Security Deposit

Chapter 27

Yujin POV

Namjoon and I walked into the kitchen together. I made a pot of coffee since I knew Yoongi would want a cup (or three) and possibly Taehyung. 

"Yujin?" Namjoon called out to me. I turned around and saw him sitting at the island chewing on an apple.

"Yes?"

"How do you know Taehyung so well? You offered for him to stay." He said.

I didn't answer him right away. Taehyung and I are business partners, yes, but until I met Jungkook and Yoongi, I didn't consider myself to have friends. Taehyung and I worked on Runway projects together, but the model wanted to be my friend.

"I met Taehyung a while ago, actually." I started.

Namjoon seemed surprised at this. "You did? How long is a while ago?" He asked.

"About three years."

Namjoon choked on his apple. I rushed over to pat his back. He was coughing and sputtering.
"You've known him for three years?" He asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Taehyung and I met at a runway project. It was one of the first ones that I sponsored. Let me think," I said, tapping my chin. "I think that was around the time that Taehyung was getting some serious, I mean more than just 'What a handsome model', attention." I walked over to the coffee pot to continue pouring in the ground beans.

"He was starting to make his clothes, too. That's why I met him at the runway project. He was a creator, not a model. He needed my help, since I don't only manage models but I run a clothing line."

"You do?" Namjoon asked.

I chuckled. "Yeah. Not many people who know about my company know that it's actually two companies put together. I work with Jung Da-won."

Namjoon sprung up. "You work with my assisstants sister!" 

I stared at him, shocked. "Hoseok?"

"Yeah! He had told me that his sister started a clothing business with someone a while ago. I meant to check it out because Da-won is a wonderful person and supported Hoseok when he didn't pursue what his parents wanted him to. I've met her on a few occasions, but never got to know her." Namjoon began to sit back down as he spoke. 

"Huh." I turned back around. "Small world."

Namjoon scoffed. "More like 'small country'." He said.

"Fair. Anyways," I continued, setting the coffee pot to brew, "Da-won and I created Mejiwoo, and I let her be the face of the company so that I could still focus on my first company. When we merged, Taehyung started modeling for the Mejiwoo male clothing line. He and I saw each other more frequently, and eventually I took him on as one of my models."

"Why did you take him?" Namjoon asked. There was no hint of disappointment in his voice, only curiosity.

"Namjoon," I started, choosing my words carefully. "I don't know if you talked to him a lot, but Taehyung struggled a lot at his previous company." Namjoon looked up at me, shocked. 

"He wasn't given the proper schedule. He was either under-worked or extremely overworked. He was never paid enough by his company, and a lot of his seniors were rude to him. They didn't like him because he was a newbie and suddenly had more momentum than them in the industry."

The coffee pot beeped, so I rose to pour Namjoon and myself a cup. "He was pretty lonely, too. Being so involved in not only the modeling industry, but the fashion one too, I knew his reputation. He had one of being a playboy, a cheater."

Pouring the cups, I walked back over to Namjoon who was listening intently. 

"Anyone who got to know your brother would know that he wasn't like that though. Taehyung is kind. A little eccentric, maybe too energetic, and definitely the owner of an inflated ego, but he was never the one in the wrong. He just fell in love too easily, and people recognized it and took advantage of it. Each of them had their own motives, and none were good enough to justify hurting him. Taehyung came and stayed with me a lot. He's been here, knows the code, the works. Hell, he even has a toothbrush here." I laughed. "He's been here a lot more than you realize."

Namjoon looked dumbstruck. "He has a toothbrush here?"

Laughing again, I nodded my head. "Yes, Joonie, he does. That's why when you were in the meeting with me, I didn't mind that he just walked in without knocking. It's just him, and I'm not afraid of him. Of course, some people in the company don't like that I'm friends with him. They all believe lies though, and Taehyung has told me that it's nothing to worry about. He said that ignorant and incompetent people will always be ignorant and incompetent. No reason to punish their stupidity."

Namjoon chuckled at that. I think he was starting to realize who his brother was, and it was because he never took the time to talk to Taehyung himself. Of course, I have heard from Yoongi that Namjoon never shuts up about Taehyung, so Namjoon clearly keeps up with his little brother through the media and such. 

"I can't believe I never knew this." He said quietly.

"I can. You never talk to him. It's honestly kind of sad. You two never interact outside of formalities or when you're scolding him." I spoke quietly, not sure if I was crossing a line.

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "I know it's no excuse. But. It's kind of my parents fault. They were always gone, so I thought I had to be a parent, not a big brother. I never realized that it was ruining our relationship until Taehyung moved out, claiming that he didn't want a second father anymore." Namjoon looked down. "I guess I just assumed that any way I tried to come back into his life, I would just be seen as the guy who he grew up with who tried to be his father rather than his brother." 

"Then try now." I said.

Namjoon looked up at me, dubstruck. "What do you mean try now? Taehyung doesn't want a brother anymore. He subscribed to the idea that I was never going to be his big brother, so I just kept to keeping tabs with him and his career for years now. Taehyung....... Taehyung doesn't need me." 

I looked up, noticing that Taehyung and Yoongi had walked in, but Namjoon didn't notice.

"Why not, Joon?" I asked. 

Namjoon was looking back at his hands now, still not aware of the two men (holding hands) behind him. 

"Because I failed him. I wasn't there for him. He was my little brother and I treated him like a pest." He said quietly.

"But, you clearly don't feel like that." I said.

"No," he chuckled. "I don't. He's grown so much. Yujin, you should see him when he talks about his clothing line. I watched this interview once, and he was so passionate about it. He was so informed, too. Our parents always thought that Tae was the stupid one, but honestly it was me. Yeah, I studied and did well in school, but that's not being smart. Tae was smart. He could make friends with anyone, he could bring his ideas to life, and yeah, he didn't do that well in school, but he was just so passionate about everything else that even I didn't care when his grades dropped. Of course, one call from mom and I had to be the drill sergeant again. That sucked. Taehyung is so dull without his creativity or his passion. He's like, he's like a floppy fish." Namjoon stopped for a second. "No that's not right. Taehyung is too handsome to be a fish." He sat thinking for a while, then started again. "He's like a corn snake without his passion. He's beautiful -can I call him that? - and he can still do things, but he doesn't bite or make noise or do anything of notice. But with his passion, he's like a-a-a oh! He's like a lion. Majestic and proud, loud and dangerous, handsome and lethal, and he's just, happy to roll around with his friends."

"Hyung?" Taehyung spoke up from behind Namjoon.....

Scaring the shit out of him.