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Kim Seokjin has held the position of CEO of Kim Global Media (KGM) ever since his grandfather, who is the predecessor, passed away six months ago. KGM is a multi-billion media and entertainment conglomerate. They own television networks, newspaper and magazine companies, news websites, movie studios, television studios, streaming services, amusement parks, cruise lines, and such.
Seokjin’s grandfather was a controversial figure because of his views such as being against climate change, anti-healthcare for all, and many more. Seokjin has very opposite views from his grandfather and ever since he stepped in as CEO, he vowed that he will put the company into the right direction. He tasked his cousin Kim Taehyung, the chairman of Global Broadcast News at KNC (Kim News Channel), the company’s cable news channel, to make sure that their news reports will stick to the facts and not lay out any conspiracy theories like what the old regime did. He implemented programs making sure that the workplace will be safe and toxic-free. He is also firing the problematic personalities in the company. Seokjin’s new direction for KGM is really coming in its place and it has been receiving well so far.
It is Monday morning and the board of directors are having a meeting in the KGM headquarters which is a 90-storey building. The boardroom is located in one of the top floors so they can see the majestic view of the downtown from their window. Present at the board meeting is, of course, Seokjin himself. There’s also his cousin, Kim Namjoon (who serves as the COO), Taehyung, Min Yoongi (who serves as the company’s general counsel), Jung Hoseok (the head of amusement park and cruise division), and other members of the board.
The meeting starts exactly at 10:00am. Everyone is present in the room. Seokjin’s secretary is in the corner to take notes for the meeting minutes.
“Thank you all for coming,” Seokjin pleasantly declares as he starts the meeting. “So what is our agenda for today?”
Namjoon answers as he looks at the document in front of him, “Taehyung-nim has an update regarding the background check for the anchors and reporters in KNC.”
Taehyung chimes in, “Yes, that is right. The independent team that we hired has finished conducting a background check for the anchors and reporters in KNC and the results are, fortunately, all of them are clean except for one.”
“Who?” Seokjin asks.
“Hwangbo Shin,” Taehyung answers in a somber tone.
“Oh God!” Seokjin reacts. “Are you kidding me? Him?” Hwangbo Shin is the star anchor of KNC which is why Seokjin reacts that way. “So what’s the problem with him?”
Taehyung sighs. “They found substantial evidence that Hwangbo Shin is perhaps associated or connected to…” He takes a deep breath. “He is connected to neo-Nazis.”
The board groans in disgust.
Taehyung adds, “And there is a possibility that your grandfather knew about it.” There’s a hint of disappointment in his voice.
“Holy shit. My grandpa’s been dead for six months and he is still giving us problems,” Seokjin complains. He turns to Yoongi, “Are we allowed to fire him right away? There’s not gonna be any legal issues?”
“We can fire him right away. There’s not gonna be any legal implications, but we may have to compensate him," Yoongi replies.
Seokjin grunts. “Really? We have to compensate him? We can’t just fire him and not give him any of our money? He’s a neo-Nazi. He doesn’t deserve any compensation.” He turns to the board, “Am I right?” They nod.
Yoongi is thinking. “Well, we can check if that’s gonna be possible, but I can’t 100% assure you that we can fire him without any compensation.”
Seokjin sighs. “Fine. My God. Why did my grandfather hire a neo-Nazi? Didn’t somebody tell him that they’re bad?” He groans. “Sorry, this is just infuriating.”
Taehyung asks, “Seokjin-nim, are we gonna tell him about the findings?”
“I don’t think you should do it yet,” Namjoon suggests. “Let’s wait for Yoongi-nim to check regarding the compensation.”
“Yeah, he’s right. Don’t tell him yet until we clear things out,” Seokjin says in agreement.
“Don’t worry, we will sort it out as soon as possible,” Yoongi assures.
Seokjin asks the board, “How about some good news? Anyone? Is there anything?”
Hoseok raises his hand. “Oh, I have one.” Seokjin signals him to speak. “We’ve been cleared to commence the construction of our park in Dubai.”
“There’s not gonna be any hurdles?”
“None. We are good to go.”
“Thank God,” Seokjin declares as he is relieved with the good news.
“However…” Hoseok suddenly says.
“Oh shit.” Seokjin groans as he is expecting Hoseok’s ‘however’ to be bad news again.
Hoseok explains, “There are environmental concerns regarding our planned park in Bali. The tourism board is with us regarding the construction since it’s gonna boost their tourism for sure but the environment ministry has some serious concerns about commencing a construction there.”
“What are the concerns exactly?”
“Well, according to the plan which was approved by your grandfather, back when he was still with us, and my predecessor, it’s gonna require some bulldozing of a forest there. We have also checked for a possible new location, but there’s nothing probable.”
Seokjin chuckles. It’s like he is confident with the solution that he has in mind. “I mean, if we cannot find a new location that can be approved by their environment ministry, I guess we should just cancel it. We can just consider other locations.”
“We can do that, but we already spent millions for the project,” Namjoon notes.
“But can we take the loss if we can cancel it?”
“Well…” Hoseok is carefully thinking. “I mean we can as long as the parks don’t shut down and the profit continues.”
Seokjin smiles for the first time ever since the meeting started. “Great. Wonderful. Problem solved.” He says it proudly. “Cancel the Bali project. I don’t think my grandfather would be angry.”
The board laughs.
“Are there anything else?” Seokjin asks. He is giving them a few seconds to answer, but there’s none. “Okay. I guess I can tell you now my next plan.”
The board is waiting for anticipation for what their CEO’s new plan is.
Seokjin clears his throat. “I’m sure all of you have heard about The Truth Herald?”
Everyone nods.
“Why are you asking about it?” Yoongi wonders.
“I want to acquire them,” Seokjin declares.
The board responds positively. No one seems to be against it.
“That’s an interesting choice,” Namjoon remarks.
Seokjin explains, “Ever since I stepped in here, you all know that we’ve been working hard on putting this company in the right direction and there’s a lot of image rehabilitation that we need to work on in order for the public to trust that our news, especially in KNC, are not conspiracy theories. We have to prove that we are sticking to factual reports and that we are no longer the KGM that they used to know. My grandfather is dead. I’m not saying that I am erasing his legacy. I just want us to do what is fucking right.” The board nods in agreement. “I think acquiring The Truth Herald will be the first step to that. They are one of the news sites out there who are really committed to truth and justice. Let’s show to the public that we are committed to our new objective.”
It seems like no one board from the board is objecting. They are all just giving a satisfying nod.
“I want you to reach out to them,” Seokjin tells Namjoon. “Give them an offer that they can’t refuse.”
“I will get right to it,” Namjoon replies with no hesitation.
The Truth Herald is a popular news website that has been running for three years. What makes them standout is their no holds barred reporting on the major issues that are happening in the country, their fight for social justices, and exposing the corruptions and malpractices that are happening in the government. They also extensively use social media for the distribution of their news. Because of that, they had a quick success which led them to become one of the most visited news sites. At the same time, they have been targeted by trolls and government officials who were exposed by their reports (especially now in the days where there is misinformation around). But it didn’t stop them from fighting for truth and justice. They will continue to report them no matter what.
Jeon Jungkook serves as the owner and editor-in-chief of The Truth Herald. His leadership has been praised by the staff for his endless dedication to his job. There is also Park Jimin who serves as the managing editor. He helps Jungkook run the day-to-day operation of the news site.
Jungkook is in his office, reviewing the articles that are going to be published on the website, when Jimin suddenly enters and greets him with, “Hey, are you free to talk?”
“Is it important?” Jungkook asks as he is concentrating on his work.
“Yeah, it’s very important,” Jimin emphasizes. He sits on the chair across Jungkook’s desk.
Jungkook stops his work in order to fully focus on Jimin. “So what is it about?”
“KGM reached out to us.”
Jungkook chuckles as he is anticipating that it’s just nonsense, something like wanting to kill their story. “What do they want?”
“They want to talk to us regarding acquisition.”
Jungkook reacts by laughing at it. “Stop messing with me, Jimin. KGM will never have an interest in us. Are you just messing with me?”
Jimin remains deadpan. He repeats it again to make it clearer to Jungkook that he is not kidding at all, “I said they want to talk to us regarding acquisition and, no, I’m not messing with you.”
“Oh,” Jungkook simply responds as it has synced to him that it is actually real. “You’re actually serious. They want to acquire us?”
“Yeah.”
Jungkook cannot believe it. KGM, which he still despises because of the previous regime’s corrupt political influence and attacks on their reports, wants to acquire his website which has been his labor of love ever since he founded it. It’s going to be a tough decision for him. “What are they offering?”
“300 million USD.”
Jungkook’s eyes widened in shock. That is a huge amount considering that their value is actually lower than that. “You’re still not kidding, right?” He asks to clarify that what he is hearing is correct.
Jimin shakes his head. “I’m serious. They are offering 300 million.”
Jungkook is still processing it. 300 million is really a huge number. But then he suddenly decides, “It’s a no.”
“What?!” Jimin exclaims. “Why not? 300 million is a good number. Wait, it’s not just good, it’s a terrific number.”
“I can’t trust KGM, even with the changes that they’re doing. They might just use us for their propaganda. And we have integrity here.”
“Well, we can negotiate for editorial freedom. And besides, they have a new CEO,” Jimin says he is trying to convince Jungkook to consider the offer. “KGM is different now. Fine, I know that KNC was bullying us a few times before and called our reports as fake news, but they have a new regime now. Their style of reporting changed. They called climate change the number one concern now. They are no longer that they used to be. Their CEO, Kim Seokjin, who is handsome by the way, is literally changing it to a different direction.”
“I still can’t trust them. We have to be careful. We don’t know what that Kim Seokjin is up to.”
Jimin sighs. “Okay, how about if we just schedule a meeting with them? I mean it’s just a meeting. We just need to personally talk to them and hear their side and tell them our side as well. It’s not gonna hurt. It’s only a meeting. We have to consider it at least.”
Jungkook is thinking about it because Jimin has a point. It would be better if they will conduct a meeting first before making a final decision. Who knows, his concerns might get addressed.
“It’s just going to be a meeting,” Jimin points out again. “We have to consider. It’s a fucking great deal.”
“Okay, fine, let’s have a meeting with them and find out what their scheme is.”
Seokjin, Namjoon, Yoongi, and Taehyung are having dinner in the private room of a five-star restaurant, where it also doubles as their meeting. Exquisite French dishes are served to them as well as a glass of champagne for each of them.
“We already reviewed Hwangbo Shin’s contract,” Yoongi informs them. “It says that we have to compensate him if we are going to kick him out and we have to pay him around 15 million dollars.”
“15 million?!” Seokjin sighs in disappointment. “There’s no loopholes or clauses where we don’t need to give him our money?”
“No. He signed his contract two years ago during your grandfather’s tenure obviously and it seems like they made sure that he is protected even in the circumstance that he gets fired. I also have to remind you that, if we don’t compensate him, he can file a lawsuit against us which could end up in a settlement thus making us still obligated to pay him. Either way, we have to pay him no matter what.”
Seokjin didn’t like the information. He is disappointed that there’s no way for them to not compensate the soon-to-be former KNC anchor. “Well, I guess that we have to give him our money. We have no choice.”
“I’m going to speak to him tomorrow regarding his exit,” Taehyung declares. “Then, I will tell our PR team to make a statement.”
“Tell them that they should put that we don’t stand by his neo-Nazi cause,” Namjoon suggests.
“I second that,” Seokjin supports Namjoon’s suggestion.
“Will you be able to handle it? Do you think he’s not going to have a violent reaction?” Yoongi asks Taehyung.
“Shit. You’re right.” Taehyung realizes that Yoongi has a point. He might have to think about the words that he is going to say when he fires the anchor.
“I will help you,” Namjoon assures to Taehyung. “I will be there when you talk to him.”
Taehyung nods. “Sure. Thanks.”
“Just take care of it properly. Use the right words,” Seokjin tells the two. “Let’s just hope that he will handle the firing well.”
Namjoon says to Seokjin, “In other news, I have reached out to The Truth Herald about our acquisition plan.”
“And what did they say?”
“Their owner and editor-in-chief, Jeon Jungkook, has agreed to schedule a meeting with you.”
“So they’re interested?”
“It seems like it. They have some concerns, of course, but they are willing to talk.”
“Good. That’s fucking wonderful. I love the sound of that. We should schedule it as soon as possible.” Seokjin raises his glass. The others follow. “Cheers.”
They clink their glasses.
Seokjin is sitting on the desk in his office as he is waiting for his scheduled meeting with Jungkook to discuss his acquisition of The Truth Herald. Moments later, his secretary informs him that Jungkook has arrived so he tells her to send him in.
Jungkook enters the office, looking confident with no hint that he is nervous at all. Seokjin is surprised to see that the person he is going to have a meeting with is actually a good-looking man who seems to be younger than him. He was expecting the editor-in-chief of The Truth Herald to be the same age as him or at least a little older.
Seokjin stands up and they shake hands. “Take a seat,” he says to Jungkook as he points to the chair across his desk.
“Thanks,” Jungkook replies and then sits on the said chair.
Seokjin sits down and greets, “Thank you for coming. Do you want a glass of water?”
“No, I’m good.”
“Okay, let’s get started.”
Jungkook stops him. “Can I speak first?”
“Sure.”
“On behalf of the whole team in The Truth Herald, we want to say thank you for your interest on our website and we’re happy that you have your eye on us, but fuck off. We are not on sale.”
Seokjin chuckles in response. It’s like he wasn’t offended at all. That sets the tone on how their negotiation will go. “Really? You’re gonna turn down the money? Fine, I am raising it to 350.”
“It’s not about the money. It’s the way your network attacked us.” There's anger in Jungkook’s tone.
Seokjin sighs. “That was during my grandfather’s tenure. I’m not like my grandfather. I don’t know if you’re aware of what is happening to us recently, but I am spearheading a huge change here in KGM to the right direction that it’s supposed to be.”
“I can’t trust you like that easily.”
“375.”
“I said that it’s not about the money,” Jungkook emphasizes.
“So what the fuck do you want? Has KNC attacked you again ever since I stepped in?”
Jungkook has no answer.
“See? That’s the point!” Seokjin exclaims.
Jungkook narrows his eyes. “What is your intention? Why do you suddenly have an interest in us? Why does KGM want to acquire my site so bad?”
“Because I want to show to everyone that KGM is no longer like it used to be. We want to show to everyone that KGM is standing by factual reporting and we want to prove that we are also seeking for truth and justice in our news. And did you see what happened to us earlier? We fired our star anchor in KNC because we found out that he’s connected to the neo-Nazis.”
“But why did you choose us?”
“Because of exactly what I said. The Truth Herald seeks for truth and justice. You have the guts to report about the corruptions, you have dignity, you’re ethical. I’m not gonna use you for some fucking propaganda. That was my grandfather’s way. We just want to work with you.”
Jungkook is slowly convinced that Seokjin has the right intention, but he is still suspicious. “Okay,” he simply reacts.
“I am aware about the sins of my grandfather, but that is why I am correcting it. I want to make sure that we are all for the climate change agenda. I don’t know if you’re updated, but KNC is going to produce a three-hour documentary about the effects of climate change. Kim Pictures is also going to make a movie about climate change. We’re going to have some sustainability programs and use eco-friendly materials. My grandfather didn't do that before. He didn’t give a shit about the future of our planet. I’m not like him.” Seokjin is aggressively convincing Jungkook that he doesn’t have shady intentions.
“That’s it? Only climate change?”
“No. There’s more, of course. And come on, I’ve only been here for six months. I’m trying to work for more. Give me some fucking time.”
Jungkook smiles as he can sense that Seokjin is slowly becoming frantic. “Wow. The CEO of KGM is freaking out in front of me.”
“400.”
“Easy there.”
“Whatever it takes.”
“Let me repeat myself: it’s not about the money. I’m not just gonna sell our dignity to a large conglomerate like you.”
“Well, I didn’t mention that you’re going to lose your dignity.”
Jungkook likes what he said. “Okay, that’s good.”
“What can I do to sweeten the deal?”
“Do I really need to decide on this right now?”
“No, feel free to take your time. The offer is still standing at 400 with a possibility of another increase.”
Jungkook is thinking and then he asks, “Are you free this weekend?”
“As far as I know, yeah.”
“Let’s talk about it again this weekend.”
“Sure, of course. If you want, we can talk through it on my ranch outside the city. It’s a very relaxing place.”
“No, I can’t be far. Let’s just do it in my place for the whole weekend.”
Seokjin is surprised about Jungkook’s suggestion. “The whole weekend? In your place? Where?”
“In my penthouse. You can stay in my guest room.”
Seokjin looks hesitant, but he wants to do whatever it takes to close the deal so he decides to answer with, “Okay, fine.”
“And we can talk about the conditions.”
“Of course.”
“Okay, let’s continue the talk this weekend.”
Seokjin and Namjoon are smoking cigarettes on the rooftop of the KGM headquarters building while looking at the view of downtown.
“So he invited you to his penthouse for the whole weekend?” Namjoon asks after Seokjin told him about what happened in his meeting with Jungkook earlier.
“I know that it sounds dumb, but I want the acquisition to happen so bad,” Seokjin answers.
“Let me take off my COO hat for a second and tell you that it’s a fucking weird idea.”
Seokjin laughs. “I know, but these are just things that I do for the company.”
“You’re really desperate.”
“Yes, I am. We need The Truth Herald under us.”
“What if it fails?”
“It’s not gonna happen,” Seokjin confidently declares. “He’s going to say yes.”
“Well, all I can say is don’t do something stupid this weekend. Assure to him that his website will be safe under our hands.”
“I know what to do, Namjoon. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“And does it really have to be a weekend? You can just talk about it for an hour.”
“Yeah, but the bright side about this is I can prove to him that I am not like my grandfather. He is still bitter about how the old regime attacked his site. I have to win him over.”
Namjoon teases, “It’s just gonna be the two of you there.”
Seokjin raises his eyebrow. “What are you implying?”
“I didn’t say anything. You’re the one who is implying something there.”
“Shut up.”
A moment of silence for a few seconds.
Seokjin concedes, “Fine, he’s hot. There, I said it. But it’s just going to be business. Let’s not make it weird. I am doing it to close a deal. It’s for our company. It’s not for my personal advantage.”
“If you say so,” Namjoon continues to tease.
“It’s for KGM.”
“Sure.”
“I’m serious, Namjoon. I’m a professional.”
“What did I say? I’m just agreeing.”
Seokjin sighs in defeat. “I won’t say anything anymore.”
Namjoon simply smirks.
“So you’re saying that you two will be in your penthouse over the weekend?” Jimin reacts after Jungkook told him about the meeting that happened. They are sitting on a table, drinking coffee in the pantry at The Truth Herald office. They are the only ones there so they have the privacy to talk about it.
“Yeah, just the two of us,” Jungkook answers like he’s not ashamed of it.
“But why?!” Jimin asks as he can’t understand the reason why Jungkook would invite the CEO of KGM to spend a weekend in his penthouse for the negotiation.
“Because, duh, to talk about the acquisition. What else would we do?”
“But in your penthouse?”
“Yeah. Well, he did suggest doing it in his ranch, but I don't want to do it there since it is located outside the city.”
Jimin takes a sip of his coffee. “Are you really fine that it’s just going to be the two of you there?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because he’s, like, a stranger? You really don’t find it unusual?”
“He is the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world, not a serial killer. It’s going to be fine,” Jungkook assures. There’s no hint of him being bothered by that idea at all.
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
“It’s only for a weekend and it’s for business purposes.”
Jimin gasps as he realizes something. “Wait a minute. You have a fucking crush on him!”
Jungkook laughs. “Nonsense, Jimin. What are you talking about?”
“You like him,” Jimin squeals.
“He’s a very handsome man. I will give him that, but I don’t have time for any of that nonsense.” Jungkook might just be lying.
Jimin chants, “Jungkook and Seokjin sitting in the tree. K-I-S-S—”
“Please stop.”
“You don’t need to feel embarrassed about it.”
“Hey, don’t forget what KGM did to us before.”
Jimin continues to tease, “You’re being defensive.”
Jungkook shrugs it off. He continues to sip his coffee.
Seokjin arrives in Jungkook’s penthouse in the middle of Saturday afternoon. He is impressed with Jungkook’s place since the space is wide, he has new model appliances, and there are also various black and white photographs displayed around. Jungkook leads him to the living room where he offers a cup of orange pekoe tea and cinnamon donuts for snacks.
“Nice place,” Seokjin tells Jungkook as he looks around the penthouse.
“Thanks,” Jungkook responds, “It’s a big place.”
They are sitting comfortably on the couch while enjoying their tea and snacks.
“Are you all by yourself here?”
“Yeah. I don’t have any maids or servants, unlike your mansion.”
“Why are you assuming that I have maids or I live in a mansion?”
“Did I lie tough?”
Seokjin sighs in defeat. “You’re right.”
Jungkook chuckles. “You rich people have the same predictable lifestyle.”
“I’m going to advise you to hold your breath on that because you’re also going to be one of us soon once I buy your site.”
“Well, I’m going to be too busy to play golf and buy an expensive Rolex watch.”
“Fair enough.” Seokjin takes a sip of his tea. “Should we begin now?”
“It’s up to you. We have all weekend to discuss.”
“Okay, then. But before that, we decided to raise it again to 450.”
“Really? You’re that desperate?”
Seokjin dismisses it. “No, we just want you to give a fair amount of good deal. That’s all.”
“It’s a very good number. But we need to discuss the conditions.”
“Of course. Lay it all down to me. I’m listening.”
Jungkook smirks. “First of all is editorial freedom. When we are under you, we don’t want you to get involved in our editorial decisions or any interference on what news we should be reporting. The Truth Herald should still be the same in terms of delivering the news. No changes on that.”
“Sure. You can have that,” Seokjin says without any hesitation.
“Second, I want a public apology from KNC, not just for attacking us, but for all the lies and conspiracy theories that they reported during the old regime. You could release a press statement or have your anchors do it on-air as long as you do the apology.”
“That can be arranged.” Again, Seokjin says it without hesitation.
“Third, I want a seat on the board.”
“Okay, I can make that happen.”
Jungkook narrows his eyes as he is suspicious about Seokjin’s pleasant reactions. “Are you sure that you’re fine with that?”
“Yeah. Why? Are there more?”
“No, that’s all I can think of.”
“So I guess we have a deal?”
“We have a deal.”
They shake hands.
“My team will reach out to you,” Seokjin notes.
“That was easy,” Jungkook remarks on how fast their negotiation went. “It only took us a few minutes. Are you really sure that you’re not against any of the conditions? Even my request for a seat on the board?”
“Yeah, absolutely. They were fair and reasonable. How about you? Are you sure that there’s nothing more beyond that?”
“I think I’m good for now since I can’t think of anything else. Editorial freedom is really just all we need.”
“So all we need to do is to sign.”
“Exactly. Anyways, I have to take care of something first. You can stay in the guest room and rest for a while. There’s a TV there and some books if ever you need some entertainment.”
“Sure. Thank you.”
“And I’m going to order for our dinner.”
“You’re not going to cook?”
“Why? Do you cook?”
Seokjin has no answer. He wants to take those words back.
“I knew it,” Jungkook chuckles.
Seokjin gives him a bad look. “I’m just asking.”
“I’m going to order for our dinner. What cuisine do you have in mind?”
“Let me take care of that.”
“No, it’s okay. I insist. Let me handle it.”
“Okay, fine. Just surprise me. And you know, I could order a bottle of wine or champagne for us to celebrate.”
“All right. Well, I’m more of a red wine guy.”
“Okay, a bottle of red wine for us,” Seokjin declares.
After their negotiation, Seokjin stays in the guest room where he conducts a group call with the board about the latest update on the acquisition deal while Jungkook is reviewing some articles for publishing and contacting Jimin and the other top personnel in The Truth Herald to inform them that he has agreed on the deal.
It’s dinner time for Seokjin and Jungkook. They are eating dumplings, braised pork balls in gravy, roasted duck, kung pao chicken, and spring rolls (which were ordered by Jungkook in a Chinese restaurant), as well as a bottle of Château Margaux red wine (which is courtesy of Seokjin). They are having a casual conversation as they are enjoying their celebratory feast at the dining table.
“So what is your story?” Seokjin asks.
“What do you mean? My life story?” Jungkook asks back.
“No, I mean how did you get into journalism?”
“Oh, so we’re at that part now?” Jungkook chuckles.
“Well, I mean we’re going to work together now so might as well we get to know each other.”
“That is a fair point.” Jungkook takes a sip of his wine. “I only got interested in journalism when I was in high school. I joined the school newspaper because they said that extra curricular activities will help me a lot when I apply for college. And then I fell in love with it ever since. I studied journalism in college, graduated, and then I worked freelanced first before I founded The Truth Herald.”
“So you fell in love with journalism?”
“Exactly.”
“You’re a brave guy. I mean I’m no expert, even though I own a lot of news outlets, but I have no idea how challenging it is to be a journalist. I just see my people running around in the newsroom whenever there's breaking news. They’re very hardworking.”
“Yeah, that is why you better treat them fucking right and report the facts.”
“Of course. That’s what I’m working on. I value the importance of journalism.”
“You know what your grandfather did. You have a lot of fixing to do. But you’re making progress. I’ll give you that.”
“Are you not going to ask me?”
“About your story? Fuck no. I can search it on Google right now.”
Seokjin laughs. “They’re just generic information.”
“Okay, fine. But I’m going to ask you a different question. Why are you eager to acquire our site?”
“Well…” Seokjin is thinking. “Do you want an honest answer?”
“Sure. I’m not interviewing you for my site. This is a private conversation. We should be unfiltered here.”
“Right. Well, you know that I’ve been working on the image rehabilitation of the company ever since my grandfather died and I stepped in.”
“Yeah.”
“The most honest answer is that I just want to make KGM look good. Everything that I’m doing right now is because I want to rehabilitate KGM into the right company that it deserves to be. All the bullshit that I said about climate change? That’s all for good PR. I mean I’m concerned about our environment, but my mentality is that I need KGM to have an eco-friendly image to convince the public that we’re no longer like the old regime. Then, if I acquire you, people will think that we believe in factual news. It’s simple as that.”
Jungkook simply laughs it off. It’s like he wasn’t offended or bothered by his answer.
“Why are you laughing? You’re not mad about it at all?” Seokjin wonders about Jungkook’s unusual response.
“Of course that’s your answer,” Jungkook scoffs. “All companies think the same thing.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“All of you are the same. You just want to look good in front of the public. It’s all PR.”
Seokjin sighs as he agrees with what Jungkook said. “I mean what can I do more?”
“You’re a good leader, Seokjin. I can see that. You’re passionate about the changes and you want KGM to be the best company that it’s supposed to be, but you can’t just do it all because of the image. Look at the eco-friendly initiative that you’re trying to implement. You’re not really passionate about it and if you are, it’s for the wrong reason.”
“So what can I do?”
“I don’t know. You’re the one who has billions of money. Use it beyond your programs or producing documentaries. Those can help, but you can definitely do more than that.”
Seokjin wasn’t insulted by what Jungkook told him because he knows that he is right. This is becoming an educating moment for him. “I think what you said is fair. You’re right, I think we’re not doing enough.”
“Oh!” Jungkook suddenly exclaims. “I have an idea. I wanna add one more condition.”
“Spill it out.”
“I want you to establish a climate change foundation. Not just establishing it for the sake of having a foundation, but I want you to lend a significant amount of budget for that and implement programs that’s gonna produce real results.”
Seokjin chuckles. “Well, sure but I’m going to need your help in organizing it.”
“I will gladly do that.”
“Okay, that’s a deal. But I do have a question though. Even with what I said to you, even when I shared with you my honest answer, you still want us to acquire you?”
“Yeah.”
“But why?”
“Because I believe in the other thing that you said which is you’re also seeking for truth and justice in your news.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You have proven enough that you’re different from your grandfather and you are determined to do the changes and stand by what is right. Also, admittedly, the money was good.” Seokjin laughs. “Not that it matters, but you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“And I feel comfortable with this.”
“That’s what matters the most: we mutually agree.”
A moment of silence as they continue to eat their food without talking and then Jungkook asks, “Do you smoke?”
After their dinner, Seokjin and Jungkook decide to smoke cigarettes on the balcony. Seokjin is amazed at the beautiful view of the downtown at night (which he doesn’t get to appreciate in his office since he’s only there during the day). At this point, they are a bit tipsy from the red wine that they drank.
“I have a question for you again,” Seokjin tells Jungkook.
“Bring it on,” Jungkook says as he blows smoke.
“How much did you get for this place?”
“This one? My penthouse?”
“Yeah. I mean, frankly, it looks like an expensive place to get.”
Jungkook laughs as he understands what Seokjin meant by that, especially with the fact that he criticized his rich lifestyle earlier. He explains, “Listen, I earned this. I worked hard and I saved money which is why I got this. And come on, it’s a wonderful place. Who wouldn’t want to get this? Maybe except you because you prefer big houses.”
Seokjin chuckles. “Hey, I own a penthouse in London. Stop assuming that I can only live in mansions.”
“Of course you have one,” Jungkook scoffs.
They laugh together. After they recover, “I think it’s fair to say that it’s my turn again to ask you a question,” Jungkook suggests.
Seokjin shrugs. “Go for it.”
“Why are you the one who stepped in as CEO after your grandfather? Not your father or uncle, but to you who has a very opposite political view from him.”
“Ah, that’s a great question. It’s good that you brought it up.”
“So what’s the story?”
“Well, the thing is he asked my father to be his successor but he wasn’t interested. He doesn’t want to get involved with the media business. He asked my uncle but he rejected it as well. He tried to ask my aunt, but she doesn’t want to do anything with her father since she also has a different political view from him. Then, there I was. He asked me to be his successor and I said yes because why not. I did tell him though that if I’m going to run KGM, it’s going to be different. Do you know what he said? He said that he doesn’t care since he’s going to be dead anyway.”
“Really? Wow.” Jungkook is amazed by the story.
“Yeah, so I did it. Once I became the CEO, I started to run it my way. I’m now at six months and I hope it’s working.”
“KNC hasn’t attacked us yet so that’s progress.”
“You think that I’m doing good so far?”
“All I can say is you’re doing better than your grandfather already.”
Seokjin smiles as he appreciates that compliment.
Jungkook continues, “But you have to do more. There’s a lot for you to work on.”
“I know.”
They continue to smoke, but in silence. They are looking and appreciating the night sky above with the twinkling stars and the moon in its waning gibbous phase. Then, Seokjin gazes at Jungkook’s eyes. “I’m here in the balcony, looking at the beautiful evening sky with a very handsome man,” he says to himself. “I don’t know if this is just because of the red wine, but wow I’m suddenly getting romantic vibes.”
Seokjin decides to break the silence. “You know, I’m suddenly wondering, do we really need the whole weekend to negotiate? I mean we could have scheduled it for an hour only and we would be fine.”
Jungkook snickers as he dismisses the idea. “Well, I would argue that this is more fun than talking for an hour in a boardroom.”
“I guess you’re right. I mean here, we’re having tea, donuts, Chinese food, an expensive red wine, and cigarettes. On a normal day, we would have only gotten a glass of water or a cup of coffee.”
“Absolutely.”
“Now you gave me an idea for a question.”
“And what is it?”
“Why did you invite me here? I mean I suggested that we can do it in my ranch, but why does it have to be here?”
“Ah, well…” Jungkook is thinking. Seokjin is narrowing his eyes as he is waiting for his answer. “This may sound weird, but it’s more intimate here.”
“ What the fuck does it mean?” Seokjin asks himself. Frankly, he is feeling the tension right now. “Intimate?” Seokjin responds. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean it’s just going to be the two of us, it’s peaceful, and we would have a better negotiation.”
Seokjin decides to just go straightforward and not play games anymore so he asks, “Are you attracted to me?”
Jungkook laughs in response and then he says, “You think that I’m attracted to you?”
“You fucking answer that.”
“Why? Is it because I’m a handsome guy and you think that I’m hot and it’s just the two of us together and you think that we’re having some kind of romantic tension?” Jungkook tells in a teasing tone.
Seokjin is thinking of a good excuse, but he chooses to go no holds barred. They are having a ‘heated’ moment right now so why not. “I find you very handsome.”
“You find me very handsome?”
“Yeah. Look at you with your puppy eyes, built-up body, and your fucking jawline.”
Jungkook laughs at him. “Okay.”
“Hey, it’s your turn.”
“For what?”
“Tell me if I’m attractive.”
“You already know the answer.”
“So it’s a yes?”
Jungkook simply nods.
“Holy motherfucking shit! You’re fucking attracted to me!” Seokjin exclaims. It seems like the red wine is now hitting him.
“Everybody knows that,” Jungkook defends. “And please calm down. The people below might get mad at us.”
“Why am I attractive, Jungkook? I told you your best assets so you tell mine.”
“Okay, fine. You have cute eyes and a nose that I would love to boop, you have broad shoulders, you have beautiful hair, you have an attractive collarbone.”
“So you want to boop my nose? Do it.”
Without any hesitation, Jungkook quickly pokes Seokjin’s nose with his index finger.
“There you go,” Seokjin declares. “Are you happy now?”
“Yeah,” Jungkook simply answers.
The two are intensely staring at each other’s eyes.
“So we’re both attracted to each other,” Seokjin chaffs.
“Because we’re both handsome men,” Jungkook adds.
“And there’s only the two of us here.”
“It seems like it. So what now?”
Seokjin throws his cigarette off the balcony.
“What the fuck?” Jungkook reacts. “There’s an ashtray here.”
Seokjin ignores what Jungkook said. He is just gazing at his eyes. “Do what you want to me.”
Seokjin wakes up in Jungkook’s bed. It’s already morning. He still has a little bit of a hangover from last night. After their intense moment in the balcony, they had sex and then they slept immediately afterwards. Jungkook seems to be already awake since he’s not there.
He wears his clothes and walks out of the room. He sees Jungkook preparing their breakfast on the dining table which is French toast, sausages, and a cup of coffee for each of them.
“Good morning,” Jungkook happily greets Seokjin.
Seokjin did not expect that Jungkook would prepare breakfast by himself. “Wait. I thought that you don’t cook?”
Jungkook smirks. “Except breakfast food. Come sit.”
Seokjin sits on the dining table. Jungkook follows after. They start to eat in silence.
Moments later, Jungkook initiates a conversation. “I actually have one more condition if you don’t mind.” Seokjin nods. “I want you to reduce the offer back to 400 and then use the 50 for the foundation.”
“Sure,” Seokjin quickly responds. He’s still not in a mood for a full-on conversation because of the hangover.
“Are you okay?” Jungkook asks concerningly.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Seokjin assures. “Just a little hangover. That’s all.”
“Right,” Jungkook chuckles. “Well, last night was…” He is thinking of a right term. “Wild.”
“It was.”
“But fun.”
“Yeah, it was fun.”
Jungkook can sense the awkwardness between them. “You know…” He looks at Seokjin, whose face is leaning down and concentrating on the food that he is eating. “Never mind. Let’s just enjoy the food.”
“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind talking. It’s just the hangover. Go on,” Seokjin assures again since it seems like Jungkook is really getting worried about him.
“Alright. I just wanna say that we had a lot of talk last night.”
“We did.”
“Not just about the acquisition.”
“I know where you’re getting at, Jungkook. You can say it.”
“Well…” Jungkook pauses for a moment as he is thinking about the right words that he is going to say. “We had a talk on the balcony…” He is struggling. “Basically, what I wanna ask is what are we?”
Seokjin smiles for the first time since he woke up. “You think that we’re together now?” He scoffs.
Jungkook laughs. “Come on. I’m not that hopeless romantic.”
“But in all seriousness, what I said last night was true. It wasn’t the wine talking. I really find you attractive.”
“And I feel the same way.”
“Good. That’s a starter for us.”
They smile at each other.
“Do you like the food?” Jungkook asks.
“Not bad,” Seokjin answers. He is impressed at least.
“But don’t expect me to cook anything other than breakfast.”
“While you should not expect me to cook anything,” Seokjin jokes.
“Because you pay people to cook for you.”
“Exactly.”
“How about I teach you?”
“Oh, so you’re a cooking expert all of a sudden?” Seokjin mocks him.
“Come on, it’s just simple. What if your cook suddenly resigned? What would you do?”
“I will just eat outside. And come on, you can only cook breakfast food. Stop acting like you have a PhD in culinary arts.”
“Okay fine,” Jungkook concedes. “Rich people. You would rather pay money than learn a skill,” he jokes, which is also half-truth at the same time.
“Come on, that’s unfair. I have a big company to run,” Seokjin defends.
Jungkook shrugs. “If you say so.”
“Let’s go back to the main topic. It’s my turn to ask you. So what are we now?”
“Well, I’ve only been in one relationship before and it was short-lived and a long time ago so I’m not the best person to say anything about that.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened there?”
“Oh, he cheated.” Jungkook just chuckles it. He doesn’t sound bitter about it at all. “I think it would be fair if you share your relationship history too.”
“I’ve been in a few, both long and short term.”
“So you’re more of an expert than me.”
“I wouldn’t consider myself as that.”
“Well, we both like each other and are attracted, plus we fucked last night so…”
“I think we’re just pressuring ourselves to label it.”
“You’re right.”
“The important thing is we mutually like each other.”
“And we have each other’s number so we can, like, text and call everyday and send memes and gifs and corny jokes.”
Seokjin laughs about the idea. “We can do that.”
“Yeah. Let’s see where this will go.”
“Thank you for this by the way and for inviting me here in your wonderful place for the weekend.”
“You’re welcome. And thank you as well for the insightful and peaceful negotiation.”
They smile at each other again and continue enjoying their meal.
Seokjin is in his office, reading some documents while waiting for a reply from Jungkook on the meme that he sent to him. Ever since that weekend in Jungkook’s penthouse, they’ve been texting each other frequently with messages about what they’re doing, memes, funny gifs, as well as business conversations regarding the acquisition.
Moments later, Namjoon comes in and greets, “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” Seokjin greets back. “Come sit.”
Namjoon closes the door and then he sits on the chair across Seokjin’s desk. “You’re not busy?”
“No, I’m just reading these plans and proposals from Hoseok-nim’s division.”
“Anyways, I just want to ask you about what happened during the weekend.”
“I already told you. They requested to reduce the offer back to 400 million and use the 50 to form a climate change foundation.”
“Yeah, I know.” Namjoon smirks. “I’m talking about the other thing.”
Seokjin’s eyes widened as he understands that Namjoon is teasing at him. “What other thing? What are you talking about?”
“It’s okay, there’s only the two of us here and the door is closed. Your secret will be safe.” Namjoon is strongly implying.
“Come on, nothing happened,” Seokjin lies. “We just fucking negotiated which was successful thank you very much.”
“Let me rephrase the question. What other business did you do?”
Seokjin’s eyes widened more.
Namjoon continues, “I’m not stupid. The two of you in one place for the whole weekend. I’m sure it wasn’t just business.”
“If something happened, do I need to tell you that?” Seokjin narrows his eyes.
“We’re cousins, Seokjin. Yo—”
Suddenly, Seokjin’s phone dings. “Sorry, I need to get to that.” He checks his phone and it’s the reply message from Jungkook. He reads it and laughs.
Namjoon is suspicious about his reaction. “Is that Jeon Jungkook?”
Seokjin is typing his reply. “Yeah, we’re talking about business.” He lies again.
“Is it a funny business talk?”
“It’s a…” Seokjin is thinking of a good excuse. “I laughed because there’s a typo.”
“Okay,” Namjoon simply says as he doesn’t believe it.
Seokjin finishes typing. He gives his attention back to Namjoon. “So where were we?”
Namjoon decides to not press Seokjin about it anymore so he says, “You know what, never mind. You’re happy, right?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Good. That’s the most important thing.”
“Okay,” Seokjin chuckles. “Whatever that means.”
Jungkook is supposedly reviewing the articles that are going to be published on the site. Instead, he is looking for a very funny meme in his phone that he can send to Seokjin this time. He is giggling in all the memes that he is looking so far. At the same time, Jimin is passing by when he sees his colleague giggling instead of doing his job of reviewing the articles. He enters the office and asks, “What’s funny?”
“Oh, it’s just the…” Jungkook is struggling to answer as he is still giggling. “I was laughing at the memes that I found.”
“Memes?” Jimin scoffs. “You’re not usually the type who looks at memes to pass the time.”
“Come on, we need to have some laughter from time to time.” Jungkook is making an excuse.
“I know, but this is just unusual.”
“Well, I’m a normal human being so sometimes I am in need of a laugh.”
“Sure.” Jimin is definitely not buying his bullshit. “So what happened during the weekend? You haven’t told it to me yet.”
“I said yes to them. We have a deal. I literally texted you after it.”
“I know. I replied to your message. I’m talking about Kim Seokjin. How was he? Did he have a great time in your penthouse? Did he bite? Did he show off his expensive jewellery?”
“No, it was boring,” Jungkook lies. “There’s nothing to tell actually. We were just talking and negotiating and I told him about our conditions. Just boring stuff.”
“Yeah, but besides that?”
“We ate and talked. What else are you looking for?” Jungkook hates that he is being interrogated.
“No. I mean was he nice to you?”
“Yeah, he was nice.”
“He’s not like his grandfather?”
“He wasn’t. I mean that is why I said yes to his offer to acquire us.”
“I guess I made the right point at the beginning after all.”
“You did. I will give you that, Jimin. You were right. He wasn’t like his grandfather. It’s a different KGM, a different regime. You absolutely made the right point,” Jungkook says frantically since he wants to end the conversation and for Jimin to leave him alone.
“Okay…” Jimin can sense that Jungkook wants him to leave now so he says, “I will go back to my work now and I will let you go back to yours. I will talk to you again later.”
“Sure.”
Jimin exits the office. Jungkook goes back to finding memes and giggling, even with the articles that he has to review still on pending.
FOUR WEEKS LATER
Besides texting each other frequently, Seokjin and Jungkook would also go on secret dates in the private room of a restaurant, even with their busy schedule. They always find time to see each other. Sometimes, Seokjin would even discreetly go on a sleepover in Jungkook’s penthouse. There are also other times where Jungkook will visit Seokjin in his office to “talk about the on-going acquisition” even though it’s actually just an excuse for them to see each other. In other words, their relationship (or whatever you label it) is going well.
One morning, Seokjin receives some missed calls from Jungkook, but he can’t respond to them or even send a text message since he is in the middle of the board meeting.
Hoseok is discussing to the board the plans that the amusement park and cruise division have. “We recently did a research and we found out that there is a viable market to open a park in Istanbul, especially since there is a recent growth in tourism recently. Other potential locations that we also found are Moscow, Osaka, and Shanghai.”
“How about environmental clearance? Is that going to be an issue in Istanbul?” Namjoon asks.
“No. We don’t see any indication that there’s going to be a hurdle in terms of securing an environmental clearance from the Turkish authority.”
“Good. Thank you, Hoseok-nim. Just keep us updated,” Seokjin says. Then, he turns to Yoongi. “Anyways, how’s the paperworks so far on the acquisition of The Truth Herald?”
Yoongi answers, “It’s still on-going. We just have to make sure that everything is cleared right before we sign the papers.”
“Do you have a timetable on when we can finalize it?”
“At least a few more weeks.”
“Okay.” Seokjin turns back to the board. “Are there more? Did we miss anything?” They shake their heads. “Great. If that’s the case, the meeting is adjourned. Thank you, everyone.”
They all stand up. Taehyung approaches Seokjin and tells him, “Seokjin-nim, KNC will have a dinner party in celebration of the recent ratings success. It’s going to be in two weeks. Will you be able to come?”
“I will check my schedule.”
“Okay. Just let us know. Bye.” Taehyung leaves as well as everyone.Seokjin checks his phone as he walks out of the board room and he sees a text message from Jungkook asking to meet him right now because of an urgent matter. Seokjin replies with, “Sure.”
Seokjin is in his office as he is anxiously waiting for Jungkook. He is wondering why he wants to meet up with him urgently. He thinks that something might be wrong, which worries him. But it’s also possible that he texted him because he misses him so bad that he wants to see him right now, but it’s too impossible. Moments later, Jungkook finally arrives. He’s in a bad mood. He doesn’t look happy at all which is unusual because he usually smiles whenever he comes to him. He enters the office and sits on the chair across Seokjin’s desk. He didn’t bother to greet him.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Seokjin asks Jungkook concerningly. He is more worried than ever.
Jungkook sighs first and then he explains, “One of my reporters gathered some information about the firing of Hwangbo Shin in KNC.”
“And is there something wrong?”
“Apparently, you fucking paid him 15 million dollars for his abrupt exit. You gave 15 million.” Jungkook emphasizes the number. He is getting frantic. “15 million dollars for a neo-Nazi,” he says in a dismayed tone. “What the fuck, Seokjin? You fired him for being a neo-Nazi and still gave him millions of dollars. How can I trust you if you’re still doing the shady things that your grandfather did?” He is clearly upset about this.
“Hey, let me explain…” Seokjin is shocked. He didn’t expect that this is going to be the problem that Jungkook is going to discuss. “Let me explain this. We have to compensate him because it’s our obligation based on his contract which was, by the way, signed during my grandfather’s tenure. I also fucking hate that we have to give him our money, but we have no choice. If we don’t compensate him, he’s going to sue us and we will end up in a settlement and we’re still going to give him our money anyway. There’s no fucking escape. We were trapped.”
Jungkook is still upset about the information, even though Seokjin already explained why it ended up like it. He sighs again as he is processing it. He is thinking about what he is going to say. Seokjin is just looking at him waiting for his response.
“Come on, I have no choice and I’m being honest with you right now. I wish it wasn’t like that, but we have no choice. Frankly, it’s not even my fault.” Seokjin is also upset about the situation. He understands why Jungkook reacted that way and he finds it reasonable, but he has nothing to do except explain and hopefully it will clear things out.
“I…” Jungkook finally speaks again, but he is still struggling about what words he is going to say. “Thank you, but we’re going to back out,” he declares even though he sounds unsure. He stands up.
“What?!” Seokjin reacts in shock. “Come on, Jungkook. Let’s talk about this.” He stands up as well to try to stop him.
Jungkook is about to exit the office, but he stops and turns back to say some final words. “I really like you so much, Seokjin. I think I’m crazy about you. You always make my day. I think about you all the time but…” He looks sideway for a second. He is struggling. “I think I made a huge mistake inviting you to my place and accepting your offer. I think I can’t trust you. But I don’t know. I’m not thinking straight right now. This is just too much. I don’t even know why I did this. But, yeah, I really like you. I really, really, really like you. I fucking like you. Goodbye.” He walks away.
Seokjin is just standing as he is still shocked about what just happened.
Jimin is busy looking at the statistics of the website in his office. He is reviewing which of their articles and pages were mostly viewed. Moments later, Jungkook suddenly enters and he doesn’t look calm at all. He just arrived back from his meeting with Seokjin earlier. “I think I made a huge fucking mistake,” he declares.
“What?” Jimin asks as he is confused with what Jungkook just said. He stops his work to fully give his attention to his colleague.
Jungkook sits on the chair in front of Jimin’s desk. “I backed out of the deal.”
Jimin is surprised. “Why the fuck did you do that? What happened?”
“I confronted Seokjin about the Hwangbo Shin firing information that we got.”
“Oh God,” Jimin groans. “Actually…” He showed Jungkook a document which is a copy of Hwangbo Shin’s contract. There are parts that were highlighted. “They were able to obtain this and they gave it to me minutes before you arrived.”
Jungkook takes a look at the document and analyzes. “Shit. He’s right.” He hands it back to Jimin. He is regretting his decision now.
“Be honest to me, Jungkook. I’m not talking to you as your co-worker. I’m talking to you as your friend. Why did you do that?”
Jungkook is thinking of an answer. Why did he do that? He’s also been wondering that to himself. “Well…” He sighs. “After learning that information, I don’t know if we could trust them and this acquisition thing is a big decision to make. Not that I have trust issues but, you know, we’re going to be under them and I don’t want us to be associated with them if they are still doing the shady things that Seokjin’s grandfather did.”
“And then we found out that new information. I assume that is what Seokjin explained to you?”
“Yeah, that’s what he said. That document you showed is a proof that what he said to me was true.”
“Jungkook, I don’t see anything wrong about having a trust issue. But please remember that the KGM now is different than before. There’s still some marks from the past that they can never erase but they are trying so hard to change. I have talked to some of the people there and I am confident that we are making the right choice.” Jungkook simply responds with a nod. Jimin narrows his eyes. “So what else?”
Jungkook knows what Jimin is implying in that question so he decides to just confide with him about his relationship with Seokjin. “And we’ve been seeing each other.”
Jimin smirks. “I know.”
“And the thing is I’ve been madly in love with him. I’ve been crazy about him. I’ve never felt this kind of love before. He makes me happy all the time. I think the reason I was actually upset is because I like him so much that I want to trust him and I want him to assure that he’s going to be honest and truthful. Not just in terms of the deal, but to me. I want to know that I can trust him and we can have a good relationship. You know that I don’t have a lot of experience when it comes to relationships and I only had one before which was a long time ago. Now, I think I’m experiencing what love is.”
“But I think it’s fair to say that he has proved that you can trust him.”
“Yeah, he did.”
“Do you know what you have to do?”
“What?”
“You have to tell him that. Tell him that you love him. You should affirm your love.”
“And how am I going to do that?”
Jimin laughs at him. “Why are you asking me that? I don’t know. Call him or go to his place or something.”
Jungkook agrees with Jimin’s suggestion. Maybe that’s what he needs to do.
Seokjin and Namjoon are on the rooftop of the KGM headquarters building as they are looking at the sunset. They are not smoking or anything like that. They are just staring at the beautiful sunset as they are having conversation.
“So they are backing out?” Namjoon says after Seokjin told him about what happened in his meeting with Jungkook earlier.
“That’s what he said,” Seokjin answers in a somber tone. “I’m sorry. I fucked up. It’s my fault. But I think I can still try to convince them again.”
Namjoon taps Seokjin’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Heartbreak sucks.” He knows what’s actually going on.
Instead of asking Namjoon about why and what he knows about their relationship, Seokjin decides to just open up to him about what he feels. “To be honest, I don’t know what to do. I mean I like him. He is the source of my happiness. Whenever I see his bright smile, it always makes my day. I really never felt something like this before. There’s just something about him. And this is way beyond the acquisition deal. We were going so well, Namjoon. I was fucking happy.”
“But is it really the end of the road?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You are referring to it as ‘was happy.’ But is it really the end?”
“Why? What do you want me to do?”
“You have to talk to him, Seokjin.”
“He might still be pissed at me.”
“You have to try. Not because of the deal, but for your feelings. You’re very much in love with him. I can see that. You are willing to invest in your relationship with him and I’ve seen you in your past relationships before and this is different. Just talk to him.”
“When do you think I can talk to him?”
“Now,” Namjoon insists.
Seokjin chuckles, “Now? Are you serious?”
“Yeah. You’re just gonna try. Also, give him flowers as a gesture.”
“Oh, he’s allergic to flowers.”
“You’re the one who knows him better. Or you can just show up and speak without bringing anything.”
“Okay…” Seokjin is now thinking about his strategy. “So I will just go to his penthouse and talk to him?”
“Exactly.”
Seokjin looks at his watch. “Well, he is usually on his way home now around this time.”
“Perfect.”
“But let me finish watching the sunset first.”
Jungkook is sitting on the couch in his penthouse. He is looking at Seokjin’s name on the contact list in his phone. He is contemplating if he is going to give him a call now. Moments later, he hears a knock on the door. He stands up and opens the door. It turns out to be Seokjin.
“Hey, can we talk?” Seokjin asks. It sounds like he is begging.
“Oh, I was actually gonna call you.” Jungkook is surprised to see him.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
Jungkook lets Seokjin in. He leads him to the balcony so that they can have their talk there. They look at each other’s eyes as they are waiting to see who is going to speak first.
“You know what, I’ll go first,” Jungkook declares. “First, I will take back what I said. The deal is not off.”
“Oh, good.” Seokjin is relieved. “We thought that we lost you.”
“Second, I want to apologize about what I did.”
Seokjin stops him. “No, you don’t need to apologize about that. I understand why you felt that way.”
“Yeah, but I think it was unfair. We were able to obtain a copy of the contract so I know now that you were telling the truth. And I know that you’re different from your gra—”
“Stop, Jungkook. Don’t apologize. It’s okay,” Seokjin assures.
“I’ll move on to the third now. Seokjin, I love you.”
Seokjin freezes. He is speechless. He has no response.
Jungkook continues, “I’m madly in love with you. I’m crazy in love with you. I like you so much. God, I always feel like I am the happiest man in the world whenever I see you or hear from you. You’re the only person who makes me feel this way. Frankly, I’ve never felt something like this before. I think I was mad at you because I want to know if I can trust you and that we can have a good relationship out of this.”
“Hey…” Seokjin holds Jungkook’s hands. “You can trust me, okay? You have nothing to worry about. Do you wanna know why?” He gulps. “Because I love you too. I love you, Jungkook. You also made me happy and I’ve also never felt something like this before. I’m also crazy, madly, deeply in love with you. I fucking love you so much and I want to have a good relationship with you too.”
Jungkook smiles. He is happy that Seokjin is also affirming his love to him.
Seokjin continues, “And I am ready to take it to the next level.”
Jungkook happily nods. “Me too.”
The two share a passionate kiss. If this is a scene in a romantic-comedy film, the chorus of “Crazy for You” by Madonna would be playing.
After the kiss, they smile at each other as they are happy that they have affirmed their love and that they will take their relationship to the next level.
“So what now?” Seokjin asks.
Jungkook laughs. “Well, do you want to stay for dinner?”
“Are you going to cook?”
“No, I’m going to order for delivery of course.”
Seokjin chuckles, “I was just asking.”
“I would cook if it’s breakfast.”
“Right.”
They laugh as they go back inside.
TWO MONTHS LATER
Seokjin is signing some papers as he is finishing up his work at his desk. Moments later, Jungkook arrives. He says hi to his boyfriend’s secretary first before he enters the office. He happily greets Seokjin, “Hey, babe.”
“Oh, hey,” Seokjin responds as he continues to sign. “Did you finish early?”
“Yeah.”
“Let me just finish this first. I’m almost done.”
“Sure. I will just wait for you outside.”
“Okay, babe. Don’t worry, I’m hurrying it up.”
Jungkook smiles at Seokjin first before he leaves the office and waits for him to finish his work.
Seokjin and Jungkook are having a dinner date in the private room of a Chinese restaurant. They are eating sweet and sour pork, dumplings, kung pao chicken, wonton, and fried rice as well as a glass of red wine for each of them (which is a reminisce of the weekend where they fell in love). They are simply having a great time as they’re just having a casual conversation while eating.
“Are you ready for the signing tomorrow?” Seokjin asks. He refers to the official signing of the acquisition that will happen on the next day. The dinner date also doubles as their celebration for that.
“Yeah, unless I changed my mind,” Jungkook answers in a joking manner.
Seokjin chuckles. “If you have one more condition, let me know now so that I can tell Yoongi to revise the paperworks.”
“No, I’m good. I just want to mess with you.”
“You’re officially going to be part of the KGM family.”
“Yeah. If you told me a year ago that The Truth Herald will be bought by KGM, I will just laugh and tell you that you’re a fucking joke.”
“By the way, I read the proposal that you made for the climate change foundation.”
“Oh, and how was it?”
“Well, you have to present it to the board next week. I love it. It’s so well-detailed and the programs are viable. It looks like they can really, really work. You’re saving the planet.”
Jungkook smiles as he is happy to hear it. “Thank you, babe. I didn’t sleep for days just to make that. Do you think they’ll like it?”
“Yeah, absolutely,” Seokjin confidently answers. “Namjoon and Yoongi are already backing it up so you’ll be fine.”
“I’m actually a bit nervous.”
“Don’t be. You’re going to crush it. They will love the idea and, besides, it’s philanthropy so they have to like the idea.”
Jungkook laughs. “You’re right.”
“And I will be by your side when you present that,” Seokjin assures.
Jungkook grins in response.
Seokjin asks, “Are you having a great time?”
“Yeah. How about you?”
“I’m having a great time too,” Seokjin answers and then he smiles.
Jungkook smiles back as their eyes lock. It’s an affirmation of not just the enjoyment that they are having on their dinner date, but also their love for each other.