Filter (Kim Namjoon X Readers)

Chapter 19

Your parents knew right away something was going on. They had first noticed it whenever they would see you humming to yourself while cooking or just jumping every time your phone notified that there was a text message. At first, they thought you had gone crazy, and you yourself believed that you were going crazy as well. It wasn't clear when it happened, but you started thinking about him more, it was impossible to get his face and his laugh out of your head in the first place. So you let them stay. You wonder if this problem happens with him, it was a selfish request, but you wanted him to only think of you from now on.

Your phone dinged at the dinner table, making you jumped and your parents suspicious. When you read who it was, you immediately flipped the screen over so your parents wouldn't see. "Sweetie, are you okay?" your father asked. He was beating around the bush.

"Yes, I'm fine," you quickly answered.

"Don't lie, you're texting a boy, aren't you?" your mother asked, slamming her hand down on the table in a joking manner. She had always wanted to act like one of the mothers on the board of education, stern and unreasonably cruel. She wondered if that would have happened to her if she didn't listen to her father and went ahead to be a politician or married rich. She shrugged, it was pointless to ask hypotheticals when she was living her best life at the moment.

"Honey, you're scaring her," your father chuckled. "But is it a boy?"

"Appa," you whined. The two weren't backing down. You sighed, "It is a boy, but there's nothing going on between us." They nodded skeptically, shoving rice into their mouths. You rolled your eyes but your phone dinged again, this time, both of them were eagerly waiting for you to respond.

"What did he say?" your father asked.

You stared at the message, "He... wants me to meet him on the school's rooftop."

"Oooh, that's such a chaebol thing to do." your mother cooed. "Your father never did that for me."

"Honey, the only roof I had access to was mine and I don't think that was romantic in any regard." your father defended. Your mother huffed. "How about I buy you all the roofs in the world and take you there every night? Then will you forgive me?"

"Maybe," she teased. "But are you gonna go, Y/N?"

"What? No, that's crazy. It's late and cold outside."

"So you're just gonna make him wait there? All night?"

"I think he's smart enough to know he should go home when it's cold."

"I don't know, sweetie," your father began. "Men can be dumb for the woman they love."

You stood up, feeling outnumbered and headed towards your room to change. When you came out again, your parents stood by the door, waiting to dress you in a cozy jacket and boots. "You know, most parents will warn their daughters about young, rich, handsome boys."

"Oh, right," your father cleared his throat. "Choi Y/N, be careful of those young, rich, handsome boys. Make good decisions."
"That was awful," you groaned.

"But we know you're smart enough to not get involved with bad people," your mother explained. "Now go."

***

Namjoon didn't specify what building rooftop he was on. But as you got closer to the school, you saw something glowing above the music room. On the way over, you tried picturing what he had in store, maybe another picnic like the one on the beach. Nothing prepared you for what you saw.

No rose petals leading up to him, no candles or lights, except the solar-power lantern by his side. It was just a clear, starry night path towards him and the telescope. He pulled his scarf up to his nose and stood still like a Greek statue. Beautiful, you thought, he was a permanent part of the night sky. He noticed your figure and immediately pulled you in for a bear hug. Breathing in his sight, you forgot all about the cold. "I miss you."

"You saw me 5 hours ago, pabo." you chuckled.

He shook his head, nudging himself deeper into your neck, "Time is a made-up construct. It won't change how I feel."

"Good," you whispered. He pushed himself back, hand glued to yours as he led you to the setup.

"According to astrologists, this is one of the only nights where we will be able to see the constellations well," he explained. After adjusting some things on the telescope, he gestured for you to see. Jewels adorned the sky were much more vibrant and colorful up close. Your mouth hung open the entire time. With every star and constellations, he explained the meaning behind them. Listening to him was like listening to a lullaby.

"You're amazing," you breathed out. For once, you understood his fan club. Something about him was mesmerizing, actually, his entire existence was.

Namjoon blushed and looked away. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something else too." He sounded serious, you thought he was breaking up with you but it was unlikely since you weren't together in the first place. "Well, it might be more of a tangent. I just wanted someone to talk to."

"Okay, I'm here." you told him.

He took a deep breath and leaned his head on your shoulder. "My mother passed away when I was 9. People told me she was sick with some disease, but I knew better that she was depressed. When she was alive, she told me tales of how she and my father fell in love and how great it had been until his parents forced him to take over the company. After that, he turned into a stranger and neglected her for years. When they had me, she thought it would change but it didn't. He had never been there on my birthday, and I didn't mind because I at least had my mother. She was so strong and brave, she always had a smile on even when her eyes were burning red with tears. I hated my father for doing that to her, promising her an eternity. All lies but she believed those promises until she died.

I hated him ever since, and I'm sure the feeling was mutual because he has never looked properly since she left. My existence annoyed him. To make matters worse, he remarried soon after. I don't know if the world pitied him or something, but my step-mother is kind, just like my mother had been. She's a bit tougher, but my father has a way of attracting innocent women and ruining their lives. I don't know what the point of that story was. I just felt that you needed to know everything that makes up who I am, for better or for worse. Or maybe I'm sut terrified that I'll turn into him one day."

His tears fell and the wind picked them up. He gasped a little, and closed his eyes to savor the flavor of your lips. Soft, tender, nervous, he felt all of that. Uncontrollable desire from both sides, clinging onto sanity. He wanted to let it all go.

"You will never be like him." you said.

"No," Namjoon agreed, resting his forehead on yours. "Never."