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caught-in-a-seesaw-stigma · 2 years

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Peripheral, Part 10.5

Pairings: OT7 x reader; Taehyung x Jimin, Jungkook x reader, Yoongi x reader

Series Summary: An unfortunate accident leaves Kim Namjoon with amnesia, and Big Hit, BTS, ARMY, and the entire world are desperate to help him regain his memories and knowledge. Fortunately, a new genetics company has successfully created a system to alter our brains into human databases which can help someone regain knowledge and memories through a simple input/output exchange. Can this new invention give us back our beloved leader?

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Warnings: cursing/vulgar language, mentions of infertility, sexual discussions, mentions of infidelity, meddling parents

3 Years Earlier - Tokyo, Japan

"So, if my calculations are correct," Y/N proclaimed. "We could theoretically create a data partition in a person's brain capable of storing a vast amount of information as well as act as a biological transaction station for exporting stored data to others."

The conference room applauded enthusiastically when she stopped speaking and Y/N opened up the floor for questions.

"How do these transmissions work exactly?" queried one of the researchers. "Could anyone initiate them?"

"First of all, the procedure is called a transaction, not a transmission," Y/N corrected them. "The data sharing is multidirectional, it's not linear. They are initiated by the data host once a subject consents to the procedure. After consent is established, electrical impulses open data ports through the synapse networks in the body and transmit data between both the data host and the receiver."

"Fascinating. Have you commenced human trials yet?" another researcher probed. "This will require an extensive testing phase."

"We just received full approval to begin human trials starting next week," Y/N happily announced. “We have dozens of interested test subjects from the online surveys we circulated months ago. Our marketing team is working with our research department to narrow that down to 5 for the first test cohort.”

The sounds of approval and excitement circulated throughout the conference room as Y/N wrapped up the presentation and said her goodbyes. The donor coordinators were charming checks and wire transfers out of intrigued investors.

"Hey, Y/N," called a voice from behind her. "I have a question for you."

Y/N sighed at the unwelcome intrusion after such a successful presentation, but she plastered on a professional smile and turned to face her co-worker and ex-boyfriend, Toshiro Nakamura.

"Yes, of course, Mr. Nakamura," Y/N chirped enthusiastically. "I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have regarding the project."

Toshiro smirked at her obviously fake demeanor and he ushered her into a little alcove away from prying ears and eyes. Once he was satisfied that they were out of earshot, he leaned back against the wall and sighed dramatically.

"So, are you really not going to tell anyone that you already started human trials on this project?" Toshiro huffed out. "Or was that one more thing that you and my father intended to keep from me?"

Y/N groaned in annoyance and crossed her arms defensively.

"If you have a problem with operations, then that's something you should take up directly with management." Y/N explained. "As for the human trials, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't bullshit me, Y/N," Toshiro spat. "I know that you were a part of the pilot program he put together last month. What I don’t know are the results of the initial test. Why don’t you save us both some time and just give me a briefing, yeah?"

"Oh," Y/N mused dismissively. "And where exactly are you getting this privileged information, Toshi? Please don’t tell me you’re fucking around with the lab assistants again for inside information.”

“One time, Y/N,” Toshiro growled. “That happened one fucking time, and I can’t believe that you are still hung up on that shit. Still not over me, are you, babe?”

“In your dreams, asshole,” Y/N retorted. “The truth is I leveled up to a bigger and better plane of existence, while you are still content replaying the tired old side quests on this one."

"Don't sling your bullshit gamer analogies at me, Y/N, " Toshiro gritted out. "I just want to know when important things are happening in my company. That is my right as the heir to Nakamura Inc. This company is my birthright and you will give me whatever information I demand as your superior."

"You aren't in charge yet, Junior, " Y/N reminded the petulant poser. "And you are not my superior. You aren’t even my equal. I answer to the actual Mr. Nakamura, not his spoiled fuckboy son.”

“I am not-” Toshiro howled before composing himself. “Look, Y/N, I would hate for something like this to reflect badly on your position. When I take over this company, I want us to maintain the same kind of professional relationship that you have with my father. You should start working on that now before it’s too late and you find yourself unemployed.”

“You certainly have a lot of faith in your inheritance, Toshi,” Y/N remarked cooly. “I sure hope your father doesn't change his mind and give the company to someone else."

"What? Why?" Toshiro sputtered angrily. "What did you hear?"

"Nothing, Toshi," Y/N grinned. "I'm sure your father trusts the future of his burgeoning company and scientific research facilities to a spoiled brat incapable of true vision or class. In fact, you should go talk to him about that. I'm sure he'd love to hear about your ideas for the upcoming STEM Expo in Seoul next quarter."

Toshiro scoffed and straightened his tie and ran his fingers through his perfectly coiffed hair. The arrogance dripping off of him was stifling.

"Make your jokes now, Y/N," Toshiro remarked snidely. "You won't be so bold when I'm the one in charge. If memory serves, you really liked it when I was in charge, remember?"

Toshiro reached out to toy with one of Y/N's loose strands of hair, but she quickly slapped his hand away. He merely smirked at her rebuff and tore off toward the elevators and his father's office.

With Toshiro out of sight, Y/N did her best to put him out of mind. She took a deep breath and shook off the annoyance clinging to her nerves before making her way to the elevators. Instead of following her past mistakes up to the penthouse, she swiped her ID card on the keypad and headed straight down to the executive research suites located three floors below.

Mr. Nakamura, the true CEO of Nakamura, Inc., created this research lab exclusively for her project and the amount of money he poured into it was mind boggling. He was fascinated by her work and his engineering background combined with his natural aptitude for biological processes made him a brilliant research partner. It was truly puzzling how his own son missed the mark when it came to academic achievements.

The idiot would rather count his money than do anything to benefit humanity. What a fucking loser.

Y/N tried to wipe the scowl off her face before entering the lab, but it was obvious that Mr. Nakamura was privy to her ruffled feathers as soon as she entered the room. He pulled away from his microscope and turned his scrutinizing gaze her way.

"That look on your face can only mean one thing," Mr. Nakamura chuckled. "You ran into Junior, didn't you?"

"Sir, you know he hates when you call him that," Y/N huffed. "And yes, I did. He's pissed that you didn't inform him about the tests we conducted last month."

"There was nothing to inform," Mr. Nakamura replied coolly. "There were no tests conducted last month, at least according to our records. I didn't write up a report and neither did you, correct?"

"Correct," Y/N smiled. "Speaking of which, we should probably check on that non-project, don't you think? Even if it doesn't exist, it would be a good idea to get some more measurements and readings before the first cohort arrives."

"That's a good idea," Mr. Nakamura assented. "You get everything set up here and I will go get the diagnostic equipment. "

Mr. Nakamura walked to the back of the lab while Y/N took a seat and began placing sticky medical pads strategically on her body. Mr. Nakamura walked back in with a large plastic tote full of wires. One by one, he handed over the ends of different wires and Y/N connected the ends to a medical pad on her body. Mr. Nakamura began fiddling with the instrument panel in front of him once all of the wires were connected and the machine whirred to life. Y/N jolted slightly as the machine started running diagnostics.

“I will never get used to that feeling, will I?” Y/N sighed. “It gets me everytime.”

“Don’t you worry, Y/N,” Mr. Nakamura assured her. “Eventually, you will barely even notice it at all.”

The soft syncopated beeps and pulsating lights slowly illuminated the display panel and the diagnostic test results filtered in one by one. Y/N ran over each diagnostic result in her brain and her smile bloomed as each new positive result poured in.

A light succession of beeps alerted them to the final result, and they each took a deep breath before chuckling softly.

"It worked," Y/N cried out in disbelief. "Are you seeing this, sir? It really worked!"

"I know, I'm seeing the same thing," Mr. Nakamura cheered. "This is incredible, Y/N. Your experiment worked perfectly. This is fantastic news!"

"Oh, sir, think of what this means," Y/N gushed. "Think of the possibilities, the people we can help!"

"This is only the beginning, my dear," Mr. Nakamura beamed. "Together, we are going to be unstoppable. This is the one, Y/N. This is the project we were looking for. We can now make our full presentation to the board to create the new division of Nakamura, Inc."

"Nakamura Neurocom," Y/N sighed. "It does feel this is where our origin story begins. We have so much work to do, sir. I guess that means more hours for us in the lab. Should I get the cots ready?"

"Perhaps," Mr. Nakamura joked. “We still have more research to complete, you know. Each new success leads us closer to realizing your initial theory, Y/N. It’s only a matter of time before we can start exploring the world of pure information exchange.”

“I know,” Y/N squealed. “I mean, I know it’s still just a theory, but these results are giving me hope that something like that is actually possible. I might be able to share my mind completely with another person, someone wholesome and pure and trustworthy. It would be the epitome of intimacy. I’m close to a breakthrough, I can feel it.”

“If anyone can figure it out, I’m sure it will be you,” Mr. Nakamura. “The question is, with whom would you share that much of yourself? I had hoped it would be my son, but he dashed those hopes, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Y/N gritted out. “Worst Christmas party ever.”

“I may not be able to apologize for his behavior,” Mr. Nakamura replied softly. “But I will apologize on behalf of my lack of discipline. I raised that boy alone and I’m afraid I missed a few opportunities to teach him how to behave like a gentleman.”

“It’s not your fault, sir,” Y/N sighed. “If anything, I share half the blame for that incident. After we found out I was infertile, I kept my distance from Toshi. I felt like a failure. I was always in the lab working on this project and he started feeling neglected. I basically pushed him into that lab assistant’s arms.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, dear,” Mr. Nakamura. “The infertility was not your fault and you shouldn’t blame yourself for that discovery. It was just one pregnancy scare that turned into something else. It was not something you had any control over. As for your work habits, I can relate. I, too, once pushed away my loved ones in pursuit of knowledge. I learned how to balance it and so will you.”

“I hope you’re right,” Y/N sighed. “It was just a lot to process all at once. Toshi wasn’t very helpful either. I know he was trying to be sympathetic, but his words just made me feel resentful.”

“All things considered, it’s actually amusing how things turned out,” Mr. Nakamura mused. “The boy couldn’t help but fall for a girl who is just like his father. Smart, funny, charming, and completely obsessed with the job.”

“But this job is a dream come true for me!” Y/N protested. “Toshi knew how much this job meant to me. I have been working on this project for over a decade, and I’m so close to making it a reality. Why couldn’t he understand that?”

“I don’t know,” Mr. Nakamura admitted sadly. “If I knew that, I would be closer to understanding my son than I am now. Junior was always so hard to read. He acts one way, but actually feels another. He got that from his mother. Enchanting woman, but a master at masking her emotions. That’s why we found out about her cancer so late. She kept hiding the pain out of misplaced inconvenience.”

“Oh, that’s terrible, sir,” Y/N exclaimed. “I never knew.”

“Not many do,” Mr. Nakamura sighed. “It’s a family matter. I only share it with you because I consider you family, Y/N. The daughter who almost was.”

Mr. Nakamura giggled at his little joke and Y/N rolled her eyes and gently swatted his arm in protest.

“Sir, that’s not funny,” Y/N groaned.

“I know, I know,” Mr. Nakamura conceded. “I have to laugh to keep myself from crying. Junior lost out on a fine woman when he lost you, but I’m glad you decided to stay on as my partner. I never would’ve accomplished half of the projects over the last year without you. This new venture is just the beginning of a new era for Nakamura, Inc.”

“Thank you, sir,” Y/N smiled brightly. “It feels good to know I’m appreciated.”

Mr. Nakamura pulled Y/N into a gentle side hug and then gathered up the printed diagnostic test results. He paused while looking at the results and then sighed before handing the printouts to Y/N.

"Unfortunately, you and I are the only ones who know this project so well,” Mr. Nakamura commented thoughtfully. “Maybe we can get a few others trained in the software before the trials begin? It wouldn't hurt to expand our department."

"That's a good idea, sir," Y/N assented while sorting the printouts into a manila envelope. "I can start combing through our employees for good candidates. Shall we meet tomorrow and go over the specifics?"

"Sounds good, Y/N," Mr. Nakamura agreed.

A small rustle resounded across the room and Mr. Nakamura coughed in response.

"Why don't we get you unplugged, yeah?" Mr. Nakamura offered. "We have to get ready for tomorrow. Big day ahead of us. We have to pick the members of our first cohort tomorrow. You should get some rest."

"Yeah, no kidding," Y/N resounded, seeming to forget about the strange noise in the room. "Well, I will let you clean up while I go home and start working on that list."

They detached the wires and sticky pads and put everything away neatly in the cabinet. Y/N gathered a few items from her office and then waved goodbye to Mr. Nakamura, who was still cleaning the countertops with disinfectant. Once Y/N was safely moving away in the elevator, Mr. Nakamura huffed out in annoyance and addressed the intruder in the room.

"She's gone, Junior," Mr. Nakamura sighed. "No point in hiding anymore."

Toshiro reluctantly stepped out of the shadows of his father’s office with a scowl on his face. He sauntered over to his father and hopped onto the table where Y/N previously sat.

“How did you know I was there?” Toshiro grumbled.

“Aside from your inability to remain quiet for more than 5 minutes,” Mr. Nakamura commented. “I get real time notifications whenever someone accesses my private elevator. You should know better than that, Junior.”

“And please stop calling me Junior!” Toshiro howled. “I’m an adult now, father. Maybe it’s time you recognized that fact.”

“I recognized that you are an adult in age, son,” Mr. Nakamura agreed. “But only a child gets angry about a family nickname.”

Toshiro gritted his teeth at his father’s words and clamped down the onslaught of petulant remarks pushing at his lips. He inhaled deeply through his flared nostrils and released the annoyance and frustration scratching at his composure. He slid off the table and turned to face his father who was meticulously cleaning and organizing the lab table.

“Look, father, I know that Y/N and I are not on the best terms right now,” Toshiro began calmly. “And that is mostly my fault. However, I feel like her work here in the lab is causing a rift in our father-son relationship.”

“How so?” Mr. Nakamura asked nonchalantly. “We still make time for one another. We have dinner together once a week, and we still meet for coffee every morning. I even granted you special access to everything in the company. Where exactly is there a rift, son?”

“I may have access to everything, but I still feel locked out,” Toshiro explained. “You and Y/N are working on this special project that is racking up a lot of attention and money from our investors. I know the basics of the project because I helped you both start up the research, but once Y/N and I ended things, she shut me out. As your son and heir, I think it’s crucial that I play an active part in this project, for the sake of the company.”

“Why are you so concerned about this project, Toshi?” Mr. Nakamura wondered aloud. “You weren’t that interested in it before. What’s changed?”

“Nothing’s changed,” Toshiro huffed out. “I just want to understand why the two of you are spending so much time on this. I want to help you both succeed, if I can. This project is important to you and you are important to me. But I can’t help you if I don’t understand the project. You were just talking to her about training other employees so that the project can thrive. Make me one of those employees.”

Mr. Nakamura hummed a bit before his brows furrowed in thought. Having his son involved in the project would help facilitate the process and it would secure the family hold on the project for the board’s approval.

It couldn’t hurt to get an extra pair of Nakamura eyes on this. After all, this is a family business.

“I can’t add you to the project directly,” Mr. Nakamura informed Toshiro. “Y/N would immediately reject your involvement on the project. If you didn’t have such a troubled past, it would be easier, but you just had to make life difficult for her during and after that ugly breakup.”

Toshiro clenched his fists and remained silent, even though his brain was screeching at him to respond to his father’s obvious ploy. He regained his composure and gave his father a strained smile as he waited for him to continue.

“Yes, that was messy,” Toshiro admitted. “I handled it badly and I lost her. There’s no need to rub it in.”

“I’m not rubbing it in, son,” Mr. Nakamura replied. “I’m simply saying that you took a delicate situation and you fractured it so completely that it broke apart without any hope for repair. What did Y/N do to elicit such behavior from you?”

“Nothing,” Toshiro sighed. “She did nothing. We had plans, shit happened, the plans fell through. That’s all there is to it.”

“Was it really so bad that she couldn’t give you children, Toshi?” Mr. Nakamura asked. “Did you have to say such horrible things to her about something that was out of her control?”

“It wasn’t about the children, father,” Toshiro admitted freely. “Y/N completely shut down after the doctor gave her that diagnosis. She was obsessed with her inability to conceive and nothing I was saying was making her feel any better. I didn’t know what else to do, so I just tried to get her to forget about it. I had no idea how badly it would backfire.”

“You were always too impatient, Toshi,” Mr. Nakamura said, shaking his head. “Y/N didn’t need a distraction from her perceived failure. You offered vacations and high adventure activities and all she needed was comfort and reassurance from someone who loved her.”

“I did love her!” Toshiro exclaimed hotly. “I loved her so much and nothing I did was ever good enough for her. She made a fool of me, father. She painted me as some kind of villain when all I did was try to be her hero.”

“You were too aggressive, son,” Mr. Nakamura explained. “You backed her into a corner. Did you really expect her to back down? You know as well as I do that Y/N is not the type to crumble under pressure. She lashed out at you because you left her no other choice. Perhaps, with time, she will forgive you and you two can resume a friendly relationship.”

“Well, it’s too late for me to do anything about it now,” Toshiro sighed. “The least I can do is help her realize her dream, even if it’s from the sidelines. That’s why I want to help, father. If I can make it up to her in some small way, then that’s what I aim to do.”

Mr. Nakamura raked his analytical gaze over his son and surveyed his intentions. They appeared to be sincere, but he was still apprehensive. With a small exhale of defeat, he pulled up some files on the mainframe and saved them to an external USB drive. He ejected the drive from the mainframe and held it out to Toshiro.

“This is all the information on the pilot program, including our notes about upcoming projects,” Mr. Nakamura informed him. “Please read through all the materials and let me know if you have any questions. You are not to say a word to anyone about your involvement in this project. I will personally educate you about everything in the project and you will be allowed to watch trials from a secure location. Is that understood, Toshiro?”

Toshiro took the drive from his father and placed it into his suit breast pocket for safekeeping. He cleverly smothered the smirk pulling at his lips before answering his father.

“Yes, of course, father,” Toshiro nodded and bowed. “I am, as always, here to serve you.”

The two Nakamuras left the lab together via the secret elevator in Mr. Nakamura’s office. Two men traveling skyward; one with his head in the clouds and the other with his head in the thick miasma of deceit.

A/N: Hey, y'all! Sorry I've been MIA for a bit, but life decided I needed a rollercoaster ride and I jumped on without reading the warnings. Oh well, live and learn. I am working on my writing stuff again, so let's hope that this summer gives me lots of time and energy and inspiration. Thank you to @xxxille-girlxxx for helping me Beta read this (Love you, Goguma!) I wanted to give everyone a little insight into Y/N's history with the company. This will come into play in the next chapter. I hope I still have people reading this! Stay safe and cool, y'all!

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