a light read

Namjoon acknowledges his shortcoming as an unorganized traveler- but in his current situation, he cannot be the only one to blame for his frazzled state of mind. One moment he is talking to his plants and rearranging them around his small studio, the next he is staring at his cracked phone screen, trying to listen to his boss’s instructions while simultaneously formulating a barely cohesive travel plan.

He has two hours, she says, to get to the airport and catch the redeye to New York City. She did not give Namjoon time to question, letting him know immediately that her wife’s favorite painting is going to be auctioned off and if he does not get the last bid- he can kiss that promotion goodbye. 

What people do for love, he thinks. 

Now at the airport gate, Namjoon begins to look over his things, mentally checking off his belongings slowly. He has his carry-on, he has his wallet, phone, passport-no. No, he does not have his passport. He scoffs at himself and groans. “Brilliant.” 

Namjoon has many quirks, the most unpopular one being his ability to lose important items at the most inopportune time. Those close to him joke how he would lose his head if it were not permanently attached to his neck. With a resigned sigh, he lowers himself and his brown leather carry on onto the airport’s reflective white tiles. The brightness of the area, despite it being 3 AM, and his missing passport were beginning to give him a headache. With every second that Namjoon spends rummaging in his carry-on and not coming up with a red passport, he comes to accept its disappearance. “Alright, Kim Namjoon. If I were your passport, where would I have placed you…” 

He starts walking towards the shops aimlessly, hoping that his eyes recognize where he was last. His feet take him to Starbucks, but it was closed. Come to think of it, it was closed when he arrived at the gates as well. He was desperate for a quick coffee and the only place that was miraculously still open at three in the morning was a brunch cafe. With this realization in mind, he power walks to his next, and hopefully his last, destination. 

The server that attended to Namjoon gives him a small smile after hearing his current predicament. “Yeah! You left it under the tab.” Namjoon groans, “Sounds like me. I’m really sorry about this.” He feels his cheeks warming up. 

The server laughs, “It’s not your fault. It happens to the best of us. Do you have a different form of identification with you? I need to be positive that it’s your passport I’m giving you.” He gives her a small nod and starts patting his pockets. There is a ring of panic when he does not feel the weight of his bulky leather-bound wallet. “Uh, give me a sec-ah! Here she is.” He finally pulls out his wallet from his inner pocket. He catches the server’s soft giggles as he fumbles for his I.D. He feels his cheeks warm as he quickly hands the I.D to her. 

“I’ll be back,” she says. After two minutes or so, she returns with his I.D and his passport. He thanks her and wishes her well. As he turns to return to his gate, he locks eyes with one of the customers. They’re sitting down, taking slow, casual sips of their mimosa. They hazily look away, and Namjoon does the same. They look so familiar… but before he could bring himself to remember, he hears his gate’s boarding announcement. 

_____

You have to admit, The Orange Peel’s bottomless mimosas have been the perfect vice to pursue- especially before a 14-hour flight. This delicious decision coupled with your sleep-deprived state should feel wrong, but with each sip, you feel your shoulders relax and your posture loosen. You give in to the drowsy feeling each time the orangey champagne passes your lips. What do kids say these days? Self-care. 

Your work had consumed even your stress these last couple of months, as you lived and breathed it 25/8. You dedicated every second to the gallery-from being in every single exhibition meeting to actually building the physical exhibition space. Imagine the surprise of hearing your slightly aloof, but very ambitious supervisor’s new plans, adding an extra task to your seemingly endless itinerary. You tried to explain your limited time but your tribulations fell on deaf ears. 

“I need that Cassatt, ___.” 

You need everything, you thought to yourself. But as you looked around at the gallery, even you had to admit that displaying a Cassatt would save the gallery from its attendance slump. The stress might even be less if it meant the Cassatt could bring in more revenue. You would have more time for yourself. You could even start dating again. But as your eyes land on the unfinished exhibition hall, you are reminded of the reality of the situation. The gallery already had 2 exhibitions lining up for the fall/winter season. How were you to integrate the Cassatt piece? It felt a disservice to leave it waiting in the dark for four months. 

“Mina, how would we-” 

She took a hold of your shoulders, her gentle hands giving you a heavy squeeze, “You’ll get a raise.”

“Mina-,”

“Name your price.” She looked at you with pleading eyes. You could have sworn there were tears threatening to release at any moment. “Please, __. We were given a special invitation from the auctioneers themselves and you are the only one on the team with auctioning experience.” 

“Mina, I’ve been to like, three auctions.”

“And you’ve gotten the last bid each time!” She gives a soft sigh, and you can feel the desperation in her tone. “Please, please __. I need the Cassatt. We aren’t bad, but I know we can do better.” She took your silence as apprehension, so she assured you that she would arrange the floor, multiple versions of it in fact, in order to ensure immediate exposure and a smooth transition.

You sighed. You admire her tenacity. “Okay, Mina. Send me the auction information and budgeting details. I’ll book my flight and accommodations as soon as I receive them. I also expect to be fully compensated for the trip.” You froze, shocked, as Mina grabbed your hands and jumped in place with a wide smile gracing her face. “Already done! The details of your flights and hotel should be sitting pretty in your inbox!”

And it was. Currently, you are also sitting pretty with your fourth mimosa in your perfectly manicured hand. As you take another sip, you think of the positives of this situation.  1. You are going back to New York City. You will be there for 4 days and 3 nights. You will be able to go shopping, eat at new restaurants, and go to the art museums. And possibly the most important one 2. You get to sleep 8+ hours with little to no interruptions. You feel a bit sad that you are experiencing this trip alone, but you will try to make the most of it.