Pink Peony | Namjin

Present Pt 5: Kim Seokjin

June 10,2021
Department of International Affairs
Jin age 25

Today is Namjoon's first official day working here..... I'm still uncomfortable with the idea but know I must accept it as my father likes Namjoon, everyone does.

Except me.

It took me a minute to realize I hadn't gotten a single document that was laid out in front of me filled out. Sighing and running a hand through my baby pink hair, I laid back in my chair, thinking about what Namjoon had said the day before. "If you'd like, you could be the 69th". I involuntarily shuttered from the memory, a chill going down my spine until a knock at the door drew my attention.

"Sir, Chairman Kim is on the line, wishing to talk to you about a contract that was poorly translated to Korean and needs translation from the original English script." My sectary, Lee May said.

Looking at her with I sigh, I nodded."Put him on the phone, I'll answer." I replied, feeling in no mood to talk to my father but I had to.

Biting my lip before looking at the digital phone to my left, I fixed my suit despite being unable to see my father face to face. Picking the phone up, I answered with the happiest tone I could muster up despite not feeling the best.

"Hello father, I heard from my sectary that you had a contract that needs to be translated?" I said, laying back in my chair, feeling like banging my head into a door, knowing fully well that I would have to speak to Namjoon after this.

"Yes, a start up fashion company just decided to sign a contract with us and them being new, I doubt they have much money to pay for a translator and their contract sounds like they used google translate." My father joked, chuckling to himself even though I knew he was being serious under his light hearted small talk.

"Of course, just fax it over and I will have Namjoon look at it right away." I replied, about to hang up until my father spoke again, as if he had anticipated that I no longer wanted to talk to him.

"I hope you don't see Namjoon in that way, you know I'm looking for a possible wife for you, don't you? I love you, son, but I need you to grow up and stop experimenting, believing you're a homo just because you don't want to become an adult yet and have the responsibility of taking over the family business is inexcusable. You've been using that as an excuse to not get married and continue the family company but, I need you to grow up....... I forbid you to see Namjoon in that way." He said before hanging, the whole conversation seeming one sided and out of the blue.

As if he believed Namjoon was related to me being gay.

All throughout my fathers lecture, my blood was slowing beginning to boil more and more."Homo is an offensive term and it's not a phase, I've liked guys since I was a child......" I whispered softly under my breath before all of my rage was morphed into a burst of energy as I slammed the phone down onto its stand, instantly cracking the glass screen into pieces.

Having heard the commotion, May came rushing in to find the shattered phone and stand, noticing my blank look as I stared at the phone.

"Not to pry, sir, but...... are you alright?" May asked, her voice laced with an undertone of worry that I could tell she was struggling to camouflage with her questioning tone.

Weakly, I looked up at her with a reassuring smile."Yes, everything is fine. Chairman Kim was just being...... a bit annoying, you know how fathers can get." I said with a slight joking tone, the same tone my father used only minutes ago to cover up his true intentions.

Leaving it at that, I grabbed the piece of paper that had been faxed over and walked past May, my head down as I didn't meet her eyes. Looking down at the printed words, most of it looked foreign, like an alien text that I could never understand despite having had taken 3 years of English in college. But in that moment, I didn't even know who I was or what I was doing with my life.