Strings

13| Namjoon

Namjoon adjusted his glasses and pushed aside the stack of papers he was grading. He needed to do something else for a bit. He slipped on a pair of shoes and called his sister.

"Rene, do you need help today?"

"Yes! How soon can you come?" He could hear the phone being scooted around.

"On my way," he chuckled.

"Thanks Joon," She sighed.

Within minutes, his feet had carried him to Irene's Nail Salon. He could see through the window that Irene was busier than she could handle alone. He slipped inside and grabbed an apron.

"Irene, hey! Who needs me first?" He called.

"Him!" She answered, pointing. "He's been waiting for a manicure for a while."

She asked her customer to wash her hands and pat them dry.

"By the way Mr. Kim, thank you for being so patient."

"It's fine," the man laughed, "I don't usually have a break like this, it's nice."

Namjoon busier himself with setting out the manicure kit and opening the packages.

He looked up and accidentally knocked over the closed bottle of clear nail polish. The man's features were sharp and angular, with an inexplicable softness behind them. His broad shoulders were draped in a powdery pink button down, cuffs rolled up to the elbows. His black hair was swept cleanly off his forehead. His eyes were a clear, amber brown. Damn....

"Thank you, I get that a lot." The man told him smiling.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, excuse me." Joon rushed to cover it up. Why did he have to think out loud so much?
(Joon autocorrects to moon and that makes me happy:)

He set about manicuring the man's hands, trying to focus on being neat and careful, rather than on his customer's attractiveness.

"I'm Jin, by the way." The customer announced while Joon was running Jin's hand with moisturizer.

"I'm Namjoon." He managed and directed Jin to rinse his hands and pat them dry.

A few more of Irene's employees had arrived and the crowded feeling was beginning to ebb. Jin leaned forward and stared deeply into Joon's eyes, who looked down quickly.

"Tell me about yourself, Namjoon." Jin drawled.

"I'm a professor at Bangtan University of the Arts," Namjoon supplied. "I teach Music Composition."

"Ooh," Jin cooed, "I think some of my employees go there."

"Employees?"

"Yes, I run The Jazz Café. I love jazz." Jin laughed.

It was a repeating squeak of a laugh that hit Joon in the chest. He liked it.

"Here." Joon moved Jin's hand to sit below the small fan and began painting his other hand's nails. "That sounds like a nice place, how's the food?"

Jin sighed. "It's from heaven. I cook myself most of the time."

"How often do you take off?" Joon continued, wondering where his questions were coming from.

"Well, Saturday mornings and I don't open the cafe at all on Sundays, so that's off for everyone. Sometimes I don't go in on Wednesdays." Jin explained.

Joon smiled absently, they'd gone from teaching to cooking to days off.

"So, maybe I could get your phone number?"

Join blushed and set Jin's newly painted nails beneath the fan to dry. He pushed his glasses up his nose and sat back.

"I, um, yeah."

"Maybe you could drop by the Café sometime." Jin suggested.

"I will," Namjoon agreed.

"Do you only help out to pick up hot guys? I knew you were gay, but this is a bit desperate don't you think?" Irene teased from across the room, having been watching their exchange curiously.

Namjoon spluttered. "When have I ever? Irene! I do not!"

She just giggled, along with a slightly flustered Jin.

When his nails were finished drying, Jin left, with a wink and a smile. Joon watched him go.

"You know, he comes in pretty regularly. I'm surprised you haven't met him before." Irene commented, forking a pile of noodles into her mouth.

Joon had left and come back with lunch for the pair of them and they sat in the alley behind her shop. A small brick wall cornered off the property and that's where they had set up, the take out boxes spread between them.

"Irene," he rolled his eyes, "it's not like I'm always here or something. And I do not help for the guys!"

Irene laughed.

"But it's a perk..." He added quietly.

She hit his arm, "If this is the way you think, why don't you come work for me?"

"I like my job, its just that sometimes my eyes get tired of staring at the papers." He admitted. "And how often do you visit me, huh Irene?"

She pouted, knowing she was guilty. "I have a business to run. And my mom..."

Namjoon sighed and turned so that his back rested on the wall and his foot was between them. Irene's mom was Namjoon's step mom, so no, the two of them weren't related by blood. Namjoon's mom had been in an accident when Joon was just 4 years old. His dad married Irene's mom when he was 8, and they had grown up very close. They had been very happy, that is, until Joon came out to their parents when he turned 17. Namjoon's father took it well all things considered, but Irene's mom had been very upset. She had wanted to kick him out. Their parents had argued over it for weeks. His dad won and Joon stayed with them until he could afford to move out.

Irene stayed behind as the good child. Her mother's daughter. Irene didn't have the heart to come out as bisexual, or tell their mom that she wanted to go to college for singing. Their mom had just begun to get sick. She was up in years and she was becoming weak and frail. Joon wanted to see her. The disgust with which he was regarded did nothing to blot out her care for him in his childhood. He still cared for his mom. But his mom never wanted to see him. She was adamant that homosexuality was of the devil. And she wasn't even religious.

So Namjoon understood perfectly what Irene meant when she trailed off into silence. My mom is sick and she would be so upset if she knew we still talked and if I tried to visit you I could be disowned. It might sound drastic, but it was the truth untold. Mercifully, he maneuvered the conversation away from their mom. Back to the good things in Irene's life.

"Are your roommates together yet?" He wondered.

"God! Seulgi won't just tell her, and Yeri's convinced that she's straight!" Irene laughed.

Namjoon laughed alongside her. This is how their whole family should be....

My Namjin chapter, I hope you liked it! I really like the idea of connecting the groups, if you have any thoughts, just comment!!! Thanks for reading!!!! Votes an comments are the best!!!!!

Oof, I love putting pics I'm my chapters, but my kindle isn't cooperating rn, sry. ;-;

I'm trying to get a bunch of chapters written and then when I have the time I'll edit and update. I may start typing up a Yoonmin au I started, any thoughts? Would anybody read one?

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