Manly. Handsome. Superbly warm, reliable. For the first time, Namjoo believed she was seeing him the exact same way all women who swooned over him did. Jongin was like a giant boulder next to her. And his hand, it was warm and strong. Big enough for hers to fit into perfectly.

What was this feeling it gave her?

He led her up the stage with a makeshift background. The edges of the stage had been blanketed with a blue velvet cloth. For class she supposed. The lanky manager stopped by the stairs and they walked the rest of the way up. Jongin led her. Table draped in ultimate white. Four chairs. Four water bottles. Microphone. Bae Hyunki waited for them with the PR representative. In front of them the theater hall more than half filled. Cameras and laptops charged and ready to go. In the far back and along the side aisles bigger cameras were rolling. Men in big headsets directing. Live TV.

Namjoo sat closest to Hyunki and Jongin beside her. As she stared into the audience of reporters, Hyunki gave a speech that couldn’t reach her ears. She was overwhelmed by their presence – everyone’s. It was pressuring in a way she couldn’t explain. Almost choking, like she was underneath water and unable to swim her way up. Like someone held her there.

Were they here to judge her? Or just to know about her?

She almost lightened up when she recognized Minseok among them. Their eyes met for a split second before his gaze lowered to type something into his laptop. Was he friend or foe? Namjoo grew nervous. What kind of things had she shared with him before? Would he use those said things against her? What would Hyunki do if she knew?

And then she heard her name. Hyunki turned around with a smile. Today she was in platform heels. Skirt ran down to her knee. Blazer a matching color. What about her blouse? Maybe white. It looked like she had visited a salon in the early morning, too. Hair knotted back into a home maid bun. Her makeup was elegantly natural with a light shade for her delicately brown eyes that became savage when needed. From now on, this woman was her boss.

“Oh…” Namjoo breathed as she stood up and smoothed her dress. Clutching onto the microphone against her s she stared into the audience both mesmerized and petrified. Hands became clammy again. This time her heart pounded louder in her ears. She felt almost sick. Then she wondered if she’d eaten that morning.

“Uh…hello, everyone,” she spoke the first line she memorized from the script. “I’m Kim Namjoo and I’m um…” she glanced at Jongin who was still seated, “Kai’s girlfriend.”

She flinched when the cameras flashed, nearly blinding her. She hadn’t realized how white and blinding they were.

A moment lapsed before she continued, “With much consideration, I’ve recently signed a contract under Bae Hyunki, and I’m honored to meet you all. Please look over me well.”

Someone began shouting questions but Hyunki stepped forth. “We’ll accept questions in a few minutes.”

Namjoo turned when a hand landed on her back and Jongin took the microphone from her. “That’s all right. We can take questions now, too.”

“Is it true you’ve already visited Namjoo’s home? There’s a picture of you coming out of Namjoo’s house?” a reporter eagerly questioned before ing his thick microphone forward.

Namjoo froze. There was a picture? When? How?

Her heart thudded louder and her hands sweat a tiny bit more. Silence grew over the theater room. What kind of look was Bae Hyunki giving them? Namjoo didn’t dare look, but she felt fire from her right side. What would people think of her?

“Yes,” Jongin answered calmly with a smile. “We had a meal together at her house.” Then he glanced down at her with a charming grin, “It was a nice lunch and the first time Namjoo cooked for me.”

Namjoo could have puked.

Playing along she smiled into the cameras. Sure, they had a nice lunch. A very nice one.

Murmurs spread among the reporters. Some of them turned to look at each other, smiling and making comments.

“How do you feel about introducing your girlfriend to us?”

“Actually, I’m nervous. I was afraid she’d feel pressured, but after talking she became more comfortable. I’m looking forward to what kinds of things she’ll be doing. Namjoo is really outgoing, so I’m not worried.” The perfect line from their script. Wow was he reciting everything in the perfect manner as if he meant it. Namjoo held back a snort.

“Do you have no doubts introducing her to your work?”

“I believe in her,” Jongin said with confidence. “She may even surpass me.”

The crowd of reporters laughed. Namjoo was sure he wanted to hold a knife up to whoever wrote that’s throat. Surpass him? His he would say.

“There’s a rumor you two will be doing a project together. Could you give us a hint?”

“Depends if our CEO permits,” Jongin glanced over at Hyunki.

Breathing a smile, Hyunki stepped over to take the mic. “We’ll hold another press conference in preparation for other promotions. What I’d like to ask from the fans and the public is support for their new relationship. Please look upon them favorably. We will certainly see more of them in the days to come.”

“What about Namjoo that makes her seem like an entertainer to you?”

“Well,” Hyunki gave her a quick side glance, “she has a unique charm. You’ll need to keep an eye out for her in order to understand what I’m talking about. Aren’t I right, Kai?”

Namjoo glanced at Kai. This wasn’t a part of the script. How were they going to improvise?

Someone hurried up the stage to hand Kai a mic. “Yes, she really surprises you.” He gave her an eyeful that made her look away. Obviously, she was the only one who caught the tone underlying his voice. It wasn’t anything good.

Namjoo laughed nervously.

Another camera flashed.

“How long do you think this relationship will last?” someone shouted out. “You just recently broke up with actress Son Naeun. Has any of your exes contacted you?”

Now they were really going off script. Namjoo could feel herself sweating.

Not good.

Was Jongin flustered? Would he throw a fit when this ended and blame her for getting lashed at?

“Can we hear her thoughts on this?” someone interrupted just before Jongin held the mic to his lips.

They paused, glanced at each other. Jongin reluctantly handed her the mic, which she took with shaky hands. Jongin would probably roll his eyes at her when he got the mic back because it would be stained with sweat.

Wrapping both hands around the handle she her lips. She didn’t know what to say. Was this a test to see how witty she was? Whoever knew that standing in front of a hundred reporters was so mind blowing? Maybe the stage wasn’t meant for her. How did famous people get through this?

Namjoo froze. Her feet felt heavy, like stacks of bricks. Heart thrummed noisily. All sounds ceased. She swallowed. Held the mic up to the mouth that refused to open. Her brain buzzed with a mix of signals. Words tried to form.

It turned into one of those annoying slow-mo’s. Eyes traced the reporters who stared back with a hundred eyes more. Then she glanced over to see Hyunki waiting for her quietly. Her eyes seemed to constrict with impatience. She didn’t dare look up at Jongin. Eyes shot back to the audience. She spotted Minseok again. He was staring, waiting, listening. What would he say about her after this? Was he on her side?

All was clear like day that hell would break loose if their charade fell apart here. This was just the beginning she reminded herself. If she couldn’t even speak up, what would she be able to accomplish down the road?

Who was she? Kim Namjoo. She may not have a father or anyone to call mother, but she was strong and overcame all. She always had. And this? This was just a peak she had to climb over.

“Have you been doing something I don’t know of?” Namjoo turned to Jongin. The room went cold for a second then she grinned and nudged him playfully. Turning to the press she smiled widely. “My thoughts? It doesn’t matter to me, because I only care about him. The ‘us’ in the now is what’s important. Not his past.” Shifting the mic into her free hand she linked her fingers through Jongin’s. “Even if we may decide to separate later, I’ll cherish him as a good memory.”

Their gazes locked. It was intense, almost unbearable but she held on. From the corner of her eyes, more cameras flashed.

₪₪₪₪₪

Thirsty was all Namjoo was half an hour after she and Jongin were shuffled off the stage. Though she had spoken few words the duration of the time remaining was now sore. Gasping, she placed the drained bottle of water from her lips onto the table.

“Want some more?” Chanyeol handed her another bottle which she accepted gratefully.

“Thank you.” Hurriedly opening the cap, she gulped the water down.

“You did a good job up there,” he assured.

Namjoo turned to look at him and smiled. “I wish you were the boyfriend I was playing with.” Namjoo commented then glanced past him to Jongin who was sitting in a chair staring at his phone. He looked like a sleaze ball.

Chanyeol chuckled happily then they turned when the door opened and Hyunki stepped in. Namjoo nearly sighed. The after effect of from the press conference had not yet worn off. She was still shaky and nervous.

“The press is still out there waiting for more pictures,” Hyunki notified. “I’ll be leaving first. Don’t give them more than five minutes of time.”

“I’ll go get the car,” Chanyeol said before exiting. Namjoo watched the lanky manager walk out. She wanted to sigh. He seemed like the only one on her side. It was nice with him around.

Closing the door behind her Hyunki took a step further in. “You did a good job, Namjoo. But…do you have stage fright? You froze for longer than necessary up there.”

With a slight turn of the head Jongin glanced at her. A hot flash of heat washed down her body.

“Sorry,” Namjoo apologized. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Since it’s your first I can let it go. I’ll have to assign you with a public speaking specialist. You need to learn fast in order to look natural,” Hyunki explained. Namjoo nodded. “Well then, I’ll take my leave.” Then she turned to Jongin. “And Jongin, don’t forget to smile. By the way, you did a great job up there.”

Once the CEO left the room Namjoo let herself fall against the wall.

“You sure did a good job,” Jongin mumbled.

Namjoo shot him a glare. “It’ll kill you to be nice once, won’t it?” Shifting, she crossed her arms. “So, tell me, have one of your exes not contacted you? At all?”

He didn’t answer.

“I see. So they don’t care,” Namjoo said. “Your past looks messy. I’ll tell you no woman wants to get involved with a man like that.” Pressing lips together she shook her head missing the sight of him putting his phone away. “I saw one of your dramas and there’s this line I really like. It’s probably been said over a hundred times. ‘Even if you’re the last man on earth, I’ll never love you.’ We can say it’s the same for me.”

Namjoo’s head knocked into the wall when Jongin strode closer. Yanking her by the arm he pulled her roughly with him out the door.

“I was joking!” Namjoo yelled. “Let go of me!”

Interlocking arms with her Jongin continued to drag her down the hallway. Namjoo pleaded a little more desperately, “Come on. You know I was just teasing you. Besides, that drama . I barely paid attention.”

Jongin strung her a little closer. Their bodies touched a bit more intimately than she liked. Namjoo tried to pull away but Jongin dragged her back and wrapped his hand around hers to keep her knotted at his side.

“Hyunki said smile,” Jongin reminded when they reached the main hall.

Namjoo almost fell back from surprise when a swarm of reporters drew in on them like a rain of hornets. Cameras began flashing like a dozen strip lights. Everyone began shouting at once. They sounded like a disastrous chorus.

Once more, Jongin led the way. She leaned against him, he her boulder. Stifling a smile, she clung to Jongin’s side more willingly than earlier relying on him to get her through. However roughly she was pushed Jongin was intact, his feet flat with the floor to keep their balance. They reached the front entrance, stood there for some two minutes turning this way and that until Chanyeol pulled up to the curb. The manager hurried forward to help them escape and once the door to the van closed Jongin pushed her aside.

“How annoying,” he muttered throwing an arm over to shade his eyes from the light.

Namjoo made a face at him before shifting comfortably into her chair just as Chanyeol climbed back in. The engine revved and they were down the road.

“Where are we going next?” Namjoo wondered.

“Send her away,” Jongin muttered.

Namjoo gave him a nasty frown then turned when Chanyeol said, “That’s it for schedules today. I’ll take you home.”

“Gosh,” Namjoo breathed, “it would be better if it was just you sending me home.” She gave Jongin another dirty side eye. “By the way, can I come sit up front? I don’t know why I have to sit back here.”

“It’s a little dangerous now,” Chanyeol said.

“Let her,” Jongin settled his arm down then continued, “and kill herself in the process.”

Namjoo gave him another nasty stare. Falling back into her seat she said, “Then I guess I won’t since my boyfriend doesn’t want me to kill myself.”

With a tight frown Jongin turned to look at her. Namjoo coyly smiled in turn. He sighed a complaint then loudly yelled, “Turn on the radio!” A few seconds later music echoed throughout the van. They were quiet the rest of the ride.

Chanyeol pulled up across from her house and stopped the van. When he began taking his seatbelt off Namjoo stopped him. “You don’t need to open the door for me. I don’t need to be serviced,” she glanced at Jongin intentionally, “like someone.”

Sliding off the chair she pushed the door open and stepped out. Sticking her head back in, “I forgot my clothes back at the shop and how do I return the dress?”

“They’ll throw the clothes away,” Jongin replied without looking at her. He was scrolling through his phone.

“What?!”

“They’re cheap anyway.”

“They were the best I had!”

“You really have a lot to say, don’t you?” Jongin glanced up at her making no effort to hide his annoyance.

Namjoo returned the irritated expression. Swallowing her distress, she turned to ask Chanyeol, “How will I know when to come to work?”

“Don’t,” Jongin muttered eyes back on his phone.

Namjoo bit her lower lip repressing the urge to reach in and punch him.

“I’m sure Hyunki will call you,” Chanyeol assured.

“Thanks for the ride,” Namjoo said with a smile then looked Jongin once with a glare before closing the door.

₪₪₪₪₪

“I can’t believe this is real.”

“It’s just another fling for him. What else is new?”

“She’s all right.”

“She’s one of us! I wish I could be noticed too!”

“They look ok together. I bet they won’t last long though.”

“I hate her.”

“Oh…it’s him again…”

“Looks like he really likes her. He keeps holding her. How romantic.”

“What kind of scandal is this?”

And the comments went on. They were amusing, laughable, funny, but Jongin felt nothing. He’d been these things countless times. Being judged. Criticized. Laughed at. Mocked. Gaining support.

People were falling for this charade. The overall fact.

“You didn’t have to be so mean,” Chanyeol broke the silence.

“The faster to get her out of this world, the better.”

“You really don’t like her? I think she’s funny.”

“Only to you,” Jongin said.

Chanyeol waited a few seconds then said with thought, “I think the kids would like her.”

Jongin glanced up from his phone to the back of Chanyeol’s head rest. That would be a problem indeed, but then he had no intention of letting Namjoo get that deep into his life. And he was also certain she didn’t want him in hers either.

The red light on his phone was flashing indicating there was a voice message when he walked into his home. Pressing the button Jongin walked away to get himself a glass of water. The voice of Lim Jangmi, his widowed mother at the young age of 28, began to flow through the empty space. “It’s your mother, Jongin. How are you? I just saw the news. Is it real? Your brother is flying in by the end of the month. Please call back when you have time. Lets all meet up and have a family dinner. I miss you.”

Pausing as he stepped into the kitchen Jongin turned around to glance at the phone. Too occupied with his work he sometimes forgot that his quiet mother of a reserved nature was one to update herself with his news. Though she did not brag about him to her neighbors she did not refrain from gossiping about his life to her close friends; who he was with, his co-stars, his friends, and Chanyeol. He might not have plans for Namjoo but she might already be everywhere by word of mouth already. Thanks to his mother.

Family dinner? She must mean to bring Namjoo along.