Jungkook slams the office door and stumbles into the room, hair askew and eyes wide.

"Sir," he squeaks, looking petrified.

Taehyung looks up at him, alarmed. "What's wrong?"

Jungkook peeks back at the closed door, looking cautious. He turns around anxiously, "T-There's a man following me."

Taehyung's heart drops. "There's a- " He stands up abruptly when there a knock at the door. "Go to your desk," he whispers to the younger while walking towards the door.

He places his hand on the handle, hesitating for just a moment before he finally pulls it open. A big man, suited in a fine tux with sheer black glasses stares back at him, face neutral. Taehyung sighs in relief, running a hand through his hair.

"Mr Kim?" The man speaks, his voice a deep rumble.

Taehyung nods and gestures for the man to come in. The man looks over at the smaller boy, seated at his desk looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Uhh- he ran away before I could get a word out to him," the man says, gesturing towards the smaller boy.

Taehyung nods, a relieved smile now flickering onto his face. "Right. Kook, this is-" he laughs to himself, his heart still racing from earlier. "...This is your...body guard. I hired him for you yesterday."

Jungkook looks a little taken aback, turning to face the older with a questioning gaze. "Oh?"

Taehyung scratches his nape awakwardly, "yeah, um, you know, with all those reporters following you home and stuff, I thought it would be good to get you one."

Jungkook furrows his eyebrows. "Oh... Sir, I...I appreciate the gesture but I don't really think it's necessary. The number of reporters have significantly died down now, they don't follow me home anymore-"

Taehyung shakes his head, "-no. I...I think it's necessary. Especially when you're working in a big company like this."

Jungkook shifts in his seat, a bit uncomfortable. "O-Oh..."

Taehyung sighs, "well anyways, this is Kim Seokjin. He's going to be accompanying you to places where you will travel alone and any place that could pose a potential threat to your safety."

Jungkook chews on the corner of his lips, trying to keep his face steady. He doesn't like the sound of that. The thought of someone following him around constantly, lingering in his presence and taking away much of his privacy. However, to not appear rude, he nods at the man, extending his hand out to shake. "I'm Jungkook. Sorry I ran away, I didn't know I had a -um- body guard."

The blonde haired man nods, a small professional smile playing on his lips. "Nice to be at your assistance. I have already discussed the details with Mr Kim here but if you have any further inquiries, feel free to ask."

Jungkook thinks for a moment, "Um... how long would you be my body guard for?"

"Well, my contract stands for your full term as Mr Kim's secretary."

Jungkook's eyes widen. So this body guard is going to be with him, following him around and accompanying him places for the duration of his job? That could be for years! His face slightly pales, not at all fond at the idea.

Seokjin interupts his thoughts with another quick, emotionless smile. "If that's all, I will leave now. If you are ready to leave the office, use this," he says while handing over a small switch. "It will inform me that you want to leave and I will come to escort you home."

Jungkook merely accepts the switch and nods stiffly. As Seokjin leaves the room, Jungkook turns to face Taehyung who avoids his eyes almost guiltly.

"Sir..." the brunette starts, looking and feeling conflicted. "I...I really don't think this is necessary."

Taehyung shakes his head and walks back to his desk. He seats himself on the leather chair and looks over at the younger through his glasses. "I think it is Bun, this world is a dangerous place."

Jungkook feels frustration kick at his insides as he shakes his head. "I know that but this is a bit much. I'm not some sort of A-list celebrity. The risk of me being in such a dangerous scenario is low."

Taehyung shrugs, acting nonchalant, almost careless. "You never know though, it could happen."

Jungkook clenches his fists, feeling his face heat up. "But...but I don't want this!" He exclaims, furrowing his brows as he stares at the older.

Taehyung sighs, "Koo-"

"-Y-You didn't even ask me if I wanted a body guard. I don't. I don't want someone constantly invading my privacy and-"

"Jungkook, you will still have your privacy." Taehyung affirms while clicking his pen.

The younger shakes his head. "With someone always following me around, always being there? I don't want a bodygua-"

"-Well you have no choice!" Taehyung suddenly yells while slamming his fists into the desk. "It's either your privacy or your safety. And I'm not letting you have that choice."

Jungkook stills at the older's sudden outburst, feeling slightly confused by his statement but more so frightened. He nods slowly and steps back; cautious.

Taehyung stares at the boy for a moment, noticing his fright. "I...I just-"

Jungkook shakes his head while looking down, head bowed. "N-No, I understand...I'm sorry." He then rushes back to his desk before the older can say anything further.

Taehyung quietly stares at the younger who now looks meek as he works at his desk. He lets out a rugged sigh before looking back at his bright computer screen.

I'm doing this for you Bun, I promise.

~

"Sir, you have a corporate meeting in 10 minutes about the end-of-year project," Jungkook calls out softly while avoiding the older's gaze.

Taehyung lifts his head up from his work and curses lightly. "That totally left my mind," he says as he runs a hand through his hair. He stands up hurriedly, grabs his file and starts walking out the door. He pauses at the doorway, turning back towards the younger who's still at his desk and frowns. "You coming?"

Jungkook looks up at him hesitantly. "I...will I be necessary for this meeting?"

Taehyung ponders for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing further as he does so. "I mean, not really but..."

"...then could I please sit this one out? I...I have quite a bit of work to do."

Taehyung opens his mouth to insist that he must come but then he spots the boy's bowed head, looking away from him. He sighs. "...yeah, sure."

Jungkook watches the man walk out, looking a little tense, and then exhales in relief. He turns back to his work and tries to continue but his head gets lost with thoughts. He feels confused, conflicted by Mr Kim's recent random outbursts. Maybe there was something he was doing wrong that he didn't realise? Could that be it? But before he can delve further into his thoughts, there's a soft knock in the door followed by a suited-figure entering.

Seokjin stares at him with that professional smile of his ands nods his head in greeting. "Mr Kim informed me that you are in the room alone and so asked me to come up here."

Jungkook stares at the man for a moment before slowly nodding. He sighs softly as he stares down at his papers, feeling dejected and well- a little fed up.

~

Taehyung places the file on the table and looks up to meet the line of eyes staring up at him. He doesn't know why but their patient gazes and practiced smiles makes him feel irritated.

"Right," he starts, sounding a little gruff. "This end of year project is one of the biggest ones our company has done. We have invested 16 billion dollars into this project so it must achieve exceptional results, do you understand?"

A chorus of 'yes sirs' sound throughout the room, for some reason making Taehyung even more agitated. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before he continues to talk.

"This car that we are releasing is going to be the first self assisting vehicle ever so we must ensure we advertise it well and let consumers know what they are going to buy. So with this said, I want to hear your ideas for advertising this. Anyone want to start?"

No-one speaks up at first and Taehyung tightens his jaw in annoyance. After a few moments, a woman raises her hand, looking a little hesitant.

"I was thinking that we could perhaps make an ad of the car driving in various different scenic locations. It may-"

"So advertise it like every other car ad out there? What a way to make it stand out." Taehyung snarks, shutting the woman up immediately.

A man then raises his hand and starts speaking, sounding rather confident. "We should get a celebrity to endorse the product. Have them drive it around and show all it's features." He smiles up at Taehyung, waiting for his reactions.

Taehyung sighs at this and brings his fingers to pinch between his brows, clearly frustrated. "We have several different celebrities endorsing other cars we released. If we add more, it will clash and be confusing for the consumers as well. Anyone else?"

There's a moment of silence before another man speaks up. "We could have a kid in the drivers seat since it's self driving-"

Before the man can finish, Taehyung slams his hand down onto the desk, startling most of the employees. "Are you all incompetent or what?!" He growls. "Have a kid be in a moving car and what? Get sued for promoting unsafe practices? You've had weeks to plan out ideas but came up with a load of garbage-"

"...Actually sir," a small lady sitting in the very edge of the table interrupts. She barely is able to hold Taehyung's gaze when she looks up at him. "W-We did come up with some really good ideas leading up to today and even put it in the powerpoint for this meeting but...but unfortunately these ideas were somehow used as advertisements from various other companies."

Taehyung frowns at this, "...what do you mean? So every single idea you had just somehow happened to be used by other companies."

The woman nods, sharing a worried glance with the other employees. "We...we speculated that someone may have leaked the information."

Taehyung tenses at her words, his heart stilling. It can't be... not this too. He runs a shaky hand through his hair as his mind spirals. "Do you have any idea as to who that could be?" He asks, his tone now uncharacteristically quiet.

She bows her head and apologetically shakes it. "I'm afraid not."

He looks down at the table, staring at the glossy wooden pattern as if he's in a trance. The other employees stare at him worriedly, finding his sudden silence unsettling.

"Sir, are you-"

"This meeting is dismissed," Taehyung affirms as he keeps his head down.

The workers looks around at each other, confused. "A-Are you sure, sir. We still haven't discussed some crucial poin-"

"This meeting is dismissed," Taehyung repeats, the hollowness of his voice sending shivers down everyones backs. They nod and all hurriedly exit the room, leaving only Taehyung to stand there staring down at nothing in particular.

Taehyung feels his throat tighten. He knows...knows that this must be the same person who messed with the database earlier. The same one he's been trying to find for days. Someone's messing with him. Messing with his company. The company his father spent his entire life working on.

Taehyung grits his teeth together, the accumulated anger and frustration of the week finally surging through his veins. He looks down at his hands, noticing how they've unconsciously clawed at the table he grips onto. He smirks humourlessly before picking up a mug resting next to him and suddenly lurches it towards the wall.

The cup shatters, its ceramic chips flying through the air as their fragile existence breaks apart. Taehyung stares at the sight of the broken mug, his fists clenched, breathing heavy and eyes red, fiery. Murderous. He's going to find whoever is trying to play with him.

And he'll make them regret ever trying to fight him in his own battlefield.

~

Jungkook gets up from his desk with a little sigh, picking up his documents that he needs to take home. He looks up at the older man working at his desk and stares at him hesitantly. He contemplates for a moment if he should go up to him and talk about the whole body-guard thing again but as he stares at the older's furrowed brows and scowling lips, he decides against it.

Instead, he sighs and opts to leave the office in silence, quietly shutting the door behind him as he exits without his usual good-bye. The air didn't feel right to be speaking and frankly, Jungkook doesn't know if he even wants to speak.

Jungkook's not surprised when the blonde haired man greets him outside the office, that practiced professional smile sitting on his face. It makes him slightly agitated.

"Ready to go home, Mr Jeon?" Seokjin asks.

Jungkook stares at him for a moment, knowing that he has no choice but to say yes. He blinks at the man and then nods slightly. "Yeah," he sighs. "Let's go."

Meanwhile, Taehyung stares at the closed door, frowning at the deafening silence that's now swimming in the room. He's no fool. The younger is upset with him, that much is evident with his rather quiet departure. None of his usual "See you tomorrow, Mr Kim" or "Have a good evening, sir." The boy just simply leaves him with silence. Silence and his bitter thoughts.

He sighs, running his large hand through his hair and tugging harshly at his scalp. His body feels lethargic, weighed down by feelings of misery. He drops his hand from his hair then reaches down to grab a cigarette from the drawer.

He lights up the familiar stick, watching the bright orange flame engulf the papery tip before it leaves a glowing hue behind. He takes a lengthy drag as he spins in his chair to face the city-view.

The vibrant city mocks him, mocks his dullness, his loneliness. How can it be that above a city with millions, he sits here in this grey office alone?

He takes another drag of his cigarette. He guesses it's fitting though, the loneliness. Because all he really does is push people away. Too afraid to loose what he loves so he stops himself from loving at all. Perhaps he's made to be like this, the strong powerful man that sits above the lively city, ruling it like a lone emperor.

He almost scoffs at the thought.

He's not close to the definition of power, to being a leader of any sort.

Truth is, he's cowardly. Scared of anything that exceeds normality, scared of warmth and comfort, scared of being vulnerable but all he really feels is that; vulnerable. He's a coward hiding under a cloak of ferociousness. He's nothing without his metaphorical crown, the one that his father placed on his head when he abruptly left this world.

Taehyung misses his father. He misses his mother too. He misses them with all of his heart, every fibre, constantly mourning their death, constantly needing their warmth, constantly breaking at the lack of it all.

Deep down, he's still feels like a young boy, lost in the figure of a grown man. He's given all these responsibilities, all these names, titles but he can't handle it all. He would always find himself reaching out to something, to someone, trying to grip onto something only to slip into a dark empty abyss of unwanted solitude.

Namjoon had asked him since the day he started, why he smokes, what pleasure he finds in playing with death. He shrugged it off, told him it was 'for fun' or that it was 'his choice'. But really, nothing about this cancerous stick, slowly sucking the life out of him is fun, nor is it really his choice. But he became dependant on it. On the burn, the fire, the pain.

Cause when the toxic smoke invades his lungs, burns his throat, dizzies his head, it makes him forget. Momentarily, at least. He likes it in the sense that the pain brought by a cigarette is better than the pain of a loveless heart.

He sighs to himself, letting the final tendrils of smoke drift out of his mouth. Then, reaching into the last drawer of his desk, he grabs something. A small old CD player. Next to it sits a huddled pack of CDs, all now dusty from the lack of use. He picks one, smiling ever so slightly to himself.

He places the CD in the player and lets the soft melody drift into the room as he looks back at the sky, imagining the lyrics being sung to him by his dad like he used to do when he was young.

I know your somewhere out there, somewhere far away~

He stares at the blinking stars as he lightly hums along to the tune. Through his bleary eyes, the stars meld into faces, familiar faces. He sees his mum, her smile warm, staring at him with her loving eyes.

I want you back, I want you back~

His eyes shift to another cluster of stars, the dainty lights joining together until he sees his dad's cheeky smile, staring at him with his eyes full of admiration and pride.

You're all I have, you're all I have~

Finally, his eyes shift to the moon, sitting pliant and lonely in the sky. In it he sees a small round face, an adorable bunny smile as the boy stares at him with big doe eyes.

At this, he smiles, ever so gently as the music sings behind him.

Talking to the moon, trying to get to you~

~

The room is hazy with cigarette smoke, the pungent smell of bitter beer now wafting in the air.

The blond stares at the man with a raised brow as he chuckles, tipping his head back in delight.

"That Kim is trying to humour me, really."

The blond sighs and takes a small sip of the golden whiskey sitting in his cup. "I don't understand why you find it so humorous boss, this will only make our job harder."

The man sighs, wiping the tears of joy that leaked past his eyes. "You think him hiring a bodyguard makes it harder?" He shakes his head, laughing a little again. "See you got it all wrong..." he starts, his eyes darkening sinisterly.

"...it just makes it all the more fun."

❤️❤️