Chapter Text
"Kim Namjoon, you've really gone and done it this time."
What Namjoon wanted to do was protest and defend himself -- he hadn't done anything wrong! Instead, he hung his head in penance and let CEO Bang upbraid him in this conference room. Namjoon figured at least a third of the company had their ears pressed to the walls, trying to hear. It wasn't often that Bang Shi-Hyuk himself gave his protégé a dressing-down, but it did happen from time to time. Namjoon just hadn't expected it to happen again after he'd won the KMA last year, but apparently his luck had run out.
Across the table, Hobeom wiggled his eyebrows and shifted his face in what Namjoon assumed was a comforting, understated manner. It mostly made him look like he'd eaten something too sour.
CEO Bang was still lecturing. Namjoon tuned back into what he was saying. "Of all the irresponsible, foolhardy things to do. I thought maybe you'd just run your mouth on your variety show. But a dating scandal--"
"I'm sorry," Namjoon said, finally getting a word in edgewise. Sometimes, if he cut off CEO Bang's rambling, the lecture got cut in half.
Bang Shi-Hyuk sighed and sat in the chair he's been pacing back and forth past for the last ten minutes. "I know you are, Namjoon-ah," he said, voice gentle. "You're a good kid, that's why I'm so disappointed. If you'd told off some variety show host or even been caught in flagrante with a foreigner, we could handle it. But this--"
Frustration at his own impotent position in all this washed over him. "CEO Bang--"
But he held up a hand, and Namjoon shut his mouth with a click. "You're lucky Manager Hobeom and I have a plan."
Something like dread slid down Namjoon's spine. "Wait--"
Hobeom grinned. "Namjoon-ah, I had to call in my biggest I.O.U., but I can definitely say I've saved your career. Single-handedly. I like twenty-one year old Hibiki whiskey, in case you were wondering."
Namjoon suppressed an eyeroll and was about to say he could handle the situation himself -- when the door to the conference room opened.
"Ah, please forgive us--"
Namjoon knew that voice, polite and well-enunciated. He knew the voice, and the arrestingly beautiful face it came from, with the round eyes and fair complexion Namjoon's insecure teen self had coveted in others and found lacking in himself. Hell, if he were being honest, he knew the body hidden under the boxy blue button-down and tailored black slacks, too, though not from direct experience. Hadn't he furtively watched twenty hours of that Olympic swim team drama on his last flight from London to Seoul? (He had, and no one with reasonable visual acuity would be able to fault or judge him.)
Somehow, in person, Korea's Sweetheart Kim Seokjin was even more overwhelming than he was shirtless on a tiny airplane screen. (Imagine that, Namjoon thought sarcastically to himself.) He seemed to glide into the room, bringing with him the smell of cold winter air and laundry.
"CEO Bang, I apologize for interrupting." He bowed graciously, then straightened and smiled. One hand came up to push a nonexistent lock off of his forehead, drawing attention to the expanse of it on display, his eyebrows dramatic slashes in his face.
Namjoon was desperately trying not to remember exactly how many abs Kim Seokjin had.
(Six.)
While Namjoon was making internal Windows Shutdown noises, Bang Shi-Hyuk greeted Seokjin warmly, and then his manager, Kim Sejin, behind him.
Sejin turned to greet Hobeom, who stood from his chair. He pushed at Namjoon's shoulder, who scrambled to his feet, as well.
Oh. He was just a little bit taller than Korea's Sweetheart Kim Seokjin. Who'd have guessed.
He made eye contact with Namjoon and smiled, the perfect smile he wore on camera and at award shows. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'd been hoping we'd have an opportunity like this. I look forward to working with you."
Horror dawned on Namjoon. He fixed a glare on Hobeom. "You didn't."
Hobeom smiled. Behind Seokjin, his manager paled.
Seokjin's expression froze slightly. "RM-ssi is going to produce the single for my drama, that's why we're all gathered here…?"
Sejin winced.
CEO Bang looked nonplussed. "We're happy to make that part of the stipulations for your assistance with a sensitive matter."
Namjoon frowned at this. At that moment, Seokjin's eyes flicked to his face. Namjoon looked away, focusing on a knot in the woodgrain of the table.
"I don't understand," Seokjin said, the pleasantness seeping out of his voice. "I'm an actor. RM-ssi is a producer. What else could possibly--" He fixed his stare onto Namjoon. It rested like a barbell across his shoulders. "Unless the rumors are true." His tone was flat, all the warmth leached out; it wasn't a question.
"You've signed our NDA, so if it's okay with you, shall we speak comfortably?" CEO Bang folded his hands on the table and waited for Seokjin to acquiesce.
For his part, Seokjin looked stern, expression a bit dark for a moment, before his features smoothed into careful neutrality. "Of course, CEO Bang. We are in your place of business."
Namjoon had to give the guy points; few people had that much spine with Bang Shi-Hyuk.
"Our Namjoonie--" Like Namjoon wasn't sitting 2 meters away from him, but sure, okay. "He's gotten himself into a bit of trouble."
"Getting caught being a sidepiece usually wouldn't warrant my assistance," Seokjin replied. He was smiling and his tone was pleasant enough.
Namjoon felt the blow for what it was. Everything about this meeting was going to hurt. He should leave, pay back the contract, break his lease, sell off his KAWS collection, study Swahili--
"You're Korea's Sweetheart, your reputation is impeccable." CEO Bang counted off items on his fingers. "You've weathered every breakup you've had publicly with aplomb. If anything, your exes gained status for having dated and broken up with you amicably. You've just wrapped on a critical darling of a film that's going to screen at a European film festival. You're untarnishable."
"That won't be true if I vouch for RM-ssi," Seokjin replied placidly. "Me putting in a good word for him in a press release or SNS won't be enough to turn the tide."
Namjoon's stomach clenched. Did CEO Bang really need to drag this out? He opened his mouth to speak, but Hobeom placed a hand over his and shook his head sharply. Namjoon closed his mouth with a click.
"You're right," Bang Shi-Hyuk agreed. "It won't. We'd need more."
"More." Seokjin repeated, and Namjoon watched as the idea dawned on him. "More, from me. Me, specifically."
"And our Namjoonie, too," CEO Bang added.
Seokjin stood up suddenly. "Manager Sejin," he said, smiling. The smile and voice sounded like a brandished knife. "Could I talk to you outside for just a moment?"
CEO Bang relaxed in his chair. "There are a few small conference rooms across the hall. Please help yourself to any one that is open."
Seokjin bowed politely, then strode out of the room, Sejin following behind him.
When the large glass door swung itself back into place, CEO Bang coughed lightly. "I think that went well."
Namjoon turned to Hobeom. "What--"
"--did you do?" Seokjin asked, once the door to the little conference room had latched.
The small meeting space had a minimalist vibe, with a single square table and two chairs carefully arranged for space maximization. Seokjin idly wondered if people auditioned here, or just got fired in this room. Bad vibes.
Kim Sejin, his manager, had the grace to look chagrined. "Hobeomie and I meet up for drinks sometimes. Once, he got me out of a tough situation--"
Seokjin raised an eyebrow.
Sejin waved a hand. "It's a long story. Short version, I owe him one. He called me a couple of days ago wanting to call in the favor. I couldn't…say no. I'm sorry, Seokjin-ah."
"Sejin-ssi, we agreed we would make these kinds of decisions together." But Seokjin sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. "What exactly did you agree to? Because it sounds like they want me to pretend to date RM publicly until his scandal dies down."
Sejin winced.
Seokjin froze. "I was kidding."
"I'm...not." Sejin shifted uncomfortably. "That's almost verbatim what Hobeomie asked of me."
"Is it what you agreed to?"
He shook his head and held up his hands. "No! I told them you had final say."
"And do I?"
At that, Sejin looked hurt. "I wouldn't do that to you, and you know that."
Guilt coursed through him. "You're right," Seokjin admitted quietly. "I'm upset, I apologize."
"No offence taken," Sejin replied gently.
Seokjin stared at the blank, flat white wall for a long moment. Part of him wondered how many other, recently-laid-off souls had stared at the same spot. "What's their opening offer?"
"They want two and a half months. Public dates, designated partner at events. He would be your seatmate and plus-one at any foreign awards you attend."
Seokjin did the math. "Wait, that means Cannes."
"Cannes," Sejin agreed grimly. "Press release would go out by end of week announcing you two have been dating for a year now--"
"Wait--"
"In order to divert suspicion about Hyeong-do's paternity." Sejin finished.
"That rumor is gaining traction?"
Sejin sighed. "They did a photo spread for Osen. The baby has a big dimple on his left cheek."
Just like RM. "Well, shit," Seokjin said flatly, all his filters down.
"They need you," Sejin said, seriously. "They really need you. There's very few people who could reasonably divert suspicion, let alone be able to weather any blowback scandal. You're their top pick, and not just because Hobeom thinks he can strong-arm me." Sejin's expression was a little forbidding, mouth a flat line. "Their offer included an album. Your first album. Full BigHit resources, released under our label. They'd call it a collaboration project with KSJ.SK, but it would be yours, Seokjin-ah." Softly, he added. "You'd have full control. Your demos would be the basis of songs. RM would write lyrics. Bang Shi Hyuk himself would produce it, if you wanted."
Anxiety and anticipation rolled over him in a wave. "And if the album sucks?"
Sejin scoffed. "His nickname is 'Hitman Bang,' as if he'd ever allow anything with his name on it to suck."
"And what if I get stuck in development hell?"
"We'll put in a clause that the album has to drop within two years of the signing date."
"What if I use my veto?"
Sejin paused. "You could," he said slowly. "And I would respect that. I am asking you to consider not vetoing. There's a lot of upside here. For RM, sure, but also for you."
It was true: Seokjin had wanted an album for about a year, and had even carefully penned a few simple songs he could strum on a guitar or haltingly plink out on a piano. His next drama role even contractually required him to sing on the soundtrack. An album, produced by Bang Shi Hyuk himself, with lyrics by RM, was beyond imagining. The last person to get that kind of treatment was Kim Taehyung, and V was one of the top selling Korean soloists of the decade.
He looked back at the wall, at the very slight discoloration that was probably where hundreds of other cornered souls had stared as they made their own life-altering decisions.
"Okay," Seokjin said at last. "I--"
"I'll do it," Seokjin said, voice calm and expression carefully neutral.
Namjoon's jaw dropped. When Seokjin had stepped out, his barely leashed wrath obvious even to Namjoon with his minus-seven vision power, Namjoon had turned to Hobeom and demanded an explanation. An abridged, obviously false story was offered, about a game of go-stop, American MPs, a five star hotel, a pangolin, three aunties counting cash in a kitchen, a stash of gumballs, nine fresh-picked apples, and an electric scooter. Namjoon believed none of it except the outcome:
"Sejinnie owes me one," Hobeom insisted.
Which was how Namjoon had gotten to be in the same room as Kim Seokjin at all. Namjoon was sure Seokjin would laugh off the offer and leave. Not that he could blame the guy; this whole situation was a quagmire, and Seokjin would be better off not--
"--getting involved," Seokjin finished, smiling dazzlingly at Namjoon. Namjoon's brain finally kicked in, only to fishtail wildly before crashing the barricade and swan diving into the Han River.
(There were many reasons he didn't have a driver's license yet.)
"Wait, you're serious?" Namjoon blurted out, disbelief surely rolling off of him in waves.
Seokjin smiled back placidly, that perfect smile he wore in every advertisement and when posing for photographs when he hosted MAMA. "Of course," he said, sounding sincere. "As serious as you will be when you and CEO Bang put together my first full-length album."
"Is that your pound of flesh?" Namjoon muttered.
Seokjin ignored him, turning his attention to CEO Bang. (To Seokjin's right, Manager Sejin looked grimly determined.) "You understand, it's very possible I'll take a huge hit to my reputation. I could lose endorsement deals, offers could be rescinded. A little insurance would certainly…" He trailed off, as if searching for the word.
"Secure your affections?" Namjoon suggested.
"Help me be convincing," Seokjin finished, expression not wavering as he continued to smile at CEO Bang.
Namjoon was sure that, if Seokjin could have, he would have kicked Namjoon's shin under the table.
"We're prepared for such terms," Bang Shi-Hyuk said smoothly. "But for that kind of price, this would have to be the role of a lifetime. I know you're a very good actor, but there won't be a director yelling cut on this set. Can you maintain the role of besotted? With our Namjoonie at your side?"
At that, Seokjin's smile turned a little mysterious, and he stood suddenly. In a dozen strides, he was on the other side of the table, pulling Namjoon's chair back and rotating him so that he was facing Seokjin -- only this time, without the table between them.
And: Seokjin was looking at him with soft eyes, the corners of his lips tipped up. "There you are," he said, leaning forward, hands braced on the arms of the conference room chair. "I've missed you," he added, something tender in his voice.
Heat crawled up Namjoon's face: chest, then neck, and then cheeks. He knew he was staring, slack-jawed and wide-eyed and every other cliche. It was bad enough when Kim Seokjin did this into a camera; facing it down in real life was overwhelming to the point of total system crash.
"You've made your point," came Manager Sejin's voice, faintly amused.
Seokjin's doting expression dropped into his professional, neutral mien. Namjoon burned, hot with frustration and shame. A kind of resentment took root in his chest; nothing about this situation was fair, and nothing about his was his fault. But now he had to participate in this farce that his most trusted colleagues had thrown together without consulting him.
Damn that dimple.
Across from him, Seokjin strode back to his seat and slid back into it with a careless grace that Namjoon knew he could never replicate. "So, we're in agreement? An album, in exchange for me risking my reputation to save your star artist."
"We're in agreement," CEO Bang said.
"Excellent," Seokjin said. "I'll leave my manager to work with BigHit's representatives on the various details.
"We'd like to have an agreement signed by the end of the week," said Namjoon's CEO and personal Marcus Brutus.
"I think we can manage that," Seokjin's manager said, glancing quickly at Hobeom.
At last, Seokjin deigned to look at him. "I look forward to working with you," he said again, a slight sardonic lilt to his voice, and something icy settled in Namjoon's stomach. Despite all those hours of thirsting, and all the coming hours of playing at being a couple, Namjoon felt with a clear certainty that he and Korea's Sweetheart Kim Seokjin would never, ever get along.
Namjoon smiled in return, as fake as any he'd worn over the last week. "Please take good care of me," Namjoon replied, not bothering to keep the bitterness out of his voice.
Shit. He really had gone and done it this time.