Pop Star || Yoongi x Reader

59. Home Ground

Mumbai gives you a bundle of mixed feelings. Growing up, it was the city you associated with everything that you ever wanted. You thought you would live your best life here. But the city ended up offering you the harshest reality check instead. This was where you signed with Ribbon, where you started Prakriti, where you struggled alone, and where you were forged as an artist.

Once again, you were here to face a challenge. The Board at Prakriti's head office meeting was scheduled at 10 am. You had two hours' worth of car ride to mentally prepare yourself to face DK again - not that you had anything else on your mind since you'd flown out of Seoul. He was going to gloat. But you had to win that vote.

"I can't believe the traffic has actually gotten worse!" you groan. The dark Audi sedan you're in has moved about a hundred meters in the last 45-minutes.

"Welcome home, Y/N," Monica sighs.

"So let me just review the situation - we're having a meeting to vote whether DK stays as the ED or we vote him out - and I've got to convince the Board members to vote him out or else -"

" - or else Mrs. L/N, and by extension, you, are going to lose your credibility in front of the Board. She went out on a limb to get everyone to show up again," Monica remarks.

DK's cronies would try to discredit you. You were prepared for it, but you were still very nervous. About three-quarters of the twelve-member Board consisted of retired professionals and scientists. They were older and more experienced than you were - so you had worked very hard to prepare yourself for this appearance.

"Hey, you're gonna do well," Lily gives you a thumbs up from the front seat.

You cast her a small smile before receding into your thoughts. This feud was tiring you out. And while a part of you was still fiercely insecure about what DK would do next, what would he take from you next, there was another part of you that just wanted to let go of this. Maybe not everything was meant to be owned or controlled. Maybe all you had to do was to let go and things would sort themselves out. You bring your mind back to the speech you were supposed to make today.

—----------------

You put on a pair of oversized sunglasses before stepping out of the car. Monica pushes you through the revolving doors of the office space before too many people recognize your familiar face.

"Hey!" you protest, "I wanted to say hi, I haven't seen the home crowd in so long!"
"You'll get your chance once we begin touring," Monica chuckles. It was nice to see you in a good mood despite everything.

Out of the elevator, you glide into the conference room preparing greetings that you could offer everyone, except for one person. Ironically, it is he who you spot first.

There he was, DK. Dressed in a peach suit. Slick. Confident, as usual.

She's got some nerve showing up here.

That's what DK thinks as he watches you come in while he takes the key chair at Prakriti's board meeting.

More than half the men and women here are those whom he has personally convinced to support him - with whatever means necessary. Irrespective of what you think, he has worked hard with Prakriti, even when the compensation was meagre and sometimes he had to take what he deserved in ways that were - not altogether ethical. But he worked for it. And all you have done is swagger around in your swankiest clothes pretending to be cute.

You could not just walk in and take Prakriti from him. After all, he did manage to stop you from taking his music - the music you could not have made without him though you were too proud to admit that - and he sold what was always his right to sell. Now, you could look for the owner of Paradime to cut a deal as much as you wanted - but it was someone even he couldn't get hold of, so there was no chance that you would.