On the House

Chapter Nine

Yoongi stood outside the restaurant in awe. He'd known Namjoon was going to take him somewhere nice, as he'd told Yoongi to dress nice, but he'd never imagined it would be this fancy. It had a valet outside and, as Yoongi finally entered, he overheard people saying they had reservations. A place that required reservations? Yoongi had never been to such a place. 'Too expensive,' he thought.

"Hey, Yoon!"

Yoongi turned to see Namjoon entering the restaurant. He raised an eyebrow.

"Yoon?" he asked as Namjoon joined him.

To his surprise, Yoongi saw Namjoon's cheeks flush a bit. "Uh, yeah," Namjoon said. "I-Is that okay? I figured since everyone else calls you Yoongs, maybe I'd give you a different nickname for me to call you."

Yoongi couldn't help but wonder why Namjoon wanted a special nickname for him, but he didn't question it. "Sure," he said instead. "I like it. It's something different."

Namjoon grinned, and Yoongi internally groaned.

'Dimples.'

"Great! Are you ready to get seated?"

"Sure."

Namjoon then headed to the host stand to tell them his name for the reservation. Shortly after, they were being led to a table. The waiter handed them their menus, and Yoongi opened his. His eyes widened to the size of saucers. Every item in the menu cost over 70,000 won.

"Um," Yoongi said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Namjoon, I-I can't afford this."

Namjoon looked up with a raised eyebrow. "You thought you were going to pay?" he asked with genuine surprise. "No, I asked you to go to dinner. It's my treat."

"I-I can't ask you to – "

"You didn't ask," Namjoon interrupted. "I offered."

Yoongi sighed. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!"

"O-Okay."

Namjoon grinned. "Great! Now, get whatever you'd like!"

Yoongi scanned the menu, looking for the cheapest item available. Namjoon watched him.

"Don't you dare get the cheapest thing on the menu," he said as if he'd read Yoongi's mind. "Get what you want."

Yoongi's cheeks flushed. "O-Okay." He then mentally facepalmed. Why did he keep stuttering?

After they'd ordered, they chatted good-naturedly for a bit. Then, the topic finally turned to work.

"When you start," Namjoon told him. "You'll be on the fourth floor. You'll share a studio with one other person. But once you've been there awhile and have kind of proved yourself, you'll move up to the fifth floor. When you get there, you'll get your own studio."

Yoongi nodded. "And what if they eventually decide to make me one of their artists? What'll happen then?"

Namjoon stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't they tell you?" Yoongi asked, confused. "Mr. Seong told me that after working as a producer for a while, they may add me on as a performer as well."

Namjoon furrowed his brow. "Um, no, no one told me that."

Yoongi wasn't sure how to gauge Namjoon's reaction. "Oh," he simply said.

Suddenly, however, Namjoon broke out into a grin. "That's so awesome!" he said honestly. "You'd definitely be able to make it as an artist!"

Yoongi's cheeks flushed. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"Gotta get you to stop being so shy, though," Namjoon teased. "If you're gonna be a performer, you've gotta ooze confidence."

Yoongi suddenly looked nervous. "I..."

"I'm teasing," Namjoon said quickly. "Well, kind of. But I think that as you begin to prove yourself behind the scenes, you'll gain the confidence a performer requires. You gotta believe in yourself."

Yoongi nodded. "I hope so."

Namjoon smiled genuinely. "You'll get there."

Their food soon arrived and they ate in a comfortable silence. Afterward, Namjoon paid the bill (as Yoongi watched, feeling guilty), and then they were heading out to meet up with their friends at the bar.

"Did you drive?" Namjoon asked.

"No," Yoongi said. "I don't have a car. I took the bus."

"Ride with me, then," Namjoon said, handing a ticket to the valet. Yoongi's eyes widened as he realized Namjoon had paid even more for their rendezvous. He began to wonder if he'd eventually make the kind of money Namjoon apparently did.

The car pulled up and Namjoon and Yoongi both entered it. Yoongi looked around at the interior. It was a very nice car.

"I like your car," he told Namjoon.

"Thanks!" Namjoon replied. "It's funny, I didn't even have a driver's license until about six months ago. I finally decided I wanted to bite the bullet and stop taking the bus everywhere."

Yoongi's face dropped a bit, and Namjoon noticed.

"I mean, not that taking the bus is a bad thing! I just live pretty far from work, and it's just easier and faster to drive there."

Yoongi nodded, feeling a bit better.

Once they'd reached the bar, Namjoon parked and they both headed inside. They quickly found their friends, who were saving a table for all of them.