Unrequited Love | MYG ✅

Chapter Fifty-Six

"It's getting late for you. I will text you tonight. Get some sleep!"

"Okay, have a goodnight," he says sleepily.

"Oh, and Lovie," I coo softly.

"Yes?" he replies sleepily.

"I miss you..."

"I miss you too."

I feel better that we ended on a good note today. The time difference makes it a little difficult, but I text Hobi every night so that he receives a message around lunchtime in Korea. Even if he is busy, I know he will appreciate knowing I thought of him before drifting off to sleep.

It's all I can do for up and leaving him without telling him my plans. I know it was inconsiderate, but my impulsive heart yearned to run away, and I know that deep down inside, Hobi understands I wasn't trying to hurt him with my actions intentionally. It was purely an act of self-preservation.

Surprisingly, besides Hobi, it's Joon that has made a concerted effort to stay in touch with me. At first, it was an occasional phone call; then, he started texting me. Before I knew it, we started texting every day. We even send each other random photos of mundane things, which has been an oddly satisfying ritual.

Sometimes he sends me a picture of him with his lunch, then I will send him a picture of me doing something ordinary like my laundry. Recently, I've started having a hard time sleeping, so I've started sending him photos of the sunrise or sunset over the lake so he can see what I'm seeing. Just yesterday, I sent him a selca of me wearing my 'Namjooning' sweatshirt while giving him a thumbs-up, and he sent back a laughing emoji.

Sometimes, I wonder what is going on between us. It seems....intimate somehow, and I'm not really sure if that is a good idea. Other times, it feels like we are strengthening our friendship because occasionally, Joon tries to coax me into talking about Yoongi, so I think we are just becoming close friends, and I need not worry so much. I appreciate that he doesn't push the Yoongi talk too hard though, because I just can't talk about it. I still hurt too much.

Yoongi was right about one thing. His plan did end up opening me up to more opportunities. Luckily, nobody knows much about what happened back in Korea in the American music industry, and if they do hear rumors, they don't seem to care.

I did begrudgingly take Yoongi's advice and put out a few more songs and then performed some low-key marketing on my social media because I needed to figure out how to make an income and quick. Fortunately, with Yoongi being so hot in the American market as Agust D right now, I ended up with a lot more attention than I imagined.

I even had a few record deals come my way, but I declined. The fact remains that I don't want to be under anyone's control, I need to be in control of my own destiny, so I have been just doing things my way. Like when I worked for NORAE, I have been signing exclusive contracts with artists who approach me to collaborate, choosing the ones I genuinely want to work with.

Recently, a talented indie rapper reached out, and I was flown out to Chicago to sing a hook on a song for him that I had a hand in writing. When I got into his studio, he and his team quickly recognized I was talented behind the soundboard, and they offered me a contract extension, so I ended up extending my stay to full-on produce two more tracks for them.

He uploaded some behind-the-scenes footage of us working in the studio to his social media, and then my phone started ringing with offers from other artists interested in working with me, and I was so excited to begin working in studios again.

After that, at Jae's urging, I called Ha-Kun. We had a long talk about the industry which resulted in him becoming my make-shift manager. The world is so interconnected that even from Korea, I'm able to leverage his business sense and knowledge of booking talent. There aren't many people I trust in the world, but Ha-Kun and Jae will always be my family, making us the perfect partnership.

Ha-Kun is so naturally inclined for this business. On top of his business degree, he's been a Godsend, and if we screw something up, it doesn't matter. We decide together how to handle my business, and then he communicates with the big wigs that want to work with me. We really have a good thing going and have become the music industry's rebels, pioneering our own pathway. It took me a long time to feel like I had control over my life since Yoongi threw me out into the world, but I finally feel like I'm coming into my own.

Ha-Kun talks me into performing here and there, but mostly I stick to producing and songwriting. However, he does talk me into signing on to perform a handful of songs at a big festival in Los Angeles next month.

At first, I was resistant, but he has already arranged to fly out for a visit and attend with me. He reminds me that the more I'm known, the more opportunities I will have to keep songwriting and producing. It's a double-edged sword, and one that I'm reminded of daily that I never wanted to have to deal with.

The sun is beginning to beat down on me, as I've been lost in my thoughts on the dock ever since I hung up with Hobi. I begin to trudge up to the cabin, deciding I have taken long enough of a break today and that I should get to work on my newest producing project.

When I settle down in front of my computer, my phone chimes.

Message from Namjoon: Falling asleep but wanted to say goodnight.

Lily: Sweetest dreams to you, Joonie.