09. Min Yoongi dating rumors
On the way to BTS's dorm after finishing their schedule, everyone except Yoongi was asleep, and Yeoju drove carefully, her eyes drowsy.
As the light turned red, I slowly stepped on the brakes. While the car was parked for a moment, I rubbed my eyes and turned my head to regain my composure. Yoongi, perhaps noticing my situation, came from behind, offering me a cold can and a warm word.
"Are you very tired? Should I drive?"
"I'm the manager. I'm a little sleepy, but not enough to cause an accident. Oh, thanks for the drink-"
I smiled at Yoongi and answered, the light changing from red to green. I looked forward again and stepped on the accelerator, and Yoongi slowly leaned back, his body leaning against me.
"You look very tired..."
I could hear Yoongi's voice muttering something behind me, but I was so focused on driving, fighting off sleepiness, that I couldn't hear what he was saying.
***
"Noona, haam... Bye. Bye for now, see you tomorrow-"
"Okay, Jimin, sleep well-"
"Sister Yeoju, be careful on your way home, and come back tomorrow on time."
"Yeah, Namjoon, sleep well and see you tomorrow."
"... My lady."
After greeting each member one by one, I turned around to go home, but Yoongi, who hadn't gone in yet, called out to me.
I turned to see Yoongi, wondering what was going on, and he was walking towards me, scratching the back of his head. I looked at him comfortably, as if telling him to say something. Yoongi met my gaze for a moment, then quickly averted his gaze and spoke.
"Well... it's really late at night now, so do you want to sleep at the hotel?"
"... huh?"
"No, I mean, let's sleep separately. You in the room we slept in last time, and I'll sleep in Seokjin hyung's room..."
Yoongi, who was speaking well, gradually trailed off and quickly turned his head away. Yoongi's ears turned red.
"Hey, I can't be this indebted to you again. There are a lot of private life people these days, so I have to be careful about that kind of thing."
"Ah... right...."
"You don't have to worry about me. Even if I look like this, I can easily handle a man!"
When I raise my thin arm and show it to him as if telling him to look at it, Yoongi smiles innocently and says he understands, waving his hand to tell me to go in carefully.
I smiled and said good night to him. I returned home, feeling happy that I had done a good job today.
Without even noticing that I heard the sound of a photo being taken somewhere.
***
It was 8:40 a.m. Today, I woke up a little later than usual because my schedule was only in the afternoon. I decided to enjoy a leisurely morning, so I put on some comfortable sweatpants and a hoodie and headed out to my favorite cafe.
The door opened with a clear bell. I walked to the desk with a familiar air and ordered a strawberry smoothie. The part-timer recognized me, greeted me, and quickly began to prepare me a strawberry smoothie.
"Oh, crazy... Our Yoongi oppa's dating rumors have surfaced..."
"...What? Hey, look where you are."
Just then, I heard a familiar name next to me. The word "dating rumor" followed, and I turned on my phone before even receiving my finished strawberry smoothie.
When I went online, the real-time trending topic that was #1 was 'BTS Min Yoongi dating rumors'. After that, the real-time rankings were also filled with BTS, and more than half of the comments on related articles were about the woman in the picture with Yoongi.
I was trying to check the photo, wondering who the woman in the picture with Yoongi was, when the CEO's name appeared, filling my phone screen. I quickly pressed the call button and put the phone to my ear.
"Yes, honey,"
"Miss Yeoju, please come to the CEO's office right now."
-Ttuk
The CEO simply told me to come to his office and hung up. I stared blankly at the disconnected screen until the part-timer told me the strawberry smoothie was ready, so I quickly grabbed it.
I held a smoothie in one hand, my phone in the other. As I left the cafe, I clicked on a photo of the article I'd missed because of the CEO's call. After confirming who it was, I dropped the smoothie I was holding.
"Crazy... Is this me...?"
***
I hurriedly took a taxi to the office. I ran without even noticing my shoelaces were untied. Realizing this was a serious situation, I opened the CEO's office door without even knocking.
"Haa, haa... Ah, hello."
As I entered, the CEO looked at me with a cold gaze, different from usual. BTS was already standing before him, head bowed. Feeling compelled to stand there, I slowly took a deep breath and stood before the CEO.
The CEO frowned at my attire. Unable to say anything, I bit my lip and lowered my head further. The CEO looked at me, sighed, and leaned his head back against his chair.
"The woman in this article, is that Yeoju?"
"... yes."
The CEO showed me a photo of the article I'd seen earlier. I answered in a hoarse voice, and the CEO rubbed his temples with his fingers as if his head was aching.
"I don't care about kids dating."
"Dating? Yoongi and I aren't in that kind of relationship."
"At least no pictures should have been taken, no pictures!!!"
"......."
The CEO suddenly slammed his desk down with a loud noise. Startled, I closed my eyes, and BTS only watched me and the CEO.
"The public is more concerned with the fact that an article like this was published than with whether it's true or not. You know that, right?"
"... Yes, I know."
"And of all people, haa... Reporter Kim Dong-min is close to sasaengs. This photo was definitely taken by sasaengs, not Kim Dong-min..."
Private life.I clenched my fists tightly at the word "sasaeng," and Taehyung, who had been watching all of my trivial actions, gathered his courage and opened his mouth.
"How about publishing an explanatory article, sir? It's not too late."
"An explanatory article? Then we'll have to reveal some of Yeoju's personal information, and then we'll have to hire a new manager. And there's also the issue of Yeoju's contract."
"... Then what other way is there...."
"...It would be best if you didn't come out until things calmed down. You should stay with the kids for the time being, Yeoju. Don't come out unless it's absolutely necessary."
I was grateful that he didn't tell me not to come out starting tomorrow, so I bowed and apologized to the CEO. BTS also seemed relieved to see the CEO like this and secretly sighed in relief.
***
I left the CEO's office, took the company car, and headed back to my lodgings. The company had said they'd buy and send me clothes, so I just had to show up.
Jeongguk and Hoseok spoke to me cautiously, perhaps worried that I was driving without saying anything, unlike usual.
"Sister... Are you okay? You look so tired."
"Don't worry too much, sister. Everything will be okay with time."
I smiled at the warm words and focused on driving again, and Taehyung, who was sitting next to me, placed his hand on my right hand, which was lying idle, and interlocked his fingers with mine.
Taehyung was so surprised by the sudden contact that he couldn't bear to look at her and just blinked. Taehyung looked out the window as if nothing had happened and spoke in a low voice.
"When you're anxious, you need someone by your side."
"......."
“Don’t worry, I’m here for you.”
-My heart is pounding
My heart is pounding again. It's so fast I could lose my pulse and die.
_________
High blood pressure...?🤔