BREAKING BOUNDARIES (An RM Fan-fiction)

Chapter 47

THIRD PERSON

Brianna finds out the world knows about her from a tweet.

Not even a malicious one. Just a blurry photo taken outside the cinema, months ago when Namjoon offered to drive her, she realises later. Her hands on him, just a moment after a shared kiss. Namjoon showed on the frame despite efforts to keep a low profile. It's harmless. Almost intimate. Someone captions it with a question mark and a guessing emoji.

Within hours, it isn't harmless anymore.

Her phone buzzes nonstop. Messages from friends back home. From acquaintances. From people who shouldn't know her name but somehow do. Screenshots pile up, threads dissecting her clothes, her accent in an old tagged video, her skin tone under different lighting.

Speculation mutates into certainty.

She's foreign.
She's Black.
She's been around for a while.
Is this why he's been off lately?

Her stomach churns.

She didn't choose this. She didn't post anything. She didn't speak. She didn't stand beside him publicly or claim him or even let herself hope.

And still, she's here, exposed.

She locks herself inside her flat, curtains drawn, lights off, heart racing every time her phone vibrates. She thinks of Namjoon immediately and then stops herself.

He's busy.
He's already carrying too much.

She doesn't know yet that the silence between them is about to shatter.

HYBE (US)
Namjoon learns in a hallway.

One of the managers pulls him aside, phone already in hand, expression tight in a way that makes his stomach drop instantly.

"There's a situation," the manager says carefully.

Namjoon doesn't need clarification.

He takes the phone.

The photo loads slowly. Too slowly. His chest constricts before his mind can catch up.

That's Brianna.

Not clearly. Not fully. But enough.

Enough for the world to start pulling her apart.

His hands start shaking.

"Why wasn't I told sooner?" he asks, voice dangerously calm.

"We were verifying," the manager replies. "It's spreading fast."

Namjoon hands the phone back too roughly. "She's not a public figure."

The manager nods. "We know. That's why-"

"I don't care about the strategy," Namjoon snaps, control slipping. "She didn't ask for this."

The pressure he's been holding back for weeks finally fractures. Every rumour. Every unsent message. Every moment he chose distance over honesty crashes down all at once.

"She was trying to stay safe," he says hoarsely. "And now she's not."

He turns walking away before anyone can see his face.

In the bathroom, he locks the door and presses his palms against the mirror, breathing hard. His reflection looks panicked. Furious. Terrified.

The thought that people are talking about her, judging her, reducing her, hurting her and because of him makes something violent coil in his chest.

He doesn't hesitate anymore.

He pulls out his phone and calls her.
She answers on the third ring.

"Namjoon?" Her voice is small. Wary. Already bracing.