"What are you going to wear?" Nanami asks.

"Namjoon said he bought me a dress and it'll be ready when I get back to his place, so I don't really know yet," you shrug. "What about you?"

"I don't know but I'm going to make it something sexy," she smirks.

The two of you are back at work, finally being assigned a project together again. You were thinking Mr. Min had been purposely splitting you up, but he couldn't avoid it today when you were both specifically requested for an online business meeting.

Jimin ended up inviting Nanami to the banquet as well. They're suspiciously close for just friends with benefits but you're trying not to push her on it.

"I'm nervous," you mumble. "He said it's like the board of directors and stuff. What if I trip and fall on my face?"

"Then that would be fucking hilarious," she grins.

You roll your eyes as the meeting break ends, trying to power through the last two hours of work. Mr. Min surprisingly said yes to your last-minute requests to get off early today. You make a mental note to thank Yoongi later.

• • • • • • • •

"Bitch!" Nanami exclaims. "You look sexy as fuck!"

Your cheeks flush pink as you walk out of the bedroom in the black fitted dress Namjoon had bought to match his suit. He's frozen in place as you walk towards them, having just finished your hair and makeup.

The ensemble starts a few inches below your collar bones as the sleeves aren't over your shoulders, they rest hanging to the sides. Every inch of your body is perfectly shaped within the satin Louis Vuitton dress, flowing all the way down to your red stiletto heels, giving you an elegant yet alluring aura. Namjoon also has it paired with a beautiful black flower vine rhinestone necklace with small diamonds on each leaf. You don't even want to know how much it costs.

"Um, no," you gape, eyeing her up and down like an animal. "That would be you. I want to rip those clothes off you right now."

Nanami has on a shimmery cobalt blue dress that hangs from her shoulders into a sweetheart neckline, the fabric ending just before her knees. She has quite a bit of added height in her champagne colored high heels.

The boys look stunning themselves, both dressed in glossy black tuxedos with their hair styled back to show those damn foreheads that force every ounce of feminism out of your body.

You never knew you had a forehead kink until you started stanning BTS.

Namjoon whistles as you walk up to him. "Wow," he smirks. "You look just as good as I thought you would."

"Okay that's enough of that." You begin to fan your face. "There's too many hot people in this room, we need to leave."

The four of you head down the elevator to find Jin and Taehyung in the lobby waiting for the car. Taehyung shifts awkwardly as Jimin walks up, asking Jin how he's been.

You didn't hear much about what happened to V last night. All Namjoon said was that he and Jimin had a pretty bad argument, and Taehyung was at fault for sure.

V wraps his arms around you as you swallow him in a hug. "I'm nervous about tonight, can you please give me a boxy smile? I think it'll make me feel better."

He pulls back from the hug to give you one of the cutest grins you've ever seen, making you stare in awe a little too long for Namjoon's comfort as he wraps his hand around yours.

"Are Yoongi and Jungkook coming?" Jimin asks.

"No," Jin responds, taking his phone from his back pocket. "They had to go back to Busan for an additional interview. Jhope's meeting us there. Let's go, the car's outside."

You all pile into the large van, Namjoon to your right and Taehyung to your left in the back row. Nanami and Jimin sit in the two separated seats in the middle row, and Jin takes the passenger seat.

"So what should we be expecting?" Nanami asks. "Is this like a cocktail party?"

"Yeah pretty much," Namjoon answers. "It's just a bunch of executives that get together every few months for dinner and wine. I have to give a speech at the end about our progress as a group but that's about it."

"I can't wait," you clap your hands together. "I get to experience an RM speech with my own eyes."

"Don't get your hopes up," he laughs. "It'll probably be pretty boring."

After about 30 minutes of chatting, the van arrives to a high-end five star hotel just on the edge of Seoul. The building stands 36 floors high, with a pool and restaurant bar sitting on top. Most of your time will be spent on the first floor in the banquet hall.

You and Nanami gawk at the lobby. The largest chandelier you've ever seen hangs above an indoor fountain, sitting atop the polished marble floor. Breathtaking artwork is scattered along the drywall, walls painted with a mixture of fire and medallion.

The reception desk sits to the left as the doors to the banquet hall are on your right. The marble floor is cut off as checkered camel and burgundy carpet takes over, leading into the spacious area filled with tables and a stage.

Nanami and the others start to walk in as you pause for a moment, starting to feel yourself getting nervous. Namjoon notices and gives your hand a squeeze. "It'll be okay, I'm here with you," he smiles.

"Namjoon!" Hoseok says, almost like a whisper-yell as he walks up to the two of you. His face looks a bit panicked, making your anxiety even worse.

Hoseok shifts his eyes between the two of you nervously. "Um..." he starts. "Hae-Ran is here."

You feel Namjoon's hand around yours tighten, almost painfully. You look up and see that all the blood has drained from his face.

"W-why is she here?" he stutters, his palms starting to sweat. "Isn't she supposed to be in New York?"

"I don't know bro," Jhope sighs. "She's here with her dad. I'm going to head back inside, I just wanted to let you know."

Namjoon stares at the ground as Hoseok walks back towards the banquet hall.

"Who's Hae-Ran?" you ask but he doesn't hear you. He's staring so intensely at the floor he's unaware of his surroundings. His grip on your hand gets so tight it causes you to wince in pain, finally snapping him back to reality.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," he exhales as he releases your hand. "Are you hurt?"

"No I'm okay," you smile weakly as you massage your hand. "Are you going to tell me who Hae-Ran is?"

He pauses for a good few seconds before looking away, eyes in the direction of the receptionist desk but he's not really focusing on anything.

"She's a fan that got a little obsessive for a while," he lies through his teeth. "Her father is on the board of directors. She left for the US about a year ago and is suddenly back."

"A crazy fan has you this panicked?" you ask, gently grabbing his forearm. "Will you be okay?" Something seems a little off to you but the information is too new to form an opinion yet.

"Yeah," he sighs, taking a big deep breath in and slowly exhaling. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll just try to avoid her."

"Okay," you smile. "Just let me know if there's anything I can do."

He nods and grabs your hand, leading you to the banquet hall. Your hands release as you make your way to Nanami, since the boys need to go around and greet everyone.

"This place is insane," she whispers, a glass of champagne already in her hand.

"I know right?" You giggle as you grab your own champagne flute. "Apparently a stalker fan of Namjoon's is here tonight, it has him really freaked out."

"Ew seriously?" Nanami grimaces. "How'd she get in here?"

"Namjoon said her father is on the board," you shrug.

It's about an hour into the banquet and everything seems to be going fine. Your group is sitting at one of the dining tables having just finished dinner. Namjoon hasn't mentioned anything about Hae-Ran and seems to be more relaxed.

"I'm going to use the restroom, I'll be right back," you tell Namjoon.

"Okay baby," he smiles, giving your hand a squeeze.

You slowly walk towards the bathroom on the other end of the banquet hall, trying not to bust your ass in these heels.

You're washing your hands in the sink when someone enters the bathroom doors, startling you.

"Oh shit," she exhales, putting her hand over her chest. "Sorry for scaring you."

"Oh it's okay," you laugh.

You take a better look at her face and feel like you know her from somewhere but can't put a finger on it.

"Oh my god it really is you!" she exclaims, walking up to you as you dry your hands. "Do you remember me?"

Your brows furrow down as you stare at her, trying to remember. "You seem familiar but- oh!" you clap your hands together excitedly. "You're that angel from the bar that made me drink water that night!"

"Yeah!" she smiles brightly.

Your memory's a bit hazy from a night that happened over a week ago, but you remember her natural cat eyes and button nose being distinct features. Not to mention that her hair is platinum blonde.

"I'm guessing you made it home safely," she giggles.

"I did, thanks to you," you laugh. "Who are you here with?"

"My dad is on the board of directors," she says, making your breath hitch.

No please don't tell me this angel is a psycho.

"I'm Hae-Ran," she smiles, extending her hand out towards you. "I know you're here with Namjoon but I hope we can still be on good terms. We broke up so long ago that it's all a thing of the past."

Your throat constricts as your mouth goes completely dry.

Did she just say they broke up?

You slowly extend your hand to complete the handshake.

"Yeah," you say shakily, "I'm [Y/N]. I'm a little new to the scene. I've heard about you but not a lot of details."

Is she really an insane fan? Or did Namjoon lie to me? No, he wouldn't do that. She's got to be some sort of sociopath underneath.

"How long did you two date?" you ask, surprised at how calm you sound while your food threatens to make its way back up.

"A little over three years," she says, a small smile on her face. "It just didn't work out because of how busy we both were. I'm glad I got to see him happy and healthy again, and I'm really happy for you two."

Your stomach is in knots making you want to vomit, your chest feeling like it's got a bowling ball resting on it. You're trying to seem as nonchalant as possible, still unsure of who's lying to you, but you know your hand is trembling so she probably already noticed.

"Thank you, Hae-Ran," you force a smile onto your face. "I'd better get going, but it was so nice to see you again, and thanks so much for saving me at the bar."

"Of course!" she laughs. "Us girls have to stick together."

You walk out of the bathroom and stop in front of a picture, pretending to admire it as you collect yourself.

Breathe, [Y/N]. Namjoon has no reason to lie about this. She's probably insane. Let's just make it through this banquet and calmly ask him about it when you get back.

You take a couple of deep breaths before heading back towards the table and take your seat.

"Hey baby," Namjoon grins. "I was worried about you."

"There was a line," you lie, flashing a small smile. "Did I miss anything fun?" You've honed your ability to act naturally in stressful situations, having plenty of practice due to uncomfortable business deals over the years.

"Nope," he shrugs. "Unfortunately I have to go around and talk to some people for a little while. I know I said I'd be by your side the whole time but are you okay with me leaving you here for a bit?"

"Yeah it's no problem," you say, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Please go so I can calm myself down.

He smiles and plants a gentle kiss against your forehead. "I'll be back."

You stare at him as he walks towards the cluster of businessmen and women.

He wouldn't lie to you. You know him. [Y/N], you're going to trust him. Don't overthink and ruin this. It won't be the same as last time.

After your little pep talk and some more deep breaths, you're finally able to calm the anxiety coursing through your body. Nanami's pretty tipsy by now so she doesn't realize the state you're in.

You chat with her for about 30 minutes when you see Namjoon head out to the balcony.

Maybe I could go ahead and ask him about it right now to curb some of these unnecessary thoughts. Communication is the best way to handle this.

You make your way towards the balcony and stop in your tracks when you hear two voices on the other side of the wall.

"No, we're not like that," Namjoon says, "She's just a business partner."

"She doesn't seem like a business partner to me," Hae-Ran says, irritation in her voice. You can't see either of them but you know it's their voices.

You didn't see anyone go onto the balcony after him aside from you. You realize he must have followed her, sought her out intentionally. You cover your mouth as you feel your nausea returning in full force, tears brimming in your eyes. Your throat tightens, it's been so long since you had an ache like this in your chest.

"I don't know what else to tell you," he sighs. "Maybe it seems that way because she likes me, but it's one sided. I only speak to her because I need her to get my work done."

The fear you've kept buried deep within your heart is suddenly made real as those words escape his lips. You knew deep down that you and Namjoon never would've been together if he hadn't needed you to sleep. He never would've contacted you after he left your apartment that morning. Just because he needs you doesn't mean he wants you. But that wasn't something you were ready to admit.

"I'm not worried," she scoffs.

"You don't have to be," you say, stepping onto the balcony, seeing the both of them flinch out of the corner of your eye.

A single tear rolls down your cheek as you look at him, his eyes wide with panic.

"You can have him back," you finish, turning your heel to march out of the banquet. You're a couple steps out before you hear Namjoon chasing after you.

"Wait, [Y/N]," he says, grabbing your wrist. "Please it's not like tha-"

"And now we welcome Mr. Kim Namjoon up to the podium for his ending speech." The speakers boom throughout the room as the crowd turns their eyes towards him.

He's frozen in place as you rip your wrist from his hand, storming out the door and not looking back.

_________________

Chappy 22 ~

ALL MEN DO IS LIE

What do y'all think of Hae-Ran?

Happy Anniversary to BTS!!! Borahae!!!