Namjoon and I sat on the pale beige couch as instructed, facing Chairman Rho on the matching chair on the opposite side of the low mahogany table. The comfort of the couch was shocking. My shock that the couch was comfy was even more shocking. For the past several weeks I had sat on the woven nylon cots or on hard concrete. Cushions had become a luxury we had no access to. “Now then,” the chairman’s voice interrupted my introspection, and I jerked my head to look at him properly, taking comfort in the warm proximity of Namjoon at my side. He had taken great care in sitting next to me, but avoiding physical contact. “Tell me, Seoyeon, how is our Golden Boy doing these days?” Chairman Rho asked rather casually, but his eyes were on me like a hawk. The man didn’t around. I needed to be careful, though. I couldn’t just come out and start airing grievances left and right. It was Rho’s trust and favor I needed first.

Doing my best not to appear too uncomfortable, I managed a little smile, crossing my legs demurely. “My Jungkook is doing quite well, thank you Chairman,” my words were soft and quiet, practically dripping in sweetness. I had to fight not to gag on my own words.

Chairman Rho sat back into his chair, looking down his nose at me with narrowed eyes. "I'll be honest with you, Seoyeon," he spoke warily, blinking slowly as he transferred his gaze from me to Namjoon. "I'm surprised you volunteered to see me so readily," he spoke slowly and deliberately as he stared down Namjoon. He was clearly suspicious. I supposed a man like him required some amount of cunning and wit to land his position. After a tense moment, he leaned forward again, resting his hands on his knees, his pinstripe grey pants clearly straining against the amount of flesh they were asked to contain. He looked back to me pointedly, "You may be Korean-born, but don't think we don't remember where you've lived your life."

At least this time, I had thought about this answer beforehand, since it was probably the most predictable accusation I was going to face. Doing my best to look bashful, I tilted my head downward to look at the chairman up through my dark eyelashes. "You're correct in assuming I have my own motives, sir," I began, glancing over to Namjoon. He was clearly doing his best not to show signs of panic. His eyes were just a bit too wide to be relaxed, but I simply stared him down calmly. Trust me, I willed, hoping beyond hope I wouldn't disappoint him. Letting Namjoon's gaze go, I looked back to Chairman Rho, "Ever since I arrived, I've been reminded that I'm not Jungkook's first partner, and statistically I won't be his last." I paused to gauge his reaction, but I was only met with a slight twitch in his brow. Pressing on, I spoke again, "I hoped that maybe I could appeal to you personally to change your policy. Don’t take me away from Jungkook if our first is unacceptable." Turning my head slightly, I looked at Namjoon out of the corner of my eye, "Genetics is a game of chance after all, isn't it?"

At once the Chairman began to laugh again, the noise grating against my brain like nails on a chalkboard. "So clever, yet still just a young girl, aren't you?" he continued to laugh hollowly, his hands holding his gut steady. At last, he let out a long, smooth breath to calm himself, a wicked grin remaining on his face, "Very well. Good work with this one, Namjoon. Bring her around whenever she likes. See if she can convince me," at the end of his statement, his eyes swiveled back to me, issuing a challenge. He had bought my young girl in love act, but it was clear he was still wary. A timely ping came from behind us, signaling the arrival of the elevator. "Just in time," Chairman Rho groaned while struggling to stand, "Sounds like Shin and Jae are here. Feel free to stay where you are for now, Namjoon. I'll allow you the comfort of sitting as a reward for this lovely gift," he gestured vaguely to me before treading back to his desk to retrieve some papers.

"Thank you, sir," Namjoon muttered back, bowing his head low. I couldn't help but gape at my friend, meekly answering to this man. He was treated as an animal and was expected to act as a slave. But yet again, I needed to hold my tongue. It was not the time to be making human rights complaints. I did, however, wonder about how much the rest of the guys knew about Namjoon’s treatment. Judging by the occasional snarky comment thrown around about it, they were probably completely in the dark. I was sure Namjoon had his reasons for keeping it to himself, and even if that reason was simply pride, I could respect that. Having him here, regardless of the circumstances, was clearly in everyone’s best interests. Even so, he had invited me, so I was sure he anticipated my inevitable interrogation.

The elevator doors opened smoothly, and I mimicked Namjoon, who stood and bowed out of respect as two equally well-dressed men strode into the room side by side. “Oh, please sit Mr. Kim, Miss Yoo,” an unfamiliar voice caused me to lift my head slightly to catch a glance of the speaker. Mr. Shin was there, of course, as we had seen him just that morning. The other man who had greeted us, however, was someone I was unfamiliar with. I vaguely processed that he had been at the construction site, but I had not heard him speak or interact with him in any way. At least in appearance, he was the absolute opposite of Chairman Rho. He appeared rather young- perhaps just hitting thirty, his skin healthy, his auburn hair styled short and clean. He wore a black suit, and offered me a small white smile when he met my eyes. Hesitantly, I did as I was told and sat, Namjoon following suit.

The Chairman clicked his tongue from across from us, settling back into his plush chair. “I say, Jae, you really ought to stop giving Namjoon such pleasantries. The boy will grow delusional,” the old man droned, and I saw him roll his eyes dramatically. Regardless, he gestured to the chairs to his left for the men to sit with us. “Our business for today will have to be delayed,” he droned slightly, his saggy eyes roving back to me, “in consideration of our guest.”

I wasn’t sure if he was trying to make me feel important or special for the interruption of their usual business, or if it was a backhanded guilt trip. I liked to think I was good at reading people, but for once I honestly had no idea. All I could really do was smile gently back at him before looking over to the two men as they got themselves situated. Mr. Jae, the youngest, gave me a disarmingly warm smile before turning his attention back to his superior, “On the contrary, Chairman,” he spoke up, though his voice was practiced and polite, “I feel we should treat Kim Namjoon with some gratitude, don’t you agree, Mr. Shin?” Mr. Jae kept his voice calm as he turned his head to stare down his colleague.

At the mention of his own name, Mr. Shin chuffed uncomfortably, shifting in his chair. He was clearly unhappy with being caught in the crossfire of this superficially polite conversation. By how it sounded, this was a commonly contested subject. Regardless, I did fell a little bit better knowing that someone around here seemed to have the tiniest shred of respect for Namjoon’s humanity, at the very least. Mr. Shin blinked a few more times before finally turning to the Chairman, desperate to change the subject, “What is she even doing here, Rho?” I was genuinely surprised when he dropped the title.

“I’m glad you asked,” the Chairman responded with a raspy laugh, “The girl has the audacity to beseech us for help.” I stiffened at his words, feeling all three pairs of prying eyes on me. I opened my mouth to object, but I didn’t know what was safe to say. Thankfully my panic was cut short as the Chairman continued to laugh, “Don’t fret, Miss Yoo, your impassioned plea is so absurd, I’m inclined to hear you out. However,” the Chairman seemed to come to a conclusion as he sat up straighter in his plush beige chair, “We do unfortunately have some official business today, so I must ask Namjoon to bring you home for today.” It was easy for me to read between the lines. His voice had grown far too kind to not hold some ulterior motive. He wanted me and Namjoon out of the room for the trio to discuss my admittedly silly request.

Namjoon was first to stand, reaching to gently touch my shoulder as he did so. I quickly followed suit, slightly bewildered by our very sudden dismissal. I gave an awkward little bow before we shuffled away from the couch over to the elevator. Throwing a glance over my shoulder, I caught sight of all three of them watching our every move. And yet again, I saw Mr. Jae offer a small, comforting smile. I resisted the urge to smile back as Namjoon gave me one last little push over the little gap in the floor onto the smooth marble floor of the elevator. As soon as the chrome doors closed in front of us, Namjoon and I let out a collective sigh. “Holy Hell,” I murmured, slouching against the mirrored wall, my head leaning back against the hard surface with a dull thud. It hadn’t been much, but pulling off the act was emotionally and mentally draining.

“Well,” Namjoon spoke simply, his voice curt. I lifted my head back up from the wall to glance at him, but he was simply watching his own feet. He must have felt my gaze, since he lifted his wide set eyes to meet mine. Offering me a little smile, he shook his head just a little, shaking his black fringe out of his eyes, “So what do you think?”

I laughed dryly once, “I was going to ask you that.” Shifting slightly against the cool wall, I stood up a little straighter, stretching out my back with a long contented sigh, “I guess it was okay? You know them better than I do, Namjoon.” With my little stretch over with, I pushed off the wall as the elevator chimed our arrival back on the ground floor.

Exiting back into the main lobby of the building, Namjoon finally draped a long arm over my shoulders with a heavy sigh of his own, “Well it wasn’t a disaster,” he managed a little chuckle, giving me a playful little shake as we shuffled across the shiny floor towards the glass doors. Namjoon slowed our strides, clearly in no hurry to return there after dropping me off. We were quiet as we approached the glass doors.

When we were finally outside, I took a deep breath, noting the sun high above the horizon. That meeting of ours was brief, so it was still morning, ap