IV

POV Y/N

"I'm Kim Namjoon. Nice to meet you, Y/N."

Wait... what? My brain freezes for a second. RM — RM — is standing right in front of me, talking to me! He just used his real name. Not RM. Namjoon. Like... he wants to be treated like a normal person? My eyes flicker back up, and he's looking a little awkward now, like he's suddenly aware of the silence stretching between us.

Oh no, his hand was stretched out to shake mine, and now it's slowly pulling back. I don't want to be that person who lets this slip away. I hurriedly reach forward and take his hand instead.

"Nice to meet you too, Namjoon," I say, immediately facepalming inside. Y/N, seriously? You didn't even say 'nice to meet you, Kim Namjoon,' just dropped the family name like it's casual?

He notices my little mental meltdown and chuckles softly. I'm a foreigner, after all. Maybe he'll let me off the hook.

"By the way, your English is really good," I blurt out, hoping to keep the conversation flowing.

He smiles, clearly relieved. "Thanks! I've worked really hard at it... but I still have a lot to learn. And you're not a native speaker either, right? You sang in French earlier."

"Oh! You know the song?" I ask, surprised.

"Who doesn't? Edith Piaf is a legend."

My cheeks warm. "Wow, that means a lot. Yeah, you're right, I'm not a native speaker. But I'm actually an English teacher."

Namjoon whistles low. "That explains a lot."

I laugh softly. He's surprisingly cute when he's nervous. Somehow, being around him makes me feel calmer, even though he looks more nervous than I do. Wanting to reassure him helps me forget my own jitters.

"So," I say, changing the subject, "are you up for joining the search for Donghwan's girlfriend?"

He grins. "Yeah, if I'm not bothering you."

"Not at all," I assure him.

We start wandering backstage, checking every empty room we can find, hoping to locate Songhee.

"I'm curious about something," Namjoon says after a few steps. "But only if you don't mind."

"Go ahead," I say.

"What are you doing here in Korea?"

I shrug. "Right now, I'm traveling wherever the wind takes me, teaching English along the way. Korea's my current stop, but who knows how long I'll stay."

He stops suddenly in the middle of the corridor and looks at me with a thoughtful expression. Then, like a lightbulb flicking on, his face brightens.

"What?" I laugh.

"Be my teacher!" he blurts.

I nearly choke on my breath, laughing. "What? Are you serious?"

His expression shifts to dead serious.

"Absolutely. You're a teacher. I need a teacher. Come be mine."

I raise an eyebrow. "But you don't even know if I'm qualified."

"Fair point," he says, pulling out his phone. "Send me your qualifications to this email. I'll judge your competence during our first lesson. If I'm satisfied, we sign your contract. Deal?"

I shake my head, smiling. "That sounds... unreal. I never imagined something like this would happen to me. It's a big responsibility."

"You're a teacher," he says gently. "Teaching every student is a big responsibility. I'm just one of them."

His words melt my doubts. I see the man behind the celebrity — Namjoon, just a guy who wants to learn. There's a quiet honesty in his eyes that makes me want to reassure him: I don't see you only as RM, just as Namjoon.

"Okay," I say. "Let's give it a try."

His smile is genuine and warm. He pulls a contact card and pen from his pocket, scribbles something down, then hands it to me.

He's crossed out the 'RM' printed on the card and written 'Namjoon' in its place. The card has his email and he's added his phone number. Sweet. You want to be treated like a regular person? I will.

"Okay, Namjoon. Thanks. Do you have KakaoTalk? It's easier for me."

He smiles as I hand him my phone to add his ID.

"Good. Just sent you an emoji." I grin. "You've got my Kakao now. Let me know when you want your first lesson."

"Tomorrow?" he asks hopefully.

Before I can answer, a voice echoes down the hall: "Y/N ONNNIIIIIIIIIII!"

I glance toward the end of the alley — Songhee. When I look back, Namjoon's sunglasses are back on, hiding his eyes.

Got it. No one should see him talking to a girl.

"You should go," I say quickly. "Text me the time and place for your lesson. See you tomorrow, Namjoon."

I don't wait for his reply. I start running toward Songhee before she can get too close and recognize him.

"Who was that?" Songhee asks, frowning.

"Just staff," I say, trying to sound casual. "But seriously — where were you? Were you supposed to sing with Donghwan? What happened?"

Songhee looks frustrated and close to tears.

"Yeah... I was supposed to sing, but suddenly I felt so sick. Never happened before. I puked so much, onni... It was awful. Oppa was panicking — he almost canceled everything. If it weren't for you..."

She starts crying, and I pull her into a hug. Poor thing. She's so sensitive. It wasn't her fault.

"Hey, it's okay. Everything went fine. It's not your fault — you were just sick."

"Yeah, but why now?" she sniffles.

"Maybe nerves."

"Never happened before though..."

"It happens to the best," I reassure her. "Don't worry. Is Donghwan still talking with the other guy?"

Suddenly, her face lights up.

"Yes! I think he's actually going to debut... in a rock band!"

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"And you know what? It's with one of the biggest entertainment companies ever! Want to guess?"

I shrug, glancing back quickly to confirm Namjoon's really gone.

"No clue."

"Big Hit."

"Wow, seriously?" I try to sound surprised. "That's awesome!"

Katok notification

My phone buzzes. I smile reading the message from Namjoon:

Seonsaengnim (Teacher), See you tomorrow at 3 P.M. at XXXXXXXXXXX, Seoul. Can't wait! Have a good night, Namjoon