But I Hate You || JJK (in editing)

Active listening

Like they had agreed, Mimie met Seo outside the HYBE building the following evening, as usual. However, the drive to his apartment was especially quiet. Unable to tell if he was stewing in his own self-pity because they had argued, or if he was doing his best to be patient when he was desperate to hear about this mysterious relationship she had with Bangtan. Mimie settled on letting the silence sit between them.

In hindsight, this was a poor choice; by the time they were parked, she was practically choking on the atmosphere trapping them. She almost didn't climb out of the car after him. Only the thought of having to explain that behaviour was what pushed her palm to the car door handle.

"How was your evening?" Seo questioned pointedly. She'd been waiting for him to ask this since she texted him yesterday to say she'd gotten home safely. This was not how she had wanted to hear the question. His tone left no room for doubt, he cared more about the reason for her ditching him than whether she actually enjoyed herself.

"I had a great time," she retorted pettily, instantly cursing herself for allowing her emotions to get the better of her. Spiteful comments were not the way to handle serious conversations.

"You had a great time? I thought you said Namjoon needed you? I was under the impression there was something wrong..."

"There was and we resolved it and then had a really good time." She narrowed her eyes, not appreciating his attempt to catch her out. It was all well and good for her to try to be mature in the situation but if he wasn't going to reciprocate then she may as well not bother.

Thankfully her sharp tone seemed to burst Seo's bubble of arrogance and he visibly deflated.

"What is it you want to know about Namjoon and me?" she questioned, a lot more sympathetic in her tone now that Seo had put his own claws away.

"I'd like to know everything you're allowed to tell me," he replied honestly, scooting closer on the sofa to reach out for Mimie's hand. It was the first display of affection he'd shown her and it was enough to squeeze him past her defensiveness.

"I'm not sure I'm allowed to tell you anything," she began with a teasing glance sent Seo's way that assured him she would tell him anyway.

"How long have you known him?" Seo questioned, encouraging her with somewhere to start her explanation.

"I met Namjoon when I was... God... I was eleven? No twelve. He joined my uncle's agency and I used to spend a lot of time there, after school because my parents had to work and couldn't afford childcare." Seo wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but that was definitely not it.

"And- and you're close now?" he sort of stumbled over himself, realising all over again just how little he knew about Mimie's life. He could tell you her favourite television shows, or which song she listened to the most, but her day to day life was still a mystery.

"He's my best friend," she admitted quietly, seeing the shock already on her boyfriend's face and cringing as she added to it.

"Your best friend is RM of BTS?" he deadpanned, already overwhelmed, how was he going to take any other surprises she might be hiding? "And your uncle is the owner of BTS's agency?"

"No, my best friend is Kim Namjoon," she frowned, not liking how the words sounded coming from Seo, using that tone... "And my uncle is my uncle. The rest of it doesn't really matter." She spoke determinedly, but she could already tell this was a lost cause. Seo's eyes were screaming 'it matters to me' and Mimie wasn't sure how she felt about that.

A sour feeling lingered in the air around Namjoon. Although that often happened when you were the only person who didn't know the secret that was slowly dissolving the dynamic of your friendship group. He wasn't an idiot though. He saw the signs. The first being Jungkook avoiding spending any time with him one on one. Every time they found themselves alone in a room, the maknae would make an excuse and disappear before Joon even had the chance to say anything. Granted that sign had taken a while to click because a lot of his time was taken up with Hyemi after she suddenly returned to the living world.