It Takes Two (Kim Namjoon)

Asked Pt. 2

"Viv!"

My lips untangled from Namjoon's, and I tried to put myself back together as quickly as possible. Namjoon's hands kept dipping under the hem of my shirt and had eventually made their way upwards, and I had to press my lips together to keep from snorting as his hands skimmed my ticklish, bare skin.

"I'm changing!" I yelled back at Hobi. "I forgot how casual Americans could be. I'm overdressed." It was terrible that we were getting so good at this. I met Namjoon's eyes, and he lipped his lips hungrily as if he had the same thought.

"No, don't!" Hoseok's voice was closer. "I guess the translator for the show got sick. They asked if you could do it."

I could feel my face pale. Namjoon nudged me, and I poked my head out from behind the curtain. "What?"

Jin and Hoseok stood in front of me, dressed like the supermodels they could be sometimes. I wanted to grumble something about their makeup being better than mine, but before I could get to it, Jin opened his mouth. "Will you do it?"

I shook my head. "Namjoon is just as good as me."

They smiled at the same time—huge, devilish smirks. "I think he's been practicing things other than English with his mouth, lately."

"How dare you say that!" I cried, about to yank the curtain back in front of my face.

Just then, Namjoon stuck his head on top of mine and feigned hurt. "Yeah, how dare you insult my English like that!"

Jin and Hobi burst into laughter. "You are so cute!" Jin practically squealed, jumping up and trying to miss stepping on Hoseok, who was rolling on the ground.

Namjoon moved the curtain aside and tucked the back of my shirt into my skirt. "I think you should do it," he whispered into my ear.

As usual, his words made all synapses in my brain stop functioning, and I found myself nodding before my brain had even begun functioning again.

Half an hour later, I was sitting down next to their host. She was cute, tiny, and blonde, but gave off a motherly feeling that these boys would love.

She leaned towards me. "You're their interpreter, yes?"

I smiled. "Technically I'm a part of the media team, but for today, yes."

"Oh, good. What's your name?"

"Vivienne."

"Great! I'll introduce you briefly before I get to them. What do you think of these questions?" she asked, showing me her note cards.

I read them and hid a grimace. "Do you want my honest opinion?"

"Absolutely. As long as it still ties into the surprise I have for them at the end."

I whispered some suggestions to her, knowing I couldn't save a sinking ship, and she wrote them down hastily. Just as we finished, the director informed us that we needed to be ready to turn our mics on and keep the live audience in mind before recording.

My stomach started turning as everyone took their places. I wasn't good on TV. I was consistently awful, and even though this wasn't about me, I still had to talk. I met Namjoon's eyes from across the couches where the boys were crammed. I felt bad that I had received my own seat when I was infinitely less important, but they didn't seem to mind. Namjoon mouthed something at me.

Okay?

I nodded and tried to smile. He mimicked taking deep breaths, and I followed suit. Jimin gave me a thumbs up and a beatific smile, showing all of his teeth.