Chapter Text
Faith’s heart must have been pumping more than blood as she ran because she’d never ran faster in her whole 34 years. It was an odd time to remember that she’d recently read about the amazing feats of strength people performed in times of peril because of the adrenaline coursing through their bodies.
As her breathing became too labored, she was forced to slow, and she found herself in a park, temporarily abandoned by visitors, as it was a little after 1 in the morning. She readjusted her over-the-shoulder bag and stood bent over allowing herself a moment to catch her breath and rethink her situation. She knew there was a police station on the other side of the park. That should be her destination. Her trembling hands clumsily grabbed at the pepper spray in her over-the-shoulder messenger bag.
“Try going to the police, and you’ll get nowhere,” he had warned in his gravel-filled voice over the phone. Even so, what would she say to them? She really had nothing to report. This man had been stealthy in his stalking. Even after 3 years of the creepy packages, the threatening phone calls, the menacing feeling she was obviously being followed daily, she’d never gotten a true glimpse of his face, his height, just--nothing--only the feeling of evil.
She couldn’t go to the police and report that she felt this evil presence, please arrest it…. She’d been to the police several times over the past few years, and they said they’d look into it. By now, she knew what that meant. They even had a patrol car drive by her apartment building regularly for two weeks, but since they’d turned up nothing, they seemed to have forgotten her predicament.
Even after moving to a new apartment and then to a new city, he had been able to track her down. She’d move and nothing would happen for a few weeks. She’d even gone two months with no sign of trouble. She’d be lulled into a sense of comfort thinking she’d finally broken free, but no--she’d arrive home to find a package full of pictures of herself with a shriveled bouquet of peonies and baby’s breath, or she’d wake up and notice scratches down her door though she hadn’t heard anything the night before. It was unnerving, but since she’d moved to Seattle, she hadn’t felt his presence or gotten anything from him until tonight.
No one had been able to help her so far. Even changing her phone number seemed useless. She once was a calm, controlled person, but she never felt completely safe anymore. Her daily routines and habits were changing, and her psyche was unraveling at an alarming pace. She’d no doubt spend the rest of the night sleepless and wrestling with anxiety.
Tonight, she’d been volunteer teaching an English night class to new citizens at the library, and it had ran longer than expected. She had felt that sickening, unwelcome presence as soon as she’d stepped out of the library, but she didn’t want to burden the last student to walk with her to the nearest subway terminal. She never wanted to get anyone else involved other than the police; she couldn’t bring herself to have real friends these days with as much as she moved around and the obvious danger she was in. She couldn’t bear it if someone got hurt because of her.
She had tried to act normal, but as she walked, she felt the tendrils of his presence like a creeping vine reaching out to strangle an innocent fern. Her pace quickened as she heard footsteps, and she knew it was him. She felt the certainty that this may be her last walk home ever.
And this was how she’d ended up in a dark section of the park two blocks from her apartment. She hadn’t wanted to lead him to her apartment building so blatantly though she reasoned now that he probably already knew where she lived.
Faith had always had a 6th sense about people, but the incidents with this mysterious stalker had naturally heightened her sense through constant fear. She couldn’t explain this ability; her great-grandmother claimed to have this sense and said it’d been passed down to her. Faith scoffed at such silly notions, but she couldn’t deny that this “gift” had kept her somewhat safe. Because of the frequent incidents, she’d learn to recognize his aura...she felt ridiculous calling it that…but his was so easily distinguishable--a heavy, oily, and sticky darkness that threatened to strangle her senses.
She’d learned to heed her instincts, but she was tired of this game. She was no one’s mouse, but she was getting too old for this crap. She thought that either she needed to give up and just allow this lunatic to kill her or she needed to escape him completely as she struggled to catch her breath.
Faith decided that she needed to get away--really get away to somewhere where he’d likely not follow. She thought of her ancestral home, the home she’d not lived in since she was 13 years old. Surely, he wouldn’t follow her to another country. She could get away and start fresh. Her lagging spirits felt buoyed by the idea of going home. She hadn’t thought of it as her home in decades, but it gave her the energy to stand back up straight and head home quickly.
She went around the block and felt the intrusive presence recede, so she finally entered her apartment already mentally making a list of what she’d need to do to make the move. It wasn’t like she had family here to worry over; actually most of her distant family had never left South Korea.
Surely she’d find a blessed new start and peace there.
Chapter 2
Notes:
This particular story is a prequel of sorts. None of the boys have met their significant others yet in this story. It just so happened that I wrote the Jungkook/Emmie story first. I hope you like this one too though it is still a work in progress. I have a thing for The Manager Sejin--respect. Let's just agree to call it respect.
Chapter Text
Sejin walked through the dorm halls bound for the exit. He was so ready to get home and relax after a hard day’s work. No one had told him how much energy it took to manage 7 young men and their busy schedules and at times--rambunctious ways.
“Get back here, Kookie!” he heard surprisingly clear through a closed door. “Ya! If I get my hands on you, I swear, you’ll have to drink your meals through a straw for the next month!”
Sejin then heard a distinctive mischievous giggle. He rolled his eyes. “I guess I am not going home early today after all,” he sighed as he knocked on the door and went in to find the eldest member of the internationally famous band, Bangtan Sonyeondan, chasing the youngest member, Jungkook, around the room.
Sejin wasn’t sure what Jungkook had pilfered, but he guessed it had something to do with Jin's gaming. Usually Namjoon was around to help control the inevitable chaos that always occured when the youngest and oldest members had too much free time together, but he must be in the studio.
He cleared his throat once. The chaos continued.
He knocked on the door frame.
Still no end to the mayhem.
Jungkook, at this point, had climbed the back of the couch and was trying to balance on it as he held the controller out of Jin’s reach.
From a practical point, they could not afford for them to get hurt, Sejin remembering when Jungkook had hurt his heel on tour. Though that injury hadn’t been a result of them playing around, they shouldn’t be taking any chances. He also loved these boys as little brothers, so he didn’t personally want to see them hurt in any way.
“Ya!” Sejin yelled in a booming, authoritative voice. Everyone froze in a hilarious tableau. Jin’s mouth still hung open paused mid-yell, Jungkook’s right leg suspended in mid-air trying to balance on the back of the couch, Taehyung’s hand loaded with snacks frozen halfway to his eager mouth, and Yoongi somehow, was still asleep in the corner in a comfy chair where the sunlight fell in the room.
“Sorry, hyung. Sorry Manager-nim,” pouted Jungkook handing Jin the controller. “I just wanted someone to have fun with me.” He easily jumped backward, landing behind the couch without harm. Sejin raked his hand through his hair for probably the 100th time that day and tried to still his heart from Jungkook’s stunt.
“You’d think you would find a different way to have fun that wouldn’t involve possibly damaging the furniture or yourself. I know this vacation is rather long, but you should spend your time more wisely. Accidents are sometimes unavoidable, but you’re too old to be doing things that could cause those accidents. I need you all to be ready to meet the new English tutor tomorrow, bright and early, so go on to your rooms and get some rest.”
Chapter Text
The professional but friendly secretary led Faith to the meeting room. She was still feeling the effects of the time difference, and she hoped the fatigue didn’t show too badly on her face. She took pride in the fact she looked younger than most people her age. She’d taken care of her skin, didn’t smoke, didn’t use those tanning booths to get a sun-kissed glow like many did back in the U.S.. She was feeling every year in her body this morning though, as her body felt it should be getting ready for bed, not starting her morning. She needed to adjust to the new time quickly if she was going to make a good impression during her first week at work.
She still couldn’t believe her luck in landing this job--a favor from an old family friend had her apply for this tutoring job. She hoped it would be like any other teaching job; she tried to remain calm and professional thinking that she’d be teaching 7 of the most famous idols in the world. It was a bit of a struggle. She wasn’t a fangirl of anything really, but she knew of BTS and how adorable the boys were. Because she was Korean, she was asked about them all the time in the States. She admired the positive attention they had inspired for her home country. She looked forward to being on their staff, not to mention the excellent salary and benefits!
She was a bit scared they would turn out to be brats, spoiled by fame and riches; she had seen how many famous Americans who’d started their careers at such a tender age as BTS, and those actors and singers had gotten into trouble with drugs and scandals. She hadn’t heard anything like that of BTS, but just because they weren’t involved in scandals didn’t mean they were nice people to work with. She’d have to trust her special instincts when she met them.
They entered the meeting room, all clean lines and no frilly decor. Even though her nerves were wrecked by everything that led up to this huge life change, she was shaking with excitement for this new chance at life. She couldn’t contain her smile that reached her eyes as she shook hands and bowed to everyone she was introduced to. Everyone gave off a welcoming vibe though she could sense that some were eager to get back to their regularly scheduled duties.
She met most of the directors and managers before the boys came in hot and sweaty from their practice along with their main manager, Sejin. She was immediately charmed by the group with their politeness and humility. Her gifted instincts told her these boys were as sincere and genuine as their kind auras. Her fears from before melted away. Some of them said their greetings in English, but she could tell most of them would need a lot of help with their confidence.
Namjoon, their leader, introduced himself first completely in English with a very warm welcome. His aura shone a gentle spring green on the edges with a deeper forest green toward his chest; she could sense that he was a good choice for leader.
She peered around Namjoon’s shoulder at the youngest, Jungkook, and smiled kindly at the young man. “Hi,” he said in the tiniest voice and deeply bowed, his aura revealing that he was nervous at meeting someone new. She wondered how he could perform on stage like he did and yet be so shy in person. She could barely hear his greeting. She could tell that his soft cotton-blue aura would allow them to get along well, for anyone she’d met with that kind of aura had been the kindest people she’d ever met.
Seokjin respectfully introduced himself. “Please, call me Jin, teacher.” He seemed very tired, but his blue aura was the deepest in color, revealing a very caring individual. She was surprised because from what she’d seen from clips of the group, Seokjin often came off as the most immature, always joking. She knew for certain now that was far from the truth.
Yoongi, or Suga as he introduced himself to her, was business-like but polite using formal language to her. His aura felt squishably pink, and she tried to stifle the little giggle that bubbled up. This was Agust D? He was the most adorable, softest-hearted person she’d ever come across before! His eyebrows scrunched in confusion at her almost-giggle, but she kept moving to meet everyone quickly. She’d have to address this tough persona of his later.
She’d half hoped Hoseok would do the famous, “I’m your hope” introduction, but he seemed tired from practice. He asked her to please call him, “Hobi,” and he warmly welcomed her and wished her well. His smile was radiant though as he bowed to her and shook her hand politely. His aura was more than one color; Faith could not describe the difference in looking at a kaleidoscope of colors and the feeling from Hoseok’s colorful aura. It is usually what she felt from young children, but his was powerful, almost solid.
She turned to Park Jimin, who she’d heard was a total flirt, and her instinct definitely confirmed a sparkly, mischievous side. His aura was unusual--it was more tactile than a visual feeling. It felt soft and smooth like a comforting blanket, but one that could wrap up in and get lost. She met his twinkling eye smile with one of her own, and he seemed charmed right back.
She knew immediately that Taehyung was an introspective, deep soul. She could feel him assessing her as much as she read him. She wondered if he was a little like her with her “gift.” While shaking her hand, he looked at her a moment longer than what was typically acceptable in this kind of social setting, but he eyes slowly crinkled, and his smile grew on his face. She could tell he had read her right back and decided that she was a good person, maybe even a future friend. His aura had been a muddy purple, which lightened into a soothing shade as he had assessed her character. She was definitely “Tae-approved.” She wondered if she could get a sticker that said that…. She looked at him knowingly and turned one more time to meet the last person standing with them.
She noticed their handsome manager standing behind staring at the ground; he seemed to not expect a greeting.
Faith thought to herself, “How can I really fit in here? Everyone is so good-looking!”
She came to stand in front of him, closer than one would in this situation, but she was going to get his attention somehow. She was determined to make a good first impression on everyone.
Sejin had heard that she’d lived in America since she was young, so he expected her manners to be a little different. He worried about the new tutor dealing with his 7 charges, but she seemed professional from his first impression.
When he did glance up at her, her breath seized, as an intense feeling a rightness washed over her. She was speechless for a moment, and as the other staff and members observed, so was he.
She gathered her scattered thoughts quickly and introduced herself to him, “Hello, I’m Lee Faith. Please watch over me.” Her voice fell to a whisper as she began to study his face. She couldn’t understand her overpowering reaction to him. She thought to herself, “Oh Faith! You’ve been lonely for so long, one look from a handsome man sends your heart racing out of control. Quit being ridiculous!”
“I’m the boys’ manager, uh, I’m Sejin. It’s nice to meet you,” he said, using formal language. His face reddened a bit as his eyes studied her own blushing face, and he bowed and shook her hand gently.
“Please speak comfortably with me, Mr. Sejin, and I’m pleased to meet you, too.” Okay, so this may be a dangerous place to work. Not a danger to her physically, but to her heart. He was so handsome! She noticed his muscled arm as he'd extended his hand to shake; she was such a sucker for a man's arms! Maybe she wasn’t a fangirl, but she’d sure as heck be president of the Manager Sejin fanclub!
They held hands perhaps a bit too long for common courtesy. This awkward exchange was not missed by Jimin.
Jimin sent a conspiratorial look to the youngest two, who looked confused back at him. With a sly grin on his face, he motioned he’d tell them later.
She finally addressed the small crowd of people who had come to welcome her to the staff.
“I’m so excited to be a part of the team. I am starting a new life here, and I want to do the best I can for you. I appreciate this opportunity so much, and I will work hard to help these young gentlemen broaden their language skills so they can communicate more easily with many of their fans,” Faith said more confidently than she felt.
“We are looking forward to working with you, Lee...um...is it okay if we call you Faith Noona?” asked Namjoon.
“Of course! I hope you are comfortable talking with me, as I try to help you. But be prepared, I am a strict teacher with high expectations. I expect you to work hard and complete all practice assignments.”
The boys immediately could tell their English tutor would be a good addition to their team. She seemed very nice and friendly, but she would help hold them accountable so they could grow. They all sent approving smiles and agreeable nods her way. Most of the staff then departed to their tasks. The members and Sejin stayed to work on a preliminary study schedule that would accommodate their dance practice time, recording time, and still respect their private time.
Sejin suggested, “We’ll probably have to meet weekly to determine their study time because their schedule changes so often. Some days, they have to be up for the whole night with pre-recordings or they might have promotional activities that keep them away from the building.”
“I’m sure you’re right there with them, aren’t you?” Faith looked hard at the man who obviously devoted himself and all his time to this group of performers, but she was coming to understand why.
“Well, yes, it is my job,” Sejin responded with a slight harried smile.
“These guys give you a lot of trouble, huh? Am I going to have to deal with troublemaking students?” Her eyes twinkled with laughter.
Sejin chuckled ruefully. “Unfortunately,” he paused to stare at each boy accusingly, “yes.” Only a few acted contrite. Jin just shrugged his shoulders as if he had no idea to what Sejin could be referring.
“Umm...manager-nim, we’ve got to get back to the practice room. This was only supposed to be a short break,” Namjoon gently reminded Sejin, who snapped out of staring at Faith to bring the meeting back on topic.
They decided that the boys would have individual lessons at first so she could assess their baseline abilities and knowledge, and then they agreed that they could begin small-group lessons to encourage more natural, conversational communication. They would also have homework--flashcards that Faith expected them to study to increase their vocabulary.
The teacher side of her felt comfortable with this talk, and Sejin noticed how confident she seemed and that she smiled with her whole face. He liked that smile, especially when it reached her eyes…. He stopped himself. What was he doing thinking so much about this new employee? He shook his head and straightened his ridiculous thoughts.
Jimin, after having picked up the sense there was some attraction there, watched them carefully. Never once had their manager mentioned a significant other. Instead, he had tirelessly devoted himself to helping them be successful. He’d been there for the members in ways like an older brother would have supported them; he was more than a manager. Jimin, ever the worrier of and for the group, wanted to see Manager Sejin happy and settled. He started scheming while the meeting carried on….
“I’m mostly fluent already, Noona,” mentioned Namjoon in English. His accent was barely there, and she recognized his proficiency. She sensed he wasn’t bragging at all, but she also knew learning fluency in a new language was a never-ending process. When she mentioned this and how he could be helpful during certain lessons, he said in English, “I don’t want you to think I’m perfect. I’m far from it, and I’m more than willing to have lessons. I’m sure there’s a lot you can teach me. I might be able to help the others too.” Before Faith could respond, Jin cut in with,
“But what I wanna know is she going to teach us the good stuff?”
“Good stuff? What do you mean?” she inquired.
“You know--pick-up lines for girls and curse words,” replied Jin with a poker face. Faith snorted at this. She knew he was poking fun.
“Kim Seokjin!” fussed Sejin with a wry stare at the young man.
“Umm--I’ll teach what you need to know, but I can’t teach you to be more charming to pick up girls. That might be a lost cause,” she picked back with a wry look on her face.
It went dead silent in the meeting room. She wondered if she’d gone too far joking.
Suddenly, Jin burst out laughing, which got everyone giggling. She couldn’t help but laugh along with them all. This was a very positive start to this job; the boys made her feel comfortable and welcome right away with their joking.
“All right, then! I’ll see the first young man in an hour in my office so we can see where we need to begin. Then I’ll send that member to go get another one. Everyone understand?”
“Yes, Noona,” they responded politely.
Sejin couldn’t help but smile proudly at their positive attitudes. They already had so much to do and so much pressure on them, but they were willing to add more just to be able to communicate with their fans better worldwide. He was also secretly proud that this new tutor seemed very kind, but she would be firm in her expectations. She seemed like a good teacher already putting up with Jin’s sense of humor and giving back as good as she got.
“But who goes first?” asked Jungkook.
“We could play rock, paper, scissors to decide the order,” suggested Hobi.
“I wanna arm wrestle instead,” replied Jungkook.
“No!” yelled the team, including Sejin. “Not again, Jungkook, not again.”
Faith just giggled again at this funny exchange. Sejin glanced over at her, distracted by her sweet sounding laugh. He looked forward to hearing more of that sound around here.
Chapter Text
“Did you notice Noona’s face and Manager Sejin’s face when they first met? Something is there, I can tell,” Jimin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“Oh, is that what you were trying to tell us? Really? Huh. Manager Sejin is so private, though. Has he ever really talked about a girlfriend? He may already have one,” suggested Hobi.
“I don’t think so. He’s always with us. I’ve never heard him even on the phone with his mom, much less a girlfriend. He seems a bit lonely sometimes,” added Jimin sadly.
“You’re always so worried over us, Jiminah. Let our manager manage his own affairs of the heart, okay? He’s older than all of us. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to focus on one’s career rather than start a serious relationship. He’s not a grandpa yet, and you don’t even know Noona at all yet. She may be married, ” advised Jin.
“Faith Noona seems really nice. I think it would be so romantic if they got together. You heard Noona say this was a fresh start--a new life-- for her. Maybe she’s destined to be with him,” added Jungkook, holding his face in his hands and staring off dreamily. Namjoon smiled affectionately at their youngest brother and patted him on the back.
“That is a very sweet thought, but I agree with Jin-hyung on this. I think we should allow them to handle their personal lives. How would you feel if Manager Sejin or Faith Noona started interfering in our love lives?” Namjoon pointed out.
Jin argued throwing his hands up dramatically, “I’d be happy for someone to interfere with my love life because that would mean they’d be a damn magician because my love life is non-existent!” He began laughing, which Jimin could not resist joining in, so they set everyone to giggling.
Namjoon began to roll his eyes, but then realized Jin had a point. He joined the other guys’ laughter and sadly agreed. Their lives were not conducive to normal relationships with their own families, much less actually dating and falling in love.
Jimin remembered his original argument and huffed in obvious anger for being dismissed.
“Well, you’ll see. Watch them together. She is definitely interested in him, and I didn’t see a ring on her finger.”
Just then, Tae came back to the room, and announced, “Next!” effectively stopping the conversation for the moment.
Chapter Text
Five weeks later, Faith and the guys had settled into a semi-organized schedule of studying English. She had learned quickly that this was non-conventional, as she had pulled several late night study sessions with the group to accommodate their unusual and ever-changing schedules. She almost felt sorry for these young men living such a busy lifestyle, but they seemed to have adapted to it and became stronger because of it. However, they were young men, not superheroes or gods as some of their fans touted them to be, and the tutoring sessions sometimes were too much for their tired minds and bodies to stay focused.
The boys were trying to listen intently and respectfully to Faith as she went over the different ways to show time with verbs. They all had their workbooks open with pencils ready while going over the present, past, and future tenses.
Sejin also sat in on most of the lessons. It couldn’t hurt to learn some English, too, because of how often he traveled with the boys, or that’s the excuse he told himself for wanting to be in here. He only listened in as he didn’t have a workbook. He had started to pick up on a few new words and phrases, and he wondered what Faith would say if he asked her for weekly vocabulary homework like the boys had.
Faith, so far, had proven to be a great teacher. She was kind and patient and had the sweetest voice he’d ever heard. He couldn’t believe she’d been out of the country for so long and didn’t have an Americanized accent at all. Ten minutes into the lesson, he realized that he hadn’t been listening but staring at her expressive eyes and mouth. He sat up abruptly and grunted, which made everyone look at him expectantly. Red faced, he gestured for them to continue.
“Dance, dancing, danced, will dance,” said Faith. “I dance. I am dancing now. I danced yesterday. I will dance tomorrow. Most verbs use these endings to show time. Let’s practice saying it together.” They repeated after her.
“Dance, Noona!” Hobi joked and started humming “Just Dance” cheekily while cutely dancing in his seat. Faith giggled and narrowed her eyes at Hobi in fake frustration.
“Yes! Noona, we can only learn if you show us!” teased Jimin. “Why don’t you dance with one of us?” He was not only fishing for an opportunity to get out of work, he wanted a chance to throw Noona and Manager together. The other members nodded eagerly.
“Obviously, your attention spans are drifting. Try to get focused and try the next set of verbs on your own.” They groaned in unison.
“Ugh! Why is this so hard?” Jungkook grumbled staring at the words that he could pronounce but didn’t quite understand. “I want to dance, not talk about dancing.”
“Really? I thought you might enjoy some time away from the practice room. Lately, that’s been your second home,” she mused.
“I’ve never really cared always sitting still, my mind won’t stay still!” admitted Jungkook. The other boys nodded in agreement.
Faith thought a moment and suggested, “Okay, what if we make it a game?”
Eyebrows hidden under shaggy bangs shot upwards.
Faith went on, “Let’s head to the practice room.” They were intrigued, so they all bustled into the practice room. Faith gestured to them to sit in a circle. “You too, Manager Sejin,” she added with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. He eyed her suspiciously but followed instructions anyway to be a good role model.
“Here’s the game,” Faith explained. “I will call out action words that we’ve already learned and a time, and the first person who knows how to say it raises his hand. If he’s right, he gets 10 points and gets up to play duck, duck, goose. Whoever he chooses must perform a dance of choice for 5 points. The person with the most points at the end gets to be treated to a special dinner by the rest. What do you say to that?”
“Sounds like fun, Noona! But Manager Sejin plays too, riiiiggghhhttt?” Tae giggled. Sejin looked bewildered, but he didn’t want to be a spoil sport. The boys actually seemed engaged, so he wanted to support them. Faith’s idea seemed fun, but he predicted he’d be doing a lot of dancing.
“Ummm, I don’t think I should be playing…”
“Don’t you want to support the boys, Sejin?” Faith asked coyly, but it was the first time she’d used only his name, not his title. The boys wiggled their eyebrows at each other. Sejin turned pink and grumbled, “Of course I’ll support them, but don’t laugh at my dancing!”
“I know you really don’t mind playing along. All right then. Here we go! The first word is “listen” and the time is now.”
Namjoon’s hand shot up first. Faith nodded toward him. “Listen!” He got up and began circling tapping everyone on their heads, “Duck, duck, duck, goose!” as he came to Tae. Tae smiled and looked at Namjoon. “Okay, do the dance that Hobi-hyung taught us!” Tae stepped back and began dancing, but he got so tickled at himself trying to hum the tune and remember the steps. Everyone was still giggling as Tae took his place again.
“Okay, 10 points for Joonie, and 5 points for Tae's dance! Next! The word is “cook,” and the time is yesterday.”
Jin yelled as his hand shot into the air, “Kim Seokjin!” Faith looked at him in confusion.
“Sorry, old habits….hehehehe….cooked. I cooked ramyeon yes...ter...day,” Jin spoke slowly but well. He jumped up and ran around the circle and popped Jungkook on the head and exclaimed, “Slut drop!” Jungkook rolled his eyes grunting in exasperation; he knew as soon as Jin had raised his hand, he’d pick him for something ridiculous.
“Kim Seokjin!” both Faith and Sejin admonished him at the same time, and the whole group fell over in laughter at them. They met each other’s gaze and chuckled. The awkward tension that had been apparent between them eased, and later when Jungkook picked Manager Sejin and told him to dance to “Go Go,” Sejin had loosened up enough that he got up and did the best he could. However, seeing as how Hobi and Jimin had crumpled in laughter with tears streaming down their faces along with the rest of the group, Sejin figured he must have literally executed the dance instead of executing it correctly.
He grinned sheepishly and looked toward Faith, who had her mouth covered trying not to laugh. His smile grew when he looked at her, but she gulped and looked away quickly when she saw him raise his arm to rub his hand through his hair.
“Goodnight, Elisabeth! What does he do to get those arms?” she wondered. “Maybe I should be doing the slut drop dance,” she thought to herself and snorted, which made the giggle-happy group erupt yet again.
They even made Faith participate, but they bent the rules as they were wont to do most of the time, to maneuver Sejin into dancing with Faith. Sejin and Faith tried to protest, but there was no shutting the members up about it until they had their way. Jimin had chosen them both during the game and made them dance the tango.
In a moment of mutual brilliance, Faith met Sejin’s eye and they claimed they didn’t know that dance, and then expertly manipulated Jimin and Hobi into demonstrating, which was beyond hilarious, as they both made perfectly over-the-top movements and pulled dramatic faces as they turned and spun each other. Hobi even grabbed a pencil to hold in his mouth like a rose. When they finally noticed Faith and Sejin laughing together, Hobi and Jimin protested that they’d been tricked.
“Well, if you can tell me in English why we should bend the rules and make us dance together, then I’ll consider dancing with Manager Sejin,” stipulated Faith.
Jimin started off slowly but successfully got out, “Because you...two...are...looking..good...together.” He ended with the biggest sugar-eating grin Faith had ever seen and a whole arm heart above his head.
“I, uh, I meant why we...the rules… oh Jimin!” Faith blushed and rolled her eyes, and Sejin stared daggers at Jimin until the young man trying to play Cupid had the decency to look guilty.
Namjoon stepped in, “Guys, let’s stick to practicing our English okay? We’re getting way off topic.” The game then went on until they had reviewed all the verbs they’d been practicing, just with less chaos. By the end, they’d had so much fun, they realized they hadn’t been keeping up with points at all!
“Noona, this was a lot of fun. Thanks for doing this for us! I think we should all take you out to eat since we didn’t find out who officially won,” Hobi said sweetly as he cozied up to Faith’s side. She patted his head affectionately.
“Yeah, this is the best way to study! We should take Noona out for dinner!” Jungkook carefully pronounced in English, and he preened when Faith praised his effort. Faith thanked them for the offer and smiled at them all as they all filed out of the room except Sejin.
“Miss Faith, or is it Mrs.? I had a question,” Sejin said.
“I’m not married. Was...that...your question?” Faith teased.
“No, no...um, could I have the study materials as well? I thought since I travel with the guys, I should probably improve on my language skills, too.”
“Oh, is that the ONLY reason why you’ve been attending our study sessions?” Faith pushed, feeling more bold than she’d ever felt in her life. She liked this new side to herself. Flirty. Fun. Fearless. Now that she was free, she was finding herself again, and it was empowering. Hey, if this new and improved Faith couldn’t flirt with a handsome man, what was the point?
Sejin stared at her bemused. She’d seemed a bit shy at first, but he appreciated her flirting. He thought her attractive before; this confident woman was radiant. It’d been a long time since he’d allowed himself this kind of connection. His life had become so invested in his work that he never made any time for his own heart.
“Maybe not the only reason,” his eyes twinkled, and he smiled at her playfully.
Before she could respond, they heard a big crash come from the hallway and wild laughing and running. “Oh not again…” Sejin sighed. They both hurried to the door, but because they tried to go through the door at the same time, they became wedged together.
“Oh! Excuse me! I’m sorry!” Faith rushed to apologize, but as they maneuvered to free themselves, they found themselves pressed against one another facing each other, with Sejin holding her upper arms to steady both of them. Instead of scurrying to find out what the ongoing commotion was about, they stayed like that for a moment, with Sejin looking down at Faith’s upturned doe eyes.
“You have the prettiest eyes,” Sejin whispered, the chaos basically forgotten.
“So do you,” Faith replied. Sejin’s eyes grew wide, and he sputtered, “Did I say that out loud?” Faith giggled, moving even closer by slowly inching up on the tips of her toes.
“Yes. You did.” She sounded breathless.
“MANAGER!” one of the boys yelled from an open doorway down the hall, breaking their spell-bound gazes.
Sejin just backed away smiling shyly to go deal with the problem, leaving Faith standing there in a daze.
"What have I gotten myself into?" she asked herself happily as she walked back to her office. She hadn't felt so happy in years.
Chapter Text
“Okay, JK, here’s the plan. Make a big deal whining about the homework and lead Faith Noona in here but then “remember” that you forgot your workbook in your room and leave, and Tae, you bring Manager Sejin in here but one of us will call you back out in the hallway, and then as you leave, close the door, and we’ll lock it from the outside,” Jin whispers conspiratorially.
“Are we really doing this, you guys? Like shouldn’t we let them get together if they want to?” asked Namjoon skeptically. Didn’t they have anything better to do than try to pair up Manager and Noona?
“Don’t you watch any TV, hyung? Love needs help sometimes! They’ve been working together for 5 months now. The suspense is killing me. I know I, for one, would be more productive and less distracted if the tension between those two was finally broken! It’s time for Jimin-Cupid to make Faijin happen,” replied a smiling Jimin rubbing his cute scheming hands together. Jin nodded enthusiastically.
“Oh my god. You gave them a couple name?” Namjoon deadpanned. “Are you serious?”
Hobi argued persuasively, “We know they like each other, but they’re both too shy and must feel pressured because they work together. They need a little nudge in the right direction, Joonie. They both deserve all the happiness in the world. Isn’t that kind of the purpose of who we are--bringing happiness and love to other people?”
“I guess so, but isn’t this going too far?” Namjoon countered logically. “They’re grown adults, and this is real life--not some drama.”
“Oh quit trying to ruin our fun, hyung! It’s not going to hurt to get them in the same room together for as long as necessary and force them to realize their undying love for each other and that they have to get married and have all of us in the wedding by making them spend time together!” Jimin took a deep breath and continued his impassioned speech, “There’s no insult in that, and ….well, I’m sad that Noona doesn’t have someone to watch over her and make her smile all the time. She seems so sad and distant when she thinks no one is watching her,” Jimin argued trying to pull at his brother’s heart strings. He saw Namjoon’s defeated expression and ran off with Jungkook to find Noona before Namjoon could argue further.
Tae ran in the opposite direction giggling and singing something about “Manageeerrr and Noooonnna sitting in a tree K.I.S.S.I.N.G.….”
“Well, I guess it’s happening whether I approve or not,” Namjoon grumbled sitting back with his book on his lap.
……………………..
“So what kind of problem are you having with this week’s practice sentences, Kookie?” Faith looked at him confused because he’d never expressed having trouble with the practice sentences, and this week’s sentences didn’t have new grammar. He didn’t explain but pulled her toward the meeting room where they often did their lessons.
She followed him, happy to help but she was suspicious why he was acting so strange--that mischievous bunny grin was working overtime. Her special gift also clued her in that he was hiding something. Maybe he didn’t want her to know that he’d been having trouble, perhaps? He was quite the perfectionist….
“You’re hiding something, Kook, what is it?” she pressed slowing down.
How does she always know? he wondered to himself, but when he turned his pouty eyes toward her, she continued to follow him. They entered the meeting room with Faith still feeling suspicious.
He sat down with Faith at the table, but then he hit the table all of a sudden in a dramatic fashion-- “Oh! I forgot the workbook!” Suddenly he ran off, leaving her in the room by herself.
Not a moment after he ran out, Manager Sejin enters with Tae, who promptly giggles and mumbles something ridiculous and backs out of the room closing the door behind him, while Sejin looks on very confused. He notices Faith at the table, reddens, bows in her direction, wipes his hands on his pants, and asks her, “Ummm do you know what’s going on with Tae…?”
Tae’s aura had been noticeably different--colored frantic with nerves and anticipation.
“No idea,” Faith says confused, but she was then distracted by how handsome Sejin looks today. They had been successful in not allowing their mild flirtations to get in the way of their work. Faith wouldn’t complain if it got in the way, though...she figured he wanted to stay professional. Maybe there was a no-relationship-with-other-employees clause in their contracts that she missed? She wasn’t going to push it and make him uncomfortable, however much she liked him.
“Are we going to be interrupting anything that you’re doing in here?” he asked politely while trying to decide where he should stand or sit or place his hands. He studied how shiny her dark hair was today.
“No, Kookie asked me to follow him because he had a question about this week’s vocabulary, I think. We can share the space if we need to.”
He had been avoiding her since the doorway incident because it seems his brain usually quits working around her. He says things aloud that he shouldn’t, and what the hell is he supposed to do with his hands to act normal? He forgets around her.
He’s not sure if he should sit down, but just standing there seems awkward too. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other.
“So, about those quarterly evaluations...how are you feeling about those?” he attempted to fill the silence, but he admitted to himself that he did genuinely enjoy talking to her.
“Evaluations? I heard some of the other staff mentioning them. Am I included in that too? I thought my job was so different from everyone else’s,” she worried aloud making him regret his choice of topic.
“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about!” he assured her. “You do an excellent job, so you should look forward to it!” She blushed and smiled at his compliment.
“Thank you, Sejin. You can sit down, you know? I won’t bite,” Faith said gesturing toward the empty seats surrounding the table.
Instead, Sejin reaches for the door knob to check the hallway, but it doesn’t budge. He jiggles the handle, and then tries it with both hands. “Umm, I think it’s jammed.”
“What?” Faith gets up to help, but as she checks, Sejin looks hurt, “You didn’t believe me?”
“No! That’s not it! I just wanted to check...It really is stuck. What do we do now? Just wait for the boys to get back?” she suggested.
“Oh, yes, Jungkook will probably be back first because Tae will get distracted by something, and maybe he can get it to open from the other side with those muscles of his.” She wanted to say if Sejin’s muscles weren’t enough for that door, she doubted Jungkook could open it. Hopefully, he could locate a key.
Faith then realized how quiet the room felt all of a sudden, and Sejin was still standing so close to her, it made her heart flutter. She cleared her throat and went and sat back down. Sejin tried the door one more time before huffing and sitting down on the opposite side of the table.
“So how are things going? Do you umm...like working here so far?” Sejin asks.
“Yes! I really do! I was worried I wouldn’t fit in, but everyone’s been so nice and welcoming. Working with the boys has been a joy.” She went on describing some of the lessons the boys enjoyed. He noticed how her eyes lit up when she talked about something that she cared about--like teaching. It made him feel warm, and he was too distracted by the warmth and staring at her that he almost forgot to respond.
“That’s great! That’s ….really great. Let me know if I can do anything to help. I can’t always attend every lesson, and I know the boys can be a handful to deal with sometimes,” he chuckled fondly. She loved how his whole face smiled whenever he talked about the boys. He acted like they were so troublesome, but her gift told her that he adored his job because those boys were like family to him. They were growing on her too, to be honest.
“How are you liking being back home? Didn’t you grow up here? Is it hard transitioning back to Korean culture and life after being in America for so long?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“It’s nice. I have gotten to see family and reconnect with old friends I haven’t seen since I was a little girl. The sights and tastes feel new but also like home to me all at the same time.” They talked about some of the things that had changed or that she had remembered differently from her childhood that seemed so foriegn now seeing it through her adult eyes.
She found herself staring at him too long during a lull in the conversation and looked at the door again and then at her watch.
“Kookie said he’d be right back, but it’s been about 15 minutes,” she mentioned.
“And Tae said he’d...you know...I’m not sure what Tae said, actually,” Sejin added. His eyebrows drew together in suspicion. They wouldn’t… They know better than to try… Surely not….
Sejin gets up and bangs on the door. “Hey! We’re stuck in here!” Then he hears it--Jungkook’s, Jin’s, and Jimin’s muffled giggles. The 3 Stooges from Hell. He narrows his eyes...Those little devils…. Sejin couldn’t believe they’d pull a prank like this, but that has to be what this is.
“Faith, I am afraid we’ve been tricked. I think the boys locked us in here on purpose.”
“What? Why would they do… Oh,” she drifts off turning red at the realization of what they’re probably doing. “Well, that’s ridiculous, isn’t it?” Her pretty blush spread across her freckled cheeks, and he realized he’d quit breathing and that he needed to respond so she didn’t think something was seriously wrong with his intellect.
“It’s not ridiculous at all, I mean, yes, I mean, ugh! I’m going to punish those boys so bad they’ll be begging to go to extra dance practice!”
Faith had to giggle a bit and cover her mouth so Sejin couldn’t see. She couldn’t believe how mature the boys could be--like speaking in front of the UN for goodness’ sake, but then they pull a prank like this. They were precious, but this was going too far. She sat back down and prepared to wait out their attempt to throw her Sejin together. It was sweet, but she’d rather it happen naturally.
Did the meeting room seem smaller now, though? Sejin had always been a big presence in her mind, but really? Her heart was beginning to race, and they had only been talking! But the ideas of what could happen...ooof...she better redirect her thoughts!
“This is ridiculous. I remember refusing to play “7 Minutes in Heaven” at a party as a teenager; why did they think this would work with us?” she complained.
“7 minutes in heaven? What’s that?”
“Where you go in a dark room with a boy or girl and you can do whatever you want even if you’re not dating…”
“But like what do you do?” he asked like the innocent potato that he was.
Faith giggled. “Well, most people would make out. 7 minutes isn’t a lot of time, to, you know…” Sejin’s eyes widened and his ears turned red.
“Did they expect us to, you know…”
“I guess so…but I doubt the company would look favorably on two of their employees getting together on company time,” she wiggled her eyebrows playfully at him, but she continued to break the tension, “I have to admit that I don’t like being locked up. It makes me uncomfortable like I can’t breathe.” She took a steadying breath, but when she blew out the air, it sounded shaky. Her right leg bounced nervously.
The thought of being stuck in this room with no windows and a locked door did make her chest tight, but knowing she wasn’t alone made her feel a little more stable. Since it was Sejin, it made her heart tighten for a completely different reason. She blew out another shaky breath.
“Hey, are you okay?” Sejin noticed she had paled a bit.
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I’m not crazy about enclosed spaces, that’s all, but I’m not alone, so I’ll be fine,” she assured him even though she didn’t feel completely at ease. Her hand beat a rhythm on the table.
His concern for her had him walking closer to her. “Are you sure because you look pale? Maybe I could get you a water?” He gestured to the table against the wall that was always full of water and healthy snacks. Well, “full” until the boys were near.
“I’m really okay. As long as you’re here with me...I mean, as long as I’m not alone,” she added. Why did she keep saying these embarrassing things to him? Every time she got around him, she felt like she was smitten teenager all over again. He surely did not want her fawning over him. He was always so professional, and she saw how red he’d get whenever she talked to him. She must make him very uncomfortable. She must get control of her---
The lights flickered once. Twice. And then they were out. Completely.
There wasn’t any light shining under the door either, and it sounded like the air conditioning system had shut down as well. It was eerily quiet.
“What? The boys couldn’t have done this. I think this might be another outage in the city,” Sejin reasoned.
In that silence and complete darkness, Faith whispered to herself, “It’s okay. Everything’s okay. The lights will come back on any moment.”
But they didn’t. Each moment felt like a year to her.
Her breathing quickened as she gripped the arms of her chair.
Sejin had frozen when the lights went off not wanting to run into anything. He knew he was close to her and the table, so his hand reached out to the right to orient himself. Then his ears adjusted to the noise in the room, and he heard her panicked whispers and breathing. Worry for her superseded his shyness, as he reached for her.
His hand awkwardly brushed her cheek and then moved to pat her shoulder. “Oh, I’m sorry. Are--are you okay? Does the dark bother you that badly?” He kneeled down in front of her chair and grabbed both of her shoulders when she didn’t answer. “Hey, listen, everything is okay. The lights will come on soon, I’m sure. I’m here.”
In an unconscious desperation, she leaned forward suddenly and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck. He felt her quiet sobs and tears on his neck, and if this would have been any other situation, he would have been freaking out at this close contact with this beautiful lady he’d been crushing on for months, but her fear melted his heart. His hands left her shoulders to wrap around her tightly. He murmured comforting words and squeezed her and rubbed her back soothingly until her breathing normalized, and her sobs became mere sniffles.
Though their eyes were blinded by the darkness, they pulled back at the same time and looked into the darkness at each other, feeling the other’s gaze. Neither were sure what was happening; somehow, all worries and shyness had disappeared along with the electricity. Now they were feeling another kind of electricity in their souls. So close that their breath mingled and they both leaned in to close the distance....
Suddenly, the lights came on blinding them, and they heard the door click and 7 bodies rushing in to see the scene. Sejin’s arms and Faith’s arms still clinging to each other. Sejin’s shocked look. Faith’s teary, red, wide eyes.
All 7 pairs of eyes widened, while 3 narrowed in evil happiness, happy to see that their plan had yielded sweet, sweet results. But wait-- had Faith Noona been crying? Their expressions all turned concerned.
“Noona? What’s wrong, Noona?” cried Tae running over and kneeling down to Faith’s side, not noticing how Sejin’s arms tightened around her instinctually as she flinched away from Tae’s sudden approach. Her watery eyes were still adjusting to the bright light, and she became aware of Sejin’s closeness. She had never turned so red as she released her death grip on his shirt and pushed her chair back. Sejin was unbalanced and fell back on his butt, which further embarrassed her. She looked at all of them and ran out.
Sejin, leaning back on his hands that tried to catch his fall, took a moment to look into each boy’s eyes with enough venom to shame them.
Their leader, who didn’t support this matchmaking prank in the first place, spoke up and took responsibility as usual.
“We are sorry if we caused any harm to you, Manager, or Faith Noona. We, well, some of us thought you two might like each other and might just need a little encouragement-- but we shouldn’t have meddled. We didn’t know the lights would go out like that. I should have stopped their plan. I’m sorry. Are you okay?” Namjoon asked concernedly.
He reached his hand out toward the manager who they all looked up to and considered more like an older brother rather than a manager. Sejin took it and was pulled up quickly. He guessed Namjoon’s extra workouts were paying off because he lifted him up with no problem.
Sejin didn’t answer but walked out in search of Faith to apologize to her though he wasn’t sure what he’d say.
Chapter Text
“Oh man! Did you see Noona’s eyes? Why had she been crying?”
“Was hyung mean to her or something?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Kookie. Sejin obviously cares about her. He’s just too shy to show it to her, well, until now…” Yoongi observed with a knowing, satisfied look. “Noona might have been scared of the dark maybe, and that naturally led to him comforting her.”
“Oh. Ooooohhh. That’s good, right? We did good?” Tae asked eagerly, his eyes lit up with childlike excitement.
“Yes Tae, it might be good,” Namjoon admitted. It did seem that something had happened between them, but he didn’t have enough information to speculate whether it was a good thing or bad.
_____________________________________________________
Sejin didn’t find Faith in her office like he’d hoped. Hobi noticed him in the hallway.
“Excuse me, Manager, I wanted to apologize for earlier. We took things too far, didn’t we? I’m so sorry. Are you still looking for Noona?” Hobi asked.
“Yes, I can’t find her. I just wanted to see if she was okay. I feel responsible for the group’s behavior.”
“Oh no, not at all, Manager,” Hobi said feeling worse than ever at what they’d done. “We had no idea that Noona would get upset. But….why did she get so upset?”
“I’d like to know that too…” mumbled Sejin quietly to himself as he opened another door.
He searched everywhere he could think of, but finally decided she must have headed home since it was close to the end of the work day. His shoulders fell as he decided to give her space and head home himself.
Hobi didn’t mention it to Sejin, but he had a hunch about where Noona could be. He headed for the stairs.
_____________________________________________________
On the roof, with no walls, only the stars and the somewhat clear air of Seoul around her, Faith took a deep breath. Her hands hid her cheeks as she tried to talk herself down from the fear, from the embarrassment, but most of all, from the intense need to be back in Sejin’s arms. She had not felt that safe since she was a child. She had never felt so needy since, well, since ever. Her cheeks might as well be on fire!
She paced back and forth, but her heart didn’t slow down.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Faith? You’re 34 years old! Not a teenager! Get yourself together you dumb dumb!”
She stopped, gripping the waist-high ledge as if it were a lifeline, and counted her breathing. As she focused on what she could do to repair this situation and save face, she heard the door to the stairs click open. Hobi’s smiling face was all that poked out from behind the door.
“There you are!” He half walked and skipped and danced over to her making her smile and roll her eyes. He had remembered her saying she took a lot of her breaks up here even though there was no seating on the roof. Maybe he should make a suggestion to fix this area up for the staff.
“Yes, yes, I’m here. So Hobi, I embarrassed myself rather well back there. Should I just pretend it never happened? Or ...oh I don’t know what to do, Hobi!” She rattled off with nervous energy. She’d always felt immediately comfortable talking openly to Hobi; his spirit was completely open to others and trustworthy, though he wasn’t good about keeping surprises for others secret.
“No worries about that, Noona. Whatever happened is our fault. We just wanted...well, honestly, we noticed you both seemed to match well and perhaps were interested in each other, and we want both of you to be happy because we love you both. We tend to go overboard when it comes to trying to make the people around us happy. We’re sorry,” Hobi said as he gave her the most pitiful eyes and pout he could pull.
“I know, Hobi, I know. I am mature enough to admit that I might like Manager Sejin as more than a friend, but I am also old enough that I deserve more respect from my students…” she gently chided.
Hobi dropped the cute pout and truly looked ashamed. “Noona? Can I ask you something, though?”
“What?”
“Why were you crying? Was it us locking y’all in? Or was it Manager--did you have a fight?”
“It--it’s the enclosed space, yes, but I could handle that with Sejin there, but the dark. I can’t take the dark. My senses are too closed off, and I feel suffocated, and well,....” she took a shaky breath in and couldn’t quite believe she was telling him when she hadn’t talked about this to anyone. She looked away from him to stare at Seoul’s shape at night. “I have a unique ability, whether you believe it or not, to read people--their intentions, their hearts, and when I can’t see, I can’t use that sense. It feels like I can’t breathe, and it scares me. I don’t know or understand this about myself, but I know it’s associated with my sight.”
Hobi had listened patiently and without judgment, as she knew he would. He considered it all for a moment more before responding. “I knew there was something special about you, Noona, something different. But I had no idea how much. So, you can read me? And Sejin? So you must feel how much Manager Sejin likes you if we can see it for ourselves!”
She covered her red face and mumbled through her fingers, “Well, yes, somewhat, but he never acts on it, so I think I’m tricking myself into thinking he feels the same way I do. It’s probably just wishful thinking, right? Oh, Hobi, what do I do? I’m so embarrassed! What if he thinks I don’t like him or what if--”
He cut her off quickly seeing her distress. “Noona, no, don’t worry about that. Manager really likes you. We’ve never seen him so flustered around a woman before.”
“But that doesn’t necessarily mean he likes me, Hobi. I might make him nervous for other reasons.”
“What does your heart tell you, Noona?” Hobi asked softly.
She looked out at the nighttime cityscape and sighed as she leaned against the wall. “Hobi, I didn’t come here looking for a relationship. I just wanted to be safe.” His eyes scrunched in confusion, so she quickly resumed talking. “I, um, thought I’d have a second chance in Korea, and then I felt so lucky that this job came open. I love teaching you boys more than any job I’ve ever had. I don’t want to mess that up. I’m scared of losing this opportunity because I’m being a silly lovestruck fool.”
Hobi’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Love? Noona? Oh!” He started grinning but turned serious. “Noona, please don’t lose this opportunity for a happy ending because you’re afraid. Love is always worth the risk.”
Just as she was about to give in, swallow her embarrassment, and ask for help, she felt a familiar, but unexpected and unwelcome oily darkness crawl over her skin. She jerked back from Hobi, studying his presence in confusion but relaxed when she realized Hobi still made her feel happy. Panicked, she scanned the rooftop and the little she could see from the streets below without leaning over the edge too far.
“Noona! Noona? What’s wrong? What’s going on?” he asked confused at her sudden distracted and somewhat panicked expression.
He’d followed her.
She realized that she likely seemed crazy to Hobi, but all she could think of was that she was never gonna be safe. She dropped in a crouch, pulling her legs in close to her body, and cried. She would never be free. What was the point about dreaming about a happy ending with Sejin? With anyone? She fell apart as her dreams did. She thought coming here would be a shield against her fears. It was not.
Hobi looked down at Faith in concern. What in the world just happened? He crouched down by her, patting her back. “Noona, are you okay? Do I need to get someone to help? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”
“No one can keep me safe. He’s found me. He’s followed me here. I just felt him near,” she cried into her knees. She also mourned this job because there was no way they’d keep a crazy lady employed here.
“Who, Noona? Who’s followed you?” Hobi asked gently. He was torn between wanting to go get more help and staying to comfort her. Something wasn’t right here at all.
Faith lifted her head to face Hobi, wondering if she should reveal this secret. The stalker was still near, and she desperately wanted someone to believe her. Hobi’s heart was so open that she took the chance. She began to tell him her story--of being stalked by this monster and the failed attempts to get help. This, along with her special gift, had sort of alienated her from having a life. She’d thought she could start over here, but her fate seemed cursed.
Hobi, still listening to her story, saw a shadowy figure standing at the corner of the building opposite them. Even from 6 stories up, Hobi felt a chill when the man in all black looked up exactly to where he and Faith were on the roof. The man lifted his hand and waved once and walked calmly away. Hobi’s instincts told him this was Faith’s stalker, and this man was dangerous.
Hobi didn’t fully understand why someone would want to torture their kind Noona like this, but the hopeless expression on her face was explanation enough. He tried to reassure her, “You’re safe with us, Noona.” She felt the confidence from him, but he had no idea the terror she’d been through. But, she never meant to be a burden to her new family.
“You’re part of our family now. You have nothing to worry about.”
Hobi’s sweet declaration only made her cry harder, so he just patted her and discreetly sent a text to the guys for a private, emergency meeting in 10 minutes. Hobi’s calming and confident presence had her slowly regaining her composure. He escorted her to the elevator but suggested she spend the night in the guest room for her safety. Faith was simply too exhausted from tonight’s drama that she didn’t even try to refuse. Hobi made sure she was tucked in securely and resting before heading straight to the dorm’s shared living space. Everyone was already there except Jungkook.
“What’s going on, Hobi-hyung? You never call an emergency meeting. Is this about Faith Noona? We already apologized to Manager, but we owe her one too,” Namjoon mentioned.
“Guys, we’ve got a much bigger problem. I’ve been with Noona for the past two hours, and I’ve learned a lot. I need to share some of it with you, but we need to decide as a group what can be done.” Hobi’s somber tone caught all their attention.
He began to tell them about her stalker, leaving out the part of her gift of reading people. He knew it’d been hard for her to share that. He still wasn’t sure that it was real, but he’d never known anyone else like her. And he’d seen the alleged stalker with his own eyes, and it scared him for Faith.
The guys were speechless after Hobi finished speaking, and that’s when Jungkook rushes in with wet hair flopping water droplets everywhere as he swished his head back and forth looking at his hyung’s solemn faces.
“What’s going on, hyungs?” he asked confused. Tae pulled him to sit down by him. “I’ll explain in a bit.”
“The next step is do we tell Manager because if we’re to keep her safe, she’ll have to stay here and be included in the security detail.”
“Yes, we absolutely need to tell him. He cares for her. It’s so obvious. With our schedule, we won’t always be able to protect her. He can, and I’m sure he’d want to,” Jimin responded.
“Send a text, Tae, and explain we need him back for an emergency meeting,” directed Jin.
“Sure!” Tae tapped out the message. Jungkook had politely not interfered in the discussion. He gathered that Faith Noona was in some kind of trouble. That would not do at all.
“Is there anything I can do? I’m not sure what’s happening, but I want to help,” Jungkook spoke up. Tae quickly explained Faith’s situation. Jungkook was furious that someone had been bothering Faith Noona for so long. She was such a strong person to say so positive even when she was so scared all the time.
“How about you go check on Noona? She’s in the guest room, Kookie-ah,” Yoongi suggested knowing Jungkook needed to do something.
Chapter Text
Sejin was stepping out of the shower when he heard his phone text notification--a text for an emergency meeting. He rolled his eyes. If he had to mediate one more silly argument between those boys when he was preoccupied with worry for Faith, he swore….
After he arrived back at the company, he met Jungkook in the hallway looking like he was a man on a mission. Jungkook stopped in front of the door leading to the guest suite, one that Sejin had often used himself when they’d had late nights.
“What’s going on, Jungkook? I thought we had an emergency meeting?”
Jungkook lowered his voice, “Faith Noona’s, well, Hobi-hyung will fill you in, but she’s resting in here right now.”
Sejin took a step toward the guest room door. “What? She is? Is she still upset from earlier?”
“Not exactly, Manager, but I’m not sure I can explain it well. I was sent to check on her.”
“I’ll do it, Kookie. Just go back and tell them I’ll be there in a moment,” Sejin didn’t wait for a response. He was already turning the door knob. Jungkook just backed up slowly with a small knowing smile on his lips.
Sejin’s eyes adjusted to the low lamplight in the darkened room. He’d crashed in this suite so many times he could easily maneuver in complete darkness, but he now knew Faith would want some type of light even as she slept. Faith slept, but her face was still tear-stained and her brows drew together. She must be having a bad dream, he thought. As he went to gently pull the coverlet over her, she whimpered and reached out grabbing his hand tightly. He froze--completely unsure what he’d say if she found him in the room while she slept.
“Sejin...help…” she murmured in her nightmare, pulling him closer. Because his right leg was pressed against the bed, her tug made him lose his balance and fall on her, but he was able to use his right hand to brace his fall somewhat. This still jostled Faith awake. He thought she might freak out thinking he was someone pervert, but she buried her teary face in his chest.
“Faith--are you okay? I tried finding you and I looked everywhere,” he whispered trying to put some polite distance between them, but as soon as he felt her shoulders shaking, he immediately wrapped his arm around her back and hugged her back. “Hey, hey, now, are you still upset about the boys’ trick on us? They didn’t mean any harm. I plan on getting them back and then some,” he chuckled trying to make her laugh, “Don’t cry, please,” he begged.
She had woken up enough that his words started to make sense, and she realized he didn’t know. She wondered if she should tell him. She never asked Hobi to keep it a secret; she wasn’t sure what he’d do. Hobi had said that they’d keep her safe, and she was brave enough to acknowledge how safe she felt in Sejin’s arms.
Their eyes met and the air disappeared.
Sejin, beyond all decent logic, leaned in the short distance and captured her lips. She was shocked only for a moment, and then she was lost in sensations. His soft lips pressed firmly on hers--asking for entrance, his scent that reminded her of home, his huge arms that engulfed her completely, his voice--moans that told her he’d been wanting to do this for as long as she had. Her fingers threaded through his thick hair, and when her short nails gently scratched his scalp in an effort to bring him even closer somehow, she heard the sexiest growl from deep in his chest. Her mouth opened and the kiss escalated. He had to adjust his body as he lay half on top of her as his pants were becoming uncomfortably tight, his hips grinding into her side. Unfortunately, both of them had it in the back of their mind not to let it go too far since they were on company property.
“I’m sorry...about….earlier,” he gasped in between kisses on her jaw and neck. “But this...I’ve wanted you...from the minute...I met you…I knew you’d be heaven in my arms...” She could barely concentrate on what he was saying she felt so overwhelmed with heat. She knew if she looked in a mirror right now, her whole face, neck, and chest would be blushing. She didn’t care. She was flying she was so happy in his arms!
“I’ve...liked you...too all this time!” she whispered, almost breathless from his attention on her sensitive neck. “Why didn’t you just...ahhh...ask me out...or something?”
He lifted himself to look at her and put his hands on both sides of her beloved face. “We work together. What if we rushed into this and then got hurt and had to continue seeing each other every day?” She reached up to touch his face and replied, “I’m scared of that too, but...don’t we deserve to give this a chance? You don’t have to put that bulletproof, heartache-proof shield up all the time.” Her eyes searched his, and he gave her the sweetest boopy kiss on her nose.
“I wouldn’t have done this," he indicated to their current situation in the bed, "if I hadn’t already set my heart on you."
“Oh,” she smiled, “as mine is set on yours…”
They heard several pairs of feet coming down the hallway and talking that seemed to be getting closer, so he sat up and gently helped her. Once the noise had passed, he looked at her more clearly now that his heartbeat had slowed.
“Faith, what happened back in the meeting room?”
Faith settled herself back on the bed away from him and grabbed a pillow to hug in front of her. “Sejin, I'm... I’m scared to tell you. I like you, and I’m afraid you’ll think I’m crazy and this,” she indicated her hand at both of them, “will be over before it even gets a chance to start.”
“Whatever it is, I can handle it. I have always had an open mind, and I definitely have an open heart when it comes to you,” he said reassuringly. “I can’t be here for you if you don’t open up.” The moment he gave into temptation and kissed her was the moment he decided to pursue her with his whole heart. He might be slow to give into his heart, but once he did, he was all in.
Faith knew to be able to give this, whatever this was blooming between them, a chance, she’d have to take this risk. She began, “If you truly have feelings for me, I need you to listen and not interrupt or I’ll lose my courage.” He nodded, and she began to tell him about her gift of intuition. His facial expression didn’t change from the kind one he looked upon her with, which encouraged her to be honest about everything, including the stalker who she’d tried to escape by moving back here.
When she was done, she stared at her hands folded over the pillow, and he knew without a doubt that his next words would profoundly shape how their future, if they would have one, would go.
He took her hands and spoke sincerely, “Because I’ve known you for almost a year now, I know that you are kind, intelligent, funny, beautiful inside and out, but if you think for a second I’m going to run from you because the universe granted you a gift to see into others’ hearts, you’re wrong. I think you’re amazing, and there’s no one in this world that can stop that or take you from me.”
She hugged him tightly and hid her face in his chest as he rubbed her back soothingly. He thought she was crying, but she was laughing. She couldn’t believe he still wanted her! She was so incredibly relieved that she wasn’t alone anymore! She turned her brilliant smile at him, and his chest tightened thinking that someone was out there right now who wished her harm. He brought her in for a tighter hug. Then he remembered why he came back to the company building.
“Hey, I think we should join the meeting the boys are having right now. You are family, you have been since the beginning, and no one will get to you to hurt you.” He stood and grabbed her hand, waiting briefly for her to slip her shoes on, and walked with her toward the meeting room. He noticed her smoothing her hair down around her neck.
He bent so he was closer to her ear. “Are you afraid I left love bites?” he teased quietly.
“Maaayybee….” she said shyly.
“I didn’t, I promise. You look lovely.”
She smiled up at him as she went past him first into the meeting room. She loved seeing this side of him now that he’d opened up to her. Seven pairs of eyes looked hopeful and happy as soon as they saw their linked hands.
Jimin beat the tops of his thighs and squealed, “I knew it! I knew it! I knew they’d be perfect for each other!” He was so adorable that Faith couldn’t stay mad at their prank. Faith saw Jin hand Yoongi money.
“So, it’s been a while since Jungkook said you went to check on Noona, Manager...did y’all talk things out? That must have been one long conversation….” Taehyung asked devilishly. Sejin cleared his throat and ignored the pointed question and Faith just blushed more.
“I’m really glad to see the two of you together. There aren’t two people that I know that deserve happiness more than you two,” Namjoon spoke sincerely.
“Thank you, but don’t think that lets any of you off the hook for that stunt you pulled earlier…” Sejin said menacingly. The guys gulped and squirmed in their seats feeling guilty, but they were still so happy for the couple finally getting together.
“Okay, so Faith filled me in on the stalker issue. Now we discuss what to do about it.”
They spent the next 45 minutes discussing what was needed to include Faith under their security’s protection without letting Mr. Bang know. They loved their CEO, but none of them wanted to take the chance of Faith being let go because of this.
By the time they parted ways and Faith went back to the guest suite, she felt confident that this problem would truly be solved soon once and for all.
Now that she had a family.
Chapter Text
After the meeting, the 7 brothers felt a little better about Faith Noona’s safety.
“He’ll take care of her, won’t he, hyung?” Jungkook said more as a statement rather than a question. Though he had asked any of his brothers to answer, Yoongi responded,
“If I were that stalker, I’d be leaving the country and changing my identity right now.”
_____________________________________________________
The late morning sunlight streamed into the room, and Faith was confused for a moment about where she was. Last night’s memories trickled in. She had a moment that she reached across the bed for Sejin knowing for certain he hadn’t spent the night with her. Her eyes popped open at everything that had happened last night, and she sat up suddenly, her hair a nest built by birds obviously not gifted in the necessary art.
“Oh god, what have I done? Why did I freak out? Why did I tell them? Oh dear god, why did I have to kiss him?” she squeaked. “There’s no way they’ll let me stay working here. Where will I go? Should I just give myself up and be done with it? I can’t risk them over my life,” reasoned, catching her hands in the messy strands pulling from the bun fixed askance on the top of her head.
Yet, she wasn’t sure she’d be brave enough to say goodbye to her new life so easily. Hell, she could possibly be kissing life goodbye altogether if she gave herself up to this weirdo!
Then the memory of strong arms holding her hit her like Hobi’s verse in Tear. She’d never felt so comforted before, but what if he’d just been swept up in the moment? Felt sorry for her hysterics? She hid her face in the pillow willing herself to suffocate to end the embarrassment right then and there. Maybe she could just stay here long enough and the world would forget about her.
And that’s how Namjoon found her--head stuffed into her pillow. He’d knocked several times and had gotten concerned, so he peeked in.
“Noona?”
Faith sat up quickly and answered, “Namjoon! Why are you just barging into your teacher’s room? Well, it’s not my room, but still….”
“Um, sorry, I just wanted to check on you, Noona. You’re late for our morning session, but it’s okay if you want to take this one off considering…”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t have my alarm here to wake me up. I also, well, I figured the company didn’t want me to work here anymore since I’m so much trouble.”
Sejin, who’d been listening outside the door, heard her forlorn worries and barged in without thinking. “Faith, that’s ridiculous! None of this is your fault. There’s no way you’d get fired because of this. We won’t allow you to be hurt. You’re not just some employee--you’re special to me, I mean, to us--to the company…” Namjoon’s dimples made an appearance as he ducked his head, thinking how cute they were, and how it took them far too long to realize they were meant to be together. Joon wasn’t a romantic by nature, but he was starting to have a change of heart seeing these two grow closer.
Faith shyly smiled at Sejin’s outburst and hid her face with a pillow. She mumbled, “Let me get ready, then. Half a session is better than none.” Her heart felt lighter as they left the room. The morning light had helped clear her head from the panic of the night before. They truly believed her and wanted her to stay. She’d given up on the idea of friends and family, but she felt at home here. That sliver of hope grew to something she could cling to with both arms.
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That afternoon, after a productive tutorial that helped her feel like everything was normal,
Faith was in happier spirits. She took a long look at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t young anymore, but she liked her eyes and her smile. Maybe Sejin did like her as much as she liked him. She patted her reddening cheeks and headed out to find what she could do to put together a replacement tutoring session for the next day.
She noticed the dance practice room was empty. The living area was empty, so she headed down the corridor to the meeting rooms and offices. If they were gone to a scheduled event that she had forgotten about, she would just head to her office to plan the next few lessons. Just as she almost reached her office, she heard talking in the biggest meeting room.
“Noona!” Jungkook stuck his head out of the door but at a much shorter angle than expected. Faith giggled as she realized he was seated in a rolling chair.
“You could’ve gotten up to go get her, Kookie,” murmured Yoongi. They were all seated with their managers and the public relations director.
She sat down and respectfully listened to the continuation of the meeting, and wondered why she’d need to be involved. She discovered they had an interview, which was common, but this interviewer was from a rather widely-read publication from America. They wanted her to tag along to help with the translations and observe the guys using their new English skills. They had scheduled the interview to be at a very high-end barbeque that Faith had only heard about. There was no way she’d ever be able to afford to go there on her own. She was excited to learn that it would just be her and Sejin accompanying the members, along with a few security personnel.
As everyone filed out of the meeting room to finish practice and get ready for the interview, Hobi held Faith back. “I suggested you come along, Noona. I thought maybe you could help with the translations but also with what you think about this interviewer. His record isn’t the best with performers, especially international performers. I’m curious what you think about his….you know...his aura or whatever you call it.”
“Oh, yeah, sure, Hobi!” Faith responded hesitantly. She hadn’t realized that they’d need her for things other than being a tutor.
“I don’t want you to think we think you’re some kind of psychic or something that we’re just using, Noona,” Hobi hurriedly added. “I really do value your opinion, and of course, some more time with Manager Sejin might not be too bad either.”
Faith smiled and fondly patted Hobi’s fluffy hair. “All right, Hobi. I will be glad to help, and I will be very happy to hang out with.…..all of you.”
_____________________________________________________
That evening, they loaded into the two large SUVs to go to the interview. It was supposed to be casual, so no one dressed up. Faith was adjusting her coat and glanced up just in time to see Sejin step out of the front doors of the offices. He had changed his button down shirt and added a vest. He was still in the process of buttoning the top buttons when he made eye contact with Faith, realized she was staring at him, and then promptly tripped over the concrete curb of the flower bed. He groaned inwardly.
“Why do I always do stupid stuff in front of her?” The embarrassment made him forget to finish buttoning the top of his shirt, and Faith dared anyone to say something to him as she continued to stare at him. Sejin noticed the heat in Faith’s stare, and he mindlessly drifted toward her even though he usually rode in the front car.
“Hi,” he mumbled as he stepped closer than normal to her. “Can I ride with you?”
“Hey there,” her eyes drifted to the open neck of his shirt, which was eye level with her and so close she could smell his light cologne, and she was afraid she was drooling. He noticed the direction of her stare.
“Oh,” he exclaimed and moved to button his shirt up, but her hand stopped his before she realized what she was doing.
“Don’t. It looks nice,” she admitted.
Sitting turned around like cartoon spies in the car nearest the couple, Jungkook, Jimin, and Tae watched the interaction with rapt interest. They were thankful the windows were so tinted that they couldn’t be caught peeping.
“Hey there, Faith, how you doin’?” Tae said in his best romantic impression of Sejin’s voice.
Jungkook cackled and joined in. “Oh, Manager Sejin! I’ve been waiting for you! How do I look?”
Jimin giggled falling over on Jungkook. He added in his deepest voice, “You are the loveliest I’ve ever seen in my life, Faith Noona. Marry me and have all my babies!” They all burst into laughter.
“Why would Manager call her Noona?” a quiet, deep voice drifted from the front. Yoongi’s head peered around the front seat of the same van with a ridiculous expression. The three youngest members just looked at each other in silence all of 3 seconds and then burst into even louder laughter. Yoongi just looked at them with a deadpan expression, but when he turned around, he had a slight smile as he settled in his seat.
“Oh they’re getting in the car together,” Jimin cooed. “They’re so sweet together. I ship them so hard!” Tae and Jungkook on either side rest their cheeks in their hands staring fondly at the couple getting in the car. They both hoped that one day they would meet the girl of their dreams and be happy.
_____________________________________________________
The ride to the restaurant was an exercise in restraint as Faith was combatting the overwhelming auras of the 7 people in the SUV. It was only in enclosed spaces like cars that she felt a bit suffocated by all the feelings. She was squished between a rather bulky body guard on her left and Sejin, who wasn’t a muscled body guard, but he obviously took care of himself. She had very little room and wiggled a bit to try to get her seatbelt buckled, but it wouldn’t connect. Hearing her puffs of aggravation, Sejin quickly grabbed her belt and reached over and across her to fix it, but that brought his face blessedly close to her own. Faith respectfully pushed herself back in the seat as much as possible, but she couldn’t help but enjoy the closeness. Sejin was almost nose to nose to her when he realized what he’d done, and he froze as their eyes met. For a second, they forgot they weren’t alone until the body guard cleared his throat in a fake cough/chuckle. Sejin hurriedly pulled back to his seat and tried to make himself as small as he could so there would be room for Faith. She just smiled shyly. He liked her but obviously wqsn’t comfortable with PDAs while working.
It only took 20 minutes to get to the interview spot. They all unloaded the SUVs and vans and went in after security confirmed it was okay. They were led to the top floor. Faith couldn’t believe her luck. There was no way she would’ve had the chance to eat here, much less as a VIP. They got settled at various tables on this exclusive floor and waited for the journalist. The accommodations were traditional and simple, but she could tell every detail was cared for at this restaurant. Sejin was about to sit across from her, but one of the staff members took the seat, forcing him to sit diagonally from Faith at the end of the table. His legs were so long that there was no other choice but for her knees to brush against his thigh.
“Aish! I hope I don’t say anything stupid,” worried Hobi.
“Don’t worry! You all have been practicing very hard, and if there are any misunderstandings, I’m right here to clarify them,” assured Faith. All the members looked at her in gratitude and adoration. For one moment, she imagined that all these boys were her sons, and she was filled with pride as she watched them smiling and visiting with each other. The members and staff’s auras felt like warmth and home and family.
They waited at least 20 minutes and were getting a bit restless when Faith suddenly felt a dreaded, oily presence coming closer. She jerked her head toward the stair entrance and inadvertently knocked her knees against Sejin’s thigh hard. He’d been talking to Yoongi, but stopped to look at Faith quizzically. She had paled dramatically and her hand on the table was trembling.
He lowered his voice, “Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong?” She didn’t have time to answer before the journalist showed up looking stressed. The members and staff all stood up in respect for their guest. Some bowed; some extended hands that were ignored. Faith had automatically followed the group’s movements because she was too shocked to respond. He cursorily took a seat with a huff, pulling out a battered notebook and pen. He plopped down without speaking to everyone. He was not unattractive, but his rude entrance and his aura made Faith slightly sick to her stomach. Sejin was still studying Faith’s confused face and wondering what had caused her reaction. Hobi narrowed his eyes at the man.
“All right then. Let’s get this over with! Oh, I almost forgot. I brought y’all gifts. Here,” he digs in his backpack and pulls out a plastic bag and says, “Just pass this around and grab one.” He held out the bag pointedly to Jin who was sitting closest to him. Namjoon prompted Jin in Korean to take one and pass it along. Jin reached in and pulled out a keychain from LA. He looked in confusion for a second and then politely bowed toward the journalist. Each member took a turn grabbing the cheaply made key chains from the plastic bag. Tae was the only one who couldn’t hide his true feelings of this journalist’s first impression. Tae was never rude, but he was uncharacteristically frowning toward the man, who seemed so self-absorbed.
And then the man noticed Faith. It took a practiced eye to see that he made an effort to act as normal as possible when he glanced toward Faith, who was still frozen in shock. This was her stalker? Was she perhaps mistaken? Her senses had been overwhelmed in the car and in the crowded private dining room. This man was obviously odious, but could he be her stalker? Him? But there was no one else who had ever had that specific aura before even when she was around jerks of the jerkiest caliber.
At this point, what could she do? This was an official interview. But was he even the actual journalist he claimed to be? Would she be looked at like she was crazy and rude if she even demanded to know his real identity?
The article to come from this could greatly impact their reach into the Western industry and their chances for a Grammy nomination. There was no way she could mess this up for them. As he asked his inane, eye-rolling questions, the members participated as best they could and asked for assistance from her only twice, which of course, brought attention to her.
“So, you’re like their translator or something?” he asked snidely leaning on the table toward her. “You must have been educated outside of Korea to have no accent when you speak English.”
She nodded her head but never made eye contact with him. The boys and Sejin all noticed this, but figured it was just the man’s rude behavior that was so upsetting to Faith. Inside, she was screaming for help, but on the outside, she just looked down and did her best to hide her shaking. Her fingernails dug into her skin as she fought control over herself.
Sejin was so caught up in the interview monitoring the boys’ responses as best he could that he wasn’t aware that Faith was fighting the intense desire to run. After all they’d forgiven her for and accepted her, she refused to ruin this interview for her new-found family.
She wasn’t sure how she made it through that meal, which was cut short thankfully. She hadn’t eaten one bite. No one wanted to extend their time with this obviously second-rate journalist who was rude and self-centered. They said their goodbyes and the man took one last glance at Faith. The slight smile and manic eyes promised he wasn’t done with his fun.
As he left the room, Faith’s adrenaline from her fight-or-flight reaction that lasted an hour and a half finally caught up with her.
She remembered reaching for the corner of the table to steady herself and dropped where she stood.
Chapter Text
The room erupted into chaos. Eight shocked men rushed and knocked chairs over to get to where Faith had fainted.
Sejin was the closest to her already, so he was the first to reach her, kneeling beside her and gently picking her head and shoulders up into his lap.
“Faith! Faith! Wake up, baby, wake up! What’s wrong?” he repeated desperately as he patted and rubbed her arms and face in an effort to wake her up. No one even noticed the fact he had called her ‘baby.’ They were all too worried to be playing matchmaker at the moment.
“I’m on the phone with the hospital now, Manager,” said Namjoon. “Check her pulse and breathing so I can tell the emergency crew.” Sejin’s hand was shaking so badly that he couldn’t. Yoongi stepped forward and took her other wrist and checked it.
“It’s way too fast, Manager. But she’s breathing normally,” he calmly reported to Namjoon. “She’s going to be okay, Manager,” he added gently, patting Sejin’s shoulder as he held Faith. Jungkook stood back out of the way with Tae and Jimin looking extremely worried. He hated feeling helpless.
They heard the sirens in the street below. Namjoon mentioned his concern about them getting a gurney up the narrow stairs to the private room.
“Manager, let me carry Faith Noona down to the ambulance,” Jungkook offered. It was all he could think of to help, but Sejin shook his head.
“No one’s touching her. I’ve got her,” he resolved. He picked her up gingerly and carefully managed the steps down to the waiting ambulance. There was no decision to be made about who was riding with her to the hospital. That seemed to have been decided the moment Faith had first walked into the front doors of Big Hit Entertainment and met Sejin for the first time.
_____________________________________________________
“I think I know what happened,” Hobi mentioned in the unnatural hush of the hallway outside Yoongi’s studio. He stood with everyone except Yoongi, who could be heard in his supposedly soundproof studio blaring a sample song so loudly that it could have been recorded in the hallway.
They had all followed Yoongi trying to calm him after he got angry over not being able to go to the hospital. When Yoongi shut the door in their face, they hadn’t gone anywhere but sort of stayed there in a sort of supportive watch over his door. They were spread in the hallway either sitting or standing propped up against the wall.
“What do you mean, hyung?” Tae asked softly looking up at him in confusion. He wasn’t sure if Hobi was talking about Yoongi’s reaction or Faith passing out.
“I already had a bad feeling about that journalist, so I was the one who requested for noona to go with us so she could, you know, read the situation. She was there to help with translations, of course, but I thought since this was such an important interview, that she could help guide the situation based on this guy’s motivation.”
“Oh, right… that makes sense, but what does that have to do with…” Namjoon began with his head still propped on the wall behind him and his eyes still closed.
“When the journalist first walked in the room, I sort of studied Faith Noona’s expressions to see what her impression of him was. Guys, she had the same expression when she first sensed that stalker had found her that night we were on the rooftop,” Hobi paused here to let the implication sink in.
“But, you don’t mean,” Namjoon started, his mind working overtime.
“Yes, I do. I think that guy is Faith’s stalker.”
“But he looked like he’d just gotten off the plane, hyung,” Jungkook offered.
“Yes, but he could have pretended to have done that. Either the journalist is Faith Noona’s stalker, or worse still, that guy wasn’t actually the journalist. None of us knows what the guy looks like. Her stalker could have done something with the actual journalist and came here pretending just to get close to her,” Jin brainstormed.
All of them quieted as they mulled over the possibilities that the rude guy they’d spent an hour and a half with was actually a danger to one of their own and none had known. What would they have done had they known? Why hadn’t she said something? Was she too scared?
Jimin, who’d been curiously silent this whole time, spoke up. “We need to quit speculating because there’s nothing we can do until noona wakes up to tell us.” At that moment, Namjoon’s phone rang.
“Hello? How’s… Really? That’s good news! Okay, thanks for letting us know, Manager. Yeah, we will.” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Hobi knocked on Yoongi’s door before punching in the code. He only took a brief moment to give Yoongi a reassuring look, and the music turned off. Yoongi eased out into the hallway, not even surprised at the gathering in the hallway.
Namjoon spoke to them as leader. “I think it’s best if we let Manager Sejin know of our concerns right now, but I’m not sure that’s the best idea considering his state of mind.”
“But what if that guy shows up at the hospital and Manager doesn’t realize?” asked Tae.
“Exactly my worry,” Namjoon responded.
“What the hell is going on? What are you talking about?” Yoongi asked. They filled him in on their theory, and his expression darkened. “Wait--have any of you knuckle heads actually looked that journalist up? Come on.” He led them all into his studio, which became very cramped with the 7 of them. He pulled up an Internet browser and search the journalist’s name. They all stared slack-jawed at the pictures available.
“Who the mess is that?” Jin asked, looking at a very different person on the screen.
“Well, that settles it. We’re going to the hospital. Joonie-ah, let the security team know,” Yoongi announced, brooking no argument. “If we can’t get her to somewhere safe, we’ll bring safety to her.”
Chapter 11
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Two hours later, the group was stationed in the somewhat-unused 5th floor East hallway of the private hospital. The hospital was happy to help their national treasure, and it turned out to be no trouble. Extra security units had been deployed by the company under the guise of protecting the members, though it was Faith they were insulating. It didn't matter that there was a concern of the media getting involved and concocting all sorts of ridiculous stories about what might be happening; none of the members cared. In any case, the hospital was well-known for being trustworthy when it came to celebrity cases, so they felt mildly safe.
They all swiftly stood up from the circle of chairs in the waiting area where they had been planning how to tell their manager when Sejin walked out talking with the doctor. Sejin’s face scrunched in confusion why all the members had come though they’d been told not to. He looked like he needed to sleep for a full week. His normally controlled hair was askew, and his eyes were red.
“Uhh...why are y’all here? Shouldn’t you be back at the dorms?” he asked.
“Manager, we discovered something that we think you should know,” replied Namjoon.
Jin gestured to the body guards at the ends of the hallway, “We also brought back up just in case for Noona.”
Sejin glanced at both ends of the hallway and saw two familiar security guards stationed and standing at attention.
“For Faith? Why?” Sejin asked totally unaware of why she’d need protection beyond himself. She’d only passed out.
“You know this hospital is good about respecting privacy, and that’s why we didn’t want you all to come and draw attention to the company. She passed out; they’ve run the basic tests to try to figure out why she did. She did hit her head when she fell, which is why she hasn’t woken up yet. I appreciate you boys, but extra security isn’t going to help Faith wake up," he added wearily.
“No, no, there’s more to it than that, Manager,” Hobi began, “Don’t you remember Faith’s stalker?”
“Of course, but what does that have to do with her passing out?” A terrible sense of dread was growing inside Sejin’s chest.
“We looked up the reporter who interviewed us, if you can even call it an interview. That wasn’t the man who was supposed to interview us, Manager,” Yoongi revealed. Their earnest, concerned faces convinced Sejin that they were telling the truth or at least believed they were telling the truth.
Sejin immediately pulled out his cell phone and typed the reporter’s name into the search bar. He scrolled through several official pictures from the magazine and lifted his shocked eyes to the members.
“So that guy who interviewed you, are y’all claiming that man is Faith’s stalker?” Sejin’s face paled and he felt sick to his stomach thinking that her stalker had possibly been that close to her. Remembering back to the man’s unusual behavior and his attention on Faith made his breath catch.
“Yes, that’s exactly what we think,” Hobi responded, talking gently because he could tell Sejin was on edge already with stress and worry.
He continued, “We think he might have done something bad to the reporter. I don’t know how he got the information, though. From what Faith described to us, this guy is growing bolder by getting closer and closer to her.”
“But why? What did he gain by doing that? Was he just testing us? Is he getting a sick satisfaction by thinking he’s fooled us?” Jungkook wondered.
“You’ve been watching too many dramas, Kook,” Jimin chided jokingly.
“Kook has a point, though. Following her to a different country around the world.... Pretending to be a journalist and actually going through the interview and God knows what he did with the real journalist...This guy is really deranged,” Jin argued. “He didn’t actually threaten Faith or do anything untoward though. I know this sounds like a drama, but I think he’s toying with her. He’s enjoying her fear. Sick bastard.”
Sejin paled realizing that Jin was right. This guy had been harassing her and scaring her and enjoying it?! For years?! This was more twisted than he at first thought. "So Faith fainted because she was scared? She must have known that was him; she must have felt it. Why didn't she say something to us if she thought that?"
All of them studied Sejin’s face as he thought through the situation. Having worked with him all these years, they could tell immediately when he’d come to a decision.
Sejin began dialing a number and waited for a response. “Hi. Sejin here. I need you to contact the American magazine that we just interviewed with….. Yes, that’s them. This is going to sound odd, but I need you to ask them if they’ve been in recent contact with their journalist…. Like in the past 6-8 hours….. I’ll explain later. I need to call Bang first. Okay. Thanks. Bye.”
7 pairs of eager eyes were staring at him, wondering what was happening. He wanted to set their minds at ease as their manager but couldn’t find the words. Sejin ran his hands through his short hair for the 100th time, making it stick up in all directions.
Jimin spoke up, his hands wringing together inside of his sweater paws, “But how’s Noona, Manager? Is she really okay?”
Sejin’s eyes softened. These boys could drive him crazy sometimes, but their hearts were pure gold. He felt lucky to be their manager and ...hyung. He grabbed Jimin's shoulder and squeezed to reassure him. “She’ll be okay, Jimin. She’ll be okay,” he repeated as if he were trying to manifest it into the truth as he looked toward her room door. Taehyung patted Sejin’s shoulder, and the others naturally moved in and formed a huge hug around Sejin.
Notes:
I need for these OT8 group hugs to be a common occurrence.
Chapter Text
At first, Faith was vaguely aware of a bad headache on the right side of her head. She normally didn’t have headaches, so for one to wake her up was unusual. She groaned as she struggled to open her eyes and place her hand to massage her temple, but her right hand was caught in something warm, calloused, and strong. She tried to roll over wanting to change positions to ease the pain, but she was still held tight from moving by a weight across her hips. Her left hand seemed held back by ropes, which set her to panicking.
She struggled to open her bleary eyes to see a large arm draped low across her hips and her right hand clutched tightly in a large, warm hand. Her eyes followed the arms to find a head of mussed black hair. She smiled softly and ruffled his hair with her other hand, which was attached to clear tubes and tape in a sore patch on her hand. She realized she was in the hospital.
Sejin’s neck and back ached from his position, but he jerked awake as soon as he felt Faith run her fingers through his hair. He realized he had moved to hold her as he had tried to catch a few minutes of sleep. His eyes searched hers, which were blessedly open and looking confused.
“Hey, you’re awake….” he whispered as his hand went to cup her cheek gently. “How are you feeling?”
“What...what happened, Sejin? Why are we at the hospital?” Faith’s head had still not cleared completely. She tried to sit up in the bed but had to clutch her head because of the effort.
“Whoa...wait...take it slow, baby girl. You hit your head when you fainted at the restaurant tonight. I mean,” he glanced at his watch, “last night.” He supported her back as he helped her sit up and placed an extra pillow behind her. “I wish I could lecture about taking care of your health and not overworking yourself, but I don’t think that’s why you passed out, is it?”
Part of him wished it were only that because that would be an easier, safer problem to solve. Shielding her from this dangerous man was no doubt more daunting, but he would never allow Faith to be hurt or live in fear.
“The restaurant? The interview... Oh god, Sejin,” Faith began recalling more details about the dinner she’d been looking forward to which had turned into a nightmare. Sejin’s relief that she woke up was easily palpable, and it soothed her own fears somewhat. She took a steadying breath.
"Hang on before you go any further. Do you need anything? Should I call the nurse or doctor?" Sejin searched her face for her answer worriedly. She continued after shaking her head no.
“Sejin, I think the man who interviewed the boys, was the man stalking me back in the states. I’ve never met anyone with his awful presence before or since. I know I sound crazy. I don’t know how to prove it. I’m sorry.” She looked down with her hands nervously worrying at the thin, scratchy hospital blanket.
He gently lifted her chin and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. “Faith, baby, I believe you. The boys suspected and checked on the real journalist’s identity. That guy must have been your stalker. I contacted the proper authorities, and they’re handling it. They’ll let us know if anything happens.”
“But, but...how did the boys figure it out?” Faith asked completely astounded they’d sensed anything wrong.
“The boys love you, Faith. They know about your gift, but they also are all good at reading others. Years of facing fakes and phonies wanting to use them or abuse their reputation has been an unfortunate school of life for them. I think they knew something was off during the meal, and then when you fainted, they started to speculate. That led to learning that whoever that was was impersonating the real journalist.” His voice cracked and his hands clenched more tightly around her hand.
“I’m sorry I didn’t pick up on what was happening. I should--I should’ve known. The way he talked to you and looked at you and how you didn't seem like yourself, now that I think back, I'm so mad I didn't take care of it then," he growled, his hands curling into fists.
“Sejin, what could you have done if you had? If you’d called the police at the restaurant, they couldn’t have even arrested him. He wasn’t doing anything. Believe me, I’ve spent years dealing with law enforcement about this monster. I have nothing of real significance to help put him away.”
Sejin shook his head ruefully with a dark chuckle. “I wasn’t even thinking about that, baby. I would’ve beat him bloody right there.” Even if she couldn’t tell his mood through her gift, his serious eyes told her how he would’ve done exactly that if he’d had the chance.
“Oppa, no! I don’t want you anywhere near that lunatic!” she reacted without thinking.
Sejin’s eyes narrowed in amusement. “Did you just call me ‘oppa’?” Faith reddened but didn’t deny.
“Maybe...You’ve been calling me ‘baby’,” she argued in the cutest pout.
Sejin sat on the side of the hospital bed, his weight pushing the mattress down and making Faith lean into his waiting arms. She sighed into his chest and wrapped her right arm around him. They held each other with no further teasing or talk of danger.
Just holding on each other.
And to hope.
Chapter Text
~Two days later~
“Welcome home, Faith Noona!” echoed chaotically off the practice room’s bare, soundproof walls as Sejin gently ushered her inside.
“I told them not to overwhelm you, but they wanted to see you so badly,” he grinned apologetically. Faith was overwhelmed, but with feelings of love and family and relief emanating from the sweaty boys who’d paused in their practice.
Son Sungdeuk, their choreographer, smiled good naturedly at the members as they all ran toward Faith intending to give her a big group hug. Considering they’d been practicing for hours, Sejin quickly shifted Faith behind him, not wanting her to get all messy from the sweaty boys, but alas--they charged forward nevertheless like a group of excitable puppies. Sejin and Faith found themselves wrapped in one messy, albeit adorable, group hug.
The members were talking all at once, but Faith knew they were excited to see her back at work. Sejin cleared his throat once, twice, and finally resorted to yelling, “Yah!” to get the boys to let go and give them space. Everyone knew he wasn’t mad though--he was a big teddy bear when it came to the tannies.
Everyone quieted sufficiently for Faith to hear Namjoon say, “Faith Noona, are you sure you should be back to work so soon? Are you feeling up to it?”
“I’m fine, guys. No worrying about me anymore, okay? You’ve got enough on you without worrying about your teacher. But thank you for that welcome, dears.” She looked fondly at them all. She continued, “I expect y’all to attend our group session at 2 today. No tardies.”
Their once eager faces fell in unison at the thought of school, but they were just teasing her. They truthfully loved her classes and had already learned a lot. It wasn’t all about the fun of seeing her and Sejin falling for each other anymore. They were proud of their progress.
“Noona, I’ve been practicing on my own. I can’t wait to show you what I’ve learned,” Jungkook proudly announced, bouncing on his heels. She patted his fluffy hair affectionately.
“I’m already so proud of you--of all of you. Um..” she started to tear up and dropped her head in a respectful bow to them all…”I want to thank you for being so concerned and trying to help with...with my situation. I never wanted my past to interfere in this new life I’ve tried to build, but I especially didn’t want for you all to be affected.”
Before Sejin and Faith knew it or could prevent it, they found themselves in another group hug, but they didn’t protest this time. Sejin had never been so grateful for this life he’d found with these boys...that had brought Faith into his life. He squeezed who he could reach even harder. Faith’s senses were overloaded with feelings of love, and it felt like she was being healed from a wound she hadn’t known she’d had.
Mr. Son loudly cleared his throat, and everyone remembered where they were and what they were supposed to be doing. He looked at the members kindly, but expectantly, so they said their goodbyes and went back to practice.
"Will you stay and watch, Noona?" Jungkook asked. The others nodded in encouragement. She smiled sweetly, still wiping her tears, and agreed.
Sejin and Faith stood for a few minutes proudly watching them switch from their precious boys to hardcore dance machines. Their dedication to their craft shone no matter how many hours they’d been in practice; they gave it their all. Sejin felt Faith step behind him a bit and felt her hand searching for his.
So they stood, with their hands surreptitiously clasped between them, forgetting their troubles for a moment.
-------------------------------
Later that night, the members and their manager were hanging around after they’d enjoyed take-out with Faith. She’d started yawning early in the evening, and they all encouraged her to go rest. She must have been tired since she didn’t protest; she didn’t have far to go since she’d agreed to stay in the guest suite until the danger had passed.
They all lounged, engaged in their own entertainment or work. Sejin was playing a racing game with Taehyung while some of the others just watched or played or worked on their phones.
Namjoon felt his phone vibrate with the notification of a text message. He opened it without looking to see who it was from, not yet realizing how important this message was. He skimmed it, being the fast reader he was, but he went back and read it three times to make sure he was understanding it correctly.
Namjoon peered up from his phone at the other members and his manager thoughtfully. He wasn’t sure how to break the news. Regretting he couldn't be there himself, Bang wanted him to share it, knowing Namjoon could deliver it gently and logically. Bang felt that telling Sejin directly through text wouldn’t be for the best, but he couldn’t deliver it in person.
Namjoon didn’t exactly appreciate the pressure of leader at times like this. He sighed heavily. Taehyung and Jungkook, who were both sitting closest to him, glanced up at their brother.
“What’s up, hyung?” Jungkook asked. Tae could tell something was wrong.
He’d just finished reading the message that the police had found the journalist’s body in his hotel room--his body near unrecognizable from the obvious torture and abuse. The likely culprit had been both smart and reckless. He’d not left a trace of fingerprints, though it was obvious he’d stayed in this hotel room, possibly with the body for several days. He’d been caught on CCTV in the hotel and on the streets beside it, and he’d even looked directly at the cameras smiling like the cat who’d caught the mouse. It was as if he were taunting the authorities, daring them to try to catch him.
However, there was nothing left to trace where’d he gone once he’d left the hotel. There was no further CCTV footage that could give a hint as to which direction he’d gone in. Now that there had been a murder and a way to identify this criminal, the police were serious about tracking him down and protecting Faith. Mr. Bang also wanted to assure them all that the company was taking care of the situation with the real journalist, making sure that his company and family knew of their sadness.
What Mr. Bang didn’t understand was that Namjoon cared about his teacher like she was family; he wasn’t sure he could be calm sharing this terrible news. However, he’d do what needed to be done, as always.
Bang wanted Sejin and the other members on high alert. Apparently, the security team had already been briefed just a few minutes ago. Namjoon sighed again and stood up, garnering everyone’s attention with his severe expression.
“Hyung, I’ve got some news. It’s not good, but Bang PDnim wanted me to share it with you since he can’t be here in person at the moment,” Namjoon took a deep breath as he saw them all sit up in rapt attention. He explained the situation as clearly and calmly as he could, his voice only catching when describing what had happened to the real journalist. After hearing about the state of the poor journalist, Sejin stood up and walked to the window, staring out at the city street. The rest were absolutely silent, struggling to keep their reactions to themselves until they heard everything.
Once Namjoon had relayed all the information he was supposed to, he seemed to deflate in worry and sat down with his hands running through his hair. The other members began to ask hurried questions, but their leader just shook his head and answered defeatedly that was all he knew.
Yoongi noticed Sejin hadn’t moved from the window, his arms crossed and his back tense with emotion. Yoongi got up with purpose and walked over to Sejin, placing his hand on his shoulder.
“Hyung, this is no different than before, really. We don’t know where he is now; we didn’t before. We knew he was disturbed and insane and determined; this news doesn’t tell us different, if you think about it. I think we should proceed as we’ve been doing--by protecting Faith Noona as best as we can until the police find this guy. They know what he looks like now, at least, along with our accounts; they’ll catch him soon.”
Sejin turned and nodded slightly in acknowledgement of Yoongi’s effort to comfort him, but his body language was still taut with fear for Faith. He couldn’t rid himself of images of it being Faith as this psycho's victim. She was his target; what extra horrors waited for her? He’d been after her for years. It wouldn’t be a quick de---....He shook his head to try to clear his head of that line of thinking and took a calming, steadying breath and turned toward the group. Yoongi was right.
Jimin spoke up, worry coloring his voice, “Um, should we wait until the morning to let Noona know or…?” He let the question dangle, hoping that everyone would understand what he was implying. Sejin turned toward him with panicked eyes.
Hobi brought up what he was thinking, “Does Noona need to know these gory details, really? Hasn’t she been traumatized enough already?”
Jin nodded in agreement. “As much as I don’t like keeping secrets from people, I’m not sure Faith Noona can handle more bad news. She just got out of the hospital a few days ago, and besides that, Yoongi-ssi made a good point. Is there really any new, helpful information here?”
“Mr. Bang knows though. The security team knows. Gossip is quick. This will be on the news--an American journalist murdered? How are we going to keep her from hearing about this? We’ll need to be even more careful about not leaving her alone, so she’s bound to get suspicious,” Taehyung pointed out. None of them had thought about that.
“That’s right. She was planning on going back to her apartment next week now that the police are more informed about this guy. I was already feeling nervous about that, but I can’t let her do that now. It’ll be too dangerous, and she’ll definitely want to know why. She already feels like she’s a burden to us and the company,” revealed Sejin. They were all quiet with their own thoughts for a moment.
Jungkook’s head tilted to the side as it always does when he has an interesting question or thought. Hobi looked at him and asked, “What are you thinking about, JK?”
“What if we could keep her so busy that she didn’t have time to worry? You know I’m taking boxing lessons. Several of us have had self-defense classes and martial arts experience. We could teach Noona how to defend herself. Between our English lessons and self-defense lessons, we could probably keep her distracted,” Jungkook suggested. Hobi patted his shoulder in praise while the others agreed that it was a pretty good idea.
“Not only would she be distracted, she’d be getting skills to protect herself,” mused Namjoon, feeling a bit more hopeful about the situation.
They went to bed an hour later after they’d worked out how to do this without Faith finding out the real purpose.
Before going home, Sejin checked in on Faith but left her to sleep. She seemed so peaceful, and he felt confident that she’d be safe here. Though he’d love to spend the night in her arms and effectively distracting the both of them, he didn’t think they were there yet. He cared for her deeply, but he didn’t want to push any of his feelings on her during this. What if she felt pressured to accept his love because they were protecting her?
He pulled the covers over her shoulder and left the room, wondering if he’d ever be worry free again.
-------------------------------
After their group lesson, Faith was at her table at the front of the meeting room turned classroom gathering papers and making notes for the next lesson when she noticed 3 members at the back of the room in deep discussion.
“Guys? We’ll need to give up this space to the art and planning teams in a few minutes, remember? You may want to take your discussion to your dorm,” Faith gently chided.
Namjoon, Jungkook, and Hobi approached her with odd looks on their faces, so she stopped what she was doing to look at them expectantly.
“Got something on your minds for me, guys? Did you perhaps have questions about today’s lesson?”
“No, Noona, um...we were talking last night in the dorm about it. You know we’re taking extra precautions to keep you safe.” Faith nodded and said, “For which I’m both grateful and ashamed…”
They shook their heads to dismiss her worries of being a burden to them. “Noona, we want to teach you self-defense. Just in case.”
“Wait--what?” Faith’s hands stilled shuffling papers in shock.
“I saw this segment on the news last week about this lady was able to defend herself against a mugger, and it got me thinking. We all have had some type of self-defense and/or martial arts training. Why don’t you join us?” Jungkook explained, only embellishing the truth a bit.
Faith thought a moment and looked at their hopeful faces and then she shocked them all with her response:
“Only if Sejin trains WITH me,” she replied with the slyest grin. The boys looked at each other with raised eyebrows and smiled thinking that that was easy enough.
Namjoon giggled, “I think we can arrange that, Faith Noona.”
Chapter 14
Notes:
It's been forever since I've updated any of my stories in progress, and I do apologize for any who were aggravated by this. Life gets in the way, and I mainly write this for selfish pleasure anyway. I hope you enjoy how the Tannies are entertained by Manager Sejin and their teacher, Faith's growing relationship as much as me.
Chapter Text
“She wants me to what, now?” Sejin’s eyes darted from member to member. According to the members’ sly smiles, he knew exactly what Faith was up to by asking to practice self-defense with him. His imagination immediately supplied all sorts of naughty positions they might find themselves in during practice. He couldn’t stop his pleased smile and blush, but he immediately regretted it as soon as the younger members started whistling and hooting.
“If you don’t quit wiggling your eyebrows at me, Kim Taehyung, I will make sure your ordered meals are missing their meat for a week!” Sejin threatened. Undeterred, Tae wiggled his eyebrows even higher and came toward Sejin’s chair to lean over him and continue teasing.
Even the older members grinned at Sejin’s response. “Didn’t know you could be so cute, Manager,” Yoongi smirked.
“To be taller and bigger than all of us, you sure do get tiny when it comes to your sweetheart,” cooed Jimin. Hobi covered his laughter and almost fell over on Jimin. They were all giggling or trying to stifle their giggles.
Sejin’s eyes narrowed menacingly at his young charges, who obviously were delighted to see him smitten with their teacher.
“Okay, that’s quite enough, kids,” Sejin warned half-heartedly. Jimin rolled his eyes and said, “Manager, stop trying to be so professional around us all the time! We allllll know you love Faith Noona. She loves you. Stop pretending it’s not a thing. Fai-jin forever!”
“So, will you be part of our plan, Manager? It’s all for her safety, joking aside,” Namjoon stated seriously.
Sejin just sighed heavily and rubbed his hands through his hair. “Of course I will. But y’all have got to quit teasing me. I do work here. I do need to be professional. I take pride in my job. I’d rather not get fired for strangling one or more of you,” he chuckled. They all laughed.
They made plans to change and meet in one of the smaller practice rooms that was often used for self-defense training later that evening.
When Faith walked into the designated practice room later, she saw Jungkook working with his boxing instructor. She couldn’t help but be impressed by the young man’s seemingly never-ending supply of energy, but she knew better. She’d spied him napping any chance he got. One time, he was about to slide off his chair during a meeting, and she had scooted her chair closer to him so he’d have someone to prop up on. No one said anything because everyone knew how hard he worked. His head had flopped onto her shoulder, and she patted his hair good-naturedly.
However, a grunt from the side had stolen her away from her memories, and her eyes widened to roam over the sweaty back of her crush as he went through some boxing drills with Yoongi. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him as she studied the obvious muscles straining and rippling.
“Noona! Faith Noona! Watch this!” Jungkook called to her, but after noticing no response, he walked over to see what had her so enraptured. Jin came closer and used his hand to close her open mouth. Jimin grinned slyly.
“Here’s a tissue, Noona, to wipe that drool off your chin,” Jimin teased, dangling a tissue in front of her face. They all just giggled at her. Faith was too involved in Sejin’s movements to pay attention to anything else, so she took the tissue, and for a moment just held it staring at it trying to comprehend why she was holding a tissue. She realized that she’d been thirsting over Sejin and had forgotten the rest of the world had existed.
Sejin soon finished up his practicing and noticed Faith’s blushing face. When he moved to push back his sweaty hair from his forehead, she wondered if this practice room was equipped with a mop or a hose because she was either going to melt down or catch fire. Sejin was uncharacteristically confident as he smirked at her fiery face, which didn’t help the catching-fire feeling. His shyness at the beginning was adorable, but this Sejin seemed very sure of himself.
The two trainers available began the class by reviewing techniques to avoid and break away from an attacker. They demonstrated the methods with each other, and then told the group, “Okay, now it’s your turn to practice this first technique. Partner up, everyone!”
Sejin made eye contact with Faith and wiggled his eyebrows guiding her into the first technique where he would act as attacker. As he came toward her, Faith shut her hormones off and tried to focus on performing the technique correctly. The first time, she couldn’t break from his hold (and she was genuinely trying though his arms felt divine).
Sejin nervously whispered into her ear from behind her, “Let me know if I’m hurting you, okay?” He must’ve been faking his confidence earlier; he seemed very nervous as he flexed his arms around her.
Faith rolled her eyes and studied Namjoon and Jin paired up going through the steps. As she broke an impressed Sejin’s grasp on her, she replied saucily, “Um...let me know If I hurt *you” too.”
He grinned, and they continued the move until she was using it effectively even though he increased his grip each time.
“I’m so proud of you, Faith,” he praised.
After they’d watched the next demonstration and Sejin offered some tips to her, Faith asked, “How long have you been practicing this?”
“Ever since I started work here. The company wants everyone to be healthy and safe, and this is just one part of it. The boys didn’t start right away, but as we learned from some nasty experiences, they needed training--not just the staff protecting them. Now pretend I’m a bad guy sneaking up behind you this time and…”
“Wait. Why do I always have to be the damsel in distress?” she complained.
Taehyung overheard her question and paused his attack. “Noona, this isn’t about rescuing damsels in distress. It’s about finding that you’re more powerful and stronger than you realize, if only you do it the right way. We don’t feel like we’re having to protect you constantly just because you’re a woman. You’re family. We want everyone in our family safe.” He smiled and got back to business.
Faith looked dumbfounded toward Sejin. “I just got schooled by TaeTae.” He chuckled, and they started back to practicing.
“All right guys, this is the last technique for today. If the attacker happens to get you on your back with your arms pinned, here’s how to create space and unbalance them. You’re going to snap your arms down at your sides, which will cause the attacker’s chest to dip forward. Hook your leg behind their thigh and use your weight to roll them off. If you do it quickly enough, the attacker will be too surprised to respond.” Then they demonstrated.
Faith plopped down quickly, seemingly happy to position herself underneath Sejin, the attacker. He looked down at her a little embarrassed at this new position. She just smiled and crooked her finger at him. “Come one, I won’t hurt you.” He huffed and grabbed her hands as he placed his knees by her hips, trapping her. His imagination raced to a dark place where the stalker could have her at his mercy in this position.
His gaze turned serious as she continued to flirt with her eyes and smile. “Faith, are you taking this seriously? If an attacker actually comes at you, I want to know that you’ll know what to do and won’t freeze up.”
“I’m sorry. I promise I’m taking this seriously and have learned a lot. It’s just hard to concentrate when it comes to you.”
His eyes softened, and he laid his forehead on hers briefly. “I know. I’m just worried.” They met each other’s gazes and looked at each other lovingly.
“I don’t think that’s part of this technique, Hobi,” grumbled Yoongi. Hobi was imitating Sejin and Faith, and Yoongi was having none of it.
“But Manager and Noona are doing it!” he whined and fell over laughing loudly at the couple’s embarrassed faces. Yoongi looked over realizing what Hobi was playing at and began laughing too.
Faith took the opportunity of Sejin being distracted to snap her hands down by her side, hook her leg behind his thigh, and flip him over. She jumped up to cheers from everyone--everyone except Sejin who lay shocked on his back, but he began to clap as well for her taking advantage of the situation. She danced and jumped around laughing at Sejin in victory.
“All right, all right, everyone, good work today! We’ll come back and practice and introduce some new situations for our next practice together. Keep exercising and eating well so your body will be able to protect itself.” The instructors began to towel off and collect their things.
Some of the guys lay resting, some stretching, and some checking their phones. Faith held out her hand apologetically to Sejin in an offer to help him up, but as soon as he grabbed her hand, he yanked her down beside him.
“I’m too tired to get up. You are too. Let’s nap here for a moment,” Sejin pleaded.
The youngest members saw this and ran to join in, and soon, all of Bangtan and their manager and their teacher were laid out resting and wiggling arms and legs onto one another to pester them.
Just then, Mr. Bang walked in on this scene, but it was telling that he had no reaction to the weird chaos--no doubt he was used to it by now with this group.
He cleared his throat, and everyone scrambled to stand and bow respectfully. “Oh it’s okay, it’s okay. I was just coming to check on y’all. Boys, you’ve made excellent progress with the new album production, but we still have the last bit of recording and monitoring to do, so I need everyone to go get some good rest. Don’t overwork your voices and eat a good meal. You’re scheduled for 8 am in the morning, and we’re never sure how long this process will be, so no language lessons tomorrow. Mrs. Lee, that means you get tomorrow off, but always be reachable and don’t go too far if you decide to go out of town please.”
Faith nodded in agreement and wondered what she’d do on her first day off in months. And...who she’d spend it with….
Chapter 15
Notes:
I am an excellent reader of smexy times. I could compete in the Smexy Time Reader Olympics. That sadly, does not translate into being able to write smexy times well. Whelp. Proceed.
Chapter Text
The next morning, Faith wasn’t sure what to do with herself, so she tried to sleep in but failed. She had become accustomed to waking at a certain time every day, which she supposed that’s what happens when you love your job. She wasn’t sure what she’d do, but she knew she didn’t want to spend the whole day being bored at her apartment. She had hoped she’d hear from Sejin, but she knew he had a busy day ahead of him.
Instead of the usual quick shower, she enjoyed a hot bath with music in the background along with a cup of hot tea. She was sitting on her bed thumbing through her phone as she let her hair air dry when she heard her door bell, startling her and causing her to drop her phone. First of all, she still only had her underwear and her towel wrapped around her, and no one had visited her apartment since she’d moved back to Korea except food delivery. Maybe they had the wrong apartment? The doorbell rang again. She anxiously glanced around for her fluffy robe, and her fingers fumbled nervously to put it on.
She’d assured Sejin that this building was secure--that he needn’t worry over her staying at her own place. But now, she was scared out of her mind. She inched toward the security screen. The doorbell rang a third time. Wait--the door is sturdy, and it automatically locks, so no worries, right? With that thought, she laughed at herself and approached the screen.
She could see Sejin looking worried, and he suddenly beat on the door. A somewhat muffled, “Faith!” came through the door. She quickly opened it, and she was hit with an orange wave of anxiety, followed with the tide of his cool blue relief. He stood there breathing heavily. “What..Are you okay? I got worried when you didn’t answer your door and thought….oh God…” He took one step into the doorway and grabbed her tightly. She loved the way her face was snuggled right in the middle of his chest, and she hugged him back.
“I’m okay. I was actually nervous because I never have visitors this time of the morning...or at all,” she explained. She stepped back to let him come in so they could shut the door, but he refused to let go of her. She huffed a giggle as he picked her up and moved into the apartment awkwardly.
“Sejin, I’m okay. You can let go.”
“Just one more second. Just to be sure,” he teased. Her laugh was still smothered by his embrace. She couldn’t complain much though because he smelled like heaven. Nope. Heaven wished it smelled as good as this man.
Once the door was closed behind them, he pulled back from her enough to study her face. “You just got out of the shower? Damn, my timing is awful! I would have loved…” he teased as he stepped back, “ to have joined…” Before he could finish his flirting, she turned toward the couch. They both felt a tug between them, though, and before she realized it, the metal buckle had caught on her robe tie--effectively disrobing her--literally. She gasped and turned around to find the problem, revealing beautiful shadows accentuating the curves of her breasts.
Normally, she would have freaked out to be so exposed, but she was caught in his eyes. There was no laughter, no teasing, just a man who looked like he was grateful for being alive in this moment with her. “I--um--sorry about that, but damn,” he took a step toward her to gently hold her hands, “you are the loveliest person--inside and out--I’ve ever met.”
Instead of being embarrassed and shy, she felt incredibly cherished and safe for the first time in her life. She moved into his arms again, wrapped her arms around his neck--pulling him down toward her and pressed her lips against his. He didn’t want to break this tender moment, so he let her control the kiss.
Though they had only recently ventured into this relationship, Faith had known from the moment she’d felt his presence with her gift that she’d never understood until now--she loved him. There was no doubt, and she sure as hell wasn’t getting any younger, so she began to demand with her body what her heart wanted.
His hands had remained respectfully clenched at his sides as he silently begged her to continue the kiss. He hadn’t shown up at her door for this, but he had never wanted anyone so much before. Her kiss became more persistent until she whined and tugged his hands toward her body, and it broke him.
He barely registered that her hair was damp as one hand threaded through her locks. Part of him noted how good she smelled and how soft her skin was. Both of them became bolder--his arms crushing her tightly against him--her feet extended to her toes to reach his lips better--their heads tilting into each other’s lips as if they couldn’t get close enough.
Once they’d awkwardly moved into her bedroom, they couldn’t stop from giggling into each other’s lips as they clumsily fell onto her bed and bumped foreheads. It was a sure sign they were meant for each other because the silly moment only made them want each other even more.
In the back of her mind, she’d always wondered if making love to Sejin would be too much for her senses--those intense feelings either distracting her or overwhelming her and thereby ruining the experience. It was quite the opposite--she felt blanketed by love and passion and home. If only Sejin could experience what she felt too…
As beautiful as it was, Faith discovered that Sejin never shut up while they made love--constantly praising and conveying his love for her, and it would be annoying if it were anyone else.
Sejin being a talker in bed? Now that was ridiculously adorable.
As they lay in bliss afterwards, she giggled.
“Um, I’m not sure how I should take that laugh right now,” Sejin asked shyly.
Her giggles got louder, as she tried to explain, “It’s just that that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say in one sitting--or laying--” At that she was cackling and folding in on herself in bed.
“Hey! That’s not true!” he teased back and began tickling her saying, “I’ll give you a better reason to giggle.” He finally stopped after she began her tickle counterattack.
Sejin glanced at the clock beside Faith’s bed and groaned. He was so late to work. He whined dramatically, “Ugh...how am I going to explain why I’m so late? I’m never late. This ruined my streak! Woman! If I get fired, it’s all your fault!” He cut his eyes toward Faith to see if his on-going teasing was having an effect, and suddenly, he found himself on the floor.
“You--you kicked me!?”
Looking innocently at him, Faith had her hands flower-posed around her face and responded, “Just helping you to get out of bed more quickly, lover.” He fell back flat on the floor, huffling out a chuckle.
“I can’t believe what a lucky guy I am. I’ve waited for so long to find someone who I laugh with,” he paused to position himself lying on his side with his arm propping up his head. “Love with,” he added with a hot stare.
“Mmmkay, gonna need you to stop that or I’ll never let you leave.” He was laid out like a damn Sejin buffet, so he needed to stop it before he had to call into work for the whole day.
Laughing and distracting each other, they somehow got dressed and promised to spend more time with each other later that night.
“You won’t really be in trouble for being late, will you?” Faith asked worriedly. His eyes crinkled in a cute smile as he shook his head. He pulled her in for a goodbye hug.
“No. No worries. I was just picking with you. I’ve gotta go, but I hope you enjoy your day off. Just stay home and relax, okay? Keep your door locked, and send me pics to help me get through the day,” he ended with a squeeze and an affectionate kiss on her forehead.
After Sejin left to head back to the office, Faith caught herself smiling like an idiot at the view beyond the window, but really, her view was the future--that possible future with Sejin, with her new family at BigHit, with a life without fear. A few moments in that quiet, satisfied revelry and she was energized to do something other than stay in her apartment. She was getting her shoes on in the foyer when she heard a text notification. She hoped it was a friend wanting to hang out, but she realized all of her friends were working at the moment.
“Ms. Lee, a translation issue has come up that we need your services today on site. We realize you had the day off, but we will provide more time off at your discretion to compensate.--Manager Yeo”
The number was a BigHit extension, but she wasn’t sure what department. She texted back confirming her assistance.
“Thank you for your cooperation! Please report to 산12-64 Hyeonjeo-dong, Seodaemun-gu as soon as possible. This is a future filming site, and the outsourced production planning crew is not fluent in Korean. Your temporary assistance will be much appreciated!”
She was only a bit disappointed that her day off was cut short because she hated not having something productive to do, but she was so grateful to have a task--she’d really had no idea what she’d been planning on doing. Maybe she could even explore that area of Seoul once she was done working.
She loved how easy she could get a taxi in Seoul, and it didn’t take her too long to reach the destination. The location was quite picturesque, with an interesting landscape.
However, the taxi driver seemed concerned he was dropping her off here--a dilapidated historic-looking structure stood in the distance, but no one was around. Faith seemed unfazed by this, so he turned the car around and headed back to civilization. Honestly, Faith was still blissfully floating on her Sejin high and was too mesmerized by the beauty of the scenery to be concerned with anything else. After being in the city with so many people and high emotions lately, she felt like she could breathe more freely here.
She wasn’t surprised this was a filming location; the forest made her wonder if this would be a music video production for a Namjoon-created song--it was so peaceful--and so...him. It was surreal that this serene forest was only minutes away from the bustling part of the city. She quickly decided she’d have to bring Sejin here for a picnic one day.
Suddenly, the absence of feeling someone’s, anyone’s presence felt uncomfortable--like the uneasy feeling in your stomach when you’re homesick. She checked her phone--this was the address, right? Shouldn’t there be other cars, company vehicles, people? Who was she translating for? She wasn’t given a specific time, so she’d assumed people would be waiting for her.
Where is everyone? She wasn’t even sure who she was supposed to be meeting.
She began to walk toward a circle of stone benches on the side of the road so she could sit down while she texted the number back to make sure she was in the right spot.
Manager Yeo responded, “Sorry! We’re stuck in traffic. We’ll be there shortly.” She breathed a sigh of relief and began to study her surroundings. It was a beautiful day to be able to be outside. Appreciating the fact that her job allowed her to experience different places, she took a selfie with the lovely green hill behind her and sent it to Sejin, and then she placed her phone in her large tote so she wouldn’t be distracted by technology.
Lifting her face toward the sun, she breathed deeply and shook off the worry from earlier, which made her sad it was natural to be perpetually paranoid when she was always looking out for danger.
She heard rustling behind her, and before she had time to realize how alone she was and how she was suddenly not, someone painfully pressed a piece of cloth over her face. Even if her screams weren’t muffled, there was no one nearby to hear her. Even if she fought against the arms that dragged her off the bench, the fumes on the cloth overpowered her new defensive skills.
And the greedy void swallowed her frantic thoughts.
Chapter 16
Summary:
Nothing major happens here except to move the story along...
Chapter Text
“Anyone know why Manager is late this morning?” Namjoon asked of no one in particular.
“He’s with his love--she’s got the day off, remember?” cooed proudly Jimin from the second-row of seats. Ever since Manager and Faith officially got together, Jimin was almost unbearable. It was if he had set them up all by himself, and he considered it his greatest achievement. The other guys in the van just smiled. Jimin was a sucker for romance, and they loved seeing him happy.
Yoongi, who was in the passenger seat up front, turned his head slightly to announce, “He texted me a few minutes ago. He’s taking his own vehicle to the studio.”
“Why are we going to a different studio for today’s recording?” Jungkook asked.
Namjoon reminded him, “We’re recording with the choir and band we invited to collab on that special song for the award show. The other studio can accommodate all of us at once so we can have that authentic live-performance sound.”
Tae whined, “Oh, hyungggg! That’s gonna take forever if we’re trying to get it all perfect in one take! Are we gonna get a lunch break? Dinner break?”
“Snack break?” added Jungkook, just for fun.
“I swear y’all are like Hobbits, needing to eat constantly,” Jin teased.
“You’re the worst one of us all, hyung!” Jimin chimed in, causing everyone, even Jin, to laugh.
It didn’t take too long to get to the other studio and get set up. Sejin walked into the observation room just as the guys, the choir, and the band were taking their spots around the recording mics. The room was specially padded with acoustic tiles that helped to capture the best sound. He waved at the young men as soon as they noticed him. The youngest and oldest ran to the window to smush their faces against the glass, making everyone roll their eyes and giggle at the two. The Bangtan Bomb director made sure to video their silliness for ARMY’s later enjoyment, but Sejin couldn’t help but capture a short video of them, too.
Sejin was going to send Faith the funny video, but he saw she’d already texted him. He couldn’t hold back the smile as he saw her picture--the sun glinting off her hair looked like a halo. He was glad to see that she must have gone to a park to enjoy the pretty weather. Then he read the caption: “Waiting for the production crew and enjoying the day! Can’t wait to see you tonight!”
Production crew? What? She had today off. Maybe he’d forgotten something? Sejin had learned to be the master of calendars and scheduling, and he couldn’t recall anything about production crew activities at all.
The quickest way to solve the mystery is to ask her--quickly texting her the question, he began to enjoy watching the recording process. His boys were extraordinary; it was sometimes hard to believe that they could be silly one minute and consummate professionals in the next breath. After their second successful run-through, the directors in the booth were trying to decide to try for another approach on one part of the melody when Sejin remembered to check his phone for a reply.
No reply. He’d been left on read. Huh.
During the lunch break, Sejin made a point of asking the other directors if they’d heard of any off-campus production work happening today.
“Um...no, absolutely not. Don’t you remember we’ve got all our resources focused on these 7 at the moment. Their new shoots will be done in house with the special effects, remember?”
“So wait--there’s no production crew on site anywhere else scheduled today?” Sejin started to feel uncomfortable. Surely there was some misunderstanding. He excused himself from the crowd gathering to have their lunch break; the members and staff would enjoy a catered lunch today since it would be too much trouble to load everyone up to go somewhere else.
He walked toward the exit as he called Faith’s number. No answer. He called again.
“Hello?” an unfamiliar, elderly voice answered.
“Um, yes, I’m looking for Lee Faith.”
“Oh! She must be the owner of this phone! I was taking my daily walk and heard the ringing. This bag was sitting by this bench and no one’s around. I’m sorry. Is there something I can do to help?” the stranger offered kindly. Sejin’s concerns were exploding into panic.
“Please, will you stay with the bag until I can get there? She’s my girlfriend, and I’m worried something’s happened to her,” Sejin pleaded.
“Of course!” The stranger gave the address, while Sejin hurried. Hobi happened to be looking out of the window at the time and saw him sprinting to his car.
“Hey guys, why is Manager running to his car?” he asked the guys.
With a full mouth, Jin replied, “Maybe he is eager to get to his lunch date?”
“That can’t be right. I overheard him saying he’d be here all day with us,” Namjoon mused. He started calling Sejin’s phone just to check. He didn’t want his manager to think he’s prying, but something felt off.
Sejin answered, sounds of his car and honks from other cars in the background. “Sorry I had to leave, and I’m not sure what’s going on, but Faith is missing, and I--”
“Manager, it’s okay. Take a deep breath and focus on driving safely. You probably need to slow down a little, I’m betting. Now tell me what you know of so far.” Namjoon’s voice has been famous for years of charming and settling the hearts of his fans, and Sejin was no different. He took a deep breath and listened to the calming voice of the group’s leader.
Sejin tensely explained all that he knew to Namjoon, including the address where her belongings were found and the fact she thought she was meeting some non-existent production crew.
“Okay, let’s not panic until we’re sure there’s something to worry about, and even then, we’ll come up with a plan--so no panicking, okay?” Namjoon coaxed a promise from Sejin.
“Hey, hyung! You want a bite of this?” Jungkook, holding out some food, asked as he walked up to Namjoon. Jungkook noticed Joon’s expression and paused his offer. “Hey, is everything okay?”
Namjoon shook his head in negative, and he motioned to gather the members, which Jungkook did immediately. They quickly gathered, sensing the mood was off.
Namjoon placed Sejin on speakerphone. “How close are you to the address?”
“I’m almost there--damnit--why did she come out here by herself?!”
The gathered members looked confused toward Namjoon, who muted the call and explained, “Faith went to this secluded place because she thought she was meeting a production crew who needed a translator. Some stranger answered her phone--apparently she’s missing. Sejin’s gone after her.”
“Oh no!” Tae gasped. They all felt compelled to help, but none of them knew what to do.
“I’m here. I’ll call you back in a bit.” Sejin hung up without waiting for a response.
“Should we call the cops?” Jimin asked--he was a bundle of nerves, grasping Yoongi’s arm.
“There’s nothing that can be done this early. Let’s wait until hyung gets there. This may be nothing. She might have walked away for some reason and forgot her bag. It happens,” Yoongi reasoned, but it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself that everything was okay.
Namjoon agreed, “In the meantime, let’s alert our security team and update Bang on this. We need to have some plan to help in case she really is missing and investigate why Faith thought she was supposed to work on her day off. That’s extremely suspicious.”
…………………………………………………………
As Sejin pulled up to the address, he saw the elderly gentleman sitting on a bench with Faith’s bag. It was her work bag. With his heart in his throat, he pushed down the disappointment that she wasn’t sitting with the old man, laughing at Sejin rushing for nothing and that all of this was a big misunderstanding.
But she wasn’t.
He ran up to the man, introduced himself, and asked, “Do you have any idea what happened?”
“No, I’m sorry, I don’t, young man. I truly hope your sweetheart is okay; there are some dangerous people in the world these days.”
Sejin could confirm that, unfortunately. She must have been taken by him. God, he wished he was wrong, but why else would she be missing?
Sejin looked around the area, hands threaded through his hair, completely unsure of his next step. He was about to lose the love of his life, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Just then, as his world was crumbling, the elderly man put his hand gently on his back and mentioned, “You know, I do believe that’s a CCTV camera right up there, if I’m not mistaken? Reckon it caught what happened?”
It looked to be a camera that had been neglected. Vines from a nearby tree had wound their way around it, concealing it for the most part that it was there at all. A closer look revealed that the lens wasn’t obstructed, though.
Hope renewed, Sejin called Namjoon back and filled him in, asking him to get the head of security on the task of hunting down the recent footage of the CCTV cameras from that area. He knew calling the police to report a missing person this early would yield nothing. She would have to be missing for longer than an hour for them to get involved, but his company would take it seriously, and they had resources.
He thanked the man profusely and ran back to his car.
He didn’t turn the key, though.
He didn’t put on his seat belt.
For a moment, all he could do was numbly clutch Faith’s bag as if it were Faith herself.
This was the most scared he’d ever been in his life.
He forced himself to ground the breaths and control the moment. It would serve no use for him to fall apart when she needed him.
He put on his seat belt, turned the ignition, and headed back to headquarters.
________________________________________________
Only a few blocks from the main office, Faith began to wake to her worst nightmare.