Shooting Stars

Fifty-Seven: Talk about Namjoon

Seokjin had been stunned into silence when Anna had asked him about Namjoon. He knew that he couldn't say anything about him since he really didn't know much. Plus, it would seem as if he's trying to paint his rival in a bad light. So, he decided to have her talk with Jungkook. He convinced Anna to take a break and go have coffee with Jungkook and ask him questions. The young man had heard more talk about Namjoon than he. She reluctantly agreed, but she asked him to come along with her.

Seokjin hadn't wanted to accompany her. It would seem as if he was there just to hear gossip about Namjoon, but she pleaded with him, and he couldn't refuse her.

They sat at the coffee shop for almost two hours as Jungkook answered all of her questions. Seokjin had to give her credit for her fortitude. Never once did she cry or complain or act as if she was overwhelmed. She simply nodded at what she heard.

Namjoon had fallen in love with a model years ago, but she broke his heart. Then he'd become a serial dater, going through scores of girls with no regard for their feelings. One particular girl, Sylvie Gladden, had been an up-and-coming model when they'd met. She was only nineteen and worshipped the ground Namjoon walked on. She was a sweet and trusting girl from somewhere in the Midwest who believed Namjoon would marry her if she slept with him. After dating her for a while, Namjoon broke up with her and refused to talk to her. Sylvie became despondent, refusing to go on assignments, demanding that Namjoon come back to her. It was a big mess. This led to his being asked to leave the agency, which led him to start his own.

He mended his ways somewhat and focused his energies on his new business. It seemed that no other woman had caught his attention for a while. Jungkook looked Anna in the face. "Then we all heard about this hot newcomer, Annelise Kane, who had signed on with his agency. And soon enough, there was talk about Namjoon being involved with her." He paused.

"I see," Anna said in a whisper. "More of the same."

"But it wasn't the same," Jungkook continued. "He asked you to marry him. Everyone knew he was crazy about you. You were not just another beautiful girl to him." His eyes glanced quickly toward Seokjin. The handsome man's mouth was set in a hard line, as if he were stopping himself from reacting.

"So, I'm supposed to be happy because he gave me a ring for sleeping with him?" she asked, bitterness in her voice. "I'm sure those other girls got gifts as well."

Seokjin reached out and patted her hand. "Annie, it's not the same. He asked you to marry him. I can see in his eyes how much you mean to him." He looked toward Jungkook, his eyes sad. He was telling her the truth, and that truth was killing him. He didn't want to hear about Namjoon's love for Anna, but he couldn't deny it either.

Anna sighed. "He tried to explain to me, but you can't just explain away a child. How do I know he's not lying to me about other things? What if he's lying about knowing the truth?"

The two men looked at each other before turning their attention back to her.

Jungkook spoke first. "Maybe he's not lying. I mean, no one knew Sylvie even had a baby. She disappeared for a long time. No one actually saw her during that time. I remember hearing that she'd lost a contract because of unexpected weight gain, but that was all. She said nothing about being pregnant. I'm sure Namjoon didn't know either."

"What if she told him, and he dismissed her?" Anna insisted. "Don't men deny things like that all the time?" She frowned at them. "I'm sure you've had to dodge a few of those declarations."

Jungkook's eyes got round and he shook his head. "Oh, no, Not me. I mean, no girl's ever claimed to be pregnant." He gulped. "And...and if it were true, I'd take responsibility."

"You're so young," she replied. "You're still idealistic. Most men would not do that."

Seokjin inhaled. "You're right. Many men would ignore such claims from a woman if they didn't want the commitment. But it seems Namjoon isn't like that, I guess. He's marrying you, and..." He let his voice trail away.

"I'm not pregnant, Jin," she said quickly.

Good, he almost said out loud. He ducked his head to hide his little smile of happiness.

She gave a loud sigh. "I'd just like to find a man who is responsible and honorable and respectful. I don't want someone who keeps things from me or—or someone who treats me as a consolation prize."

Seokjin closed his eyes briefly. That was meant for him as much as Namjoon.

"How difficult is it to be a good guy every now and then?" she exclaimed, shooting to her feet. "Thank you, Jungkook. Thank you for being honest with me. I can count on one hand the times men have been honest with me."

"Annie," Seokjin began, but the look she gave him cut him off.

"I need to think about a lot of things right now," she said. "Thanks again." She inhaled and walked away.

"Well," Jungkook said. "Looks like Namjoon might be out of the way, bro."

Seokjin nodded. "Yeah, well, it seems I'm out of the way as well."