THE MANAGER NIM

73. WEB OF DECEIT

The night sky is painted in muted tones and the moon is sitting over it like a pale disc, casting its silvery glow all around. A quiet stillness pervades the room, broken only by the synced rhythm of your breaths and the distant calls of a nocturnal creature. Your hand continues to swim through his dark locks as he rests against your chest like a drowsy newborn. 

After hearing all those vile assassin plots against this sweet man, a motherly instinct ascends in you to protect him from those evil claws. Inhaling a sharp breath, you quietly mutter, cursing those heartless morons that caused such unmendable wounds to this family. 

"Y/n....yaa y/n..." his words flow out in a disjointed manner, he struggles in the dark to find you, forgetting the fact that you're right there, seated on his wide lap. Realizing the potential need for intervention, you quickly place a finger over his lips, silencing the drama that was about to seep out of his throat. His usual demeanor has been completely altered by the influence of alcohol and he acts like a lovesick bird. He slowly looks up, struggling to maintain a study gaze. 

The moment his gaze falls upon your face, his wide smile breaks through the tension that had built up over weeks and months of being apart and longing and a spark of newfound intensity glows in his gaze. You can't help but be struck by how he looked even more beautiful than you remembered, his face illuminated by the soft moonlight. Your perfectly manicured finger sitting over his lips slowly glides over his face, the warmth of his skin attesting that it's not a mere dream that'll vanish in the morning. 

"Y/n! Can I talk like this?" he whispers, his Bambi eyes half closed in a drowsy manner, Your eyes soften. A gentle, discreet smile tugs at the corners of your lips. His intoxicated self makes your heart race even more. You just nod your head. He softly grabs your palm and places it over his chest. 

"I've been carrying something hefty for a long time here, here..." you can feel his heart's rhythm under your palm, "hidden in the chambers of my heart!"

"But today, you're going to witness the vulnerability I'm about to lay bare" his eyes glisten with accumulated tears, "the most profound truth of my heart! Do you want to hear it?" he barely whispers, his unwavering eyes penetrating your soul. 

"Yes...YES!" You nod your head and break into tears. You momentarily lose control over your body as an overwhelming emotion surges through your system and you softly sob in that tranquilness. Finally, you gonna hear all the answers you've been chasing since the day you landed in Korea. You're more than ready for this.

"Remember the day you rescued me in that changing room, the day our paths crossed for the first ever time? That day I felt a bond..." he delicately lifts your face and makes you look at him, " with you that transcends the boundaries of my understanding" 

The earnestness in his eyes shines through the darkness. 

"I did not wish to part ways with you like a stranger that day, even though my safety was hanging by a thread at that moment my mind was completely conquered by you. That crummy changing room became a palace of illusion and I wanted to stay there the entire night, with you."

You look at him curiously, intently listening to every single word. 

"Considering your safety, I fled away that night. But that entire night, your memories invaded my mind in every way possible. I must admit, it was very strange. Taehyung even said I was behaving as if I'd met my lover from the past life! But who knows you might be!" he giggles in that intoxicated state.

"And the very next day, when I was longing to meet that strange girl who was holding my heart hostage, Bang PD'nim introduced the very same woman as my new manager. Can you imagine what kind of turbulence my heart went through?"