mr. Choi, to my office now." No words or greetings exchanged, he straight up demanded of the aforementioned man's presence, which baffled the younger as to why he'd react in such a way. Perhaps he was overreacting. It wasn't such a big deal anyway. At least not for Jeongguk. Right? It was only a matter of three years before everything settled down back to how it was before.
And time flies, it wouldn't even be long and before he knows it, the contract will end. He'd be on his way, living his dream life and Taehyung would be on his own. Or that's what he thought.
The noise of the elevator doors sliding open ricocheted through the dull vacant hallways, driving Jeongguk out of his trance as he snapped his head back towards the elevator, eyes landing on the man who he knew to be Choi Minsuk, the manager of HR department. The man who took his interview and proceeded to hire him.
However, this time, he didn't look as composed as he was when Jeongguk first encountered him. Rather he seemed to be panicking, perhaps by the sudden call of his presence at the CEO's office. That explains why he suddenly rushed out of the elevator and headed for the ridiculously fancy door that stood out in the dull white hallway and perhaps, the whole edifice? With a sign made of gold that read 'CEO Kim Taehyung'.
It was only then when Jeongguk noticed that the place where Taehyung once stood was now empty, signifying that he had left when Jeongguk was dwelling in his own thoughts. Distractions, a bad habit to get rid of.
Jeongguk stood in the hallway, contemplating his thoughts on whether to follow or whether to wait for his call. He then thought it could be personal issue, hence it was a better choice to stay and wait until he was called in to talk.
"What's this agreement you've made, Mr. Choi? And how do I not know of it?" Taehyung queried, delinquent eyes sharp and not-so-subtly glaring at the old man as he leaned his back against the desk. His hands were buried deep into his pockets as his gaze remained solely focused on the man.
"Your personal assistant has been fired thrice this month and it's getting out of control. To add to that, nobody is willing to apply for such a position. Jeongguk is the only one you had chosen among the list of candidates. Hence the seniors and I made a decision of settling an agreement where Jeon Jeongguk would be tied to your company for three years and you wouldn't be able to fire him unnecessarily, unless he does something wrong, of course."
"Why haven't you asked of my consent? If I'm even agreeing to this stupid contract of yours." The anger and sheer disappointment was evident in his voice as he glared at the manager.
"Knowing you, you'd obviously disagree and we couldn't risk the public knowing of this. Hence the only reason we refused to ask your consent."
"That doesn't even make sense, Choi Minsuk. Are you even in the right state of mind? I'm the goddamn CEO of the company, nothing should go around without my approval. What the hell are you saying?" He bellowed, the man's words infuriating him even more to the point that he was almost losing every ounce of his patience.
"Indeed you are. But you must know who your father is. For he's the upper hand. And with his approval, we continued this agreement. In fact, it was him who suggested to not say a word to you about this. For he knows you've been firing a lot of your assistants for the past few months and the lack of work being done in the company was pissing him off." The manager, Choi Minsuk replied, a grim expression etched on his face and eyes fixated on Taehyung who froze— the scowl on his face now crumbling to a frown. His tense shoulders now dropping along with his gaze.
"Da— Mr. Kim. . . he did this?" His voice was rather faltering, obsidian irises that once glared daggers at the male now softening as he locked eyes with Minsuk who simply nodded.
"I apologise, Mr. Kim. But I'll have to follow your dad's orders. For you know what happens when someone doesn't." Minsuk's gaze softened, an apologetic look embedding on his face as he watched Taehyung nod whilst swallowing harshly. "You may leave."
He then turned his back on the man, hands gripping the edges of his desk and head dropping forward, causing his bangs to fall over eyes, concealing how he squeezed them shut. Minsuk could only watch the male turn his back on him with an apologetic look on his face.
But what else could he do? For he was forced to follow his father's orders.
His father, a man of immense power, a true devil in disguise who's known to never be messed with. For anyone who has ever messed with him knows of the consequences very well.