Single Father • Namjoon + BTS!Kids

lxxxvii.

"All right, I will. Oh, and Jimin? Can you make sure the oven is off? And check the locks on the doors? The windows too, just in case, although-"

"Mark-hyung said I should hang up on you and he's scarier than you are right now so bye!" A panicked pause. "I love you, Dad! Bye!" Jimin quickly added before hanging up, and Namjoon stared at his phone in astonishment.

"I leave Mark alone with my kids for half an hour and he's already corrupting my children," he muttered as he got out of his car, slamming the door. "Teaching them to hang up on me, telling them to ignore me..." He trailed off as he locked his car and went inside. "Hello, I have a reservation for two under Kim?"

"You'll have to be a little more specific," the hostess said, giving him a look. "Half the reservations are under a Kim something or other."

Namjoon shook his head, realizing how out of it he was. "Sorry, Kim Namjoon."

The hostess checked the list and nodded. "Right this way," she said before leading him to a booth, but upon arriving, he was surprised to find it already half occupied.

"Lisa," he said, partially shocked. Both that she was there before him and that she was wearing a dark red dress that was cut in a way to accentuate certain features that he had to steer his eyes away from. Of course, Namjoon had to blink several times to actually register what Lisa was wearing since it had been such a long time since he'd been out at night alone with a woman outside of some work-related venture. He had to remember what a woman was.

And what she was made out of.

But then Namjoon remembered that it was Lisa, an old friend and work associate.

It was just Lisa.

"Is this not your companion?" the hostess asked, confused as to why Namjoon was just standing there, and Lisa rolled her eyes.

"He's just being stupid. Stop gawking and sit down already, Namjoon," Lisa said, feeling amused and a bit victorious.

Namjoon laughed and sat down. "Sorry. I've been spacing out a bit lately. It just puts me on edge, leaving the kids alone at home," he said as the hostess left them.

Lisa tilted her head in confusion. "I thought Mark was watching them?"

"Oh, he is, it's just..." Namjoon gave her a skeptical look. "Well, let me put it this way. Last time Mark was babysitting for my kids, he let Yoongi give Jungkook a bowl cut. Do you know how long that takes to grow out? Months. He looked like a coconut for months."

Lisa smirked as she took a drink of water. "Like you haven't had a bad haircut or two."

Namjoon winced, thinking back to a time long ago where he'd had a very interesting take on hair aesthetic. The hairdresser had tried to save him, but no, he'd insisted that it was what he had wanted, that it would look cool.

It was a dark memory for him, like a freshman year photograph in the yearbook - an image that he wanted to forget, one that would haunt him forever.

"Let's not talk about it," Namjoon mumbled before also taking a sip of water. "So, how have you been?"

Lonely, Lisa wanted to say.

Cold, Lisa wanted to say.

Missing you, Lisa wanted to say.

"Good," she said, smiling as she adjusted her napkin. "You know how it is. Busy with work. That sort of thing."

Namjoon nodded. "Thank you, though."