music box | kim namjoon

chapter 2

Namjoon was tired in class on Monday. Their professor even looked at him sideways, knowing the boy who was usually eager, and ready to learn. But, today, Namjoon was tired, and Mina thought about that more than she did the actual class.

"I was up producing music."

"Don't you usually do that during the day? You need sleep." It was funny how quickly they switched off their roles of the parent friend, anytime the other did something they thought was reckless or stupid.

"Minji wanted to spend time with me so I had to wait until she was asleep."

Mina thought about the days she spent with him in coffee shops, sitting across from him for hours in a productive silence, while she read or wrote or did schoolwork, and he worked on his music.

She must have frowned without realizing it, because Namjoon looked like he regretted mentioning it. "It doesn't matter anyway, I have after classes to sleep-"

Mina sighed in response, opening her book to the nearest page and sinking into her seat.

"What? What was that for?"

Mina shrugged. Really, she hated hearing him talk about her. Or his life with her. Or their plans, their future, anything to do with her. And she knew full and well Namjoon only worked well at night when he wanted to, not when he had too. And he hated sleeping during the day because it made him feel unproductive. And he liked the quiet peace between two people when they were together, but doing their own things they loved. And she just knew that Minji had no input to give him about his music, because she didn't know him, and she didn't no what his sound, sounded like, or the look he got on his face when he complimented the part of the song that you just knew was his favorite. She didn't really know.

And here Mina was, listening to the consequences of Namjoon falling in love with a girl that didn't really know him, or really know much, and she sat so helplessly. After all, she was his bestfriend. Shouldn't the person you marry be your best friend?

Not that he should chose her, or anything. But she knew she had the world's biggest crush on her dimpled best friend, and she knew it didn't help that she loved the thrill of chasing something that was undoubtedly not hers, and she knew it was a tragedy that he was already in love with a girl that was not her.

Mina knew she didn't know a fraction of the knowledge in the world, but she at least thought she knew about love. She did not.

"I'm just reading, Namjoon." She said. He let it go.

Class was slow, or maybe it was like that because now she felt annoyed and lonely, but the feeling like she was trying to run in water did not leave her when it ended. Her friend, Seokjin, had texted her between the professors stretches of talking and asked her to lunch, and she almost said no until she thought about the depressive state of her dorm room and how she very much did not want to return just yet.

"Do you two hang out without me often?" Namjoon asked when he read the message on her phone. For some reason, they always read each others texts messages, like it was any of their business. Mina had befriended Seokjin through him and Namjoon's existing acquaintance.

"You're usually busy." She shrugged. He frowned.

Namjoon didn't like that, for some reason. And it was no reflection of his opinion of Seokjin, because he in fact liked his friend very much, however, he was not aware that Mina did too. It caused an unsettling feeling in his stomach, which he blamed on a lack of sleep and frustration from class, and he turned to face towards the professor again.