"Y-You look pretty," Namjoon stammered as his red haired companion took a seat on the bar stool next to him, "Thank you for coming!" He could feel his face flush, but couldn't tell if it was from her or the alcohol.

Chelsea tucked a piece of hair behind her ear self consciously, "Thank you, Namjoon. You look very nice as well. I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the concert, I really wish I could have been there."

"It's okay!" The boy said quickly, "You're here now and that's all that matters."

"And thank god for that," She replied with a sigh, "The cram school kids were driving me crazy today. Hey! Bartender! Two shots of tequila, please." A pair of shot glasses slid across the table and the woman handed one to him and raised hers for a toast, "To adult activities."

Namjoon laughed, eagerly clinking his glass with hers before drinking, "To adult activities."

"God damn!" Chelsea wheezed, slamming her empty shot glass on the counter, "It's always the first one that gets me. Hey! Can I get a beer please?"

"So I take it you can hold your alcohol?"

The woman cracked open the lid to the bottle that was now in her possession, "Nope!" She said with confidence and took a long sip, "I can tell though that you've already had a few drinks, your face is super red."

"Oh, sorry," Namjoon replied and took another swig from the drink he ordered a bit ago, trying to hide his embarrassment, "I didn't know that it was rude to Americans to start drinking before them, I apologize."

"It's not rude, you dummy," Chelsea laughed and placed a hand on his knee, "And you don't have to apologize, I think it's cute." She smiled brightly, making his heart flutter, "I actually think that you're very cute, Kim Namjoon. I like your kindness and I like your passion and your dimples, which are cute as hell by the way, and-you know what? Fuck it." The woman leaned closer and connected her lips with his in a very tipsy, but heartfelt kiss.

"And I like the way that your lips taste like strawberries and beer," Namjoon finished, gently pulling away, "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

She laughed, "I'm not sure. But I do believe in you. And hey, we don't have to stay here all night, you know. There's a park a couple blocks from here with a great stargazing hill and I've always had this manic pixie dream girl-esque fantasy of sharing it with someone special and a bottle of champagne."

"I love it." Namjoon immediately responded, pulling out his wallet, "Hey, bartender! I want two glasses and a bottle of the best stuff you got," He threw several large bills on the counter before leaning in for another kiss, "And I believe in you too, Chelsea Bradley."

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Namjoon pressed the small buttons on the electronic lock to the penthouse, swearing softly as he cursed his butter fingers as a result of the alcohol. After a few tries the door finally opened and he stepped into the luxurious apartment. He felt the walls for a light switch, but thought better of it and turned on the flashlight to his phone instead, which was on 7 percent. Undeterred by the low battery, he set off in search of Nari and his bandmates.

The boy wandered down hallways and through rooms until he found a door slightly ajar, with soft snoring coming from the other side. Namjoon felt his phone buzz and turn off in his hand, but didn't mind because the light emanating from the windows lit the room in a tranquil glow. The outlines of three slumbering figures on one bed made him smile.

He slid into the room, careful to avoid bumping into anything. The moonlight shone gently on their faces. Nari slept like she always did, curled into the smallest shape possible with her hands tucked neatly under her little chin. Namjoon crouched to the level of the bed and gently brushed a piece of hair behind the girl's ear, chuckling as her nose scrunched as a subconscious response.

She always looks so delicate, so gentle, Namjoon pondered, She really is like a flower. Whether it's a lotus or a lily, her love and beauty is always there. He frowned, But she's covered in so many invisible scars. Just looking at her like this, you'd never know how much pain she carries. His eyes filled up with tears in the darkness, It's so easy to love you, Nari. Someday you'll understand that like I do, someday you'll escape this cycle of self hatred. You'll be different than me. I'll make sure of it.

Namjoon rose and slowly walked to the foot of the bed where he finally sat down, completely forgetting about the third member of the trio.

"Fucking Christ! What the hell is wrong with you?" Suga hissed and shoved the younger boy to the ground, extremely unhappy with the way that he was awakened, "Namjoon! Get out!"

"Ouchie," Namjoon mumbled from on the floor, "Sorry, Suga. I forgot you were there."

The grumpy boy whispered fiercely and threw a pillow at him, "I don't care! Get the fuck out of my room!"

"Shu-ger?"

The boys turned their heads to see Nari sitting up in bed and sleepily rubbing her eyes, "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, lovely," Suga assured the girl, all hints of anger gone from his voice. He glared at his companion on the floor, "Namjoon just came home and he woke me up. Dude. Go away."

Nari crawled out of bed, positioning herself in Namjoon's lap and smiling as he wrapped her in a loving embrace, "No, let him stay. Please."

"Fine." The older boy sighed begrudgingly, "But be quiet. The next time he wakes me up I am throwing him out of this apartment. Goodnight." Suga took a blanket, covered himself completely with it, and promptly fell back asleep.

Nari giggled, "I guess he's a little grumpy today."

"Suga's always grumpy. What a meanie." Namjoon sulked, "But he has a point. You should get back to sleep too, Nari."

"Yeah," The girl tentatively agreed, "But I want to be here with you." She fished a piece of notebook paper out of her pocket, "Oh, I almost forgot, Ashley had a note with the drawing that she gave me. It's in English though. Namjoon, can you read it to me?"

"Sure." The boy took the note from her hand and began to read, with the moonlight illuminating the room just enough so that he could make out the words, "Dear Nari, we haven't met, but Namjoon and Yoongi talk about you so much that I feel like I already know you. They tell me that you're kind and sweet and that you bring their lives more joy than you'll ever know."

He looked up from the letter, "Okay, she is right about that." He chuckled and continued, "But Namjoon also told me that you've experienced a lot of bad things before you were adopted. I'm no stranger to that life as well, I was homeless for a while and I spent a long time feeling that there was no place that I belonged. I let people put their hands on me in places they shouldn't have and for years I felt their touch wherever I went."

"You okay?" The boy paused and glanced at the girl in his arms. Nari nodded, prompting him to continue carefully.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that you remind me of myself in a way," Namjoon flipped the paper over to the back as he read, "So I'll be the person that I wish I had when I was your age. Nari, I want to be the first one to tell you that it gets better. Someday you'll be able to run so far that even the thought of the people that hurt you will never touch you again. I promise you that someday you will feel clean. Reach out to the people around you, they will help you. You have, at the very least, two wonderful boys that want the best for you and I know that they would do anything to make you happy. I'm going to leave my number as well even though I don't speak Korean, but there's nothing that the internet can't translate. If you ever want to talk please don't hesitate to contact me. I look forward to meeting you, Nari. I know that we'll be good friends. Love, Ashley."

Nari smiled softly, "She's really nice."

"She is," Namjoon agreed, "I'm glad that I got to know her. You really should text her sometime, I think that there's a lot you two could learn from eachother."

"Namjoon?"

"What is it, baby girl?"

"Do I have to go back to sleep?"

"Yes." The boy answered with a chuckle, "You've had a busy day. You need rest."

Nari laid her head against his broad chest, "Namjoon, tell me a story."

"A story?" He repeated, "But isn't that Suga's thing? Will he get mad at me?"

"He won't be mad," The girl assured him and shook her head, "Besides, I already heard his story. I want to hear yours."

"My story?" Namjoon said, "Well, what is it that you want to know?"

"Everything."

The boy smiled, "Every day you grow closer and closer to my heart, Nari." He took a deep breath and started, "I was born in Ilsan-gu and that's where I lived for most of my life, with my mom, dad, and younger sister. You know what? I should probably take you to meet them soon, actually."

"Do you think they'll like me?" Nari asked with nervous butterflies forming in her stomach. She sometimes forgot that each of the boys had a real family, one that they didn't choose; a luxury that she could never afford.

"Of course." Namjoon answered immediately, "I've sent them tons of pictures and they already love you. My little sister, Sujin, is especially looking forward to meeting you. She's almost 20 now, so a bit older, but you two are a lot alike. Now where was I? Oh yeah, that's right: the beginning. I was kinda fat as a kid-"

The girl couldn't help but smile as she imagined a little Namjoon with chubby cheeks and a round tummy, "Cute."

"Well, I'm glad you think so," He laughed, "Cause the other kids definitley didn't. I got made fun of a lot when I was younger. It didn't help either that I wasn't very good at making friends," He paused, "I spent a long time being sad, being lonely. My heart hurt and I didn't know what to do."

Nari said nothing and cuddled closer, hoping that he understood how much she cared. She knew exactly what he meant. Her heart hurt too.

"But I found music." Namjoon continued, "And from then on everything felt different. I remember listening to rap for the first time and thinking 'This is what I want to do. This is who I want to be'. It was like an epiphany, you know? I could suddenly see the path in front of me that had been blocked off for so long."

The boy spoke quietly, "But it took me a long time to finally start down that path. I was good at school, so my parents wanted me to study a lot so I could go to a prestigious college and get a job. I don't blame them for wanting that for me, but it felt so suffocating."

"Is that when you started writing lyrics?"

"Uh huh," He nodded, "I wrote everywhere I could. It really helped relieve my stress, it still does. Anyway, I did fight with my parents a bit on becoming an idol, but they supported me eventually. BigHit recruited me at 17 and I became the leader of BTS." Namjoon playfully kissed the tip of her nose, prompting a giggle, "And then one day during a visit to an orphanage I met a very special little girl named Nari. Do you know how much I love her, my darling?"

She smiled at the mention of their game, "How much?"

"More than all the stars in the sky." He shook his head, "No, more than all the stars in the galaxy. The universe too!"

"Well, I love you more than that!" Nari declared, "Namjoon, what's bigger than the universe?"

"There isn't anything bigger than the universe, baby girl."

The girl sighed in defeat, "This isn't fair. You always win."

"Cause it's the truth! I could never lie to you, sweet lily," His voice softened, "Now it's your turn. Tell me your story, Nari."

"But how can I?" She asked quietly, "I don't even remember the beginning."

Namjoon tenderly kissed her head as he gently rocked her back and forth in his arms, "Oh, that's alright. How about you tell me some of your favorite chapters instead? What are the moments that made you the happiest?"

"Hm," Nari answered thoughtfully, "The first thing I think of is when I went to that amusement park with Tae. We saw the fireworks show at the end and he had such a big smile. I remember the firefly festival too. I remember my matching hanbok with Jin and how Suga and Jungkook kept fighting over the wishes on the lantern. We didn't get hotpot all together, but Jungkook took me out for some when you all fell asleep."

"Jungkook did what?!" The boy exclaimed, "Is that true?"

She mumbled, "Oops. I forgot I wasn't supposed to tell you about that." Nari continued, hoping to avoid further questions, "It's not really a happy memory, but I will never forget the night where I found out about...you know...the stuff in my past. I remember the way that Suga held me, like he never wanted to let go. That was the night that he cried for me. I didn't understand it then, but I do now."

"When you love someone, their pain becomes your pain," Namjoon whispered, "Nari, I promise that the past is the only pain you'll ever need to cry over. We'll cry with you too so you know that you're not alone."

"I love you." Nari placed a quick peck on his cheek, making the boy smile, "I'm ready to sleep now, but do I have to move? Can we just stay like this instead?"

The boy wrapped Nari snugly in his arms, she eagerly obliged and cuddled closer. Namjoon lovingly kissed her temples before gently resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I won't fight you, darling."

Nari took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she let the steady rhythm of the boy's heartbeat lull her back to sleep. She wasn't afraid anymore of the nightmares that plagued her slumber or the uncertainty of the past that haunted her, and for just tonight, the invisible dirt that stained her skin was gone. Namjoon's love scraped even the tiniest bits of mud from beneath the girl's fingernails and finally, Nari felt like she was clean.

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im bored heres the next chapter lol

part two done! i think this is my favorite part out of all of them. i really love the development of the characters in this fic and the idea of healing. the next part is a lot less angsty so im probs done making you guys cry

and yes im giving namjoon a gf bc he deserves it. i hope that you guys are liking chelsea! i think shes cool as hell. also namjoon isnt going to be the only one getting a love interest in this fic 👀 but yall will have to wait a little for that one