04

"Are you sure you're alright, dear? I can just have someone bring dinner up to the guest room," The woman asks for the nth time as she sits across the dinner table beside her husband.

Namjoon, who settles on the chair next to you, can't seem to ease his nerves about the accident, but you've managed to convince him to let you join dinner with his family to show respect. It's humiliating enough that they had to postpone their family get-together over lunch just because of your little accident. The least you could do was show up for dinner instead of laying around like a sick patient inside their guest bed.

"Mom... this is the fifth time you've asked her," Namjoon sighs next to you, grabbing what seems like your favorite dish to put on your plate. "Let her breathe."

You accept the dish full of Bossam and mumble a 'thank you' to Namjoon before turning your attention back to the kind woman. "It's alright. I feel perfectly okay now, Mrs. Kim. Thank you for your concern." You flash her a smile before shifting your attention to the man beside you, seeing Namjoon struggle to cut the piece of meat on his plate.

"I hope you enjoy the meal I personally prepared,Y/N. I remember you liked it the last time you came to visit, so I decided to cook it again." Her eyes practically light up when she sees your wide grin.

You gently drop your utensils and take the cutlery from Namjoon's hand to do it for him. "You didn't have to do all this for me, Mrs. Kim. You know I'd still eat anything you cook."

Gosh, Mrs. Kim was one to be envied with her flawless skin at the age of 50, this woman lacked pores and wrinkles. You probably looked haggard and stressed out just by the wrinkles under your eyes. Namjoon's mother is stunning, and it runs in their family, you're not surprised.

"Nonsense," she feels giddy hearing your compliments and she wouldn't mind hearing more of it in the future. "Of course, I had to prepare something. You rarely visit us now, thanks to my lovely son," there is a hint of playfulness in her tone as she cast Namjoon a glare across the table. "I'm glad you finally set aside some of your time to see us." Mrs. Kim continues to talk in the background as you hum and nod your head.

Her motherly concern for Namjoon warms your heart, reminding you to call your parents once you get the chance. You're just not ready to tell them about your decision yet, and you hope your sister hasn't blurted it out without your knowledge.

"Mom, you know how busy my schedules get..." Namjoon mutters, leaving out the part where you told him you want to resign from the Company. And you're thankful that he doesn't mention it to his parents, because by the looks of it, they would not be happy with the news.

Scooting your chair a bit closer to reach Namjoon's plate, he hesitates for a second before dropping his hands to his lap, giving you some space to slice the Steak into small-bite pieces. Namjoon gulps when he feels your knees touching, your legs between his own. You don't even realize it when you look back at him already staring at you.

"Is that alright for you?" You ask him softly, to which he hums approvingly.

"Ey, he's not a little kid anymore Y/N," Jin chuckles at the sight in front of him. If he didn't know any better, he'd think you guys were hitting it on the low. As far as he's aware, you're both single.

"You're babying him a little too much, eh?" Jin sends you a wink as soon as you and Namjoon raise your eyes to look at him, causing the crimson blush to tint your cheeks.

You immediately pass Namjoon his utensils before sitting back down in your seat. Namjoon narrows his eyes at his older brother's hawk-like eyes, head cocked back in annoyance. He's been throwing irrelevant comments ever since both of your arrival in Ilsan this afternoon, which may or may not have caused uneasiness.

"Son, stop teasing them," Mr. Kim finally speaks up after wiping his mouth, causing Mrs. Kim to chuckle.

"Honey, stop it. What if Y/N already has a boyfriend? We don't want to offend anyone," the lady gushes, turning her attention back to you, who has now become silent as you cut your Steak. You feel your body start to sweat when they all have eyes on you except Namjoon.

"Mom, you're making Miss Park uncomfortable," he says as he swallows another bite of his food. "Let her eat."

"Am I?" Mrs. Kim gasps, putting a hand over her mouth with the fear of making you uncomfortable. She's just genuinely curious if you've got your eyes on anyone yet and she ought to know your current status. "Dear, please don't hesitate to let me know if I've crossed the line."

"No, of course not, Mrs. Kim," you tell her right away, and when she sees your reassuring smile, she continues.

"Well then, you won't mind me asking if you've got anyone?"

"I... I don't." You cough, suddenly feeling embarrassed at the topic of your love life. You've never imagined finding yourself in this situation, talking about it so openly in front of your boss and his family.

"Really?" Mrs. Kim almost sounds surprised at your answer, "How come? You're perfect." Your eyes almost spill out of their sockets when she starts to exaggerate her words. "You're brilliant, beautiful, a good daughter, and doing well with your career. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their partner, or better yet, their daughter-in-law."

By the time she finishes her sentence, you're already on your second glass of wine. "I... uh, I don't know what to say," you stumble over your words, eyes glued to your empty plate while Mrs. Kim and her husband grin at your reaction.

Jin is rolling his eyes at his mother's dramatic words. Nonetheless, he couldn't agree more. You were exactly what anyone would want in their ideal partner, as evidenced by the fact that you have their own parents wrapped around your little finger.

"You're too kind Mrs. Kim," you lamely answer, unable to hide your flushed cheeks.

"She's right, Y/N..." Jin mockingly repeats his mother's words when he sees your cute reaction. He's never seen your timid side before, and he's curious to see how far it can go. "I can't believe you haven't found anyone yet," Jin maintains his playfulness when he feels his younger brother eyeing him weirdly.

Namjoon mumbles something along the lines of 'Stop this' or 'You're dead to me' under his breath which only fuels the eldest to continue his little joke.

Meanwhile, you're sweating in your seat, wondering how the hell you got yourself in this situation. When Namjoon said you'd be meeting his parents for lunch, he didn't mention this part. You're not exactly bothered being in their presence because you're used to Mrs. Kim and Mr. Kim's humble personalities.

It is the certain topic that has you wanting to pause your career, and one of the reasons why you sometimes hesitate to visit your family back in Gyeongju. It gets old hearing them ask when you're going to get married or when you'll finally introduce someone to the family.

You're not in any hurry to settle down right now, but you're almost thirty and the thought of starting a family excites you. You just don't want to admit it to anyone because you think it's shallow.

"Y/N..." You slowly come back to reality when you feel a warm sensation against your ear. You slightly tilt your head to meet Namjoon's hooded eyes. "Did you hear what I said?" You blink at his question, feeling flustered that he just caught you daydreaming.

"No, sorry. What was that?"

"Are you finished eating?" He closes the gap between you and pulls your seat closer to his side so no one else can hear your conversation. When you nod your head, you maintain eye contact and remain neutral in your dining chair. "Yeah, I'm done."

"Do you want dessert?"

"No, but thank you. I don't think I have enough room for more." You answer him honestly, feeling the tightness of your stomach. You're not sure whether it's the food or the ridiculously expensive wine, because you were most likely the only one drinking it.

"Alright, let's go upstairs." He suggests, taking you by surprise.

"...Wha— why?" The blush on your cheeks causes you to turn your head away and that's when you notice that no one else is sitting at the dining table. They left minutes ago- -while you were occupied with your thoughts- - leaving you and your boss alone in the dimly lit room.

"Because you need to drink your medicine."

Oh.

You notice a few of their housekeepers quietly leaving the kitchen with empty plates. You return your gaze to the man beside you, only to be met with raised brows and his stunning features.

No. Why the hell are you having thoughts about his looks?!

"Y/N?"

You force your eyes shut and move back to create some distance between you two.

"What's the matter? Are you hurting somewhere?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll go help with the dishes," you clear your throat, ready to leave your seat but he gently tugs on your wrist. "Are you serious? You're not allowed to do any kind of work for a few days."

"I can manage, it's the least I can do," you tell him, stacking the plates together.

"No, you need to rest Y/N." He tells you with a more delicate tone. "Please, go upstairs."

You roll your eyes at your boss internally. Even at the most inconvenient times, he can't help but order you around. But it's something you've always kept to yourself.

"After this," you stand up with both of your empty dishes. "You go on ahead. I'll have the car ready after this so we can leave."

"What are you even talking about?" He mutters, distress clear on his face as he watches you pick up empty wine glasses. "We are not going anywhere."

"Yeah, of course, whatever you want— wait what?!" You almost drop the items in your hand but Namjoon swiftly takes them from you before they can even hit the floor. "What do you mean 'we're not going anywhere'?"

"It means we're not going anywhere," he deadpans. "Not Seoul, not home."

"Why?" His evasive response is starting to irritate you. "It's getting late, Sir."

"It is," He nods. "That's why we're staying over for tonight until you fully recover."

"I said I was fine!" You argue, oblivious to your raised tone or the people who may be sleeping in their respective rooms. What the hell were you thinking, it was already 11 past midnight.

"Y/N... lower your voice," Namjoon warns, placing a hand on your shoulder. "Even if we could go back tonight, none of us would be able to drive. We've had a bit to drink."

"Yeah, a bit." You emphasize, "I'm not drunk, I can still drive perfectly." You don't realize the words coming out of your mouth or how stupid you sound right now, but you can't even stop talking. "Are you saying my driving sucks?"

Oh my god. Shut up already!

"Y/N... please calm down," Namjoon rubs his eyes, unsure if you're drunk because he's never seen you like this before. Plus, it's unlike you to talk back to him or argue about trivial matters. "You're completely taking this out of context."

"I am calm."

"Are you?" His deep tone send chills down your spine. "It doesn't seem like it."

He doesn't even know if this is an argument. It must be, since you both had different opinions on this. It's almost mocking how you've seen him at his worst state, while he doesn't even have any idea what ticks you or what gets you riled up.

"Let's just leave this to the house helpers, alright?" He grumbles as he takes your hands in his. "Let's talk this out tomorrow morning when we've both had enough rest. But for now, I need you to listen to me. You need to take your medicine." His solemn voice makes you limp at the sides, the weight of your shoulders pulling you down, and the heaviness of your eyes causing you to submit to him.

"Okay..."

"Good girl," he gently brushes your disheveled hair to the side, cautiously moving the tip of his fingers to avoid touching you. You're so caught up in your own little world that the nickname goes unnoticed by you.

When Namjoon is sure you've relaxed, he signals something to the maids before he guides you back to the guest room. Under the dim hallways, Namjoon pauses when you hear him grunt. "Ack! My toe-" Your vision starts to get blurry when you see his silhouette, crouched on the floor.

"Are we there yet?"

"Uh— no," he forces a word out, annoyed at how you didn't even care to ask if he was okay. "I can't see anything. Help me out, Y/N."

"Me neither," you tiredly reply, suddenly wanting to lay down on the floor. "Soooo sleepy...." A yawn leaves your mouth. Namjoon's eyes squint when he notices you dropping your body on the cold tile.

"Hey, hey... not here, Y/N." He rushes to hold you up by your arms, but your weight is enough to pull him down with you. "I need you to cooperate with me. We're almost there," his voice strains when you suddenly wrap your arms around his neck.

"I am thereeeee!" you mumble. Namjoon sighs before finally giving up, letting you stuff your face in the crook of his neck. "Mmm... fresh linen."

"I am so going to fire you, Miss Park." Namjoon looks down at you peacefully resting your eyes. He can't believe this is happening right now. In the corridor. Under the darkness. With his assistant.

At his parent's house.

"Son, is that you?" A voice resounds at the far end of the hall. "What the hell is all this ruckus?"