Love After Love...

Chapter 20: "If all goes well"

~2 years later~

Author's POV:
Jieun and Namjoon were living their best life these past two years. They maintained a healthy relationship, and moved forward in their careers. Jieun was now in her last year of PhD and she was eager to finish studies and start her practice. She was currently interning with a psychiatrist and enjoyed pursuing her passion every single day. Namjoon, on the other hand, had composed a lot of songs and was giving Seokjin hit after hit songs. He was doing so well.
Seokjin had contacted Jieun a lot of times. Namjoon eventually gave in and didn't stop her from meeting him. But only if Namjoon tagged along. Their relation was still not good. But Jieun started seeing good in Seokjin and she often suspected that he wanted to mend things with Namjoon. Deep down, Namjoon wanted his brother to be his best friend again, but he would never admit it. Although they had tiny disagreements, Jieun and Namjoon would always sort it out, like the perfect couple they were.

A year ago, Namjoon had caught Jieun humming along to a tune and he actually really liked her voice. He used to encourage her to sing more but she was shy. As the cafe grew, Jieun had decided to turn it into a tiny restaurant, and that actually worked really well for her. Every Sunday there would be a live band that would sing slow melodies. Namjoon always loved sitting by the restaurant and listening to them. He encouraged Jieun to sing with them one day, and she did. People really liked it so she continued to do it once or twice in two months. It felt rewarding. Namjoon always sat in the restaurant when she sang and clapped the loudest once she was over. She always sang three songs and the last one would always be 'La vie en rose', dedicated to Namjoon. He would blush and tell her she didn't need to do it, but secretly loved every bit. He loved how the song sounded in her voice. He loved her.

Past few months, work was very hectic for Namjoon. Late hours, early mornings. The two hardly got any time. Jieun would try her level best to stay up for him, but she would come home tired too. But today was a holiday. And boy, was she going to make the most of it. She expected a tired Namjoon, and he was much more exhausted than she thought. He walked in with a dejected look on his face. "Hey, you're awake," he said, smiling with every bit of energy he had left. "Had a holiday today. Thought I should wait up," she said. Giving him a quick kiss. "No, just stay here like this. I feel like I haven't hugged you in forever," he said. They hugged and Namjoon felt all his stress leaving his body. "Hey babe? I made you pasta. It's your favourite one. I drew you a nice bath, which will hopefully make you relax a little," she said. He kissed her and thanked her. "Join me?" he asked. She smiled and agreed.

After taking a nice bath, they both had dinner together. She noticed how tired and uninspired Namjoon was. They lay in bed together later that night, Namjoon scrolling on his phone. "Namjoon, you know you can talk to me right?" she asked. He hummed and placed his phone aside, giving her his undivided attention. "What's bothering you? I can see it in your eyes... You don't have to keep it to yourself, babe," she continued. "Come here," he said with open arms. She crawled into his chest. "It's not been great at work these past few weeks. I'm not able to carry a tune and make a melody that can successfully compliment Seokjin's vocal tone and the managers keep bugging me about it. I cant take a break because I have a lot of other projects even apart from Seokjin's and they're going well. It's all getting too much. I don't even have a lot of time to spend with you and I don't like it," he said. "Namjoon... I wont tell you things about your music and how you can function there, because no one knows your process better than you. But I can tell you things I know I can fix. You dont need to worry about not spending time with me. I dont imagine myself taking seperate time out for you when it's time for me to submit my thesis. You know why? Because I know you support me. And you know i do too. Where am I going? I'm right here. I'm always with you. It doesn't matter if we don't talk often because of our jobs. Our careers are a huge priority for both of us we've always been clear about that. As far as you music is concerned? Look at what you've accomplished! Look how crazy people are about your work! Take some inspiration from that and start with a fresh mind. I'm sure thats gonna help. It's you... You always find a way," Jieun reassured Namjoon. He thanked her for all she does for him.

They spent a loving night and all felt perfect for both of them. About to fall asleep, Namjoon said, "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Our company is planning a takeover. There's this one company, I don't really remember the name. They're undergoing losses since their artists aren't really popular, so they offered that we buy them out. They actually have a really great music producer, I've heard some of his work and corresponded with him. He agreed to help me make some tunes for Seokjin. His public name is J-hope, I still don't know his real name. We just corresponded through e-mail. If all goes well, I'll have a partner by the end of the month. That will take a some workload off." "Namjoon, that's awesome!" she said. He smiled at her.

Soon, she drifted off. Namjoon smiled at her sleeping figure, tugging a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He opened his bedside drawer and pulled out a small velvet box. "If all goes well, I'll have a partner by the end of the month," he repeated. Smiling and clutching the blue velvet box close to his chest. He stared at the beautiful ring inside for a long time before hiding it inside the drawer again. He was truly happy.

------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N : Wooohhoooo! Yayie! Things coming up the Namjoon-Jieun alley!
Also, J-hope intro! I don't think he's important exactly, but he comes and goes throughout! :D
So, okay, major giveaway about the plot: All seven bangtan members appear in the story. And in... their own ways... ;)