Connection (연결)
"Why can't I come with you guys?" Nari pouted as she tugged earnestly on Namjoon's jacket, "I'll be quiet and I won't bother anyone, I promise!"
The boy shook his head and knelt to her level, very gently dislodging her fingers from his sleeve and wrapping them in his hands, "Darling, you know the rules: You can't be there during business meetings. I'm sorry, Nari, you'll have to wait. If you don't want to stay here you can go home, I'll get someone to drive you."
"No. That's even worse." Her pleading eyes met his, "It's been really...hard recently. Please, Joon. I need you."
"I know, baby, I know it's been hard," Namjoon replied softly, "and I don't blame you for anything, okay? It's not your fault and I wish I could let you come with us, but it's above my influence. You need to stay here while we're in the meeting."
"All day?"
He nodded, "All day, except for the hour we get for lunch. Actually, we can have lunch together, how about that? It'll only be three hours until noon, that's not so long. You can even stay in my studio instead of a conference room."
"Your studio?" A spot of hope entered Nari's voice, "You mean it?"
"Of course I do!" The boy answered brightly, "That'll help you feel a little better, right? I won't even make an intern stay with you, you can have it all to yourself," He pulled her into a quick but loving hug, "I know it's hard, my lily, but I need you to be strong for me. Try to get a little rest, okay?"
Nari managed a slight nod before he was whisked away the waiting managers and various businesspeople, "Okay. I will."
Namjoon let out a deep breath and took his place next to J-Hope at the table of the conference room. Nari usually wasn't one to pout when it was time for him to go to work, no matter how busy his schedule was, so her reluctance to leave concerned him to say the least.
"Hey, Joon," The older boy spoke up, "Is Nari doing okay? She's seemed a little down, and she doesn't usually come with us to the studio on days when we have meetings. I'm worried about her."
"Me too," Namjoon agreed, "Jimin did mention to me that she's had some tough therapy sessions lately, and I'm pretty sure that she's been staying with Suga for the past few nights. He's the sponge that sucks up all her bad feelings so that the rest of us don't worry."
J-Hope nodded, "Those two get so caught up in their own little worlds, that they forget to inform the rest of us. Can't say I'd blame them though, if I found someone that understood me so completely like that, I don't think I'd talk to anyone else about it either. But if she's staying with Suga, that probably means that she isn't sleeping very well."
"That's what I was thinking," He replied and shot a worried glance at the clock, "I told her that she could stay at my studio instead of a conference room, hopefully she'll get a little rest there." Namjoon sighed. Noon couldn't come fast enough.
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Nari had only been in Namjoon's studio a handful of times, she wasn't usually allowed in any of the studios during her visits to BigHit on account of her being a child and a general lack of musical experience; which she understood. Professional recording equipment is expensive and most studios were boring and too technical for her anyways.
But not Namjoon's
Like most of his spaces, Namjoon's studio reflected himself in it. Art hung on the walls, the shelves were filled with little trinkets, and even the furniture seemed unique to his taste. Nari decided that this would suffice as she wrapped herself in a blanket on the couch, hugging a stuffed Koya to her chest. A picture frame on the coffee table caught her eye and she smiled when she realized it was the two of them.
But nevertheless, the ache in her heart only grew stronger. The dirt seemed to cover her lately, leaving muddy footprints and inescapable nightmares in her path. Nari craved comfort. She needed to feel close to the people she loved, and she needed to know that they loved her too. It was only then that she could feel truly at peace.
"Namjoon-hyung?" The girl jumped as she heard a knock on the studio door, "Can I come in?" The doorknob turned slowly, "Oh, it's unlocked. He must have headphones on or something," The mystery person said to themselves as they opened the door and stepped into the room, "Namjoon? It's K-" A tall boy with messy brown hair stood before the couch, a small tupperware container of cookies in hand. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the girl, "Uh, hello."
"H-Hi." Nari stammered, unsure of what to say. He didn't seem to be as old as the rest of the boys, not even Jungkook, he was definitely a high schooler. The boy also didn't look Korean either. He must be an intern, She decided, Westerners can't become trainees, so he must work here then. Foreign employees were rare, but Nari had seen a few around the building.
Meanwhile, the boy's eyes landed on the picture frame on the coffee table. His face lit up with recognition, "Oh, you're Kim Nari! I'm so sorry for intruding," He bowed politely, "I'm Huening Kai. BTS talks about you all the time, it's very nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too," She mumbled shyly. He's worked with BTS, so he must be an intern that wanted to get into producing music, like Minsun, "Uh, Namjoon is in a meeting today. Sorry."
Kai groaned, "That's a bummer. He gave me and my roommates a really good cookie recipe the other day, so we made some and I was hoping we could talk for a little." He thought for a minute and then held the container to the girl on the couch, "Do you want some, Nari? We can share until he gets here."
"Okay," She hesitantly agreed and scooted over on the couch as he sat down, placing the cookies between them, "Don't you have to get back to work though?"
"Nah," The boy shook his head, "I've technically got the day off. I guess I could just leave these with you then, but I was really hoping to talk to Namjoon, so I think I'll stay; if you don't mind."
"I don't mind," Nari echoed his words, grateful to have some company.
"So, what are you up to?" Kai asked, eager to make conversation, "You're not a trainee, right? You don't do the idol stuff?"
"Yeah, I could never be an idol," The girl replied, "I don't really like the spotlight. I just come with Namjoon to the studio sometimes when I don't want to be alone at home. I do homework here and read."
He nodded, "Ohh, I see. What year are you in? I'm a third year in high school."
"Third year in middle school."
"At 12 years old? Wow, you're smart!" Kai exclaimed and gave Nari a warm smile, "Have you chosen a high school yet? I bet you've aced all the entrance exams."
She shrugged, "I haven't really given it much thought. I can't really do in person school, it didn't really work out last time." Nari let out a deep breath that she didn't even know she was holding. It was easy to talk to him. She felt as if all the emotions she was holding inside finally had an outlet.
"I understand," Kai answered sympathetically, "It's hard to feel normal, you know?" His eyes widened, "Shit! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Are you okay?"
Nari swiftly wiped away the tears from her cheeks that she didn't even notice were there, "It's okay. It's not your fault."
"I'm really sorry," The boy apologized profusely and stood up, "I should probably get going then-"
"No!" She exclaimed and grabbed his hand, "Please stay, Kai. Please."
He carefully sat back down, placing his other hand on top of hers, "Are you sure? Do you want me to get Namjoon?"
"He can't come, his meeting is very important," Nari bit her lip to keep more tears from spilling, "I-I'm sorry. It's been a rough week."
"It's alright," Kai spoke softly, "Do you want to talk about it?"
The girl thought for a minute and then shook her head. There was simply too much to unpack and she didn't want to overwhelm him. They had only just met, after all.
"That's okay," He patted Nari's head, making a small smile stretch across her lips, "There we go. Now, what can I do to keep that smile? Hmm..." His eyes quickly scanned the room until they came to rest on an acoustic guitar, "I could play for you. Would you like that?"
She nodded shyly and the boy picked up the instrument, sitting cross legged on the floor. He strummed the guitar and hummed a quiet tune. Nari smiled and pulled the blanket tighter around her, "You're like Suga," She spoke, "He's been learning guitar too, and he always plays for me when I ask. Thank you, Kai."
"You're welcome, little flower," He replied, "Now you just relax, okay? I bet Namjoon would want you to get some rest."
"Yeah, he would," The girl agreed, remembering what the older boy had said earlier, "You'll stay here, right?"
"Uh huh, for as long as you want me to. Now, this one isn't finished yet, but it's called Wishlist. Tell me what you think, okay?"
Nari let out a deep breath and allowed herself to relax. After an almost sleepless night, plus a morning of constant worrying, her body and mind were exhausted. She finally closed her eyes and within a few minutes found herself fast asleep, dreaming of pink sunsets and boys with pretty brown eyes.
Meanwhile, Kai continued to play his guitar and hum along to the chords. When he finally noticed that the girl had fallen asleep, the boy couldn't help but smile. He gently placed the instrument aside and leaned against the wall opposite to the couch. It had been a rough week for him too, maybe Namjoon had the right idea telling her to get some rest. Kai closed his eyes and let his mind wash away into the comfort of his dreams.
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Namjoon opened the door to his studio gently, hoping that his daughter had taken his advice, but was more than surprised to see another person in the room. He roughly poked the younger boy with his toe, "Hyuka?! What are you doing here?"
"Oh! Namjoon!" Kai's eyes fluttered open and his face turned bright red as he tried to explain himself, "I'm so sorry, I was just stopping by to give you some cookies Soobin, Yeonjun, and I made with the recipe you gave us; but you weren't here and Nari looked sad so we just started talking and I offered to play for her. I know you're mad so I'll just go-"
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Namjoon chuckled softly at his flustered sincerity, "I haven't gotten her to sleep this soundly in a while. I should be thanking you."
The younger boy breathed a sigh of relief as he stood up, "So you're not mad at me?"
"Nope," He shook his head, "It's all good, Hyuka, don't worry. Now what was it that you wanted to talk to me about? Cookies?"
"Um, yeah, cookies," Kai grabbed the container on the table next to them, "They're for you, the rest of the boys too. Soobin and Yeonjun send their love and all that." He smiled, as he saw that the girl hadn't moved an inch despite the noise and still kept the plush Koya hugged to her chest, "I'm glad I got to meet the Kim Nari that I've heard so many good things about. It all adds up too, she's such a sweet soul."
Namjoon beamed with pride, he loved talking about his daughter, "Isn't she? Thank you for staying, Kai. I'm sure that meant a lot to her, she's been having a bit of a rough day," He placed a friendly hand on the younger boy's shoulder, "When we both have time, you should come over for dinner. I think that the two of you would be good friends."
"I think so too," Kai agreed and bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Namjoon. I should probably get going, I'm afraid that if I stay too long the managers will make me actually work on something. Tell Nari that it was nice to meet her and that I hope we see eachother again soon."
When Kai was safely on his way home, Namjoon gently shook the girl awake, "Darling? It's lunchtime, did you eat anything?"
"Hm?" Nari sleepily opened her eyes, but her face soon melted into a smile when she saw her favorite person, "Namjoon!" She immediately wrapped him in a hug, "I missed you. How is the meeting?"
"Boring as always, nothing new," He kissed the top of her head, "So, I heard you made a new friend."
"Oh, I did!" Nari let go and scanned the rest of the room, slumping her shoulders in disappointment when she realized that he had already left, "He was really nice. I don't know how much control over this you have, but the next time I come, can Kai be the intern that supervises me? I want to talk to him more."
Namjoon burst out in laughter, much to her confusion, "Darling, Kai isn't an intern, he's an idol. He's part of a group called Tomorrow X Together. I'm sure that he'll think it's cute you thought that though," He pulled out his phone, "I'll text him now."
"No! Don't tell him!" The girl shook her head vigorously with the blush spreading all the way to her ears, "Namjoon, that's so mean!"
"Okay, okay, I won't tell him," He relented playfully, "But I did invite him to dinner sometime though, so you can tell him yourself," Namjoon offered her his hand, "Are you feeling better now, my lily?"
Nari accepted his hand and stood up from the couch, letting the blanket fall to the floor, "I am. Let's go get lunch."
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hello my friends <3 as you can tell, i have been in a bit of a txt mood lately (thanks haych) and in case you can't tell my bias is kai lol. also i have a couple bonus chapters written, would you guys rather have a christmas chapter or more babey nari?
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