Her Image (NAMJOON FIC)

Stories that have no point

Now

"I spotted her for the first time at the local bar. I used to go there every Friday after work, hoping I'd meet someone to take back home and spend a nice evening," Namjoon Kim, 28, sales associate at Barker Enterprises told the lead detective on the case.

"So you were prone to this sort of behavior, one-night stands with strangers?" the detective asked for clarification. This fact was irrelevant to her investigation, but she couldn't help but press on.  After years in the force, she rarely had a chance to work with anyone she could marginally consider attractive, let alone a man as breath-taking as the one that was testifying before her. She allowed herself the tiny slip-up. 

"Heh," he chuckled, "not that often anymore. Back when I was younger and touring the world," he waved his hand, as Detective Shaw grew even more curious. 

"I still have some hope, but I'll admit I thought I had lost all my flirting skills. That is, until I met her," he said, pursing his lips as if the words hurt too much in the process of coming out of his mouth.

Detective Shaw begged to differ- he was doing a fine job of charming her. 

"Could you describe the circumstances under which you met," she paused, to read the name and make sure she got it correctly, "Nicole Gray?" she enunciated with a hint of doubt in her voice.

"I was sitting by the bar, waiting for the bartender to finish making my drink, when I made eye contact with her. I saw her through the heads and shoulders of other customers at the crowded bar; she was there with a group of friends and they seemed to be celebrating something, but I couldn't quite make out what was going on exactly."

"Did you have any contact at all with Miss Gray during this incident?" Detective Shaw asked.

"Yeah, so as I said, bar was crowded. I kept looking at this girl from a distance like a total creep, in retrospect," Namjoon said, reminiscing. The conversation brought back a vivid picture, full of sounds, the sticky- humid warm air of the bar and cigarette smells of that night. He could see the low lights, stumbling drunk bar regulars and then, there she was: in a white button-down blouse, black skirt, looking as if she had just gotten off work. Not many women could pull off the simple everyday-office look and still manage to cause such a strong impression on Namjoon. 

During his earlier years, he had seen many, many women. Touring the world allowed him to be exposed to the most beautiful women on the planet, hailing from every corner and background in the world. He used to be a bit of a womanizer when he was younger, but as he grew older, settled into his boring office job in the suburbs, suddenly that energy and thirst for exploration grew dimmer and duller by the day, until he found himself reduced to a numb cog in the machine with a strict routine and simple pleasures. Gold chains and late nights out partying with his group members had turned into golden fries and late nights watching restricted content on television on some weekends. The bar was the sole link between his past flamboyant lifestyle and the current stagnant status quo. 

"I got kind of distracted, caught up in my own thoughts. She vanished all of a sudden, and I thought she'd called it a night and gone home. Next thing I know, she's standing next to me and getting on her tiptoes to whisper something in my ear. The whole thing took me by surprise, I didn't know how to react," Namjoon continued.

"What did she tell you, Mr. Kim?" Detective Shaw asked.

"She pointed at one of her friends, honestly I was so confused I could not tell which one at that moment, and she said 'I see you eyeing her. She's cute, no?'"

"Like I said, I was just so taken aback," Namjoon continued, "that I just went with it. I wanted to keep talking to this cute girl who approached me out of nowhere, but I had no idea what to talk about, so I just pretended that I was into her friend. I realized she was talking about a girl in a blindingly bright hot pink dress."