The Hidden Treasure

~51~

Namjoon stood outside the office door and wiped his sweaty palms on his coat.  He took a deep breath.  He felt nervous standing here asking for something that might be viewed as ridiculous, but he had to try.  Hyejin deserved this and needed this.  Mr. Oh was counting on him to make sure this happened.  He couldn't let down his friends.  He slowly let his breath out and knocked softly on the door. 

"Come in."

Namjoon swallowed, hoping his nerves would calm down soon.  He had never been afraid of PDnim before, so he definitely shouldn't start now.  He turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open. 

"PDnim," he said quietly, seeing the man sitting at his desk, back to the door, facing his computer.  He watched as he turned in his chair and smiled.

"Namjoon-ah!  Come in.  Come in."  The older man gestured for him to have a seat.  "How are you doing?  Do your ribs still hurt?  Is it still painful?"  He looked at Namjoon with a look of concern that was sincere.

Namjoon felt like the man was a second father to him.  He had treated all of BTS so well.  He had given them so much freedom.  It had paid off, but it also made it hard for Namjoon, or any of the other members of BTS, to specifically go against his wishes, which was why Namjoon was going to ask for permission first.  If that was denied, then, well, disobedience was the only course of action he had at his disposal. 

"Ah, I'm doing alright, sir.  Better every day."  He smiled nervously and laced his fingers together.  He scooted forward in his chair to find himself sitting on its edge.  "PDnim, I have a problem."

"If it's about the comeback, don't worry.  The health of all of you boys is way more important to me right now.  Just focus on getting better.  When the doctors release all of you, we'll start practicing and training again.  But not until."  He smiled warmly and folded his arms across his chest.

Namjoon smiled gratefully.  "Thank you, but that's not why I'm here," he said softly. 

Bang Sihyuk leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees.  "It's about the young lady, isn't it," he said with a sigh. 

Namjoon lowered his eyes and nodded. 

"You know how I feel about that right now, right?"   The beloved producer sat up in his chair and rubbed his face with his hands. 

"Why are you bringing this up now, Namjoon," he said wearily.  The last thing he wanted to deal with was a rebellious artist.  It wasn't that he wanted to prevent Namjoon or any BTS members from dating; in fact it was quite the opposite. They could date if they wanted.  But this case was sticky.  Namjoon was loved very much by a very large fan base.  It was inevitable there would be fans who would take news of him liking someone or dating very hard.  Given the fact that this rogue group of obsessed fans had resorted to violence after only a few groundless photos made Bang Sihyuk very scared for his boys.  The managers had kept him informed on Namjoon's comings and goings and he knew that during his recovery period, Namjoon had been spending quite a lot of time at the girl's bookshop. 

He looked at the nervous young man sitting across from him.  He saw the worry and anxiety travel across the face of someone who was always very strong and collected.  He sighed and decided to hear him out.  "Namjoon-ah, what's going on?"

Namjoon raised his eyes to meet the kind gaze of his boss.  His mouth twitched as he tried to choose the right words.  "Sir, you know she's an old friend."

"Is that all she still is?"

Namjoon laughed nervously.  "I'm not sure anymore," he said quietly.