Jisung's POV:
It had been more than a month, and Ryu-ah and I were heading to my parents' house. I was as nervous as she was. It had been a while since I had seen not only my parents, but my older brother. Eomma had called me and told me he was going to be there to meet Ryu-ah as well. I had let her know as soon as I found out. Even though she was clearly nervous, she took it well. All she had to say was: "Well, you had to face Yoongi and Kookie. I doubt you're brother is as bad as either of them can be," smiling at me slightly.
I pulled the SUV up to my parents' house and went to the passenger side, opening the door. I helped her out and we walked to their front door together. After knocking twice, I used my keys to let us in. The knocking had just been my way of letting them know we were there before entering.
They were in the living room waiting for us. My family embraced me, being the youngest and so busy at SM I didn't get to make these trips across town often. When they finally let me go, I went back to Ryu-ah's side, taking her hand in mine again.
"Eomma, Appa, Hyung, I want you to meet Kim Ryung-gi. She's my best friend and girlfriend," I told them.
Immediately, Eomma embraced Ryu-ah and I could see it was a little awkward for her, not having had a maternal figure for so long. Appa gave me a look that said he needed to speak to me. Hyung was looking at me like he knew I was in trouble. When Eomma let Ryu-ah go, Hyung got closer to her.
"It's nice to meet you, Ryung-gi. My name is Park Hyuntae," I heard him say as Appa led me into the dining room.
"Girlfriend, Jisung? That's not why your mother and I allowed you to go to SM. We sent you to follow your ambitions to become an idol," Appa said to me when we were alone.
"I know, Appa," I said, being respectful. "And I haven't lost focus. If anything, Ryu-ah has made me more focused. She understands my dream and doesn't interfere."
"You're not supposed to be dating. Idols don't date. Their companies don't allow it," Appa said. "What happens when SM finds out about this?"
"They already know. They've agreed to let us be, especially since we've been so discreet that nobody's really noticed I have a girlfriend," I answered him. "They've known her for a long time. She was friends with my sunbae-nims in EXO, SHINee, Super Junior, TVXQ, and even NCT for almost a decade, Appa. She does freelance work with SM."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"She produced Dream's last mini album. And the Beyond Live concerts? She's done the graphics for three of the first four shows. SM asked her after the NCT 127 concert to do the graphics for Super Junior's concert on the 31st. It's why we had to wait so long to do this, Appa."
"So, is she a producer or a graphic designer?"
"Actually, Ryu-ah does a little of everything in the music business. She's been raised around it. Ryung-gi is the adopted daughter of Kim Seok-jin of BTS. Until we started going to school together, she spent most of her time in the practice rooms and studios of Big Hit Entertainment. She learned to dance as well as I can, play instruments, produce music, traditionally and remotely, she can choreograph music, she's helped to direct music videos, contributed to FT Island's last album before Lee Honggi went on conscription, been on music shows herself, she can write and compose songs... Appa, I really haven't found an aspect of the music business Ryung-gi is incapable of handling. She can even sing and rap like I can," I told him.
"Has she been recruited by a company?"
"She's in university. She works freelance for companies," I replied.
"Why?"
"While most of her friends are idols, I don't think that's her dream. She's seen the good and the bad side of being an idol. I think she'd rather go to school and make her mark in the music industry her own way, Appa."
"How old is she?"
"Not quite 19, Appa."
"Park Jisung!"
"She turns 19 in July and her father approves of our relationship. When she started dating it was his main rule. She wasn't allowed to date anyone he didn't get to know first and approve. Jin-hyung approves of our relationship and I swear that I'm still a virgin, Appa. I'm not ready to have a relationship like that and I know that Ryu-ah isn't either. You don't have to worry about something like becoming a grandfather unexpectedly," I told him.
"We'll see how today goes, Jisung. If we like your girlfriend, I want to talk to her father to ensure he actually approves, considering she is still underage," Appa said.
"I will give you his number. I only ask that you let me call him first, in front of you before we leave tonight, to let him know I gave you his number and why. After all, he is a member of BTS. They have to be extremely cautious about their phone numbers and who's calling them."
"Fine."
We went back outside and I went right to Ryu-ah's side. Her outfit hid her scar today. It's why I hadn't mentioned her transplant or the accident to my family. If she wanted to tell them, she was free to, but that was her story to tell, not mine.
The five of us spoke a little longer and then sat down to dinner. Of course the inevitable questions came up. Why had her brother adopted her? Where were her parents? For a minute I was worried Ryu-ah might get overwhelmed, but she sat for a few minutes, just breathing before she finally answering.
"My parents, older brother, and I were on a private plane heading to JeJu Island when I was ten years old. I don't know what happened, but the plane malfunctioned and fell from the sky. I watched as my parents and brother died before losing consciousness, into a coma I wouldn't wake up from for three months. Jin, was called and there were some troubles between him and Big Hit, but he adopted me and stayed by my side. I had a heart transplant three months after the accident and that's when I finally woke up. When I finally got out of the hospital, I've lived with BTS ever since. Jin became Appa and the other guys became my oppas."
My family became silent for a few minutes. Then my mother got up and hugged her.
"You poor girl. You've been through so much for someone so young," Eomma said as she hugged her.
"This one is a fighter, Jisung. Take care of her," Appa leaned over to me and said. "And learn from her. Someone like her has different perspectives on life than most people."
"I always do," I said, smiling to him at his obvious approval of Ryu-ah in my life.
I noticed Hyuntae was staring at Ryu-ah then at Eomma, Appa, and me. He wasn't saying anything, it wasn't polite, but I could tell he was considering the possibility of such a simple thing as a trip to JeJu Island turning into such a nightmare.
"Don't pity Kim Ryung-gi, Hyuntae," I told my brother. "She's the strongest person I've ever met. She lives her life, she loves, she laughs, she doesn't let anything hold her back. If there is something she wants to try, she does it, as long as it's safe for her."
"But, isn't she living on a transplanted heart?" Hyuntae asked.
"Yes," Ryu-ah replied before I could. "But in all these years, I've had maybe five incidents where I needed to be hospitalized due to emergencies. There have been a few other scares on top of that, but my heart is still healthy. My cardiologist said I could get another heart in my twenties because I've taken such good care of this one. I know my limitations and I don't go living my life looking to ignore those and die. I want to live my life to the fullest, but I do it within the reality of my life, I can only push so far. Even still, I've been in music videos, I've choreographed music videos, produced songs for idols, tried to conquer my phobia of planes, returned to regular school after years of private tutors, I'm going to university, I go out with my friends, I have my driver's license and my own vehicle. I know how to take care of myself and stand up for those I care about. No matter what happens in the future, I don't want any regrets."
"I would've thought someone who needed a new heart would be someone with wires hooked up to them, using portable machines, with a ton of medications, depressed. Not someone like you, Kim Ryung-gi," Hyuntae told her.
"I do have a small machine I carry with me, just to tell me how my heart is doing if I don't feel well so I know if it's bad enough to go to the hospital or not. I also have emergency medications in case I need them, but honestly, I don't use either often, Hyuntae-ssi. As far as me being depressed, sometimes I am, but that's not good for my heart and I don't do well in therapy."
"Why?" Hyuntae asked, looking intrigued.
"Please understand, this has pretty much been an isolated incident," she started. "But I had been in several types of therapy when I was released from the hospital. In one of the therapies, it was a group for kids who had lost their families. There was one boy that liked to taunt me that I didn't belong there because I had Appa. Closer to our first Christmas without the rest of our family, he kept doing it again and I lost my temper. I hit him and the loss of my temper actually put me in the hospital because my heart was in overdrive because my emotions were out of control."
"How could the adults let another child bully you like that?" Appa asked her.
"I don't know that answer. I think either Yoongi-oppa or Appa have that answer because they didn't just let that go with me ending up in the hospital. Appa had Luhan from EXO come back to Seoul to take care of me because BTS had to leave for the year-end shows while I was still in the hospital. It's when I got out that Luhan called Kris to come fly in to help him out with me."
"Have BTS taken good care of you, Ryung-gi?" Eomma asked.
"Absolutely. I wouldn't be alive today without them," she told her honestly. "Even if there were things that were awkward that I needed help with, there was at least one of them willing to handle the situation."
"What do you mean?" Hyuntae asked.
Ryu-ah turned a little red.
"Females hitting puberty isn't the same as males, Hyuntae-ah," Eomma said to him and all three of us turned very red.
"Eomma!" Hyuntae and I whined together.
"I'm sorry," Eomma said, before looking at Ryu-ah. "I'm sorry, Ryu-ah. I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"It's okay, Mrs. Park."
After that, we had normal conversations. Eomma, Appa, and Hyuntae all seemed to really like Ryu-ah. They exchanged numbers with her, obviously wanting to keep in touch with her. Before we left, I called Jin and explained I was giving Appa his number so he could call and talk to him about me and Ryu-ah. He agreed. I gave Appa the number and Ryu-ah and I left. She drove home.
Ryu-ah's POV:
"That was... different," I told Jisung on the way home.
"I'm sorry about Eomma. I didn't think she'd say something like that at the dinner table... or in front of you..."
"It's okay, Jisung-ie," I started. "Compared to the insanity in the BTS house, that was really a walk in the park."
"Eomma made you turn colors."
"She caught me off-guard. Even with all the excitement, it was quiet," I replied.
"I guess when you compare it to trying to have dinner with Jin, Yoongi, Hobi, Joonie, Jimin, Taehyung, and Kookie, that was a calm dinner," he said, laughing.
"Exactly. Meals at home are like a circus," I said, laughing with him. "Someone always has a complaint about what they're eating, nobody wants to clean up, so Yoongi usually does it while everyone gets ready so Appa doesn't have to, then it's always the debate, interview, practice, no recording! It never stops. And now, they're back to incessantly asking about all the details of what I've done day to day."
"So you're going to be busy for a while when you get home?" he asked me.
"I'm not going home tonight," I told him, which surprised him.
"Where are you going?"
"Namkyu-eonnie has her own place off-campus. Mako, Taeyeon, Lily, Haru, and I are meeting her there after I drop you off to study. We have our physics final in a week and we're not going to wait until the night before to study."
"Does Jin-hyung know you're not coming home?"
"Not yet. I'll call him when I get to Namkyu-eonnie's place. Let him know I'm staying the night to study. It's just too exhausting to try to focus at home sometimes, Jisung."
"Then how about we go get ice cream for ourselves and then stop to pick up study snacks for you and the girls before you drop me off at the dorm?"
I stopped to think over his suggestion for a minute.
"Sure. Just so we can spend a little more time together tonight," I agreed.
After we'd gotten ice cream and snacks to share with the study group, I dropped Jisung at his dorm and made my way to Namkyu-eonnie's. I brought in the snacks, then went outside to grab what I'd need to spend the night and study. While I was out there, I called Appa. His phone went straight to voicemail. So, I called Yoongi-oppa.
"What's up, Kid?" he said as he answered the phone.
"Hey, Oppa," I started. "Listen, I just tried to call Appa, but his phone went right to voicemail."
"Are you on your way back from having dinner with Jisung's family?"
"No. That's the thing. I'm at Namkyu-eonnie's place. Me and the girls are studying for our physics final, so I won't be home until tomorrow night. I was trying to call Appa to let him know," I replied.
"What's with the games, Ryung-gi?" Yoongi-oppa asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You knew when you left earlier you weren't coming back tonight. Why didn't you tell any of us then?" he asked, calling me on my scheme.
I sighed.
"Honestly, Oppa?" I asked rhetorically. "I needed a break from the constant questions about everything I do when I'm not in one of your sights. I needed to study and I can't always do that so easily at home, so I asked Eonnie to host a study group tonight."
"Why can't you study at home anymore?" he asked, getting upset.
"You guys can get distracting and there's a lot more work in university than in high school," I replied.
"Maybe you can't handle working and going to university," he retorted.
"I handle that just fine," I told him, getting angry. "What I can't handle is being kept up later to answer questions when I have assignments and work to do and then woken earlier than necessary while you guys are stomping around making noise not sure of what you're supposed to be doing day to day! Now, I need to get inside to study. Appa wants at least one of you to know where I am and you know!"
I hung up on him and went inside.
"Are you okay, Ryu-ah?" Haru asked as soon as she saw me.
"I just got into an argument with Yoongi-hyung, but I'll be fine. Thanks for asking," I told her.
We sat down when Namkyu-eonnie brought the snacks back, warmed up, and settled in for a long night of studying.
Kookie's POV:
I heard Yoongi-hyung yell in frustration.
"What's wrong, Hyung?" I asked, sipping my banana milk, closing the door to our room before anyone else came asking questions.
"Ryu-ah isn't coming home and she hung up on me," he snarled.
"Where is she?"
"Namkyu-ah's. She said the girls were having a study group tonight and she didn't want to tell us because we're asking her too many questions," he said.
"Since when are you so familiar with Ryu-ah's friend?" I asked, trying to get him to calm down, not focusing on Ryu.
"We've met up a few times since all of us met them here," he said, shrugging it off, going into his 'I don't care' mode, which was still better than heading into Agust D territory.
"Why haven't any of us noticed this?"
"You really think I'd tell any of you that I've been meeting up with a university student?"
"Isn't she kind of young?"
"Namkyu-ah is actually 21. I may be older than her by a few years..."
"I'm older than her by a few years, Hyung," I said, smirking.
"Regardless, I like to talk to her," he said, ignoring me. "There's nothing wrong with two adults talking over coffee."
Other than we're Ryu's older brothers and you're hitting on one of the few female friends she's ever made. I thought to myself, shrugging.
Jisung's POV:
I entered mine and Jaemin's room to find him on his bed playing a video game on his phone.
"Can we talk?" I asked him, sitting on his bed, which I knew would annoy him.
He sighed and sat up next to me.
"What is it that makes you come and sit on my bed this time, Jisung-ah?" he asked.
"Do you think it would be insane if I considered moving in with Ryu-ah?" I asked him.
He looked like he was genuinely thinking.
"Honestly?" he asked and I nodded. "If you were dating someone else and came to me after what? Three or four months together, asking if you should move out of the dorm to move in with your girlfriend, especially your first girlfriend, I'd tell you to get your head checked. But this is Ryu-ah and we've known her for years, since we were part of the SM Rookies when Xiumin, Chen, and Lay did that concert to cheer her up. You've been friends with her for nearly six years, I think, and honestly, as a lover or just as a friend, I think the two of you could handle living together. You may not always agree, but you know how to speak to work things out. Why?"
"I told her maybe she should get her own place when she turns 19," I told him. "But she isn't ready to live alone."
"Why are you telling her to move away from BTS?"
"You haven't seen the way she's so physically and emotionally exhausted?" I asked him and he shrugged. "I asked her about it and she says they've become emotionally exhausting to live with. They're back to questioning everything she does, they just wait until she comes home. That can't be good for her. Sometimes she gets home late, NaNa, and she still has assignments, work to do, and needs to get up for classes and everything. She doesn't need them keeping her up later to give a detailed account of her day."
"That can't be good for her stress," he replied.
"No, it can't."
"But what does this have to do with you leaving the dorms to live with her?"
"When I suggested her moving out, she said if she was going to take such a big step, I was the only one she could see as her roommate or sharing a place with," I admitted.
"Is that why you took her to meet your family?"
"Kinda. I called to ask my mother for advice and she said before anything else, I should at least introduce the family to Ryu-ah."
"How did it go?"
"Ryu-ah handled it better than I did, I think. Eomma said some embarrassing things. Appa was mad when he first realized we were dating, but approved by the end of the night, and Hyuntae was in awe of her. I think she won all of them over before dinner was over."
"Did you expect any less? Other than those jerks at our high school, have you ever seen anyone not like Kim Ryung-gi who has actually met her?"
At the mention of the kids from our high school, I wanted to punch something, but I took a deep breath and calmed myself quickly before Jaemin realized something was wrong.
"Not really," I admitted. "Everyone who actually knows her, loves her quickly."
"Exactly. I didn't think it would be any different with your family. I mean, even Heechul-hyung loves her. If he can love her, anyone can."
We laughed for a minute.
"So, what do you think I should do?" I asked him.
"What would your reasons be to move in with her, Jisung-ah? Honestly?"
"I want to help her have a safe home where she doesn't feel emotionally drained or like she has to avoid going back at the end of the day. She avoided telling BTS she was going to one of her classmates' places tonight until after we left my parents' so she didn't have to tell them face to face, Jaemin-hyung. I want to leave the dorm so that, yes, I can spend time with her when she comes home at night, but to make her happy, because that makes me happy. She's more than my girlfriend, she's my best friend and nothing will change that."
"Then maybe, as hard a sell as this might be to the company, you might want to start looking at places for the two of you. Just... maybe put the place in her name. It will make it harder for sasaengs to find you."
I smiled at him and hugged him, something I didn't often initiate with the members of NCT. They usually tried to hug me and I usually tried to escape. When Jaemin tried to hug me back, I let him.
"Thanks, Jaemin-hyung," I told him.
"All I did was get you to see what you already knew," he replied.
Ryu-ah's POV:
A few days after everything with Yoongi, he still wasn't speaking to me. I wasn't sleeping at the house so much as blacking out from exhaustion, unwilling to cave and go into Yoongi and Kookie's room for comfort after the way Yoongi spoke to me. Everything was tense in the house, and this time it had nothing to do with me and Appa. It was me and Yoongi. I was getting up and leaving for school before Appa even got up to make breakfast, coming home and just going straight to my bedroom to do my assignments, my work, and then blacking out. I hated it. Yoongi knew me better than anyone else in the house, and I hated fighting with him.
I was at school, sitting in the hall where my computer graphics class would have their work reviewed by our professor for our final. At some point I must have blacked out, because the next thing I knew, I was being nudged awake. However, the person standing over me was probably the last person I ever would've expected.
"Ryu-ah? You're in this class?" Hansol, from Seventeen, asked me.
"I was transferred in late. They initially put me in a basic computer graphics class. I outpaced them too much so they tested me and gave me credit based on obvious experience," I said, trying to clear the fog from my mind, as I looked at the man I'd lost my virginity to and hadn't seen much since. "I didn't even know you were taking classes. How are you?"
"I'm okay," he said, looking worried. "Are you?"
"Just not sleeping much. Sorry if I worried you," I replied.
He sat next to me and pulled out his laptop.
"Don't apologize. I know things were weird the last time we spent time together, but I'm still your friend... unless you changed your mind," he said.
"No. No, I haven't changed my mind. We're okay, Hansol," I reassured him. "I just don't like to make people worried."
"Ryu..." he started. "I know you don't want to talk about what happened at that party, but did you have any issues after that?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I forgot to wear a condom and I haven't exactly had time to really see you the last few months..." he started.
"I had access to emergency contraceptives before I even left Seoul, Hansol. I didn't get pregnant. I took the pill before we even left to come home," I told him.
"How did you have that?" he asked me.
"Honestly, someone I was close to got it for me just in case something happened out there, whether it was in my control or not," I replied. "He just wanted to make sure that no matter what, I was safe and didn't have my life turned upside down by an out of control party."
"Emotionally, have you been okay? I mean, I don't know if you had ever even..."
"I was a virgin," I told him and he stared at me in shock. "I don't blame you, Hansol. I know you're a good guy and wouldn't hurt me. But those jerks basically drugged me and I did something that I wouldn't have done, something that if I had been in my right mind, I would have panicked before it got beyond kissing."
"What do you mean?"
"You need to know something, because I'm not alright, Hansol, but it's not your fault. It's their's," I told him. "When I first got out of the hospital after the transplant, I started school again with the best tutors Appa could find. Big Hit paid for everything. But I had a math tutor... he didn't keep his hands where they should be. Yoongi knocked him out when he caught his hand on my upper thigh one day. I still have nightmares about him. It's why I wouldn't have let things escalate. Which you couldn't have known, but if you had known they had essentially drugged, poisoned me, you wouldn't have touched me at all."
"Ryu-ah... I'm sorry. You're right, I never would have..." he said.
"The trauma doesn't come from you, Hansol. It was already there. Because of what they did to me, I don't even remember the details of what happened. I know what we did, but the details are fuzzy. The trauma comes from the fact that those little assholes took away my ability to think clearly, taking away my ability to consent, which doesn't help someone who already had nightmares about a teacher with roaming hands."
"You used to sleep though. What changed?" he asked and when I didn't reply, he continued. "Well, I don't like finding my friend, who has medical conditions, asleep, alone, in an empty university hall, waiting for the class to get here. What if something happened, Ryu-ah?"
I took a deep breath.
"I appreciate your concern, Hansol," I started. "Really, I'm okay, just tired."
"Fine. I won't push," he said, taking the hint. "So, why don't you tell me what's new with you?"
"Jisung and I are dating, I've been freelancing producing music for different people, I did the graphics for four of the Beyond Live concerts and NCT Dream's comeback that started at the end of April, and I actually have friends who are girls."
"You're lying about the last one," he said.
I pulled out my phone and showed him the same picture I sent Luhan. He tensed up a little, which made me nervous.
"What's wrong?" I asked him.
"Ryu-ah, I know you've been busy with school and all the freelance work you've been doing, but you remember Big Hit bought Pledis, right?" he asked and I nodded. "Well, after that was settled, Seventeen moved into a new dorm in Gangnam."
"That's great for you, but it doesn't explain why you tensed up at the sight of the picture of me and my friends."
"I've seen one of those girls at a coffee shop in Gangnam a few times and she's usually not alone."
"So?" I asked, starting to get annoyed.
"Ryu-ah, when I've seen her at the coffee shop, she's usually with Min Yoongi," he said, shattering my world.
"Who?" I barely got out.
He took my phone from me and made the picture larger. Then he showed me who it was.
"It's her," he said to me gently. "I'm sorry, Ryu-ah."
Namkyu-eonnie. I thought to myself, cursing.
"Don't apologize. It's not your fault you saw something neither one of them had the decency to tell me," I replied, starting to shut myself down.
"Are you gonna be okay?" he asked and I just nodded.
When the professor came in, I waited for him to call my name to display the graphics I'd been using and talk about what I'd been using them for. At the end of my presentation, he looked pleased with my work. I closed my laptop, went to the desk I had been in, grabbed my bag and left. I decided to email him later and tell him I wasn't feeling well, which was why I'd left early.
I drove until I hit the security gates. They called to confirm it was okay to let me in. When I was outside, I parked my car and made my way to the front door. As soon as I reached it, Jiyong opened it, waiting for me to hug him.
"What's wrong, Ryu-ah?" he asked me, which made me look at him. "I know you're supposed to be in class. You gave me your schedule so I know when I can and can't call you, remember?"
"Oppa, can I stay with you for a few days? I don't want to go home," I started. "I want to get a place of my own."
"What do your father, brothers, and boyfriend have to say about this?" he asked me.
"I'm not telling them, well, I'm going to tell Jisung because I gave him the option to come with me. But Appa and BTS? I'm not ready to speak to them."
"What's going on, Ryung-gi? I know how much BTS means to you, so what happened that you essentially want to move out without telling them?" he asked me.
I explained everything. How draining it was to be there and the fact I had just found out one of the few female friends I'd ever made had been sneaking around with Yoongi. I explained it was just too much for me and I needed my own space.
"You're still underage, Ryu-ah," he said to me, sadly.
"By the time I find a place, I won't be. It's already the second week of June. My birthday is next month. I turn 19, Oppa," I told him, needing his help, not able to keep facing the BTS drama.
Jiyong started pacing. After a few minutes, he stopped and looked at me.
"I'll make you a deal," he started. "I'll go home with you, help you get everything you need to come stay with me for a while. But you and I need to sit down with Jin. We'll explain why you're doing this. You're not planning on pushing the seven of them out of your lives, are you?"
"No! I just need to have space from them. They're everywhere, Jiyong-Oppa. And now, that includes with my friends," I said, trying not to break from the betrayal from my eldest brother and one of my only friends at the university.
Jiyong held me for a minute and then we started to make our way back to the house. We packed pretty quickly and got everything important/necessary out of there without anyone knowing I was there. When we got back to Jiyong's place, he set me up in the guest room. While I was settling in, he contacted Appa to tell him that there was something urgent he needed to come see him about, leaving word with security to let him in.
A few hours later, Appa was sitting in Jiyong's living room.
"What was so urgent, Hyung?" Appa asked, trying not to sound disrespectful or angry.
"Ryu-ah, it's time!" Jiyong called back to me. "Come out here so we can discuss this!"
I took a deep breath and went to the living room. Appa was surprised I was there.
"Ryu-ah, what is going on here?" Appa asked me.
"Appa, you know I love you and that right now, things between you and I are still going great," I started.
"What about it?" he asked me.
I looked from my hands to Jiyong.
"Jin, she moved out of your house. Not because she doesn't want anything to do with BTS, but because she needs her own space," Jiyong said.
"What is he talking about, Ryung-gi?" Appa asked, trying not to explode.
"I haven't been okay at home, Appa. I'm not sleeping, Yoongi and I aren't talking, all of you are too in my personal business and I feel like I have no privacy again, and I found out today that it seems that Yoongi is getting close to my friend Namkyu. It was the last straw, Appa. I need my own space."
"So you move in with Kwon Jiyong?" Appa demanded, barely keeping from exploding at this point.
"This is temporary, Appa," I tried to reassure him. "Jiyong-oppa is just letting me stay here while I start looking at places and until I turn 19 in a few weeks."
"Ryu-ah, you're not prepared to handle your medical decisions on your own yet," Appa tried to argue.
"Really? Because when you let Taemin be my guardian you told him to trust me when it came to my heart because I would tell him what I needed. Even when I was in the hospital, you told him to trust my choices because between me and my doctor, we'd tell him what was best for me. You told Luhan the same thing when I was even younger. Now, I don't know what's best for me?"
"It's not that, Ryu-ah... Why are you rushing to grow up so fast?" Appa asked desperately.
"I had to grow up years ago, Appa! If I wanted to live, I had to grow up a lot faster than I should have because it was the only way to understand what was happening to me so I didn't hurt or kill myself! I'm weeks away from turning 19, Appa. I've had this heart for nine years already. Nobody could've guessed that someone so young with a heart transplant would have been able to understand it on their own so quick, but I did, Appa. Please, stop trying to keep me a child when I haven't been one in nine years."
Jiyong hugged me to help me calm down.
"Jin, Ryu-ah showed up here earlier and asked for my help. I told her I'd give it to her, but it was on the condition that you knew why she did what she did. She's not hiding from you. Please, understand that. She's growing into a very talented woman and she needs space to grow. This isn't about anything bad between you and her. It's about her feeling she's grown all she can around the seven of you."
"So, you're going to help my daughter grow, Kwon Jiyong?"
"I hope you don't mean that in any other way than as a mentor and older brother, because that's all I see Ryu-ah as. This arrangement here is temporary until she becomes of age and can live on her own. The only way she could move out of my place sooner is if she and her boyfriend moved in together and I don't know if SM is just going to say okay to that. So, until she can, I'll offer her a safe place to stay here. If you can stop arguing with her, I'm more than happy to see you visit her anytime she wants while she's here," Jiyong told Appa.
"You're really not trying to push me out of your life, Ryu-ah?" Appa asked me.
"Never, Appa. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the seven of you. But I need my own space to get away from you sometimes. As I'm growing up, I can't be around the seven of you all the time. I can't handle you prying into every little thing I do. I love you all, even when I'm mad at you, but sometimes, I need you to leave me be for my own sanity."
Appa hugged me and sighed as he held me.
"I suppose I did start to cling to you again after you graduated high school. No matter how hard I try, I can't accept that my baby, my Ryu-ah, is basically an adult now," he said as he held me.
"I'm always going to be your Ryu-ah, Appa. Just not a baby," I replied.
Appa let me go and looked to Jiyong, bowing to him.
"Thank you for looking after the best interests of my ddal when I couldn't. If you need anything for her, please, just call me."
"Jin, I just want to make sure that she's safe and that the two of you don't mess up your relationship. Siblings, father/daughter, it doesn't matter. I love my sister with all my heart, but I'm also really close to my father. Either way, I know how important family is. Just because she's growing up and can't live in the same space as you doesn't mean she loves you any less. I just wanted to make sure you understood that. She's trying to branch out on her own so she doesn't grow to hate you guys. She loves you too much."
"Thank you, Hyung," Appa said, bowing again before looking at me. "I did what I did because I wanted to protect you, Ryu-ah. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Appa. I just need some space," I told him.
"Don't be too much of a stranger," he said before he walked out the door.
When Appa was gone, Jiyong held me as I cried. Facing Appa like that was the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life. After I was done crying, I washed up and got changed.
"Should I wait up and save dinner for you? I'm ordering takeout," he asked me when he saw me come out of my room.
"I should be back here by eleven or so. I'm supposed to be at SM right now, working with Chanyeol and Sehun," I told him.
"Are you sure you're up to that?" he asked me.
"I already signed a freelance contract for the project and the album is coming out around my 19th birthday. Besides, what do you think is going to pay for me to get out of your place?"
"Alright. Just don't overwhelm yourself."
"Thanks, Oppa," I said, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
When I got to SM, Jisung was waiting in the lobby with Taeyong.
"You moved in with G-Dragon?" Taeyong asked in shock.
"It's only until I turn 19 and can get a place of my own," I replied.
"What happened?" Jisung asked.
"I found out from Vernon that Yoongi has been sneaking around with Namkyu," I told him matter-of-factly.
"So, why are you here?" Jisung asked me as we got into the elevator, and he hugged me to his chest.
"I have work. I'm working with Chanyeol and Sehun," I told him.
We reached the floor I needed to get off on. Jisung gave me a quick kiss.
"You know where to find me and the rest of NCT if you need to," he said as I stepped out before the elevator doors closed.
I got to Sehun and Chanyeol. They looked at me, but then Chanyeol started grinning.
"I'd complain you were late to work, but I hear you just moved in with God," he said to me.
"Relax, Yeol. He's a friend helping out a friend," I told him.
"How's Jin taking it?" Sehun asked.
"Towards me? Resignedly okay. When he gets back to BTS? I don't know," I told him. "But gossip can happen later. We're here to work now, and your album needs to be done by the end of the week to get it printed on time. So, we have a lot of work to do and I'm only staying until 10:30 pm."
"Why?" Yeol asked.
"Honestly? I'd like to be able to give my boyfriend more than a twenty second explanation as to why I just moved into another man's house before I go back home to said man's house," I told him.
"Right! Sometimes I forget that you and the maknae of maknaes are an item," Sehun said. "You guys are so quiet about it and Dispatch hasn't figured it out yet."
"Alright! It's time to get to work!" I exclaimed.
We started having more fun when they started actually working. Throughout the afternoon, they actually got me to start telling them why I'd moved in with Jiyong. When they took a lunch break, I got called up to Lee Soo Man's office. I had no idea why, but when I got there, Jisung was up there too.
"Yes, Sir?" I asked, walking into the office.
"Have a seat, Ryung-gi," he told me, so I took the seat next to Jisung. "Park Jisung has come to me and asked to be allowed to move out of the Dream dorm and into a private residence with you. What do you have to say about this?"
I was shocked. We had talked about it, but it was only that once.
"Mr. Lee, Jisung and I have known each other for almost six years now and have only grown closer the longer we've known each other. First as friends, but this part, where we went beyond the friendship, those feelings were there for a long time before I was even willing to give him a chance. I was afraid to, but we both felt it. We've cared about each other a long time. Jisung had suggested I get a place of my own a few months ago, but I told him I'm not ready to live on my own yet and since he's my best friend over anything else, he's the one I would want to take that step with. That's the last time we spoke of it. Before the Beyond Live concerts and even Dream's comeback," I told him.
"Then where did this come from, Park Jisung?" he asked.
"I give my all to SM 100% of the time, and I have for more than six years, Sir. I have happily lived in the dorms with my NCT brothers," he said, looking at me. "But I want more than sleeping on a bunk bed. Kim Ryung-gi is my best friend and this is one rite of passage I don't want to miss, being able to share a place with my best friend at university age."
"However, Jisung, you are not going to university and your best friend is also your girlfriend," Lee Soo Man argued. "What would your parents say about this?"
"My parents met Ryung-gi already, Sir," Jisung told him. "They actually seemed to adore her, as did my older brother."
"That may not be the case when they find out you want to move in with her," Soo Man told him. "So, what really made you decide to spring this so suddenly?"
"I did, Sir," I said. "I've been under stress at home and I decided I couldn't deal with it, so I moved in with my friend, Kwon Jiyong, earlier today. Seeing that I hit that breaking point just weeks before I turned 19, when I could get my own place, must have made Jisung think this is a good idea."
"You're living with G-Dragon, Ms. Kim?" Lee Soo Man asked me.
"As of late this morning, yes, Sir."
He smirked.
"This relationship is more serious than I thought, isn't it?" he asked us.
"What do you mean, Sir?" I asked him.
"Jisung, if I gave you a choice between Kim Ryung-gi and your career, what would you choose?" he asked Jisung.
I gasped. Jisung looked at me in fear.
"Sir, you approved of our relationship. Why would you ask me something like that?" Jisung asked, trying to avoid the question.
"Let's just say, for the sake of getting an answer, I told you that you have to choose, right now, your career or Ms. Kim. What do you choose?"
"Ryu-ah. I'm sorry, Sir."
His smirk got brighter.
"Ms. Kim, you've been freelancing here more often lately. If I gave you an option between keeping those freelance contracts and Park Jisung, what would you choose?"
"Jisung, which I won't apologize for. I've seen more in life than any normal person my age has seen to know better than to choose money over someone you care for," I told him, holding his gaze firmly. "Now, my question to you is, what are you going to do?"
I stared him down and he gave in.
"Nothing. It was hypothetical. I wasn't really going to make the two of you choose," he said, trying to act like it was a game. "Jisung, if this is something you really want, I need to sit down with you and your parents."
"That's fine with me," Jisung replied.
"You don't have to do anything on my end, Sir," I reminded him. "I only freelance here. So, may I get back to work?"
"Yes, you're both dismissed," he told us.
Jisung and I walked out together.
"I thought you were still thinking this over? And I thought we would approach him only when we had more details? What happened?" I asked Jisung.
"You need me now, Ryu-ah. I know you're not doing well, and at least if we can do this, we'll be coming home to each other."
I gave him a quick kiss before heading back down to Chanyeol and Sehun, who were waiting for me already.
"Now, why are you late?" Chanyeol asked.
"I got called to the principal's office," I told him.
"Soo Man? Seriously?" he asked and I shrugged. "Why?"
"Because Jisung went to him and asked if he could move out of the dorms so we could move in together," I said, getting everything ready to push one of them back into the booth.
"Had the two of you even talked about that before?" Sehun asked.
"Once, a few months ago," I replied.
"So, he did this because he's jealous," Yeol said, smirking.
"Actually, Chanyeol, he's doing this because he knows I'm not sleeping right and I'm holding a lot of things in. He knows that he helps keep me calm and centered, so he figures if we do this, at least at the end of the day we'd be coming home to each other."
"Sure," Sehun said. "Because he's the only teenage boy in history who isn't ruled by his hormones, Ryu-ah?"
"Our relationship isn't like that. He knows I'm not ready and I don't think he is, either," I told them, hating that I sounded naïve, but knowing I was right about Jisung.
They let it go and finally went back to work.
Jisung's POV:
A few days after the meeting with Ryung-gi and I in Lee Soo Man's office, I was heading back into his office with Eomma and Appa. I was nervous. I had no idea what would happen once the four of us sat down, especially after what he pulled with Ryu-ah. Somehow, she had managed to make him back off. I didn't know if I would be so lucky again. When we got into his office, Ryu-ah was there again.
"I thought you had your calculus final today?" I asked her, concerned for her grades, when I saw her.
"It doesn't start until one. Since the meeting was so early I was able to come, but if draws out to long, I'll have to leave," she said, looking at Lee Soo Man.
"Please, everyone, have a seat," he said, way too jovially for my liking. "Would anyone like tea?"
"Thank you," my parents said, accepting the offer.
"Thank you," I also accepted.
"What kind of tea?" Ryu-ah asked.
"It's a ginseng tea," Soo Man replied to her.
"I'm sorry, but I'll have to pass. I have to be cautious about herbs that can be used as medicinal herbs in my tea. Thank you for the offer, though," she said to him, be as polite as ever.
"How about coffee?" he offered in place of tea.
"No thank you. I'm not supposed to drink coffee," she said, even though I know she was known to drink coffee every now and then, just not like Jaemin.
"I suppose we should get down to business since Kim Ryung-gi is on a limited timeframe," Soo Man said, finally sitting down at the head of the table.
Ryu-ah and I were on his left. My parents were on his right. It already made me feel like he was trying to pit Ryu-ah and I against my parents and I didn't like it.
"Mr. and Mrs. Park, do you know why I called you in for this meeting?" he asked my parents.
"Seeing as both our son and his girlfriend are here, I'm assuming it has something to do with them," Appa replied.
"I was told that you were aware of Ryung-gi and Jisung's relationship," Eomma said. "Was this not true?"
"No, I have been aware of it. Just not how serious it actually is," he replied.
"What do you mean, 'serious?'" Appa asked.
"Jisung has asked permission to move out of the NCT Dream dorm in order to move in with Kim Ryung-gi, Mr. Park."
Appa looked at me in shock.
"Isn't that moving this relationship along a bit fast, Jisung?" Appa asked me.
"I've known Ryu-ah almost six years, Appa," I started. "We've gotten closer every year, more after she started school with me, I told you that. But I fell in love with her long before we started dating."
"How do you feel about my son, Ryung-gi?" Appa asked.
"Mr. Park, Jisung is right. We've gotten closer the longer we've known each other, but when we started school together, we realized we were more alike than we'd ever realized. Jisung didn't know how to talk to or get along with kids his own age because he spent so many years training, and I'm not trying to blame anyone. I didn't know how to talk to or get along with kids my own age because after my transplant Appa kept me at his side, having me schooled with private tutors until I started high school and I was skipped to Jisung's class not long after I started. I grew up with a mouth like Min Yoongi and Lee Taemin because they were some of the people I spent a lot of time with, so I didn't make friends. But it didn't take long for our close friendship to turn into love, which I tried to push as far away as I could."
"But why?" Eomma asked her.
"Because of my heart transplant, Mrs. Park. Jisung was too important to me and I was scared that if I did let myself love him the way I already did, the way I knew he loved me, I was scared I would lose him or that something would happen to my heart and I would end up hurting him that way. Either way, I didn't want to risk losing him or hurting him. And he knew how I really felt, even when I dated a few other guys, but those relationships never lasted because while I cared about the guys, when it came down to one thing or another with me, they always seemed to either overstress me or unintentionally ignore my limitations. And like he promised, Jisung was always there for me. He was too good for me and I knew it, but I loved him more than anyone outside of BTS. So, yes, I'd fallen in love with your son long before SM caught him kissing me the day we graduated high school or before we finally became an official couple just before I started university a few months ago. But at the core of our relationship is the fact that we're each other's best friends."
"You love our son, Ryung-gi?" Appa asked, shocked.
"BTS are my family, Mr. Park, and they are the only ones I care about more than I love your son," she told him.
The Parks and Jisung were all smiling brightly at me and I couldn't help but smile back at Jisung.
"That's all well and good," Lee Soo Man cut in. "But the two also said they would put each other above their careers. How do you feel about that?"
"Actually, Mr. Lee," Ryu-ah started before Eomma and Appa could react. "We were responding to 'hypothetical' questions when you asked us that. Remember? And the only one who said they'd give up their career was Jisung, when you forced him into a corner to play your hypothetical game. I told you I was willing to give up my freelance contracts with SM. I never said I only freelanced here. I'm a freelance contractor. I'm free to work wherever and with whomever I so choose when I have free time. So, if you had decided to terminate all of my SM freelance contracts, that would have opened me up to work with any number of other idols, including Kris Wu, Lu Han, and Huang Zitao in China. Due to my vast experience I can do just about anything within an entertainment company, so I'm an asset to any company I offer my assistance to. But you were coercing Jisung and I to reveal how deeply we care about each other in an effort to try to see if you could manipulate us."
"I was not," Lee Soo Man said, not liking Ryu-ah's implications.
"Really?" she asked him. "When I played this recording for my lawyer, he didn't agree with you."
She played the conversation back we'd had with him days ago and now I knew why she'd made the time to be there with me and my parents. As my parents listened to the recording they got angry.
"You had no right to record that conversation, Ms. Kim," Lee Soo Man said, getting defensive.
"Well, after the way you got angry at me for helping my friend, Kris, produce his song and then be a part of the music video for it, I took the advice of my friend, Lu Han, to watch my back around here, Sir. It turned out, Lu Han gave me some pretty good advice. I brought this to my lawyer because I was worried you would try something with Jisung to dismiss him from NCT over this conversation. Now, it's not the word of two teenagers against the head of SM Entertainment. Mr. and Mrs. Park know what you said to us. So, what is the real point of this meeting?" Ryu-ah asked. "Don't waste any of our time. As I'm sure you do, we all have other things we should be doing with our time."
"The meeting is first and foremost about the relationship between Kim Ryung-gi and Park Jisung," he said, flustered.
"A relationship you had approved, we approve of, and even Kim Ryung-gi's father approves of, so what is the problem?" Appa asked him. "I was told that you asked them to keep it discreet. They've done that."
"And the fact that your 19 year old son wants to move in with his girlfriend?" Lee Soo Man asked.
"Ryung-gi, Jisung, do the two of you realize what that means? You'll be responsible for each other, paying your own bills, taking care of your own health and well-being, doing your own laundry, cooking and cleaning," Eomma explained.
"I understand, Mrs. Park."
"So do I, Eomma," I said, looking at Ryu-ah. "I feel like together, the two of us can do the impossible."
"And what about your schedules with NCT, Jisung?" Appa asked me.
"I'll ensure he's wherever he needs to be early every day. I'm in university and I'm a freelancer in the entertainment industry. I always have things to do, so I'm up early everyday," Ryu-ah told him. "Until he gets his own car, I'll drive him around. If I don't have to go anywhere, I'll let him take my car."
"How does your father feel about you moving out, Ryung-gi?" Eomma asked her.
"I moved out of Appa's place a few days ago. I'm staying with G-Dragon. He's a friend of mine and he's letting me stay until I can get a place of my own. When I moved in with G-Dragon, we sat down and spoke with Appa about why I left."
"Which was what?" Appa asked.
"I'm growing up and was living with seven men. I felt suffocated and I needed my own space to get away from them. I love them and will always love them. But I need to love them from my own space," she told him.
"Sounds like a normal girl, coming of age, who needs a chance to find herself," Eomma asked. "But usually one does that with female friends or on their own."
"I don't really have female friends," Ryu-ah told Eomma. "And Jisung is the one who has always made me feel the most secure, even if we didn't agree, he was always there for me and I try to do the same for him."
Eomma and Appa looked at each other for a minute. Ryu-ah's alarm went off on her phone. She looked at me apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Jisung-ie. I have to go or I'll be late for my calculus final," she said hugging me quickly. "It was nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Park. Hopefully, next time won't be under such circumstances. Please forgive me leaving so suddenly."
"Good luck on your exam, Dear," Eomma told her.
"Drive safely," Appa said, as they got up and hugged her.
"Mr. Lee, I'll be back to finish EXO-SC's project later today," she said, bowing and leaving the room without waiting for an answer.
"She's definitely got a fighter's spirit, Jisung," Appa told me. "I told you she'd be able to teach you a lot."
"Mr. and Mrs. Park, what is your decision about Jisung and Ryung-gi?" Lee Soo Man asked Eomma and Appa.