Rewrite the Rules

Chat with management: Part 62

 My phone buzzed, pulling me out of my brooding. A text from Namjoon:

Namjoon: Do you have a couple of minutes to come up? We need to talk.

Emma: Of course, what's up

Emma: Wait a minute, is this really you?"

Namjoon: Yep, it's me

Namjoon: I'd like to talk to management with you.

Emma: On my way.

Reaching their floor, security escorted me to a secluded room. There stood Namjoon, looking casually handsome in a white shirt and khaki pants – a look I somehow found myself mirroring him wearing the same clothing.  He greeted me with a warm kiss, his touch sending a familiar current through me.

"I kind of wish you could've given me a heads up about what you were going to do," I confessed, a hint of apprehension creeping in.

"Let's try this again. Just follow my lead," he murmured reassuringly, his eyes holding a mischievous glint.

Hold on, Joonie. A question nagged at me. "There's something I don't understand. Why would Big Hit / HYBE announce a change in the dating policy if they're still fighting us on this?"

Namjoon smirked. "Because, darling, the change is a smokescreen. One of the girl groups has a lead singer who's pregnant and secretly married. They're touring now, but she'll be taking a hiatus, having the baby, then rejoining the group. It's all PR. There's no real change."

"I so hoped it was genuine," I said, a tinge of disappointment coloring my voice.

"Have the members never... well, you know... had girlfriends on the road with them?"

He let out a chuckle. "Of course, but they were more... what's the word..." He paused, searching for the right term. "Obedient."

"Obedient?" I echoed, incredulous.

"They knew the drill," he explained. "They'd stay holed up in hotel rooms, waiting for the guys."

My mind reeled. All this secrecy, these "rules," for what? A flicker of defiance ignited within me. Maybe Namjoon had a plan, a way to turn the tables on this archaic system. One thing was certain – I was no longer willing to be kept in the shadows.

As we entered an area with Hoon sitting on an oversized sofa, Namjoon took charge.

"I wanted to talk to you, Hoon, because I need to make something crystal clear. I didn't appreciate it when you spoke to Emma at the concert without me. She and I are together. It's as simple as that. I understand it may not align with management's expectations, and there has been some press, but I need you to understand that her and I, we're a team," he asserted.

"So, what you're telling me is the relationship is more important than BTS?" Hoon probed.

"Not at all. That's not what I'm saying," Namjoon clarified. "I know each member has been living and breathing BTS as a lifestyle, but we're older now. We all need lives outside of the group for our mental health. There's more to life than being in a K-pop group."

"You want to quit BTS?" Hoon pressed.

"I'm not sure how you got that from anything I've said. What I'm saying is, Emma isn't going anywhere. We're together, and she'll be joining me on tour."

"If by 'joining' you mean staying in the same room, I cannot allow that," Hoon objected.

"No problem," Namjoon, unfazed.

"She won't be staying with you?" Hoon sought confirmation.

"No, she won't. But neither will I. I have commitments in Fort woth, LA. Of course, I do, and I'll be there for those commitments," he assured Hoon.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot condone this relationship," Hoon stated firmly. "And management wants to make it very clear that we do not want to see the two of you in public."

"I've heard you say that before, and that's precisely why I brought Emma here today. I wanted her to hear it directly from you," Namjoon responded, his tone resolute. "But listen, Hoon, my relationship is none of your business. Let me make that really clear. I will continue seeing Emma, and if we can't stay together on tour and the hotel room you're providing, I will get my own hotel room."

"Namjoon, this is a breach of contract," Hoon retorted.

"Actually, it's not. Nowhere in the contract does it say I cannot date. It does say to be discreet, and I'm not saying that we won't be," Namjoon countered confidently.

"I'm going to have to escalate this conversation," Hoon declared before exiting the room, leaving those words hanging in the air. Namjoon's expression hardened, indicating his displeasure with the situation.

"I feel like he just said to me, 'I'm gonna go tell daddy on you,'" Namjoon remarked with a wry grin.

"Well, I'm not sure how you're gonna feel about this, but we're ... we're not staying together, at least for a few more weeks. If you wanna offer an olive branch, why don't you stay in your room at the hotel. I can have my room?" I suggested.

"Now, that would be an olive branch. I just hate being pushed around like this," he sighed in frustration.

"They're not handling this very well," I observed, empathizing with his frustration.