Summary: continuation of “First Series” Part 1// Part 2// Part 3// Part 4// Part 5// Part 6// Part 7 // Part 8
I’m sorry this has taken so long. Life happens. Also, I know this is a big jump, but I really want to write a different story because I have sort of lost my enthusiasm for this one. I’m sorry guys. This one is long because it is the first part of the final story. I hope you enjoy it. I wrote it and realized it was too long for a single post, so I had to split it. I also refer to Jaebum as both JB and Jaebum in it. Don’t yell at me. It was just easier while writing it.
~~“Oh my god, boys, it’s almost 2am. I have to get you home so you can get some proper sleep for tomorrow!” You started to gather up your stuff and rushed the boys out of the studio and the building. Things were going to be very interesting from now on. ~~
You woke that morning before your alarm clock. You stared at it for a few minutes and then decided to just get up anyway. Today was a pretty important day and you hadn’t slept very much for the past few nights mentally preparing for it.
Your performance review was today.
It had been one year since you started at JYPE as an assistant manager. Things had gotten crazy from the beginning, but you soon learned how to handle it. Your supervisor had trusted you with increasingly more important tasks over the past few weeks, as he had begun to also manage the new trainees.
The whole thing was going smoothly, except for the boys becoming aware of you and Jaebum. At the beginning it was only Jinyoung that knew the truth. One by one the other boys found out, or figured out, that you and Jaebum were in a relationship.
You sat at your breakfast table sipping coffee and remembered the time that Mark found out.
~~
You and Jaebum had been doing a really good job of hiding your relationship for the past month. You were actually proud of yourself because you were usually not that great at keeping secrets. One day, Mark, Jinyoung, and Jaebum all had a free period at the same time, so you decided, with the approval of your supervisor, to have them record a random dance practice with just the three of them. You figured most fans would be okay with a random video of the boys having fun dancing to random songs.
You dropped the younger members off at their schedules and then took the older boys to the company practice rooms. You and jaebum walked behind the other two, and Jinyoung did a great job of keeping Mark distracted while they walked. You and Jaebum hadn’t been able to spend much time alone together, so these times were nice. You felt Jaebum’s hand graze yours every once in a while. You wanted desperately to hold hands, but the security cameras everywhere had different ideas.
You walked past an area that was under construction – JYP wanted to redo the floors in several of the rooms due to wear – and the door suddenly opened right in front of you. You would have smacked your face right into the door if Jaebum hadn’t reacted quickly and pulled you closer to him. You had made a slight noise of fright when it happened and the two boys ahead of you turned around in time to see Jaebum rescue you.
“It’s alright Y/N.” Jaebum said quietly into your ear. That was when you realized just how close you were. Your head was buried in his chest and your hand was clinging to his shirt. His hands were wrapped around you, one tightly holding onto your waist and the other on your head.
“I’m so sorry! I thought the hallway was clear! I’m so sorry!” The worker who had opened the door kept apologizing to you, but Jinyoung and Jaebum (after he had finally let you go) kept insisting it was fine since no one got hurt.
You began walking back towards the practice room, but as soon as the door closed Mark turned on Jaebum and you, crossing his arms.
“What the hell is going on with you two?” He asked.
You were the first to reply, using your newfound acting skills.
“What are you talking about Mark?” You asked as you were moving to the corner to put your bag on a chair.
“I mean,” he started, “what was that back there? You and Jaebum have been keeping something from us for a while and I want to know what it is.”
~Damn, he is observant~ you thought as you looked from Mark to Jaebum. Jaebum was looking back and forth from Mark and Jinyoung. You could tell that he was pleading Jinyoung to help, but Jinyoung just stood there and said,
“This is your issue, not mine. You should have been more careful. I’m not gonna admit to knowing anything.”
“How much more careful could we be?!” Jaebum called out.
“Ha!” Mark exclaimed, “There is something between you two! What happened? And when?”
You looked at Jaebum with defeat and shrugged. He looked worried, but then he looked back at Mark and said,
“Okay Mark, but you can’t tell anyone else. If this gets out then it means real trouble for Y/N.”
“Alright.”
Jaebum looked at you one more time before sighing hard and quietly stating,
“Y/N and I are dating.”
“I knew it.” Mark looked unsurprised as Jaebum admitted to his suspicions. He continued, “You have been glued to your phone whenever Y/N isn’t around. Also you two always end up next to each other anytime we go someplace.”
You had to admit, he had a point. You had thought you were hiding it pretty well, but Mark made some good points. Mark was one of the more observant members so, you were still not too worried about the others. For now.
~~
Your phone went off, jarring you back into the present. That was your original alarm for getting up. It was time to get dressed and head to work. At least today you didn’t have to pick up the boys from their dorm.
Carefully picking an outfit that said you were serious about working, but also comfortable enough to be able to run away from screaming fan girls with the boys, you made sure you had your keys and phone and key card. The only thing you decided not to bring today was the bracelet that Jaebum had gifted to you.
Today was an important day and you wanted to bring it with you for courage, but more than that you didn’t want anything that could connect you to him in any special way. It was dangerous enough just being close to each other lately.
You took a deep breath and headed out the door, ready to face your performance review.
You had made it to the JYPE building in record time and were working at your desk when you supervisor came in looking a bit worried. He looked around and caught your eye. You stood up to say good morning, but before you finished greeting him, he rushed up to you and grabbed your shoulders, suddenly asking,
“Have you looked online today?!”
He sounded serious. You replied that you try not to look online because of the nature of their job.
“Why?” you asked.
“An issue has come to the attention of the press. I was hoping you had seen it so we could talk about it before the meeting.”
“What meeting? We weren’t supposed to have a meeting today.”
“JYP called one just a few minutes ago. Do you ever check you phone??”
You rushed back to your desk and grabbed your phone. It was on silent and you had a bunch of messages. One of them was from Jaebum. It just said “BIG PROBLEM.”
You knew then the reason your supervisor looked worried. Someone had found out.
As you sat in the meeting your mind was racing. You had never experienced anyting like this before. You were barely listening to anything the PR team was saying. However, your name was brought into the conversation and you snapped back to reality.
“Y/N. Have any of the other members seen the articles yet?”
“Uhm…” you hesitated, “Yes. Jaebum and Jinyoung have both seen some of them. They were the first people to contact me. A bit later Mark also messaged me asking about it, but so far they have kept the other members from seeing anything.”
“Good. However, this matter needs to be squashed since there is no truth to it. People have found the most ridiculous evidence that the two are dating. It just doesn’t make sense.” Said JYP.
The PR team responded with “We have already released a statement regarding the allegations against them. However, people just keep providing more evidence that they believe is credible.”
Your manager suddenly spoke up saying, “Are these rumors really false though?”
Your head swiveled so fast you thought you may have pulled a muscle. You looked at your manager with wide, questioning, eyes. Why would he say that? Does he know something?
“Well, we assume they are false, but I suppose we should ask the people involved and get the story straight.” Said one of the PR people.
“Y/N call the boys.” JYP commanded.
“All of them, sir?”
“Yes, have all of them come in. I want to know if any of them have specifics about this situation.”
“Yes, sir.”
You excused yourself and called Jaebum. He would be able to get all the boys to the meeting room without too much effort.
“Y/N! What is happening? I saw the article they released about it being false but there are still so many new articles coming out. What should we do?”
Jaebum answered right away and began the assault of questions.
“First, calm down. The boss wants you guys in the meeting now. Are you at the apartment?”
“We are already on our way to the company.”
“Good. Let me know when you arrive. I have to go back in now.”
“Okay.”
You hung up then hung your head. How could this happen today?
After a deep breath, you walk back into the room.
“They are on their way. They will be here soon.” You said to the questioning looks you received as soon as you opened the door again.
“Alright. Now, Y/N, what is your side of this?” JYP inquired.
There it was. It was time to tell the truth.
“These rumors are not true. I am not, and have never been in a relationship with Mark. We developed a close friendship due to mutual experiences in America and in Korea. There has never been anything romantic about the relationship. I see him as a someone to protect like a brother. That is all.”
As you finished you looked at JYP and his face was unreadable. He then relaxed into his chair, faced the PR team and asked, “Did you get that? Use it in the next statement and tell people the company will not stand for false allegations. Once the boys get here have Mark make a statement as well and have him post it to as many places as possible. Y/N, your SNS accounts are all private, correct?”
“Yes, they are, sir.”
“Good. Alright, I would like to speak to Y/N privately for a moment. When the boys arrive you may come back in with them.”
As your heart stopped beating for a minute, there was a resounding ‘yes, sir’ from the other people in the room. ~He wants to speak to me alone??~ you thought. ~Why? Is he going to fire me? Oh god, I will never be able to find a job like this again. And how will I see Jaeboem after leaving?~ All of these thoughts were running through your head as the other people were leaving the room.
Your manager patted you on the shoulder as he was leaving. It was meant to be reassuring, but it felt more like a goodbye. You sat quietly until JYP spoke.
“Y/N. I know today is your evaluation and this situation happening today is extremely unfortunate. However, I have a personal question to ask you. Is that alright?” He was speaking very softly which meant he didn’t want anybody outside to overhear if they were still close by.
“Yes, sir. You can ask me.” Even though you were terrified of the question, you had little choice.
“Be honest. Even if you are not dating Mark, you are dating one of those boys aren’t you?”
Your eyes grew very large. How could he tell something like that when he was never around to see your interactions with them?
When you didn’t answer, he leaned back in his chair knowingly.
“I understand.” He said. “You are a similar age as a few of them and you spend a lot of time with them everyday. It doesn’t help that you are a beautiful young woman.”
This comment made you shiver coming from his mouth, but you said nothing as he continued.
“The boys are adults and their contract used to have a limitation on dating, but it no longer does, so there is nothing I can do about it.”
You breathed a small sigh of relief.
“However,” he continued, “If the actual truth were to be made public about the manager and the artist in question, it would not end well for either of you.”
You nodded your head in agreement. There was very little you could say at this point. The next question he asked wasn’t surprising, but the excitement in his voice did.
“So! Off the record, I am so curious! Which one of our boys is the lucky one?”
Taken aback and slightly disturbed by the interest this man had in their lives, you paused before you answered.
“With all due respect, sir, I still feel a little weird telling you who I am dating. We tried very hard to hide our feelings from each other for a while because we were afraid of how you would react. If you approve of the relationship, that would be amazing as I truly care for him, but I fear for his career if I were to tell you the truth.”
You were practically shaking saying all of this to his face, but he took it well. He replied after thinking for a few minutes.
“If I were to promise that, whoever it is, since they are adults, I will not fire you or make his life any more difficult, would you tell me then? Do you need it in writing?”
“I trust your word, sir. I am still very apprehensive about this but,” you paused considering what he said, “I will tell you. I have been seeing Jaebom, sir.”
The second you said Jaebeom’s name, your manager walked in with the boys trailing after. JYP barely had time to wipe the stunned look off his face. The boys filed in one after another, all sitting across from me and my manager. When Jaebeom walked in JYP couldn’t help but smile at him knowingly. You had the massive urge to face palm at his expression, but instead settled for a large sigh.
Jaebeom looked questioningly at JYP, then at you when he heard your sigh. You were avoiding eye contact with all of them. You really didn’t want anybody else knowing that you just confessed to dating an idol to their CEO.
As the last member of the PR team sat down, JYP looked at Mark and said, “Okay Mark. Y/N has already given her statement about your relationship. I will be honest, I am surprised you were so openly friendly with her that there had to be this misunderstanding.”
Mark replied, “I am sorry, sir. I didn’t realize treating her like I would a sister would make such a large commotion. I will be more careful from now on.”
They continued to talk and discuss what Mark would say in his statement on his SNS accounts and what the company would say about both of us. You sat and listened carefully. Taking notes for the future when you had to write a similar statement.
After the meeting you and the manager took them back to the dorms. Their schedules for the day had all been canceled or postponed. Mark was told to post the edited version of his statement once he received it.
You stayed in the car, reflecting. You were glad you hadn’t gotten fired but this was going to be even more complicated now that JYP knew. What if he decided to have JB do all his schedules with the other managers? He wouldn’t be that cold-hearted would he?
You figured the best way to make everything look like it hadn’t effected the boys’ relationship was to do everything the same. At this point you were sure your manager knew as well. The only person that you weren’t sure about was Jackson. He had been getting busier and he had been getting more offers from China which he was exploring.
The boys were all growing up. It made you tear up a little bit thinking about it. You had grown quite fond of the boys and next year their contract was ending. Pretty soon they were all going to be living their own lives outside of JYPE and you would be managing some other group or artist.
What will happen to you and JB? Will you still be together or will the pressure of keeping things secret be too much? You were worried about JB and his future as an artist. You knew he wanted to make music for as long as possible and to so that he had to remain unattached to some things.
Was that going to include you?
You were now crying quite hard thinking about these things and all the stress of today’s events combined. You knew it was stupid but all you wanted to do was see Jaebum.
The boys had all gone inside and were sitting in the living room with their manager.
He spoke first, “Okay, so today was an adventure. How about we get everything out in the open right now so I don’t have any more surprises? Jaebum? Do you have anything to say?”
Jaebum looked up at their manager surprised and terrified.
“What do you mean? Today was about Mark and Y/N Manager! I have nothing to do with this.” Jaebum replied.
Mark and Jinyoung were also a little bit afraid of the manager asking Jaebum instead of Mark. They were the only ones who really knew the extent of the relationship between the two. They looked around at the others who were just confused. Jackson looked confused but also angry. Mark was the most worried about him. Jackson was a super gentle guy, but he could also be a bit possessive.
“Jaebum,” the manager sighed his name and crossed his arms, “I know that you are dating. I also know who it is. Did you think you could hide it from me?”
Jaebum looked from the manager to Mark to Jinyoung, for some sort of help, but Mark was busy watching Jackson’s reactions. Jaebum was thankful that the manager hadn’t said Y/N name, but looking around at the other boys, the realization started to dawn on them one by one.
“Shit.” Jaebum stood up, beginning to try and explain himself.
Mark had stood up as well, but it was for other reasons. He saw Jackson’s fists clenching slowly and the realization of the thing he hadn’t wanted to admit to himself. Mark watched it all go across his face and knew when he needed to put himself in between them. He nudged Jinyoung as he got up.
Jackson was in the middle of the room before Mark could get in front of him. He settled for just holding him back by his arm.
“You promised!” Jackson yelled at Jaebum. “You said neither of us would date her because of something like this! How could you go back on your word!”
Jaebum was taken aback by Jackson’s sudden rage, but not surprised. He knew this was coming sooner or later. It was better to get it over with now. He was grateful for Marks help and could see Jinyoung behind him watching to see if he needed to step in also.
“Jackson, let me explain-“
“NO! You said we were brothers and she was only going to cause problems! Now you are dating her behind my back! why did you go back on your word! And you!” he turned to look at Mark holding him back by his arm. “You knew too! That’s why you were hanging around her more than usual! You were covering for them! Get off me!”
Jackson tried to pull Mark off his arm but they were matched in strength.
Jinyoung stepped in and tried to control Jackson a bit, but to no avail. He was strong, but Jackson was angry. That makes people a lot stronger than usual.
The manager was trying to calm Jackson down as well, but he knew better than to get in the middle of this. It was his fault after all. He assumed the whole group knew and were just covering for their leader.
“ENOUGH!” Came a shout from the door.
You had walked in and seen this scene playing out.
You were sick of the secrets in the group and you wanted everyone to just go back to normal.
I know you just said that this next one will be the final update but are you still considering exploring other side stories? I think you said something about it in the past. Wether you do or not I just want to say how much I enjoy this who thing and can’t wait to see how this story ends. 😄💕
Honestly, after we finish this we’re giving this au to you guys. We’re done. Tom and I (Eli) are working on our original comic @adumbmoss, while also - along with Crow - we are pursuing personal projects. We learned and grew a lot from working on this thing together, and have become good friends, and feel that once this is done we move on
We can’t thank you all enough for showing this au the love and support you guys have. It’s been a fun ride. We’ll still be creating, just not here
After weeks of thinking and debating and going back and forth, I’ve decided that my life has gotten too overwhelming and I have to take my leave from the roleplay. This has been my second home for over a year now and I’ve loved interacting with everyone’s characters. You all make this RP so welcoming and fun, unique and exciting. I’ve loved RPing just as much as I’ve loved admining, but real life has to take precedence for me at the moment. I have a lot of things to sort out, a lot of changes to make in my personal life. Jobs to work on and that means I’ve got to go. Thank you to everyone who’s made this RP so fantastic.
Because I’m leaving, this means an Admin position will be available in BLBC going forward. Lil and Daisy have been doing an amazing job, but could definitely use a 3rd person to replace me. If anyone is interested, PLEASE reach out to the main page or to Lil or Daisy personally!
