Just like he promised, Namjoon came back for her. Tuesdays and Fridays soon became Nari's favorite days of the week because they were when he came to visit. She began counting down the hours until 2:30 as soon as she woke up and the very second that the clock turned, the girl was out of the door and on her way to the orphanage courtyard where Namjoon would be waiting.

"Hi!" The boy waved as soon as Nari opened the rusty gate, "Darling! It's good to see you!" He rose from under the tree to give her a loving hug, which she immediately accepted, "How was school?"

"It was really good!" Nari answered and pulled away, eager to tell him all about her day, "I made some origami for you."

Namjoon grinned, "Awe that's so sweet of you!" He gently picked up the paper crane that the girl proudly presented him as they sat down, "Thank you, Nari. I love it. Oh, that reminds me, we need to take our selfie for the rest of the boys. They miss you."

"I think I miss them too," She said shyly and scooted a little closer so the boy could take a quick picture of the two of them. Nari didn't quite understand why they needed a photo every time Namjoon came, she looked the same as she always did, with her tired school uniform, black rimmed glasses, and hair in a messy braid, but it made her happy to know that they cared.

"So, what book did you bring for today?" The boy asked and held up his selection for the week, "I'm still on Crime and Punishment. I haven't had much time to read, actually, so I haven't even finished the first part." He cleared his throat as he watched Nari dig through her beaten up backpack, "And hey, darling, do you want me to get you a new bookbag? Yours is looking a little rough."

The girl blushed and rigorously shook her head, "No, I'm good with this. But thank you."

"You sure? I really don't mind, and backpacks aren't very expensive either."

"I'm sure," Nari repeated, "But you're very kind, Namjoon. Thank you." She finally found what she was looking for and pulled out a small hardcover book, "The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. You told me last time that it was one of your favorites."

Namjoon's eyes lit up with excitement, "You remembered!"

"Of course I did," The girl replied modestly.

"You're too cute. Oh, that reminds me, Jin made us some dasik," He placed a small container of cookies inbetween them along with two hot drinks from a local cafe, "I got you some yuja tea, since you said on Tuesday that you thought you were getting a cold. I know that you usually like matcha, but I hope this is okay too."

Nari took a sip of her tea, "Thank you. It's been a long time since I've had yuja." The bittersweet taste of the honey colored drink brought back memories of a simpler time. The workers often gave the smaller children tea when they were sick, but not the older kids; They got water and a couple tylenol pills. Namjoon's simple gesture of kindness comforted her in a way that she hadn't felt in a long time.

The girl let out a deep breath, took a cookie, and leaned against the bark of the tree as she opened her book, seeing that Namjoon had done the same. They only had an hour to spend together and Nari didn't want to waste any of it. However, no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on reading, the words all seemed to blend together as her mind remained busy.

Namjoon, why do you even care about me? Why do you take time out of your busy life to come here and visit? Nari pondered, You can read with anyone, so why me? You barely know me but you buy me my favorite tea every time you come, you never forget to ask about school, and you're always so interested in what I have to say. What did I do to deserve your kindness?

"So, what do you think?" The boy spoke up, interrupting her from her thoughts, "Do you like it so far?"

"To be honest, I don't really know yet," Nari admitted sheepishly, "I can't really concentrate on reading today, for some reason. Sorry."

"That's okay," Namjoon answered cheerfully and closed his book, "There's something that I wanted to talk to you about anyway." He paused, making sure he chose his words carefully, "Nari, when we met a couple months ago you said that you didn't mind the orphanage. Do you still feel that way?"

She shrugged, "I guess so. And besides, I have you to look forward to now. It's not so bad."

"Well, what do you think about maybe living with me for a while?"

"Like, forever?"

"Yeah, as long as you want to."

The girl thought for a minute as she tried to wrap her head around his words. "Namjoon," She finally said, "Are you asking to adopt me?"

"I mean, that was the plan," The boy smiled, "So, what do you think?"

"I-I think I'd like that a lot," Nari stuttered as her face flushed, "Will the rest of the boys be there too?"

Namjoon nodded, "Uh huh! The seven of us have a dorm that we all live in. There's a pool and a dance studio, you even get your own room. I promise that you'll love it." He tenderly wrapped her in a hug, "We want you to be a part of our family, my darling."

"Thank you," She whispered before letting go, "Thank you for everything."

"You're very welcome, Nari," He replied, "But I've got some bad news too, I won't be able to visit for the next few weeks. We're all going to America for a short tour. I'm sorry, I know how much this stuff means to you."

The girl shook her head, "It's okay. I know you have work too. And besides, you're adopting me, so we'll have plenty of time to catch up." She paused, "There's just one more thing I wanted to ask you about. You said that we met a long time ago, what did we do back then? I wish I could remember it."

"Well, we did the same thing that we're doing now, we just read some books," Namjoon handed her the photograph he kept in his wallet, "Aecha took this picture of us. I'm sorry that I didn't show it to you earlier, I just didn't want to freak you out."

Nari gently took the worn polaroid and desperately tried to remember the moment of time that was captured within. The two of them were sitting on a beanbag chair, with her resting comfortably in Namjoon's lap and a pile of picture books to the side. The ink was a little faded, but the boy's brightly colored hair managed to ring a bell.

"Purple hair," She looked up, "I remember your purple hair."

He ran a hand through his now bleached hair, "Yeah, that's right! You really liked my hair, my dimples too. It was very cute."

"I still like them," Nari smiled and handed the photograph back to him, "I'm really glad that we met, Namjoon."

Her companion let out a happy sigh, "Me too, darling. Now all you have to do is just wait a little bit longer and you'll officially be Kim Nari."

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hiya friends!! i hope you're enjoying this fic so far. don't forget to leave a like or comment!! i'm planning on updating once a week, probably on thursdays

edit 8/12/20: these first few chapters have been through like a complete overhaul, but as the story goes on the changes aren't quite as drastic