Broken Promises

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FINISHED STORY ~ 16 Chapters

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love. You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep. You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

This is my own Copyrighted work. No one has the right to take, use, republish.

~Written by Kim Owens, aka (twt) @Noonasto, (Wattpad) NoonaKO, (AO3) KimNoonaOT7!

https://ko-fi.com/kimowens

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 16

   You came out of your room once you had gotten Jamie to bed to find Jimin swaying to some low music and pouring two glasses of champagne.

“Oh, I am not drinking right now, Jimin. I could ‘pump and dump’, but I don’t have much milk saved in the freezer. In fact, now that I think of it, I should probably throw what I do have out. It’s a couple of months old now.”

Jimin smiled and kissed your cheek as he handed you the glass, “It’s sparkling cider, Beautiful. You’re safe.”

You smiled at his thoughtfulness and thanked him with a tender kiss.

His smile was joyful as he pulled your body close, “Are you ready to open your presents?”

“Presents!” you whisper yelled as you bounced on the balls of your feet, careful not to dislodge yourself from his hold.

  You had been caught between letting go completely and holding on for dear life for the last couple of days. A part of you just wanted to fall into his arms and let life happen, but another part of you held the fear that this relationship was moving too fast, just like the last time. Jimin was at ease with it because, in his mind, you had never broken up. Not truly. You had been his since the first time he kissed you in your studio over a year ago.

He chuckled at your enthusiasm and led you the short distance to the little couch before he brought the fairly large suitcase over and sat down next to you.

“I am sad that I didn’t know about Jamie at the time, though” Jimin said with a sad sigh “He would have been fun to shop for. But, that’s on me.”

You couldn’t help the gasp when he laid over the suitcase and flipped the lid open. It was absolutely full to the brim with gift boxes of all shapes and sizes.

“Oh my… Jimin,” Your voice was almost a whisper,  “Jimin this is too much.”

“No, beautiful,” he said sadly, “It’s not enough. Nothing will ever be enough for what I did and the pain I caused with my selfishness. You deserve the world, and I’m going to give it to you.”

He pulled you into his arms and kissed away the tears that had started to fall. “Here,” he pulled a box out of the suitcase and set it in your lap, “you have to start with this one. I got it in Japan.”

   He was so excited you were finally opening his gifts that he could barely give you time to take them in. Like the Chanel charm bracelet he bought in Japan, and charms from Chanel shops in each city they stopped in. You wanted to have a whole moment about that, but he wanted you to keep going.

You were blown away with each and every box you opened. He had bought you beautiful jewelry, designer clothes, cute nic-naks and more from all over the world. Each and every thing had been personalized in some way. Jimin said he wanted you to know, with absolute certainty, that these gifts had been bought for you, no one else.

“Jimin!” you laughed “Let me enjoy my presents!”

He was all smiles as he pulled you into his lap to cover your face with kisses, “Here! Open more!”

   Soon enough, there was only one box left. You had noticed him moving it to the side as he handed you the gifts, but you were so enamoured with each present, you didn’t have the time or brain power to think about it for long.

  It seemed like it only took five minutes to open the contents of the suitcase, and you were so overwhelmed with all of it, “Jimin! This is too much! I don’t want to be with you for your money. I don’t care about that.” you stopped for a moment and corrected yourself, “Well. Now that we have a child, knowing you can care for him financially is a plus…”

Jimin giggled and tickled your sides, making you crumple in on yourself and attempt to retaliate. It didn’t take much effort on his part to grab your hands and distract you with kisses. You heard the jingle of your charm bracelet as he laid you back against the couch and settled on top of you without breaking the kiss.

   This was new, just making out on the couch like that. In truth, not counting that first night you spent together when Jamie was conceived, your relationship had been little touches and sweet kisses. Two extremes.

  You heard Jimin’s harsh inhale when your hips moved just right, he pulled his lips from yours and laid his forehead against yours with a groan,

“YN…” He took a moment to steel himself before he kissed the tip of your nose and moved. You grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him back down for more giggling kisses. Jimin was loving this moment with you. He had dreamed of having times like this with you, when you just couldn’t seem to keep your hands off of each other.

This time, when Jimin pulled back from you he said, “I love you, YN. You have one more present to open before we get carried away.”

He groped around on the floor until he found what he was looking for. The box was perfectly square, colorful and cheerful with multi-colored hot air balloons all over with a beautiful sky blue lid. It wasn’t large, but you thought that it could hold a large cupcake perfectly.

“I got this one in Paris. The moment I saw it, I knew it was for you.”

You sat up and bounced a little in excitement. You had loved everything he’d gotten for you, it had been obvious that each item had been thoughtfully picked out with you in mind.

“Wait!” he said as you made to pull off the lid. He leaned in and kissed you again before pulling you into his lap again, “Ok. Proceed.”

You giggled again, “Are you sure?”

He nodded his head quickly and said “Open it.”

It took you a moment when you had the lid off.

The inside of the box had writing on it. It looked like phrases in different languages all around the sides, with a ring nestled on top of white satin fabric on the bottom. You were quiet as you stared in the box. It wasn’t until you heard Jimin’s quiet voice in your ear saying, “Marry me, YN” that you realized that that was what the writing all over the inside of the box said. Marry Me, over and over in languages from all over the world.

You looked at him with tears of joy, fear and love streaming down your cheeks.

He adjusted your positions so he could see you properly, and then reached in for the ring. He held it up to your left hand and asked again,

“Will you marry me, YN? Be mine forever? Let me be yours forever?”

And, despite your worries that it was too fast, and your fears of what could be,

Your love for the man in front of you made your head nod without thought, and a small, breathless, “yes” escaped your lips.

You let go of everything that had been holding you back, and fell straight into the arms of Park Jimin.

Jimin slid the ring onto your finger, it was almost a perfect fit. Which was sort of amazing since he had guessed what size to get by his memory of your fingers linked with his when you were making love… so that little detail wasn’t all that clear.

“I wanted to get you the biggest diamond I could find. But I knew you wouldn't have liked anything that big. I saw this, with the little diamonds all around it to make a perfect circle, and I thought about how I was going to love you forever. And how a circle has no beginning and no end. I feel like we were meant to be where we are, YN. We were brought together like we were. We created a child together. Our lives led us to where we were meant to be. I don’t see the beginning of that journey, and I don’t see an end. It just is, and it’s just us.”

He kissed you then. You tried to pour everything you were feeling into that kiss. You wanted him to know that you did love him with everything you had. You did want to be his, forever.

Everything that could have been said with words was said with kisses and touches, and before you knew it the two of you were naked, consummating your relationship on the same couch where it all started.

Once you cleaned the milk explosion you had all over Jimin when he made you cum harder than you had since you had been together the year before, you were laying on top of him with your head just below his chin, drawing circles on his chest and shoulder, humming contentedly.

“Want to move to the bed?” Jimin asked while he traced his fingers gently up and down your back “You might be more comfortable.”

You picked up your head and gave him a teasing look, “Just once tonight?”

He slapped your ass and laughed, “I’m not leaving tomorrow. I can take my time with you now.” His arms tightened around you for a moment before his hands started to travel “But now that you mention it, I think I could go again,”

Jamie had other ideas though, and chose that moment to demand their attention. You giggled and hopped up off of Jimin’s gloriously naked body, “There went that idea.”

“That’s ok,” he said with a cheeky grin, “This way he will get the milk before it’s all over me again. Actually, it doesn’t taste too bad. I’m looking forward to making that happen again.”

   Once the three of you were snuggled up on the bed and Jamie was eating his fill, you felt a contentment and fulfillment you had never experienced before. And when Jimin started singing a sweet tune, you felt like you had melted into a whole new world of love and joy. All of your anger and fear had been left behind, and replaced with hope and happiness for a future for yourself, Jamie and Jimin.

                                        The End

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 15

   Over the next couple of days, the three of you had your chance to bond more without the interruptions of daily life. You were doing all you could to take it slowly and not just jump in feet first like last time. Your physical relationship was still sweet and innocent for the time being, just cuddles and some kisses.

  The night before you were scheduled to head back to Seoul, you got Jamie down to sleep and came back out to the little living room. Jimin had suggested the two of you spend time without Jamie, here and there, to build your relationship again, so you’d been spending an hour or two talking and existing in the same space with each other as a couple after the baby went down for the night for the last couple of nights.

  Jimin had a notebook in his lap when you came out and, with a big smile, he patted the couch to get you to come over. He changed his mind at the last moment and moved the notebook so he could pull you into his lap. He always wanted you in his lap.

“Come here, beautiful. I have something I want to show you.”

Once he had you right where he wanted you, his lips attached themselves to your neck and spent the next few minutes nibbling their way up and down the tendon. You moaned when he bit down on the pulsing vein, and he pulled back with a quick inhale of breath,

“Jesus, beautiful. I need to stop. You make any more sounds like that and I won’t be able to stop myself.”

You chuckled and answered with a quiet “Sorry.”

The two of you spent some time looking into each other’s eyes before he pecked your lips quickly and picked up the notebook.

“Stop looking at me like that, Beautiful. Our son is in the other room.”

You couldn’t help the giggling response you had before you laid your head on his shoulder,

“What’s this?”

“This is the notebook I kept for you while I was gone. Every day I wrote in it. Letters, songs, thoughts. I wanted you to know that, even though we weren’t able to be in physical contact, you were all I thought about.”

He opened the cover and read the first page out loud. It was a heartfelt letter that went into detail about what he was feeling about having to cut ties. Over the next couple of hours, Jimin read each and every letter out loud, as well as the lyrics of the songs he had written for you and about you.

Your tears fell silently on the collar of his t-shirt as he continued to read everything he wrote for the year you were apart.

  When he was finished, he set the notebook to the side and wrapped both of his arms tightly around you, whispering “I love you, YN. You are my forever,” into your hair.

  You couldn’t seem to form words. The only thing you could say was his name as you adjusted your own frame so you could hold him just as tightly. The reminder to take it slow was on replay in your mind. It seemed that it was getting harder and harder to keep him at arm's length the longer you were around him. It felt like your heart had its arms held out toward him, and your brain was trying desperately to hold it at bay.

   Jimin admitted to himself that he was a little disappointed that you hadn’t said anything after he poured his heart out like that, but he couldn’t be upset with the way your body was being held so tightly against his. It took a moment, but he started to wonder if you were saying what you wanted to say with your body instead of words.

   And when the two of you had been able to snuggle in to sleep, one on each side of the tiny human you’d created together, Jimin lay awake watching you. Watching your face relax as sleep took over, thinking about how he wanted to share a bed with you for the rest of his life. Jamie twitched his arm in his sleep, making Jimin smile. Although he was enjoying having this time with his son, he was looking forward to having the tyke in his own crib so he could sleep with his woman in his arms again.

   You were extra careful during the drive home the next day, and only stopped anywhere when it was absolutely necessary. When Jamie needed to be fed, Jimin would pull over and wait patiently until you had the boy fed, changed and back in the car seat before hitting the road again. But, by the last hour and a half, the boy was done with the whole experience and screamed until you were safely back at the apartment building and he was freed from the car seat.

   You and Jimin were exhausted and stressed, but happy to be able to relax and unwind from that road trip.

  You had been messaging Adora throughout the day, and she met you in the hallway when you got off of the elevator. She took no time in plucking her godson out of your arms, complaining that she hadn’t seen her Korean Prince for too long, and that he seemed to be twice the size he was 6 weeks ago. It took a couple of trips to get all of your things from the car, but Jamie being with Adora made it a lot easier.

  Once you were all settled in your apartment, Adora sat on the couch with Jamie, watching you and Jimin with a knowing look. She knew that you had caved and had decided to give the relationship another shot. Although she did wonder if you were holding back because she was there, or in general. She hadn’t seen much of you two together, that much was true. But with those eagle eyes of hers, she caught you holding back on what would have been loving touches a couple would usually share. And, more than once she saw your mouth open to say something, but would snap it shut again as if you caught yourself about to say something sweet but changed your mind at the last second.

“I’m going to run up to the dorm for a few minutes,” Jimin said as he pulled you into his arms. He didn’t care if Adora was watching. He didn’t care if the world was watching. You were his, and that was all that mattered “I just need to grab a couple of things. Be right back.”

The sweet kiss he gave you had you melting into him, wanting more. He quietly chuckled and kissed you again before heading to the door.

Adora smirked as you sat across from her on the couch.

”What?” you asked.

”Mmmhmmm” was her only reply.

“Shut up.” you said before sticking your tongue out at her.

“Why are you holding back, though?” she asked in between nomming on Jamie’s cheeks.

“What do you mean?” you asked as you picked up your phone, using it as a distraction and a way to cover your real thoughts.

Adora just laughed at your attempt, “You are back with him, but you’re holding back. If you’re going to really give a relationship a chance with him, you are going to have to actually open up. It’s all about give and take, you know?”

“It’s only been a couple of days, Adora. I’m trying. I am! I’m just so scared I’m going to have my heart shattered again.”

“YN. Heartbreak is always a possibility in life. Would you rather be overly cautious and miss out on some of the most wonderful things life has to offer, or dive in and experience every ounce of love and joy your time with Jimin will bring? Don’t let fear of something that may never happen stop you from living to your fullest.”

You thought about the notebook he’d given you. He didn’t just show you, he gave it to you, and said “That way if you ever have any doubts about how I feel about you, you can open this and know that I am yours. Always.”

   It wasn’t long before Jimin was back, and he brought the luggage he had left before with him. With one last, noisy kiss to Jamie’s cheeks Adora called it a night, laying him on a blanket on the floor before giving you a big “welcome home” hug and Jimin a wave as she headed out the door.

  You eyed the luggage with suspicion and curiosity before you recalled Jimin telling you it was full of gifts from around the world. With a little giggle and clap you let out an excited “Presents!” and pranced over to take it from him.

  Jimin was all smiles when he grabbed you around the waist and kissed the side of your neck, “Not yet, Beautiful. I ordered food when I was upstairs, so we should have dinner soon. And I think we should get our son to bed for the night before we dive into your presents.”

You pouted at him and turned just in time to see Jamie attempting to roll over onto his stomach for the first time. You and Jimin rushed over to encourage him and, of course, take video. Jimin even took it a step further and called his parents so they could see it, too.

The flurry of excitement distracted the little one, and he was back to flailing his arms and legs around with no interest in trying again.

“Are you settled back in Seoul, son?” Jimin’s father asked over his wife’s shoulder while she made cooing noises at Jamie.

“Yes.” Jimin’s answer was bright and cheerful, “Just ordered some food, then we are going to get Jamie to bed and YN is going to open her presents that I bought while I was on tour.”

“All of the presents?” His father’s tone was very curious.

“Yes, Dad. All of the presents.”

Jimin’s father’s eyes got wide before he chuckled and kissed his wife on the side of her head.

“Today is a good day.” was all he said.

Next

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers... 

Part 14

  When morning came Jimin waited patiently for you to finish feeding Jamie before taking him to get ready for the day,

“It’s still early, beautiful. Why don’t you go back to sleep? Jamie and I will hang out in the other room. Maybe we can even figure out how to make coffee here, huh?” he said that last part with his lips against the side of the baby’s head, mid smooch while he walked toward the other room. Part of you wanted to argue, the irrational fear that he might take the baby and run was somewhere in the back of your mind. But, in the end, the general lack of sleep of being a new mom took over, and you snuggled back down to rest.

   When they came in to wake you up a couple of hours later, you felt more refreshed than you had in a long time. It was just you in this little bungalow, and you didn’t have Adora around to take a shift so you could nap here, so you hadn’t been getting the amount of sleep you had been in Seoul.

“Good morning, Mama.” Jimin crooned when they came and sat down on the bed,

“Mr. is getting awfully cranky. I just changed him, but I think he’s hungry. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to let you sleep longer.” He laid Jamie down next to you so you could get him in the right position to nurse, and then laid down himself, facing you with that look on his face again. He needed to stop looking at you like that. You could only pretend that look wasn’t there so many times before part of you started to melt.

  This time, Jimin was watching you. Just you. Your face, your eyes, your lips. He was focused on you, and you had no response for him. What could you say at that point? You didn’t even know what to say to yourself about the situation you two were in, how were you supposed to talk to him about it?

   Once again Jimin took the reins in the burping and diaper changing, and let you get up and get ready for your day. It was raining heavily again, so your thoughts of going for a walk and staying outdoors all day went by the wayside. Instead, you were forced to spend hours in a tiny bungalow with the man that broke your heart.

“YN?” Jimin said quietly as you sat down on the couch after you got Jamie down for his nap that afternoon, “Can we talk? About us?”

Every muscle in your body seemed to get stiff. You knew you’d have to have this conversation some time, and you weren’t ready. But, in reality, would you ever be ready?

He made use of your silence and started talking, hoping he’d be able to get his point across and get you to understand what he was thinking and feeling.

“I know I’ve apologized a lot for what I did. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being sorry for it. But, I do know that when I left to go on tour, you and I had both had intense feelings happening. I knew you were going to be my forever. You and I were going to spend our lives loving each other.”

   He reached over and laced his fingers through yours before bringing them up to tenderly kiss the tip of each finger. You had no idea what to say. You didn’t know what to feel. And spending time with Jimin again, watching him be a dad, was wreaking hell on your hormones. It was so hard to look at him with jaded eyes when he was lounging back with no shirt on and your tiny son snuggled up on his chest. Your ovaries had decided it was time to have another baby when that happened.

“I still want that, YN. I never stopped. Can we move on? Can we start again or pick up where we left off? And I’m not just saying this because of Jamie. Even when I was on tour, I was writing to you. I was buying gifts for you. That’s what the suitcases are full of. Gifts I bought all over the world to show you that you never left my mind. Every city we were in. No matter what. I have an entire notebook full of letters to you. Songs I wrote for you. I wasn’t able to actually talk to you, but you were all I thought about.”

He slipped off of the couch to sit on his knees in front of you and took both of your hands in his,

“I loved you when I left your apartment that morning, and I’ve loved you every moment ever since. Please, YN. Please come back to me. Not just because we have a son together, but because we are meant to be each other’s ‘forever’ person.”

  You hadn’t realized you were crying until he reached up to wipe an errant tear off of your cheek. His voice was just above a whisper when he said,

“Don’t cry, beautiful. Please. Just. Please just give us a chance.”

And with that, Jimin leaned up and gently laid his lips on yours. It was a sweet, soft kiss, full of apologies.

In your mind, you knew that you wanted to give him another chance. You knew that you would drive yourself insane wondering about the ‘what if’s’ if you didn’t give him this chance to make it right. For you, and for Jamie.

As he pulled his face back from yours, you nodded your head the tiniest bit and whispered “ok”.

He smiled, small at first, almost unsure if he heard you correctly, “Really?”

You sniffled and nodded again, the movement a little stronger this time, “Yeah.”

  In one swift motion Jimin lunged at you, wrapping you in his arms and burying his face in your neck, his giggles of pure joy ringing in your ear. You couldn’t help but smile along with him.

   A feeling of relief washed over you, and a heavy weight was taken off of your shoulders as the anger you had been holding onto with a death grip was given permission to leave.

Jimin pulled his head back far enough to be able to look you in the eye before kissing you again. Although it was difficult to kiss properly when he was smiling like that, the two of you made it work.

   Eventually he climbed up onto the small couch and pulled you into his arms, just needing to hold you.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had you in my arms.” Jimin said as he settled you across his lap, “God, I’ve missed you.”  

    The two of you were only able to spend a little time like that before Jamie woke up, and you were forced to climb out of Jimin’s lap so you could go get him. You were still feeling cautious. You did want to try, but you weren’t ready to just hand over your heart again. You weren’t completely sold on the idea that Jimin wouldn’t break your heart like that again.

   Jimin knew that everything wasn’t magically back to the way it was, but this was still a major step forward in his plans to win you back. He thought his heart might burst with joy when you came back into the room with Jamie in your arms. His woman and His child. He held his arms open and said,

“Come here, beautiful. I want to hold you while you feed our son.”

You snuggled back into Jimin’s lap and situated Jamie for his meal. Jimin’s arms were encircled around you, one hand was cupped under yours, supporting Jamie, and the other was firm around your middle. The three of you were snuggled together, listening to the rain fall outside and the little grunts of Jamie while he ate. Even when the boy was done, you stayed all huddled together like that, enjoying the family time that you hadn’t had the chance to have before.

   Jimin took pictures and even asked if he could video chat with his parents so they could meet her and see Jamie.

“It’s killing my mom that she can’t just fly up to see her first grandchild. I’ve been sending her all of the pictures and videos you’ve been sending, but she cannot wait to hold him in her arms.”

You felt a bit of guilt at that, Jimin’s actions weren’t their fault. You had nothing against them at all. Hell, you hadn’t really thought about them.

   His parents were ecstatic when they answered to see Jamie on the screen, and spent the next hour crooning and talking to their grandson, with little breaks to say hello to the adults in the room before quickly going back to talking to the next generation.

“Jimin!” his father’s voice boomed, “Have you fixed things, son?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at Jimin’s red face when he answered, “I’m trying!”

But your face was the next to turn red when he looked at you and continued “YN did say that she would let me try again, so we are back together. Now I just have to prove myself worthy enough to gain her trust.”

   It was quite the statement to make in front of his parents, but they both seemed to be satisfied that he was taking the steps needed to fix his mess.

Next

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 13

   Over the next three weeks, Jimin called several times a day. More if you didn’t send enough photos and updates, less if you had a lot to share. You tried to stay out of the way of the camera, focusing on Jamie as much as possible to keep discussions safe, and far away from Jimin and his “I want you back” diatribes. They still happened, of course. But you did try to distract him with the baby.

   Jimin had been shopping for Jamie. It seemed every day he was showing you something else he’d bought for his son. His parents were sending things as well. Jimin had given them your address, and Adora had been tasked with stacking the boxes into your apartment in your absence. You promised to cook her favorite meal as a thank you when you got back.

  When it came time to find a way back to Seoul, Jimin insisted he send a company car to get you. Claiming that everyone had been under quarantine and that it would be safer than some random taxi. With only a couple more days left of your ‘vacation’, you relented and told Jimin your location so he could arrange for a car to pick the two of you up.

   It was dark when there was a knock at the door. You smiled, knowing that the landlord had become fond of you and Jamie and liked to pop in with extras from dinner. You weren’t prepared when you opened the door to find Park Jimin. He was holding a backpack and had a wary smile when he said, “Hello Beautiful.”

   Your jaw dropped and you froze, completely taken off guard by his appearance at your door.

“Jimin,” your voice was barely above a shocked whisper “What are you doing here?”

He said “Making sure my family gets home safely, of course.” before he moved passed you into the small living area. He took off his shoes and placed his backpack next to the couch before making a b-line for Jamie, who was on a blanket on the floor, sucking on his fist as he showed the beginning signs of being hungry.

   You closed the door, still in shock that he came all that way, “We aren’t ready to leave yet Jimin. We still have a couple of days left before we have to head back.”

He had scooped Jamie up and cradled the infant in his arms before he sat on the little couch, cooing and smiling as he said “I’m not forcing you to go back right now, YN. Let’s enjoy a couple of days together first.”

   You were annoyed at his presumption, but kind of flattered he would come all that way to get you himself. During a Pandemic. That thought brought your ideas of kicking him out for the night to a halt. You couldn’t just push him out the door.

   “Wait. You drove for 5 hours. In a pandemic! Jimin! What if you picked something up on the way and now Jamie and I have it? I can’t believe you!”

He held up his hand to stop your justifiable tirade, “I was safe, YN. More safe than I have ever been. I have a baby and woman I need to protect. I wouldn’t put you at risk like that.”

You narrowed your eyes at him before sitting on the other end of the couch, turned so you could face him with one leg curled in front of you. He had taken to calling you and Jamie his ‘family’ over the last couple of weeks, and nothing you said changed his mind.

    You stayed quiet as Jimin cooed at Jamie and kissed his growing cheeks, unsure of exactly what to say. He asked you to take some photos of them together, and laughed heartily when the baby spit up on his jeans. He was still chuckling as he went into the bathroom to clean up, and sang a couple of songs while he took a shower to refresh himself from the day’s travel.

   You snuggled into the couch and fed Jamie while Jimin was occupied, shooting a text to Adora while he ate to let her know that she could stop worrying about how the two of you were going to get home,

~”So. Jimin showed up at my door an hour ago.”

*”What? How did he find you?” ~”He got me to tell him this morning when he talked me into taking a company chauffeur instead of a random taxi service.”

*”Well shit. Is that all it takes.”

~”Don’t start, woman. I told him we aren’t ready to leave yet, and he said that he was here to spend time with his family. Lord, give me strength.”

*”He has been extremely devoted to you since he got back. And from what Tae tells me, he has been devoted since they left for tour, too.”

~”What happened to HE’S AN ASSHOLE?? I need backbone, Adora! You aren’t helping.”

*”Listen. He was wrong, and he knows that. What he did was worth the title ‘asshole’, but maybe I’ve had a change of heart. Maybe.”

~”maybe I haven’t.”

*”that’s the thing. I think you have. Why don’t you just spend some time with him? He's already there! Just relax and see how you feel when you come back. What could it hurt?”

~”Me, Dora. It could hurt me. Again.”

You heard the bathroom door open and bid Adora a hasty good night as Jimin came back out to the living room. His entire face seemed to turn soft as his eyes turned to the sight of you feeding Jamie.

“What?” you couldn’t help but feel a little on guard and suspicious at the look he was giving you.

He just smiled serenely and said, “I can’t explain it. It fills me with this overwhelming feeling of love to see you feeding our child.”

Jimin sat down close enough to touch your leg and get a clear view of Jamie as he suckled at your breast, even going so far as to reach his hand over and gently caress the back of the infant’s head.

“I can’t get over how beautiful he is!” he said quietly as he smiled.

“Of course he’s beautiful, Jimin. He looks exactly like you.” you said wryly to him as you ran a finger down Jamie’s cheek.

Jimin’s smile got even bigger as he looked up at your face,

“It’s good to know that you still think I’m good looking.”

   You snorted in a very unladylike manner, which made Jamie startle and let go of your nipple, sending milk spraying at Jimin. His fast reflexes had the stream missing his face, but his shirt still got a good shot of the liquid. You laughed until he took his shirt off, declaring skin to be easier to clean, and that he only brought so many articles of clothing.

   That evening, Jimin was adamant that he learned all of the little things he could do to help you with Jamie. He learned how to burp him, and the finer art of changing a diaper. You thought about just letting him figure out what the best way was to avoid getting peed on, but ended up sharing a few tips you had learned over the last couple of months.

   With Jimin playing with him, Jamie ended up staying awake a couple of hours longer than he normally did, but he made it very well known that he was tired when it got too late.

You chuckled at Jimin’s concerned face over the screaming infant,

“Ok little guy. Time for bed. Say goodnight to Appa.” you pointed to a cupboard as you turned toward the bedroom, “There might be some blankets for you to use under there.”

After you quickly got your nipple into the impatient baby’s mouth, he settled down and was asleep in just a few minutes time. Once you were released from his clutches, you got yourself changed and ready for bed. You came out of the bathroom after brushing your teeth to find Jimin laying on the bed, watching Jamie sleep.

You couldn’t help the surprise and defensive tone when you asked, “What are you doing in here?”

Your voice was a little louder than necessary, startling the baby. You saw him jerk before the crying began.

“Damnit,” you berated yourself quietly before moving to soothe him.

Jimin beat you to it. He sat up and cradled his son to his chest, “Aigoo,”  his voice rumbled in a tone that was much deeper than you’d heard before.

He started singing, low and sweet, as he lifted Jamie to his shoulder and rubbed comforting circles on his back. As the little one settled back down and started to fall asleep again, you sat on the opposite side of the bed, intent on quietly facing off with Jimin,

“Why are you in here, Jimin? You can’t sleep in here.”

He just leaned back with your son nestled on his bare chest and said “Why not? I can’t sleep on that couch, and there’s plenty of room in here. Plus, if I’m in here I can help during the night if he wakes up.”

“Jimin,” you groaned, frustrated with your inability to just boot him to the curb.

“YN.” His voice was so soft, and your reaction was wholly unwanted. With a huff of breath you decided to go get some water before fighting the good fight.

‘Remember he hurt you. Remember why you are angry. Remember all of it,’

was your inner pep talk as you went to the kitchen. But when you got back to the bedroom and found the man laying on his side, curled around your sleeping son with a look of deep contentment on his face, you faltered.

   So, instead of throwing him out on his ass, you settled on berating yourself while you turned off the small lamp on the bedside table, climbed in on the other side of Jamie, and tried to forget Jimin was there so you could go to sleep.

   It took a while for you to relax enough to actually fall asleep, so when Jamie woke up to eat in 3 hours, it felt like you’d only been asleep for 20 minutes. You took the lazy route and just pulled your boob out of the top of your tank top and scooted him over so he could latch on while your eyes were still closed. You had forgotten about Jimin until you felt his warm hand reachout out to caress the back of Jamie’s head.

  Startled, you finally opened your eyes and looked across the bed. There was only just enough light to see his features, and the look of love and longing he was giving the two of you through his sleep swollen eyes nearly broke you. Jimin sat up to burp the baby, and even changed his diaper before handing the boy back to you to finish feeding. Not much was said in those dark hours of the morning, but it felt so comfortable. So right. Just your little family.

Next

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 12

   After you had opened yourself up to sort of communicate with Jimin, you found it easier to message the others that were asking about you. Bang’s girlfriend got some pictures of Jamie modeling the clothes she had bought, but no answers on where you were. And you were still mad at Bang, so you were obviously ignoring anything she said about him.

   Slow Rabbit got a few eye roll emojis and a cute pic of Jamie, face all red and scrunched up and obviously pooping, in answer to his ass chewing about not telling him about Jimin and then disappearing like that.

   And you were back to daily messaging with Adora. You still wouldn’t tell any of them exactly where you were, but you at least started keeping in contact.

   Jimin was immediately back to messaging several times a day. Once again, he had his foot in the door and was not going to let it close on him. You hadn’t answered him with words, but did send pictures and videos of Jamie, which was something, at least.

  You’d be lying if you said that the constant <”Hello Beautiful” Jimin started every message with now wasn’t slowly getting to you. You rolled your eyes every single time for the first few days, flooded with annoyance for his audacity. Constantly reminding yourself that he left.

   But, now that you had taken a step back, away from everything, you saw that the energy it took to stay mad was wearing on you. Was it worth it? You could be using that energy to care for your son. Write new songs. Why were you wasting it on something like anger? Yes, he deserved it, and yes, you had been wronged. But what would all of this resentment get you? What was that saying you’d heard?  ‘Resentment is the poison you drink while waiting for the other person to die’. And it was true! You didn’t want your son’s first years in life to be remembered with such negativity. Children knew. Even babies. They knew when you were tense and unhappy. And you didn’t want that for Jamie.

   You had found some “mommy and me” yoga videos online, and spent a time trying to incorporate that into your daily routine. You knew that you were going to have to break and find child care at some point, but for now you were trying to find ways to fit your son into everything you did.

   Your downward facing dog position and the song you were singing about it for Jamie, who was laying on the floor next to you, were interrupted by your phone again. You’d set a special tone for Jimin, not so much so you weren’t caught off guard, but more so that you wouldn’t have to jump to see who it was if you weren’t in the mood to deal with him. You rolled your eyes and knelt down so you could reach for your phone,

>”Hello Beautiful. I was wondering if it would be possible to video chat with Jamie? I just want to talk to him and sing him songs. Since I can’t hold him right now, I would love to be able to spend some time with him, somehow.”

    Part of you wanted to be annoyed for the sake of being annoyed, but you knew that in the grand scheme of things, he really wasn’t asking a lot. Plus, it was raining and you really weren’t busy since your plans for an outdoor adventure were ruined. So you piled a bunch of pillows around to prop Jamie up a little bit and found a way to get your phone to sit just right for Jimin to see his son, and hit the video call button. You made sure to stay out of the frame, but you could still see the screen to make sure Jamie could be seen.

    Jimin picked up right away, his laugh of joy echoing around him as he said,

“Hello my handsome boy! How are you little love? Guys! Come see my son!”

   There was a clamoring in the background as the men gathered around to look at the phone screen. They all took turns cooing over the infant. You reached over and pulled the pacifier out of his mouth to see if he would try “talking” back since the voices on the other end of the call had him waving around his arms and kicking his legs excitably. Jimin noticed right away,

“Hello Beautiful.”

You froze for a heartbeat before looking at the screen to make sure you were still hidden. You relaxed after you realized that he would know you were there. Jamie wasn’t calling on his own, was he. You almost had to laugh at yourself.

   Jimin took his phone and went to a room that was empty and quiet to spend some time with his son. And you.

“You don’t really know my voice yet, do you?” he said in a sweet tone to Jamie, “But we are going to change that, aren’t we?” he chuckled at Jamie’s reaction to him, “It’s only been a few weeks since I’ve seen you last, and you’ve changed so much! Look at those cheeks getting all chubby.”

Then Jimin started singing. Jamie stopped moving and seemed like he was listening intently to his father’s voice. In fact he ended up falling asleep listening to Jimin sing, his little lips moving like he still had his pacifier.

    Jimin chuckled and quietly said “Cute”.

You just were thinking about how long you should let him watch Jamie sleep before hanging up, (you have been known to watch for a long time, so you didn’t know where to draw the line), when you heard Jimin’s questioning voice,

“Beautiful?”

   You raised an eyebrow, and looked sideways at the phone that was still propped up and facing your son.

“Can we talk? Face to face? Please, Yn? Will you pick up the phone so I can see you?”

   You pulled your bottom lip into your mouth, worrying it in between your teeth as you tried to decide what to do, caught between wanting to stay angry, and knowing that you would have to deal with him at some point. For Jamie’s sake.

  You took a fortifying breath and picked up the phone, well aware that you still looked like you just woke up, with your unbrushed teeth and hair bunched up on the top of your head in a messy bun. You and Jamie had been on your very own schedule while enjoying your time away. The world was in lockdown.. What did it matter?

You looked into the screen and saw Jimin, he looked a little worried at first, but his smile was a mile wide once he realized you were there.

”Hello Beautiful!” He said softly, almost as if he thought you might spook and run if he made any sudden movements.

“Hello Jimin.”  Your response wasn’t clipped. It was short and quiet. Unsure, but not angry.

   The two of you stared at each other for a few moments. It seemed like several unsaid conversations were had in that span of time.

Jimin cleared his throat, “I am so grateful for the pictures you’ve been sending me. Thank you for that. And today’s call has been so special to me.”

He looked down for only a moment to try and collect his thoughts, and chuckled, “I’m trying to come up with the right thing to say to you so you understand what’s in my head. And in my heart, for that matter.”

   Your self preservation was on high alert as you looked at his face, feelings you didn’t want to have were simmering beneath your blank features, and you knew that could be dangerous for your emotional well being. Listening to him talking and singing to your son had you feeling tender toward the man.

   His eyes were as soft as you were feeling when he quietly said your name again,

“YN. I am so very sorry. I know I ruined what we had. At that time I thought that, by explaining it in an email and telling you that I would be coming for you when we got back, everything would be fine. You would understand. Now I can see how scared I was of your response”

He ran his free hand through his hair and blew out a breath,

“I was so in love with you, YN. I am STILL in love with you. I hate myself for causing you so much pain and leaving you to have our son by yourself. You’ve done so amazing with him. He’s absolutely perfect. I want to know him. I want to fix things with you. I want to go back in time and take everything back so we can just be a happy family right now. You. Me. Jamie. I’ve always said you were my forever, YN. And I mean it.”

   The tears were blurring your vision, but you were trying like hell to keep them at bay. His words were spearing directly through your heart and touching that little piece of hope that you could never get to let go.

But you wanted to let go. He had hurt you so badly.

But you needed to let go. It was for the best.

But could you let go? Sometimes you weren’t entirely sure.

Would it be for the best to let go? Although you thought you knew the answer to this question, Jimin’s reappearance had you rethinking it. Part of you wondered if you were a glutton for punishment. Maybe starved for attention. You had always said that you didn’t date, that it was your decision. But was that really the case? Obviously, if Jimin had treated you so carelessly and part of you still wanted him, you must be desperate for someone to love you.

You sighed, annoyed at yourself for this line of self talk. You knew better.

And when it really came down to it, Jimin was Jamie’s father. The man would be in your life now, in one way or another.

   Jimin was still on the call, watching your features as the thoughts and emotions crossed your face. He didn’t know exactly what you were thinking, and it was driving him a little crazy.

It was a couple of minutes before you actually spoke,

“Jimin, I’m not sure of anything anymore. But, you are Jamie’s father, and we are going to have to figure out a way to co-parent peacefully.”

   For some reason, the word ‘co-parent’ had visions of some other woman coming into his life. She would become Jamie’s step mother. This other woman would have some say in how your child was treated and raised, and that pissed you off.

Jimin grabbed on to this small victory with everything he had,

“We can! And we will. When will you be back? I can work on getting you here safely. Maybe I can drive over to get you.”

   You held up your free hand at his sudden exclamations, “Whoa! Hold on. We still have this place for another 3 weeks. I’m not just rushing back because we are on speaking terms, Jimin. We can communicate. I will send pictures and updates about Jamie. But that doesn’t mean we are suddenly one little happy family.”

  Jimin seemed a little crestfallen, but in the end his resolve to win you back and have his family seemed to strengthen.

“I do respect your plan, YN. But know that I will not be giving up anytime soon. If I knew where you were, I’d drop everything to be there with you and Jamie.”

   You couldn’t say much to that, and chose to stay quiet. You and Jimin ended the phone call on an up note, relatively speaking. Your anxiety and anger had calmed quite a bit since you ran from everything. You knew you’d have to go back at some point, but you were going to enjoy your time as much as you could until then.

Next

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 11

    Over the next few days Jimin had been in contact with several private investigators about the situation, but no one was willing to take the job with the current COVID situation. He had even talked to the company about contacting lawyers, but decided not to go that route. Although, if you continued keeping him away from his son like this, he felt like he would have no choice.

    Jimin continued sending messages and voicemails every day with the optimistic hope that you would answer. The little “read” underneath the messages told him that you were at least getting them. When he realized that, Jimin started pouring out his heart. Every day was like a diary entry about ‘the one that got away’, and how the only thing he really wanted in this life was to raise his son, and have many more babies, with you...together… as a family.

   You had nothing but time on your hands, when Jamie was being mellow. The little cottage was perfect for the two of you, and somehow you managed to relax as you quarantined. Once you calmed down (it took a couple of days) and really looked at the situation, you were kind of horrified with yourself for putting Jamie at such risk to get away from Jimin. It was called a ‘pandemic’ for a reason, and you had completely blown that idea off to follow a very emotional whim. When the two weeks passed and you were both still healthy, you were so thankful and relieved.

   Jamie had gone down for his afternoon nap on the bed, and you thought you ought to check in with Adora for the day, so you picked your phone up off of the coffee table and opted to give her a call instead of the usual text message.

     Adora was in the kitchenette to refill her coffee, ignoring Jimin and Yoongi as they sat at the table having a quick snack. She had been staring at the screen for so long now, she just needed a break. Well. A break from the computer. The phone game totally didn’t count. She was mixing her cup of caffeinated deliciousness when your call interrupted the words she was reading. Not thinking, she just hit speaker button with her knuckle since her hands were mostly full,

“YN! How are you? Still healthy?”

“Dora! OMG I miss you!”

“Yeah, well you wouldn't miss me if you…”

Jimin had dropped everything at the sound of your voice and jumped from his chair and, in a quick movement that even Adora didn’t see or expect, he grabbed her phone off of the counter, “YN?” he said as he turned his back on the phone’s arguing owner, “What’s going on? Where did you go? Why are you keeping my son away from me?”

The tone of the questions quickly went from accusatory to completely vulnerable. He wanted to be angry, and he was. But, more than anything, he was hurt that she would disappear and keep your son away from him like that.

Adora was yelling in the background, and trying to reach around Jimin to get her phone back, but he was quick and limber, able to avoid her attempts at every turn. It wasn’t until Yoongi stood and got in her way that Adora stopped.

“You don’t know what it’s been like for him, Adora, “ Yoongi said when he finally had her attention “He’s not the same Jiminnie we all know and love. This whole situation has torn him apart.”

Adora opened her mouth to tell him about your last year, but he held up his hand and continued to speak, “I know. I have heard, from several sources now, about YN and everything that she’s been through. And I’m not discounting that. He’s made mistakes, and he knows it. I’ve read the email he sent to YN last year. Yes, he was dumb, but he also said he wanted to start again when he got back. In his mind, he did what was required of him, but also left himself an opening for the future.”

Adora rolled her eyes before Yoongi continued,

“Not only did he learn about being a father on our first day back, but he also learned the true extent of the hurt she’s feeling and the damage done to their relationship. It’s been two weeks, Adora. She left. She took his son away with no way for him to find them. And, honestly, the police would be involved if it were me in his place.”

While Yoongi had Adora distracted, Jimin kept talking, praying you wouldn’t just hang up on him,

“Bang told me you were planning on just leaving the country when your contract was up. Is that true? Were you really going to just leave? Not even tell me I was a father? Not even give me a chance?” tears started streaking down his cheeks now, the hurt and anger had rolled into a mixture of so many emotions as he sat on the blue couch and stared at the floor, he felt like his whole chest had cracked open and was having a hard time holding everything in.

On the other end of the call, you sat quietly with the phone still at your ear, at a loss as you listened to the rapid fire questions he was throwing at you. You could hear Adora over his questions, yelling for him to give her phone back until another voice stepped in, but most of your attention was being taken up with Jimin. In that moment, you thought outside of yourself. You thought about how it would feel to find your child gone with no communication from the other parent. Even if you had only known you had a child for a short amount of time.

“YN?” Jimin’s voice had dropped to nearly a whisper “Please. Talk to me.You left without saying a word. Without talking it out with me.”

Although you had started to feel soft, that brought your anger right back to the forefront,

“Without talking to you? Jimin, you straight up ended what little there was to our whole relationship without even considering the idea of having a conversation with me!” You were trying hard not to raise your voice too loud so you didn’t wake the baby, but this man was pissing you off.

“And you know what? I didn’t even think about having a conversation with you about my decision to get away for a bit because it was you I needed to get away from!”

Jimin did try to speak, but you were in full flow now, ready to purge what you’d been holding inside for nearly a year,

“Was I planning on leaving the country and not telling you about Jamie? You bet I was! And I’m completely unapologetic about it. You made promises, Park Jimin. You made a lot of promises that you didn’t keep. I was not, and am still not willing to have my son experience the pain and heartbreak of a father that can’t keep his promises.”

Back in the kitchenette, Adora and Yoongi had stopped and were watching Jimin sit, completely deflated, while you told him how you felt. He didn’t even move when you hung up on him, simply closing his eyes and trying to breathe through the pain.

   Yoongi sat next to him and placed what he hoped was a comforting hand on Jimin’s back before he reached for the phone and handed it back to Adora. She grabbed it and stalked away to try to call you back.

   It took her the better part of an hour to convince you that it was, in fact, Adora calling and texting from her phone before you would answer.

~ “Dora?”

*“Oh thank god. Yes! Are you ok?”

~ “Honestly? Not really. I don’t know what to do! I feel so lost right now.”

*”Do you feel better after getting what you’re feeling off of your chest, at least? Like you got to have your say?”

~ “Yes. And no. UGH, I don’t know! I have wanted to tell him off for a year, but now that I have it feels sort of empty.”

* “YN, we’ve been friends for a while now. I am your son’s Godmother. You are part of my family now. And, as your new sister, I have to tell you that, whether you want a relationship with Jimin or not, he IS Jamie’s father and he DOES care. He’s been moping around here since you left, trying to think of ways to find you. Some of the others have even suggested calling the authorities, but he doesn’t want to do that out of fear that it would further damage his chances of winning you back. If nothing else, maybe considering a co-parenting relationship with him wouldn’t be the worst thing”

   You sat in silence, staring at the wall as you considered what Adora was saying. You didn’t have Jimin’s number blocked. You got all of his text and audio messages. You’d never tell anyone, but you spent way too much time listening to his voice, pretending that he meant every word he was saying.  That he wouldn’t just leave you without a word, again.

*”YN?”

~”I’m here. Just thinking about everything.”

   Jamie chose that moment to start squeaking from his little pillow fort on the bed. You knew he wasn’t even close to rolling over yet, but you liked to be safe.

~ “Jamie just woke up.”

*”Just think about what I said, ok? And please call me more, damnit! You left to get away from Jimin, but you kind of ditched me, too.”

~ “Dora, no! I’m so sorry!” you covered your face with your hand, thinking about what a mess you had made, “Leaving you wasn’t my intention! You will always be my person, even if I’m running away from some man. UGH! God, I messed everything up, didn’t I?”

*”No, YN. You reacted rather than responded to what was happening around you. It was extreme, especially in light of the pandemic. But, honestly, I can’t say I’d have done it any differently. Now. Put me on speaker so I can say hello to my Godson. It’s been two weeks!”

   Jamie’s squawking had been getting louder, but he calmed down when he heard Auntie Adora’s voice singing to him over the phone speaker. You snuggled up next to him and rolled him toward you so he could nurse while listening to her sing songs about her little Korean Prince.

    Adora sang for a few minutes before she was interrupted, one of the other producers needed her for something. You said your goodbye’s, and you were left looking at the little Park Jimin look-alike at your side. With a sigh, you opened your text app and sent him Jamie’s birth announcement. It had all of the details on it; Date, time, weight, length.

Then you followed it with a couple of pictures from the day he was born. You needed to be the bigger person. It wasn’t just about you. It was about Jamie, too. And that was the most important thing to remember.

   Meanwhile, Yoongi had gotten Jimin to move after a while, taking him up to the workout room to try and work off some of the tension and emotion in a positive way. They went hard on their workouts for over an hour before they had to call it a day.

   Jimin grabbed his pile of things off of the floor and checked his phone. He froze on the spot when he saw your name on the screen. Heart jumping into his throat, Jimin opened the message. You hadn’t actually written anything, but sent Jamie’s birth announcement and first pictures. He smiled and ran his fingers over the pictures of his son’s face. He was so beautiful.

    Yoongi came up behind Jimin and looked over his shoulder at the screen.

“It’s crazy how he looks so much like you.” he said, making a conscious effort not to say your name or even draw attention to you in general.

“He really does.” Jimin’s voice was soft and sweet as he said it. The love he felt was a tone in itself.

    How could he respond? Should he continue with his messages telling you that he wanted to fix things and be a family? Or concentrate on Jamie?

For the moment, he decided just to say thank you, and follow it up later with more.

Jimin felt lighter than he had in two weeks as he changed out of his work out clothes. It was like a little glimmer of hope finally made itself known to help lead him in the right direction.

   Jimin couldn’t stop looking at the photos you sent as he had dinner that evening. He’d forwarded them to his parents, who were ecstatic to have more information and pictures of their grandson. That gave him an idea. Maybe he could get more photos and videos from you under the guise of sending them to his parents. Which meant he might be able to engage you in conversation. Which meant he might have more chances to work on tearing down the wall you’d built, and maybe work his way back to where he should have been if he hadn’t messed things up.

>”Hey. Thank you so much for the pictures! He’s so beautiful, just like you. I don’t know what gave you a change of heart, but I appreciate it. What is he doing now?”

   It took a few minutes, but you did respond. Again, no words, but with a photo of Jamie snuggled in a sling on the front of your body. His head was just above the top of the sling, and his eyes were wide open, taking everything in. It looked like you two were outside.

>”Hello handsome boy! Please give him a kiss for me. It looks like you two are enjoying some outside time. I am looking forward to a time when I can join you. Please be safe and stay healthy.”    

Jimin wanted to pour all of his thoughts and feelings into the text, but the way you’d reacted to him earlier had him pulling back. Instead, he grabbed the notebook he had filled with songs and letters for you while he was on tour, and wrote what he was thinking and feeling in there.

   The first thing Jimin did the next morning was text you,

>”Good morning, beautiful! I hope you slept well and that our perfect son had no tummy issues. What are your plans for the day?”    

    Your response was a short video of Jamie. He was laying on the bed kicking his legs out and sucking on his fist. His hair was sticking up at all angles, and It looked like he just woke up. It was a short 12 seconds long, but it was the most beautiful 12 seconds Jimin had ever seen. He watched it repeatedly throughout the morning, memorizing every little thing he could about his son. He even caught a glimpse of your leg a time or two. Obviously you were sitting on the bed with him.

   That led Jimin’s imagination down a road it had been down a million times since the two of you had met. You and he laying in bed after a night of making love and being in each other's arms. The baby he imagined you would have together was a reality now, so he had a face for the little one snuggled in between the two of you after waking you up in the morning. Jimin would get up to get the little one from his crib, of course. He couldn’t feed the infant, but he could be there to support you in every way possible.

    Jimin imagined watching Jamie suckle at your breast, and how you would glow with love and fulfillment. Jimin desperately wanted to be the cause of that look. He wanted to have that with you. He wanted to create that family unit for Jamie. For himself.

   His thoughts traveled to the suitcases he had in his room, still packed full of gifts for you he had brought home from his trip. So many special things from all over the world. He had shopped with the intention of showering you with love, showing you that he had been thinking about you the whole year apart, and proving that he intended to keep you forever. He wasn’t lying when he said you were his forever. He knew it,  and he suspected that underneath the hurt and anger, you knew it, too.

   He was a little sad he hadn’t known about Jamie. He would have loved shopping for his son. In fact, he wondered if you would allow him that small pleasure.

Next

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 10

   Jimin sent a few texts to you during the day, hoping to open up communications again, and maybe start repairing the harm done. You didn’t answer any of them, but he thought that maybe it would help you get used to him being back.

   The day had been a busy one, but he was hoping he’d be able to see Jamie before it was bedtime. Not that he knew exactly what the child’s bedtime was yet, but he really wanted to learn. Jimin wanted to learn everything about the boy. Jimin wanted to learn everything about you, too. He figured he would just need to be persistent again. That worked the first time around. He would just need to stay the course, and eventually you would come around, he was sure of it.

  Jimin called you as he walked into the building to give you fair warning that he was coming over. You didn’t answer. He tried again while he was in the elevator. Again, no answer. Honestly, he was starting to wonder if something was wrong.

  He was halfway down the hall to your apartment when he saw the door open and Adora come out. She was holding a small potted plant, and stopped dead in her tracks when she looked up to see him coming her way. Her eyes instantly narrowed into a glare and her tongue ran along the inside of her cheek before seemed to have a thought,

“You know what?” she said “I’m actually glad you’re here. Come get your luggage before I lock up.”

Jimin cocked his head to the side, confused, “The things in the luggage are for YN, I told her that already. Is she awake? I wanted to see my son” and you “before they went to bed.”

Adora frowned at him for a moment before asking, “Tell me Park Jimin, what repercussions did you face from the company for your relationship with YN?”

He blushed, “That’s not your business, Adora.”

   The board gave him quite the stern talking to about his actions and the results. Thankfully it seemed that neither YN or himself would be losing their jobs because of it.

The woman in front of him narrowed her eyes at him with a very audible “Mhmm.”

“If you’ll excuse me, I want to see my…” he was about to say ‘family’. That’s how he’d been thinking about you and Jamie. That you were all a family now. His family.

“They aren’t here,” Adora said curtly as she pushed the door open for him “And they won’t be for a while. Get your luggage and go home, Jimin.”

Jimin stilled. There was something in her voice that had his muscles tensing up with dread.

“What do you mean? Where are they?” He pushed past her and into the apartment. Looking around he first noticed that the blanket and overhead baby toy that was on the floor by the couch was gone. Stomach feeling like lead, he turned and went back to your bedroom. Your pillow was missing, and that was enough for him to believe.

   The tears in Jimin’s eyes made it hard to see, but just a glance into your bathroom confirmed it. You were gone. And you had taken his son with you.

   He turned, rushing into the living room where Adora was waiting, arms crossed with the little potted plant held up in one hand.

“Where are they, Adora? Where did they go?” he wiped the tears away and tried to control his temper when she just shrugged at him,

“I have no idea.”

He was caught somewhere between wanting to explode at this woman for withholding information, and crumpling into a crying mess on the floor. But, he was a man. His pride dictated the way he handles things.

   Adora stood watching the war of emotions as they flickered across Jimin’s face. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Jimin plopped down in the couch and looked up at her, a plea falling from his trembling lips

“Please, Adora. Please. Where did they go?”

Her face softened the tiniest bit, and he continued,

“I just want to make things right. I know I messed up. I always intended to come back and make her mine again. Forever, Adora.” he looked down at the floor as his fingers threaded through his hair and whispered “forever.”

“Jimin.” she said quietly “Do you want to know why I asked you about your punishment?”

If he thought the knot in his stomach was as tight as it could get, he was wrong. He nodded his head, but the rest of his body was unnaturally still as he waited for the other shoe to drop.

“While you essentially got nothing but a talking to, YN was put on 6 weeks leave to think about what she’d done. As if she hasn’t been thinking about it, obsessively, for the last year.” Adora had to snort at that, “Bang was ‘kind’ enough to make sure she was paid during that time to make sure Jamie was well taken care of. So she decided, with her schedule suddenly wide open, she’d take the time to relax and just be with her son.”

“Our son.” Jimin corrected quietly.

Adora actually felt bad for the man. Sort of. But, she also remembered the hell YN went through because of what he had done, and that those decisions were what led them to where they were now.

Jimin looked up at her and realized she wasn’t where his answers were. He wiped his eyes, grabbed the  luggage, and headed up to his dorm to see what, if anything, he could do to fix the situation.

No matter what ideas he or any of his friends had, they couldn’t seem to get anywhere.

At the company the next day, Jimin was a mess. He couldn’t focus, and was just plain worried about his family. What if they got sick? Why would she essentially risk their lives like this? Where had they gone?

His distraction was so bad, that he was pulled into a meeting, again, to discuss his behavior. He let his frustration out, and told Bang exactly what he thought of them placing you on six weeks leave and that you had now disappeared. Bang also tried to call you directly to get the information, to no avail. He was so concerned he pulled Adora into the meeting to try and coerce her into telling them where you had gone.

“She didn’t tell me.” she told them.

They didn’t believe her, and Bang spent some time giving her reasons for why she should share the information.

“YN knew you’d all be asking, and wanted to spare me.” Adora reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone so she could show them all the text messages you had sent,

~Hey Dora, I have decided to take Jamie and just relax somewhere during my sentence. Don’t worry! We will be safe. I’m not going to tell you where I'm going, because I don’t want you to have to deal with the fallout. My phone will be off most of the time, but I promise to check in and send pictures! I love you!

*Wait. What?!?! YN What are you talking about?

*Hello?

***a few hours later***

~I just want you to know that we got to our destination. It’s nice. Quiet. We are safe.

*What’s going on, YN? I’m worried about you two*

~**picture of Jamie, milk drunk and passed out on your chest** I think he’s going to like it here. We are good, Dora. I just needed to get away and have some time to reflect.

*Come on YN. Where did you go?*

~I’m not going to tell you that. I know there will be questions, and I don’t want you to be in the middle of it.

Jimin stood and slammed his fists onto the table in a rage, shocking everyone in the room.

“Calm down, Jimin-ah” Bang said sharply “That behavior is not going to help anything!”

Jimin turned on the man, livid at the entire situation,

“Nothing is going to help anything!” he yelled. “The only thing that could make it better is to go back in time and not listen when I was told to block her! Then I would have my family! I would have my woman and my son and none of this would even be an issue!”

   With another loud growl of frustrated anger, Jimin stormed out of the room.

Adora stared at the door, thinking about how he’d been acting since yesterday. He wasn’t backing away from his responsibilities at all. In fact, he was pushing to be with you and Jamie, and this time you were the one running away. It was interesting how the relationship seemed to come full circle. Once again Jimin was pursuing you, the only difference is that, this time, you really were running away.

    She wanted to be angry at Jimin, but, the more she thought about it, the more she really realized that Jamie needed him, whether you were willing to concede that yet or not. Wasn’t she the first to try to convince you to make sure the father knew about Jamie? And that Jamie needed to be raised within Korean culture?

   But, on the other side of that coin, Adora also understood how angry and hurt you had been, and how hard it had been for you to try to get over the man while carrying a part of him inside of yourself. This disappearing act you had pulled made her wonder if you really weren’t anywhere near over Jimin at all. She’d never seen you avoid something with such energy. You had always been one to deal with things as best you could, not run away.

“Adora?” Bang’s quiet voice pulled her out of her thoughts “I realize this is not truly our business, but it affects people we care about. We need to try to get as much information as possible. Maybe we can stop disasters from happening. Again,” he let out an annoyed sigh “And, in light of this pandemic, I am honestly shocked that she would put herself and her son at such risk like that. I am extremely disappointed in her for her actions. But, even more than that, I am scared for YN and Jamie. We need to find them.”

Adora wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to do at that moment. She was still angry that the company punished you and not Jimin, but she did want to find where you had gone. The COVID situation was getting worse by the day. You were alone, and had no help on the bad days. Your fear of Jimin and anger at the company drove you to separate from your tribe to heal. She just hoped the move wouldn’t come with terrible consequences.

Next

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers... 

Part 9

  Adora was at your door the next morning with a cup of tea in hand and an “explain yourself” look on her face. She handed you the tea and went to sit on the floor next to Jamie to give him his good morning kisses.

“My Korean Prince has a very handsome father,” she sang at her God son. “You really do look like him don’t you? How did I not see that?” Adora turned her attention to you as you sat on the couch behind her, sipping your cup of tea, “Park Jimin? Really? When did that happen? And WHY didn’t you tell me? I asked you so many times!”

You told her the whole story. From game night, to a lot of flirting, to stolen kisses, to a night of absolute passion. It was short and sweet, and stole your heart.

“We decided to not tell anyone about us. Plus, when he dropped me like a sack of rice I never wanted to hear his name again. Well. As much as I could avoid it, given my work situation. And then when I found out I was pregnant, it complicated things. My contract does have a “no dating coworkers” clause, and it would be sort of obvious who the father was if anyone knew about my time with Jimin.” You took a sip of tea before continuing with, “And besides… Fuck him.”

After telling you everything that happened after you left yesterday, and receiving a hearty high five for her part in it, Adora picked Jamie up and sat opposite you on the couch with her knees up so she could sit him up and play with him while she talked to you, “Are you still planning on running away to the States? You know that he’s not going to just walk away now that he knows about Jamie, right?”

Your groan said it all, “I couldn’t leave if I wanted to, Adora! The borders are all closed due to COVID.” you crawled over to kiss your son on the head before continuing, “You should have seen Jimin with him last night. If I wasn’t so angry with the man, it would have been adorable.”

“I still think he’s an asshole though,” Adora sang in a high pitched song that got Jamie’s legs jumping around “Why is his luggage still here? Does he really think he’s just moving in, no questions asked?”

“I have no clue,” you answered before taking a sip of tea. “He asked if he could leave it here because it was for me. I don’t even know what that means. I really don’t know what to do, Adora. But, if there is anything I've learned from my time in Seoul, it’s that it’s better to just let things play out. My whole time here has been a roller coaster. There was a time when I wondered why I was supposed to be stuck here. Why I was blocked from leaving at every turn. Now that I have Jamie, I see that I was supposed to be here because HE is supposed to be here. Everything I’ve done and been through over the last couple of years led to a whole new human being being born. It changed my outlook on forcing things in my life. No matter how hard I fight, or stress about some situation or another, it will work out exactly like it’s supposed to, whether it’s how I planned it or not.”

The two of you sat in silence for a bit, listening to Jamie find his own voice. The comfortable quiet was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. Anxiety bloomed in your stomach at the thought that it was probably Jimin dropping by, despite your asking him to check in first.

You opened the door, ready to fight, only to see Bang standing in the hall.

“Oh!” you exclaimed, surprised to see the man you looked up to as a bit of a savior. He was the one that fought so hard to get you out of KIA, and he had been an incredible uncle to Jamie.

“Bang!” the anxiety melted away as you smiled at the man, welcoming him into your apartment.

He had a bit of a strained look on his face as he entered. Nodding at Adora he said, “Would you mind giving us a few minutes to talk alone, Adora?”

She quickly agreed and scooted off the couch. After giving Jamie another loud, “Auntie Adora” kiss, she passed him off to you and headed back to her own apartment.

Bang sat on the edge of the couch with his head bowed and hands clasped tight, and your anxiety bloomed once again.

You set Jamie in his floor play area and sat on the chaise, quietly facing him as you waited for whatever was about to drop.

“YN.” he said quietly, “Why didn’t you tell me that Jamie is Jimin’s son?”

You took a giant gulp of air, and stared at the floor when you said, “We had decided not to tell anyone about our relationship. I didn’t find out I was pregnant until after he had broken it off. By then I was angry and just wanted to forget about the whole thing.”

Bang nodded, “You did this despite knowing you had a clause in your contract that prohibited dating co-workers?”

Your voice was small when you simply answered, “Yes.”

He looked up, surprised that was all you had to say, “That’s all you have to say for yourself? Jimin rambled on for fifteen minutes trying to explain it all.”

You shrugged, “What else is there to say, Bang? Jimin and I had a very short fling that ended with a baby. I let my guard down. I’m sorry.”

He sighed, looking conflicted when he asked “Are you sure it was just ‘a fling’? Jimin seems to think it is a lot more than that.”

You looked down at your son as he squawked about something. How were you supposed to answer that? “Honestly, while it was happening Jimin felt like the center of my world. But when he blocked my contacts after sending me a “I need to stop communication” email and broke my heart, It felt a lot more like just a fling. He got what he wanted, and I got single motherhood.” Bang’s head whipped around when she said that, and the shock on his face made you back track, “Don’t get me wrong! I love my son more than anything on this entire planet, and I am thankful every single day for him. I see now that he was my purpose for being in the place in time. But that doesn’t change the facts.”

Bang sighed again and sat back as he said, “I came here, not only to encourage you to work something out with Jimin, since I know you had planned on running away to the States to avoid him,” he gave you a reproachful look “But to tell you that the board has decided to place you on a 6 week paid leave. I would like to say it’s to give you time to figure things out with Jimin, but truly it is in response to the ‘no dating coworkers' clause in the contract.”

he started talking with his hands at this point, needing to get his point across

“I fought for you, YN. And it was all I could do to get the board to accept your new contract, call it ‘leave’ instead of ‘suspension’, and make sure you had money coming in during that time. I care about you and I care about Jamie. But I also have a business to run, and this affects one of my biggest assets. I cannot stress enough the importance of remaining out of the public spotlight with this. Not only would it be detrimental to Jimin’s career as an Idol, but it would be extremely dangerous for you and Jamie if the public knew about you. I suggest you take this time to bond with your son and figure things out with Jimin. Whether you like it or not, BitHit as a whole is involved in this, and it’s in our best interest if you two work things out, as a couple or functioning co-parents.”

Anger had spiked to replace the anxiety at this. Suspended. Make it sound as pretty as you could, but suspension was what it was. They were punishing her.

“Tell me, Bang,” your eyes had narrowed him as your nostrils flared “What punishments were doled out to Jimin for this breach of contract?”

“I can’t discuss the details of another employee’s file, YN” he said, “You know that.”

A curt “mmhmm” was all you said, knowing full and well that Jimin would be facing no repercussions for this “lapse in judgement”.

“Please, YN. I know you’re angry right now, but please try to see where we are coming from. I don’t want this to affect our friendship.”

Your anger had gotten to the point of holding back tears now. Where was that badass bitch that could handle things? It seems you lost her in the mix of those fun ‘new mother’ hormones, which was disappointing. You could really use her right now.

“You’re punishing me. Only me. You never would have even known about it if I hadn’t gotten pregnant. I wasn’t the only one involved, Bang. In fact, I told him repeatedly that I don’t date at work. But I had a weak moment, and now I’m being punished for it.”

Bang sighed deeply, frustrated at the whole situation.

“YN. Please. Just take this time to rest and enjoy your son.” He looked at you reproachfully, “And, I want you to know that I am even more upset at your plan to run off to the US without telling the father, now that I know who it is. I am extremely disappointed with you for that. Hopefully you’ll be able to work with Jimin now that he’s back.”

You really wanted to tell him to mind his own business. But it was none of his business, and you wanted him to leave even more than that, so you held your tongue in hopes he would think he’d gotten his point across and go.

He stood and picked up Jamie, showing you his love for the child hadn’t changed,

“Hello little Sir. You didn’t think I forgot about you, did you?”

Bang and Jamie had their own version of a full conversation while you remained silent on the couch, trying to harness your emotions. After a few minutes, Bang handed the boy off to you and leaned down to kiss your forehead. It was a very fatherly type move that you weren’t accustomed to. He stood straight and looked down at you,

“I am sorry, and I know you’re angry. You have become part of the family over the last year, and I don’t want you to think that we don’t care. Please, message me if you need anything. And stay safe, ok?”

You remained silent, but nodded. Bang gave a small, regretful smile, and left.

Your mind was spinning. They want the renewed contract, but you’re to be placed on 6 weeks leave immediately? What the hell was that? What were you supposed to do? Just sit in the apartment and stare out the window, waiting for Adora or Jimin to show up? You were over it. Overwhelmed with the happenings of the last couple of days, and the consequences they brought.

After you fed Jamie and got him down for a nap, you jumped on your computer to do some searching. Your whole life seemed like it was up in the air, and that you had had no control for a couple of years. But now you felt like you needed to do something to gain some sort of a footing.

After an hour of research and emailing, you had found a little cottage by the water in the Gangwon Province. Far enough to feel like a whole world away, and far enough that Jimin wouldn’t be able to just pop in. You might not get to head back to America, but you would absolutely get to be away from Jimin for a while.

   In fact, by nightfall you were typing in the code to unlock your space with several bags in tow and a sleeping Jamie in his car seat. The Kakao driver had helped you unload your bags and the bags of groceries you had stopped to get on the way. In truth, you owed this driver a ton of money for the work she’d put in today. You had everything packed and ready to go before Jamie had even woken up from that nap.

    You took the time to feed him when he woke up and had the car waiting when you were done. A quick trip to the store and you were off. It had taken the better part of 5 hours to get here in the car, including feeding stops, and you tipped the driver well.

   Once you had everything inside and the driver was on her way back, you let out a breath of relief. You had this place for the next six weeks. It was by the water, and was in a less populated area. You had to quarantine for the next two weeks, but it was a worthy cause.

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 8

    Jimin snuggled back into the couch and took a few pictures of the infant in his arms while you took the opportunity to eat some rice. You were starving and really wanted to eat everything you saw, but desperately wanted to avoid the ‘up all night’ screamfest if any of it upset Jamie’s stomach. After you nodded off while you were seated at the small table trying to stuff your face, you decided it was time to call it a night.

    You needed sleep. You needed time to process Jimin being back and what that could mean. You needed to think about your boundaries with him and where to place them.

   You set the bowl of rice by the sink, not even bothering to clean it.

“Jimin,” you said quietly, hoping and praying he wouldn't fight you this time. You really didn’t have the energy for it.

“You need to go now. Jamie needs his bath, and I really need to get to bed.”

   The look on Jimin’s face was stubborn as he opened his mouth, but he closed it when you brought your hand up in the universal ‘stop’ gesture,

“I’m not saying you can’t come back another time. I do ask that you check with me first before just popping in, though,”

He looked down at Jamie, an ache he hadn’t known before forming in his chest,

“Jamie,” he whispered.

With a long suffering sigh that showed that you had finally reached the end of your patience rope, you moved to lift your son out of his arms with a curt,

“Remember to take your luggage with you.”

“Y/N,” he started, before you shut him down with an immediate,

“No.”

Jimin sighed again, caught between agitation at not being able to explain himself properly and knowing he deserved your anger.

He stood up before running his hands through his hair and blowing out another breath,

“I will be back tomorrow, ok? And, if it’s ok, I’d like to leave the bags here. They are actually for you.”

By this time, you really didn’t care. You just wanted him gone.

“Fine. Whatever. Remember to text before you show up, provided you figured out how to unblock my number.”

There was a bitter tone to your voice as you ushered him to the door, not even saying goodbye as you closed him out.

 In the hallway, Jimin remained still as he listened to you secure all of the locks, mind racing with how his life had taken such a sharp turn. He wanted to stay with every fiber of his being. He wanted to be with you. Take care of you. Raise your son together. He wanted the whole “happily ever after” thing with you, but he’d fucked it up so completely.

   With his hand taking yet another swipe through his hair, Jimin blew out a breath and headed back up to the dorm.

  You stood at the door after locking it, staring at it while you fought the urge to look through the peephole at the man who broke your heart. Jamie made a grunting noise that brought you back to the present moment. Taking care of him was far more important than your internal struggles.

   After the both of you were bathed and were settled in on your bed for Jamie’s last feeding before you could sleep, you picked up your phone. Ignoring the pile of text messages, you opened your calendar. You’d set a reminder for the date Jimin was due back. It was still weeks away. Why was he back already? Then you opened your email and looked back through some of the notes and schedules that had been sent over the last few weeks.

    With a huge sigh and a lot of internal swear words (you’d been trying to clean up your language around the baby), you saw the problem. You’d put it in on the wrong damn day. You had them down as coming back on the 21st. Not on the 1st. Jesus. Mom-brain was real and it messed up your entire plan.

    Jamie let out a big sigh, telling you he was done and mostly asleep. You lifted him to your shoulder, patting his back gently to soothe him to sleep and coax a burp at the same time. You caught yourself nodding off and decided to set him in his crib across the room from your bed before you really fell asleep and dropped him.

    He still woke up a couple of times throughout the night to eat, but you slept better than you had in a few days.

   Jimin got back to the dorm to find all 6 of his band members waiting for him.

Tae jumped right in with the questions, “Did you get to hold him? Take any pictures?”

Yoongi followed up with, “You were gone a while, I take it she let you in the door?”

   Jimin opened his photos and handed his phone to Tae before taking a seat on the arm of the couch, “It took a little convincing, and I had to get passed Adora, but YN did, eventually let me in.”

“Were you able to talk it out?” Hobi asked as he leaned over to look at the picture Taehyung had on the screen, “Oh, wow! That baby really does look just like you, Jiminnie.”

Jimin sighed, “No. There wasn’t much talking at all actually.”

The members all looked at him in surprise. Normally, Jimin would have teased them for even looking at him like that, but all he could do at that moment was shake his head and continue,

“It was extremely awkward. YN barely spoke, and I had a hard time finding the words I needed. I did get to hold him, though! Jamie. She named him Jamie. He’s beautiful and so tiny.”

He sighed in frustration for what felt like the millionth time that day,

“She’s so angry.”

“Did you tell her about the meeting we had with Bang after she left?” Namjoon asked, his voice held a mix of guilt and concern. He felt terrible for his role in what led to Jimin blocking YN out of his life for the majority of the year. And now knowing that there is a child in the mix, Joon’s remorse and guilt for helping tear a family unit apart like that was terrible.

“No. Like I said, we didn’t talk much,” and, with another deep intake of breath Jimin said “I have to go call my parents. Let them know what’s going on.”

He got up off of the couch arm and went back to his room to face his fate. Jimin decided facetime would probably be the best for something like this, and called his father’s number as he plopped down on his bed. The older man’s face appeared after a couple of rings with a wide smile and sparkling eyes. Jimin couldn’t help the little smile at the thought that his father’s looks had passed down to him, and now down to his grandchild.

“Jiminnie!” his father’s joy at seeing him clear on the screen.

“Hello Appa.” Jimin responded, “Where’s Eomma? I need to talk to you both.”

Jimin’s father called for his wife and turned back to his son, “How are you? I see you got through quarantine well. Are you eating enough? Have you been sleeping?”

Jimin rubbed his free hand over his face, the stress finally making itself seen as his mother’s face came into the frame. She took one look at her son and knew something was off.

“What’s going on, son? Are you ok?”

Jimin decided that quick and to the point was for the best in this situation, so he steeled himself before letting it all out. “No. I’m not ok. I’m sorry. So sorry. I messed up so horribly. I met a woman. She’s everything. Then I made a huge mess of things. I saw her for the first time since leaving for the tour today. And…” His tears started again as he looked directly at his parents' faces on the screen of his phone, “And I found out that I am a father.”

The couple on the screen was quiet as they took in what their son had dropped on them.

“Jimin…” his father’s voice was solemn as he asked the responsible questions “Are you sure, son? Are you positive this child is yours? Don’t take it on quite yet. Get a test done first.”

Jimin just wiped his eyes and then brought up a picture he’d taken of Jamie to send to his father. He knew the moment they opened the text message by the gasps of surprise. His mother covered her mouth, eyes wide as saucers as she saw her grandson for the first time.

“Oh my god, Jimin! He looks exactly like you did when you were a baby.” She reached her hand out and ran her finger along the screen where the infant’s cheek was, “When can we meet him? Pandemic be damned, I will be there tomorrow.”

“No, Eomma. Like I said, I made some horrible mistakes, and his mother is barely speaking to me right now. I have a lot of work to do to make it right.”

She glared at him, unhappy with his answer.

“What did you do, son? Or do I even want to know?”

“I just made some decisions that were better made after an actual conversation. She hadn’t found out she was pregnant until after I messed things up.”

Jimin’s father spoke up now, “What’s his name?”

“Jamie.”

Jimin’s father grunted at that. “Sounds like an Americanized version of your name.”

Jimin hadn’t thought of that. He actually smiled a little at that thought, wondering if you had even considered that when you chose the name.

He talked with his parents for a while longer, promising to send a video of the little one at the first opportunity, and to try and video call the next time he was able to be with him.

Once he was able to get off of the call with his parents, Jimin laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. His brain was tired. He’d been on an emotional roller coaster that day, and was mentally exhausted.

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 7

   After you panic power walked back to your apartment with a hungry, crying infant on your chest, you were even more exhausted than before. Physically, you were ready to drop. Emotionally, though, you were on a rollercoaster. After tossing your backpack and hoodie on the table, you sat in the corner of your couch to feed Jamie. Part of you wondered if his screaming was in reaction to your own tense body and tears.

   It took him a moment to realize food was being offered, but once he figured it out he latched on like he’d never been fed before, grunting like a little piglet as he suckled. You couldn’t help but let out a little laugh at his dramatic response.

   You took the peaceful moment to play with his hair and gently touch his cheek, cooing and singing softly to your little love as you thought about how life brought you to this point. You’d often wondered why you were brought to Korea. Why you had been locked in and forced to stay. Why did your birth control fail? You knew now that your answer was in your arms. You were meant to bring this little life into the world. You were meant to be his mother, and the fates had aligned everything perfectly to make that happen.

   Then your thoughts took a turn to his father. You’d thought a lot about Jimin over the last year. At first your thoughts were filled with anger. Then self righteousness. Recently they had landed on self disgust. Why did you allow yourself to lower your guard for him? Your whole relationship was so fast. It’s not like you had a chance to truly get to know each other. He had claimed in his email that he was in love with you. But love didn’t do what he did.

   Tears started to fall again as you thought about the implications of what happened today. He knew now. Jimin knew he was a father. How could you have gotten the dates mixed up so badly?

  The worry of what would happen if the company found out that Jamie was Jimin’s son crept in. Dating within the company was frowned upon, and it was also stated in her contract that doing so would be cause for termination. You would have to move. And you still couldn’t leave the country. Maybe you could go live in a smaller village? Jamie would love the fresh air.

    A knock at the door brought you out of your head enough to realize that Jamie had fallen asleep, and milk was leaking all over his face and down your stomach. With a quiet groan you gently set him down on a cushy blanket you had set on the floor and fixed your clothes before looking through the peephole. With a grimace you opened the door, well aware that Adora was going to be angry that you hadn’t told her about Jimin. Maybe she didn’t know?

    The raised eyebrow and frown on her face told you everything you needed to know.

“You look like shit.” she said as she pushed her way into the apartment. “You need to get some sleep. Go ahead. I’ll hang out with my Godson.”

    The suspicious look you had on your face made her chuckle darkly,

“Don’t worry Y/N. We are going to have a long conversation about why you never told me about Jimin. But you need to be awake for it.” she gently nudged you toward the couch and handed you the throw blanket you had laying over the back of it before sitting next to Jamie’s sleeping form on the floor.

“Adora..” you started, not sure what to say.

“Shush now. Take a nap Y/N. I’ll be here when you wake up. Or, when Jamie wakes you up to eat. Which will be sooner than you’d like.”

   You couldn’t argue with that. You leaned down and wrapped your arms around your friend, more than grateful she had come into your life like she had. Adora chuckled and reached back to pat you on the head,

“I love you, too. Now sleep!”

   Another loud knock at your door jerked you into consciousness. It took a few moments before you realized what it was that woke you. Adora’s flat, angry voice saying “What are you doing here? What’s all this shit?” had your eyes actually opening, and Jimin’s plea of “Where is Y/N?” had you actually sitting up. Movement on the floor told you that Jamie was awake and feeling momentarily content, sucking on his fist and kicking his legs.

   Adora just cocked her head to the side and moved to close the door in his face. You heard his hand hit the wood in an effort to prevent getting closed out, “Adora. This really doesn’t concern you. I will forever be thankful to you for being there for Y/N and the baby when I wasn’t. But I need to see her.”

   You walked over to Adora, just behind the door, and touched her arm. Her steely glare turned to you and softened when she saw the sad, resigned smile you had on your face. You reached your hand up and cupped her cheek, “Thank you Adora. It’s ok. I’ll call you later, ok?”

Adora stood still for a moment, seeming to decide whether she would go without a fight or not.

“Y/N?” Jimin heard you and almost jumped through the doorway to get to you, “Y/N? Please? Please let me in.”

   His forward movement was halted at Adora’s sharp look when her head snapped back his direction. You took a deep, fortifying breath before moving around your friend to face Him, truly face him, for the first time since he left.

    Jimin held his breath as your face came into view. He didn’t even try to pretend he wasn’t taking in every last detail about you that he had missed since he’d been gone. His heart felt like it might burst.

   Adora took her cue and collected her things so she could leave,

“I’m right next door if you need anything, ok?” she said softly, bringing you in for a supportive hug. Letting you go, she turned to Jimin, glare snapping back on to her face to give him another unspoken warning. He bowed his head, looking contrite as she moved passed, keeping her eyes on him until she was at her own door down the hall.

   You didn’t say anything as you and Jimin stood staring at each other. Jamie chose that moment to make some noise, a warning that food needed to happen soon or else the world would know about it. Jimin’s head jerked to the side, as if he thought he could have seen the child through the door.

    You didn’t ask what he was doing there. That was obvious. But the suitcase and backpack he held did give you cause for concern.

“What’s all of this?” you asked, motioning toward the suitcase with your head, “You aren’t moving in here.”

Jimin ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath, “I’m not trying to move in, Y/N. Can I come in?”

   You stood in the open doorway, thoughts and emotions at war inside of your head as you tried to decide what to do and how to handle it. Jamie’s cries were what brought you out of your head. The baby was hungry, and Jimin wasn’t going anywhere without a conversation.

You didn’t say anything, instead you just swung the door all the way open before you let it go to go pick up your son.

   You ignored Jimin as you soothed Jamie, taking a few minutes to get his diaper changed and settled in to eat. As you sat back in the corner of the couch with a blanket to cover yourself while the infant ate, you noticed Jimin on the opposite side, watching your every move. Again, you chose to stay quiet, letting it be awkward as you kept your face blank, not wanting to give any of your thoughts or feelings away to the man who broke your heart.

   Not a word was said as you and Jimin just stared at each other for the entire 20 minutes Jamie suckled on the right side. When it was time to burp the baby before changing sides, you made sure you were decent before you removed the blanket and sat him up to pat his back.

    Jimin’s eyes finally left yours as he saw Jamie’s face up close for the first time. The breath seemed to woosh from his chest, and his vision blurred with unshed tears as the realization of how much he’d already missed dawned in his head.

“Y/N.” he said, voice barely that of a whisper, words escaping him. How did he even start to apologize for ruining what they had. Fuck, if he’d only found another way.

You held the child like that for a few moments longer than you had to, watching the emotions as they played across Jimin’s face. You weren’t sure how to feel. The anger and hurt had been your close companions for nearly a year, as was the self disgust for allowing a man to get so close so quickly.  

It had been a complete whirlwind romance. What had she expected? More than he had to give, apparently.

Jamie squeaked to remind you he wasn’t done eating yet, so you covered back up with the blanket and got him to latch on. You were still so tired. And hungry. You had decided to stick to plain rice for the day in hopes the baby’s stomach issues would be better than the night before. Hours upon hours of screaming infant was not on your list of things you wanted to deal with again. You had a moment of panic, wondering if you had turned on the rice cooker when you got home from the studio.

Jimin cleared his throat, reminding you that he was still there.

Good lord. You were more exhausted than you thought you were if you could somehow forget that he was there.

“Jimin. I’m way too tired to be having any kind of conversation right now. The baby was up all night and I've only gotten a little nap in. Can we do this another time? I’m just going to give him a bath and try to go to bed.”

Food could probably wait. As it was you were having a hard time keeping your eyes open.

“Y/N. Jagiya, please.” Jimin started, hoping to plead his case.

“Jagiya.” you said disdainfully, “Don’t you dare call me that. You lost that right. I need you to leave, Jimin.”

Jimin was steadfast, though, staying seated across from you. His determination to win you back again overriding his good sense and any thoughts of the plan he and Tae had come up with.

“Y/N, please. Hear me out!”

“Jimin. Obviously you are still under the impression that your needs come before anyone else’s. Unfortunately for you, this tiny person we made comes first. And in order to take proper care of him, I need to sleep. Kindly take your luggage and get out. Now.”

   Jamie squawked as he let go of your nipple causing milk to spill all over his face and neck, taking your attention away from the man trying to plead his case. Covering yourself again, you scooted off of the couch as you wiped away the mess, intent on giving the baby his bath and calling it a night.

Jimin stood, and moved closer to you with a look of trepidatious determination on his face as he all but whispered, “Y/N? Can I hold him? Can I meet my son?”, holding his arms up as if to take the infant.

   Your hold on the baby tightened as your tired mind worked over time. Despite your original determination to leave the country without him knowing he was a father, Jimin knew now. For better or worse. There was nothing you could do about it. You looked down at Jamie. At his dark brown eyes, exactly like Jimin, and you broke.

“Jimin..” your voice was wet with the hurt and tears you were trying so hard to hold in.

He moved closer and placed his hand on your cheek, thumb lightly rubbing dangerously close to your lips for a moment, reigniting your ire before he looked down at the grunting infant.

Jimin’s hand caressed Jamie’s head, and his own tears began to fall. He let out a choked laugh,

“He has so much hair!”

Jimin looked back into your eyes and, with an encouraging look, lifted the baby from your arms.

The look on his face as he held his son melted her heart even more.

“Hello little love,” he cood, “You are so beautiful”

Jimin looked up at you with a look of absolute wonder, “I’ve often wondered what my children would look like.” You could see that he, like you, had immediately fallen in love with the boy. He sat back down on the couch with Jamie in his arms, memorizing his features while speaking in a low, sweet voice.

   Your voice seemed to have left. All you could do was stand and watch as Jimin began his journey in bonding with his son.

Next

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 6

Jimin’s POV

   Jimin was floating on a cloud when he woke up with your head on his chest. He tightened his hold on you, never wanting to let go. He couldn’t believe how full his heart felt! You were absolutely perfect. And you were his. How could he ever have been so lucky to have you appear in his world the way you had? He had seen you in the auditorium a few months ago, and was intrigued.

   The next day he had asked Adora about you, wanting to make sure you were alright after that confrontation with Choi. Choi had a terrible reputation, as did the whole of KIA. He thought it was a pity such a beautiful woman was involved with such an awful company. As time passed, Jimin had thought of you often, hoping things were getting better for you.

  Then came the awards ceremony that changed everything. Anger still flared inside when he thought about how they had treated you, and the damage done. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Now wasn’t the time for that. Now was the time to bask in the afterglow of an amazing night that changed his life.

   He was playing with your hair and smiling about his memories of last night, and how he had finally gotten you to take his advances seriously, as more than just flirting. How he had made his point, over and over again, that he belonged to you, and you belonged to him. He hoped you thought of him every time she looked at any part of that apartment he had taken you on. He had that thought in mind when he had taken you on every flat, and not so flat, surface he could find.

   Part of him was afraid you would forget about him while he was on tour. A year was a long time. But Jimin was already making plans on gifts he could send, and ways he could keep in close contact with you.

   He hadn’t told you he had fallen in love with you. This was all so new, and you were very open about your hesitance with the opposite sex. The last thing Jimin wanted to do was to scare you off. He wanted to keep you as his for the rest of his life.

   She sighed deep and he knew you were almost awake. Maybe he could wake you up in a super special way…

   Once he had finally given in and answered his managers calls and left his woman, Jimin felt the strangest mix of excitement, hesitancy, sadness, and love. He did enjoy going on tour and performing for their fans, and there was always excitement surrounded in traveling the world. But this time he was hesitant to go. He was in love. He didn't want to leave you for that long!  He already missed you in just the time it took getting to the dorm, so he sent a sweet emoji text so you knew he was thinking about you.

   The first few weeks of the tour went by in a flash. The days were insanely busy, but Jimin tried his best to make sure Y/N knew she was on his mind. Like, all the time. When they weren’t talking, or texting, Jimin was thinking about her. He was writing love songs and thinking about what presents he could get from every city they visited.

   His distraction was noticeable, though. He was obviously not paying attention during interviews, even checking his phone now and again. The performances were a little off, as well. He was late to get on the lift more than once. It was more noticeable to those behind the scenes, but came dangerously close to throwing off the entire show a couple of times.

“Jimin,” Namjoon barked, frustration pouring off of him after one particularly rough concert, “You need to get it together! What’s your problem?”

Namjoon’s aggression took Jimin by surprise. He’d been so caught up in his own head, he hadn't been paying attention to the mood of everyone around him. He knew he’d been making mistakes, but he thought he was covering his missteps seamlessly.

“What?” Jimin snapped, responding in kind to Namjoon’s attitude, “I fixed the problem. We pulled off a great show. What’s YOUR problem?”

“My problem,” Namjoon said, voice getting louder, “Is that you’re distracted and fucking it up for everyone! We have a huge responsibility on our shoulders and you’re just out there making a mockery of what we've built! And for what? Some random chick you’re going to forget about a couple of months into the tour?” The higher ups had been coming down hard on Namjoon to deal with what they had been calling ‘the Jimin issue’.

   Jimin saw red. He was embarrassed for being called out, and flat out pissed Namjoon would assume he was just going to forget about this woman. He jumped to his feet to square off with his friend and leader, anger taking charge in his decision making, “I’m not making a mockery of anything! I work just as hard, if not harder, than anyone in this room! What I do outside of all of this is not your business! I AM allowed a personal life, as long as I keep hidden and it doesn’t affect Bangtan.”

    Jimin stood up to Namjoon, chest puffed out as he fought with the man. Namjoon had no right to try and control who he fell in love with! But Joon wasn’t backing down in the face of Jimin’s anger. In fact, this was turning into the perfect opportunity to let go of everything he’d been holding in about the situation.

   Red Faced, Namjoon stood that much taller and let his voice boom out, “It is affecting Bangtan! You are beyond distracted, and your head is so far up your ass about this chick that you’re fucking it up for everyone! Pull your head out, Jimin! It’s not just about you and what you want right now. It’s about all of us!”

    Fuming, Jimin looked around at the faces in the room. Band members, managers, stylists and more. A majority of them were doing their best not to look at him. The others were nodding their heads in agreement with what Namjoon had said.

“It’s not that bad.” he snapped.

“Jimin,” Namjoon said, trying to force his voice to a calmer volume, “you were looking at your phone all throughout 3 separate interviews yesterday, and checking your phone was what made you late for your cue tonight.”

  Waving his phone around in his fit, Jimin all but yelled, “You could block her from my phone, but that wouldn’t stop me! I love her! She is not just some random chick!”

Namjoon grabbed Jimin’s phone out of his hand and looked at the opened text screen. The last text was just moments before the argument started.

“Give me my goddamn phone back Kim Namjoon!” Jimin’s face had turned red. He wasn’t even trying to hold back anymore. He lunged at the leader of their group, only to be held back by Seokjin and Hoseok. Both men trying to calm the man and the situation.

“ ‘Jagi’ huh? You said I could block her and it would make no difference. Let’s see if that helps you focus better.” Namjoon, equally as angry, held Jimin’s phone out for him, “Do it. Block her. Make the right decision.”

Jimin was livid. Breaking away from the two men who were holding him back, he grabbed his phone and stormed off to find his ride back to the hotel, not realizing Tae was on his heels.

   Tae and Jimin had fought many times over the years, but he had never seen Jimin’s face turn that particular shade of red before. Tae didn’t say anything to his friend, he just followed along and wanted to be there for him in case he wanted to talk. Jimin ignored Tae for the drive back to the hotel, his focus solely on his phone.

“FUCK!” Jimin’s outburst startled Tae from his reverie, “Goddamnit!” There was almost a tone of panic in the man’s voice now.

“Jiminnie?” Tae asked quietly, “What’s happened?”

“I don’t want to fucking block and delete her, Tae! I love her! FUCK!”

Jimin was trying to hold back the tears, almost desperate to come up with a solution.

“Jiminnie?” Tae asked quietly, his hand reaching over to grab Jimin’s hand, “Talk to me. Please?”

The tears were too thick to be held back anymore. Jimin looked at Tae and let out a sob,

“I love her, Tae. She’s my ‘forever’.”

   Over the next few hours Jimin worked through his feelings with Tae as a soundboard. He refused to tell the man who this mystery woman was, but made sure Tae knew exactly what kind of feelings he was harboring. Eventually, Jimin cried himself out and fell asleep with Tae by his side, wanting to find a way to fix it for his friend.

   Jimin woke up the next morning heartbroken. He knew he was not doing his best. And he needed to. Not just for himself, but the members, staff and ARMY. He didn’t know what to do. But he had to do something.

   With shaking fingers and tears in his eyes, Jimin blocked your number and opened his email app, intent on sending one last message before blocking that too. Desperate to make you understand why he had to do this. That your relationship wasn’t actually over, and that he was still your man, no matter what. And you would still be his woman. He would make sure of it. And everything would be fixed and better when he was back from tour in 11 months.

  As time passed, Jimin was able to act as if things were fine in public, but sat in a hole of depression behind the scenes. There were some that agreed  that it was something that had to be done, and some that thought that the order to block contact had grossly overstepped bounds.

   Jimin looked, for all intents and purposes, like he was paying attention and involved with what was happening around him, but in reality he was just going through the motions. His mind was still taken up with the love he left in Seoul. When he was able to go out in the various cities they visited, he bought presents for you. When he was closed up in his hotel room, he wrote songs and poetry for you. He had even bought a notebook so he could write you letters whenever he wanted to.

  Jimin knew you would be upset with him, but he was hoping he’d be able to win you back with all of these things, and the hope that you took the rest of his email seriously. Tae even helped him work on a couple of the song ideas.

    He had thought about asking around to see how you were doing. You worked at Big Hit, it wouldn’t be that hard. But, you both had decided to keep your relationship a secret. You were breaking a few of the rules that were stated in plain terms in all of your contracts. No dating co workers. You had been through so much, and he didn’t want to bring any suspicion on you. Until he was there. If you were fired when he was around, so be it. He’d take care of your every need. But he wasn’t there, and wouldn’t be for a few months. He didn’t want you to get fired and kicked out of your apartment. You might decide to move back to the States before he could get to you, and he didn’t want to risk it.

   As their time on the road came to an end, and they were forced to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks before officially being allowed back into Seoul, Jimin finally broke and told Taehyung the entire story over a bottle (or two) of wine. How he had wormed his way into your life. How you kept saying you didn’t date people you worked with, and how he wouldn’t hear of it. How you spent the most beautiful (and hot) night together just before the band left on tour. And, his plans on how to win you back after not being able to have any contact for almost a year. They clinked glasses several times as Tae helped him lay out those ideas, and promised to help anywhere he could.

    Jimin was nervous and excited as the group made their way into the Big Hit building for the first time in a year. He was almost desperate to see you. They ran into Slow Rabbi when they walked through the door. He was also on hand for the production meeting that was set for that morning. He liked Slow Rabbit.

   They all ended up sitting back on the blue couch, relaxing for a minute before they got back to business. Jimin didn’ t have much to say. He just listened to everyone tell their stories while biding his time. Adora wandered out to fill her coffee, throwing them a cheerful wave and a “Welcome back”. Jimin’s eyes were glued to the hallway. Would Y/N come out soon? You usually filled her coffee when Adora did. Maybe he should try to sneak down to your studio to talk before the meeting.. That might be best.

   The door to the hallway opened while Jimin was lost in thought, and Adora’s squeal of “There you are! Where’s my Godson!” brought him to full attention.

You walked in wearing a thick, zipped up hoodie that was obviously huge on your frame. Your hair was in a braid to the side, and your bucket hat blocked his view of most of your face. He faintly heard Tae ask if you had gotten a puppy…  

and then the world fell out from under him.

As Slow Rabbit explained the details of the tiny human that Adora pulled out from a front pack that had been exposed as you unzipped your hoodie, Jimin thought he might puke. And then he might punch every single person that pressured him to sever contact with you.

   Jimin felt Tae’s concerned gaze on him, but his vision had become a tunnel that was completely focused on the scene in the kitchen. On you. On the dark head of hair he saw on the smallest human he’d ever seen as Adora talked and cooed at him. Maybe the child wasn’t his? It was possible.

   Even as he had those thoughts, though, he knew better. Everyone knew you didn’t date. You didn’t have casual sex. He had let his emotions run the show and had determinedly pushed his way into your life.

    It hadn’t seemed as though you had noticed him yet, as you busied around the kitchenette.

Jimin had stopped listening to anything but what you and Adora were saying. Should he get your attention? Make his presence known? Stomp over to you and make a scene?

  Before Jimin could make up his mind, though, you had lifted the infant away from Adora’s loud kisses with a smile and made your way down the hall toward your studio.

   He couldn’t breathe. He was drowning.

   Tae took control of the situation, standing and pulling Jimin up as he told the rest of the men that they would see them at the production meeting. He took Jimin to one of the practice rooms and closed them in, hoping to give his friend a moment to collect himself in private.

Jimin sat with his head in his hands, elbows on his knees, trying to breathe. Trying to work his way through what he was thinking and feeling.

   Tae crouched down in front of him and placed his hands on the outside of his knees,

“Jimin?”

“Mmmm” Jimin grumbled back, unsure of what words even were anymore. He looked up at Tae, vision blurred now by the tears that took over.

“Do you think that Y/N’s baby is yours?”

Jimin let out a little sob of a word as he nodded his head, “Yeah.”

The emotion came in an uncontrolled flood then. Tae reached up and pulled Jimin into a bear hug, holding him as the man collapsed with the knowledge that he was to blame for everything that had happened.

He hadn’t even let you say anything. He just told you that he was putting your relationship on pause because he couldn’t handle it. And then he left you to deal with so much by yourself.

He suddenly pulled back from Tae and brought his phone out of his pocket, intent on unblocking your contact.

Why had he done it? Why couldn’t he just control himself? He could have kept you and done his job.

Once he had unblocked the number, text after text flooded the app.

“What the fuck Park Jimin!”

“Really? You’re just going to block me like that!?!?”

“You’re an asshole.”

“I can’t believe I let you in. I let you near my heart and you fucking stomped on it.” “Did you laugh while you did it? Are you having fun knowing what you did to me?”

There was a month of silence before you sent the text that made his heart squeeze in a vice,

“Well asshole. You’re going to be a father. Can’t say I never told you. I hope you never get this message.”

And then there was another lull until the final message, sent almost two months ago,

“He’s perfect. He’s beautiful. I guess, no matter what, I can thank you for bringing him to me.”

And that was it.

Jimin handed the phone over to Tae to read through the messages, and then leaned back in the chair, staring at the ceiling with his fingers continuingly running through his hair in frustration. The hole in his heart just turned into a giant chasm, knowing that not only was he missing out on the woman he loved, but he had a child. He had a son. He was a father.

   A knock at the door brought him out of his reverie. Tae opened it to find Yoongi looking at him, stoic as usual.

“Hyung?” Tae was honestly confused, “What’s up? Do you need something?”

Yoongi shook his head and pushed his way into the room, pulling a chair over to sit in front of Jimin before he spoke,

“What’s going on?”

The tears that wouldn’t stop and puffy eyes made Jimin’s urge to lie moot as he looked at his friend. Yoongi had been like an older brother for many years now, and always had Jimin’s best interest at heart. But he couldn’t seem to make the words come out.

Yoongi was quiet and introspective, and sometimes that opened him up to see things the others wouldn’t pick up on,

“You were fine before Y/N showed up. Want to tell me what that’s all about?”

Again, Jimin could only shake his head and try to hold back the sobs. He couldn’t actually talk about it right then if he wanted to. Yoongi frowned and looked over his shoulder at Tae, who was leaning against the wall near the door, arms crossed and staring at the floor with a thoughtful expression on his face. Yoongi decided to try for easy yes or no questions to get his answers,

“Was Y/N the woman you were dating when we left to go on tour? The one that was distracting you so much?”

Jimin nodded his head before rubbing his hands over his face in an effort to pull himself together.

Yoongi sat back and thought about the implications of that admission.

“You think that baby is yours, don’t you?”

Jimin’s face scrunched up as he, again, nodded his head and let out another sob. This time he leaned down to put his head in his hands, not bothering to hold back any longer.

Tae scooted past Yoongi and crouched down by his friend, pulling the man into a hug.

“It’s going to be ok, Jiminnie. We already made a plan for you to win her back. It is a little more complicated now, but I’m sure you can make it work. It will work out.” leaning back, Tae smiled at Jimin, “You’re a dad, Jimin!”

   The men rallied Jimin to get cleaned up and presentable before the production meeting. Walking into the room, he took his seat with the other members toward the back of the packed room, noting that you weren’t there yet. He had started chewing on the side of his thumbnail, anxiety starting to take over.

   When the meeting started without you, Jimin worried that you and the baby were alright. Had something happened? Why weren’t you there. Slow Rabbit said you would be. Just a couple of minutes in, though, the door opened and you crept in. Locking eyes with Adora, you kept your head down and tried to quietly make your way to the chair she had saved for your arrival.

  Bang paused in what he was saying and, with a huge smile on his face, held out his arms toward you, hands moving in the universal “Gimme” motion. Jimin melted at the gentle smile you had on your face when you freed the child from the sling you had around chest and passed him over to the older man.

   From this angle, he could see the side of the little one’s face. The infant was wide awake and paying full attention to everything Bang was doing. From where Jimin sat, that pacifier looked like it was half the size of his head. He couldn’t help the tiny burst of amusement that fluttered in his chest. He ached to see his son up close. Hold him. Love him. Just as he wanted to hold and love you.

  You had placed your phone on the table and leaned back in the chair far enough that your face was hidden. You sounded tired when you spoke. He wished he could see you, but didn’t want to make it too obvious or make a scene. Yet. Jimin wasn’t above making a scene when he needed to, but this wasn’t the time. He needed to talk to you first. Face to face. Grovel at your beautiful feet. Beg for forgiveness.

   But what if you wouldn’t forgive? What if you wouldn’t allow him to get anywhere near you or the baby? What if you tried to leave the country and take the child with you? Fear took hold in Jimin’s heart. What would he do? What could he do? He was lost in his own head, fear and anger warring with love and wanting for the entire meeting.

   Jimin hadn’t even realized that the meeting had ended until people started moving. He had a moment of indecisive panic… what should he do now? Go up to you? Hide?

  Kim Taehyung appeared next to you, startling Jimin out of his reverie. He hadn’t even noticed the man move from the chair at his side!

    Tae leaned in and said something as he picked up Jimin’s son and cradled him in his arms. Jimin’s eyes were focused on your face as you jerked around and saw him.

   The panicked look on your face didn’t make him feel any better. And the way you muttered “There is no father listed on any paperwork” as you picked up the child and ran out of the room made him feel even worse.

“How do you know who Jamie’s father is, Taehyung? You’ve been out of the country for a year!” Slow Rabbit’s voice pulled Jimin’s attention back to where he was, and the people in the room.

   Adora grabbed her phone and stood, holding a photo she’d pulled up onto the screen next to Tae’s face to compare. She squinted her eyes at him and moved on to Namjoon, who was watching all of this unfold with guarded curiosity, “What are you doing, Adora?”

Not distracted even a little from her task, she answered “I’m comparing this photo of Jamie to you. Tae says he looks exactly like his father. It’s got to be one of you.”

Satisfied it wasn’t Joon, she moved on to Hobi, who sat stock still, eyes wide as he said “What? Why would you think one of us is the father? We’ve been gone!”

“You’ve been gone long enough for a baby to be born full term and then bless this earth for another 8 weeks, Hoseok.” Adora then turned to Jungkook, who immediately jumped up, waving his hands in front of himself,

“It wasn’t me! I only got to hang out with you two when we had game night that one time!”

Then Adora turned to Jimin. He tried to turn his head, but she grabbed his chin and pulled him to face forward. He watched her eyes flick back and forth between his face and the phone only a couple of times before she let go and stood to her full height. He saw her nostrils flare a moment before she slapped him with everything she was worth.  

“How dare you do that to her!” she yelled as she pulled her arm back, aiming for another blow before Jungkook grabbed her by the wrist preventing it, “You broke her heart and left her like it was nothing!”

Next

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...                              

Part 5

                           Nearly a year later:

Your contracted time with Big Hit was coming to a close, and your last production meeting was happening at 11am. The relief you felt was no longer complete since the pandemic had closed down all travel in or out of the country. Everything was tossed up in the air as of last night when the airline contacted you and told you that your flight, and all other flights, were cancelled until further notice.

You were trying to let that go and live in the moment. It’s not like this was something anyone had control over. And you needed to be as safe as possible. But that travel ban changed things drastically. Jimin was due back in a couple of weeks, and you really wanted to be gone before he got back. But, maybe there was a chance if he wasn’t able to fly into the country?

Adora had offered a ride to work, but you decided to walk the couple of miles to the office. You needed the exercise. Shed a few of the pounds you’d put on in the last year. It was a little rainy, so you zipped up your overly large hoodie over your bundle to keep warm and dry, and donned your bucket hat before throwing your full backpack on and grabbing your umbrella. The fresh air felt amazing, and you were thankful it wasn’t too cold. In truth, you were exhausted that day, so the cool air went a long way in waking you up a bit.

You got in the elevator at Big Hit just before 10, impressed with the time you’d made on the walk. You were unzipping your hoodie as you walked through the door into the common room. As usual there were a few people milling about, but you didn’t see anything other than Adora in the kitchen area with her freshly made coffee,

“There you are! Where’s my Godson!” she said as she bustled over to you.

“Godson?” asked Tae quietly from the blue L shaped couch, “Did Y/N get a puppy?”

Slow Rabbit was sitting with the members of BTS before the morning production meeting, shooting the breeze and listening to some of their stories from their year on the road.

“Nah. Some asshole got her pregnant and then ghosted her.”

The members all looked on in shock as Adora pulled a tiny infant out of a sling that was strapped to your chest. He was so small, and was trying to stretch as she picked him up, causing his little bottom to push out and arms to rise above his head with the tiniest squeak of a noise.

Taehyung, the only member of the band that knew that Y/N was the woman Jimin had fallen for and had driven him to such distraction that the others had forced him to block all contact until they were home, jerked his head to the side to look at his friend. Yoongi, sitting next to him, quiet but observant, saw Tae’s reaction and followed the man’s gaze. Jimin was ghost white and looked like he was either going to fight someone or vomit. Or both.

Slow Rabbit kept talking to his rapt audience, ire dripping from his voice, 

“That poor girl has had one hell of a year. First this asshole breaks her heart. She was devastated. Then she finds out, the hard way, that her birth control failed. She’s been dealing with being part of a class action lawsuit against the maker. I guess she wasn’t the only one affected by it.” He took a sip of his coffee and glanced at the talking women before he continued, “She’s been a great mom and works from home a lot. I just wish she’d tell me who that baby’s father is. Fuckin’ prick blocked her number and everything without even having a conversation with her. What kind of coward does something like that?”

Adora was holding the baby up on the table facing her, talking a few octaves higher than normal, “Are you my Korean Prince? You are, aren't you?” she’d say before leaning in and laying noisy kisses on his cheeks.

“American Prince, Adora. I’m an American citizen, and so is he,” you said as you filled your water bottle from the filter.

“Korean Prince,” she continued, “Look at my handsome little Korean Prince.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle at her as you tightened the lid to your bottle and slipped it in your backpack. 

“I need to feed the little Prince and get him changed before the meeting.”

You scooped your son up, saving him from more of Auntie Adora’s kisses, and headed back to your studio. Jamie was breastfed, and you preferred to do that in a calm, quiet place.

Leaning back on the futon in your studio, it was hard to stay awake while he ate. You did love watching Jamie as he suckled milk, though. His little brown eyes were open, and he’d look at you while holding your finger. He was the most beautiful little being. It shocked you every day that he came out of you. Whether you had expected him or not, or were ready for a child or not, he was here. And he was perfect. It was a love you never knew you wanted or needed.

Jamie was fed and changed in time for the meeting. And, by ‘in time’, you mean 5 minutes late. You don’t even know what “on time” meant anymore. You had him secure in the sling on your chest and your backpack/diaper bag in hand when you got to the meeting room. It was packed with people. There were a lot of ideas for comebacks that had been flying around within the Bit Hit umbrella, and everyone wanted to say their piece.

Adora had saved a seat between herself and Bang at the head of the table. Bang smiled as you quickly made your way to the seat and immediately held his arms out for Jamie. You gladly handed the infant over and sat down, pulling out your phone to record the conversation for later. You knew you were far too exhausted to remember everything from a meeting this large. You had eaten something that hadn’t agreed with the baby’s stomach the day before, and he had been up a majority of the night screaming with a tummy ache.

Bang led the meeting with a wide-awake Jamie in his arms. The boy had recently decided he liked pacifiers, so he was busily sucking on one while he watched Bang’s every move.

“First things first,” said Bang as he faced you, “I know your contract is officially up in a couple of days, but with the pandemic and travel restrictions, we have no idea when you will even be able to leave the country.”

You nodded, trying your best to hide the yawn that was fighting to get out.

“I would like to propose another year-long contract. I have sent it to your email for you to check over and send your lawyer. Once you ok it, we will have our lawyers deal with your visa.”

You nodded at him and said you’d think about it. What was there to think about, really. If you didnt’ work for Big Hit, you’d have to move. You knew you fit in with the people there, and the atmosphere was a million times better than KIA. The only issue was Jimin. Your plan to be out of the country before you even had to see him was out the window now. At least there was the required quarantine before they came back to work. And you were working from home most days anyway. You’d have time to come up with some sort of plan on how to deal with him in that time.

Your original plan was to quietly take Jamie and head back to the States. Without telling his father. Adora was steadfastly against that plan, as were Slow Rabbit and Bang. They loved the little one, and felt like a Korean child should be raised in the Korean culture. And they refused to hear it when you told them that he was only half Korean.

Bang also liked to ask questions about Jamie’s father. Just looking at the child you could tell that he was Korean. In fact, if they really looked close enough, it would be easy to see who his father was. He was a carbon copy of Jimin. But, the only answer you ever gave, no matter who asked, was “There is no father listed on any paperwork.”

Which was true. That line was empty on every single form.

The meeting moved on from there. You had leaned back in the chair, eyes rarely leaving your son as you listened to what everyone had to say. Once the meeting came to a close, Bang handed you another gift bag stuffed full of baby clothes. His girlfriend had a great time shopping for Jamie, and had his wardrobe pretty well taken care of for the next year.

The deep voice of Kim Taehyung startled you as he reached down to Jamie, asking, “I love babies! Can I hold him?” as he took the infant out of Bang’s arms. Tae sat on the table and cooed at the little one as the room started to empty.

Where the hell had he come from? You thought they wouldn't be back for another couple of weeks! As people moved, you saw Jimin and the rest of the band still seated toward the back, and your heart fell to your toes. Jimin’s gaze held many emotions. Yours, you were sure, held only panic. There went plan A.

“You and I are alike,” you heard Tae say to Jamie, “I look exactly like my father, too.” Bang, Slow Rabbit and Adora all perked up at that. How could he know who the father was? He had only been back from tour for 2 weeks. This was the band's first day out of quarantine.

You jumped up at that and took your son out of Taehyung’s arms with a muttered “There is no father listed on any paperwork.” 

You didn’t even take the time to put the baby in the sling before you grabbed the rest of your things and dashed out of the room.

Next

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 4

“I don’t want to leave.” Jimin said against your lips as his phone went off, again, alerting him of yet another text message the next morning. He was supposed to be in the final stages of packing to head out on their year-long tour of the world, and the two of you had yet to get out of bed.

“I finally have you. I wonder if Bang would agree to let you come with us. I know you can work outside of the studio. Yoongi does it all the time.” his hands started traveling down your body again, making you giggle, “You can stay in my room with me. It would be easy.”

“This is the price I pay for being the woman of an international superstar.” you said as you nibbled at his bottom lip, “Or, should I say, for having an international superstar as My Man.” your tone was possessive, and his eyes flared.

“Damn right.” He said as he slapped your ass, “Don’t you forget it. I won’t let you forget it.”

That proclamation had him rolling you to your back and sliding his cock inside of you, again. This time, you made love. It wasn’t just fun sex anymore. It wasn’t just a great fuck. Jimin put his heart and soul into it, and you couldn’t help but follow suit. You weren’t looking for this, but now your heart was his. Your body was his. He put his all into making you his, and making sure you knew without a doubt that he belonged to you, too.

   This was a goodbye, of sorts. You both knew that you wouldn’t be able to see each other for a long time, and you were holding on for dear life. Jimin had scooped his arms under your shoulders, and your hands were tangled in his hair. The kisses were as slow and sweet as the slide of your bodies against each other.

   You couldn’t help the fall of the tears as you came. Never in your life had you been loved so thoroughly. Claimed so completely.

“Wait for me, baby. Please?” Jimin had tears in his eyes that he hadn’t shed as he rubbed his thumb across your bottom lip.

You nodded, “Only if you wait for me.”

If only he knew how special that was for you to say. You had given up on men a few years ago. In fact, you hadn’t even had sex beyond your toys in that time. Men had disappointed time and time again. And this one just burst through your boundaries, tore that brick wall down to get to you. The feelings were unexpected and completely overwhelming.

  Jimin finally gave in and answered his phone, promising his managers that he would be packed and ready in time to leave that evening. He pulled himself away from you and out of the bed, stretching his arms over his head with a groan while you admired his naked form. His cocky smile when he caught you looking had you feeling butterflies in your stomach.

“I am not going to shower until I absolutely have to.” he said, “I want to smell you on my skin for as long as possible. In fact,” he jogged out to the living room as you finally rolled out of the bed and looked for your robe, “I am taking this with me.” he had your threadbare ‘doing laundry’ dress in his hands. “I want to surround myself with your scent. Maybe I will be able to close my eyes and pretend you are with me.”

“Jimin.” you all but whispered as you pressed your body to his, reaching in for a kiss.

His phone started vibrating again, and this time it did its job. Jimin gave himself an extra moment to continue the kiss, and then placed his hand on your face, cupping your cheek as he looked deep into your eyes as you said your goodbyes. He answered the phone, and headed for the door, looking back at you for a prolonged moment before he was gone.

   The next few weeks were spent trying to keep yourself busy in between sweet messages from your man. There were a lot of comebacks planned for the artists under the Big Hit umbrella, and the producers were all working over time to get them all done. The one complaint you had with Jimin was that he was so busy, which meant that your relationship was pretty one sided. You could message him, and he might be able to get back to you immediately... Or several hours later, when he finally had time. Didn’t stop you from sending texts, though.  In fact, it was not nearly as bad as you had expected it to be.

   After work one evening, you sent a silly message to him, complaining about having to be an adult and make food for yourself, only to have it bounce back at you with a “user blocked” message.

   Utterly confused, you opened your email, intent on writing to him that way. Maybe it was a fluke? Maybe a button was accidentally pushed? But, right on top was an email from the man himself. A full letter about how his distraction with you was taking its toll on their performances, and how he needed to concentrate.

“This isn’t a breakup letter,” he wrote, “Quite the opposite. I love you. I want to be with you. But I need to do this right now so I can focus.”

   There was more to the letter, but you were having problems seeing through the tears. He hadn’t said anything, given any clues. You hadn’t had a chance to communicate at all.

Tears streamed down your cheeks as you stared at your phone. He sounded the same as he always did when you talked that morning. There was no indication of him being unhappy. You two were making plans for your next video call.

   The swirling mass of emotions morphed quickly into heartbreak. Your chest felt like it had been cracked open and everything inside of you was spilling onto the floor. The first sob came, and the pain took over. How could he do this? How could he just block you like that?. Who did that kind of thing? Was he really that kind of coward?

   You made it to your bed where you cried yourself to sleep. You missed work the next day, not even bothering to eat. You had no appetite anyway. All you knew was the heartbreak. After so many years of pushing men away, of never allowing any of them close, you finally let one in.  Park Jimin had weaseled his way into your life and heart. He made you fall in love with him, and then he tore your heart out in such a cruel way.

 Adora came by that evening, worried you might be sick. What she found was a million times worse. She didn’t know about your time with Jimin. You two had decided to keep that, and the whole relationship, to yourselves. She knew you were in some sort of relationship, though. Your twitterpation was hard to ignore.

“What’s wrong?” the concern in your friends voice when she pushed her way into your apartment sent you over the edge. Again. The tears fell as she grabbed you for a tight, comforting hug.

“Whoever he is, I will murder him. All the way. No half ass murder for a man that hurt you like this.”

   That made you smile through your tears, “How do you half ass murder someone?” you asked as you wiped your tears. Adora took you to her apartment where Cho could ignore your attempts at snuggling into his soft fur, and you could get away from the memories that were all over that apartment.

Next

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 3

   Back in the studio a couple of days later, you had the girls recording parts for a new track, listening to them giggle and moon over some new, gorgeous actor in a movie they’d watched together, and how he would probably be at some of the award shows.

“Ladies!” you said, laughing “No man is worth such noise! Just get a good collection of toys and take care of yourself. Way more orgasms and way less heartbreak that way.”

“Y/N!” Eunha giggled, hands covering her embarrassed cheeks, “You shouldn’t talk that way! Not all men are bad!”

After giving her a knowing look, you turned back to your computer and said “Trust me Eunha. A good vibrator will get you farther in life than the drama men bring.”

Yuju leaned forward in her chair with interest in her eyes, “You always say you don’t date at work, Y/N. But when was the last time you actually went on a date with a man?”

With a huff you responded, “Oh, I haven’t trusted a man enough to get that close in a few years. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a man hater or anything. I have plenty of friends that are men. But sex and relationships just ruin things.”

   From that time forward, the girls were constantly showing you photos of some handsome man or another, “Would you date Him?”

“Here, how about him?”

“No no! This one!”

Always sad they couldn’t seem to find that one special man you melted for. They continued trying, no matter how many times you asked,

“How am I supposed to fall in love with a picture? There’s an actual person behind that fake smile. And far too often, the most beautiful people on the outside are the ugliest on the inside.”

In their world, where beauty was everything, they had a difficult time understanding that concept.

   Once you got back into your own studio, you saw that the GFriend girls couldn’t let it go, and were now texting and emailing you pictures of sexy men to see if they could find you “The One”. With a laughing roll of your eyes, you put on your headphones, plugged in your laptop and set to work with the tracks you had them record that day.

   A couple of hours had passed when you heard the click of your door opening behind you. Turning your head, you saw Jimin come through holding two coffees and pastry bags,

“Thought you could use a break.” He said, holding up the goodies he brought with a charming smile.

You smiled and thanked him for the gesture, glad to have a reason to stand and stretch. Once you get in the zone, you tend to lose track of time, and don’t realize you’ve been hunched over at the computer until your neck and back hurt. The buzzing alert of an incoming text made you both look down at your phone, where yet another picture of a shirtless, handsome man appeared courtesy of Yuju.

Jimin chuckled at that,

“I heard them scheming and searching for something, but I had no clue it was for you.”

Laughing with him, you rolled your eyes, “They cannot accept the lack of men in my bed. They’ve been sending me pictures all day, like one will suddenly pop up to make me change my mind.”

He sat on the futon and cocked his head to the side in question, “Change your mind how?”

Sittin on the opposite side of the cushion you turned to face him as you answered, “Dating. I don’t date at work, as a rule. And I don’t go out much. Honestly, I haven’t found anyone I wanted to let that close in a long time.”

Jimin nodded in understanding and you changed the subject, chatting easily about work and some movies he’d seen lately. Adora was going out of town for a couple of days, so you were looking for ideas on what to watch while you were home alone. Well. home alone with her cat. Cho would be staying with you, and you were looking forward to fuzzy snuggles.

   Break over, you stood to throw away your empty cup, “Thank you so much, Jimin. That was really thoughtful of you.”

Jimin smiled as he stood. Taking two short steps to you, he reached out and wrapped his free hand around your back, pulling you in for a kiss. Straight on the lips. No thoughts of pulling away entered your head as your lips automatically kissed his back. It took a whole breath after he pulled back for you to be able to form the breathy words, “I don’t date at work.”

   Jimin’s smile had a naughty edge to it when he answered, “We aren’t dating.”

Slowly he let you go and stepped back, keeping eye contact until he reached the door to leave. You practically fell back into your chair and looked at the ceiling. What the hell was that? He was right. You weren’t dating. And he was leaving for a year-long tour in a few days anyway.

   The buzz of another incoming text pulled your attention out of your head for a whole moment before you saw that it was not, in fact, from the girls with another round of hot men. It was Jimin sending nothing but a winking kiss emoji. You had no idea how he got your number, or why he was sending that flirty type of text to you. Or why you suddenly felt warm all over. But you did know that you needed to shake it off and move on before your thoughts got you into trouble.

    Every day that week Jimin made time to stop by your studio to say hi in between flirty text messages. If it wasn’t a cute gif or emoji, it was questions about your day and your life. Your likes and dislikes. The text messages came at all hours of the day and night. If Jimin was awake, he was sending messages.

   The rest of the week was mostly uneventful, but you did get a good amount of work done. Friday evening, once you stopped by Adora’s to grab Cho and got back to your apartment, you were ready to relax.

    And then you remembered you needed to do laundry. With a great huff of annoyance, you got out an old, worn, spaghetti strapped cotton dress you only wore when you didn’t have to leave the house. The stretchy light blue material was skin tight and fell to just above the knee. It was comfortable and soft and perfect for your evening plans of couch surfing with a lot of food and movies and a fuzzy cat.

   It turned out that Cho was far more interested in what was happening outside your windows than anything, and would rebuff any affection you tried to give. He was SUCH a cat.

   Midway through your first bowl of popcorn and second glass of wine, there was a knock at the door. Licking the salt and butter off of your fingers on one hand and pausing your show with the other, you gave the door a suspicious look. This building had a lot of security around it. Not just anyone could come in. Even food that’s been delivered is taken by the door man.

   Thumb still in your mouth, you go to the door and look through the peephole. The figure had a hat on and their head down. They were carrying a couple of bags, but you couldn't quite make out what it was. Your nail scraped the door when you pulled your thumb out of your mouth, and his head popped up, smirking because you’d been caught.

“Park Jimin?” you said out loud, confused as to why he’d be at your door.

“Are you going to make me stand out here all night?” he said with a laugh.

You opened the door, making sure to keep your body behind it to not be inappropriate. You were washing all of your undergarments, so the threadbare dress was all you were wearing.

Jimin pushed through, holding up bags of what you could now see was take-out and beer.

Kicking his shoes off at the doorway, he said, “You mentioned staying in tonight, so I thought I’d bring over some dinner and keep you company. I hope you like dumplings, because I brought a lot.”

You were quiet, still surprised at his showing up like this. Once he had all of the take out containers open on the table, he looked up at you. Taking in your appearance, he whistled. Eyes traveling down and then back up in a slow appreciation.

“Um.” you said, feeling a bit shy and fidgety, “Do we need chopsticks?”

You headed for the kitchen, thinking about grabbing the blanket that was on the back of the couch to wrap around yourself as Jimin followed close behind.

You hadn’t quite gotten all the way to the drawer you needed when you felt a hand slide around your side to your stomach with just enough pressure to stop you in your tracks.

He pulled you back, flush with his own hard, warm, body for a breath before he turned you to face him.

“Jimin..” you breathed out as you looked into his eyes, not at all prepared for the heat you saw there. It took you a moment to find your voice, but once you did, you were able to say “I don’t date people I work with, Jimin.” without choking.

Caressing your cheek and keeping his eyes firmly fixed on yours, Jimin said, “We aren’t dating, Y/N. You’re My woman. There’s a difference.” and he kissed you. Those lips slowly sipped at yours as your head spun at his logic. You did notice he seemed to be giving you a chance to push him away, but with your hands fisting the material on the sides of his t-shirt, you couldn't seem to stop kissing him, no matter what your mind said.

   Slowly, Jimin backed you into the counter until his hard body was flush with yours. His tongue swiped across your lower lip, making you gasp. He pulled back enough to look into your eyes as he ran his thumb across the lip he just licked.

In his eyes, you saw him claiming you. You saw his declaration. You had no idea what to think or how to react. You knew you shouldn’t let him get close to you, but you didn’t want him to stop. It had been years since you’d allowed a man so close to your body, and heart.

Your eyes flicked down to his lips, a desperation to feel them on yours again flaring up inside of you.

   Your chin moved up and head tilted to the side without you even thinking about it, searching for that connection again. Jimin watched your movement and smiled in victory, knowing in that moment that he’d won you. This time the kiss was not sweet, it was commanding. His hands were on a mission to learn your curves as his tongue explored your mouth.

   He pulled his mouth away, trying to catch his breath. Unsuccessfully. His lips refused to leave yours for more than a breath, still lightly rubbing back and forth over the now wet surface as his hands held your body tight to his.

   His lips continued to sip at yours when he decided to move you to the couch. Slowly he pulled you toward the cushioned surface while you suckled at his bottom lip, the very tip of your tongue playfully kitten licking across the plump area.

    He gently pulled you down on top of him as he laid back, lips only leaving yours for a moment so you didn’t clash your teeth together too hard. Your legs spread and surrounded his hips without a second thought, the warmth from the apex of your thighs causing a low moan to rumble from Jimin’s throat as your heat surrounded his cock. It was enough to challenge a man’s control.

   Jimin deepened the kiss, swallowing your moans as he started rocking his hips into yours. One hand was on the back of your head, helping him control the kiss, as the other trailed down your spine until he caressed your bottom. Your dress slid up your thighs when you straddled him, and it didn’t take much for Jimin’s hand to get under the material to caress your bare bottom.

    His groan was harsh when he realized you weren’t wearing panties,

“You’re killing me, Y/N. You make me not want to be a gentleman. You make me want to do things I probably shouldn’t.”

   Both of his hands were on your ass now, pulling the globes apart to stimulate that little rosette. Your breaths were stuttered as his lips and teeth moved to your neck, listening to him mumble how you were his woman and he was your man. How he was going to make sure you remember that you are his while he is gone. Between what he was doing to your neck, his grip on your bottom, and the words he was whispering, your mind had gone blank. You were barely thinking past the overload of sensation.

   Jimin suddenly stopped and pushed himself into a seated position underneath you. He yanked off his t-shirt in one swift movement and then stopped. He stared into your eyes for a moment before his eyes started to wander, along with his hands. Those devil fingers began at your knees, that were still on either side of his thighs, and slid their way up. Inch by torturous inch, Jimin’s warm fingers made their way underneath the hem of your dress, never stopping their exploration.

“Keep your hands on my shoulders and your eyes on my hands, Y/N” he said in a commanding tone, “I want you to watch everything I’m doing to you.”

   Those ticklish spots around your hips didn’t even bother to tickle as Jimin’s hands slid up, fingers curling around your sides as his trek upward seemed to get faster. His breath hitched when your smooth mound became visible, and any assemblance of control he had dissolved. Your dress was pushed up over your head and you were left naked, with his eyes and hands exploring every exposed piece of skin.

“Fuck. Thank god I didn’t have the foresight to bring a condom, or I’d have you spread and screaming my name right now,” he said, his thumbs gently rubbing the outer lips of your pussy. His tongue peeking out of his mouth as if he was thinking about having a taste. You smirked. Some wild, unknown part of you grabbed his hand with your right hand and pulled it up to the upper portion of your left arm to feel the matchstick sized lump that sat just below the skin,

“This is birth control. I got it to help with my cycle.”

   Jimin played with the lump for the barest moment before his hand slid up into your hair and pulled you back down to conquer your mouth. From that moment on, all bets were out the window. He shed his pants and took you right there on the couch. He took you bent over the kitchen table. He took you on the kitchen floor. Jimin spent that entire night trying to make sure no surface in the apartment went untouched by the two of you. He was passionate and determined to make sure your body never forgot him. Never forgot who owned it. He also wanted to ensure you would be able to think about him anywhere you looked while he was away.

Next

Tricked into making the move to Korea for your career, and trapped in a contract with a less-than reputable company, you are trying to get through the year as best you can.  You have been hating everything about SK and the people you've had to deal with, until, in a flurry of drama, your whole world changes. New people, new experiences, and new love.  You don't date, as a rule. And you especially don't date at work. But, your rules broke themselves when Park Jimin appeared, full of the promise of love and happiness, that he can't seem to keep.  You had often wondered why you had been led to be where you were in life. But, even in heartbreak, you got your answers...

Part 2

   The next day Adora picked you up from the hospital, extra coffee in hand (bless her). She got you into her car and drove you to a part of town you’d never been to before. There were large condo buildings in this gated community. It was clean. That was the first thing that came to your mind as she drove you past the mowed lawns and trimmed hedges.

“Is this where you live?” you asked, in awe.

With a huge smile on her face she said, “Yep. And, this is where you live now, too.”

Your jaw dropped to your lap as you stared at her.

“What?”

Adora giggled as she parked her car in her assigned space. She grabbed the coffee and the sack with your belongings from the hospital and jumped out of the car. She walked to the other side and got your crutches from the back seat for you while you sat in shock, staring up at the tall, stone white building. What was happening?

“There was actually an open apartment on my floor! We are now neighbors. You didn’t have a lot of things. It took me all of one load to get your luggage down stairs. Oh! And a manager and a couple of our security guards actually went to KIA to collect your things. I believe they got it all, but you will have to double check when you get to work.”

Adora was rattling on as you crutched your way into the building and up the elevator.

“Most of the artist dorms are in this building, but they need more space, so they are in the upper floors. We are on the third floor. I hope you’re ok with the apartment. It’s not huge, only one bedroom and one bathroom. But it’s clean, and right down the hall from my own.”

   You could no longer hold back the tears the moment Adora opened the door to the apartment. You crutched through the doorway into an open concept area. In front of you was a small dining table and large windows that lit the entire room. The space was sparkling clean, and the furniture even looked new. Looking to the right you saw an L shaped couch with two regular cushions and a chaise set on the wood floor. A large, plush looking area rug was in front of the couch with a smaller sized, stylish coffee table on it, and there was a tv hung on the freshly painted wall.

   To the left was the kitchen island, complete with 2 stools. The countertops were granite and the appliances were stainless steel. The hallway led to a bedroom and ensuite bathroom. Both seemed large for the space.

   Adora chuckled when she turned to see you crying, overwhelmed at the sudden change the direction of your life had taken. She ushered you over to the couch so you could put your leg up for a bit before dealing with your suitcase.

“Just think,” she said as she stuffed a pillow underneath your knee, “now we can go shopping for some things that don’t have little rodent holes chewed in them! Think of all of the new clothes in your near future!”

  The two of you ordered in some food and spent the rest of the day eating and relaxing. Adora left that evening with a promise that she’d be back to check on you after work the next day. Big Hit was giving you a week to heal and settle in before you had your first music meetings. The next few days were spent eating, sleeping and generally relaxing. You hadn’t realized how exhausted your body was, but now that all of the stress and tension of KIA was gone, it seemed it all was catching up to you.

    By the time your first day at Big Hit came, you were well rested and healing well. Your back barely hurt and the bruising around your nose was almost gone. The crutches were all that remained as a reminder of how you ended up where you were now. You had spent some of your down time familiarizing yourself with the music of the artists that were under the record label, and brainstorming some ways you could highlight the artists and their vocal talents, so when you walked (crutched) into your first music meeting, you were fully prepared.

   Some of the other producers were on guard, and even made comments about you thinking you were just going to walk in and work with the biggest talent the company had to offer right away. But, after letting them know that you weren’t interested in who had the biggest dick at the table, and were just there to do the job, they seemed to settle down a bit. A couple of the older gentlemen didn’t appreciate your phrasing, of course, but they understood what you were trying to say.

   After the meeting, Adora (who thought your meeting antics were highly entertaining), led you to your office. Your studio. Your new home away from home.

   A large desk was set up against one wall, filled with speakers, monitors and other tools of the trade. You worked a lot from your own laptop, so there was space for that, too. Against the opposite wall was a couch. Well. A futon. But it was set up in a couch position at the moment. Apparently it wasn’t uncommon for the staff to end up sleeping at work. There was no real decor to speak of, but you already had a few ideas of what you wanted to do with the space.

Funny. You never had the urge to do anything with your area at KIA.

   Time seemed to fly by, and soon a month had already come and gone. You had been able to put down the crutches and just wear a walking boot, as long as you took some breaks and elevated it during the day. But, you’d bought yourself a little table that fit over your lap while you sat on the futon, so you could still get some work done while you rested.

    You got along well with most of the people at Big Hit. Even the Idols seemed to be a lot calmer than at KIA. The men were respectful, but kind. And the women were generally sweet. You and Adora had made a habit of getting coffee and pastries and sitting in the kitchen area at the company before work, and were often joined by staff of all levels. Idols, managers, stylists, other producers. Anyone who wandered by was welcome to join. The atmosphere was friendly, and that made the work days go so much better.

    You and Adora had developed a tight friendship. You would even go as far as calling her your best friend. You started hosting game nights for your coworkers that lived in the building, it was still small, usually just you and Adora, but it was fun.

   The two of you had gone out for some drinks after work one evening, and hit the store for snacks, and more drinks, before heading home. Both of you had a heavy buzz going, and were being loud, giggly drunks by the time you got back to the apartment building. Waving at the door man as you went by, you both laughed at some inside joke and stumbled into the open elevator to find it wasn’t unoccupied.

   You tried to straighten yourself up in the presence of these masked strangers. Adora, on the other hand, seemed to know them, and let out a little squeal of delight,

“Ah! Hobi! Jimin-ah! What are you two doing?” she asked, but went on talking, apparently not expecting an answer, “Y/N and I just bought a bunch of food and drinks and are going to play some games. You should come, too! GAME NIGHT!” she hollered as the elevator doors opened to your floor.

   You grabbed her arm with your free hand and pulled her along as she yelled out your apartment number for the men, and told them to bring their friends. You were both laughing again, and had tears in your eyes by the time you opened your door.

   Music was on, drinks were poured and enough food to feed a small country was spread out around your kitchen island and dining table when a knock sounded on your door. Adora sprang to her feet and tripped over the stack of shoes by the door on her way to open it. Five large figures entered as she clapped her hands together excitedly,

“You came! Yay! Y/N! They came!”

You swallowed your mouth full of noodles and said, “Great! Who are they?”

The masculine chuckles were followed by all five of them removing their masks.

Namjoom, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook, Idols at Big Hit, had decided to come down for fun and games. The men dove into the food, and were mindful enough to bring their own drinks. Soon, they had a board game going. Thankfully Adora was the neighbor you shared a living room wall with, so you weren’t worried about the noise as the seven of you drank and laughed the night away.

   It was close to 2am when they all left for their dorm, feeling comfortable (and drunk) enough to give hugs on their way out the door. Jimin squeezed you extra tight and laid a sweet kiss on your cheek before saying,

“Thank you for hosting an entertaining evening. It was a lot of fun to blow off some steam before we head out on tour in a couple of weeks.”

Blushing, you smiled and said “Thank you for taking Adora up on her offer to come play us. It was fun. I’m glad you came.”

He winked and turned, having to jog to catch up to the others at the elevator.

“What was that?” asked Adora as she shoved a cold dumpling in her mouth.

“What was what?” you asked, sitting to join her in pillaging the last of the take out.

“That looked like flirting to me.” she said, sipping her drink to wash down a mouthful of rice.

“That was so not flirting.” you said as you dipped a piece of steamed pork in sauce, “I do not date at work. It’s a rule. In fact, I don’t really date at all. Not worth the trouble.”

“Jimin was flirting with you.” Adora stated, chopsticks holding a piece of broccoli being used as a pointer as she spoke, “And not fake flirting either. He was FLIRTING flirting with you.”

You had an overly thoughtful look on your face, the one you often got when you had a bit to drink and were heading into philosophy hour of the night,

“He is attractive, Adora. We all know that. But, I don’t date at work, and he’s not allowed to date at all. So let the man flirt. He needs to have some fun!”

Taking on the same wise look a friend takes on when having a deep, drunken, conversation at 2 o’clock in the morning, Adora said, “He’s not allowed to PUBLICLY date. We all know they date on the down low. They are adult men, for god’s sake.”

“Right?!?!” you exclaimed, slamming your hand on the table as if a point had been made, “It’s so ridiculous that they are immediately canceled by crazy fans if they are found out, though. I mean, seriously.” you shook your head, sad for these idols that needed to have lives, too.

Adora stretched her arms over her head and yawned, “I need to go feed Cho and pass out. Let’s clean up.”

“I wanna play with Cho.” you whined. You loved her fluffy cat. “Did you give him that catnip toy I bought him yet?”

“Lord no! I’m waiting for a night when you are cat sitting.” she smirked. You smirked back, already planning your catnip attack.

Unfortunately by the time you woke up the next afternoon with a hangover from Hades, you’d forgotten your catnip plans. You’d forgotten most of the night, actually. All you knew was the headache, and the feeling that you’d gained 10 pounds overnight.

Next