Secretary Jeon [Jungkook x Reader]

♡ 18

CHAPTER 18

Sleep? What was sleep? I only knew every individual swirl of texture on my ceiling, since I'd spent the entirety of the night staring up at it, unable to calm my restless heart and mind. On occasion, I'd snuck a glance at Jungkook who was laid next to me, but he'd had his back turned to me. Based on his soft breathing, which was impossible not to listen to, he'd had no trouble falling asleep. How nice it must be to blissfully unaware of another person laying just inches away...

Naturally, when I caught a glance of myself in the mirror in the morning, I looked more akin to a zombie than a human being. Dark circles decorated the skin underneath my bloodshot eyes. Work would be absolutely joyous. An excessive amount of caffeine was my only hope of surviving the long day, starting with one large, iced coffee on the way in.

When I arrived to the office Jungkook was already waiting for me, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. He had snuck out of the estate early in the morning so that he would draw as little attention as possible. My face twisted with bitterness and disgust as I took in the sight of him running back and forth, preparing for the day, full of energy. Bastard.

"Hey, Y/N," he greeted, noticing my arrival. "Why does it look like you want to kill me?"

I adjusted the expression on my face, unwilling to admit the reason. The last thing I was going to do was tell him that I'd spent the entire night awake in a panic, thinking about him while he dozed off peacefully. "Someone bumped into me on the way in and I almost spilled my coffee- I guess I'm still annoyed about it."

"Well, I think the rest of the day will be just fine," Jungkook beamed, and I had stop myself from laughing sarcastically. "There's a major project on your desk that needs to be assigned today, but otherwise it should be a quiet workday."

Taking my seat, I sifted through the paperwork. "I assume you know what this is?" I questioned, holding up the document.

"Yes, the show we were deciding a venue for previously," Jungkook nodded. "We will be showcasing up and coming designers from our company."

"Great, so you know that you will be submitting a design for the runway, then," I remarked, clasping my hands together on the desk in front of me.

"Oh, no, no," Jungkook shook his head vigorously and let out a small laugh. "I appreciate your humor, Y/N."

"I wasn't joking."

Jungkook blinked his eyes a few times and sucked in a breath. "I don't want to take advantage of our relationship."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I wouldn't have selected you if I didn't think you had the skill. The purpose of the show is to present fresh talent."

"But-"

"I assure you; I am choosing you because of the work I saw in your portfolio when you applied for this position, not for any other reason," I sighed. "The deadline is going to be a bit rough, so I apologize in advance, but you will need to submit it within one week."

Knowing better than to press the issue further, Jungkook nodded in agreement and took the papers on the project from my hands. He deserved the opportunity- his work was creative and versatile, and above all, unique. The sketches I'd seen in his portfolio had impressed me, even back when I was desperately fighting off any candidates for my secretary position, seeking to find any faults.

As his boss and CEO of Park Group, I was pleased to have his participation in the show. Though on a strictly personal level, I had screwed myself. Even for a singular design, a one-week deadline was incredibly tough. Considering that Jungkook was far from an expert in this field, that'd put even more pressure on him. Park Group considered it a crucial test for their new talent- working them to near insanity. For me, it'd mean Jungkook would have no free time to spend on just the two of us...

The show would be held one week after the deadline for the submissions, so I was essentially starving myself of time with him for a full two weeks. Maybe some space between us would give me time to clear my head. I found myself getting more and more rattled by his presence, unable to conceal my emotions. The feeling was completely foreign to me, so I needed to figure out what exactly it was.

"I'm going to get started right away!" Jungkook exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. He pulled his sketchbook and tools from his briefcase and started working.

I distracted myself with selecting the other designers for the showcase and having their managers deliver the invitations. When I returned to my office to call on Jungkook for lunch, I found him with his eyes closed, head dropping to one side. I quietly approached, mindful of the noise from my heels until I was just within reach of him. His sleeping face was so adorable I couldn't bear to disturb him. So, you did have trouble sleeping, too...

He shifted in the chair and his lashes began to flutter as his eyelids slowly opened. He leaned back and widened his eyes, not expecting to see me so close. "Y-y/N," he stammered.

"Sleeping on the job is very unbecoming of a good employee, Jungkook," I teased.

"Sneaking up on your employees when they are sleeping is very unbecoming of a good boss, Y/N," he pouted in response. "I only just drifted off."

"What has you so tired?" I asked coyly.

He stuck his tongue in the side of the cheek, fully aware of what I was playing at. "I wonder..." he trailed off, running a finger along my arm. "It may have had something to do with having a beautiful woman at my side all night."

His boldness caught me so off guard I didn't stand a chance of preventing the heat from rising to my cheeks. "W-whatever, I have work to do so let's order in for lunch," I huffed, storming back to my desk. If I didn't run away from him, I was going to end up in a predicament. That predicament being my inability to stop myself from kissing him. My mind was already wandering to unspeakable places.

"Sure, let's," he replied smugly.

I bit down hard on my lip and buried my face in the next available paper on my desk. There were times when I could make Jungkook fluster, but it seemed like he always recovered within seconds. I, on the other hand, was always completely taken out by his charms. What had happened to my shy and quiet secretary? What had happened to my unwavering confidence? It was unfair, really.