A Modest Proposal (Kim Namjoon/ BTS) (#SerendipityAwards)

17. So Far Away

"So you let him walk out the door? Just like that?" So Min held Ji Ah’s gaze dubiously, unable to believe the words spilling out of the latter’s mouth. “Without even giving him an explanation?”

Ji Ah sighed, reclining in the leather seat of the lounge at Big Hit. It had taken her friend almost a week of pestering and goading to pry the information out of her and the videographer had finally relented, needing somebody to talk to. The past few days had been hectic, what with Bangtan shuffling from one music show to another as part of the album promotions. And Ji Ah hadn’t had the chance to run into Namjoon, something she was grateful for.

“What was I supposed to say?” she demanded tersely, her head tilting upwards to trace the whorls of twinkles and stripes engraved on the ceiling. “I could hardly jump into his arms and declare my undying love for him now, could I?”

So Min's expression seemed to convey that that was exactly what she should have done, and she punched her friend's arm. Ji Ah grimaced, shooting her an accusing look. Her colleague promptly ignored it as she leaned forward in her seat. Save for the two of them, the lounge was empty with most of their team still in the process of arriving for the briefing that Bang PD had requested them to attend.

“No, but you could’ve at least been a little more cordial than curt,” So Min retorted but Ji Ah remained staunch in her conviction. “I can only imagine what he must’ve felt when you shot him down so brusquely.”

“It’s for his own good, So Min-ah,” she replied in a soft voice, feeling cold despite the warmth in the room. “Namjoon needs to concentrate. And a potential relationship at this point would be perilous. No to mention the little fact that I don’t even want to be in one.”

But So Min looked skeptical, an almost pitiful lilt to her lips as they moved again. “Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?” She sighed when Ji Ah didn’t answer, placing her palm over her friend’s. “I know you well and I also know that you’re in denial.”

But before Ji Ah could respond, Jae Chan bounded into the room, ushering the pair out so they could attend the meeting Bang PD had called. As they strode down the hallway, the videographer came face to face with Namjoon who had just exited his studio. Ji Ah froze in her tracks, her expression blank and she scrambled for something to diffuse the awkwardness with. Oblivious to the tension in the air, Jae Chan merely greeted the rapper and continued forward, So Min trailing after him eagerly in hopes to afford the pair some privacy.

Seconds seemed to stretch into minutes in the still corridor and the silence was a heavy blanket over them. Ji Ah mustered the courage to lift her eyes from where they seemed to be fixated on the ground but nothing could prepare her for the sight that met them. Namjoon had a smile, a genuine smile on his face and he raised a hand in salute.

“Morning, Ji Ah! It’s good to see you,” he stated happily, no sign of any discomfort in his demeanor. It was as if the agony of the past week had been nothing but an imaginary feat which Ji Ah had conjured up all by herself.

“G-good morning, Namjoon,” she replied, still taken aback but the rapper didn’t seem to hear her, his head swiveling round towards one of the stylists who had just trotted out of the studio after him. Ji Ah didn’t miss the way the petite woman squeezed Namjoon’s elbow and he bent his head so he could hear what she had to say. He shot her a soft smile, a serene look on his face and his lips parted ever so slightly in reply. And an unfamiliar sensation curled at the tips of Ji Ah’s toes as the pair waddled away, presumably towards the conference room while she stood there, struggling to regain her composure.

What the hell had just happened?

Namjoon seemed to be…fine as opposed to what Ji Ah had thought. She certainly wasn’t fine and the brunette-haired woman wondered if the entire thing had been a figment of her imagination. She couldn’t shake of the slimy feeling which had slithered its way into her skin and the videographer almost scoffed, not wanting to acknowledge it.