Meeting with The Kims

You have seen the building many times before.

Ever since you were a young girl, there were many occasions when the family's driver would drive past this building on his way to take you to school. You have also seen its picture posted everywhere; on the covers of business magazines and newspapers, often appearing on television when any news connected to the company or the family's business chain was broadcast nationally.

Once you became an adult and started working under your father's wings, you would often find yourself glancing up at this building during your commute to work, always looking at it as your personal aspiration to motivate yourself to do your best for your family's business.

You may have inherently allowed your life to revolve around this building and everything within its walls, long before your life became entangled to Yoongi and his family. Yet you have never once stepped foot inside this place.

Not until today.

Stepping out of the car which Yoongi had sent to take you to your solo lunch date, you look up at the tall building housing MYG Holdings, the main branch of MYG Corporation which is currently led by your dear husband. There is a sense of nostalgia as you gaze upon the massive structure, much to your surprise, rather than animosity, despite the history between your families.

Perhaps you have created your own image of this place instead of seeing it as your biggest rival. Much like how you have created your own perception of Yoongi over the years you have known him.

The guard standing at the main entrance immediately recognises you as you walk up the front steps. With a polite bow, the man lets you in, welcoming you with a warm greeting, "Good day, Mrs. Min. Welcome to MYG Holdings."

A gust of cold breeze welcomes you as you enter through the lobby. Giving the guard a light nod to acknowledge him, you turn towards the receptionist's desk hoping to gain access to see Yoongi. Before you ever have the chance to, the young woman stationed at the front desk rises from her seat to meet you halfway.

"Good day, Mrs. Min. I wasn't aware that Mr. Min was expecting you. You must excuse me, but we weren't notified that you were coming today. f I'd known, I would have—"

Smiling at the young receptionist, you wave your hand to stop her. "Oh, no. He isn't expecting me. Not here, anyway. We were supposed to meet for lunch but it turns out that my husband was being held back, so I made other plans," you politely explain to the poor girl who seems flustered at your arrival, no doubt thinking that she may have made a mistake by not welcoming you properly.

"I haven't told my husband that I was coming," you continue to explain, lifting the take-out bag that you have with you so she can see the reason why you are here. "I figured if he couldn't come for lunch, then I'd have his lunch delivered right to his arms instead."

With a sigh of relief, the sweet receptionist girl smiles and nods. "That sounds marvellous. I'm sure Mr. Min will be pleased," she says, before excusing herself to make a quick return to reach for her desk phone and contact the person in charge of your husband's floor to let them know that you are coming.

"Please, allow me to escort you to the upper floor and lead you to Mr. Min's office. I've already notified Mr. Min's secretary that you are coming to see him," she cheerfully says as she returns to your side.

'That would be lovely," you answer just as she begins ushering you towards the VIP elevator behind the receptionist's desk. "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name."

The girl's eyes grow wide, and she quickly apologises for her small mistake. "My name is Kwon Yuri. I'm in charge of welcoming Mr. Min's guests between his schedules, so you must understand that I'm responsible for assisting you while you are here."

Her genuine response makes you smile. Her presence makes you feel more comfortable and less wary about entering a new, and unfamiliar, territory. A place that has become a huge part of your husband and his family's history, and a prominent part of your future now as well.

The ride up to the upper floors takes quite a while, and you fill the trip with light conversations. You mainly question Yuri about the building and the overall work environment, a subtle way that you could think of to dig for some information about the company that you wouldn't be able to learn from other sources.

But before you manage to learn anything new about the company and its people, your conversation is cut short when the elevator arrives at the top floor. The door opens, revealing a familiar face standing on the other side of the door, welcoming you with a smile, as if he is already expecting your arrival. He was no doubt the one receiving Yuri's call about your arrival earlier, a minor detail that had slipped your mind earlier when you came into this place.

"Good day, Mrs. Min," he politely greets you before turning to the young receptionist. "I'll take it from here, Yuri. The guests from this morning's meeting will be leaving soon, so I'm sure you're needed back at your station."

"Of course, Sir," says Yuri, before stepping back into the elevator. You express your gratitude to the girl before she returns downstairs, leaving you in the hands of Yoongi's right-hand man.

Your new escort turns to guide you through the long hallway leading towards your husband's private office, and you follow suit, keeping your eyes and ears open as you walk across the staff area which is bustling with various activities.

"It's good to see you again, Mrs. Min. I can't say that I wasn't surprised to see you today, but I'm sure he will be pleased to see you," he says as you walk side by side through the office. The small grin on his face and the formal way he speaks makes you want to roll your eyes.

"Can you please stop being so formal with me, Jimin? It's not like we're complete strangers," you complain to him with a small voice while nodding at a few of Yoongi's staff who greet you as you walk by. "I'm still not used to hearing you call me that way, and it feels weirder coming from you."

Jimin lightly laughs as you both make a turn towards a quieter hallway. "Hey, I'm just here doing my job. As long as I'm at work, I'm nothing more than his secretary and personal assistant, not just a former classmate of his from high school. I only ever refer to him as Mr. Min during working hours, no matter what he says against it," he explains, grinning widely as he adds, "Once work is over, however, I get to call him whatever I want."

Shaking your head, you can only laugh at your old friend. Jimin was also a former classmate of yours who became great friends with Yoongi growing up. He is a link to your past who has now become a constant fixture of your present life, now that you are tied to Yoongi.

For some reason, you are glad that Jimin is around.

Yoongi may have changed a lot, but Jimin remains the same as how he used to be. Always so friendly and warm. Always playful. A complete opposite to Yoongi who is mostly calm and somewhat stoic at times. You were surprised at first to know that Jimin has been working right by Yoongi's side for years. But his presence always calms you, keeping you grounded whenever Yoongi makes you feel like you are losing balance, stuck between reality and the charade you are forced to play to gain Yoongi's trust.

"You had no problem calling me by my first name while you were helping me with my wedding preparations," you once again complain to Jimin, referring to the times he was there to assist you in preparing for your wedding whenever Yoongi wasn't available.

"It might be better to have someone you are familiar with going with you," Yoongi had claimed the first time he sent Jimin to your door. It was the day you were supposed to have a meeting with the wedding organisers alongside Yoongi's mother, only that Yoongi had a sudden meeting arrangement which kept him from joining you. "It would've been better if I had a female assistant, but Jimin is more than capable enough to take the role. It might help lessen the stress by having him there with you and my mother. Even if he's only there to shadow you and carry things around when necessary. He can report back to me about the appointment so you wouldn't have to do all the trouble."

"That was different," Jimin scoffs. "I was your assistant when I was working with you, and I was spending more time dealing with the wedding organisers than I spent time in the company with your husband until the reception ended. Different boss, different rules," he says with a chuckle, just as you finally arrive at the small lobby connected to your husband's private office.

The door is closed, and you remember passing by the conference room which would have been used for Yoongi's board meeting this morning. Except you've noted that the room appeared to be too quiet to hold a meeting as intense as what Yoongi described in his call earlier.

"Is he still in the meeting?" you ask Jimin as you keep your eyes on the closed door before you, while Jimin walks over to his working desk which is placed right in front of the office.

"No, he isn't," he says, before signalling you to wait as he makes a call to let Yoongi know that you are here with him. "He already called off the meeting moments before I got the call that you arrived at the building," he adds as he finishes his call. "Some important guests came in and insisted on seeing him right away, so he immediately ended the meeting and sent everyone away."

Nodding, you recall seeing a group of men in expensive suits walking past when you first came out of the elevator. You wonder if those men had been the ones who were in the meeting with Yoongi all morning.

Not long after Jimin's call, the door in front of you opens, and Yoongi emerges from his office.

For someone who claimed to have been stuck in a dreadful conference meeting since this morning, Yoongi still seems so well put together. Wearing a smile on his face, Yoongi makes a beeline towards you with his hands smoothing down his tie. His arm goes around your waist the moment he reaches you, pulling you into a gentle side hug.

"This is quite a nice surprise," he says with a deep hum, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to bring you lunch," you answer with a giggle as his eyes find the bag of food in your hands and his eyebrows are lifted. "I had a feeling that I wouldn't like dining alone, so I had the food packed so I could bring them to you instead. That way, I can make sure that you won't be skipping meals today, and I also get to see you briefly and still enjoy the delightful lunch with you." You smile widely at him. "A win-win."

Yoongi shakes his head and laughs. He also seems astounded, possibly because he never expected you to notice how often he would skip meals when he was far too busy. But you have noticed.

Spending time with him from the day you accepted his proposition to the days leading towards your wedding day allowed you to learn his habits. You would find out that he had skipped lunch due to his tight schedule at work, or missed dinner when he came home late from the office. Even when he managed to get a short break during the wedding preparation, Yoongi would still put his work first rather than sit down for a decent meal—except for the time you would invite him to join you or whenever he asked you out on a date.

Knowing this had given you the perfect excuse to come here today. With the bag of hot meals in your hands as your ticket to see him during his busiest day of the week.

"That's very thoughtful of you," says Yoongi. His voice sounds so gentle that it spreads warmth all over the parts of your body that he isn't covering with his touch.

"Did I come at a bad time? Jimin told me you have some guests visiting. I can wait—"

Yoongi immediately shakes his head and tightens his hold on your waist, refusing to let you step away. "Absolutely not. Your timing couldn't have been more perfect," he says with a smile that is filled with secrets and mischief that gets your heart racing. "I was already considering calling you regarding our—guests," he adds while gritting his teeth. As if talking about his 'special guests' displeases him.

And yet, it only draws your curiosity further, especially when he adds, "I'm quite sure you'd be interested to meet them as well. Although"—he sighs—"I would've preferred it was under different circumstances."

You tilt your head as you begin to wonder who these people might be. "Is that so?" you simply ask him, "Are you really sure I won't be a bother? I'd hate to be in the way if you have something important to discuss with them."

Yoongi has already begun shaking his head even before you finish speaking. "No, my love," he says as he takes your hand, while your heart drops at the endearment he is giving you. "You will most certainly be a great help if you are by my side."

You can barely look over your shoulder to thank Jimin—who has since begun distracting himself with a work call while he gave you a moment of privacy—for his help as Yoongi begins guiding you to his office.

Yoongi keeps your free hand in his as he walks you through the door to his office, offering you solace as your excitement grows tenfold, curious to see what has Yoongi feeling edgy as he returns to his guests.

Yoongi's private office is spacious enough to house his own conference meeting, with his massive desk placed in front of floor-to-ceiling windows, surrounded by built-in bookshelves and cabinets. As you walk through the door, you find a small round table on your left, set up as a small meeting table for him to use for private meetings with his assistants. On your right, there is a set of leather seats, with a three-seater sofa, three sets of single seats placed as its companion, a coffee table, and a high-back chair to complement the set up to create a mini lounge area, completed with a mini bar standing at the corner.

This part of the room is where you see them; the three men in suits who you soon recognise as the same three young men appearing in the framed picture you saw hanging on the wall of the Country Club many nights before.

Yoongi's special guests.

Now you understand why he immediately welcomed you to join him in meeting them.

"Gentlemen, excuse me for the interruption. As you can see I have a VIP guest arriving," Yoongi greets them as you walk in together, his hand quickly finding the small of your back as he guides you to join him by his side. "I hope you don't mind if my wife is joining us this afternoon."

The men simultaneously turn to look at you, all with an intrigued look in their eyes as Yoongi introduces you as his wife. One of them reacts first, rising from the high-back chair which he has occupied so he can greet you more properly. His height and sturdy build make it seem like he takes up the space around you as he approaches you with a wide smile on his face. His confidence feels intimidating, yet you refuse to hide from his perusing gaze as he takes a closer look at you.

"We have no reason to mind her being here, but this is quite a pleasant surprise." The man's voice is deep, and his words are smooth and silky, yet you can sense that there is something in his tone which makes you uncomfortable. But you hide it with a smile, keeping your eyes on him as he offers his hand to shake. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Mrs. Min."

Glancing at Yoongi, you wait until he nods before accepting this stranger's hand. "Likewise," you simply say to him before he pulls away.

"We've been wondering if we'd ever get the chance to finally meet the woman who had conquered our dear friend's cold heart," he teases Yoongi with a wink, although the gesture doesn't seem as friendly as it is meant to be. His eyes find yours again when he lowers his head to speak to you directly, "I should take this time to apologise in person for not being able to attend your wedding. We have been quite—preoccupied, for the last few months. It was unfortunate that your invitation came to us while we were away on business matters."

You give him a polite nod. "Apology accepted. I suppose it couldn't be helped." You steal another quick glance at Yoongi who seems to be observing your exchange closely before asking, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but it doesn't seem like we've ever met before, have we?"

The man nods. "I believe we haven't crossed paths before today. I would think that I'd remember it if I ever met someone as appealing as you are before," he says, almost with a taunt in his tone which has Yoongi tightening his hold on your back.

"Perhaps it would make us all more comfortable if I introduce myself," he offers as he straightens to his full height, presenting himself more formally as he continues, "My name is Kim Namjoon, currently in charge of our small business chain, Nakatomi Trading, taking the role as the leading CEO. Working alongside myself is Kim Taehyung," he says, pointing at the man sitting on the left side of the three-seater leather sofa, who is nodding politely while showing you his charming boxy smile, "He is currently my sole partner in leading our company as the co-CEO, and the man responsible of all the technicalities in running our business while I focus mainly in establishing our network in the business community."

You return Kim Taehyung's smile with a nod, before turning back as Namjoon gestures at the last man of the group. Sitting on the single seat with his back resting leisurely on the backrest, his hand twisting the glass of amber liquid on his side, this man looks a bit friendlier than the others. His gaze is soft, while his smile is warm, but there is something about the way he carries himself which tells you that there is more about him than meets the eye.

"This man here is Kim Seokjin, who is in charge of running Joho Publications, which is our sister company and one of the largest branches of our main business chain."

Brushing off the unsettling feeling you have upon meeting the men's gazes, you simply regard them with a light nod and calmly say, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you gentlemen as well. I've heard stories about you, but only from the brief summary that Yoongi cared to share."

Your comment brings a smile to Yoongi's face, which lightens the mood a little. "May I ask if it is also a family business that you are running together? Yoongi mentioned to me once that the three of you are blood-related to one another. Perhaps you are brothers?"

The three gentlemen before you exchange smiles at your question, followed by a deep chuckle from the tall man standing right before you as he considers his answer. "You might as well be right. The three of us are truly—" Namjoon answers with a slight twitch at the corner of his lips, as if he is trying to hold back a grin when he emphasises, "—cousins."