Filter (Kim Namjoon X Readers)

Chapter 23

Meeting CEO Kim was the same as meeting any other parents at student-teacher conferences. The only difference was that he called you into his office at his building and he was your boyfriend's father. A little nerve-wracking, in your opinion, surrounded by awards and large printed photos of designer collections and models. You sat up high and held your chin up. The man before you was tall and lean, his jaws tight and sharp. You imagined that's where Namjoon got his facial features from. Owning a luxury good brand, the CEO was dressed in a neatly trimmed suit and pulled back hair, giving him an expensive and intimidating aura. The CEO must have been handsome in his golden days, but now that he has aged, the liveliness and joy were sucked out of him.

When he shook your hand, you felt the waves of ice crashing into your body. Namjoon had drowned in this ocean all his life. He could have turned out into a real monster, but the person trapped inside of him grappled on to a piece of light and hope. You were thankful for that person, and you wanted to hug him right now. "Thank you for meeting with me today, Ms. Choi," he said with a gravelly voice.

"You didn't give me much of a choice when you sent a driver to my house this morning," you replied, trying to keep a polite smile. You can see another similarity between the father and son, they were both bold and reckless.
"My apologies for that," he offered. "But this is an urgent matter that we need to discuss."

"What is it?"

"Your relationship with my son."

You sighed, "And that's a problem, sir?"

He cleared his throat, and leaned forward, pressing his elbows on his knees. "You're a smart girl, Y/N, smart enough to play this game with your limited resources. So I will be honest with you. I don't like the fact that you're dating my son. And I am willing to pay any amount for you to leave him. "

"Pay me?" You hummed. This took the turn you had expected it to and you were fully prepared for the battle, "I didn't realize that you care so much about the things going on in his life."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked with curious eyes.

"Do you know when his birthday is?"

"I don't need to, the maids will remind me when it gets closer."

"I see," you said slowly. "Do you know what his favorite color is?"

"That's not really important." he dismissed.

"His hobbies? Interests? Aspirations?"

The man could only shrug. "It does me no good to know those things when I know I will never hand over the company to him."

"Right, he has told me about the dynamic of your relationships with him," you remarked. "It was certainly sad when he told me, but it makes me angry now hearing it right from you."

"I don't think you are in a position to say such a thing to me."

"Oh, of course, I don't have such an honor, sir," you answered. "As a granddaughter of a former President's aid, I have no voice to talk frank with you, one of the most successful CEO in the country. However, as the girlfriend of your son, I feel that it is within my rights to tell you what an awful person you are."

He blinked, suppressing his outrage, "Excuse me-"

"No money will be enough to get rid of me," you stated clearly. "If you think I'm with Namjoon for the money, then you clearly don't know how annoying your son is to be around. No amount of money in the world is worth the trouble. He's loud, wild, there's not a normal day with him. I feel like I'll go crazy soon."

"Then why are you doing it?"

You smiled, "Because I want that trouble for myself. Since you've never spent any time with your son, I will tell you about him. He's overly egotistical, too full of himself, thinks he's the greatest. But he's also thoughtful, brave, righteous, and intelligent. Did you know that he has won more awards than me? He never showed up to the awards because he could care less about such praise. In reality, those weren't the validations he was looking for."

"Whatever, I don't care at all."

"I know that's not true at all," you answered. "And I know why you hate your son so much."

The CEO scoffed, "And why is that?"

"Because he reminds you of your late wife, and how you couldn't protect her from the game."

His throat ran dry, what you said struck his heart. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You said earlier that it won't do you any good to find out the interests of your own son. But shouldn't a business owner value such information, especially if he wants to control the market and his clients? It's pretty clear that you want to stay away from Namjoon, for his sake, so that he doesn't turn out like you one day. And that's why you don't want to let him take over the company even though you know he's more than qualified to because you're scared he'll abandon the person he loves and drive them away."

He dropped his head low, staring at his feet. He didn't know what to do, he wanted to cry. "I can't have him be like me, he's too good for the world."

"You're not a terrible person, Mr.Kim. You were just playing the game to the best of your ability." you consoled. "And Namjoon is a better player, he won't be like you. At least I'm praying he won't. But don't let him believe that you're the villain here. Don't let that ruin your relationship with him. I know you love him too, so say it, don't let him forget."

The man began weeping. You were stunned. If anyone sees this, another scandal would soon follow. "I do love him. His mother would be disappointed in me if she sees what has happened to us."

"From what Namjoon has told me about her, she would want you two to reconcile and understand each other."

"You're right," CEO Kim nodded. "She would want that. And I know she would have loved to meet you."

"I'll meet her one day, if Namjoon thinks I'm good enough to take me to see her."

"Ms.Choi," his father laughed. "I've heard rumors of how eloquently you speak and handle business and you've exceeded my expectations. Not to mention you care deeply for Namjoon. My son would be a fool if he ever leaves you. He's many things, but a fool is not one of them."

Debatable, you thought, but you didn't say it. This was a good moment and you hope it could be the start of something or a continuation of healing for the two of them.