It Takes Two (Kim Namjoon)

Told Pt. 2

this chapter is the return of yumi and haneul, aka characters i am terrible over and didn't write well enough trolololol.

***

The office was still the same, as if nine months couldn't hope to change a manager's office as it had changed me.

I looked at Manager Young apprehensively, waiting for him to speak after he paced the room back and forth for several minutes.

Minji supplied conversation for him. "I have to say, you have made this job much more interesting than I thought possible," she began, that same smile back in my room reappearing on her face for a brief moment. "Personally, I expected a lot from you, but I never expected this."

"Much more difficult than necessary," Manager Young agreed, even though his tone directly contrasted the silent approval seeming to flavor Minji's words. I didn't understand the sentiment, as Minji and I had never interacted that much, but I drew silent strength from it just the same. "We didn't ask you any more details than what happened between you and Jimin, did we?"

"No."

"And yet we somehow never got around to asking about this," he said, pointing down at my phone on his desk. Pulled up on the screen was a list of articles about Namjoon's mother and I, most of which contained a link to someone picking up our conversation when she mentioned picking up her son's girlfriend. It was illegally obtained, for sure, and Namjoon's mother had purposefully been kept out of most articles, but my face was clear in the pictures that accompanied the recording.

The ensuing panic that had occurred from the discovery that Namjoon and I were together, rather than Jimin and I, had naturally caused a considerable amount of problems. And yet, somehow, besides being nervous about being yelled at in this office, the peace that accompanied the truth felt so much more exquisite than carefully clinging onto a lie that should have never existed. For the first time in a long time, some missing part of me could breathe again. "I never lied about Jimin," I finally said.

"But you failed to mention that the dilemma was over some pathetic love triangle," he barked. The harsh sound made my jaw clench automatically, and I had to take a few steadying breaths before I answered.

"I didn't ask for Namjoon's mother to pick me up."

"No, that was his fault, I will admit. But you are aware of the lack of professionalism exhibited by dating one of your, ah, coworkers, yes?"

I nodded. "Yes, and I already intend to take full responsibility."

He smiled. "Full responsibility? Did you imagine that Namjoon was going to take any blame for this?"

"No," I admitted honestly, blinking dumbly at him, "But I imagine that he wanted to save my job when you brought it up with him."

"Only briefly," he said quickly. "We agreed that your swift and immediate departure was best."

That kept me quiet for a few seconds. I doubted the truth of his statement instinctively, but I also couldn't detect any deception on his part. What the hell had they told Namjoon that kept him from fighting for me to stay here? Finally, I mustered a weak, "I believe I can agree to that, as well."

He went over the particulars—it seemed there was a great incentive for me not to discuss the relationship with any media source, and as I was no longer an employee, they had to keep me from becoming too desperate or too bitter. It wasn't exactly a severance package, but it was the Korean equivalent, and it was considerable. If I had been in any state of mind other than miserable, I would have marveled at my sudden free time and ease of mobility, free of any monetary concerns or financial obligations. Yet it felt like I was being cut off from the only place I wanted to be, and sent out drifting into a world I no longer wanted to see alone.