𝐅𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬© ||𝐊𝐢𝐦 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐧

ೋღ 🥀 ღೋ Chapter 19 ღ 🥀ღೋ

"I apologize. I didn't realize your father was no longer with you," you say hesitantly, touching his arm in comfort. You've never known the love of a father.

"It's ok. I was still working on my master's degree when Dad died. He was quite ill that year, and he died shortly after I graduated, compelling me to take over the company as president. My mother was not in a good condition, in her emotional state it was hard to handle such a huge empire." he smiled as he gazed down at your gentle eyes.

"You loved him a lot?" you ask softly as you begin to arrange the black and gray-toned shirts in the back.

"He was my hero, for sure. He was also a travel reference author. He was the most prolific and emotive poet. He was a literary prodigy. My Appa was a deeply spiritual and compassionate man. He was very pleasant to be around, and he was well-liked by all of his employees and business associates. We could go fishing in the next village together every weekend. He even purchased me my first overseas residence in Phuket so that I could relax and focus only on what I do best-writing. He was such a down-to-earth man that even if he gained billions in the stock market, he remained humble. I wished I could be half the man he was. He understood the essence of mankind. "He grinned softly, his expressive eyes far away,"--- But what was remarkable was that he and my Eomma just bonded, despite their contrasting personalities. My Eomma is strict, severe, and may be described as a cold chairlady, but they cherished one another and she couldn't get over his passing for a long time."

His dimpled smile enchants you so much that you inhale deeply to fight off the overwhelming feeling of attraction. You're such a hormonal young adult.

Seeing and hearing him speak so passionately about his parents makes you strangely nostalgic, and you bemoan the absence of fatherly presence and love in your life.

You just smile pleasantly and add, "You are extremely blessed to have known such a great man of valor. Someone who helped shape you into the amazing man you are today." You smiled quietly but you could feel a burning sensation behind your eyelids, so you quickly returned your gaze to the task at hand.

Namjoon smirked as he handed you the red, orange, and yellow shirts, but his brows furrowed as he noticed your subdued demeanor.

"Why are you so quiet, Frosty? Did my melancholy mood make you depressed?" he inquired, rubbing your shoulder.

You turned to face him, shook your head dismissively, and shrugged quietly, "Not at all. I'm just a little envious of you-don't worry, I'm just a little silly."

Namjoon chuckled, raising his eyebrows a little, puzzled. "What is there to be envious about?"

You inhaled deeply and said, "I never knew my sperm donor. He rejected me before I saw the light. My mom doesn't want to talk about him. All I know about him is that I looked like his mother. But you never missed what you never had." You sigh deeply but look down at the green, striped shirt in your hand, avoiding the frown on his face so that he won't see your teary-eyed face. But the crack in your voice alerted Namjoon to the inward pain that you were carrying under that cheerful veneer.

His arms stretched out on your small shoulders and turned you to face him, suddenly pulling you into a tight embrace, "You matter Frosty... just concentrate on the people who care about you, okay," his arms were such a safe shield and your heart started to throb almost in your ribcage. Being in his arms made you realize how utterly and insanely in love you are with this man. A love that will not be reciprocated. His heart may still belong to his ex-girlfriend.