I See You, You See Me

Namjoon Is Strong

Namjoon had felt the urge to pee when the, now ex, Chairman began speaking. As time had stretched on and on, he'd started shifting in his seat, wishing desperately the man would hurry up. He felt it was important to be present, for him to be here during the whole ceremony.

But it was with relief that the Chairman finished and Namjoon stood up when the clapping started, a little too quickly, and moved as fast and non-embarrassingly as possible to the bathroom.

He was deep in thought when a second person entered the bathroom. That would explain why he hadn't realized they'd entered at first.

Married. Mated. Whatever you called it, it was done, it was about to be done, and now he was husband to one of the most powerful women in Korea. He'd realized that his job would be what his family had told him, but in a completely different way. Yes, Y/N needed support. But someone who shut up and left her to flounder by herself was not actually supportive. She needed someone with intimate knowledge of the families, who could jump in when she was about to make a colossal mistake. Jimin was good at that, but at the end of the day he hadn't been raised with the intention of being sold off in a powerful marriage. Namjoon had.

Y/N needed someone who was his own person, because only then would she be comfortable to lean on him when necessary. Someone who was his own person was strong, wouldn't break under strain, and wouldn't leave her afraid to touch him for fear of him crumbling into a million little pieces. He had moments, but he was definitely getting better at becoming what she needed.

And he found in her, something that he needed. Someone who made him feel safe, like it was okay to do the things he wanted. It had always been hard to not feel guilty growing up, like he was taking time away from becoming a future good mate by pursuing his interests. Y/N would be quite offended if he didn't. He found someone who needed help, who needed to be given the same care he was given. And he would do that. For her.

"How does it feel to be Mr. Chairwoman?" Namjoon's eyes snapped up from washing his hands to look in the mirror. It took him a moment to place the face, but when he did he felt his blood chill slightly. He'd had occasional run-ins with Doyoon over the years. This was the man he could've potentially married if the ex-Chairman hadn't found Y/N. He resisted a shudder at that thought. Jimin had told him stories, and Namjoon had never been particularly impressed by the man.

"I'll let you know when it sinks in." He said, finishing washing his hands and reaching for a paper towel.

"If it sinks in." Namjoon just looked at him, but didn't ask what that was supposed to mean. He knew that's what Doyoon wanted. He hummed and moved to step around Doyoon, but was blocked. He sighed and then glared at the man keeping him from getting back to his mate.

"What." He said, clearly annoyed.

"I'd be careful, Namjoon." This time Namjoon did ask, if only to get this interaction over with. He still felt that small tug to cower, behave, but it had become a habit now to overpower it and do what needed to be done. He was proud of himself for that.

"Why? You're a goon who couldn't manage his way out of a brown, paper bag. Don't tell me what to do." He tried to shove by Doyoon, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Careful how you speak to me, this isn't set in stone." Namjoon, despite himself, was mildly curious as to what that meant. So he didn't continue pushing. Doyoon leaned in to whisper close to his ear. "You wouldn't want to piss off your future mate."

"Y/N is my mate." Doyoon gave him a cold grin that send chills down his spine.

"I know what they did to you. What they taught you. Loyalties change, allegiances change. It's sweet that so many people have pledged now, but...." He shrugged. "Let's see what they think when she falls."

"Y/N won't fall."

"She's not invincible. I will take her down and you too if you pick the wrong side." Doyoon was not expecting it. He'd been told about how Namjoon had been cowed, beaten, threatened, brainwashed. He hadn't been told about all the efforts to release him from the cage of his mind.

Namjoon snarled and Doyoon was pressed against the wall, a hand around his neck. He grabbed at it, trying to get Namjoon to loosen his grip and smelling his anger, but Namjoon squeezed tighter, cutting off his air.

"If you fucking touch her, I will kill you. If you so much as make her cry..." It was Namjoon's turn to lean in close and whisper. "I'll fucking end you." It was tempting to finish squeezing the life out of Doyoon, but he knew there might be a lot of backlash at the moment. So he graciously refrained, for now, and let the man drop to the ground, clutching his neck. Doyoon coughed but looked up at Namjoon, his eyes and scent filled with nothing but the anger of an entitled person. "Stay away from her or I promise you. You won't have to worry about what she'll do to you."

"It should've been mine." Doyoon growled when Namjoon stepped towards the door again. Namjoon whirled on him.

"And you have no one to blame for that but yourself." This time it was Namjoon who wasn't expecting it. Doyoon was up and off the ground, slamming him into the wall next to the door with a yell. Namjoon tried to push him off, but Doyoon held on until he'd said his piece.

"I see you weren't the one that needed warning, so I'll say this instead. The family is mine. But you won't live to see it. I'll make you watch me take her and then slit your throat. You can die with the knowledge that she'll be fulfilling the role you were made for." Doyoon let go and Namjoon reached for him, but the man ducked out the door and back into public before Namjoon could do anything.

He stood there for several seconds, anger making his breaths heavy.

How dare he. What an entitled asshole. It would only be later that Namjoon realized the import of what had taken place in that bathroom. He hadn't cowered. He hadn't run. He hadn't weakly submitted. He'd seen danger and attacked.

Maybe he wasn't the same, but he was okay. Or he would be after Doyoon was out of the picture.

He'd wait till tomorrow and then ask Jimin to look into the potential fallout from Doyoon mysteriously disappearing.