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“Seokjin, that’s enough.”
“You can see the string can’t you?” The man on the other side of the desk held up his hand for his viewing, the same soft hand that Namjoon had the pleasure of holding in his the night before. A thin red thread, lesser than the size of a common yarn strand, was tightly tied around Seokjin’s pinky finger. Namjoon tried not to let his eyes follow where it ended, feeling the gentle tug against his own hand at Seokjin’s movement.
“Yes.” Namjoon replied, simple, no other indication he had any thoughts towards the thread that connected him to the man across from him.
“Yes? That’s it?” Seokjin looked exasperated, but his eyes shone with a sharp sparkle of pain, “Did anything that happened last night mean anything to you?”
Scenes of Seokjin’s smiling face under the nighttime lights of the city flashed through his mind, the feeling of soft skin ghosted under his fingertips, and his fists clenched in his lap under the desk in response. Last night was a mistake.
“Last night was lovely, however, I was under the impression that it was nothing more than a mutual way to use each other.” Namjoon was careful with his words, stern, and void of emotion. He reached for the stack of paperwork on the far end of his desk, sliding it to the middle, in front of him. “As you can see, emotions are just a luxury I don’t have time for.”
Seokjin watched him, patient as ever, but Namjoon could tell he was beginning to fume under his perfect facade.
“You may be my boss in the workplace, and I respect that,” Seokjin began, slow, just as calculated as Namjoon had been, “But as someone who spent all night with you, the real you, and not this empty shell… that’s utter bullshit.”
Namjoon eyed him carefully, a brow raised, “That kind of talk will get you fired.”
“You’re not that heartless, are you?” Seokjin challenged, standing him from his seat. Namjoon watched as the man leaned forward, his palms down and his fingers splayed out on top of the table, “Because from the sounds of it, you already don’t care that you’ve found your soulmate, and he is sitting in front of you. That’s heartless enough as it is.”
Namjoon grit his teeth, “If that’s all, then you can leave my office.”
“No.” Seokjin leaned further forward, “You are being selfish. You know that a soulmate bond is between two people, right? I am not just going to take your word for it and walk out the door… not when I know who you’re capable of being.”
“It’s a losing game, Seokjin. You will get nothing from this.” He was speaking the truth really. Between his company, his family name to uphold, and his own reputation, there was no way a connection between them could work. Kim Namjoon in a relationship with one of his employees? Absolutely horrid. “It’s best you leave now, before you hurt yourself.”
“If loving you is a losing game, then call me the biggest loser to ever play,” Seokjin said, his shining eyes threatening to spill with warm tears, but his face was twisted into a position of pure determination. Namjoon knew the man wouldn’t dare cry in front of him,, “I will lose a million times if it means I even have the slightest chance of being with you throughout.”
Flashes of plump, pink lips against his own fluttered through Namjoon’s mind, his grip on the paperwork in front of him growing unnecessarily tight.
“I know who you are when no one is looking.”
Fingers tightly threaded through his hair, the soft buzz of champagne flowing through his veins, sweet whispers against his ear. Memories of the night before haunted him, and his heart throbbed with an emotion he wouldn’t dare name. He couldn’t.
Namjoon looked up at the man, suddenly finding their faces uncomfortably close. He swallowed, glancing away.
“Namjoon…”
Seokjin had used the same tone with him last night, pillowy and inviting.
“It’s not safe.” Namjoon settled on, closing his eyes, avoiding the topic at all costs. He could feel himself slipping, falling, and falling further into the uncertain abyss.
There were suddenly hesitant fingers against his face, pulling him back towards Seokjin. The thread which was eternally wrapped around the man’s pinky felt like electricity on his skin, the contact between the two making him feel higher than the clouds.
It wasn’t always like this. They hated each other in the beginning. Namjoon was too overbearing, and Seokjin constantly challenged him. Eventually, their mutual distaste for each other morphed into a comfortable game between the two. Seokjin was always finding ways to tease him, smart with his words, but he rarely disobeyed. They had both found enjoyment in the back and forth nature of their connection. It had been years of their little game… and all it took was one invitation to dinner, one mistake of a kiss, and one unexpected apparition of a red thread between them to end it.
They didn’t know they were soulmates until last night, the thread was a complete shock to both of them. It wasn’t unheard of for threads to suddenly appear when both parties were ready for their soulmate, but Namjoon could have never imagined it would be the man he had been playing a cat and mouse game with for four years.
A gentle brush of lips against his own brought him back to reality, his eyes quickly snapping open.
“Tell me it’s okay.” Seokjin spoke, quiet and calm, “Tell me it’s okay and I will continue. But if you truly don’t want this to be a thing, I will leave. Just… please give me a chance.”
There were too many things that could go wrong. He didn’t have enough time to have a life outside of work, much less a relationship. If word got out that there was something between them, it would be even worse, especially for Seokjin. Namjoon could handle it, he had connections, money, and everything else he could possibly need to fight it. But Seokjin? He didn’t have anything.
But who’s to say he couldn’t use his power to Seokjin’s benefit?
He set the paperwork down, staring into Seokjin’s dark eyes, feeling their breath intermingle and their lips barely touch.
Fuck it. He wanted more. He wanted more of what he had last night, he wanted to feel alive again.
So, Namjoon answered by pressing their lips together, throwing all of his inhibitions out of the window, never to return from the twenty-seven story fall of his office building. Seokjin seemed shocked, he could feel the man’s body stiffen and freeze before he sank into the kiss, their lips freely moving in tandem.
They kissed until they were breathless and their lips were equally swollen, looking at each other with chests rising and falling.
“Does this mean you’re giving this chance?” Seokjin asked.
Namjoon hesitantly nodded, “As long as you understand that I probably can’t give you everything you need emotionally, I am busy, so extremely busy—“
“Hush.” A finger was against his lips, a smiling Seokjin looking at him, “We will figure this out, okay? If the universe thinks we belong together, I have a feeling we can get through whatever obstacles face us.”
Namjoon was fully aware of everything they needed to deal with, and he wasn’t sure if he was even ready to deal with it all himself. Things were about to get difficult.
Fuck… He sure hoped Seokjin was right.