Healing (KTH, featuring KNJ)

Chapter 2

While Namsoo told Clara he had an identical twin brother, he hadn't really shared anything else about him. Only that he lived in Seoul and worked at an entertainment company. Clara wasn't that familiar with the Korean entertainment industry and rarely kept up with popular culture. Starting out in finance on Wall Street was like two full time jobs. Any spare moment was focused on her relationship with Namsoo who was similarly struggling under the weight of his own medical studies.

A few months into their relationship Namsoo told Clara that his brother would be coming to New York and asked if he could introduce her to him. Clara jumped at the opportunity.  She was always fascinated by the idea of a twin and secretly looking forward to discovering how much they really looked alike. A few days later Namsoo asked if he could take a picture of her ID card so they could send it to security since they would meet his brother at a TV studio. He also asked Clara to try to get a day off the following Thursday. Quickly apologizing for asking her to take time off, Namsoo clarified that his brother's schedule could be quite busy.  Unfortunately they'd have to work around his availability. Clara sorted things out with her work and began looking forward to meeting the man that featured so prominently in her fiance's childhood stories.

Arriving at the television production studios they were met by security from the Korean entertainment company. Clara immediately became curious. Namsoo's brother was the same age, how could he be high enough up in the company to have security that worked for him?

After a brief knock on an unmarked door the door swung open and they saw a room full of people, along with a few tables of food nearby. Several faces turned to check out the guests and moments later Namsoo was wrapped in a tight hug with a man that looked so much like him but with white hair, make-up, and an incredibly bright outfit. They pulled apart, staring at each other for a moment before pulling each other close again for a second hug. Standing shyly behind, Clara waited patiently to be introduced.

After a few more moments they broke apart again, Namsoo grabbing Clara's hand and making the introduction to his beloved brother.

"Joon, this is my girlfriend Clara. Clara, this is my brother Namjoon".

Namjoon quickly bowed and then grabbed her hand to give a handshake in welcome.

"It's so nice to finally meet you. My brother talks about you all of the time, and I mean ALL of the time," he said with a smirk at Namsoo.

By now Clara was starting to figure out that Namjoon clearly wasn't just any employee with the company.  Maybe was an actor? But that didn't quite make sense.  Looking around the room she could see several other gentlemen in matching outfits. Possibly a musician?

She'd stopped listening to the boy's conversation just trying to figure out what was going on when Namjoon got her attention.

"Let me introduce you to the rest of the band".

He went from one individual to the next introducing each of the boys in the coordinated outfits, then apologized that a couple individuals weren't there at the moment. Not able to  remember anyone's name, she was simply struck that they were all so handsome and polite.  Clara bent forward in a small bow at each introduction, following with a shy smile.

After the introductions Namjoon invited the couple to grab some food from the table and found a small space in the corner where a few chairs could be pulled together. He politely asked about Clara's job and how she was enjoying spending time with his brother.

"Incredibly happy. Namsoo is so smart and interesting, I love spending time together".

He smiled back. "Well in that case let me ruin the perfect vision you have of him and tell you stories from when we were growing up together". The trio laughed and gently fell into casual conversation while the boys told stories about their mischievous past.

After a while Namsoo asked Namjoon about his schedule and mentioned he had seen their performance on some awards show. Wait, awards show? Suddenly reflecting back Clara realized that Namsoo was always very vague about what Namjoon did. Who was this mystery brother?

Namjoon smiled at Namsoo, "I feel like everything is really coming together. We're making music we love, our fans are great, we've sold out our stadium tour, and we're being invited on all the major TV shows. Our fan base is growing globally. Honestly it's kind of shocking to us and sometimes feels hard to digest".

 Namsoo slapped Namjoon's shoulder and replied with a laugh, "You think it's shocking, imagine me! My brother who used to hide behind me when we met new people is now a worldwide superstar!"

Eventually a staff member stopped by, briefly speaking with Namjoon in Korean. In return Namjoon gave security a quick nod then noted to the couple that unfortunately the band needed to get ready to go so he'd have to cut their visit short. Turning to Clara and grabbing her hand he added, "It was so wonderful to meet you. You make my brother incredibly happy and I hope I get to see a lot more of you in the future." He flashed the same dimpled smile she loved from Namsoo.  Blushing, she simply nodded her head and smiled back.

As they were leaving and walking to the subway Clara finally burst out, "What was that? Who is your brother?" Namsoo heaved a sigh then admitted that Namjoon was a part of a band called BTS. She was vaguely familiar with BTS, or at least she had at least heard their name before which clearly meant something considering she barely kept up with popular culture. Namsoo clarified that the boys in the band and their company work hard to protect their family's privacy so he hadn't wanted to say anything before.  But he was relieved the secret was now out. After heading back to the apartment Namsoo got out his books to study while Clara began to study BTS, binge watching their online videos. The guys seemed genuine and charming, but mostly she couldn't believe how similar Namsoo was to Namjoon. They were both natural leaders and wildly intelligent. Several hours had gone by and it was time to crawl into bed and get some rest. It had been a big day and she couldn't wait to watch more BTS videos to compare the two brothers.