17

The first thing you notice upon entering the Kim's mansion in Ilsan is how simple and casual this birthday party is.

You're surprised, to say the least, having witnessed this family's grandiose traditions in the past - particularly Mrs. Kim's events - you expected the whole neighborhood, and some of the most cogent people to be invited. But as you look around the spacious living room and the bright chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, you are met with faint classical music and muffled sounds somewhere in the kitchen.

The posh lady is the first to greet you with zeal in front of the grand staircase. She looked delighted as ever, and even more youthful than the last time you saw her. Looking at her, you could already tell she was Namjoon's mother by the way she exudes confidence and an engaging aura. He's even got her eyes and lips, luring and full.

It's no surprise that the woman drew the Chairman's attention, who also happened to be civil with you. It still surprises you sometimes - the fact that your life wasn't some kind of a depiction of a Drama series in which you were despised by your boss's family.

But it wasn't like that at all. It was far from that.

"Happy Birthday, Mrs. Kim," you greet her with a smile as she drops her arms from your shoulders, the same expression painted across her face. You notice her attire, her elegant gown pooling at the tips of her soles. It's an off-shoulder, forest green dress from a luxury brand you've never heard of. Could be exclusive from Dolce & Gabbana, who knows?

"Thank you, dear. I'm only getting older by the day," She waves her hand in the air before encircling Namjoon in a motherly embrace. He wraps his arm around her tiny waist before acknowledging his father.

"You're late," the Chairman speaks with a calm tone. He's not irritated; just hates tardiness. He despises it, and anything less than perfect punctuality for a social engagement is considered impolite. His obsession with time wears thin after a while; he simply excuses Mrs. Kim because he loves her.

Namjoon lets out a groan, "C'mon, Dad. It was only five minutes. Traffic was horrible." It's true, traffic is extremely congested in Seoul, and it's even worse on Saturdays. You weren't so fortunate to be stuck in rush hour.

"Then you should've departed sooner."

Mrs. Kim shakes her head at her husband as she says, "Dear, don't be one of those old grumpy dads. It doesn't suit you."

We all laugh, including Seokjin, who emerges from the kitchen with an apron tied around his waist, concealing a Burgundy dress shirt tucked into a pair of black pants. As soon as we make eye contact, we both crack a smile. He licks his lips before uttering, "The eldest Kim brother, here to save the day!"

Namjoon chuckles and rolls his eyes. Seokjin pulls him into a bro hug, "Gosh, you both couldn't wait for me to finish up in the kitchen?" He mumbles to his parents, who rushed to greet you and Namjoon as soon as his Black Mercedes pulled up into the driveway.

"Forgive us, Son. We couldn't wait any longer."

"Mom, it's been like three weeks since they last visited," Jin says before he stops in front of you with a glint of amusement in his orbs. It's then when he really pauses to study you.

You could feel Namjoon's gaze on the left side of your face, and damn does it feel like it's burning. Like your makeup would melt under the intensity of his gaze. He doesn't say anything and waits for Seokjin to open his mouth.

Namjoon watches, and finally, Seokjin lifts the side of his lips before saying, "You clean up pretty well, Miss Park."

At that, your grin widens and you can almost feel the ache in your jaw that comes with it. "Thank you, Seokjin. You don't look too bad yourself," you tell him, and if you think your face couldn't get any redder than they already were, Mrs. Kim adds, "The gold looks amazing on your skin tone. You have an amazing taste, Y/N."

You almost forgot Namjoon picked out the dress in a bold color that you would never opt for. It was even more frustrating when you tried it on hours earlier and discovered that it exposed your entire back.

It was a risky choice, and at first, you weren't confident with only having a thin strap around your neck holding everything together, but your sister was adamant about trying it out. After much squabbling, you gave up. And here you are, pondering over your decision and whether this was appropriate for a birthday dinner.

You smile shyly, failing to hide the warmth swallowing you whole. Then just as you were about to speak, Namjoon's voice echoes throughout the house as he says, "Of course, it'd look amazing on her. I picked it out." Namjoon's unexpected confession causes a snag in your lungs and everyone else's eyes to widen.

Seokjin's jaw slacks at his brother's confession. "You... you picked it out for her?" When you look at their expression, you grow even more nervous. They're just as surprised as you are about this whole thing. Having a boss choose a dress for his employee may appear odd.

You have no idea what occurred in Namjoon's mind when he thought of it.

He not only gives you mixed feelings, but he's also stirring your mind up every time he nears you. He's changing your perception of him as if he wants you to sin and to beg him for forgiveness. But who knows? Maybe it's all in your head, and he's just doing nice things because that's who he is.

Mrs. Kim cocks her brows with a knowing look, switching her gaze between you and her younger son. Inside her mind, she's already put two and two together. "Is that right, Namjoon-ah?"

You look over to Namjoon, letting your hands fall limp at your sides as you wait for him to say something. Anything.

But all he says is; "Yeah, it was on sale." His voice is low, almost a whisper as if he was ashamed to say it as if he didn't want anyone to hear.

However, it is too late. You can already feel the impact. It's a spike with thorns that cling to your skin. Its edges are dark and sharp. Your brows are furrowed, and your mouth is dry at his words.

That's not what he said on the card.

You're upset.

And it's clear from the way your face contorts. He isn't being truthful, and you don't understand why he has to. He could've said anything but that - it's pathetic. You allow yourself to be let down by his words, as if he owed you anything.

Of course, he didn't mean it, you should've known from the start. Why would he ever say such things? Act overly nice and do things he's never done in your ten years of knowing each other.

Maybe this is all a misunderstanding...

And for the rest of the night, you were left in your thoughts. You're sitting at the dining table with your family, who arrived minutes after you and Namjoon. You don't remember much about their first meeting with the Kims, but you guessed it turned out better than you imagined considering that they were all chatting over one another from across the table.

You haven't uttered a single word since then and tried so hard to avoid Namjoon's worried gazes towards you as you uninterestingly poke at an Artichoke. You don't like vegetables so it's been sitting to the side of the plate with you stabbing at it once in a while.

You feel your mom nudging your side to get your attention back on the conversation, jolting you out of your thoughts. You have no idea what they're talking about at this point, but knowing your parents, they've probably brought up your small family business, as they always do with friends and family. Knowing how proud they are of everything you've done to help the family throughout your career, you're neither annoyed nor surprised.

"Tell us how you decided to put up a Seafood restaurant over a Barbecue joint," Your mom prompts, a proud grin smeared across her features. Her cheerful personality is reflected in the wrinkles around her mouth.

She looks stunning even in a simple loose-fitting blouse tucked into her long pleated skirt. You don't even want to know how difficult it was to have her in much more formal clothes outside of her usual blue jeans and flannel. Living half of your life in the city only made you realize how different fashion is in warmer areas.

"It seems like a smart move on her part." The Chairmain's ears perk up at the topic. Anything business gets him a little more in the conversation.

"Indeed, it is. She's my daughter after all." Leaning against his chair, you find your dad clasping his hands in a condescending manner. You fight the urge to laugh.

You meet the Kims' curious gazes across the table, straightening your posture to not seem rude. You feel the spotlight on you as you meekly say, "I just like Seafood, I guess." Your not-so-fascinating-answer makes you cringe and the uncomfortable feeling of your high heels digging around your ankles worsen.

Namjoon raises a glass of wine to his lips as he watches the scene unfold in front of him. He's confused as to why you've been ignoring him for the past few minutes. He's called your name numerous times (ignoring his brother's playful smirks), and tried to get your attention by nudging your leg under the table, but to no avail.

He knows you're ignoring him. He just wants to know why.

You just want this night to end so you can get back to your apartment and get rid of this dress you're wearing. You've never been this petty over something so small.

The warm feelings in your stomach from a few hours ago, as well as his writing and the words he probably didn't mean, are still fresh in your mind.

"By the way, I thought there was a younger brother?" Seokjin speaks despite the tension between you and his little brother. He'd hoped that his ice-breaking abilities would come in handy.

After seeing Namjoon on his left and you, who had only spoken one sentence since the dinner started, he couldn't stand the awkwardness any longer.

"Ah, he couldn't make it," says Sooya, who is sitting to your left and in front of Seokjin. "Something came up at his school. Maybe next time."

Both of you know better. Sunho wasn't going to show up regardless. His dislike for Namjoon eventually won out. But you're relieved because you wouldn't have had the energy to prove him wrong about your boss. Not now though.

"Oh, that sucks. I hope to meet him soon, perhaps over another lunch at my re—"

"I think that's enough, Hyung," Namjoon interrupts, needing the urge to talk to you. "Miss Park?" He turns to you, and you feel everyone's gaze on you. The obvious frown on your face causes their brows to shoot up in curiosity.

You let your hold on the fork drop against the plate and it makes a clanking noise. You grimace at your unexpected behavior, bowing your head apologetically. You had no intention to come off disrespectful, but Namjoon thinks it's directed towards him.

"Miss Park, I need to talk with you," he stands from his chair, not caring about his parent's warning glares.

"Son, this isn't the time—"

"It's important," he emphasizes. You blink your eyes. "Privately." As soon as he says that, you practically bolt out of your seat, apologizing to your parents and his. You're unaware of Namjoon's intentions of wanting to talk with you until you're both out of everyone's sight and made your way into the kitchen where you can still hear the light chatters and waves of laughter.

You clear your throat, distancing yourself from Namjoon. He's on the other side of the counter now, but you can still smell his favorite scent of lotion. He hates cologne, that's why you never wear it when you're around him.

"Is there a problem?"

He narrows his eyes at you for a moment. The way your wavy hair cascades down your shoulders, letting the lights cast a shadow on your collar bones. Still beautiful, he thinks to himself.

"I should be asking you that," he says as he discards his jacket and throws it over the counter, leaving him  only in a black cotton shirt tucked beneath a matching pair of pants. The diamond chain around his neck begs for your attention, but your eyes never leave his no matter how tempted you are to let it loom over his figure.

You don't know what to say. You can't just tell him that you're upset over something not even worth mentioning. You'd look like a fucking kid. For goodness sakes, you're almost in your 30s, you shouldn't be sulking over a man, whether he shows interest or not. You're not that desperate.

"What do you mean?" You attempt to steer away from the topic, "You're the one who wanted to talk."

He tongues his cheek, hearing the slight attitude in your tone. "You're ignoring me, and for what?"

"I...I'm not ignoring you," you stammered, avoiding his gaze. "Why would I?"

"You tell me," Namjoon deadpans. "You wouldn't even look at me over dinner."

"I was eating. How am I supposed to focus on two things at once?" You can't believe the words coming out of your mouth. You've never talked back to him - to your boss. Even he was in shock.

"Why are you talking to me like that?"

You meet his eyes guiltily. You have no idea why you're being like this, "Like what?" You dare ask a question you know will infuriate him more. He's your boss, you should just let it go.

"Like we're fucking friends!" He raises his voice, but not enough to cause you uneasiness. He's clearly frustrated about something, just like you are.

"You're my boss..." you mumble, ignoring the stab of his previous comment, "I don't expect anything more."

"Damn right you shouldn't," he says matter-of-factly. He has no idea how bad it all sounds right now, maybe he should've just kept it to himself.

You just wish you weren't in this position. You can't even say anything that'll force you to go over the line.

Finally, you let out a sigh and maintain your cool. "Yes, sir," You don't even care if he wants you to address him by his name. He's made it clear just now, and you think it's only right to put those boundaries back up.

He cringes at the way you spit out his name. He doesn't like it at all. It doesn't feel good compared to when you say his name with gentleness. You're back to where you started.

"Y/N, let's talk it out. I don't want things to change between us—"

"Nothing will change," You force a small smile, but it doesn't meet your eyes. "We should head back in there," You look over towards the dining room just to see your nephews sitting on each of Seokjin's laps. You can't believe it, he even got Yaji to smile. You're not surprised Seokjin is good with kids.

Namjoon follows your gaze, frustratedly running a hand through his silky hair. "Wait, Y/N—"

"It's getting late."

"We're not done here," he tries to stop you, but you're already strutting back into the dining room as if you hadn't just argued with your boss. Mrs. Kim instantly looks at you with hope. Not a moment later, Namjoon is already taking his seat but without his suit jacket, leaving him in a tight black dress shirt that perfectly sculpts his muscles.

My God, you don't even remember the last time you got laid. You're in heat, and it's not good. It's never good.

"Good, now that you guys are back," Mrs. Kim trails off as if she was nervous to continue. You and Namjoon snap your eyes to her, confusingly.

You're all sitting there impatiently, wondering what this could be. Your parents are compelled to stop eating another slice of Steak, and Yaji and Inso's giggles from Jin's playful tickles have subsided.

Namjoon exhales, "What?" He's already frustrated by your conversation in the kitchen, and now this?

"I...so... we— no. Your father—" Mrs. Kim poorly utters her words. The Chairman notices his wife's hesitation and, after a brief silence, speaks for her. "We want to propose something that could benefit both our families," he says as he meets your eyes, but his words are more directed at your parents.

"...I don't understand," your shake your head. The feeling in your stomach is anything but nice.

"What kind of proposal?" Dad's voice from my right echoes throughout the room. His voice is calm, but it doesn't help the concern in your body.

"We'd like to ask your daughter's hand in marriage," the Chairman says confidently as if it were the most casual thing to say. Namjoon's eyes widen as he prepares to spit the alcohol from his mouth.

"We believe she and our son get along well, and it's only a matter of time before Namjoon finally settles down—"

"Wait, what?" Namjoon gets out of his chair, his jaw clenched. You're still processing everything in your mind. Am I hearing right? "Dad, what the hell are you saying?"

"Hey, watch your language," his father warns, and Mrs. Kim darts to calm her son down, patting his shoulders, "Son, sit down. Let your father finish."

Sooya is choking on her food next to you, and you both exchange bewildered looks. You're dreaming. You've gone too delusional.

But when Jin chimes in, you know it's far from a dream. "Son? Which one?" He inquires, his gaze drawn to his father, who sits unfazed in his seat.

Namjoon panics and turns to his older brother in disbelief, "No one is getting married."