IQ148 // namjoon ✔️

__AUGUST__

August ; 2015

After how their last conversation ended, NamJoon has the shock of his life when he receives a slur of texts from her the following month, late one night. She sent them around 9 o’clock, but he didn’t see them until midnight.

Based on her diction through texts, he can tell she’s drunk. No author would send messages with so many grammatical errors, misspelled words, and incorrect sentence structure if they were in their right mind. The fact that JungMi didn’t proofread her texts before sending them is evidence enough that she has lost control of all her senses. 

NamJoon is in his studio when he finally reads the texts. Deciphering them takes a lot longer.

They haven't talked in nearly a month. He wanted to text her, even call her, so many times, to check up on her and see if they could talk this through. But the fear of making matters worse held him back, on top of his hectic schedule. So instead of tackling their problems head on, they just left it alone until it bloomed beyond their maintenance. 

NamJoon wonders if he can still salvage something in their friendship… They were so close that it's impossible to just brush aside. The kind of relationship they had… He can't just let it cave in on itself. 

His thumbs hover over the keyboard as he thinks of an adequate response to a drunken JungMi.

But then she calls him. 

“NamJooooooon-aaahh!” he jerks his phone away from his ear when her shrill voice booms into his ear, "NamJooniiiiiiiie!" 

“MiMi,” NamJoon responds with her own nickname; it feels strange to have it roll off his tongue again after so long, “What are you doing right now?”

It must be important if she’s calling him so late… 

But her voice sounds far from serious, “Ever since I graduated from university with a degree in creative writing, I haven't had anything to do. I can't even write anymore!” JungMi seems to cram in as many words as she can into each sentence. As if her life depends on him hearing every detail.

NamJoon sighs and rubs at his temples in distress. He lowers his voice and asks in sincere concern, “MiMi… Are you drunk?”

“I've been having Writer's Block and the best cure for that is to go out into the world. Experience life!” JungMi declares, as if the phone call can be heard all over the world. It's her own way of saying 'yes, I'm drunk' without admitting to it directly.

“Did something happen?” NamJoon asks while leaning forward, ready to leap from his chair and race to wherever she is at even the faintest hint of trouble. 

“I just texted because it's been too long since I've seen you,” Even while she's drunk, JungMi still has an extravagant way with words. “But now the owner is telling me to get out because I'm a public disturbance in her establishment.”

NamJoon stands from his rolling chair, sending it flying back to hit the back wall of his cramped studio, “Where are you right now?”

“I’m at an outdoor Pocha in Seochon Village,” JungMi tells him her location. 

She’s near the bookstore, which is a whole train ride away from his side of the city. But all the trains have stopped running by now… 

“Why did you go all the way there by yourself? It’s dangerous to be out alone this late!” he scolds her. He tilts his head to hold his phone between his shoulder and ear as he rushes to grab his jacket from the coat rack.

“I don’t know…” he can hear the confusion in her voice; she’s not sure how she ended up in this predicament herself, “I was at the bookstore earlier but I got tired of waiting, so I came here.”