Milk in My Tea

5. Soy

Namjoon’s POV

“I can’t believe it’s really you! Rap Monster-oppa, I’m so happy to meet you!”

I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes at the overly-excited tone of the trainee in front of me. This entire situation was trying my patience to the ultimate degree.

My CEO and manager had managed to trap me in a meeting with Han Aera, the trainee that they wanted to use as my “PR girlfriend”. She was a cute girl, petite and thin with wide, innocent looking brown eyes and wavy brown hair that she had styled in girlish pigtails. My first thought when I saw her was that she would be an adorable little sister, but the more she spoke, in an overly sweet voice, the more I found myself cringing internally. This girl was so far from my type it was almost comical. She was nothing like my y, mature Quinn.

“Namjoon-ah, now that you’ve met Aera-ssi, will you think more about our proposal?” Our CEO asked, and I immediately shook my head. I knew my behavior was rude, especially since Aera was sitting right there, but I wanted them to know up-front that I didn’t agree with this.

“Hyung, I still don’t think this is right. We run a risk of Aera-ssi being bullied by angry ARMYs and ruining her debut.”

My manager waved me off, “The response to Yoongi-ah’s girlfriend was nowhere near that bad!”

“That’s because she’s Seoul U’s ‘Basketball Goddess’.” I deadpanned, which was the truth.

Niah’s successful transition into “Suga’s Girlfriend” had many factors that helped her avoid the harsh treatment that most celebrity girlfriends experienced. It was truly an exception, not the rule.

Quinn would be able to make the transition through sheer willpower alone. No one would have the guts to mess with her and if they dared to, I had no doubt she’d rip them apart. I felt a swell of pride in my chest the longer I thought about it, but realized I was getting lost in my own musings, turning to focus on the conversation around me.

“Okay okay, Namjoon-ah. We won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do,” Our CEO said, and I breathed a sigh of relief, bowing my head gratefully.

“Thank you for understanding my position. Aera-ssi, I hope I didn’t offend you.”

Aera gave a high-pitched laugh, a cheerful smile on her face, “No, I’m not offended, Oppa! I understand.”

I stood up, “Well if there’s nothing else…”

“Ah, Oppa!” Aera stood up as well, taking her cell phone out of her bag, “Before you go, may I take a selca with you? I want to show my Mom that I met BTS’ Rap Monster-oppa today! She’s a huge fan!”

I nodded my consent and stood next to the girl as she set-up a filter on her camera for our selfie. After we took two playful pictures, Aera grinned, “Thank you so much!”

I returned her gesture, and then turned to my CEO and my manager, “I have to get going before our English class starts.”

“Ah right, right! Good luck!” My manager replied, waving me off.

I bowed politely and headed out of the CEO’s office, my heart soaring. I had completely avoided the ridiculous PR stunt and I hadn’t upset anyone in the process. Best of all, I would be able to date Quinn freely. My day was already looking brighter.

Glancing at my watch, I realized we had about 45 minutes before our class started. I wanted to see Quinn as soon as possible though, so I ran over to Mango Mocha to grab coffee for us both and waited for her in the lobby.

Twenty minutes to our class starting, Quinn appeared through the front doors wearing a navy blue cape coat with a black pencil skirt, black tights and matching ankle boots. She had styled her wig a little differently today, with soft curls framing her face and a thin, black headband. Her hazel eyes fell on me as she caught me staring at her, and I pushed out a slow breath. She was incredibly beautiful today.

“Namjoon-ah,” She said softly, a smile spreading across her face.

I didn’t reply, still trying to find my breath; that’s how gorgeous she was this morning. She wore her clothes like she was modeling them.

“Namjoon-ah,” She said again, giggling a little bit at my expression, “Is there something on my face?”

“Wangbi-ah, how is it possible for someone to be as beautiful as you?” I whispered honestly, and I was awarded with a pretty flush across her dark cheeks.

“Kim Namjoon, cut it out. What if someone hears you?” She murmured, obviously flustered by my words. I chuckled, resisting the urge to take her in my arms immediately. We were standing in the middle of Big Hit’s lobby after all.

Instead, I handed her the cup of coffee I bought for her earlier. She accepted the cup gracefully and stepped past me to begin the journey down to our make-shift “classroom”.

When she realized I wasn’t following her, she turned back, “Are you going to just sit there staring or are you going to come with me to class?”

I nodded, grinning as I caught up with her in a few strides, “I’ll go with you anywhere, beautiful.”

“Wow, you’ve really turned up your charm today, huh?” She questioned in amusement, and I laughed, knowing that Quinn saw through all my tricks at first glance. In her case though, I meant every word I said.

“I can’t help it,” I replied, stepping forward to hold the door open for her. She gave me a small smile as she walked by, setting her things down at the head of the table.

“I know,” she told me, and I took a seat beside her, taking a sip of my coffee and watching her get ready. She took out a folder with our quizzes inside and then I saw her frown.

“What’s wrong, Wangbi-ah?” I questioned, as she searched through her bag a little more thoroughly.

She breathed out a frustrated huff, “I was in such a hurry when I left work that I forgot to bring the rest of my teaching materials.”

I watched her plop down in her chair with a sigh, shaking her head, “Why were you in a hurry?”

Quinn ignored my question, looking through her bag once again. I wasn’t sure if she hadn’t heard me or if she was purposely ignoring me, so I tried to ask in another way, “Is something wrong?”

At first, Quinn tried ignoring me again. When she noticed I was staring at her pointedly, she avoided my gaze, “I saw someone I didn’t want to see this morning,” she muttered, giving up on her bag entirely.

“Who was it?”

Quinn bit her thumb, not answering me once again, but before I could prod her with more questions, Jin-hyung strolled into the room. He greeted us both and took a seat directly across from me at the conference table, “Good morning, Quinn-ah! Wow, you look gorgeous today!”

“Thanks. I had a little extra time to get dressed this morning.” Quinn replied with a wink, our earlier conversation forgotten already. I made a mental note to ask her about the person that was bothering her later, but I didn’t press the issue. Not yet, at least.