euphoria | knj √

40: tear.

"Goodbyes are, for me, a tear. Without even knowing, it blooms around my eyes.The words that I could not bring myself to say flow down and lingering regret crawls over my face."

0:00 |───────── 4:45

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About two hours later, all of the VIP guests took their leave, and soon enough, Rein was the only one in the room. Ms. Cho peeked her head in afterwards.

"You did great today!" she exclaimed, grinning. Rein grinned back. Over the last two years, her manager had loosened up significantly. With success came trust, and with trust came a better rapport between the two, turning the partners-in-business relationship into an almost mother-daughter one.

"I'm glad it's my last show. I'm looking forward to relaxing tonight," Rein said. Ms. Cho nodded in understanding.

"Yes, I'm sure you are. Get some rest for the next few weeks. You deserve it."

"Thank you, and as do you," she said. Ms. Cho waved her hand, dismissing the singer.

"I did nothing too difficult. Anyway, I will see you a few weeks later when we go over studio schedules," she said.

Rein pouted, saying, "Hey, I thought you said I needed rest! No work talk!" Ms. Cho ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Aigoo. Okay, okay. Don't let me ruin your day. Have a good evening," she said, taking her leave.

"You too!" Rein called. Once her manager was out of sight, she sank down onto a chair and sighed.

Alright. I'm gonna go home, take a bath with that bath bomb I've been meaning to use, eat some cup ramen, and watch a k-drama. That's it, nothing more. I'm not letting myself do anything other than that tonight.

A low voice from the doorway changed those plans entirely.

Shit.

"Hey, you done?" Namjoon asked. Rein turned around (slowly, as not to look too eager) and smiled. His sudden usage of Korean surprised her a little.

"Wow, you found your way here," she said. He chuckled, and for a moment, it felt like they were back in Seoul, talking how they used to before.

"Are you doing anything this evening?" he asked slyly.

I am, thank you for asking, Mr. Kim. Bath bomb, cup ramen, k-drama.

Scratch all that. I could always just do you.

Can I think like a normal human being for one goddamn second?

"I was planning to pamper myself tonight. Not anything too important, I guess," Rein said. "Why do you ask?" She couldn't hide the hopeful tone of her voice. The corner of Namjoon's lips curled into the hint of a smile.

"Just an innocent question, Ms. Jones. I was hoping to catch up with you, but I see that you're busy. I think I'll retire early tonight, as well," he said.

"Wait, are you staying at a hotel?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"A few weeks, or maybe more. At least until I get my things in order."

Things in order? What does that mean?

"Um, maybe you could come to my house," Rein said. When Namjoon raised a questioning eyebrow, she held up her hands in defense. "Just to catch up, of course," she added. He nodded.