on the ride home
jumin x mc
rating: G
warnings: none♡
word count: 3k
ao3 link
summary
Jumin accompanies Jaehee and MC to view a potential venue for their next RFA party. He doesn't realize how strongly MC affects him.
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“I’ll leave you to think it over. Please let me know if you have any more questions,” the manager said, bowing respectfully as he exited the room.
Jumin fixed his suit jacket for the seventh time in the past five minutes; there was nothing else to do. That particular suit always hung weird, so instead of looking at the uninteresting room the three of them were standing in, he focused on his jacket.
“So, what do you two think?” MC wondered aloud, clasping her hands together behind her back. Her eyes were alight, but Jumin failed to see what there would be to appreciate about the subpar banquet hall they stood in. He glanced around once more, almost to humor her, and let his eyes roll over the dull chandelier and aging upholstery.
“I’ll need to ask about the maximum capacity limit, the entrances, and what catering would look like before we commit to anything,” Jaehee spoke quickly, holding her clipboard tight to her chest. MC’s smile only widened, her eyes softening at Jaehee.
“Of course,” she agreed, nodding along before her eyes shifted to meet his expectantly. He took a deep breath in through his nose, nearly forgetting where he was going to start his grievances. The unbothered sparkle in her eyes was uncharacteristically distracting to him.
“Assistant Kang, please also investigate the hotel’s status further. I’d like to know their banquet reviews and frequency,” Jumin started, straightening his back and glancing over as Jaehee began to scribble on her clipboard. “I’m interested to know the turnover rate of their employees and what training they go through before anything.” The confidentiality of their guests was extremely important, and nothing could go wrong at the party due to the lack of proper training on the hotel’s part.
A small frown grew on MC’s face, drawing his gaze curiously. Was she displeased at the amount of help he was offering her? He normally took the role of investigating the possible hosts of the locations for their parties.
“That sounds great, Jumin,” she sighed, unclasping her hands from behind her back. “But– here! Just imagine it,” she grinned, changing her aura almost instantly. She quickly walked to the middle of the room, gesturing to the left side of the hall.
“We can have all the tables here, and we can hire that company for the centerpieces that we were talking about,” she began, nudging that last comment at Jaehee. “The refreshments can be set up there, and oh! I was thinking we could have V’s auction set up on the opposite side of the room. I want to give him space to arrange his pieces the way he wants, and–”
“I think he’ll appreciate that,” Jaehee interjected, smiling back at MC. Jumin was watching her, not realizing that his hands had relaxed at his sides. He quickly stuck them in his pant pockets, but the almost-anxious action caught MC’s attention.
“Jumin? Can you see what I mean?” she asked, walking closer to him once more. He raised his eyebrows, his eyes flitting around the room as he tried to visualize the ideas she had proposed.
“I think we should still review all the options, but if you would like to be in charge of how we arrange the room, you are welcome to,” he replied, looking back down at her as she breathed quickly out of her nose like that was the wrong answer.
“What about the view? The Seoul skyline?” she prompted, stepping to his left side so they were both facing the wall of windows to the east. She steadied herself with one hand on his forearm, using her other to point out at the windows enthusiastically.
“The Highrise Enthusiasts will love it, don’t you think? And once the sun begins to set?” she asked, almost commanding more of his attention than what had been drawn to the sudden upset feeling in his stomach. He stared down at her, seeing her wide smile and trying to figure out why he felt slightly sick. Had the minor change in his breakfast routine thrown off his perfect equilibrium?
“Consider it?” MC urged, her mouth softening into a gentle smile directed at him. He moved to speak, feeling his stomach clench once more in distress. Perhaps he should have stayed at the office to finish his paperwork instead of accompanying them that day.
“I’ll try my best to see your vision,” he agreed, nodding along before pressing his lips together. It was only when MC backed away, satisfied with his answer and releasing her light grip on his arm, that he unclenched the fists he’d made in his pockets.
“I’m not settling, but I think this would be a lovely venue if we don’t find another good option,” she offered, tilting her head at Jaehee. The two girls smiled at each other, and Jumin took a deep breath to try to settle his heart rate. He would definitely need to talk to his dietician, if not his doctor. Maybe the air in the banquet hall wasn’t filtered correctly? He couldn’t think straight.
“We can definitely consider it, MC,” Jaehee said, glancing up at her boss. He nodded at her, avoiding the party planner’s eyes as he turned back towards the entrance of the hall.
“I believe we should go before the traffic gets too much worse,” Jumin spoke quickly, wondering if there would be hardly any traffic outside. He led the way, bowing to the hotel staff as they took the elevator down to the ground floor.
MC gushed about the lobby when they passed through, latching onto Jaehee’s arm but not surprising the assistant in the least. Jumin watched with intrigue, interested as to if the small gesture had really been the reason for the ill feeling that hadn’t quite left him.
Driver Kim was waiting with the company car for them just outside the entrance, and to Jumin’s slight surprise, the lunchtime traffic was actually a little worse than usual.
Jaehee sat upfront, leaving Jumin in the backseat with MC. Driver Kim pulled out into the street quickly, knowing that they would want to get back to the office as soon as possible.
“I think Zen would really like the red accents in that hall, don’t you think, Jaehee? I only just thought of that,” MC commented, pulling out her phone. “I should send him a picture.” Jumin couldn’t help but peek at her phone, watching her send a picture that he hadn’t realized she’d taken. Jumin was in the picture, and Jaehee was hidden behind him as they had been talking to the manager. The subject of the picture was the stage at the head of the banquet hall, but the fact that Jumin was also in the picture alleviated some of the heat that rose to his ears when she had opened her private chat with Zen.
Jumin focused his attention back on his own phone, reading over the emails he had received while they had taken their short trip. The car was mostly quiet except for the light air conditioning and the gentle piano sonatas that Driver Kim always played on the radio. But before long, MC began to yawn, making Jaehee laugh after the first subsequent few.
“If you’d like, I could make you some coffee before you head back,” Jaehee offered, making MC smile and hum thoughtfully.
“That sounds lovely, thank you,” she replied, locking her phone and placing it and her hands in her lap. “I can’t sleep very much lately.” Jumin’s ears perked up, his attention shifting from his emails to their conversation more fully.
“Is that so?” Jaehee replied, turning in her seat to look back in slight concern.
“Oh, it’s just the transition from my old apartment to Rika’s apartment and now my new apartment is definitely an adjustment,” she explained, shrugging at Jaehee. “I’m used to a lot of background noise, so I need a good fan or something to–” She interrupted herself to yawn again, giggling herself out of it and making him finally look up at her completely. The sound was hard for him to ignore, for some reason.
“To drown out the quiet,” she finished, stealing a glance at him before looking back at Jaehee. He blinked at her comment, thinking about how quiet his penthouse was. If he compared it to the noise in the car at that moment, he could almost feel his ears ringing at the intense silence he would find in his own home. A strange thought then popped into his head; he wondered if she were ever to visit his house if she would hate it, or if her pleasant laughter would fill the space instead. But when his mind slipped into wondering what position she would sleep in or what she would look like waking up in the morning, he minutely shook his head, trying to clear the strange thoughts that seemingly came from thin air.
“I wouldn’t mind helping you look for a high-quality fan,” Jaehee spoke up, pulling him from his momentary daze. Again, he felt a strange sensation in his stomach, and he wondered if he really was developing an illness.
“Oh my goodness, please don’t,” MC said quickly, waving her hand dismissively. “I could never add more to your plate, Jaehee.” His assistant made a strange noise, somewhere between a sneeze and a cough, but brushed it off quickly and excused herself before turning back around in her seat.
The soothing piano melodies took over the quiet of the car once more, and Jumin went back to his emails, trying to find where he’d left off reading.
After only a few more minutes, he heard a small snore come from MC, and his eyes were drawn almost immediately to her. She had her head tilted back against the headrest, her mouth slightly open, and his first thought was of how quickly she had dozed off.
It was a long moment that he stared at her, seeing the rise and fall of her chest and listening to the air pass through her lips. Jumin realized how unexplainable his gaze would be if anyone saw him, so he pulled his eyes back to his phone, absentmindedly opening his browser. He began researching top-reviewed fans, but his mind switched quickly to another query.
How to fall asleep in my apartment if it is too quiet
Jumin had blocked out all other noise, focused on his research when there was sudden pressure and warmth on his left shoulder. His eyes moved before any other part of him could, seeing the top of MC’s head in the corner of his vision. His heart executed what he could only describe as a high jump, nearly eliciting a vocal reaction from him.
His whole body felt frozen, stuck in midair. Was she still asleep? If so, would she wake up if he so much as breathed? He anxiously tested it, feeling her body rise and fall with the rhythm of his breathing, and in doing so almost missing the rapid rate at which he was inhaling and exhaling. He tried to relax, staying as still as possible. He would much rather her be comfortable than him, even if that meant they would stay like this for the rest of their car ride.
Jumin looked back to his phone, exiting his browser and switching back to his emails. It was almost too much to try and focus on anything but the pattern of her breathing or the way he could barely feel her feathery exhales brushing the back of his hand.
When Driver Kim made a sudden stop, MC’s head slipped forward, nearly shifting off of his shoulder. She made a dissatisfied noise, raising his heart rate as she repositioned to move her whole body closer to his side. One of her hands found the crook of his elbow, her gentle grip hardly even noticeable through the fabric of his dress shirt and jacket.
He focused on his own breathing, wondering why her proximity was making him feel so uneasy. Maybe the combination of her closeness, her hand on his arm, and the way the simple scent of her shampoo was lingering in the air was the reason for his mental disquiet. But before he could take too long to dwell on it, they had arrived back at the C&R building. The dim lighting of their underground parking garage cast long shadows into the car, and he couldn’t help but tense up as he realized what was about to happen.
Jumin couldn’t bring himself to move, even as Jaehee opened the door for him. His assistant paused, glancing in at the both of them in confusion.
“Mr. Han? Did she real fall asle–” Jumin held a hand up, motioning for her to be a little quieter.
“What should I do?” he whispered without thinking, turning to glance at the woman lying against him to hide the way his face began to warm. He felt so unlike himself, but it seemed as though he didn’t have any way to control that fact for the time being, not with her there asleep on his arm.
Jaehee was quiet for a moment before clearing her throat and prompting him to look back at her, feeling an unexpected dependency on his assistant.
“I think you should wake her up,” Jaehee whispered back, pressing her lips together quickly to avoid smiling. Jumin pretended not to see that, furrowing his eyebrows at her. “If you move your shoulder slowly, she will probably begin to fall and wake up,” she offered, drawing an even more confused expression from him.
“I thought you would have a helpful answer,” he murmured to himself, trying to think of a solution quickly. Normally the security guards waiting nearby never bothered him, but even having Jaehee as an audience to whatever was happening felt intrusive.
“Please take the security guards and gather everyone for our one o’clock meeting,” he instructed, watching from his peripheral vision as Jaehee paused for a moment before nodding and turning away. Once she and the guards were closed in the elevator, he let out a slow, even breath.
He turned to look at MC, his chin almost brushing against her hair. He tilted his head forward slightly to see her face, his chest tightening when he saw her in the dim lighting. Her hair was hanging slightly in his way, but her lips were opened slightly in a pout, drawing his eyes first. He’d never noticed how long her eyelashes were or the pleasing slope of her nose until that moment, and the slightest color in her cheeks nearly made him reach up to feel the warmth waiting there. The thought of touching her was what made him release the breath he’d been holding, the air from his lips blowing her hair against her nose. It seemed to tickle her, her eyes fluttering and her face scrunching in response.
Jumin startled, pulling his face away just in time for her eyes to flutter open. She took an unsteady breath in, lifting her head to look around.
When their eyes met, hers blew fully wide, both of her hands shooting up to cover her mouth. The color of her face went red, a shade even more pleasing than before, even if he couldn’t see it as well as he would have liked in the poor lighting.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to fall asleep!” she exclaimed, her eyebrows pulling together like she wanted to cry. Jumin’s heart leaped, his unexplainable delight switching to regret.
“It’s alright,” he responded, shaking his head quickly as he moved to take off his seatbelt. She did the same, pressing her hands to her cheeks while he stole a glance at her. She looked distressed, but she was blushing and fixing her hair nervously. As she pulled it behind her ears, she moved to look at him. He quickly looked away, stepping out of the car and offering her his hand to help her out. She hesitated but took it, and the feeling that started in his fingertips and radiated through his whole body almost made him pull her into him again. But he controlled himself, watching as she walked past him towards the elevator.
Jumin faltered for a moment, hesitant to follow behind her too closely in case she was still uncomfortable. He shut the car door behind himself, buttoning his jacket and fixing his sleeves. He took even strides over to the elevator, glancing at her for less than a second as he stepped inside and selected his floor.
They were both silent as the doors closed and their ascent began, and Jumin wondered if she could hear the way his heart was racing in his chest as it pounded in his ears.
“Jumin,” she called, making him flinch. He played it off by brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve, glancing over at her. He had only intended to turn his head enough to imply that he was listening, but once their eyes met, he didn’t dare look away from such a sight.
She was smiling, a light pink settling over her cheeks as she blinked up at him.
“Why are you blushing too?” she whispered, pressing her lips together when his eyes widened. He felt his face grow even warmer, a heat simmering along the entire expanse of his body. Her expression could only be described as teasing, and the idea brought a whole new level of depth to the way he felt ill.
“I-um,” he started, surprising himself when he stuttered and was at a loss for words. While his mind scrambled to put any words together, either in response to her or for an explanation as to what he was experiencing, she giggled into her hand.
Jumin knew right then that even though he had no idea what she was doing to him, he would do everything in his power to make sure that it wouldn’t stop.
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thank you so much for reading! i haven’t been on here in a hot minute, but I had started writing this in october and thought I might as well get something out. I love writing and sharing it, so here are!
if you liked, please like, reblog, and leave a comment in the notes or in the tags! thank you <3
mel x
