⚠️ Trigger warnings:

Angst

Thrill

Slow Romance

☆꧁✬◦°˚°◦. ❀ .◦°˚°◦✬꧂☆

Narrator

Hosoek lay in bed, the morning sunlight hitting his face through the curtains he forgot to close the night before. Yawning, he turns over his pillow and buries his face in it.
He needs a few more minutes before he begins his day. After all, today is a very important day for him and he needed to look his best.

☆꧁✬◦°˚°◦. ❀ .◦°˚°◦✬꧂☆

Hoseok

07h30

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Oh no... I've overslept!" He groaned as he dragged himself out of bed.

Jung Hoseok always preferred waking up before his alarm rang, on this particular morning,
however, he allowed himself a few extra minutes before he dressed and rushed off to
the office. He had a very important meeting - he was going to meet with a famous business woman and hopefully persuade her to market her face care products with his firm. If he got her to agree, this would be the biggest achievement in his career!
She usually worked alone and only agreed to consider his marketing proposal as she wanted to reach a new niche market; and Hosoek's firm had a widespread social media following in different markets across South Korea and abroad.

He showered really quick then rushed to his closet to pick out his best suit.

Smiling to himself as bright as the sunshine outside, he made himself a cup of coffee as he chewed on a slice of buttered toast. He'd decided to wear his favourite grey, pinstripe suit with a crisp, white shirt. A black silk tie hung around his neck - he wasn't sure whether or not he should use the tie. He'd confirm this with his best friend and business partner, Yoongi, before the meeting begins. Hoesoek gulped down the last of his coffee and dumped the mug in the kitchen sink, humming merrily to himself.

'Today is going to be a good day!' He thought as he jumped into his car and drove off to the office.

☆꧁✬◦°˚°◦. ❀ .◦°˚°◦✬꧂☆

08h00

"Hyung!" Hosoek called out to his friend Yoongi.
"Anyeong Hobi. How are you doing today?" Yoongi asked with his signature mischievous grin.

"Excited, nervous, and terrified all at once." Hosoek replied. "And you?"
"Meh... 'Could've been better; Hiseu's cravings are getting a lot worse. And she looks much paler these days. My mother says it's because we're having a boy. But we don't know the gender yet! Mothers and their old wives' tales. Arghh!" Yoongi replied, looking a bit pale himself.

Hobi nodded in understanding. He knew his friend's mother all too well.

This was a sudden contrast to his bright grin a few seconds ago. Hoseok knew Yoongi was excited to welcome the baby into the family, however, he also knew that his best friend, as sweet as his nickname is, was also terrified of messing up this new responsibility.

Yoongi looked slightly rumpled these days; he had been attempting to do his own laundry in recent weeks, not wanting to trouble his wife, who is heavily pregnant with their first child.

"Hyung, d'you think I should wear a tie, or not?" Hosoek changed the subject, holding
up the end of the silk tie hanging off the back of his neck. Then, when Yoongi didn't respond, he added, "I feel like I need to make an impression with her. I want her to know she's in good hands." Yoongi chuckled, the distraction finally working.

"Wear the tie, Hobi. I'm sure she'd prefer a professional marketing manager as opposed to an international playboy handling her company's marketing needs. Besides, I hear she is very serious about her work and takes no nonsense. She's very thorough, even with the finance figures, she keeps communicating with our finance team to make sure the campaign is worth the effort." He winked at Hosoek, who was oblivious to the jest.

Hosoek's face became more serious as he walked briskly to the mirror in Yoongi's office. He spent more time in Yoongi's office, rather than in his own.

"Come on, why don't we run a practice session before the presentation." Yoongi offered after seeing Hosoek's nerves accelerating. "The meeting is an hour away, Hobi. I don't see why you're stressing yourself out this much. You were fine when we sealed the deal with Samyang Co. and Samsung - and those were our biggest clients thus far!"

Yoongi was amused by Hosoek's current state of panic. He knew what the reason for this was all about. The meeting was only at 09h00 and Hosoek was behaving as if he had walked into the office 15 minutes late. For now, he decided to stay quiet and observe his friend.

'Hosoek will learn on his own, in his own time.' Yoongi thought privately.

"Hyung, I don't know why, but I just feel very anxious all of a sudden. As if something is changing..." Hosoek couldn't help feeling like his world was about to change forever...

He had no clue just how right he was.

☆꧁✬◦°˚°◦. ❀ .◦°˚°◦✬꧂☆

An hour later...

A beautiful woman walked into the larger boardroom on the third floor of their office. She wore a grey pinstripe suit with black stiletto heels. Her dark hair was pulled back into a neat pony tail. And on her wrist glittered a beautiful handchain.

Her lips were tinted red and she smelled of exotic spices and flowers. She smiled at Hosoek as she shook his hand, a silver rose hand chain glittered on her wrist; the handshake was firm and full of purpose and took a seat next to him.

'Why does that handchain she's wearing look familiar...?' He asked himself.

Hosoek began to feel his heart pounding out of control.

'This is new.' He thinks to himself.

Yoongi sat opposite the lady, who had chosen a seat next to Hosoek, assessing the situation and smiling to himself.

What was so hilarious about this whole thing for his hyung?

'Yoongi hyung better have remembered to add in the last-minute figures we discussed.' He thought to himself irritably.

He felt his palms begin to moisten and his throat started to feel very dry.

'Oh no...!' He sighed. 'I must focus on the presentation and not let this anxiety get the better of me.' He thought to himself as he sipped on a glass of water in an attempt to quell his anxiety.

But it wasn't his anxiety.

☆꧁✬◦°˚°◦. ❀ .◦°˚°◦✬꧂☆

09h30

"And by using the BCG matrix, we will be ensuring your company stays on top of its game ma'am." Hosoek smiled warmly, feeling a little relieved now that the better half of the presentation was over.

"The next step will be to ensure your niche market is fully exposed to the new product range you're offering. I have had a look at the samples you've sent us, and I like the ingredients you've made use of. From my experience, a product like yours, has great potential once the majority of the market recognizes the benefits of the all natural ingredients you've made use of. As per your last email, I have included this data in our demographics segment for your market share analysis. You hold an advantageous position already ma'am. This makes you a dream client!"

Oops, was he becoming too familiar?

"Yes, I see Mr. Jung." The lady commented politely, shifting in her seat to have a closer look at the stats he was reporting on. Her hand brushes against his and he inhales a whiff of her perfume.

'She smells really good. Like spice and flowers.'

And if Hosoek was honest with himself, she is also very beautiful - she seemed so familiar as well.
In his mind, he couldn't quite place where he saw her before - apart from their video call last night. He felt his cheeks heat up at the thought.

'Why is it so hard for me to think about anything other than her?' He asks himself.

He felt his palms sweat again and decided to call for a brief recess before he and Yoongi closed this deal. If it weren't for his hyung, he'd probably have messed this presentation up.

"Hobi, relax! You're beginning to hyperventilate." Yoongi hyung chuckled lightly, massaging his friend's shoulders out of concern. "You're acting as if this was some match-maker meeting!" Yoongi jested.

"It sure feels like that hyung! She makes me want to stare at her rather than talk. And I can't think of anything other than how good she smells. Worst of all, I think I'm beginning to feel nauseous." Hosoek drank some water and sat back down at the boardroom desk where they awaited the return of the lovely lady in question.

"Relax! Kim Minali is a bright and beautiful business woman and I'm 100% certain she will appreciate our presentation." Yoongi assured him.

"Hyung, can you finish the rest of the presentation? Please?" He pleaded, pouting his lips at Yoongi, using the 'cute' card to get out of this situation.
"Okay." Yoongi sighed resignedly at his friend. "Just this once."

"I owe you hyung!" Hoseok thanked his friend and rushed out of the boardroom.

This was all going wrong.

It isn't like this was the first time he spoke to her. She had informed him last night that she would come to their office with her lawyer to draft the contract.

'Oh...' He realized. 'Well, even if she already wanted to work with us, it doesn't mean that we should suddenly be slacking off.'

☆꧁✬◦°˚°◦. ❀ .◦°˚°◦✬꧂☆

Flashback
Zoom call the night before

"Kim Minali? Yoeboeseyo. It's Jung Hosoek from SOPE Marketing (Pty) Ltd."

"Mr. Jung! Yoeboeseyo. Always a pleasure to hear from you. I was just about to call you to confirm the date and time of our meeting."
"Actually, ma'am, that is why I am calling."

"Perfect. I like you already. I'm going to bring my lawyer along if you don't mind, Mr. Jung."

"No problem Ms. Kim. 9 o'clock, 2 December 2022? As soon as you arrive our receptionist Mr. Jeon will direct you to the boardroom."
"Perfect. I look forward to finally meeting you in person Mr. Jung. Oh, there's one more thing."

"Ne?" I hope she doesn't cancel at the last minute... he thought desperately.

"I will email you the changes to be made to the finance section of the presentation Mr. Min emailed me. I understand he is unavailable after hours as he has other
responsibilities?"

'Wow... she really does her research well.'

"Ne, Ms. Kim, that will not be a problem, I will speak to Hyung first thing tomorrow morning about this." He bowed his head and smiled at her.

'She seems so familiar now that I think about it.' He said to himself.

"No problem, I am very impressed with the work ethic you have at SOPE. I look forward to doing business with you." She smiled back, blushing slightly.

"Ms. Kim, the pleasure is all mine." And he bowed his head again, blushing slightly.

Hosoek shut his laptop, he couldn't help smiling to himself. Suddenly everything felt right in the world. He left his laptop on charge and sat in bed smiling serenely to himself. "Tomorrow," he said to himself, "is going to be a beautiful day." And he drifted off into a blissful sleep.

End of flashback

☆꧁✬◦°˚°◦. ❀ .◦°˚°◦✬꧂☆

Present

"After 7 years' of excellence in this industry, you're just going to crumble under a client's reputation, because she's the most sought-after entrepreneur in all of South Korea?" Yoongi clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"Aniyo hyung!" Now Hosoek was the one who looked pale.

He had no idea why he, the Chief Marketing and Operations officer of SOPE Marketing (Pty) Ltd was suddenly reduced to feeling like an intern in his first job out of university!

Or... maybe it wasn't him at all.

Maybe it was Kim Minali...

He'd only begun feeling this way since she walked in wearing her pinstriped skirt, fitted white shirt, black stiletto heels and the wafting scent of flowers and spices filled the boardroom.

Or was it since last night's call?

She had been wearing a simple black t-shirt and her hair was open, falling around her petite face. She looked beautiful.

"Arrasso, I'll take over the presentation." Yoongi chuckles, clearly understanding what was going on. He grinned at Hosoek and readied his notes on the financial aspects of the contract.

"Alright there, Mr. Jung?" a sweet voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Ne, I'm well." He nodded, smiling at Minali and stood, gesturing for her to join them once more. "My partner, Yoongi-ssi will proceed with the financial segment of the presentation now."

She smiled back, and Hosoek felt his heart flip in his chest when her eyes met his, curiously reading him. She had such a warm smile and Hosoek suddenly felt vertigo - even though he knew they were only three floors up, he felt as if he were standing on the balcony of the fiftieth floor above them.

"Ne," Yoongi began, "according to the current sales figure you have emailed us ma'am, we project your sales turnover doubling within the next quarter. Buttercup Skin Care products will definitely be taking the skincare market by storm. I have already emailed you the details of the financial side of the strategy and Hosoek will be sending you the marketing aspects after the meeting."

☆꧁✬◦°˚°◦. ❀ .◦°˚°◦✬꧂☆

10h30

"Well, Mr. Jung, Mr. Min;" Minali said as she shook their hands, "I will be in contact with you both by this evening regarding the remaining details." She turned to Hosoek, shaking his hand once more.
"Thank you for having me. I look forward to working with you." As her soft hand left Hosoek's, he felt his heart aching to hold on tighter.

'What is wrong with me? I'm 35 and happily single. I can't afford distractions, especially since my family has finally accepted that I will not be getting married any time soon; after 10 years of persistent persuasion to find me the 'perfect bride'.'

He shivered at the memory - his parents tried to get him to marry at least two different girls in the past three years and were persistent about him marrying either a doctor or lawyer.

Yoongi hyung hadn't missed a beat and enjoyed his friend's current predicament. "Hosoek is in love!" He chuckled heartily at his friend's expense.

Hosoek never had much interest in women, he always preferred focusing on work and his family - although he usually spent more time at Yoongi's house whenever he referred to family time. He's going to need all the help he can get and Yoongi was going to make sure he helped his friend.

❤꧁ღ⊱♥♡♥⊱ღ꧂❤

A/n: Hi guys

Thank you for reading! 🤗