"Hi", she gave him a weak smile.
Two tiny letters and the sound of her melodious voice ... and just like that all the walls he had spent two long years building around his heart came crashing down on him with the weight of a million bricks. Every em...
Jungkook hummed to himself as he rolled up the sleeves of his navy-colored sweater and leaned down slightly to adjust the last settings on his camera which was mounted on a tripod that reached up to his chest.
It was only 8 am, which meant he was way too early and no one else working on today's photoshoot had arrived yet. But it was a habit that he had developed over the years. He enjoyed being at the location earlier than anyone else and having the peace and quiet to set up all his equipment. It also gave him time to do some creative brainstorming, coming up with ideas for certain poses or photo setups he wanted to try on that day.
Today was the first day of shooting for the campaign he was working on with Taehyung and Iseul and he was quite excited. Since they both had absolutely stunning visuals, the photos were almost guaranteed to look stunning, which made his job as a photographer much easier.
After signing the contract during the meeting with Mr. Kim two weeks ago, he had stayed in contact with Tae's and Iseul's managers to agree on the concepts of the photo series they were planning and go over all the details.
Surprisingly, he hadn't needed to have any direct contact with Mi-Na up until now, since most of the communication was done through the two managers anyway.
Just as promised, she had called him on the same day so he could save her number. There hadn't been any reason to call her until now though. He really hoped that he'd be able to act as naturally as possible around her. It still hurt like hell and every time he saw her, he was reminded of what had happened between them, but he refused to let it show. He refused to be vulnerable in front of the person who had made him the most vulnerable despite knowing all his weaknesses.
Jungkook was still humming to himself and fiddling with the camera when he heard the elegant clicking of heels on the asphalt of the underground shooting location where he had worked a few weeks ago when he first met Mi-Na again.
He turned his head slightly to see who else besides him had arrived at the location so early.
Just as you were thinking about her, Jungkook...
Mi-Na walked towards him with a small smile and wished him a good morning.
Jungkook swallowed, but quickly found his voice to greet her back with a small smile: "Good morning."
His eyes involuntarily scanned her body and took in her appearance. She wore wide-legged white pants and a white blouse with a black knit vest on top. Her outfit was completed with elegant black stilettos and a black belt that hugged her waist perfectly. Her hair fell loosely around her face in perfect bouncy curls and small diamond studs sparkled on her earlobes with a matching necklace sitting perfectly between her collarbones.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
She looked absolutely beautiful. And Jungkook hated the fact that he couldn't convince himself otherwise.
After taking a look around her, Mi-Na directed her gaze back at Jungkook.
"Aren't you a little early?", she asked and he thought he could detect slight amusement on her face.
His lips curled up slightly and he shook his head.
"Couldn't I say the same about you?", he retorted, making her chuckle.
"Touché", she replied, feeling her tense muscles relax.
The awkwardness she had feared to be present between them wasn't there and she hoped it would stay that way.
"I like to get myself and my equipment ready before things get hectic", he explained, and it felt strange to Mi-Na.
They knew all these details about each other by heart. She knew exactly that Jungkook was an early bird, who liked to go for a workout session early in the morning or start preparing for his work earlier than the average person, yet he told her about it as if they'd just met for the first time.
He really was trying to act like she was a stranger, wasn't he?
Mi-Na couldn't blame him. She would probably do the same if the situation was reversed. Honestly, she didn't know if she would even be able to talk to him at all. So, he was already handling the situation better than she probably ever could.
She nodded at his explanation and watched him go back to pressing a few buttons on his camera.
His side profile was stunning. He had his long her styled back today, revealing his forehead with only a single strand falling into his perfect face. He was wearing a pair of white jeans and a navy-colored knit sweater made of a light material that was perfect for the current weather. His sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows, revealing the tattoos on his right arm and the prominent veins on his forearms. He had paired it all with navy blue sneakers, two silver chain bracelets on his right wrist, and a few rings adorning his long slender fingers.
How could a man be so perfect?
He was mesmerizing, completely focused and immersed in his task, and Mi-Na had to force herself not to stare at him for too long.
She placed the few folders and her laptop on one of the small desks a little to the side of the actual set and walked back to Jungkook who had now moved to adjust some of the big bright floodlights placed around the place.
"I'll go grab myself a coffee, would you like one?", he heard Mi-Na ask and looked at her over his shoulder.
He considered her offer for a few seconds before nodding.
"That'd be nice, thanks", he said with a gentle smile.
He hadn't had any coffee today, since he left right after his morning shower to make sure he'd have at least an hour alone to set up all his stuff. And his brain was already begging for some caffeine to keep him going.
Mi-Na smiled back and nodded.
"Black?", she asked to ensure his preference for the beverage hadn't changed.
"Yes, please", he replied, his eyes already focused back on the floodlight he was handling.
It wasn't until Mi-Na left the room that he realized she still knew how he liked to drink his coffee.
Not again, can you stop for once?!
Jungkook tried to stop his brain from noticing all these details all the time. It was annoying and exhausting. Of course, she would still remember certain things about him, duh. Just like he still remembered her favorite flower and favorite color, even though they'd broken up more than two years ago.
Just because she fell out of love with you, doesn't mean she erased everything that had to do with you from her memory.
He forced himself to ignore the thoughts that began racing through his mind again and instead concentrated on adjusting the lighting for his photo setup.
