HEARTBEAT | VKOOK - Chapter 36: Chapter 36

It was gruelling.
Truly exhausting to keep track of all the works and their deadlines. But despite the pain that came along with it, Jeongguk was known to be responsible and disciplined, rarely ever pissing off Taehyung for being late or delaying works.
But even if he did, Taehyung would simply let it slide, not paying much attention to it- but of course, he wouldn't miss the chance to get on his nerves with that cocky attitude of his. Perhaps, knowing Jeongguk, and all the favours he did to him, that was the least Taehyung could do.
But did he ever seem grateful? No, not to Jeongguk at least.
For there were times when it seemed like the older never really cared, or perhaps, pretended to ignore it. He'd never know.
And he wondered why he did those favours to him to begin with. He could've ignored him, after figuring out the kind of person he is, if it wasn't for a ridiculous contracting getting in his way. As much as he hated to admit, despite all the hardships, Jeongguk was in a far better place than his past self, and that's what actually motivated him to put up with Taehyung's cocky attitude.
Aside the regular activities, Jeongguk was finally done with all the works- the only things left were presenting Taehyung the financial reports of their company and arranging a conference room, which wasn't something he wanted to worry about at the moment, as he could finish them later at the end of the day.
He stepped out of the elevator to the third floor, that went deadly silent upon his arrival- except for one guy who kept on rambling to one of the co-workers, freezing for a moment upon the sudden silence. He awkwardly turned his head towards the elevator, eyes widening and face lighting up instantly at the sight of Jeongguk. He ran up to him, pulling him in for a bro-hug, "Hey, Jeongguk!"
"Hey," Jeongguk mumbled, a soft grin spreading on his lips as he patted the older's back before pulling away, "You're back, how are you now? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine now, just a little stressed, you know." Jeongguk reassured, not failing to notice the concern evident in the older's gaze, who released a strained sigh, shoulders dropping slightly, "Its stressful, I know. I'm glad you made it alive, I was worried."
"Come with me," Jae gestured for him to follow his lead- Jeongguk complying and following suit into the break room, which was occupied by a few workers. Most of them had returned to their works, which made him wonder if it was almost time for the break to end. But then again, there were many who simply didn't fancy to waste their time, or risk their jobs for that matter.
"There are no cameras here, so you can relax all you want," Jae took a seat next to Jeongguk, interlacing his own fingers on his lap, and placing his elbows on his thighs. Silence fell in between the two of them, the air filled with the loud noises and chattering of the people in the room. Jeongguk pursed his lips, turning to the older to see the look on his face.
"Did something happen?" Jeongguk questioned, sensing the tense look on the older's face. Jae pursed his lips for a moment, collecting his thoughts, "A lot happened in your absence."
"Like what?"
He took a deep breath, tongue poking the inside of his cheek as an aggravated look imprinted on his face, "Remember the project we were working on? I showed him the files and he didn't approve it, saying we got it all wrong and it wasn't what he wanted."
"Well, yeah, but it's done though. And he approved the project so there's no problem now." Jeongguk couldn't seem to comprehend why the male seemed rather tense and pissed. It didn't feel like he meant the project, rather something else that bothered him and he refused to admit it.
Jae merely hummed in response, nodding wordlessly, bored eyes affixed on the workers who typed away on their computers, restless looks on their faces. He then turned to Jeongguk, "Need a drink?"
"The usual," He replied, glancing around as he took a seat at the table. Jae disappeared into the cafeteria, retreating back a few moments later with an orange drink in his hand and a cup of coffee. He handed the coffee to Jeongguk, who gladly accepted it and thanked him.
There was a moment of silence as both of them sipped on their drinks, Jae now sitting afront him as watched one of the employees struggling with a pile of worksheets, some of them flying to the floor that he hastily picked up. Jae sighed heavily, lips pursing for a moment as he met Jeongguk's eyes, "Have you heard of the rumours going around?"
Jeongguk simply nodded, taking a sip of his cappuccino, "Sort of. But I'm not sure what it is. It's something benefiting the company and rising the profits, I guess."
"Yeah, something like that." Jae muttered under his breath, pausing for a moment, as he gulped down his own drink, "I heard Taehyung's getting married."
Jeongguk choked on his coffee, catching the attention of the workers around him as he coughed uncontrollably. He placed the cup away and held a hand over his mouth, attempting to recover from the sudden attack. He could feel the worrisome gaze of the older on him as he handed him a glass of water, confusion swirling in his eyes, "Are you okay?"
Jeongguk simply nodded wordlessly, gulping the lump forming in his throat as he regained his composure, a million questions arising in his mind, "T-Taehyung is getting married?"
Jae shot him a baffled look, concern evident in his gaze, yet he nodded nevertheless, "Yeah, that's what I've heard. The engagement is in a week, I thought you knew?"
His mind turned blank, face draining of colour as he merely blinked at the older, attempting to control his emotions, "H-How. . I mean, when was it planned?"
Jae thought for a moment, lifting an innocent shoulder, "I don't know, maybe a month ago."
Jeongguk stayed silent, not a trace of emotions evident on his features as he nodded thoughtfully, glancing around as he poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue, immersed with the thoughts flowing through his mind. He finished his drink, caught up with Jae for a while before leaving the floor and heading back to his office.
Jeongguk shoved his hands into his pockets as he waited in the elevator, eyes grim yet dazed at the same time, as though he tried to stay calm, even when he felt his heart crushing to pieces on the inside. It shouldn't matter to him, for they were nothing. . or were they?
Jeongguk shoved away the thoughts and focused on the presentation he had to prepare. He checked out the remaining works on his list, and headed to each of the head of departments for their opinions on their company's decisions. He kept himself busy with work to avoid his thoughts from getting to him- as he couldn't risk slipping into a trance and wasting his time, and he didn't wish to break his own heart.
As he was heading back to his office, he recalled Jin's words, replaying the way his face paled for a moment as he searched for the right words, the nervous tone of his voice. How Jimin avoided the topic everytime he brought it up when they got back to his place after he was discharged- either changing the topic or making up a random lie.
"He's a busy man, you know, meetings and stuff. He got no time."
"The engagement is in a week, I thought you knew?"
Jeongguk exhaled deeply, dropping his head and eyes closing shut as he ruffled his hair messily, standing in the middle of the vacant hallway to Taehyung's office- a file in his hand. He lifted his hand and dragged it over his face, thoughts scattered as he found himself drowning in the endless silence. His mind replayed the conversations like an endless loop, a heavy feeling settling in his heart.
Jeongguk didn't wish to see Taehyung at this moment, he didn't feel like facing him. But then again, he had to show the reports, which was the sole reason he found himself strutting through the vacant halls to the older's office- a part of him regretting not doing this simple work beforehand.
He stood in front of the black door, fingers curling as they knocked softly on the surface thrice, a muffled voice of approval following right after. Jeongguk stepped in, head hanging low as he closed the door shut behind him, refusing to meet the older's gaze.
Jeongguk walked up to his desk, placing the file down jutting his chin towards it, "Its done, you can have a look at the reports for the confirmation. And according to our states, our company ranks first among all other Corporations."
Taehyung nodded, wordlessly picking up the file, and scanning through the pages. There was a long silence, one that Jeongguk absolutely despised, heart clenching as he attempted to look at anything but him, yet it was difficult. For his heart yearned to look at him once, while his mind refused to say anything beyond the limit of what he actually wanted, let alone steal a glance at him, that is.
He found himself slowly slipping away to his ocean of thoughts and giving in to the craving of his heart- finally setting his eyes on the face he longed to see. His heart clenched at the sight of him, who was distracted by the file in his hands, a pair of black rimmed glasses resting over the bridge of his nose, gaze focused on the lines of the page.
It was a mistake. One he knew he'd regret the moment he set his eyes on him. For he'd stared at him for too long- and regretted it the very moment a pair of sharp obsidian eyes finally fixated at him. His heart rate accelerated as the two of them held gazes, not exchanging a single word.
A pale pink bloomed across the apple of his cheeks as he finally tore his gaze away from him, the tense silence seemingly suffocating him. Jeongguk cleared his throat, glancing at anything but the man sitting afront him, eyeing him carefully.
"If. . if there's no problem, I'll take my leave." Jeongguk turned away, heading for the door when a voice cut through the silence, "Wait,"
The younger male froze in his steps for a moment, shivers running down his spine as he turned to face the older again, focus scattered. "I won't be here tomorrow for a while, so you'll be in charge. You'll schedule a personal meeting with Mr. Yang tomorrow after the conference, then you'll check out those files at the table and create the presentation accordingly. As for the event, I'll speak to Mr. Choi about the decisions made, however, you'll assist the staff and supervise the entire process."
He went on, rising up from his seat and gathering the files scattered on his desk, and Jeongguk began jotting it all down in his notepad, brows furrowed. Once the older was done, he then heaved a sigh and nodded towards the door, "You may leave."
Jeongguk exhaled softly, swallowing down the lump forming in his throat as he forced himself to meet the older's sharp eyes, unable to help himself, "Can I ask you something if you don't mind?"
The older momentarily stared at him, nodding nevertheless, "Go ahead," He leaned against the desk, facing Jeongguk as he quirked a brow. He watched as Jeongguk's gaze flew to the floor for a moment, as though searching for the right words in his head, finally giving in, and blurting the question he had anticipated for long, "Are you. . are you getting married?"
And to say that Taehyung was taken aback would be an understatement. He stared at the male with a blank look, finding himself at a loss of words for the sudden unexpected question- the thought of Jeongguk knowing never coming across his mind. Taehyung merely blinked at the younger, and Jeongguk didn't fail to notice the way his face paled for a split second at the sudden question.
A tense silence invaded the atmosphere, Taehyung tearing his gaze away from him, and struggling to find the right words. As of course, he didn't intend to hurt Jeongguk. He was very much aware of his feelings, and how much it'd hurt him if he admitted the truth. But either way, Jeongguk would know it at the end, in the worst ways possible, and Taehyung could do nothing about it.
"That's none of your business, Jeongguk. If you're done, leave." He muttered, hostility laced within his voice, eyes cold as he gave the younger one last and hard look before turning away and facing the shelf in his office, seemingly looking for a file of some sort.
A slight scoff fled Jeongguk's lips, that curved into a small smile as he glanced down at the ground, "That was expected," His eyes flickered up to the older's back, who seemed frozen in his position, feet rooted to the ground as he focused on the file in his hands- or did he?
As of course, he couldn't seem to concentrate on the words of the page with his thoughts distracting his mind, clouding it heavily like a sky before the storm- all directed to the boy who stood a few meters away behind him. His heart ached to see him, yet, he couldn't seem to bring himself to look into his eyes- for how could he? After all that he did, he couldn't look him in the eyes, he couldn't bear to see the hurt and pain swirling within his onyx eyes, that shined so bright upon spotting him anywhere- so innocent and pure.
However, he had no choice.
"But if it's true, congratulations, Kim Taehyung. I hope you'll be happy." Taehyung could sense the hurt in his voice, even with his back turned to him, he could clearly picture the look on his face as he said those words, the heavy pain in his eyes. As though he was almost at the verge of breaking into a fit of tears, yet he held himself back.
Taehyung blankly stared at the shelf in front of him, eyes wide and dazed as he found himself rooted to the ground, unmoving. He could feel his eyes stinging with tears, slowly being filled to the brim before a lone tear rolled down his cheek. The wet feeling on his cheek made him snap out of his trance, stormy eyes darting around as he inhaled sharply, attempting to get himself together.
The silence was disrupted by the sound of footsteps slowly trailing away from him, the noise of a door being twisted open, reverberating through the room in the empty silence. Yet even so, he didn't dare to turn around, or stop the younger from leaving. At this point, the eerie silence around him seemed louder than anything, ringing in his ears as he replayed the words of the younger in his head, recalling the tone of his voice.
The door shut, and he was left all alone, just like how he wanted to be. Yet, this time, the silence around him wasn't calm- rather filled with unspoken words and questions he couldn't seem to avoid. His chest felt heavy as though a weight had been dropped on his chest, for he felt his throat constrict. Almost as though he was being strangled- slowly but painfully till his airways cut off completely, and he gave up on struggling to free himself, finally giving in to what awaited him for long.
And for the first time in years, he felt awfully terrible, and helpless.
But he had no choice.