7. work meetings

7. work meetings

the meeting room was buzzing with activity as the staff members from both seventeen's team and yumi's design team settled in around the long conference table. the atmosphere was professional but also relaxed.

yumi sat next to hojin, both of them representing the design team. they had been working closely with seventeen's management for the past few weeks on their upcoming promotions. around the table were some of seventeen's members; scoups, jeonghan, joshua and woozi.

the discussion went well, with woozi outlining some of the ideas for their album's concept. yumi was deep in thought, taking notes on her tablet, her fingers flying across the screen as she processed every suggestion.

at the head of the table, scoups was speaking, but yumi's attention drifted to joshua, who was sitting across from her. his gaze was already on her, and he gave her a soft smile that made her heart flutter in a way she hadn't expected.

"what do you think, yumi?" woozi asked, snapping her back to reality. he was looking at her, waiting for her input.

"right," she said, shaking her head to clear the fog of her thoughts. "i think it could work well. but the color scheme—"

her voice trailed off when she noticed joshua leaning in slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. he was listening intently, his usual calm demeanor giving her a sense of reassurance.

hojin, sitting next to yumi, stiffened in his seat. he rolled his eyes as he noticed the exchange between yumi and joshua. his jaw tightened, but he kept his gaze forward, pretending to be focused on the presentation.

"yumi, if we adjust the layout here..." joshua started, his voice smooth, pulling her back into the conversation. "we could emphasize the image a bit more. i think it'd really capture the energy we're looking for."

yumi nodded. "yeah, i think you're right. let's go with that."

joshua smiled, his gaze lingering just a second longer than necessary. "i knew you'd get it."

across the table, hojin glanced at them, his expression unreadable, before his gaze shifted back to the screen. there was a slight tension in his posture, his shoulders tensed.

"yumi," hojin said, his voice louder than intended. "you might consider using a different font. something more... bold. the one you chose is just simple."

yumi blinked, surprised by his interruption. "oh, umm, okay." she answered, glancing at him. but as soon as she did, she saw how his jaw tightened and how he avoided eye contact with her.

she furrowed her eyebrows. "is everything okay?"

"yeah, just focus," he said, his posture remaining stiff.

yumi was about to respond when joshua spoke up again, his tone still easygoing. "it's alright, hojin. we can revisit the font later. the main concept is looking good. yumi has a great eye for this kind of thing," he said, smiling as he shifted to her.

yumi's heart skipped a beat. "thanks, joshua."

joshua gave her a playful wink before turning his attention back to the screen.

meanwhile, hojin's grip tightened around his coffee cup. he clenched his jaw, trying to mask his irritation, but it was hard to ignore the feeling in his stomach. he didn't know what it was—maybe it was the way joshua kept looking at yumi like she was the only one in the room, or maybe it was the way she seemed to shine a little brighter whenever he spoke. whatever it was, it made hojin uneasy. was this jealousy? he didn't know. but he just couldn't take it anymore.

as the meeting continued, hojin tried his best to remain calm. he forced himself to pay attention, but every time yumi and joshua exchanged another smile, he couldn't help but feel a little prickling sensation in his chest.

finally, the meeting ended, and everyone started packing their things. yumi stood up, stretching her arms above her head, and as she did, she caught joshua's eyes again.

"great work today." she smiled as she approached him.

"same to you," he replied, his eyes softening. "you're talented, yumi."

she giggled lightly. "thank you, i'm just doing my job."

hojin cleared his throat, interrupting their conversation. "yumi, we need to go over a few things for the next phase."

yumi hesitated, glancing between him and joshua, but joshua gave her a reassuring smile and nodded. "it's okay. i'll catch you later, yumi!"

she smiled back and turned towards hojin, his behavior was more obvious now—his jealousy was written all over his face.

"what's wrong, jin?" she asked softly.

"nothing, i'm fine." he gave her a tight lipped smile. "just focus on your job and don't get distracted."

she frowned but didn't talk anymore. she knew something was up, but she decided to let it go for now.

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