The hallway outside the PR room buzzed like a beehive. Assistants moved fast. Phones rang nonstop. A printer jammed, someone cursed, and Jungkook immediately decided he hated mornings.
Taehyung nudged him with his shoulder. "Relax. We look fine."
"We look suspicious," Jungkook whispered.
"You look suspicious," Taehyung said. "I look iconic."
Before Jungkook could argue, the door swung open. Their PR manager, Hana, waved them inside.
The group settled around the long table. Hana dropped a stack of printed tweets in the center. "This is why we are here."
Jin squinted. "Why are the tweets on paper. Who prints the internet."
"I needed you to experience the chaos physically," Hana said.
Taehyung reached over and grabbed the top sheet. "This one is funny."
He read it out loud with zero shame.
"'If Taehyung and Jungkook are not dating then the universe is playing with us again.'"
Jungkook covered his face.
Hana sighed. "This is not funny."
Jimin raised his hand. "It is slightly funny."
Yoongi nodded. "A little."
Hana ignored them. "Listen. This leak shows you two walking close at the airport. People zoomed in on your shadows. Your shadows. Do you understand."
Jungkook groaned. "Why do they do that."
Hana tapped the papers. "Because you give them content. And you need to stop."
Taehyung blinked. "What did we do."
"You breathed near each other," Jin said. "That was enough."
Namjoon rubbed his temples. "So what is the plan."
Hana took a deep breath. "You film a casual reaction video today. You smile. You laugh. You show group unity. No strange glances. No whispering. No sudden blushing."
The entire table slowly turned to Jungkook.
He threw a pen at Taehyung. "Stop looking at me like that."
Taehyung grinned and leaned back.
Hana continued. "After that, you will give a short interview at the event next week. Nothing dramatic. The goal is to calm the fandom. Understood."
Everyone nodded.
Hana pointed at Taehyung and Jungkook. "You two. Behave."
Taehyung raised a hand. "Define behave."
"No prolonged eye contact," Hana said.
Jungkook almost laughed. "That will never work."
Jin whispered, "She should blindfold you."
Taehyung whispered back, "Kooky would walk into a wall."
"Enough," Hana said. "Meeting over."
They escaped the room fast.
As soon as the door shut, Taehyung leaned against the wall and exhaled. "She thinks we are incapable of being normal."
Jungkook looked at him. "We are incapable of being normal."
Taehyung smiled. "True."
Jimin appeared between them like a small, loud alarm. "So. Reaction video. If Taehyung stares at Jungkook for two seconds longer than normal, we all go down."
Jungkook groaned. "Pressure."
Yoongi walked by with his hands in his pockets. "Do not worry. Taehyung will mess up first."
Taehyung gasped. "I am innocence."
"You are chaos," Yoongi corrected.
They walked back into the hallway. Staff passed by with lighting gear. Someone carried a camera bigger than Jimin. The studio lights were already warming up.
Namjoon checked the schedule. "We start filming in twenty minutes."
Jin stretched his arms. "I want fried chicken after this."
Jimin nudged Yoongi. "Sit near me later."
Yoongi pretended not to care, but he was already adjusting his hoodie.
Jungkook pulled Taehyung aside for a second. "About what Hana said… the eye contact thing…"
Taehyung tilted his head. "We can control it for a few hours."
"Can we."
Taehyung stepped a little closer. "I did not say it would be easy."
Jungkook's heartbeat went loud. Too loud.
Taehyung grinned at him like he already knew.
Namjoon shouted from down the hall. "You two. No secret conversations. Come on."
They jogged to catch up with the group.
The cameras were waiting. The lights were hot. The staff looked stressed.
This reaction video would be chaos disguised as professionalism.