INTRO/Looking for a Nanny

Title: THE FORBIDDEN NANNY

Characters:

Park Y/N

Namjoon

Jin: Namjoon's best friend

Nina

Kang-dae: Namjoon and Nina's son

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Namjoon's P.O.V

I was searching for movies to watch when my best friend came in and stood at the door watching me at the same time, my phone rang. I was a little nervous when I saw it was Nina.

I waved him and padded after him as he headed straight to the kitchen with his latest beer offerings. That got a smile out of me. At least when I was done with this call, I could have a good beer and some company.

Nina: Hey, Joon

Namjoon: Hi, Nina. How's it going?

Nina: Great. But actually, I have something to tell you.

Namjoon: What's the matter?

Nina: My team has secured funding for our latest project, so I'll stay in Southeast Asia for the summer.

Namjoon: Wow, that's awesome.

Nina: Yeah, you know I've been waiting for this for a long time. But I can't take Richie with me. So, he needs to spend this summer with you.

Namjoon: Well...

Nina: Namjoon, you promised you'd be supportive.

She didn't sound whiny; she sounded firm. Determined. Excited. All the traits that had made me fall in love with her in the first place. Nina was the kind of woman who knew what she wanted out of her career. Out of her whole life.

Namjoon: You have to admit that it's pretty last-minute.

Nina: I would've given you more notice if I could've. You know that I would've, Namjoon. But as it is, we've just heard back you know how it goes. This is a big deal for my career.

Namjoon: I know, I know. It meant that for the entire summer, I would have sole custody of our son, Kang-dae.

Namjoon: Okay. Don't worry. I'm excited to have Kang-dae here for this summer. We're going to have fun.

Nina: Really? That's so great, Joon!

Namjoon: Of course. I'm Kang-dae's dad; this is what I'm supposed to do. But I have my tenure review in the fall, and that means I'm going to be working hard all summer on my article. I'll spend time with him, though. Don't worry.

Nina: If it's too much for you, he could probably stay with my mom.

Nina offered but that sent another stab of guilt through me. I didn't want Kang-dae to think that I didn't love him. That my career was more important to me than him. Nor did I really want him to stay with Nina's mother for the whole summer. I knew what the woman thought of me and of the way that Nina and I had chosen to raise Kang-dae. I could only imagine what might happen if Kang-dae went to stay with her.

Namjoon: I'm excited to have him.

Nina: He's excited, too.

Nina said; but, there was a certain reluctance in her voice, as though she wasn't sure that she really wanted to tell me that.

Nina: Look, there isn't any pressure, okay. Just don't make him like a burden.

Namjoon: Nina, I'll never do that!

Nina: I know. Anyway, I'll let you know when I've booked my flights so that you know exactly when I'm leaving.

Namjoon: Do that.

Nina: Okay. Talk to you later, then.

Namjoon: Sure, bye-bye.

Jin, my best friend, immediately pressed a beer into my empty hand and led the way out to the back patio. We dropped into the chairs. For a moment, we were both silent.

Jin: So... How's it going?

I sighed and shrugged one shoulder.

Namjoon: I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm happy for Nina, don't get me wrong. But I have so much other sh*t going on in my professional life at the moment that I just can't help but feel like I'm drowning.

Jin: The new article not going so well?

Namjoon: Barely off the ground. It's been hard with the new classes that I'm teaching this semester and in the fall. I've been up to my eyeballs in curriculum planning. The spring semester is nearly over, though, and I've already submitted all the preliminary paper work for the fall courses. So I was finally starting to feel like the point where I could really focus on the paper and get a lot of work done.

Jin: Yeah, ouch.

Jin said, watching as I took a long swig of my beer. I made a face and peered at the label.

Namjoon: Ginger beer?

Jin: New dude is courting me. He thinks he can somehow get away with marketing it as healthy because there's so much ginger content.

Namjoon: Maybe it would be healthier if you drank less.

Jin: Clearly, you're doing an amazing job of taking care of yourself. Let alone Kang-dae.

I glared at him and he laughed.

Jin: Joking, man.

Namjoon: It's just different. Normally, Kang-dae is only here for four days at a stretch at most. It's nice that Nina and I are still in the same city. It works... It means that if I have to order takeout for us sometimes because I'm swamped with work and possibly anything else.... Well, it's not the end of the world though.

Jin: But you can't live like that for the whole summer.

Namjoon: Exactly. Plus if I'm going to have all this time with Kang-date, I'd like to actually enjoy some of it. You know, get a chance to hang out with him. But the only way that I'm going to be able to do that is if I can get some serious work done on the days when I'm really working. And I can't do that if Kang-date is underfoot.

Jin: Then get a baby sitter. I'm sure if you pay a little extra, you could even get someone who'd be willing to grab groceries for you.

Namjoon: The advice is actually wonderful. It'd be perfect if we had a live-in nanny. But it'd be hard to find a suitable person.

Jin: I have a suggestion, actually. You remember my younger sister, right? Y/n?

Namjoon: Uh, yeah?

She'd always seemed like a nice girl, although I didn't think that I'd seen her since high school. She was kind of quiet. Bookish. Was she really the right fit for Kang-dae?

Jin: She's starting a master's program in the fall, in child psychology. She's been working at the on-campus centre, but they want to give her position to another undergraduate. Anyway she's really good with kids and she's more outgoing than she use to be, too.

Could I really afford to be picky, anyway? If Y/n doesn't connect with Kang-dae, that'd be probably be a recipe fore disaster. But then, what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just fail my tenure review because I was busy picking up the slack. I needed this. Besides,if Jin was vouching for her, it had to be because he really thought this was a good idea. I knew that Jin loved his sister, but we were best friends. He wouldn't want to put me in an awkward position.

Namjoon: Are you sure that she might be interested? Working as a nanny is a lot different than working at a child daycare centre.

Jin: She's looking for anything that she can find for the summer that's going to pay her decently. She can put off paying student loans as long as she stays in school. But the tuition for her grad program sounds brutal, and she currently has nothing coming in until her TAship starts in the fall. Anyway, she loves the beach, and as close as you live to it... I bet if you give her one day off a week, she'll be over the moon.

I trusted Jin.

Namjoon: Will you check with her?

Jin: Already sending her a text. I'll let you know as soon as I hear from her.

Namjoon: Thanks. I said, feeling a sudden wave of relief flood through me. Maybe things weren't going to be so bad after all. Maybe I was finally going to get my life under control.

Jin: So, what are we ordering for dinner tonight anyway? I assume there's nothing in the house. You should've told me to bring something over.

Namjoon: Beer is what I really need. I found this new place, though. Peruvian. They deliver. I figured out since it's our biweekly poker night, it'd go well with the cigars.

Jin: Now that's thinking ahead.

It was our biweekly poker night, and tonight, I truly was feeling lucky. I just had to hope that it'd last.

PARK Y/N'S POV

I rolled my eyes when I finally found Jin seated towards the back of the "pub".

Y/N: Seriously? Slaters.

I groaned as I slid into the booth across from him.

Jin: You owe me one. You made me go to that terrible Korean food place last time. What was it called again? Raging Sung's?

Y/N: Yeah, I guess you're right.

Jin: I had food poisoning for like, two weeks after that one. I guess we know why Sung was raging.

Y/N: Yeah...

I topped digging at him.

Jin: You do remember that Namjoon has a kid now, right?

Y/N: He's still your best friend isn't he? Doesn't best friend duty mean anything?

Jin: Best friend duty has nothing on sisterly duty. So, come on, what should we order? I'm thinking of just a tray of appetizers to share.

Y/N: Fine , but you'd better buy me a drink first. And have them make it strong.

Jin: Deal.

He eventually flagged down the waitress and ordered for both of us. Then, he turned back to me, putting both hands flat on the table.

Jin: So about Namjoon.

Y/N: What's Up? Is he getting married again?

Jin: No, thank God.

Y/N: What do you mean?

Jin: I meant that he doesn't have much time now. His tenure review is coming up in the fall, and he's got his son Kang-dae for the whole summer, too.

Y/N: Where's Nina?

I knew how custody over a child works. If Christian had their son for the entire summer, Nina must have given up the privilege.

Jin: She's going to be in Southeast Asia, doing some archaeological dig. She dropped all of this on Christian super last minute, but it's not like he can really argue with it. But the guy can barely keep himself alive as it is, having his son half of the week. So honestly I don't know how he's going to get through the summer.

Y/N: He's a professor, though, isn't he? Even if he's teaching a summer course, he can't really be working all that much.

Jin: His tenure review is coming up. He's working on an article, something about brutal customs in far-flung places. I don't know.

Y/N: Fair enough. So, why are you telling me all this?

Jin: I was thinking that maybe he could use a nanny for the summer.

Y/N: Is this just another sisterly duty?

Jin: Of course not! I just know that you're looking for a job for the summer. And I figured that one where you got to work with kids was better than the one where you had to, I don't know, wait tables.

Y/N: You're right about that. But Jin, I doubt that some glorified babysitting job is going to pay well enough. Sorry, but that's just the way it is. I have to pay grad school tuition in the fall, plus I'll be so busy with the TAship and everything else that I doubt I'll have much time to actually work. I need to save up a lot this summer.

Jin: I know that. Look I wouldn't have suggested this if I didn't think it was a good idea for you. I know you need to make a little cash. Namjoon is more than willing to make it worth you while. Especially since he's looking for a live-in nanny. So that he doesn't have to worry about his writing hours being interrupted when he's "in the groove" or however he put it.

Y/N: Fair enough.

Jin turned his phone around to show me something, and my eyes nearly bugged out of my skull.

Jin: Think that would be a fair weekly rate?

Y/N: Are you sh*tting (kidding) me?

Jin: Not only that, but you'd only be, like, a ten minute walk from Revere Beach. Plus of course, you'd just have to walk downstairs to get to work. A bit better than your current commute, isn't it?

I made a face. As much I loved my roommate and our cramped but cozy apartment in Newton Corner... I had to admit that it was a pain in the butt to get anywhere without driving. And the trouble with driving in Boston was a nightmare at the best of times.

Jin: So, what do you think? He doesn't know exactly when Nina is leaving yet, but he thinks its probably going to be sometime within next week. So, basically, he'd want you start as soon as possible.

Y/N: Yeah, sure, I'm interested. Go ahead give him my number.

Jin: Already have. I knew you couldn't resist a beach-side spot for the summer.

I rolled my eyes, but I didn't protest.

Now in her apartment....

That evening, I headed home to my apartment. I flopped down on the couch next to Alison, my roommate.

Y/N: I have some bad news...