LOVE YOURSELF: HIM.

6

As promised by Namjoon and Seokjin, Namjoon kept his distance from him for a few days to let their argument diffuse a little to give them both time to calm down and get their heads straight before their weekend away together as a family; they were going just to make it a small thing, however, the two co-parents decided that it would be nice to treat Riyah and get away from Seoul for a change, so they settled on going to Jeju Island from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.

It would be a big step for Namjoon and Seokjin since their divorce. Still, if they were able to get through the weekend without having so much as a tiff, they could do anything together with their daughter as ex-husbands who are also friends, who shared a daughter, of whom were also dating new people. A mouthful? They too thought so.

It was 05:00 pm and they were currently driving to the ferry port in Jeollanam-do in Mokpo. They'd already been driving for around two hours and had roughly two more to go until their destination. Namjoon was behind the wheel with Seokjin next to him in the passenger seat, whilst Riyah was fast asleep in the back. The radio was on low, playing Korean ballads as the pair sat in silence. Occasionally, Namjoon would take a peak at Seokjin through the rear mirror to observe what he was doing. He seemed to have his head buried in his phone, knees pulled up to his chest as he leaned on the closed car door for support. Namjoon had expressed multiple times over the years that Seokjin's sitting positions whilst being in the car were extremely dangerous in the case of an accident, but he sat how he pleased regardless, often finding it as a sort of comfort for allowing himself to fully relax into the odd dimensions of a car. When their relationship was on rocky ground, he couldn't see it as anything more than another annoyance that caused an argument but now, if anything, Namjoon found it endearing (though he did still attest to its dangers); he liked to see the small remnants of their relationship in the things they did because whether they liked it or not, they grew up together and learned multiple life lessons with each other.

Namjoon cleared his throat as he shifted gears. "You okay?"

Seokjin slowly but surely looked up at him, slightly surprised by Namjoon's sudden attempt to make conversation after they had been in silence for quite a while since Riyah drifted to sleep.

"Mmhm."

Namjoon briefly took a look at him before returning his focus to the motorway. He pursed his lips as he pondered on what to say next. He didn't want to make the car ride awkward considering they still had a considerable amount of time they still had to spend together in travelling before they reached Jeju Island. But he couldn't stand the silence between them. Even in the rough patches of their relationship, they would argue, try to lighten the mood - they would at the very least say something to one another. But it was never silent.

Just as Namjoon cracked his lips apart to say something, the song on the radio changed and he surely kept his mouth shut. Seokjin looked up from his phone and over at Namjoon, offering him a small smile.

"It's our song." He breathed out.

"Yeah. It is." Namjoon responded as his grip on the shift stick tightened.

"I burned myself down to the ground, oh can I ask of you..." Seokjin sang along softly as he trailed off with the song.

Love Me Like That by Sam Kim. It was the song they both thought best described their relationship when they were together after watching Nevertheless a countless number of times religiously. They were utterly captivated by the captivating soundtrack and would eagerly tune in to the show whenever they needed a pick-me-up. The charming and uplifting storylines in the show never failed to tug at their heartstrings, often leading to heartfelt discussions about their shared experiences and culminating in tender, passionate moments together. Their mutual fondness for the music even extended to singing it to Riyah at bedtime, creating a soothing and comforting atmosphere for her to drift off to sleep.