Laws of Forbidden Attraction (Red Trilogy - Part 2)

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/21353281.

Rating: Explicit
Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Category: M/M
Fandom: 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Relationship: Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin
Character: Kim Namjoon | RM, Kim Seokjin | Jin, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Min
Yoongi | Suga, Park Jimin (BTS), Jeon Jungkook, Kim Taehyung | V
Additional Tags: Drama, Emotional, mafia!au, Mystery, Romance, Smut, namjin -
Freeform, Love, Lust, Violence, Homme Fatale, namseok friendship,
inside man - Freeform, Good vs Evil, namjoon x seokjin, Trauma,
Healing, Some Fluff, Rough Sex, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Series: Part 2 of Red Trilogy
Stats: Published: 2019-11-08 Completed: 2019-11-09 Chapters: 21/21 Words:
53484

Laws of Forbidden Attraction (Red Trilogy - Part 2)

by AquamarineLove

Summary

After so many years living a regular life, Kim Seokjin, the son of a conglomerate were
forced to return to live his life as a chaebol. Then a mysterious delinquent named Kim
Namjoon appeared in his life. This is what happens when forbidden love, lust, and danger
collide.

Note: The stories in this series can be read in any order and the three can be read as separate
stories. But, for a maximum effect, the three stories are best be seen as one since all of the
characters do cross paths with one another.

Crossposted from AFF: https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1278806/laws-of-

forbidden-attraction-red-trilogy-part-2
Originally written from August 16th, 2017 - February 17th, 2018

Notes

See the end of the work for notes

 Reckless [M]

Kim Seokjin, 25, a fourth generation chaebol. His parents owned one of the largest shipping
company in all of Asia. He was expected to inherit it all. Being an only child, his identity were kept
from the public in fear of the danger he might face. But here he was, sitting in a bar. Drinking a
beer alone. Not that he was complaining.

Kim Seokjin, the secret heir... Jin smiled to himself, even to him it sounded ridiculous. He had
grown to love his life as an average person and being so carefree. I'd prefer to just be Jin... I buried
Kim Seokjin in that empty coffin long ago.

For exactly 15 years he had been living with his nanny whom he had seen as his own mother, living
a regular normal life. Hell, he even took up a job at a local teokkbokki place after college. He
remembered being raised alone in a big mansion as a kid while his parents were so busy with their
jobs and going abroad often. He remembered feeling so lonely as a child and having no friends,
with only his nanny as his companion. One day, after an incident involving a kidnapper, his parents
decided to hide him by faking his death.

On one hand, he was glad that his parents decided to send him away. But years had passed and his
time living a regular mundane life was running out.

One day. Only one day left and I have to return to that godforsaken place...

He took out the letter with the seal he had received in his mail the other day. The letter was from
his father which basically read that he would return to his old life again. He had to return because
his father fell ill, and as morbid as it sounds, he was expected to return to replace him as the sole
heir. Me? Running a company? I suppose my management degree will finally come in handy. He
could already imagine the headline in the news: Kim Seokjin. Back from the dead.

He stared up at the TV screen to watch the baseball match mindlessly. I don't want to go back... He
could feel tears stung the corner of his eyes but he blinked it away. Great, now I feel like crying...

As he was contemplating his life, he looked to the side and saw a man sitting a couple of stools
next to him. He was clad in a leather jacket with a striking purple hair writing on his notebook as
he took small sips from his beer bottle. His appearance caught his attention indeed and he thought
that he was uniquely good looking.

"Hey, it's not polite to stare..." The purple haired man said as he closed his notebook and then
looked at him straight in the eyes, smiling slightly, showing dimples.

There was a certain air of charisma surrounding him. He had a presence and the way he looked at
Jin somehow made him feel naked and nervous, so he looked away.

"Haven't seen you around here." The purple haired man suddenly took a seat closer to Jin. He
could smell a slight waft of tobacco mixed with mint. It was strangely pleasant. "You like baseball,
huh?" His voice was deep and slightly raspy. His voice was the kind of voice that made you want
to listen to him talk all day.

"I just watch what's on TV... I don't really like baseball." Jin said as he continued to watch the
game, but he felt slightly nervous.

"Huh... interesting. You don't even ask them to change the channel? I mean, people don't even
watch the game and there are only a few customers here." The purple haired man then gulped
down the entire bottle. "Hyung, I need something stronger, give this guy a shot as well." He said to
the bartender.

Jin looked at him in surprise.

"You look like you're having a bad day." The purple haired man ran his fingers through his hair
and then stared at the TV screen. "Funny... I do that as well... You know, just watching the game
just because it was on... because I had other things on my mind."

The two shots of whiskey arrived. He handed Jin a shot glass. "My treat." He showed him that
dimply smile once again.

Jin could definitely do with something stronger. "Thanks..." He said as he took one of the shot
glasses.

"Let's toast." The purple haired man said.

"To what?" Jin smirked.

"To whatever this is." The purple haired man grinned.

Jin shrugged and toast the shot glass. The burn in his throat felt great. He could feel slightly more
relaxed. And they started talking. Jin didn't know why, but he felt comfortable around him.
Hearing him talk about small things and every day mundane things was not tiring, in fact he made
it seemed that they had a certain weight to them that made them feel more significant. This guy
have a way with words.

"Are you a poet?" Jin suddenly said, it was his fourth shot glass and he already felt slightly tipsy.

"No... I mean, not really." The purple haired man said as he chuckled. "Say, we've been talking for
ages now and I didn't catch your name. I'm Namjoon." He held out his hand.

Jin took his hand and shook them. "Jin." He smiled.

"Huh... So that's what you look like when you smile." Namjoon was grinning widely. "Cute." He
then looked at his watch. "Well, I gotta go. Gotta take a smoke." He got off the bar stool.

"Ah... okay. Thanks for the drinks." Jin said as he gulped down his fifth shot glass.

"Don't mention it. You needed them." Namjoon pat his back and walked out the door.

Jin then noticed that Namjoon had left his notebook and he immediately paid for the beer he had
earlier and followed him out the door. "Wait! Namjoon!" Jin opened the door and he saw that
Namjoon was leaning on a graffitied wall and was about to light his cigarette. "You left this." Jin
handed him his notebook.

"Thanks, Jin." Namjoon tucked the cigarette behind his ear and took the notebook, tucking it on
the back of his pants like a gun. "I almost forgot my weapon." He winked and then untucked the
cigarette from behind his ear and light it. "I hope you don't mind me smoking."

"It's okay. We're outside and there are no children nearby." Jin leaned on the wall next to Namjoon.
Somehow he still felt like talking to him.

"Do you smoke?" Namjoon puffed ringlets from his mouth.

"No... I just like talking to you..." Jin said frankly.

Namjoon looked at him incredulously. "You're drunk." He smirked as he inhaled the cigarette.

"Maybe." Jin laughed. The smell of the cigarette was strong and Jin could catch a hint of cloves.

"You're hanging with a bad influence." Namjoon chuckled and then offered him his stick of
cigarette. "Wanna try?" He raised one of his eyebrow and gave him a playful smile.

Why not? It's my last day here. Might as well milk it. "Sure." Jin took the stick from his hand and
inhaled. It burned and Jin immediately coughed, his eyes watered. "That's fucking strong. Shit." He
coughed more.

Namjoon laughed heartily and took his cigarette back. "I never thought of you as someone who
cursed. I may have misjudged you. You look like a goody two shoes."

"Appearance could be deceiving..." Jin said, coughing slightly.

"True..." Namjoon gave Jin a sad smile as he inhaled his cigarette deeply. The stick shortened a bit
more and he flicked the ashes on the ground and puffed the smoke away from Jin's direction.

"Hey, wanna do something bad?" Jin didn't know why he said that but he was feeling reckless.

"Oh? Like what?" Namjoon inhaled more of his cigarette. The alcohol started to kick in. "Oh,
fuck..." He started giggling; his voice was warm and sweet like honey.

"What's so funny?" Jin was looking at him with his deer-like eyes, full of curiosity.

"Nothing..." Namjoon inhaled his last puff of smoke and squished the ember on the grafittied wall.
"You want to do something bad?" Namjoon cocked an eyebrow as he looked at Jin. "Have you
ever tried swimming in a closed water park at night?" He grinned.

"No." Jin smiled back at him, feeling butterflies in his stomach.

"You should try it sometimes." Namjoon took him by his wrist and started running.

"Where are we going?"

"Swimming!" Namjoon said with a voice full of excitement.

For almost 15 minutes they have been running non-stop and finally they arrived at a closed water
park. It was almot 9 PM and the guards were only waiting outside of the gate.

"There's this open window by the water slide. Let's enter from there." Namjoon effortlessly jumped
over the fence. "Let's go!"

Jin looked around, feeling slightly nervous.

"There are no CCTV on this side. I know what I'm doing!" Namjoon said. "Just jump!"

Jin grinned and nodded. "Okay!" He climbed the fence and jumped. Namjoon jogged toward a
small slightly ajar window and slipped inside and Jin followed behind.

As Jin entered he saw that they were in an indoor pool facility. "Woah..." The place was quite big
and he could see steam coming from one of the pools. "Is that heated?"

"Yep. That one is my favorite!" There was an air of youthfullness surrounding him and Jin had an
inkling that the man must be a bit younger than him. Namjoon immediately took off his leather
jacket, T-shirt, shoes, and jeans, leaving him only in his boxers. Jin couldn't help but admire his
lean muscles in the dim light. Namjoon immediately jumped at the heated pool. He dived a bit and
went back up the surface. "Come here!" Namjoon beckoned him to the pool. "What? Are you
scared?" He slightly taunted after sensing slight reluctance from Jin.

"No! I'm not!" Jin quickly took off his own T-shirt, shoes, and jeans and jumped into the pool in
his boxers.

"Ah... This feels nice..." Namjoon closed his eyes started to swim with a back stroke and looked up
the dark ceiling. The pool was lit from the bottom, casting an ethereal glow on his body and Jin
couldn't help but stare. Namjoon swam to the other side of the pool where the water was much
more shallow and when he reached the end he called Jin. "It's super warm over here!"

Jin started to swim toward Namjoon with a freestyle. He went underwater slightly and as he went
to the surface, he immediately faced Namjoon. He could feel the intensity of his gaze. "You look
good with a wet hair." Namjoon smirked and inched toward him. "Wanna do something even
worse?" Namjoon took one of his hands to bring his body closer toward him, his skin felt hot
against him.

Jin couldn't help but be hypnotized by his gaze. "Yes..." Jin brought one of his hands up to
Namjoon's chest.

Namjoon then snaked his arms around Jin's slim waist and collide their lips roughly in an open-
mouthed kiss. He tasted like cigarette, honey, and dreams...

Jin hummed in the kiss and wrapped his arms around Namjoon's neck, feeling their tongues
colliding and fighting for dominance. Clouded with lust, Namjoon pinned him to the edge of the
pool and started to plant kisses on his neck, nipping it and sucking it until red roses bloom on Jin's
milky fair skin. Namjoon brought one of Jin's leg up by his knees and nestled himself between Jin's
long legs. Jin could feel their erections colliding from behind the thin wet fabric of their boxers as
they grind their hips with one another.

Maybe it was the heat of the pool or maybe they were just extremely turned on and too tipsy from
all the alcohol, but they were so lost in the moment, and too far gone into the depth of their desires
to even think clearly. "Oh, fuck..." Jin felt Namjoon slipped his hand inside his boxers and started
to pump his length. "Shit...mmh..." He closed his eyes to feel the sensation even more.

"You got quite a dirty mouth..." Namjoon tugged on Jin's plump bottom lip with his teeth. "I like
that..." He started to pump his length fast and Jin threw his head back when he felt that he was
close. Namjoon took that chance to give Jin another mark on the crook of his neck.

“Fuck… Ah…Ngh…Ah! Ah!” Jin felt so close to release. “I’m—mmmh!” And Jin came. “Fuck…
ngh…”

“Well, that was easy…” Namjoon giggled and stopped his ministration.

Jin was holding on to a railing inside the pool to steady himself, feeling the aftermath of the
orgasm. He felt like he was on cloud nine.

“My turn.” Namjoon said darkly and flipped Jin’s tired body around so he was leaning toward the
edge of the pool. “Have you ever done it before?” Namjoon said as he brushed his lips on Jin’s wet
shoulder.

“Yes… Mmh…” Jin could feel something big poking his rear end. “Oh, fuck…” He moaned. "I've
never had it up my ass before, though…” Jin said breathlessly.

Namjoon chuckled. "It's okay if you don't want to do it..."

"I want it..."

“Interesting… Well, be prepared for your first experience as a bottom then, sweetheart…”
Namjoon squeezed his rear end roughly, eliciting a throaty moan from Jin. “Hold on to the railing
tight, or you’re going to slip.” Namjoon kissed the nape of Jin’s neck.

Jin nodded and proceeded to do as he was told. He could feel his boxers were tugged to his knees.
He gasped when he felt a long finger entered him. “Argh… ngh…” It was quite painful since there
was no lube.

Namjoon started to stretch him slowly, feeling Jin’s tight hole clenching around his finger. He
slipped another finger inside and he could feel Jin trembling. “Relax… You’ll feel good soon…”
When he said that he brushed Jin's prostate in the process.

“Fuck! Ah!” Jin arched his back from pleasure. “There…”

Namjoon smirked and slipped another finger inside, he thanked the warm water for making it
easier for him. At least it was not too dry.

“Shit… ahhhh…” Jin have never felt that kind of sensation before. It was too good and too
pleasurable… He was hooked.

“You like that?” Namjoon said as he kept on prodding Jin’s sensitive spot.

“Yes… Oh, God… Fuck… Fuck me… Mmmh…” Jin gripped the railing as he closed his eyes,
enjoying the moment. He felt hard again.

Namjoon took out his fingers once he felt he was stretched enough. “Okay, pretty…” Namjoon
spread his cheeks apart and pushed the tip inside.

“Son of a bitch, that hurts!” Jin giggled. “Ah!” He was delirious.

“Should I stop?” Namjoon gripped his hips to steady him.

“I dare you to stop.” Jin gripped the railing even tighter. “Go on.” He taunted.

Namjoon growled and pushed until he was fully sheathed inside. Jin bit his lips until it bled and he
was gasping for breath. “Oh…Shit…You’re big… Fuck…Ngh…” Jin’s knuckles turned white and
beads of sweat started to gather on his forehead as Namjoon waited for him to adjust more. Jin felt
the pain started to dull. “Move.”

Namjoon slightly pulled out and pushed in.

“AH! FUCK! HAH!” Jin screamed. There was too much friction. They were not fully prepared and
it hurt like hell.

“I should stop.” Namjoon slightly came to his senses.

“N-no… Keep going...” Jin reached back and tugged his hand. “Wreck me... Ngh…” Jin couldn’t
care less. In fact, he was starting to enjoy the pain.

Namjoon felt so turned on by his words. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing so he gripped
Jin’s hips harshly and started to thrust inside.

“Oh, fuck! Hah! Ah! Ah!” Jin held on to the railing for dear life. He felt so full and his hole was
throbbing. Then, Namjoon shifted his angle slightly and brushed his prostate. “FUUUUUUCK!
Ah! Ngh! There!” The pain started to dull again and was replaced with pleasure. “Ah…
Mmmmh…Ngh… Keep…going…” He moaned.

Namjoon spread his cheeks further and started ramming inside.

“AHHHHHH!!! ARGH! FUCK! Oh, God! Ngh! Ngh! Ngh!” Jin closed his eyes from the extreme
pleasure. “GHAAAD! AH! HAH!”

Namjoon then put one of his hands on his mouth to muffle his loud moan and scream.

“You’re fucking loud…” Namjoon said before mercilessly continuing his ministration.

“MMMH! FFFMMMM!!! MMMMM! Mmmmh…” Jin came once again and he could feel his
energy draining. Namjoon let go of his mouth and he groaned as he came inside. “Fuck…” He
quickly pulled out and leaned on Jin’s back and brought Jin’s boxers back up. They were both
gasping for breath. Jin was slipping but thankfully Namjoon held him up and brought him out of
the pool and placed him on the tiled floor. Jin felt so exhausted as he stared up at Namjoon. Jin’s
vision finally focused and he saw many scars on Namjoon’s stomach and chest. He was going to
ask what happened but Namjoon’s voice interrupted.

“How’s that? Bad enough?” Namjoon smirked.

“Yeah… I'm going to hell for sure...” Jin said softly and started laughing as he looked up at him
and then he smiled. Namjoon then kissed him gently and then carried him to the changing room
and gave Jin his clothes back. They fell silent when they felt like they started to sober up slightly.

They headed back out of the water park and walked on the sidewalk to look for a taxi. Namjoon
saw that Jin was walking with a slight discomfort and he put one of his arms on his waist to help
him walk.

“Thanks…” Jin said. He was feeling shy when he realized what just happened and blushed.

“No. In fact, thank you… I’ll put that as one of the best hook ups I’ve ever had.” Namjoon ruffled
his hair. “I’ll take you to the taxi. And, oh, it’s going to hurt a lot tomorrow.” Namjoon said. "That
was too rough for your first time. No lube. No condom. Sorry..." He looked so sincere with his
apology and it made Jin felt all warm inside.

"It's okay. I wanted it. Give me your notebook and pen.” Jin said suddenly, stopping them on their
tracks.

“Oh?” Namjoon reached to the back of his jeans to retrieve the notebook and pen. He handed them
to Jin.

Jin started to write his number. “There.” He handed him his notebook back. He then saw a taxi and
held his thumb up and the taxi pulled over.

Namjoon grinned at him, his dimples on full display. “Alright, cutie…”

Jin smirked and went inside the taxi. “Hopefully, I’ll be seeing you…” He closed the door and
rolled the window down.
“I’ll consider it.” Namjoon said playfully.

“Do consider…” Jin smiled tenderly, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

"Alright."
 Reluctance

It was around an hour past midnight that Kim Seokjin arrived home. He was still giddy and a bit
exhausted from the encounter he had with the mysterious purple haired Namjoon earlier.
Namjoon… Namja… Nappeun Namja (Bad Man)… Jin giggled at his own play on words. Jin
fumbled with his house key, dropping it a couple of times before he entered the soon to be empty
house. His vision was still spinning. His eomma had left a day early because the letter his father
sent him told her to leave and they left her a hefty check inside as well...

As soon as he unlocked the door and locked it back when he entered, he immediately stumbled to
his bedroom and immediately drifted off to sleep with his slightly damp clothes on.

***

Jin woke up with one of the worst hangovers he had ever experienced. He looked at his alarm
clock and it read that it was 9 AM. He remembered that he was going to be picked up at 12 PM by
a driver. He tried to sit up but he soon slumped back down from the burning pain in his lower
region. “Shit!” He hissed. Suddenly, flashes of images from the night before came crashing down
on him like a tornado. “Fuck… Fuck me…” His own words echoed in his brain.

Then, echoes of Namjoon’s voice made it even more vivid. “…be prepared for your first
experience as a bottom then, sweetheart...”

Fuck. Jin laid back down and massaged his throbbing temples, his face burning hot as he
remembered every second of his encounter. He then realized that he was not being safe. I should
probably get myself checked. Jin bit through the pain and limped toward the shower. He took off
his shirt and pants then his boxers. He frowned when he saw a coin sized crimson stain on it. I
bled… Oh, right… No lube… That son of a bitch was rough on me indeed… Jin smirked and
immediately tossed his boxers in the trash bin.

But he was shocked as he turned toward the mirror: there were so many hickeys on his upper torso.
“You son of a bitch…” Jin examined them and they were mostly scattered on his shoulders and
neck. You aggressive man… He then started laughing at the absurdity of the situation and limped
to the shower stall to wash up.

As the warm water started to pour down on his skin he was reminded again of every thrust he
received from Namjoon the other night. That guy was able to do that in the water whilst pinning
me to the edge of the pool? Hot damn… What a stamina… Jin was finding himself being turned on
at the thought. Never in a million years would he found himself having sex with a man in a public
space, not even the one that was locked due to it not being in the operating hours. Not when I’m
sober anyway… He was clearly in the closet for the longest time for liking men and women, he
never really pursued any of his feelings or attractions toward any man until the other night.

There’s just something about him…

Jin found himself turning hard and he started to jerk himself off as he leaned on the tiled wall of
the shower stall. “Fuck… ngh…”

***

After shower Jin immediately put on the suit he had prepared the day before. He didn’t pack
anything other than his wallet and cellphone because he would leave all of his old belongings
anyway. He remembered that he had spent fifteen years living in that house. It was your average
two bedroomed house, it was small by its standard but to him it was cozy and it made him feel so
comfortable, warm, and safe. He had never met his parents at all through all those years. Sure, he
was angry that they left him but he accepted his fate long ago.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Jin got up from his bed and walked toward the door.
When he opened it, sure enough, the driver was there to pick him up. “Young master Seokjin. The
car is waiting.” The driver bowed politely.

“Ah… Ahjussi… It’s been so long.” Jin greeted and bowed back.

The driver seemed a bit taken aback at Jin’s politeness. “Ah, yes…” He was still bowing. Jin felt
strange being treated that way by someone older than him so he walked awkwardly toward the
limo waiting in front of the house. The driver immediately opened the door for him.

“Thank you, ahjussi…” Jin said as he seated himself in the spacious limo. He totally forgot the
strong leather smell of fancy cars. It was somewhat suffocating.

Then he felt his phone vibrated from the inner pocket of his suit. He took his phone out and saw
that it was from an unknown number. It was a text message.

Hope you’re walking just fine. The text read.

Holy fuck, it’s him… Jin started to feel his face burned up when he realized that he had given his
phone number to Namjoon. Should I reply? Jin contemplated for a second.

Fuck it… I’m fine. But I think I need to get myself checked. Jin replied frankly.

Don’t worry. I’m clean, Sweetheart. Namjoon immediately replied back.

Sweetheart? Jin didn’t know what to reply but he strangely liked the nickname. He was also
relieved to hear that he was clean but you can never be too trusting in that sense. He was still
somewhat of a stranger after all.

Hope we can talk again. Namjoon said.

Jin smiled and he felt the butterflies in his stomach fluttering. He felt like a middle school boy
being texted by his crush. Yeah. Let’s talk again.

And also “talk” again. Namjoon added.

Jin felt his face burned up even more and he was pretty sure that it was extremely red from
embarrassment. Sure.

A few moments later. When?

Jin internally screamed. Damn, Namjoon… You’re so eager and straightforward, aren’t you? He
decided to wait until he arrived at his old house to reply.

***

Jin arrived at his old mansion on a hill. He forgot how big his garden was and how massive his old
house was. The European themed house and garden made him feel like he was in another country
outside of Korea. I used to live here? Even though he no longer see the place through the eys of a
child, he still thought that it was just too absurdly big.
Finally, he was dropped off at the entrance of his front door. The driver ahjussi opened the door for
him. Jin walked up toward the front door and he saw several women and men clad in black suit
with earpieces lined up on the side of the huge door and bowed to him. “Young master, we have
been expecting you. My name is Mr. Choi and I’m your butler and assistant to your father.” A man
who looked to be about in his late 40s in a grey suit greeted him. Jin was unfamiliar with him.

“Hello.” Jin greeted him and bowed slightly.

“Pleasure to meet you, Sir… Your mother and father have been waiting for you.” The butler smiled
and beckoned him inside and Jin followed behind him.

Memories started to flood his brain as he looked around the big mansion. He saw all of his baby
pictures still intact on the wall. He noticed that one big picture of him was taken down and placed
on the side and there was a big painting still wrapped in plastic to replace it just beside it. That was
my picture for the fake funeral.

He remembered running around the house with his soccerball and knocked down several expensive
vases to which he got scolded for. He remembered playing by himself in the corridor with his toy
cars. He remembered the loneliness…

Jin was brought to the end of the hallway and the butler opened the mahogany door leading to his
parents’ bedroom. When the door opened he could see his mother sitting beside his father who was
breathing through an oxygen mask on his sickbed. His mother smiled at him through tearful eyes
but Jin strangely felt numb and couldn’t bring himself to smile back. He walked toward them and
bowed deeply. “Ommonim, abonim…”

To him they felt like strangers…

“Seokjin…” His father said weakly and motioned him to come closer toward him.

“Yes… A-ahbonim…” Jin felt awkward saying it after so many years. He awkwardly came closer.

“Seokjin… You came back… It’s been so long… You’ve grown up so well…” He took his hand.

Jin felt somehow irritated that his father was merely stating the obvious but he held on to his
father’s bony hand regardless.

“Yes…” Jin replied politely but inside he just wanted to scream, run, and wreak havoc.

Then, Jin felt a pair of arms wrapped around him. He looked to the side and saw his mother
embracing him. He felt awkward but at that moment he suddenly felt like crying. “Ommonim…”
His voice cracked. He blinked the tears away.

“You've grown up to be so handsome. Your nanny took care of you well.” His mother said as she
stroke his son’s hair and let go of him and went back to sit beside her husband. She sniffled
through a handkerchief. Jin recognized the fake tears right away after so many years seeing her
pretend during charity events.

What? You don’t miss me? Jin thought bitterly. Right… You only wanted me here so that the
company could still be in our family’s hands… In your hands… You don’t care about me…

As if reading his mind his father suddenly said. “It’s time, Seokjin…” He wheezed. “You need to
learn everything necessary to run my company. Mr. Choi would be teaching you everything there is
to know. You will be guarded well.” His father then looked away. “We’re running out of time…
The cancer is too malignant to be cured…”
Jin could feel his fists clenching. “Yes… abbonim…”

“Good… Mr. Choi…” His father continued. “Bring him to his room. I think that’s enough…” He
wheezed again.

The butler bowed and ushered him out of the room. After fifteen years… That’s how you would
greet your own son? Jin felt his gut clenched.

Jin were brought to his old room but all of his old stuff were already replaced with brand new
items. He got a study corner and his bed were new. The decorations were clearly aimed to suit a
man with an expensive minimalistic taste. Truthfully, he missed his soft pink walls and his teddy
bear. There were many books lining the wall, which were the only thing he liked about the room.

“I’m sure you would need your rest, Sir. Dinner would be at 7 PM. You will receive your lesson on
the company three times a week. I have read that you finished your management degree with
excellent grades so it would be quite easy teaching you. We have contacted all the media for your
reveal in a few months. I’ll make sure that you would be ready by then. Now, if you’ll excuse
me...” Mr. Choi bowed and closed the door.

Jin was left alone in his room with nothing to say. Feeling bored, he started exploring. His closet
were already full with expensive clothes, shoes, and watches. He was given a desktop computer as
well as laptops. There were so many stash of expensive fountain pen inside the drawer in his desk.
Even so, Jin felt so empty… I miss my old home…

I miss eomma… His old nanny were given a hefty amount of money and were ordered to leave him.
Jin felt tears started to fall… She too left in the end…

He started to take off his clothes to find something comfortable to wear and he found a pair of silk
pajamas. He then put it on and laid down on his downy bed. To comfort himself he, ironically,
often remembered that fateful day fifteen years ago…

He was waiting for the driver to pick him up from school when a strange man in a medical mask
picked him up after school claiming that he was an acquaintance of his parents.

Jin only realized that the man was kidnapping him was when the man took him to a beaten up
vehicle. He saw another boy was inside but he was sleeping. He looked like he was younger than
Jin. The strange man then shoved him inside the vehicle and drove away. When he realized what
was happening, he started screaming and crying for his mother and father. The other boy woke up
and started crying as well. Both of them was brought to an abandoned building and were locked up
in a room together. Jin could hear the man asking for ransom from outside the door.

After several hours the other boy calmed down whilst Jin was still hysterical. “Hey… It’s going to
be fine.” He said. “I’m sure someone would find us.”

Jin nodded as he sniffled.

The other boy suddenly wrapped his arms around Jin. “You look cold.”

“Thank you…” Jin wrapped his arms around the boy as well and they stayed that way until they
both drifted to sleep.

Several hours later Jin heard the sound of a boy crying in agony and he saw that the boy was no
longer next to him. Jin then noticed the door to the room unlocked and that the boy who hugged
him earlier was on the ground outside of the room and the man in the medical mask was kicking
him repeatedly.
“How the fuck did you get out? And how the fuck did you even get a hold of my fucking phone?”
The man said. His voice was guttural and he was clearly angry.

The boy was writhing in pain.

“Stop it!” Jin ran toward the man and grabbed both of his legs to stop him from kicking the boy
again.

“You kids are such a nuisance! You’re ruining everything!” The man shoved Jin away and Jin was
thrown to the ground harshly, hitting his head on a sharp surface. Jin couldn’t move as he was
losing consciousness.

Jin then witnessed the small boy taking out a gun and shot the man in front of his eyes, killing him.
The boy then went over toward Jin, his face was bloody and bruised and his clothes were ripped
from the beating. “Hi, I’m Moni. He’s gone now… The police are coming… You’re going to be
okay…”

Jin’s memory stopped there as he lost consciousness.

“You’re going to be okay…” Jin repeated the boy's words in his mind repeatedly to soothe himself.

Jin felt the small patch of scar on the side of his head by habit. It was peeking through the hairline
just on the underside of his head to the nape of his neck slightly. It was his constant reminder from
that day fifteen years ago. Moni… He always prayed for the small boy to grow up well, safe and
sound.

He was clutching his phone and then he remembered Namjoon’s text. Jin wiped his tears and
replied: Tomorrow at 10 PM at the bar from yesterday.
 Hollow

Jin felt the loneliness once again… He had only spend two days and one night in his old house and
he was already sick of it.

He missed his old job at the tteokbeokki restaurant. He liked the busy scenery, the homey
atmosphere, the loud chatter from the customers, and the way that he would fill himself up with
junk food from time to time. He stared at the courses brought to him one by one at the dinner table
which consisted of assortments of jelly-like substances over expensive looking small bowls, foamy
looking dressings over a liver pate, and other fancy dishes. His parents did not join him for dinner
at all because his father was too weak to eat normal food and had to eat through a feeding tube and
his mother would rather dine at an expensive restaurant with her socialite friends. For dinner, he
had to change out of his pajama into a suit and sit with the butler awkwardly to which he saw no
point of doing. Jin started to remember hating the fancy foods as a child and would rather sneak up
at night to the kitchen to cook ramyeon with some eggs with his nanny.

Jin moved around a piece of braised broccoli on his plate and stared at it.

“Aren’t you going to eat, sir?” Mr. Choi asked.

“Ah… Sure…” Jin started to cut a piece of decent looking meat and eat it. The taste was okay and
the texture was good but he would prefer his eomma’s savory bulgogi any day. He finished his
meal without complaint, but, ironically, a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach started to grow.
There weren’t that much social interactions at all and it made him feel sad… What were they trying
to expect from me in giving him these food anyway? I’m not some sort of connoisseur or anything.
He tried to remember all the cheesy dad jokes he would tell the customers, he remembered they
would cringe but would still forgive him because he was handsome. Jin smiled to himself as he
remembered his time from before.

The butler apparently noticed Jin’s smile and took it as a sign of contentment from the food. “Glad
you’re enjoying the food.” Mr. Choi said.

“Yes…” Jin lied. He then noticed a wine glass in front of him filled with appetizing red wine. He
took the glass and gulped it in one shot. He ushered one of the chefs to fill it up again and he
gulped it again in one shot. He did it several times until two third of the bottle was empty. He
started to feel the alcohol kicking in.

Mr. Choi frowned at the lack of manner. “You’re supposed to savor it.”

Feeling the buzz, Jin was tired of pretending. “I’m feeling a bit tense, Sir.” Jin stressed the last
word. “If you’ll excuse me…” Jin stood up and started to walk away.

Mr. Choi sighed. “Sit back down, young master. Mind your manners. That’s not how you’re
supposed to eat.”

“I’m going to my room. We’ll start the lesson tomorrow anyway.” Jin said as he cocked an
eyebrow. “I’m their son. I could do whatever I want in my free time, right?”

The butler’s lip made a tight line and did not respond.

Loop hole. Jin smirked. “I thought so.” Jin walked away to his room and closed it immediately. As
soon as the door closed he loosen up the collar of his shirt angrily, tossed his blazer away, took off
his shirt, kicking his leather loafers, and took off his pants, scattering them on the floor. He took it
all off, leaving him only in his boxers and he dove toward the bed and drifted off to sleep.

***

The next day, Jin learned that his mother had left to attend some business abroad; not that he was
surprised. His father’s condition worsened and he had to be moved to the hospital.

“He’s in your hands, Mr. Choi…” His father wheezed as he was taken to the ambulance.

Mr. Choi bowed at his father as the door to the ambulance closes. When the ambulance was a good
distance away he turned toward Jin. “We’ll start with the lesson now.” Mr. Choi didn’t bother him
with anymore unnecessary courtesies.

You’re showing your true colors now, huh?

“‘Kay.” Jin followed him and he was led to his father’s study.

Mr. Choi seated himself on the seat in front of the desk. “You’re supposed to sit there.” Mr. Choi
pointed at his father’s old leather swivel chair behind the desk.

“Does it have to be like that?” Jin was starting to enjoy making the butler pissed.

“Yes. Because that’s your seat already. Sir.” Mr. Choi looked at him dead in the eyes. “Please, sit
down. Sir.” He faked a smile.

Oh, you’re good.

Jin immediately seated himself on his father’s old swivel chair. Mr. Choi then began the lesson
with telling him the scope of his father’s company and his role. Jin learned that he was to inherit an
absurdly large amount of inheritance to which he saw no point of owning. The butler also told him
about the amount of shares in the company and how to manage them efficiently. To be fair, the
butler was actually quite good at explaining things to Jin quickly and simply. Jin was able to
understand all of them well and answers many of the butler’s questions correctly.

“Just as I expected, it’s not only your looks that resembles your father, but you possess his
intelligence as well.” Mr. Choi commented.

Jin rolled his eyes. “Just get on with it.”

But in the end of the day, Jin felt bored. He kept checking on his watch and the clock to see the
time. He couldn’t wait to see Namjoon…

When the lesson was over, he immediately got up from his seat without excusing himself and went
to his room. He immediately changed into a more casual attire and prepared himself to leave. But
as soon as he approached the front door, he was held back by the security team clad in black suit.

“Sir, you’re not allowed to leave by yourself.” Mr. Choi approached him from the back. “If you
have to leave, you have to take a bodyguard with you. After all, rumors about you have started to
spread by now.”

“Are you kidding me?” Jin spat. “Are you basically saying that I’m fucking trapped here?”

“Language, sir.” Mr. Choi tutted. “You’re not trapped. You’re protected.”

“What difference does it make?” Jin glared at him and walked back to his room, slamming the
door shut, feeling even more frustrated.
 ***

Namjoon was smoking his clove cigarette as he was sitting in his old beat up car in the bar’s
parking lot. It was also his home. He grinned as he looked at the clock in his car. Fifteen more
minutes and he’s going to be here… Namjoon remembered the taste of his lips and the warmth of
his body and he couldn’t wait to ask for more. He didn’t want it to be a one-time thing. But other
than that he was curious as to who Jin was. Something about you just seems so right for me… Who
are you?

Then his phone vibrated. A text? It was Jin.

I’m sorry. I think I won’t be able to make it.

Namjoon felt somewhat disappointed. He wanted to see him so bad. Why?

I’ll see you but not tonight… Jin replied.

How about some other night then, sweetheart?

Hopefully. Jin responded a minute later.

Namjoon frowned at the uncertainty behind Jin’s replies. He laid back down on his reclined
driver’s seat. Yet another lonely night…

He grabbed a book from several stacks from the backseat and started to read it as he lit another
cigarette. Then someone knocked at his window. Namjoon looked to the side. It was a familiar
face. “Hey.”

“Oh, hey, Hoseok.” Namjoon put his book aside and put his cigarette on the ashtray. He rolled the
window down even more. “What’s up? Catch any bad guys lately?” He grinned.

“Sure. Just be glad it was not you.” Hoseok flashed him a wider grin.

“Please. You won’t be able to catch me.” Namjoon rolled his eyes.

“I can’t believe we go to the same school, same class, but somehow managed to become two
completely different people.” Hoseok shook his head. Then, he noticed the book that Namjoon was
reading. “Law Handbook? A bit ironic, isn’t it?” He pointed.

“Whatever… What do you need, officer Jung Hoseok?” Namjoon cocked an eyebrow.

“As always. Information.” Hoseok’s tone was serious. “How’s the development in the
underground? Anything significant?”

“Well, I haven’t met him but the old geezer is dying, I heard. They also said something about a
potential replacement. A long lost family member they said. But his right hand man is in charge at
the moment with the drug trafficking but I don’t know the current locations of any of their main
transactions because I’m not granted the access just yet. Also, they said that I’m still at the bottom
of the pyramid to know more.”

“Hmm… Can you move up your rank?” Hoseok shifted his gaze around slightly. He was not
wearing his uniform but he was still nervous every time he approached Namjoon.

“I can. But the requirements are high...” Namjoon contemplated.

“You’re a snitch, I’ll make sure to give you passes when they’re caught.” Hoseok pat his shoulder.

“Sure… If you could manage that.”

“Hey, for old time’s sake. Trust me on that.” Hoseok assured him.

“You let me off once…”

“That was petty theft. This one is different. I’ll owe you big time, Namjoon.”

“Are you sure you could let me off the hook again with worse crimes?”

“As long as you’re not caught…” Hoseok said. “You said so yourself that you’re good at being
discreet.”

“Yeah, sure…” Namjoon grew quiet for a bit then he said. “Moments like these made me wish that
I went to the police academy with you…” Namjoon had a sad look in his eyes.

“Take care, man. Be safe. I’ll see you.” Hoseok pat his shoulder again and left quickly.

When Hoseok was no longer in sight Namjoon laid back down in his seat. He understood
completely that Jin would probably be terrified of him if he found out about this dark side of his
life. But he just couldn’t help but crave him. This is getting complicated…

He decided to text Jin again. I’ll wait.

His phone vibrated and he smiled thinking that Jin replied back but his smile disappeared when he
saw the text.

Your chance to move up your rank.

After that, you’re allowed entrance.

Tonight.

Target: Congressman 13.

You know what to do.

***

It had been a week and Jin was still trapped inside his house. Every time he received a text from
Namjoon, it grew even more painful to read, let alone reply. He missed proper human interactions
and Namjoon reminded him that it was impossible to attain in his current predicament. He simply
had nothing to say and he was too sad to lie. He was sure that if he spend another hour there that he
would completely break down. For a week, his routine had been monotonous: lessons, eating, and
sleeping. He was slowly losing his mind. And for the past three days, he had been having trouble
eating and sleeping. He had no one to confide it…

I have to get out of here…

For days, Jin had form a plan to run away. He was washing his face in his bathroom and as he
looked up he barely recognized himself. There were dark circles around his eyes and he was
looking a bit thin as well. He had no appetite and all he could focus on was getting out.
I can’t take it anymore…

He put on his jeans and sweatshirt on and decided to run away that night. It was not out of
spontaneity because Jin was clever and in his desperation he had been studying the house and spot
all of the CCTVs and had figured out their blind spots in the process.

In the middle of the night he sneaked out of the bathroom window and went straight to the spacious
yard to look for a way out. But somehow he felt lightheaded as he ran since he had not been eating.
He frowned to focus his vision back. But the dizziness took him over and he stumbled on a rock
and dove straight to a deep pond as he passed out.

When he realized that he had fell into a deep pond he opened his eyes and struggled to swim from
fatigue. He then realized that his foot was caught on a rope, he panicked and was slowly drowning.
“Help!” He managed to scream. “Help!”

He struggled to keep his head above the water and kept on screaming. After several minutes, he
was growing tired and his eyes rolled back from lightheadedness. He started to drown. It was
painful. This is it, huh? Kim Seokjin. Cause of death: Stupidity. Then his vision started to blur.

Then he heard a splash and he felt his body dragged out from the water by a strong pair of arms.
He had swallowed too much water and he was having trouble breathing.

He felt a fist pounding his chest repeatedly and he felt his lungs were being forcefully inflated over
and over. It hurts… Then a jolt to his chest made him cough all the water out and he opened his
eyes. He rolled to the side, coughing and gasping for air. He tried to focus his vision back and
looked at the person who had dragged him out of the water. It was blurry but he could see
something purple. Then, the lightheadedness took over and he blacked out once again.

The next morning, Jin found himself on his bed once again, he was wearing his silk pajama and
there was an IV drip inserted to his vein. Fuck… He sat up, he could feel that he was still
lightheaded but it was much better. He felt his stomach grumbled and finally hunger settled in. He
ripped the IV drip from his wrist and walked toward his bedroom door. But to his dismay, his
bedroom door was locked from the outside. Shit… He realized what was happening and ran to the
bathroom and he found the windows barred from the outside. “Fuck.”

He was now truly trapped. He walked back to his bed and started tearing up. I can’t take this
anymore…

A couple of minutes later, the door opened and Mr. Choi stepped inside. “Master Seokjin…
You’ve been reckless…” He made it clear that he was disappointed.

Jin didn’t reply and merely glared at him.

“I understand that all of this must be so sudden. My apology to have deprived you of social
interactions but your transition back to this household is a top priority.” Mr. Choi’s voice slightly
softened. “As a solution, I have assigned you a personal bodyguard to assist you.” Mr. Choi then
made a hand gesture and a man clad in black suit with purple hair stepped in. “He was the one who
saved you last night when no one noticed that you tried to run away and I think based on that, I
could guarantee your safety. I trust his skills as well. You are in good hands.”

The purple haired man bowed at him.

“From now on, he would stay close to you, drive you, and accompany you anywhere you want.”
Mr. Choi added. “Maybe it’s not the kind of freedom you want but I hope that with this you won’t
feel trapped anymore.”

Jin’s eyes widened when he realized who it was.

Namjoon?
 The Household

The night before:

Namjoon stared at the mirror in an old bathroom. He hid himself in an abandoned gas station in the
middle of nowhere as was instructed by the higher ups. He was clutching the edge of the sink,
trying to steady his breathing. He finally looked up and saw his bloody hands and shirt. He
immediately started washing his hands, trembling as he did so. He was known for his fighting
skills and his ability to slip into places unnoticed but he had never kill anyone. Not until that day…

He finally did it and he was sure that it would haunt him for the rest of his life. It frightened him at
how easy it was. His first kill done by his own hands. I’m a killer now… It had been a week and he
just couldn’t get his mind off of him and just couldn’t get over the fact that Jin was no longer
replying to his texts, not even when he tried to say goodbye to him before his mission. Looks like I
have to let you go, Jin… His heart ached as he remembered the taste of Jin’s soft lips and the
feeling of his burning skin pressed against his... Fuck…

He quickly took off his clothes and went inside the rusty shower stall to wash the spray on hair
color off, the brown ink immediately melted away revealing his fading purple hair. After washing
up, he immediately burned his clothing to hide any evidence and changed into a suit which had
been prepared for him. He cleared his mission and he was to enter The Household. He finally
moved up his rank and was able to enter the main base of the legendary Shadow League mafia. He
had known for a long time about them from all the years he had been a delinquent who sold drugs
for a living and torture people as ordered but he had never been given access to any of their main
transactions and mission until that day. He suspected that he must’ve gained their trust enough.
They’ll kill me for sure if they found out that I’m a snitch.

Those who often dealt with the underground crime affairs knew that the Shadow League was one
of the most fearsome and undetectable mafia groups in all of Korea. They cleverly hide in plain
sight and was headed by a rich conglomerate who owned one of the largest shipping companies in
all of Asia so no one would suspect any suspicious transactions because they were able to easily
manipulate the media and the authority with their enormous wealth. But then he heard that the
head of the legendary mafia was dying, many have started to talk of replacements. His right hand
man was taking his place at the moment but the old geezer prioritized nepotism and wanted a
family member of his own to be the one replacing him when he died. What Namjoon needed to
know was the identity of this replacement. Who is it?

He finished putting on the suit and he looked at himself once again in the mirror. He then wet his
hand with the water from the tap and brushed his hair aside with his fingers. He took a deep breath
and walked out of the bathroom toward his old car and drove off to the address given to him.

A few hours later he arrived at a woody area away from the city. He had never been to this part of
town and everything looked so unfamiliar to him. He checked his GPS once again to make sure
that he was going to the right coordinate. Sure enough, he then met a massive gate leading into a
large garden. No building was in sight just yet. “Who is it?” A voice through the intercom said
after he rang the bell on the side of the gate. “RM.” Namjoon said, it was his code name. “Only the
master’s car can drive up to the front. You park your car on the parking lot just inside this gate and
walk to the main house. It’s about 250 meters from here. Just follow the grey stone path.” The
voice on the intercom replied. Then the gate clicked open and Namjoon immediately wheeled his
car in and did as he was told.

Around halfway through the grey stone path surrounded by trees and European themed sculptures,
he heard a splash and a cry for help. He looked around and he saw nothing. He walked again and
the cry intensified. He thought that it was just another job done by one of the thugs. But then the
cry grew louder and he stopped in his track when he recognized the voice. It sounds like him…

“Help!”

Out of curiosity, Namjoon then searched the source of the sound to see what was going on and it
led him to a large pond. He then saw a figure trying to keep his head above the water. As he got
nearer, the figure became clearer. His eyes widened when he realized who it was.

No way… Jin? What are you doing here?

Then Jin stopped struggling and sank. By instinct Namjoon took off his blazer and dove to the
pond. Jin was not moving as Namjoon dragged him out of the water and he was not breathing
either. “Shit!” Namjoon then started to give Jin CPR and tried to make him cough the water out.
After about a minute, finally Jin started coughing the water out but then he fainted again.
Panicking, Namjoon felt his pulse and he was relieved that it was there. He then brought the blazer
that was lying on the ground and wrapped Jin in it. He then lifted him up to bring him to the guard
at the gate. Namjoon looked at Jin and he noticed that he was so thin and there were dark circles
around his eyes. What happened to you?

When he got to the gate, the guard started panicking when he saw Namjoon carrying unconscious
Jin in his arms. “Bring him to the house, RM! I’ll alert Mr. Choi.” Namjoon nodded and carried Jin
to the house, feeling utterly confused that the guard was not calling an ambulance instead. He was
shocked to hear that Mr. Choi, the right hand man himself, was the one that he had to meet. When
he got to the front of the massive carved oak door, Mr. Choi immediately came toward him and
told him to bring Jin inside. Mr. Choi then led him to a room in one of the hallways and ordered
him to put Jin on the bed. Then he proceeded to order several maids to dry and change Jin’s
clothes. “Thank you for bringing him in, RM.” Mr. Choi pat his back. “You’ve done us a great
service. I didn’t know he got out. We’ll be in deep trouble if something bad happens to him.”

Namjoon bowed. “Is he…” He started. He started to put things together.

“Yes. But he doesn’t know yet. He just learned about the tip of the iceberg.” Mr. Choi said. “It’s
going to take a while.”

What? He doesn’t know?

“You look puzzled. It’s what The Great Leader wants. Well, it’s too complicated to explain now
but I raised your rank so that you can protect him. I’ve heard a lot about you. If you can do your job
well, I can guarantee you a place in the elite.” Mr. Choi said. “Anyway, go and get changed. Your
room is just in front of this hallway. We’ll talk more after. I have to call the physicians now.”

Namjoon bowed and walked toward the door that Mr. Choi had pointed. He was still so shocked as
he entered the small room and immediately sat on the twin bed inside to steady himself, forgetting
that he was still drenched in water from the pond. Namjoon didn’t quite know how to feel at that
moment.

Jin… is the heir?

***

Jin looked at Namjoon from head to toe, hardly believing that he was there with him in the same
room. Somehow the expression that Namjoon wore was so different than when he first met him. It
was colder and borderline emotionless. Namjoon stood behind Mr. Choi and he was wearing the
exact same suit as the team of bodyguards. Jin couldn’t say anything and he kept on staring at
Namjoon.

“RM, I hope that you can do your job well and guard young master Seokjin.” Mr Choi said. “I have
some business to tend to. So if you’ll excuse me…” He bowed at Jin.

“Yes, Sir.” Namjoon bowed at Mr. Choi. He nodded at Namjoon and walked out of the room.

When Mr. Choi left Jin finally spoke. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Like Mr. Choi said, I’m here to guard you.” Namjoon stood near the doorway with his posture
straight just like the bodyguard in front of the main door, he was showing no signs of recognition
and his face was flat, showing no emotion.

“Hey.” Jin was becoming angrier. “Are you pretending that you don’t know me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sir.” Namjoon locked his eyes with Seokjin’s without
emotion and his tone of voice was unchanging.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me…” Jin got up from the bed but it was too quick and he
immediately felt the lightheadedness and started to fall. “Shit…” His stomach was still empty.

Namjoon immediately rushed toward him, catching Jin mid-fall. “Sir, I’ve been told that you have
not eaten yet.” Finally there was a slight change of tone and there was slight concern in his voice
and expression. “I’ll take you to the kitchen…”

Jin looked up at him. “Why are you doing this?” His voice wavered and tears started pooling in his
eyes and he started to hit Namjoon’s chest weakly.

“Not now, sweetheart… Too many eyes and ears…” Namjoon whispered close to his ears softly.
“I’ll explain to you later.” Jin felt relieved that finally Namjoon acknowledged that they recognized
each other. He smiled at Namjoon and nodded. Namjoon lifted him off the ground and carried him
out of the bedroom and to the kitchen. Jin could feel many eyes watching them both as Namjoon
carried him to the kitchen. He then placed Jin on the chair in the dining area. There were many
food on the table already but Jin lost his appetite as soon as he saw the fancy food.

Namjoon’s emotionless expression was back as he stood just beside the table assuming his
bodyguard stance.

“Sir, you need to eat.” Namjoon said sternly.

“Ramyeon.” Jin said.

“What?” Namjoon looked surprised.

“I want ramyeon.” Jin had a pleading look in his eyes.

“Well, did you hear that? Young master Seokjin wants ramyeon.” Namjoon said to the chef. Jin
could tell that the chef looked somewhat offended but he proceeded to rummage through the
servants’ pantry and retrieved a packet.

“Two. With eggs. Just bring the pot to me when you’re done. No bowl.” Jin said. He didn’t care
that he sounded like a brat.
The chef reluctantly took out another packet and two eggs from the refrigerator and started cooking
the ramyeon. When the smell of ramyeon filled the kitchen, Jin couldn’t help but smile and felt his
appetite returned.

“I’m so sick of these. You guys can have these.” Jin pointed to the food on the table. The maids
and the chef looked at one another out of surprise. “Go on. Take it. And leave me alone.”

They immediately cleared the table from all the fancy food and walked out of the dining area. The
chef placed the steaming pot in front of Jin, placed chopsticks beside the pot, and bowed as he left.

Namjoon stood in his place.

“Leave me alone.” Jin was still mad at him.

“No.” Namjoon’s tone was firm.

Jin pouted but then the smell of the ramyeon hit his nostrils and he started to focus his attention to
the pot in front of him. He immediately took the chopsticks and dove in to the ramyeon in the pot.
He started tearing up as soon as he started eating. He didn’t care that Namjoon was watching him
cry as he ate. Memories of his time with his nanny flooded back in.

Then Jin felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him and Namjoon was looking at him with
a warm gaze, making his heart race. “Eat well. I’ll be right outside.” Then he walked out of the
kitchen and stood in the doorway, facing away from the kitchen.

Just a bit of the taste of his old life could make him feel so many emotions… Jin took his time
savoring the ramyeon, continuing to eat as he cried, he didn’t care that it was bloated halfway
through.

After finishing his food, he finally gained a bit of strength and walked toward Namjoon who was
facing away from the kitchen in the doorway. He tapped his shoulder. Namjoon turned around and
bowed.

“I want to walk outside for a bit.” Jin said.

“Are you strong enough to walk around, Sir?” Namjoon was showing concern once again.

“Yes. I need to digest my food a bit.”

Namjoon hesitated for a second.

“Don’t worry I won’t run away.” Jin smiled. “We need to talk.” He whispered. Namjoon nodded
and made way for Jin to walk ahead of him.

As soon as they reached the front door, the guards immediately took their alert positions. “Don’t
worry. I’m keeping an eye on him as Mr. Choi ordered.” Namjoon said. The guards then parted to
make way for Namjoon to open the door.

As soon as the door opened Jin stepped out and inhaled the fresh morning air. Namjoon closed the
door behind him and followed Jin. “Where are we going, Sir?”

“I need fresh air… Let’s go to the pond… I haven’t seen it during the day in a long while.” Jin said
as he started walking briskly toward the direction of the pond from last night and Namjoon
continued to follow behind.
Namjoon realized that Jin was not wearing anything on his feet so he immediately ran toward him
and scooped him up from the ground.

“Oh!” Jin yelped and looked at Namjoon in surprise as he clung one of his arms around Namjoon’s
neck.

“If you stepped on a thorn, they’ll kill me.” Namjoon kept his gaze away from Jin’s, his expression
as emotionless as ever, as he kept on walking toward the pond. As the view of the pond grew
nearer Jin wrapped both of his arms around Namjoon’s neck and nuzzled it.

Namjoon’s breath hitched slightly. “S-stop.” If Jin kept on going he was going to make him lost all
control.

“They won’t see us or hear us from this point on.” Jin bit his neck slightly, he wanted Namjoon so
bad that it hurts.

“Sir…” Namjoon then stopped on his track.

“Don’t call me that.” Jin stopped and frowned at Namjoon.

Namjoon sighed and placed Jin on a bench near the pond, awkward silence fell as Namjoon looked
away from Jin. “Why are you here?” Jin finally broke the silence.

“I got a job here.” Namjoon said flatly.

“Stop it with that expression. I told you no one is going to see us here. I know what I’m doing. I
almost died here last night so that pretty much said that the surveillance systems do not go this
far.” Jin said. “I’ve scanned the whole house since I got here a week ago and when I got out last
night I got a good look at this part of the garden. There are no CCTVs here. The only thing that’s
different since last night were my bedroom door and the barred bathroom window.”

Namjoon looked at him in surprise.

“I have a good memory. And you pretending to not know me pissed me off.” Jin huffed and
pouted.

Namjoon’s shoulder finally relaxed and he shed away his emotionless mask and smiled at Jin.
“Good to know.”

“That’s better.” Jin could finally see the Namjoon from the week before.

“This is why you haven’t texted me back, huh?” Namjoon looked at the pond, took out a packet of
cigarette from his pocket and lighted a stick, and started to puff ringlets of smoke.

“Yes…” Jin looked down, the scent of the clove cigarette made him remember their encounter. “It
got too complicated to explain.” He felt himself blushed and looked down.

“Hmm…” Namjoon inhaled deep as he thought hard about what Jin just said and flicked the ashes
and puffed out a lot of smoke. He bent down and squished the ember out on a rock and put the
unfinished cigarette back in his pocket. “You’re his son, huh? The one that people thought had
died?”

“Yes.” Jin responded bitterly.

Namjoon was slightly confused at Jin’s reaction. Then he remembered the look on Jin’s face when
he first saw him. It dawned on him that it was the day before Jin returned to his old house. “You
hate it here.”

“Yeah. No shit, Sherlock.” Jin slightly laughed and rolled his eyes. “I tried to escape. Isn’t that
obvious enough? And now you’re here. Being my bodyguard and shit.”

“Must be kismet.” Namjoon grinned.

“For someone as tough looking and as wild as you, you sure are a romantic.” Jin grinned back.

“You think I’m tough looking and wild?” Namjoon was amused at Jin’s remark and proceeded to
sit next to Jin on the bench and inched closer.

Jin looked at him with his wide doe eyes.

“For someone as smart as you, you sure can’t keep your thoughts to yourself, sweetheart…”
Namjoon scooted closer toward Jin. He looked at him with a dark gaze until his face was inches
away from Jin’s. Namjoon’s peppermint-laced clove cigarette scent overwhelmed him and he
couldn’t wait to feel him once again. “I’ve missed you…” Namjoon’s gaze softened slightly.

“So have I…” Jin felt his heart raced faster.

Namjoon drifted his gaze to Jin’s soft red lip. He then grazed his thumb over it, making Jin shiver.
Jin wrapped his arms around Namjoon’s neck to bring him even closer. With that, Namjoon
wrapped his arms around Jin’s waist, slipping one of his hands inside the shirt of Jin’s silk pajama
to caress Jin’s soft skin ever so slightly. Namjoon then leaned in and locked their lips together in a
heated kiss.
 Bad [M]

His kiss was passionate and Namjoon made his way down to Jin’s jaw and further down to his
neck, inhaling his subtle scent in the process, carefully kissing him without making any marks like
he did last time. Jin was so drawn into him and he couldn’t help but to trail his hand down
Namjoon’s crisp shirt, feeling the indentation indicating his lean muscles underneath the shirt, and
then tugged on his belt. “We can’t do that here, sweetheart…” Namjoon pulled away and
whispered in his ears seductively as he grabbed Jin’s hand which was hovering dangerously close
to his crotch.

Jin whined.

“Can’t believe that I’m guarding such a needy man…” He pecked Jin’s cheek and got up from his
seat.

“You made me this way…” Jin pouted, crossing his arms.

“Really? After a single one night stand, huh?” Namjoon smirked.

Jin looked at him with his glossy doe eyes and nodded. There was an air of innocence behind those
beautiful eyes and it made Namjoon use all of his self-control to hold himself back from fucking
him right there and then. After all, he still had his missions to do... “Good.” He cocked an eyebrow,
challenging him. “Anyway, you still need a good rest after yesterday.” Namjoon quickly changed
the subject.

“I’ve had plenty of rest already.” Jin crossed his arms and pouted some more.

“You passed out. That’s not resting.” Namjoon frowned. “I can’t believe you were that reckless.”

“Oh, so you’re taking Mr. Choi’s side now, huh?” Jin scowled.

“I don’t need to take anyone’s side to say that. I saw you drowned and almost died. I look at you
now and I notice how thin and gaunt you are from not eating. Is it really that bad here?” He was
genuinely concerned.

“I’m just so sick of this place... I’ve been living a regular life for so long that I found all of this so
suffocating and uncomfortable.” There was a faraway look in Jin’s eyes as he reminisced his time
as a regular person.

“You’re an important person here, Jin.” You have no idea just how important you are…

“It’s just a shipping company that I’ll be inheriting. I don’t need this level of security. What am I?
The president? The son of a yakuza member?” Jin just couldn’t wrap his mind around his situation.
It was simply too absurd for him. “They really went overboard and it feels like borderline
imprisonment.”

Wow, that was close. What a fast deduction. Namjoon sighed. He had stepped into a topic which
Jin had not have any access to. It wasn’t fair for Jin. “Jin…” Namjoon started as he kneeled in
front of Jin to look at him in the eye.

“Whatever… Just bring me to my room.” Jin was still angry but he let Namjoon carry him. He
didn’t talk at all nor even look at Namjoon as he carried Jin inside the house again and back to his
room.
“Hey… I’ll try to talk to Mr. Choi. Maybe you can get out more now that you have me to
accompany you.” Namjoon placed Jin back on his bed gently.

Jin didn’t respond and only shrugged.

“Are you really going to be like this?” Namjoon was slighty amused. He really wanted to kiss him
again.

Jin was still silent, lips pouting.

“Fine.” Namjoon then started to look around the room and searched the nooks and crannies for
something and even examined the space underneath Jin’s bed.

Jin looked at Namjoon curiously. “What are you doing?”

Namjoon didn’t answer as he briskly walked into the bathroom and inspected something inside.
After a while he then went outside of the room. A few moments went by and he went back inside.
Suddenly, he closed and locked the door to Jin’s room. He then quickly tossed his blazer away,
took off his shoes, and walked toward Jin’s bed.

“Hey… Answer me…” Jin was starting to feel nervous.

“I’m giving you what you want.” Namjoon said from the edge of the bed and he unbutton the
collar to his white shirt and loosen his tie slightly. His expression changed and his eyes grew dark.

Goddamn, Namjoon...

“Tell me…” Namjoon started to crawl on top of him. “Exactly how bad do you want me?” He said
slowly with his sultry voice as his face hovered just a few inches from Jin’s.

Jin felt a lump in his throat. “W-w-what?” He felt his breath hitched slightly. This time Jin was
sober and he realized just how overwhelmingly strong Namjoon’s dominating aura was.

“Now you’re the one that need to answer me.” Namjoon then took both of Jin’s arms by his wrists
and pinned them to the bed, just above Jin’s head.

“So… b-bad…” Jin managed to whisper his answer. Oh, fuck…

With that, Namjoon collided his lips to Jin’s as he straddled him. He bit Jin’s lips and expertly
parted his mouth with his tongue. Jin had craved his taste so much and when he finally tasted it, it
was so pleasurable and overwhelming that he couldn’t help but moaned in the kiss.

Namjoon then pulled away, leaving Jin breathless. “Don’t make too much noise, sweetheart.” He
leaned back down and removed his grip on Jin’s wrists and started to unbutton Jin’s pajama. Jin
started squirming, wanting to touch Namjoon badly. When Jin reached out his hand, Namjoon
lightly swatted Jin’s hands away. “Stay still…” Once he finished unbuttoning the last button,
surprisingly Namjoon didn’t take Jin’s pajama off, instead, he started to nip and suck the skin on
Jin’s chest. Namjoon loved the softness and warmth of Jin’s skin and his subtle woody scent.

Jin bit his lips from pleasure. He was hard and all the teasing just made it all the more difficult for
him to stay still. “Namjoon, please… Mmmh…”

“Don’t say that name here… Call me RM…” Namjoon said as he continued his teasing.

“That’s not sexy…Ah…” Jin felt Namjoon slipped one of his hands inside his pajama pants and
wrapped his long fingers around his member.

“Fine… Call me Namjoon only when we’re skin to skin. Deal?” Namjoon whispered at Jin’s ears
as he started to pump his length slowly.

“Ah-ngh…Deal…” Jin closed his eyes as intense pleasure started to accumulate in his core. “Ah!”
Jin yelped as Namjoon started to stroke his length faster.

“Shh…” Namjoon put his other hand over Jin’s mouth. “I forgot that you’re quite a screamer.” He
grinned. “Be quiet or they’ll hear…”

Jin could only whimper and bit his lips, his legs started trembling as he was getting closer and
closer toward his climax.

Namjoon saw Jin’s brows knotted as his eyes were tightly shut, his upper teeth biting his lower lip,
and beads of sweat started to drip. He swore that it was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. “Do you
like this? Hmm?” He said before sucking on the skin just below his ear.

Jin nodded as he squirmed. “Ngh!” He threw his head back as his climax were dangerously getting
nearer and he felt like he was about to explode. With several more strokes finally Jin came,
staining his pajama pants and Namjoon’s hand. He was trembling from the orgasm and he was
breathless.

Namjoon took his hand out from Jin’s pants and licked a bit of the come on his hand. “You taste
divine…” He said with a husky voice.

Jin finally came down from his high and he noticed the more than apparent bulge in Namjoon’s
pants. Jin sat up and grabbed it, making Namjoon breath hitched slightly. “Let me take care of
that.” Jin smiled seductively and pushed Namjoon to lie down. This time it was Namjoon who was
hypnotized by Jin’s gaze. Jin placed himself between Namjoon’s long legs and started to unbuckle
his belt and unzip his pants. He slid his pants with his boxers slightly and Namjoon’s erection
sprung out.

He had felt how big Namjoon’s cock was inside him but he was even more amazed when he
looked at it in all its glory with his own eyes. Jin started to drool when he saw that it was hard and
leaking. Jin then wrapped both of his hands on it and a started to pump his length. Namjoon
groaned, closed his eyes, and gripped the sheet. Jin then started to give the head kitten licks,
relishing the heady and bitter taste. Namjoon was startled at the sensation and he looked down and
Jin was starting to engulf half his length, one of his hands on the lower half of the length and the
other massaging his balls. “Fuck…”

Jin looked up at him, he liked that he could have such effects on Namjoon.

Stop it with that look… Namjoon had to hold himself back from grabbing Jin’s hair and fuck his
mouth mercilessly. Instead, he rested his head on the bed and let Jin have his ways with him.

Jin started to bob his head up and down his length. “You’re amazing…” Namjoon said
breathlessly. It felt too good.

Jin then took off his hand and started to engulf the whole length and quicken his pace, loving the
stretch in his throat and the fullness, his confidence boosted at the fact that he was able to pleasure
Namjoon that way. Jin retreated his tongue back slightly from covering his bottom teeth. “Shit!”
Namjoon hissed. He looked back down and he could just came from the sight alone. Jin had his
entire length down his mouth and he was doing wonders with his teeth along his shaft. Namjoon
threw his head back. “Close…” He panted.

“Mmmh…” Jin moaned, sending vibration to his length. With that Namjoon came in his mouth
and Jin happily lapped it up clean. When he finished he looked up at Namjoon and smirked.
“Good God …” Namjoon was so surprised that Jin was able to do such things to him. He then sat
up and zipped his pants back up, tidying himself up as best as he could. He them looked at the
wide-eyed man in front of him affectionately. He noticed the come on the side of Jin’s mouth and
wiped it clean with his thumb. He then caressed his face and Jin nuzzled his hand.

“You better wash up.” Namjoon smiled tenderly at Jin. He then picked Jin up from the bed and
carried him to the bathroom.

“I could just walk there.” Jin giggled.

“Nonsense.” Namjoon grinned. “So… Would you like a shower or a bath, handsome?”

“I feel like soaking myself in something warm.” Jin said as he pecked Namjoon’s neck, making his
statement ambiguous intentionally.

Namjoon rolled his eyes but his smile was still there. “I got things to do.” He placed Jin on the
empty on the counter near the sink and took Jin’s pajama off, leaving him bare naked. Jin blushed.

“You’re beautiful…” Namjoon said as he admire the sight in front of him and proceeded to kiss
him gently, not minding the aftertaste of his own come in his mouth. Then, he placed Jin on the
bathtub and turned on the warm water for him.

Namjoon then walked out of the bathroom and when he returned he brought a new set of pajama
and a towel, he had already fixed his shirt and tie, his blazer and shoes already back on, his own
hair already slicked back in their place. He placed Jin’s silk pajama and towel on the counter
beside the sink. He then looked at Jin and his controlled expression was back. “I’ll be on my post
outside, Sir.”

“Okay…” Jin replied. Jin still didn’t like the idea of him pretending but he understood that if the
others find out about them, Namjoon would be in deep shit.

Namjoon bowed and left his room quickly much to his disappointment.

***

You’ve been gone for over a week.

The congressman’s son was found dead yesterday.

I found your precious ink pen at the scene.

I’ll cover for you but you need to tell me what the fuck is going on.

The text in Namjoon’s phone read.

Fuck.

It was fom Hoseok. Namjoon was still standing in the hallway in front of Jin’s room. He saw
another guard in the end of the long hallway so he decided to reply after his shift was done and he
had to control his expression so he would not look suspicious. .
It was an hour past mignight and Namjoon could finally end his shift. He walked toward the guard
in the end of the hallway, “My duty’s done for today.”

The guard nodded in response.

Namjoon walked to his room and closed the door behind him. He immediately took his phone out
and texted Hoseok back.

I’m in the big league. Namjoon replied.

A moment later Hoseok replied back. Well, shit. You did it.

I’ll tell you more later once I’m outside. Namjoon immediately erased his exchange with Hoseok
in his phone. He sighed and felt a bit weak in the knees. He had been there one night and it felt like
an eternity and many things had went on, especially with Jin. He hated hiding things but it was
what he was best at. But what he hated most of all was the fact that he had to lie to Jin. He knew it
was necessary but Jin would not be able to handle all the information at that moment because it
would be too much too soon. Namjoon immediately took off his clothes and changed into his tank
top and sweat pants and tried his best to sleep it off so he could calm down a bit more.

Since he had killed the congressman’s son, he had not sleep a wink. Honestly, the weight of taking
another human life was more than unbearable for him. But he had to pretend and tried to put his
headspace in RM’s, his alter ego’s, mind state.

He remembered disguising himself as an office boy in the congressman’s office building more than
a week earlier. He was assigned to kill his son who was secretly an agent to a rival mafia group
who had sabotaged The Shadow League weapon shipping deal. He remembered studying the son’s
movements for several days and finally, two days previously, he caught him off guard and killed
him in his own car.

Namjoon closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. Finally, he felt the exhaustion settle in
and drifted to sleep.

That night he had a new unfamiliar nightmare. He dreamt that he was a little boy… He killed a
man with a gun… Then he saw himself holding a bleeding boy in his arms… But they were only
flickers... Faces were blurred… He dreamt of an intense overwhelming emotions...

He woke up dripping with sweat and he touched his cheeks and realized that he had been crying.

What was that?

 Tension

After their deed that day, Jin was having trouble resting. He was lying on his bed after he took his
bath and changed into a clean pajama, Namjoon’s scent slightly lingered on the sheets.

He was starting to feel like he was addicted to Namjoon…

The exact reason? He was not sure yet…

All he wanted was to touch him...

And to feel him…

On him…

In him…

Everywhere…

He held back a strong urge to touch himself at the thought.

He couldn’t concentrate on eating his lunch after the maid brought some rice and bulgogi for him
to his room. They must’ve understood that he didn’t like the fancy food so they gave him more
palatable Korean meal for him. He was glad but he slightly lost his appetite again as soon as he
saw that Namjoon was acting cold again as he stood firmly in his spot in front of the door his
room. After lunch, Jin even walked out of the room to go to his lesson with Mr. Choi and Namjoon
only bowed to him before accompanying him to the study, his expression was flat and unreadable. I
could hardly tell that you just gave me a hand job and you got a blow job. Who would’ve thought
that you’re actually great at your actual job? Jin chuckled to himself.

Jin gave him glances throughout the day but Namjoon didn’t even flinch once.

It made Jin quite frustrated that they had to sneak around like that. Jin knew that his reaction was
immature but he just couldn’t help it. Again, when he went back to his room, Namjoon was silent
and he stood once again in front of the door as the maid brought him dinner. Jin saw Namjoon’s
straight posture as he faced away from the door as the maid closed the door behind her and all Jin
could think about was running his hands along his back.

Great… Now I probably can’t sleep…

Look at you, Kim Seokjin, falling for someone you barely know…

Finally, after several hours, the sleeping dust settle in and Jin started to drift off to sleep and he saw
the door closed with Namjoon still facing away from him…

***

Namjoon got up from his small twin bed and immediately went to the sink. He felt his tank top
stuck to his skin from the sweat. His breathing was shaky and his hands were trembling as he
clutched the edge of the sink. He turned on the tap and immediately washed his face with cold
water.

Calm the fuck down, Namjoon…

He took several deep breaths to steady his breathing. His thought then drifted to the nightmare. It
felt so real to him…

Growing up in the orphanage, he did not remembered his time before he was eight years old. He
was told that he was dropped in the orphanage’s door step with his birth certificate and a small bag
with the label “Little Monster” on it. He was told that he was unconscious for several days and
when he woke up he couldn’t remember a single thing. The orphanage had kept the birth certificate
a secret. Apparently, their reason behind this was for his “peace of mind.” Even until this moment,
he had not yet found out about his birth parents’ identity. All he knew was that he was eight years
old when he was brought to the orphanage with no memory as to who he was prior…

Could he be starting to remember things after killing that congressman’s son?

Have I killed someone before? If I did, who was that man? And why was I crying as I held that
bleeding boy in my arms? Who was that boy?

Namjoon looked at himself in the mirror. A confused expression was evident on his face.

Who was I?

No… Who am I?

He went back to his bed but he was no longer sleepy. Instead, he tried to remember all the things
that happened in his nightmare.

What happened to me?

Could that be the reason that I lost my memory?

***

Jin rubbed the scar on the back of his head as his mind wander. Mr. Choi for some reason decided
to repeat his lesson on the company’s share again. Jin was starting to feel irritated. He tried to
compose himself as much as possible as he answered every single question Mr. Choi gave him.
Namjoon’s presence in the room helped to calm his temper slightly.

“You’re doing very well. And I heard that you’re eating again. I’m glad.” Mr. Choi smiled.

“Well, they finally gave me decent food.” Jin folded his arms and smirked.

“Yeah… A commoner’s food. Just don’t let your parents see you eating those things. I think your
manners, taste, and etiquette need to be improved. Mrs. Song indeed raised you well but she raised
you to be a regular person, not the heir to this household.” Mr. Choi then took out a small book
from his pocket. “Before continuing with next lesson, you need to read this.”

Jin took the book from Mr. Choi’s hand. “Sun Tzu?”

“You need to study it?”

“I’ve read The Art of War before.” Jin said casually.

“It’s important that you understand it.” Mr. Choi insisted.

“Oh, I understand it, alright. The philosophy behind the tactics for warfare are useful if I were to
lead an army of soldiers. I admit that the lessons on understanding an enemy’s weaknesses and
strengths are important and they are amongst a few that I have adapted to my own way of thinking
because it might be useful in running a company. As for the rest, I have no interest in strategies for
espionage and warfare.” Jin handed the book back. “To be honest, I’m more of a Rumi kind of
man.”

“I’m glad you’ve read it and understand it… But… Rumi? Being a romantic would lead you
nowhere, Master Seokjin.” Mr. Choi sighed. “I realize you still have a long way to go to be like
your father.”

“I’m not my father.” Jin said, his voice a threatening whisper. “And I’ll never be.” He gave Mr.
Choi a death glare.

Mr. Choi suddenly smirked. “That look you’re giving me right now is the same as your father’s,
Master Seokjin.”

Jin flinched and clenched his teeth, his composure slightly wavering.

“There’s still hope after all.” Mr. Choi got up from his seat. “That’s all for today. Next time, I will
be teaching you aspects of the company’s security.” He then bowed to Jin slightly. “You’re
welcome to take a few days breaks and leave the house now that the management lesson to the
company is done. Namjoon will guard and accompany you. Make sure you refer to him by his
codename, which is RM. If you’ll excuse me.” Namjoon bowed to him. Mr. Choi nodded to him
and then left.

“I can go outside?” Jin was surprised.

“Yes, Sir. As long as I accompany you…” Namjoon said with his cold tone.

“I want to go now, RM.” Jin smiled to him playfully as he stressed the tone in his codename.

“What is the destination, Sir?”

“I want to go to the beach… I need air…”

“Right away, Sir. I will be in the car in front of the door.” Namjoon bowed to him and walked out.

Jin got up from his father’s swivel chair and immediately changed into a more comfortable attire.
He was glad that when he approached the front door the guards didn’t hold him back like last time
and instead they opened the door for him.

He saw a vintage Mercedes waiting in front of the door and Namjoon was already opening the car
door to let Jin enter. Jin then pouted. “Can we use regular car?”

“This is your car. It is much more fitting and comfortable for you, Sir.”

“I want regular car.” Jin was being his bratty self again.

Namjoon sighed. “I will consult Mr. Choi first so that we can use my car, Sir.” He pulled out his
phone and called Mr. Choi. After a brief exchange finally he nodded. “I have been granted
permission. Please use this car first and then we will switch to my car at the entrance.”

“You know that we could just walk there, right?”

“Sir.” Namjoon said sternly, clearly showing irritation.

Jin smirked that he had finally coaxed some form of reaction from Namjoon. “Okay…” Jin walked
to the car and sat in the back. Namjoon closed the door and seated himself in the driver’s seat.
A few seconds later they arrived at the parking lot in front of the tall gate. Namjoon immediately
parked the car and opened the door for Jin.

After closing the door to the Mercedes, Namjoon led Jin to his old city car. “This way, Sir. Please
excuse the clutter in the back seat.”

Jin saw the car was a black KIA city car. It was an old model but it was clean. As soon as
Namjoon opened the door for him, he saw many books in the back seat.

“I hope you don’t mind sitting here in the front seat, Sir.” Namjoon said.

“Why would I mind?”

Namjoon was quiet and he closed the door and proceeded to sit in the driver’s seat beside him. Jin
felt happier than ever that he finally could get out. He was even more excited that he was with
Namjoon.

“Let’s go now, RM.” Jin said.

Namjoon looked at him and smiled slightly. Then he noticed that Jin was not wearing his seatbelt.
“Don’t forget your seatbelt.” He reached over and put it on for Jin. Jin felt his heart started
pounding as Namjoon’s peppermint toothpaste scent attacked his nostril.

“Thank you.” Jin said meekly.

“Okay. Which beach should we go to, Sir?” Namjoon started the ignition.

“Busan… I want to go to the beach in Busan.”

“That’s too far.” Namjoon’s lips made a tight line.

“I want to go to Busan.” Jin insisted.

Namjoon sighed. He had a pleading look in his eyes. “Sir…”

“Fine. Then take me to my old neighborhood in Hongdae then. I want to go to Hongdae

Playground. I want to see if anyone’s performing there or not.”

Namjoon looked relieved. “Okay, Sir.” Namjoon pulled out his phone and messaged Mr. Choi of
their destination. Then he motioned the guards to open the gate for them. Jin felt so happy seeing
the gate being opened. Then they drove off.

Namjoon then clicked something behind his right ear and took out an earpiece about a few minutes
after the drive. Then, his tone of voice changed. “So you like underground music scene, huh?”

“Yeah… I go there sometimes to watch performances and to take my mind off of things. But please
pass my old house on the way… I miss it terribly.”

“Okay…” Namjoon said, smiling and showing dimples.

Jin felt himself blushing. “And… could we stay overnight… somewhere? I feel like making the
most of this break.” He bit his lips, feeling a bit shy.

Namjoon thought for a moment. He then looked at Jin tenderly. “Sure thing, sweetheart.”

***
Around half an hour later they arrived in a quaint neighborhood near Hongdae. “There...” Jin
pointed to a house in the end of the street. Namjoon looked at the house. It was indeed a far cry
from the big mansion. Jin leaned on the window and looked at it for a moment. “I lived there for
fifteen years since I was ten, you know…” He said. “And after graduating from college I used to
work at a tteokbokki restaurant just a few blocks from here.”

Namjoon watched Jin’s faraway look as he was telling him things about his old life.

Jin started tearing up. “I loved it here… I didn’t want to go back… But I guess with eomma gone, I
couldn’t call that house a home anymore…”

“Eomma? I thought your mother is abroad.”

“Eommonim might be my biological mother but I was not raised by her.” Jin said bitterly. “Eomma
is the nanny that raised me ever since I was born.” Tears started flowing out from his eyes.

Namjoon couldn’t bear seeing him cry. He opened the compartment and took out a box of tissues.
“Here… Don’t cry…”

“Ah…” Jin sniffled. “Thank you.” He took out a few sheets from the box and placed the box back
in the compartment. “I just can’t help it…” He leaned on the window again. Then he smiled “Did
you know, I was going to apply to an apprenticeship at a friend’s hair salon.”

“A hair salon?” Namjoon was slightly amused.

“Yeah… I’ve always loved fashion, especially hair styles… I’ve cut eomma’s hair before and all
her friends admired her haircut so I guess I got some talent in that area.” Jin then looked down.
“But I guess that would be impossible now…” His smile then disappeared.

Determined to make Jin feel better Namjoon then said, “Let’s go watch something in the
playground, okay?”

Jin wiped his eyes again with the tissue. “Okay…” He smiled slightly and nodded.

Namjoon then wheeled the car out of the neighborhood and immediately headed toward Hongdae
Playground. Namjoon then parked his car in a convenience store's parking lot near the playground.
“I’m going to get something to drink. What would you like?” Namjoon said as he got out of the
car.

“Anything warm.” Jin unbuckled the seatbelt.

“Okay. I’ll get some coffee. Wait here a bit.”

“Okay…” He smiled.

Namjoon walked in to the convenience store and grabbed two cups of instant coffee. He then
poured some hot water on them and paid the cashier. When he walked out of the convenience store
he saw that Jin was leaning against the back of the car as he looked at the playground across the
street.

“Here.” Namjoon handed Jin a cup. “Be careful, it’s still a bit hot.”

“Thank you.” Jin accepted and inhaled the scent. “How did you know I like Arabica?”

“You’re the type to inhale things before you eat so I suspect you’d like something aromatic.”
“Very observant…” Jin was impressed. “By the way, did you know… I like your scent…” He said
softly as he sipped his cup, looking away from Namjoon as heat started to radiate from his face.

Namjoon felt his heart skipped a bit because of Jin’s words and he had to control himself from
kissing him. He didn’t respond and just took Jin’s hand and led him to the crowd that was forming
in the playground. “I think the band is about to play. Let’s go.”

As soon as their skin met, Jin could feel butterfly fluttering in his stomach. Namjoon was wearing a
regular attire and he was reminded once again of their first encounter. The only thing that was
different was the fact that he was not wearing his leather jacket.

They stood in the midst of a crowd surrounding the playground. An indie band was about to play.
Namjoon let go of his hold on Jin’s hand but Jin took his hand again and interlaced their fingers. It
took Namjoon by surprise and he looked at Jin, his eyes widened.

Jin smiled warmly in response. “Thank you.” He said.

Namjoon only nodded and he focused his attention to the band that was about to play.

The band played mostly cover songs. Jin was smiling wide when the band covered Gallant’s
Weight in Gold that he couldn’t help but to sing along.

Namjoon looked at him when he heard Jin’s soft singing voice. “You’re good.” He said.

Jin blushed hard when he realized that he sang loud enough for Namjoon to hear. “I like this
song…”

“I could tell.” Namjoon smiled at him again before he turned his attention back to the band.

The band performed for quite a while, Namjoon and Jin actually enjoyed their time hand in hand as
they stood together in comfortable silence between one another that they forgot for a moment of
their own individual predicament for a bit.

Finally the band finished playing and the crowd clapped for them. Namjoon took out a thousand
won and placed it on the cap as the singer went around to gather some money.

“So… where are we going to spend the night?” Namjoon said as he led Jin back to the car.

“There’s a nice guesthouse near here that has a sauna.” Jin said. “I’ll show you the way.”

Namjoon nodded and texted Mr. Choi of their location.

“Do you have to tell him every single place that we’re visiting?” Jin was slightly irritated.

“I have to. It’s my job.” Namjoon looked at him straight in the eyes with an intense gaze. “You
don’t want me gone, right?”

“No…”

***

They arrived fifteen minutes later at the guesthouse. “I’ll take care of this. Mr. Choi gave me a
card to pay for your things.”

“Okay…” Jin looked down. He could still feel the tension and he was suddenly feeling nervous.
“One room for two, thank you.” Namjoon said to the front desk. He then paid for the room and got
the room’s key card.

Jin noticed that Namjoon’s purple hair was sticking out in different directions after a long day and
it made him look ruggedly handsome.

“Let’s rest.” Namjoon led him to the room, the intense gaze still clearly on display.

“Okay…” Jin grew even more nervous. He was not sure they would be resting.
 Desire [M]

When the door to the room closed, Namjoon couldn’t hold it in any longer. He walked toward Jin
who was standing frozen and grabbed Jin by his wrist, pressing his body against his. “Why are you
doing this to me, huh?” Namjoon’s face finally showed his true emotion. It was a mix between
anger, confusion, and raw carnal desire. He looked at Jin dead straight in his eyes. “Why?” he
whispered. “Just… why?” There was desperation in his voice.

“I…” Jin didn’t know how to respond to that, his senses were already too overwhelmed by
Namjoon’s aura. He then responded by pressing his lips on his. It was by no means a gentle kiss. It
was rushed and it turned heated in the blink of an eye as Namjoon bit Jin’s bottom lip and slipped
his tongue inside, making Jin moaned in the kiss. Tongue dancing, teeth clashing, there was a
sense of urgency. Namjoon ran his hands along his back and immediately started to take off Jin’s
coat. Jin kicked away his loafers, put his arms around Namjoon’s neck, and wrapped his legs
around his hips, locking them in place. They could feel their clothed erection colliding and it was
electrifying.

Namjoon held on to Jin tightly as he explored his mouth hungrily. “This lips of yours…” Namjoon
pulled away and looked at Jin’s saliva coated plump lips briefly, “They should be punished for
tasting so good like this…” Namjoon then sucked hard on Jin’s bottom lips, making him whimper.

“Fuck…” Jin moaned as he felt Namjoon squeezing his ass harshly, his legs started slipping from
around Namjoon’s waist. “Bed…” He sighed. “On the bed…”

Still having his lips attached to Jin’s neck, Namjoon brought Jin to one of the twin beds and laid
him down on the firm mattress. Namjoon kicked away his tennis shoes and started to roam his
hands all over Jin’s sides, making Jin squirm. “Please…” Jin gasped as Namjoon tugged on his belt
buckle. “Take it off…” His erection was pressing painfully inside the tight pants.

Namjoon smirked and unbuckled Jin’s belt. He then pulled his pants down, enjoying the sight of
Jin’s milky thighs being exposed slowly. After he discarded his pants, Namjoon trailed his hands
back up and took off Jin’s underwear. “Lift up your arms.” He said. Jin complied and lifted his
arms. Namjoon then took off his sweater. It was the second time that Namjoon had seen Jin
completely naked but this time, due to his intense desire, Jin looked so sinful to him that it was
driving him mad: his face flushed, lips swollen, eyes hooded with lust, breathing ragged, he
couldn’t be more beautiful.

“I’m going to devour you slowly…” Namjoon leaned down and started to kiss Jin’s lips once
again. His hands roamed his body, touching Jin’s soft skin, placing his gentle caresses here and
there but then he would rake and squeeze it after. His lips trailing along his shoulders, biting it and
sucking it, littering Jin’s body with hickeys. It was too much.

“Fuck me already…” Jin moaned as he bucked his hips up, trying to get some friction on his
leaking erection as Namjoon was sucking one of his nipples.

“Not yet.” Namjoon pulled away. He smirked and looked down at him. “Tell me. How would you
like this to be?” Namjoon parted Jin’s legs with one of his knees.

“Hard. Fuck me hard.” Jin bucked his hips up once again.

“Be patient.” Namjoon held his hips down. “Or I’ll tie you up.” Namjoon said darkly as he
brushed his knee on Jin’s cock teasingly.
“Oh, fuck-ngh…” Jin gripped Namjoon’s sweater. “I swear to God, Namjoon…” He glared at him,
making Namjoon smirk in amusement.

“So needy…” Namjoon then stood up and took off his own sweater, leaving only his jeans on. Jin
looked down and based on the tent in front of his jeans, he knew that Namjoon was as hard as he
was. Jin’s eyes then drifted to Namjoon’s golden torso and he noticed the scarring on his stomach
and chest once again. He reached out his hands to touch them. “These must’ve hurt like hell when
you got them.” Jin said softly as he caressed them. Namjoon smiled at him tenderly.

“What happened there?” Jin said.

“Long story…” Namjoon leaned back down and started to kiss Jin’s chest and trailed his hot
mouth and tongue along the crook of Jin’s neck and jaw, one of his hands then traveled down south
and he wrapped his long fingers around Jin’s member and started to stroke it slowly.

“Ngh…” Jin held on Namjoon’s waist, feeling the pleasure building. “My coat…” Jin whispered.

“What?” Namjoon said playfully as he sped up.

“Lube and condom—Ngh!” Jin threw his head back as Namjoon started to pump his length fast.
“Don’t—ngh-I don’t wanna—not yet! Ah!” Namjoon stopped and got up from the bed, enjoying
how wrecked Jin looked as he was trying to catch his breath. He took Jin’s coat that was lying on
the ground and rummaged through the pockets. When Namjoon found them, he immediately
recognized the half empty bottle of lube as his own.

Jin smiled at him seductively. “I took them from the compartment in your car when you were
buying coffee.”

“You…” Namjoon immediately pounced on Jin, making him yelp. His kiss was more intense than
before, making Jin close his eyes. Jin absolutely loved his taste. Jin heard a cap popped open and a
sound of something being squeezed out. Then he felt Namjoon’s slick hand wrapping around his
dick. Namjoon started to stroke him fast briefly and then his fingers made their way lower toward
his entrance.

Jin gasped when he felt a long finger entered him, stretching him slowly.

“I can’t wait to be inside you.” Namjoon plunged his finger deeper past the knuckle making Jin
moan loud at the stretch. It definitely felt so much better with lube and doing it while sober.
Namjoon lifted his hips up more to enter a second finger. His pace grew a bit rushed but he was
still patiently stretching him. He wanted to savor the moment, feeling Jin’s warm tight heat
wrapping his fingers and slowly loosening it. He brought his other hand to the nape of Jin’s neck
and kissed him harder as he entered the third digit, sucking on Jin’s tongue to muffle his sinful
moans.

Jin started trembling at the stretch. Namjoon was scissoring his way open, making sure to prep him
properly for the real deal. Namjoon then dared to enter his pinky finger to really stretch him open.
At that Jin broke the kiss and choked out a loud moan, tears started to fall from his eyes.

Namjoon stopped. “Sorry….”

“Keep going…Ah!” Jin grinded his hips down, plunging Namjoon’s fingers deeper. “I can’t’ take
it anymore…Fuck…”

Namjoon licked the tears that rolled down Jin’s cheek, savoring its saltiness. He then pulled his
fingers out and back to stroking his length. Jin started sobbing because his hard length started to
throb. “N-namjoonnnnn, ugh… Just-ngh… fuck me already…”

“Okay, sweetheart… ” Namjoon caressed Jin’s thighs and pecked his lips. “On your hands and
knees…” He lightly slapped his thigh.

Jin nodded, turned around, and got up on his hands and knees.

“Look at you… So beautiful and ready for me…” Namjoon traced his fingers along Jin’s spine,
making Jin shiver.

Namjoon unbuttoned his jeans and took it off along with his boxers. Jin was curious so he turned
his head a bit and looked at Namjoon. His eyes widened, his dick was so hard and leaking.
Namjoon then tore open the condom and slid it on his length quickly. He made sure to coat it with
a generous amount of lube, remembering that it was only Jin’s second time with him, he wanted it
done right this time. Jin looked away and turned his attention back to the headboard. He was
starting to get nervous again because he remembered from last time just how big it was inside him.
He then felt Namjoon’s hand gripping his hips tightly.

“Are you ready?” Namjoon teased him with the tip.

Jin nodded, feeling the pleasure building inside him once again. Suddenly, he felt a large hard tip
pushed past his entrance. He gripped the sheet and furrowed his eyebrows. “Ahhhh!” It didn’t hurt
like the first time but it still hurt.

“You’re still so tight even after the stretching…” Namjoon groaned.

Jin was panting as he felt Namjoon slid deeper inside him. “Ah!” Jin cried out when Namjoon was
all the way in. Jin started to sweat from the stretch. “Oh fuck…” It felt much more intense to him
now that they were doing it sober.

Namjoon then slid out a bit and pushed back in. When he did, his prostate was rammed in and Jin
felt a jolt throughout his spine. He felt the strength on his limbs wavering. Namjoon then started to
move slowly, letting Jin adjust to his size. Jin felt everything and gripped the sheet underneath him
tighter. After a few minutes, he felt himself growing accustomed to the friction and the size.
“Mmh…ngh…Namjoon…”

All the noise that Jin was making was turning Namjoon on even more. He started to dug his nails
on Jin’s hips and quicken his pace, snapping his hips back until he was out and pushed back in
harshly.

“Ngh!” Jin dropped to his elbows from the impact, he couldn’t hold his body up much longer.

Namjoon grew concerned. “Does it hurt?”

“It’s so good… Fuck... Faster… Harder…” Jin said as he pushed back on Namjoon’s cock.
“Ngh…” Jin felt the pleasure intensified.

Namjoon broke his control from his words and started going faster. Jin started to sob from the
intensity and he bit the pillow to muffle the uncontrollable sounds that he was about to let out. He
felt hot tears started to fall from his eyes “Ngh... Mmh! Mngh! Fuck! Ah! Ah! Ah!” Namjoon was
practically plowing him by then, making Jin dropped to the bed from losing the energy in his
limbs.

Seeing that, Namjoon pulled out and turned Jin around, placing his head on the pillow. He saw
tears falling on his flushed face. “Don’t stop… I’m close…” Jin whined. His cock was already
leaking so much even when it was untouched.

Namjoon was close as well and he obliged by parting Jin’s legs and lifted his hips up with a pillow
for easier access. He immediately entered him again. Jin wrapped his arms and legs around him,
urging him to push in deeper. He threw his head back when Namjoon started moving fast again.
“Fuck! Ngh! Ngh! Ngh!” His head hitting the headboard as Namjoon thrusted into him in a beastly
pace.

“You like it rough, don’t you?” Namjoon growled.

“Yes… ngh… ngh… ngh…” Jin was moaning and crying from so much pleasure. The sound of
skin slapping was echoing around the room, accompanied by Jin’s continuous lewd moan.

Namjoon rammed in mercilessly and Jin started to roll his eyes as his prostrate was continuously
drilled on. “Oh, fuck! Hah! Ah! Ah! Ahhhh!” He bit his lips to hold back his louder scream.

Namjoon then crushed their lips together once again as he started to stroke Jin’s length. “Mmph!
Mmh! Mmh!” Finally, Jin exploded, spilling on Namjoon’s abs and hand. He started seeing stars as
he rode out his orgasm. It was so intense that he started shaking.

Namjoon was still ramming his way in and then he felt his wave of orgasm. His body started
tensing and he groaned as he came, his cock finally softening. He slumped on top of Jin’s sweat
drenched body.

He then looked down to see that Jin was still trembling from the aftermath. Jin was completely
wrecked, there were hickeys everywhere, his face was so red, his eyes were puffy from crying, and
his lips so swollen. Namjoon then kissed him hard before pulling out. Jin moaned a bit when he
felt Namjoon slid out of him, feeling the soreness. He was sure that his ass was going to be tender
for a while.

Namjoon then tore away the soiled condom and tied it before tossing it away. Jin was still
trembling slightly, his abs were stained with his own come and he was so sweaty. “I’ll clean you
up.” Namjoon got up from the bed and went over to the bathroom, he washed his come stained
hand, cleaned the come on his abdomen, and then grabbed a small towel, wetting it with warm
water.

Jin looked at Namjoon as he approached him, he was still too weak to move so he only watched
him silently as Namjoon cleaned him up. “You’re so good…” Namjoon kissed his sweaty
forehead, making Jin blushed at the sweet gesture.

“I’m tired.” Jin’s eyes started to droop from exhaustion.

“You must be.” Namjoon covered him in blanket.

“After that, it would be even harder for me to pretend, Namjoon…” Jin said.

Namjoon sighed. He understood what Jin meant completely because he felt the exact same way.
“Why are we like this, Jin?”

“I don’t know…” Jin reached out his hand, taking Namjoon’s hand on his. “Sleep next to me…”

“This bed is small.” Namjoon chuckled. “I should just use the other bed.”

“I don’t care.”
Namjoon put his boxers back on and lay his body down next to Jin, holding him close. “I wish we
didn’t have to go back tomorrow…” Jin said softly.

“Yeah… I wish we could meet in a completely different situation.” Namjoon held him tigher. I
wish I could be with you all the time like this, get to know you properly, and be a normal person.
But that’s a luxury I can’t afford, Jin. Fuck… I don’t even think I deserve you…

“What is it?” Jin was looking at him, he noticed Namjoon’s pained expression.

“Nothing.” Namjoon smiled at him again. “Just sleep. You need to recover for tomorrow.” He
stroke his hair. “I hope you’d be walking just fine…” He laughed.

"Shut up." Jin rolled his eyes. But then he yawned and nuzzled Namjoon’s chest as he drifted off to
sleep.

***

About an hour later, when Namjoon was sure that Jin was already deeply asleep he slipped away
from the bed and retrieved his phone.

He texted Hoseok.

Meet me tonight near Hongdae Playground.

I’ll tell you everything.

***

A few hours later, early in the morning, Jin woke up. He felt rather sore but it was not painful like
the first time.

He noticed that Namjoon was sleeping on the other bed, much to his disappointment. Jin noticed
that Namjoon slept fully clothed.

Suddenly, Namjoon started spasming in his sleep and he woke up suddenly and he was breathing
heavily as he woke up. Jin wrapped the blanket around his waist and got up from his bed to walk
over toward Namjoon. His ass felt sore but it was not unbearable.

“Are you okay?” Jin sat next to Namjoon on the bed.

“I’m fine… Just a bad dream.” He smiled but he was still breathing hard. “How are you?”

“Sore…” Jin giggled.

“Sorry…”

“You don’t have to apologize. I wanted it.” Jin pecked his cheeks but Namjoon froze when he did
that. “You’re awfully tense.”

“Yeah… I’m just…” Namjoon didn’t finish his thought and kissed him on his lips instead. “You
should wash up, sweetheart…” He then unwrapped the blanket from around Jin’s waist and lifted
him up, carrying him to the bathroom.

“Take a bath with me…” Jin said.

“Okay.” Namjoon placed Jin in the bathtub. He then started to take off his own clothes and joined
Jin in the small tub. It felt awfully intimate.

The warm water enveloped them and Jin leaned on Namjoon’s chest as he soak in the heat.
Namjoon was leaning on the tub with Jin on his lap.

Jin could feel Namjoon’s hands massaging his lower back to ease the tension.

“What are we?” Jin said suddenly. He then turned his head toward Namjoon.

Namjoon shook his head. “I don’t know…” He then leaned in and started to kiss him passionately.
A few moments into the kiss Jin tasted something salty. He opened his eyes and he saw beads of
tears falling from Namjoon’s eyes.

You’re troubled, Namjoon…

 There's More to Him

Fifteen years ago:

That night, the rain poured hard, hitting heaps of metal scraps inside a large junk yard, making a
ruckus. The sound of the rain and thunder were complimented perfectly by loud sirens blaring as
cop cars and an ambulance surrounded the area. There was a silhouette of a man carrying a small
boy in his arms from a garage door and another boy was taken to an ambulance followed by a large
body bag.

“Hey, kiddo… Everything’s going to be fine.” The man was a cop. He was carrying a bloody and
bruised small boy in his arms who had been staring blankly without a word, his shirt torn and
bloody from holding the other injured boy in his arms. The small boy was the one who called the
cops earlier and apparently when the cops arrived the kidnapper was already dead and the small
boy was holding the other boy in his arms. The officer immediately knew when he saw the gun in
the boy’s hand that he was the one who had killed the kidnapper. “Say something.” The small
boy’s face were bruised so bad and he couldn’t help but felt his gut wrenched. He himself had a
son around his age and it broke his heart knowing that this boy had witnessed something extremely
traumatizing.

“Dead… They’re dead… M-my fault…” The small boy squeaked and suddenly his whole body
started shaking, then his eyes rolled backward, and he grew limp.

“Hey, hey!” The man tried to wake him but the small boy remained unmoving. “Shit!” The cop
then ran toward the ambulance. “Take him to the hospital!”

“Yes, Officer Jung!” A stout medic took the unconscious boy and took him inside the ambulance.

The next day, it was reported that the small boy was nowhere to be found in the hospital.

“How could you guys be so careless?” Officer Jung yelled at the security team in the hospital.
“There was clearly something wrong with him when he fainted. What if something bad happened
to him?”

“We deeply apologize, sir!” The three rookie cops bowed deeply. “We are doing as best as we can
to search for him.”

“Daddy, you said that you want to introduce me to someone…” A boy with a bright smile tugged
at Officer Jung's pant leg.

Officer Jung’s voice softened. He remembered that he had brought his son to tag along with him
for his school’s assignment to shadow his father. “Ah… Hoseok… You go run along now. We’ll
meet him later when we found him. Okay? Now just go play in the play pen over there.” He
pointed at the colorful hospital play pen in the children’s ward's lobby.

“Okay, Appa~” The boy nodded cutely and gave him thumbs up as he ran toward the play pen
happily.

Several days later it was reported that the boy who had disappeared was found. It was said that he
was found lying unconscious on an orphanage’s door step with a bag and, strangely, a birth
certificate. Officer Jung immediately left his station to see the boy.

“He couldn’t remember who he is and what had happened to him.” Sister Sora, the nun who tend to
the children at the orphanage said when Officer Jung had asked for the boy. “The birth certificate
said that his name is Kim Namjoon and he is eight years old.” She handed the officer the
certificate.

Officer Jung examined the certficate to see if it was fake. After examining the seal and the
identification number he realized that it was authentic. Why would they left the birth certificate
with him? He frowned. “May I see him, Sister?”

“Of course.” Sister Sora said as she led him to the boy’s dormitory. “But, I hope you don’t mind.
He had been throwing tantrums because he couldn’t remember anything…”

When he arrived at the boy’s dormitory he saw that the boy was sitting on a bed in the far side of
the big room, playing with a stuffed bear.

“Namjoon-ah…” Sister Sora said. “Someone’s here to see you.” She smiled.

The small boy’s head perked up. He then turned his attention toward Officer Jung. “Who are you?”
He stopped playing with the stuffed bear and put it aside. The officer finally could see the boy’s
face clearly because the bruises were no longer too prominent and he was not bloody.

“You don’t remember me? I found you several days ago.” Officer Jung said slowly, trying to read
the boy’s facial expression to see if he was telling the truth.

“I don't remember... I don’t know who you are…” The small boy said.

The boy isn’t lying. He really doesn’t know who I am…

“I now know that my name is Namjoon… Sister Sora said so…” He looked down and started to
cry. “But I don’t remember anything else… Nothing…” He started hitting himself on the head and
sobbing.

“Hey…” Officer Jung went toward him to stop him from hitting himself even more. “It’s okay.
You’re okay now.” Out of paternal instinct, he wrapped his arms around the boy. The boy started
sniffling and surprisingly hugged the officer back.

The identity of the kidnapper was initially unknown, all of his finger prints were burnt, his only
identification was a tattoo of a Black Rose, indicating an affiliation to a well-known elite mafia
with the exact name as the tattoo. The kidnapper’s DNA samples were collected and stored in hope
of finding a match in the database. A couple of months later, a DNA match was found, and to
Officer Jung’s horror, it matched Namjoon’s DNA. They finally could put a face on Kim
Namjoon’s father’s name from the birth certificate. The identity of the mother was then
immediately found out as well, she was an heiress to a diamond mining company. After being
contacted, Officer Jung found out that it was the mother’s doing that Namjoon was put in the
orphanage. After asking why, her reason was because she would not accept “damaged goods” as a
son.

What a monster… Officer Jung thought bitterly. Poor child…

As a single father, Officer Jung gave it his all as a father and as a cop, taking care of his son and
daughter all by himself. He wanted to adopt Namjoon but he knew that he would not be able to
take care of him because he was not exactly economically stable.

Time passed, he made effort in visiting Namjoon at the orphanage and even his foster families over
the years. Namjoon befriended his son and daughter but outside of that circle, grew up a troubled
teen, switching from foster family to foster family, and then one day… he just lost him.
One of the biggest regrets Officer Jung always reminded himself for fifteen years was not adopting
Namjoon...

Present day – the night before:

After putting on his clothes back and tucked Jin in, he walked out of the room. He went to the car
and put on a cap, tucking loose strands of his purple hair inside the cap and then put on his leather
jacket. Then his phone vibrated. It was a text from Hoseok.

I’m at a snack vendor across the playground.

Namjoon immediately headed toward the said vendor, steadying his walking pace so that he would
not seem suspicious.

He finally arrived at the vendor. He saw many drunk businessmen and women gathered in the
vicinity. He was not too worried about them since they would be too out of it to notice him and
Hoseok. He then saw Hoseok drinking a bottle of beer and eating dakbal in the far corner of the
vendor’s tent. “Hobi.” Namjoon said as he walked toward him.

“Ah… you’re here.” Hoseok smiled at him. Over the years, Namjoon have always found comfort
inside his smile, he was almost like a brother to him. Hoseok’s father took care of him for many
years and Namjoon always felt bad for causing so much trouble for him in his teenage years. He
tried his best to maintain their connections but it grew harder and harder for him to do so the more
he was drifting onto the Shadow League’s darker side. But that night, there was something a bit
different about Hoseok’s smile.

“How are you?”

“Let’s talk about that later, Joonie-ah… ” Hoseok said as he took a swig from the beer bottle. “You
promised to tell me everything. I’ve brought the voice recorder with me. I’m all ears.”

“Right…” Namjoon slightly fidgeted in his plastic chair. “I knew the identity of the league’s
heir… I’m his bodyguard.”

“You’re serious?!” Hoseok’s eyes widened and he immediately put the beer bottle aside.

“Yeah. But I found something very strange about The Household.” Namjoon said and he noticed
that Hoseok seemed a bit confused at the term. “That’s the name of the base.”

“I see… Okay. Go on.” Hoseok nodded.

Namjoon took a deep breath and steadied himself, “Well… the League have a lineage system in
place. So when the leader died, they had to have a family member to take charge of the league.
Apparently it has been that way for centuries, so I've been tokd. But here’s the thing, the heir didn’t
actually know about his father’s real reputation as the leader of the League. He only knew that his
father is an extremely rich man who owned a shipping company and that’s about it. He is currently
being taught things about the company. The heir is a brilliant man based on my observation. But
the more I observed the lessons that are being taught to the heir, I have seen the signs that the right
hand man with the name of Mr. Choi is slowly trying to brainwash the clueless heir.”

“Shit…” Hoseok’s eye widened.

Namjoon continued. “Yeah…They entrusted me with enough information for saving the heir from
drowning the first day I got there. I also notice that due to the heir’s upbringing away from the
luxury ever since he was taken into exile fifteen years ago, he is reluctant to be taught by the right
hand man. He is not easily manipulated and it seemed that he is the type of man to hold firm to his
stance and principle. I think that’s where the loophole is. If the heir could be convinced to leave,
then the League is in trouble. He's the key to their own downfall.”

“You saved him?” Hoseok was surprised. “Why?”

“Look, I didn’t know it was him, all right.” Namjoon bit his lips from spilling the tale of his
previous encounter with Jin. “I saved him by instinct.”

“You’re a good man at heart, Joonie-ah…” Hoseok pat his head. The gesture made Namjoon felt
like a child somehow.

“I think that’s going to bite me in the ass someday… That state of mind in this kind of situation
isn’t exactly a strong back up.” Namjoon chuckled.

“What else have you found out?”

“Well, I know the name of the heir. It’s Kim Seokjin.” Namjoon said.

“Such an ordinary name…”

“Believe me. There’s nothing ordinary about him. If he found out how much power he has within
the league and if he is swayed to the dark side then we’ll be in deep shit.” Namjoon said.

“Let’s pray that he is a good man.” Hoseok said. “But I ask you to take care of him if he does
choose the dark side.”

Namjoon froze. “What do you mean?”

“Turn him in. But if the situation is too dire, well, killing him is the most logical solution.” Hoseok
said.

Namjoon frowned and then looked down, his insides felt like it had turned to ice.

“Only you could do that. You’re more than just a snitch now, you’re a double agent. I’m just a
mere detective in Seoul’s police division. I don’t have the access. But you do.” He said firmly.
“The League is poisonous, it should be eliminated at the root.”

Namjoon completely understood the logic but his heart couldn’t accept it. “I’ll try everything in my
power.” He felt like throwing up.

“Good. We’ll make sure to guarantee your safe return as a regular citizen in the future when the
mission is over.” Hoseok turned off the recorder and took a deep swig from the beer bottle,
emptying it.

“What’s up with you, Hobi?”

“Appa is sick…” Hoseok took a bite of the spicy dakbal. “You know he was a heavy smoker right?
Well, he was diagnosed with Emphysema about a month ago and his condition
quickly deteriorated. He had a tube inserted today. The doctor said that his lungs are too weak so
he wouldn’t last long.” He then looked up at Namjoon, his eyes started to brim with tears. “He
kept asking for you…”
His words felt like a punch in the gut. “You know I can’t face him after what I did to him…”

“Namjoon, please… It was a long time ago. You’re just a troubled teenager. It was not your fault
that he was dismissed from the police division for tampering with evidence to protect you from
bigger sentence after the theft. Appa forgave you… Just once. See him.” Hoseok pleaded and took
his hands in his. “Please…”

“I’ll try.”

In the morning - On the drive back to The Household:

Jin noticed that Namjoon was back to his emotionless mode. He absolutely hated it when he
couldn’t read him. He shifted in his seat, feeling slight discomfort from last night’s roughness. He
couldn’t believe that the same man who had slept with him, handled his body in such a way, and
the one who had shown a great range of emotion as he kissed him in that bathtub could turn so cold
in an instant. It was like there was switch and he could easily flipped his emotions on and
off. Regardless, Jin was already addicted to Namjoon and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on him
again.

“RM?” Jin said.

“Yes, Sir.” Namjoon said stiffly as he adjusted the earpiece in his right ear.

“I want fried chicken before we arrive at the house.”

“Okay, Sir.”

“RM?” Jin was trying to piss him off again.

“Yes, Sir?”

“I want two boxes of fried chicken.”

“Okay, Sir.” His tone was unchanging.

“RM?” Jin put extra annoying tone in his voice.

“Yes?” This time, his tone wavered slightly, his frustration clear as day.

“Nothing. Just carry on to the fried chicken place.” Jin smiled triumphantly. Namjoon sighed an
exasperated sigh and then glared at him. Jin could only smirk in response.

After buying the chicken, Jin happily ate them in the franchise’s parking lot.

“Mr. Choi was right, you need to be taught manners.” Namjoon said as he watched Jin ate, shaking
his head as he witnessed a good looking man tarnished his image by eating like he had not eaten in
ages. He couldn’t help but laugh.

Jin rolled his eyes as he continued to eat the chicken. He couldn’t care less what he looked like
when the chicken was so delicious, his lips down to his chin were stained with sauce. “Want
some?” He handed Namjoon a piece. “Go on. I know you want it.” He grinned.

“Sure.” Namjoon smiled, he couldn’t help but slip his mask away with Jin looking at him like that.
He took a piece of tissue and wrapped the drumstick and started to eat.
“Good, isn’t it?” Jin grinned as he continued to eat the last piece of chicken noisily.

“Yeah…” Namjoon grinned back after he took a bite, dimples on full display.

Fuck, he’s hot and cute… Jin couldn’t help but stare at the dazzling sight and blushed.

“Your face is red. Are you sick, Sir?” Namjoon’s tone showed concern. “Here let me clean that for
you.” He took the empty boxes from Jin’s lap and started to wipe Jin’s face with tissue.

“I-I’m fine…” His heart started beating fast and he took the tissue from Namjoon’s hand and wiped
his own face with it.

Namjoon then looked around to see whether anyone was around and then he unexpectedly leaned
in toward Jin and pecked his lips. “Let’s go back.” He smiled tenderly at him before starting the
ignition.

"O-okay…”

Jin, you’re smitten…

 Toxic [M]

For several days after his two days break, Jin returned to his usual boring routine. Mr. Choi
strangely only interacted with him during the lessons and outside of that he seemed to be quite
busy. To Jin’s dismay, the lessons about the company's security were not accompanied by
Namjoon for it was strictly classified for Jin and Mr. Choi only. Namjoon was… well, he was
being his cold self like usual when they’re out in the open. However, Jin couldn’t help but to feel
his fondness for Namjoon bloomed. But, all he could manage was kisses, some teasing, and
nothing more. Because of the new surveillance systems they had to be extra careful so they
managed to find spaces in many hidden parts of the house and the darker parts of the garden. Any
sort of advances were, of course, initiated by Jin.

That afternoon, they were hiding behind a giant horse statue by the pond far away from the prying
eyes of the CCTVs. That day Jin felt like “taking a walk” so he went out to the garden, and as
usual, accompanied by Namjoon.

“Namjoon…” Jin gasped as Namjoon nipped at his ear. He was leaning against the statue as he sat
on a protruding space on the side just enough for him to sit and Namjoon was pinning him to the
body of the statue. Jin reached down to touch Namjoon but his hand was taken by his wrist.
Namjoon then placed Jin’s arms around his neck instead.

“No, sweetheart…” Namjoon continued with his sensual touches, making Jin squirm. Namjoon
was indeed holding himself back and Jin knew this…

“Please…” Jin squeezed Namjoon’s shoulder.

“Just shut up and let me kiss you.” Namjoon captured Jin’s lips once again. He expertly glide his
tongue inside, devouring Jin’s sweet plump lips, tasting him, and inhaling his subtle scent.

Jin broke the kiss. “I want you…” He moaned.

“Not here… And not now…” Namjoon trailed his lips to his jaw and went down to leave gentle
kisses on his neck.

“You always say that…” Jin whined.

Namjoon sighed. “I’m a bad bodyguard…” His gaze turned dark and he grazed Jin’s lips with his
index finger. “Suck.”

Jin realized what Namjoon was doing and obliged by parting his pretty lips and wrapping his
mouth on his finger. Namjoon was glad that self-control was one of his most treasured virtue but
Jin was indeed testing his limits. After Jin coated the finger with a generous amount of saliva,
Namjoon’s other hand unzipped and tugged his pants down until it pooled at his ankles and parted
his legs. Namjoon immediately took his cock and started stroking it, his other hand found its way
to Jin’s rear end. Jin whimpered when he felt Namjoon’s slick index finger slightly enter him,
teasing his rim.

“Is this what you want, huh?” There was a slight threatening edge to Namjoon’s words.

“Y-yesss…” Jin clung on to Namjoon, his head rested on his right shoulder. Pleasure was building
deep in his core, which greatly intensified as Namjoon kept on prodding his rim and stroking him
at the same time.
“You're just so hungry for my cock, aren't you?” Namjoon said before plunging his finger deep
inside, making Jin tremble. “Now be good and keep quiet.” Namjoon crashed his lips back to Jin’s
and relentlessly stroke him while prodding his hole, until he found that sensitive bundle of nerves
that drove Jin insane. Jin responded by biting Namjoon’s shoulder to muffle his scream. Much to
Jin’s disappointment, Namjoon let go. “Touch yourself…” He said darkly.

Jin couldn’t refuse with Namjoon staring into his soul like that. So he leaned back on the statue
and wrapped his hand on his member. He started stroking it while looking at smirking Namjoon
until he came on the grass.

“You’re so mean…” Jin said, gasping as he slid down from the statue, unable to hold his own body
up any longer. “I hate you…”

Namjoon immediately wrapped his arms around him to stop him from falling and brought his pants
back up and then zipping it.

“I know…” Namjoon whispered and then proceeded to kiss Jin passionately.

In their private time such as this, Jin couldn’t help but notice that Namjoon seemed to have many
things on his mind because he always held back from going any further, which frustrated him. It
was pleasurable and Jin secretly loved it but he craved for much more than that…

As for his father’s condition, it was reported that he was stable but he was still too weak to go back
to the house and his mother was still abroad, not that Jin cared. Several new guards were in place
and Jin noticed many unfamiliar faces, except for Namjoon and the main guards in the entrance
and the hallway leading to Jin’s room. He had asked Mr. Choi about the old guards and Mr. Choi
said their shifts were often rotated to guard different locations related to Jin’s family assets. After
absorbing all of his lessons, even with great reluctance, he now understood just how much his
family owned and what sort of responsibility that he was given. It was a lot but Jin was sure that he
was able to handle it in the long run with the right assistance.

“With all of these assets, why aren’t there any charities or homeless shelters that we could donate
some of the money to or at least be affiliated with?” Jin had asked during one of the lessons.

“You will attend charity dinners and donate money but being affiliated with one is not how we
work, Sir.” Mr. Choi explained.

“Why? With all of these money, we could practically buy islands. Don’t you think it would be
better for the image of the company at least if you’re thinking about profits?” Jin said. “It could
even help with expansion.”

“I suppose. It’s just that your father does not work that way.”

“I told you. I’m not my father.” Jin hissed, gritting his teeth.

“If you could propose a better company strategy, I will consider, young master.” Mr. Choi said
curtly.

Everything were quite ordinary for several weeks after, until one dinner night. Jin was happy and
because of a particular hot make out session in his bathroom, he was not feeling like pissing
everyone off. He was having dinner with Mr. Choi with his usual Korean meal. He was happy that
his mother was still away so he could indulge himself in having hearty Korean meal for several
weeks now. He didn’t have much to complain now with the lesson, with Namjoon around, and
good food.
At least that way he could stay sane.

Suddenly, after he drunk the red wine given by the maid, he started to feel sharp pain in his
stomach.

“Argh!” He clutched his stomach and dropped the wineglass.

“Young Master!” Mr. Choi went over toward him and Namjoon immediately followed as well.

“It hurts!” The pain was excruciating. Then he started to feel dizzy and started coughing.

“Young master!” Namjoon held on to him.

Jin started convulsing and he started coughing up blood as Namjoon held him.

“Shit!” Mr. Choi then examined the bottom of the wine bottle. “Black Rose.” He whispered.

“What?!” Namjoon’s eyes widened. “How?!”

“We have the antidote. I’ll get them. RM, bring young master to his bedroom. Quick!”

“Yes, Sir!”

Jin was still coughing, so much blood was pouring from his mouth, and he felt like his body was
on fire. He held on to Namjoon as he was lifted off from his chair.

“N-namjoon…” He whispered weakly to Namjoon’s ear as he was carried to his room. “It hurts…”
He started shaking and tears started to fall from his eyes.

“You’re going to be okay…”

Everything hurts. “I don’t want to die…”

Namjoon laid him down on his bed and immediately went to the bathroom to get a towel for the
blood. As soon as he went to tend to Jin again he noticed that he was drifting in and out of
consciousness.

“Hey! Stay awake!” Namjoon shook Jin’s shoulder.

“I feel sleepy…” Jin’s eyes started to droop.

“Stay awake, Jin!” Namjoon squeezed his shoulders harshly, hard enough to inflict pain so that he
could keep him awake.

“Argh!”

“Stay awake!” Namjoon slapped his face.

“I can’t…” Jin’s eyes started to roll inside his skull and he started convulsing again.

“Shit!” Namjoon slapped his face again. “Stay awake, Jin!”

Jin finally stopped convulsing and his vision cleared momentarily. He looked at Namjoon with
bleary eyes. “Namjoon… I… I… I lo--” His eyelids drooped and he lost consciousness.

“Fuck.” Namjoon felt his heart dropped as he saw Jin unconscious with blood still pouring out of
his mouth. “No… No!”
Mr. Choi finally arrived with a syringe. “How is he?”

“He fainted a moment ago! Hurry!”

“Shit!” Mr. Choi went over to Jin and shot him with the syringe.

Jin gasped when the syringe took effect and he immediately opened his eyes. He coughed again
and more blood poured out of his mouth.

“You’re no longer in danger but you need to be taken to the hospital, young master. Your stomach
lining must’ve sustained some damage from the poison.” Mr. Choi took his pulse and sighed in
relief when he felt that it was normal.

Jin could only nod weakly. He no longer felt like he was on fire but his stomach was still hurting
and he felt so weak. Namjoon wiped the blood from his mouth and neck. But he couldn’t do
anything about Jin’s shirt since they were ruined from the blood already.

“RM. It looks like there needs to be some extermination work tonight. You know what to do with
the new guards.”

“Right away, Sir.” Namjoon headed out the door.

“Shit.” Mr. Choi muttered under his breath and dialed the number for the ambulance.

“Who did it?” Jin felt too weak to move and there was still stabbing pain in his stomach, his clothes
and bed a bloody mess.

Mr. Choi looked at him. “Not yet, young master. For now, you need to be taken to the hospital.”

Jin nodded but he still felt dizzy and, before darkness enveloped him, he heard gunshots.

***

Jin heard beeping sounds and he opened his eyes. He looked around he realized that he was in an
unfamiliar white room. The hospital… Jin tried to sit up but he felt a bit of pain from his stomach.
He looked down, opened the blanket covering the lower half of his body, and lifted his hospital
gown slightly. There was a small bandage covering a bit of the upper half of his abdomen. He
winced as he sat up. No one was around but he noticed a shadow of purple hair through the frosted
glass window from outside the room. Namjoon…

There were several tubes that run to his vein on his right arm and there was a patch with a cable on
his chest attached to the heart monitor. His lips felt dry and he felt like drinking something.

“RM.” Jin said. He raised his voice loud enough for Namjoon to hear.

He saw the purple shadow from outside of the room moved. Then the door opened and Namjoon
entered. “Sir, you’re awake.” Namjoon smiled, showing an expression of relief. Jin felt glad that he
was not hiding his expressions from him.

“Yes… What happened?” Jin said. He still felt a bit tired so he laid himself down again from his
sitting position.

“You ingested some deadly poison, Sir. You just went through surgery to fix the tear in your
stomach.” Namjoon said as he closed the door and immediately sat on the chair by the sick bed.

“I was poisoned?” Jin was confused.

“Yes, Sir. Now you must recover.” Namjoon took Jin’s hand.

“Why would someone want to poison me? Who did it?” Jin simply couldn’t wrap his head around
the situation. His thoughts ran a mile a minute. Then he remembered the wine. “It was in the wine,
wasn’t it?”

Namjoon bit his lips, he was not in the position to tell Jin any more information. “Yes, it was in the
wine. The person who did it is already taken care of. I don’t know why someone would poison
you…”

Jin looked at Namjoon, his gaze was analytical as if trying to search for something. “You’re hiding
something from me.”

“Sir…” Namjoon gave him a pleading look and shook his head. He then let go of Jin’s hand. “I
will inform Mr. Choi that you’re awake.”

Jin was incredibly confused as he watched Namjoon leave the room. A few minutes later, a tired
looking Mr. Choi entered the room. “Young master, you’re finally awake. Thank heavens!”

“Mr. Choi… you need to tell me what the fuck is going on here.” Jin glared at him.
 His Other Side

The night before:

Namjoon was breathing hard as he finished firing his gun point blank at the five new guards. The
other guards were alarmed and immediately pointed their guns at him. “It was an order. Young
master had been poisoned with the Back Rose venom. They cannot be trusted any longer. Take all
of these bodies away and burn them.” Namjoon said robotically. They put down their guns and
immediately several guards retrieved the bodies and dragged them out of the house.

A few moments later Jin was taken to an ambulance and he was immediately taken to the hospital.
Namjoon felt so helpless and he felt his insides twisted knowing what was to come. Mr. Choi
immediately went over toward Namjoon, clearly displeased. “If he died, it would be your fault. But
he’s alive so I’ll let you live. How could you let this happen?” He screamed at the remaining
guards and Namjoon. “Especially you, RM. Don’t let this happen again. As a punishment, you
know what to do.” He said coldly.

Namjoon nodded and kneeled on the floor. He then numbly unbuttoned his shirt. He took out a
pocket knife and looked up at Mr. Choi.

“Go on.” Mr. Choi looked down at him.

Namjoon then made several cuts on his abdomen. He tried so hard not to make any sounds and bit
the insides of his mouth until it bled instead.

“Good.” Mr. Choi turned away and headed out the door to follow the ambulance to the hospital.

Namjoon dropped to his hands and knees, feeling the pain settled in. The cuts were always deep
and his white shirt were stained with the dripping crimson liquid from his wounds. The other guard
immediately returned to their positions. I just took the punishment alone for you all and all I got is
silence… Assholes…

He staggered as he tried to stand. He immediately went to his room to clean up the bloody mess
and patch up the scars immediately. He bit a towel and proceeded to open a bullet and then
scattered the gun powders on the open wounds. He then lit them and writhed in pain on the floor as
he felt the burn. He laid there for several minutes, trying to steady his breathing. He looked down
and saw that the scars were no longer bleeding and all that were left were charred marks on his
abdomen.

Nineteen. He counted the scars on his abdomen and chest. Nineteen cuts. One more cut and…
Seppuku… One more cut and I’ll be a dead man.

***

In the morning:

Namjoon have never seen Jin being truly angry but the hard gaze that Jin gave Mr. Choi was full of
rage. This side of Jin was so unfamiliar to him that it slightly frightened him.

“I repeat. What the fuck is going on?” Jin yelled. “And don’t lie to me.” He spat bitterly.

“How do I explain this… Well…” Mr. Choi for the first time bowed his head slightly and averted
his gaze away from Jin. “Let’s just say that you father have many enemies.”
“Enemies?” Jin scoffed. “Way to be implicit, Mr. Choi. I was poisoned, for fuck’s sake. Someone
tried to turn my insides into a bloody mush. I almost died.” He narrowed his eyes. “It was an
assassination attempt, wasn’t it?”

Mr. Choi was silent as he nodded.

“Why would someone want to assassinate me? Just how important is my position at the company
that it could motivate someone to try to kill me? What kind of company is this anyway?” Jin sat up
and leaned on the wall on the edge of the bed, his eyes was scanning Mr. Choi. “Don’t you dare
try to turn my own questions against me. I know how you think.”

Namjoon could only watch as Jin’s anger took over. He observed the widening of the eyes, the
increase in his breathing rate, and the way Jin’s fists started to clench.

“Young Master, this is not the right time…” Mr. Choi said. His voice sounded as if he was
begging.

“Not the right time?” Jin’s tone of voice rose. “I’m not stupid enough to leave it at that.” Then his
expression changed as if something had dawned on him. “Shit. This must’ve had something to do
with the kidnapping 15 years ago, right?”

Mr. Choi looked alarmed and he glanced at Namjoon. “Sir, you can’t say that when he’s around.”
He pointed at Namjoon.

“He’s my bodyguard which means it’s his job to protect me. He needs to know.” Jin said sternly.

Namjoon could tell that Mr. Choi was reluctant. “Fine… I will tell you why… But you need to
heal first and then you will know. You have my words, Sir.”

Jin was clearly unsatisfied by the answers. “If you don’t tell me now then I don’t want to be the
heir anymore. Toss me on the street. I don’t care. I can’t stand you. I can’t stand being at the
house. I can’t stand my parents. I can’t stand all of these nonsense.”

“You can’t. You are needed.” Mr. Choi was

“Fuck that.” Jin was not having it. “If being an heir means that I am putting my life on the line then
I’d rather leave, thanks.”

Mr. Choi sighed. “Being your father’s son is the only thing that can unlock many things, Sir. Your
blood is basically a lifetime contract. Even if you try to leave, you will be forced to return again.
Even if your father died.”

“Why?” Jin frowned.

“You have not been taught enough about your family background, young master… You see…
Your family history is rich… And not in a way that you might expect. Soon it would be your time
to learn about the empire. You should look forward to it in our next lessons after you recovered.”

“But-- Empire?” Jin sat up suddenly but he slumped back down, clutching his stomach and
wincing in pain.

“I've said too much. You should heal and rest, Sir. Your father is in the same hospital, just two
floors above if you want to visit him. He’s in the ICU. Don’t worry, we’ve made sure to guard this
place to the max. I will be on my way.” Mr. Choi bowed to Jin. “RM, you have been granted
access to more information by the young master. Don’t think of this as extra privilege, it’s for
Young Master’s protection. Do your job well and keep your mouth shut.” He said before leaving
the room. Namjoon bowed at him in response.

After he left, Namjoon turned his attention back to Jin. “Are you okay?” Namjoon inched closer
toward the sick bed, showing concern. “The stitches are still fresh. You should be careful.”

“I’m fine.” Jin said flatly, not looking at Namjoon in the eyes. He then sighed and closed his eyes.
“Why is this happening to me, RM?” He opened his eyes, slightly tearing up.

“It’s not my place to say and, truthfully, I don’t know much either.” Namjoon was telling the truth,
he only knew a handful of information and he was quite surprised.

Jin looked up at him with his tearful doe eyes, the hard gaze he showed earlier was no longer
present. “Namjoon-ah… I’m scared…” He whispered and reached out his hand.

Namjoon’s heart skipped a bit at Jin’s way of saying his name and held Jin’s hand. “Bear with it.
Don’t worry… I’ll be there for you.” He tried so hard to keep his composure because he felt like
crying as well seeing Jin in this vulnerable state.

“You promise?” Jin sniffled.

“I promise.” I’ll try as best as I can…

Namjoon was about to leave the room but Jin clutched the hem of his blazer. He glanced at the
camera monitoring the room and sighed.

“Stay here with me. Let the other guards do it instead. That’s an order.” Jin smiled.

Namjoon nodded and pressed something in his earpiece. “I need someone at the front of Young
Master’s room. I was ordered to guard inside the room.” Soon there was a shadow of a figure
standing outside the door where Namjoon was stationed earlier.

“I wish I could kiss you.” Jin said softly as he took Namjoon’s hand once again in his and gently
squeezed it. “Thank you for what you did, Namjoon.”

“It was my job.” Namjoon rubbed the back of Jin’s hand with his thumb. “But, I’m sorry. I
should’ve protected you better.”

“You protect me just fine. I’m alive, right? You kept me awake. I remember.” Jin looked at
Namjoon’s eyes with so much intensity that it unnerved Namjoon slightly.

Namjoon looked away. “Still…”

“I don’t want to hear it, Namjoon… Just stay here with me until I fall back asleep.” Jin motioned
his hand to the spot beside him on the sick bed.

“Okay…” Namjoon sat by his side.

Jin held on to Namjoon’s hand and they stayed quiet and looked at one another. They have grown
accustomed to each other’s presence that it felt comfortable even though they were not saying
anything. No words were spoken but they could feel just how strong their feelings were. Slowly,
Jin’s eyes started to droop and he was falling asleep little by little. Namjoon sat by Jin’s side as he
admired the beauty before him. He had always known that Jin was a textbook definition of
handsome but he never really took his time admiring his beauty, he never noticed just how long
Jin’s eyelashes were, how his lips curved into a perfect kissable pout, how flawless his skin was,
and just how calm his face was as he slept. He held back the urge to caress his face, knowing that
the cameras were watching them. He had held too many feelings for too long that he was slightly
afraid he might do something reckless again. Namjoon knew from all of the advances Jin made
that Jin was feeling the exact same way but it was far too dangerous to pursue anything further.

Namjoon tried hard to hold it in. He let go of Jin’s hand when he was sure that Jin was already
asleep. He then tucked Jin in, stood up from the bed, and proceeded to sit on the sofa beside the
bed instead. He sat quietly as he kept on admiring Jin’s sleeping form, guarding the man he
harbored feelings to and, at the same time, supposed to be spying on. Sure, he felt just how
complicated his situation was but it was his reality at that moment.

I’ll find a way, Jin… I’ll set both of us free…

***

A week later, Jin was finally able to move around again but he was not granted to leave the
hospital just yet because of the surgery scar. He had to give it another week until he could return to
the house.

“I want to visit my father.” Jin said, grimacing after he drank his liquid lunch, he was not allowed
to eat solid food yet.

“Now?” Namjoon said, surprised. It was the first time that Jin had even mentioned his father.

“Yes. After I thought about it, I think I need to see him.” Jin sat up and put his blanket aside.
“Could you bring me to him, RM?”

“Okay, I’ll ask the nurse for a wheelchair. You’re not allowed to put too much strain in your body
just yet.” Namjoon walked outside to call a nurse and a few moments later he brought a wheelchair
with him.

“Thank you.” Jin smiled as he sat on the wheelchair.

“It's my duty.” Namjoon then carefully placed the IV drip on the holder on the side of the chair
and wheeled Jin out of the room.

As they went out of the room, Jin immediately noticed many men clad in black suits scattered
around the area. The guards…

Noticing Jin’s discomfort, Namjoon squeezed Jin’s shoulder lightly. “They’re there for your
protection. They are scattered all around the hospital.”

“Yeah, I noticed…” Jin hung his head low.

Then, a man screamed from the end of the hallway just beside the elevator. “Get back here, Jeon
Jungkook!” Suddenly, a boy in his late teen ran toward them head on without stopping.
Namjoon's fast reflex moved the wheelchair away from the boy just in time and the boy crashed to
the nearby pot of fake plant instead.

“Argh!” The boy yelped as he crashed to the floor. He then clutched his bandaged arm. Namjoon
immediately noticed many cuts and bruises on the boy’s face.

Several nurses ran toward the boy and a man in his mid-forties followed behind them. But then the
man stopped in his track when he noticed Namjoon and Jin. He immediately bowed to them “I’m
sorry, Master Seokjin. My son Jungkook is quite a handful.”
“Oh, you must be Mr. Jeon, the owner of this hospital.” Namjoon said.

“Yes… I’m so sorry about this.” He bowed to them once again.

“Let me go!” Jungkook tried to break free from the nurses’ hold. “I have to get out of here. I’m
fine!”

“Jungkook. You broke your arm and you have a concussion, you’re on blood thinner, you can’t
leave yet!” Mr. Jeon said desperately.

“It’s mom’s birthday, dad! I have to go to her!” Jungkook tried to shake his body away from the
nurses’ grips again but then he froze and slumped to the floor.

“Jungkook!” Mr. Jeon went over toward his son. “I told you to not move around so much!”

“Let me go…” Jungkook clearly ignored the presence of other people around him and looked at his
father with tears streaming down his face.

Namjoon immediately felt a tug in his heartstring upon seeing the boy. He then walked away from
the wheelchair and went toward Jungkook. “Hey, Jungkook…” He said, suddenly. Jungkook then
turned his head toward Namjoon. “My name is RM… It’s your mom’s birthday, isn’t it?” Namjoon
said tenderly.

Jungkook nodded, he was clearly mesmerized by Namjoon’s presence. “Yeah… I have a present
prepared for her.”

“Oh, you do? I’m sure your mother will love it.” Namjoon’s voice was soothing and he stroke the
boy’s head slightly. “Well, you should give your present to your mom once you’re well. You don’t
want to worry her when she sees you like this, right? You don’t want to make her sad on her
birthday, right?”

“No… I don’t want to make her sad…” Jungkook’s lips trembled.

“Get better for your mom, alright? I’m sure you want to see her smile as you handed the present to
her, right?”

Jungkook nodded and then tried to stand up but then he soon fainted.

“Jungkook!” His father and the nurse held him up. Soon the boy was carried by the nurses back to
his own ward.

“Ah… I’m so sorry about that…” Mr. Jeon bowed to them again.

“It’s okay, sir.” Namjoon said as he went back to hold Jin’s wheelchair once again.

“Thank you for saying those things to him. It was very kind of you…” Mr. Jeon said, his eyes were
slightly brimming with tears. “He hasn’t been the same since the divorce, he became quite a
handful and got into fights a lot these days. Ah... I probably said too much...”

“I’m sure in time he would come to his senses…” Namjoon assured him. “I… was once a teenager
like that as well… Young and hot-blooded.” He smiled. “Well, I’ll be going to the seventh floor
with Master Seokjin here.”

“Ah… Yes… Thank you.” Mr. Jeon bowed again.

“Good day and I hope your son recovered well.” He bowed to Mr. Jeon. Namjoon then wheeled Jin
toward the opened elevator.

Jin was mesmerized at the sight, he couldn’t help but stare at Namjoon. “What?” Namjoon
apparently noticed Jin’s wide-eyed stare.

“N-nothing… It’s just… That was very sweet of you.” Jin looked down and blushed.

“That boy needed to hear those things…” Namjoon said.

Jin couldn’t help but felt his heart beat faster. “You’re very good with your words…”

“You’ll be surprised.” Namjoon chuckled.

Jin had never seen this tender and charismatic side of Namjoon before and it made his heart melt.

Then the elevator stopped at the seventh floor.

“RM… I need to go to the restroom a bit.” Jin said softly as the door opened.

“Yes, Sir.” Namjoon then wheeled Jin to the nearest bathroom.

Once they went inside, Jin immediately stood up from his chair and faced Namjoon. “The coast is
clear.” He stepped closer toward him. “Namjoon-ah… Kiss me…”

Namjoon looked at Jin tenderly briefly and immediately wrapped his arms around him and pressed
his lips softly on Jin’s. Jin circled his arms around his neck and responded by parting his lips
slightly to let Namjoon taste him. Jin brought one of his hands lower and caressed Namjoon’s chest
and abs through his shirt.

Then Jin noticed that the skin on Namjoon’s neck was slightly a bit hotter than usual. He pulled
away. “You’re a bit warm and sweaty, Namjoon. Are you okay?”

“I’m just a bit tired.” Namjoon said.

Jin haven’t noticed this before but Namjoon looked a bit pale. Then he felt something wet on
Namjoon’s shirt and when he looked down he saw yellow sticky substance on his shirt and a bit of
blood. “Namjoon! What is this?”

Namjoon looked like he was in a daze and looked down. “Fuck… It’s leaking again...” He sighed.

“Let me see it, Namjoon.” Jin said. He was worried.

Namjoon was a bit reluctant at first but then he unbuttoned his shirt anyway. Jin was horrified by
what he saw. There were several burnt gash and puss was seeping from one of them.

“Namjoon… This one looked infected…” Jin felt tears prickled from the corner of his eyes. “What
happened?”

“It was my punishment…” Namjoon smiled weakly as he swayed a bit, he was clearly unwell.

“Punishment? For what?” Jin held on to him.

“For not protecting you enough. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine, Jin. I took
antibiotics for this. They will heal.” Namjoon said as he pecked his cheek. He then buttoned his
shirt back up.
“Namjoon-ah…” Jin kissed Namjoon deeply and then held on to him tightly. “I’m so sorry…” He
stroked his hair and caressed Namjoon’s back slightly.

Namjoon returned the favor by caressing his face and then showered Jin with sweet butterfly kisses
along his cheek and jaw and then proceeded to kiss Jin passionately once again on his lips.

“Don’t be…”
 The Knowing

After assuring Jin that he was okay, Namjoon brought Jin to the ward where his father was staying.
More guards seemed to be stationed in the hallway leading to the ICU, indeed the Head of the
Household was to be guarded well until his dying breath. When Namjoon was about to enter with
Jin, he was held back and he was not allowed entry. Reluctantly, he had to watch Jin entered the
room by himself.

“I’ll be waiting here, Sir.” Namjoon said as he helped Jin up and put the IV drip on the nearby
available holder.

“Thank you, RM.” Jin nodded as he grabbed the wheeled holder and entered the room.

Namjoon watched him walked toward the dying man from the glass windows surrounding the
ICU.

***

Jin saw his father’s thin frame lying on the sick bed in the center of the room. “Abbeonim.” Jin
bowed as he stood beside his father’s sick bed.

His father turned his head toward him. “Seokjin-ah…” His father said softly, tubes were hooked up
to his arms and chest, his hair were all gone, and he was extremely thin. “Sit down beside me.” He
motioned Jin to sit beside him on the sick bed.

Jin was caught off guard by the way his father said his name, he said it almost with a tone of
affection. “Yes, abbeonim…” Jin sat on the space beside his father.

“I’m sorry you have to go through all of this…” His father said, the regret was evident in his
father’s hoarse voice.

Jin was not sure what was happening but he was desperate to find out what has been happening to
him. “Please enlighten me, father. I’ve been in the dark for far too long…”

His father took his hand. Jin could feel the bones as his father held his hand and the temperature of
his skin was frigid. “Come closer…” His father motioned him to come closer toward him and Jin
leaned down. His father then whispered “You must run, Jin… Run for your life. Get out. It’s Mr.
Choi… He’s dangerous. You have to get out… Run… He’s been in control for a long time…
Run…” He gripped Jin’s arm and started shivering.

“What are you talking about, father? I-I don’t understand.” All of this was too much too sudden.
Jin saw that the look in his father’s face was that of extreme fear.

His father’s grip grew tighter. “Our family history is based on lies. It's all lies. The existence of The
Shadow Clan is based on false history… There is no lineage. He just wanted the key to our family's
vault and own our fortune. He killed your mother when she was trying to run. That’s why she has
not been back.” His father then took out a gold watch from under the pillow. “Here. The key to the
vault is in there. Take it and run. Start over.” His father’s voice grew weaker. “The Black Rose
Clan. They’ve been trying to destroy us and they’ve succeeded. Don’t trust anyone. Run. Just run.
Abandon everything. End this nonsense. I’m… tired of all of this. My son… I am so sorry…”
Suddenly his father started shivering again but this time he was unresponsive and kept on
shivering.
“Abbeonim!” Jin watched in horror as the heartrate monitor started beeping wildly.

Jin was frozen for a second and he immediately called for the nurse. Jin retrieved the watch and
went out of the room quickly as a team of nurses and a doctor entered the room. He slightly
staggered by the glass door way and his face had lost all colors. Namjoon immediately went over
to his side when Jin walked out of the ICU.

“RM, I think it’s time to go back to my room. Now.” Jin said sternly as he sat back on his
wheelchair. “Quickly.”

“Yes, Sir.” Namjoon then wheeled him away from the commotion and went back to the elevator
and down to their floor below.

***

Jin’s father went to a coma and Namjoon noticed that Jin had been quiet during the whole recovery
period in the hospital. He was distant and often spaced out a lot. He even avoided Namjoon and
requested many alone time. Namjoon could only follow orders and only had been on the lookout.
Nothing went on much but he could feel extra tension building between Jin and Mr. Choi every
time Mr. Choi visited to give him lessons. Jin did not allow Namjoon to be present for this lessons
for some reason and it bothered him.

Finally, after the long week, Jin was able to leave the hospital and his wound was deemed healed
enough and he was allowed to move around again but he was not allowed to do strenuous activities
and his meal were tightly controlled for several more months because of the internal nature of the
wound. Basically, Jin is going to be very weak for a long while and it worried Namjoon more.
Then, Jin was brought back to the mansion.

They were in the limo drive back to the mansion and Namjoon sat beside Jin in the passenger seat.
Suddenly, Jin took his hand. Namjoon could feel him trembling.

“RM, stay close to me when we go back to the mansion. Don’t leave my sight.” Jin said with an
unreadable expression.

“Roger that, Sir.” Namjoon nodded. He was relieved that Jin finally interacted with him properly
after about a week but he couldn’t help but notice that there was something off about Jin.
Something sinister…

After arriving, Jin immediately ordered to move Namjoon’s bed to his room. “I feel safer with him
around.” Jin said to Mr. Choi after a brief argument. Jin was insistent and finally after he
threatened Mr. Choi with the thought of leaving, Mr. Choi gave in and let Namjoon stay with him
in his room. Namjoon could feel venom in Jin’s voice as he argued with Mr. Choi. He was not sure
what to think anymore. Jin was not acting like himself and he wanted to find out what it was that
had disturbed him so much.

That night, as Jin was lying on his bed, he said softly out of the blue “Namjoon, you’re the only
one I trust.”

Namjoon was on his bed which was placed several feet from Jin, keeping an eye on him. “Why?”
He asked. Those words felt like a punch in the gut to him because he had been spying on Jin. And
to think that he had gained Jin’s trust was sadly ironic.

Jin shook his head a bit. He didn’t want to answer. Instead, he turned toward Namjoon and reached
out his hand “Sleep beside me. Please…”
“The others will talk if they see us together in the morning.” Namjoon was worried.

“I don’t care what they think anymore.” Jin insisted as he reached his hand out more.

“They’ll punish me, Jin.”

“I may have a weak body but I can protect you.” Jin looked at him straight in the eyes. “I have the
power here.” He pointed to his own head as he assured him. Namjoon raised his eyebrows at Jin’s
sudden confidence in that statement.

Namjoon immediately got up from his bed and walked toward Jin’s bed. Jin immediately took his
hand and smiled at him. Namjoon felt relieved seeing the smile on Jin’s face. He laid himself
down beside Jin and looked at him straight in the eyes. “Tell me what’s wrong, Jin? What’s been
on your mind lately?”

“There’s just too much on my mind, Namjoon…” Jin caressed his face and brushed his thumb on
Namjoon’s lips before leaning toward him and kissed him gently. Namjoon felt his heart beating
fast as Jin brushed his soft and warm lips on his. He had missed this. He had missed holding him
close and he had missed the affection and skin contact. The lack of it had been too painful to bear.
Jin then pulled away and rested his head on Namjoon’s chest.

Namjoon immediately wrapped his arms around him, relishing the warmth emitting from Jin’s
body.

“Namjoon-ah…” Jin’s voice wavered as he whispered. “You must promise to help me when the
time comes…”

“I will do everything in my power to help you, Jin. It is my job.”

“No. You don’t understand, Namjoon. My father told me something that confused and terrified me
at the same time before he went into a coma. Then I dug deeper as I continued my lesson with Mr.
Choi… I finally found out why I’m here. I know why you were assigned to protect me. I know
about your punishments. I know why somebody tried to kill me. I know what this family is hiding.
I’m the heir to this so called “Shadow Clan” mafia.” Jin wrapped his arms tighter around Namjoon.
Then he said, “My family is a dangerous bunch, huh? I… had no idea.” Jin then took a deep breath.
“And apparently my father told me that there is more to this… More than you as the Shadow Clan
best mercenary even know.” He continued. “Yes, I know who you are now, Namjoon.”

He finally knew. Namjoon could tell that Jin was crying as he buried his face on his chest. “Jin…”
Namjoon couldn’t bring himself to say much more. He was relieved that he didn’t have to hide
informations from Jin but he was not sure what to do now Jin had found out about one side of his
story. Jin still doesn’t know about me working for the police. Then he dared asked. “What are you
going to do now?” There was still a slight fear that Jin was going to choose to run the Shadow Clan
Empire.

Jin then looked up at Namjoon and flood of tears ran down his cheeks.

“I want to get the fuck out of here.”

 The Mission

Namjoon noticed that Jin was becoming more and more secretive as the days went by. “Jin?”
Namjoon said as he approached Jin’s bed that afternoon, bringing an herbal drink. Jin’s body was
weak and frail because the lengthy internal healing process required him to only eat soft food in
small amounts before he could eat his regular meal again and Jin refused them most of the time
unless he was absolutely hungry. Namjoon sat beside Jin who was writing on a small notebook. As
Namjoon scoot closer, Jin stopped writing and closed the notebook, placing it under his bed.

“Yes, Namjoon.” His face was unreadable.

“You need to drink this.” Namjoon handed Jin the mug. “You need to heal fast.”

“Thank you…” Jin took the mug and gulped down the bitter content immediately. “Urgh…” he
grimaced.

“Is it that bad?” Namjoon said as he took the mug back and placed it on the night stand.

“It’s disgusting…” Jin laid back down on the bed and started to stare into space.

“What’s wrong, Jin?” Namjoon took his hand, gently caressing it. It pained his to see it lost its
fullness due to the lack of nutrition.

Jin slightly squeezed his hand. “There’s a lot on my mind… It’s starting to weigh me down…” Jin
turned his head toward Namjoon and looked at him with glossy eyes. “It’s going to take some time,
Namjoon, before escaping…”

Namjoon nodded. “I understand.”

“Kiss me.” Jin suddenly said as he reached his other hand out to him.

Namjoon leaned down and gently brushed his lips on Jin's, he could slightly taste the bitter
medicine on his lips but he didn’t care. Jin softly glide his tongue on his bottom lip and Namjoon
captured it between his lips. He dipped down a bit more to deepen the kiss and Jin wrapped his
arms around his neck, sighing in the kiss. After a moment he then pulled away and nuzzled his
cheek. “Thank you, Namjoon-ah…” Jin whispered softly as he unwrapped his arms from around
his neck.

“You should rest more.” Namjoon pecked his forehead and stood up.

“Yeah…” Jin’s eyelids slightly drooped, feeling the effect of the medicine.

That night, as Namjoon started to drift off to sleep, he saw Jin getting out of his bed and then
walked out of the room. Namjoon sat up and followed Jin out of the room but he couldn’t see Jin
anywhere in sight. He started to panic but then after a few minutes of searching he was relieved to
find Jin in the mansion’s library, staring at one of the bookshelf. Namjoon positioned himself so
that he would not be seen by him and quietly observed him from afar. He then saw Jin taking out a
book and took a seat on a sofa near the window and started to read. After about an hour, Jin fell
asleep and Namjoon proceeded to carry him back to his bedroom. Other than the library, Jin would
wander to the small gallery in the middle of the house or some other random rooms inside the
house. This went on for some time until one night Jin noticed him, “I know you’re there, Namjoon.
You can come closer and watch me at closer distance. It’s okay.”
Other than wandering alone in the middle of the night from time to time, Jin would also stay up all
night in front of the computer but Namjoon was not good at figuring out what it was that Jin was
typing in the small black screen. Namjoon knew they were codes but he was not able to understand
them.

Namjoon knew that Jin was a brilliant person and he figured that Jin must be planning something.
It surprised him to see that even though Jin was weak he was still thinking about escaping. To
Namjoon, it was still a mystery as to how he was going to escape his predicament. He knew that
there were other things that Jin was hiding.

Namjoon was unable to report anything to Hoseok for some time other than letting him know that
the heir had been injured and weakened. It was good news for Hoseok because he said that it
would be easier to defeat the mafia group that way. Namjoon had to convince Hoseok that Jin was
not a bad guy but Hoseok found it hard to believe. Because of that, Namjoon grew even more
uneasy. He realized that Jin was in danger regardless whether he was in The Household or out of
The Household.

Another thing that bothered Namjoon the most was, despite what Jin had said about Mr. Choi, Jin
had gotten friendlier with Mr. Choi and acted cold toward him when Mr. Choi was near. But after
that, as if feeling guilty, Jin would come up to Namjoon’s bed at night and wrapped his arms
tightly around him, kissing him so hard until he couldn’t breathe, but then after that he would cry
his eyes out before drifting off to sleep.

Days went by and Jin developed a nightmare. He would be tossing and turning at night, sweating
profusely and whimpering as if he was in pain. Namjoon would get up from his bed and lay
himself next to Jin to comfort him every time it happened. On the other hand, ever since Namjoon
spent his nights with Jin after the poisoning incident and having Jin in close proximity somehow
made his recurring nightmare lessened bit by bit.

But, still… all of those things were too confusing.

Jin, please tell me what’s going on…

***

One evening, Jin was playing Othello in his father’s study with Mr. Choi. It was their fifth game.
So far, the game was still tied. “Do you know why I prefer Othello over Chess?” Mr. Choi said in a
cocky tone as he placed his white piece and turned over three of Jin’s black pieces and claimed one
corner of the board.

“Why?” Jin said as he claimed another corner of the board as he turned over five white pieces,
making him lead the score board by three points. He then looked at Mr. Choi intently.

Mr. Choi slightly raised his eyebrows seeing what Jin had done to the board. “Well… It’s because,
in Othello, you could see just how much your army grow by eliminating the others, like a plague.”
Mr. Choi placed a piece on the board and turned over two pieces, making the score tied once again.

“Huh… I thought you would say something different. I myself prefer Othello over Chess.” Jin
placed a piece in another corner of the board, claiming a secure position. “Contrary to Chess, in
Othello all of the pieces are equal. And…” Jin pointed to the board showing Mr. Choi that his
white pieces were no longer able to move, indicating that it was still Jin’s turn. “When the pieces
are equal, thus they all have an equal fighting chance.” Jin flipped over several pieces. “No kings,
no queens, no knights, just flat round pieces, a utopian dream. But,” It was still Jin’s turn, Mr.
Choi’s pieces still couldn’t move. “Othello is also a scary game. Because when you’ve claimed the
board and your opponent’s pieces are all gone, it shows you that when all is uniformed and truly
equal, you no longer exist to reach for a higher goal. You’re just there and merely live for the sake
of living alone.” Jin flipped over some more white pieces. “But, the beauty to this game is that, if
the opponent is good enough, a piece would still remain and reminded the winning pieces that they
meant something.” Jin finished flipping all of his pieces, leaving a single white piece in one corner
of the board.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Mr. Choi looked at what Jin had done to the board. “You were holding
yourself back before this, weren’t you?”

Jin smirked but didn’t answer. “I’ll be in my room resting.” Jin got up from his seat. “RM?” Jin
motioned Namjoon who had been standing near the doorway to open the door for him. He then
started to walk toward the opened door.

“Your lessons are almost complete. But before you go, there’s one more thing that you need to do.”
Mr. Choi said.

“What is it?” Jin turned toward Mr. Choi.

“A mission for you alone. RM, go outside, I need to talk to Young Master alone. It’s classified.”
Mr. Choi said.

Namjoon looked at Jin briefly as if he was hesitating, his expression was laced with worry. But
then he bowed and walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Mr. Choi then open a compartment just under the desk. He then took out a wooden and intricately
carved box. “There would be a charity event tonight. That’s where your mission would take place.
This mission is a tradition. It is what this family had done every time an heir would take over his
father’s position.” Mr. Choi opened the box and he pulled out a small silver blade. “You are to kill
another heir at the charity event tomorrow and take over their company.”

Jin froze. He did not expect this. He reached out his hand and took the blade. He was
contemplating to just stab Mr. Choi’s eye with it until it reached his brain but he couldn’t bring
himself to do it. No, he had other plans. He needed to see where this was going.

“And then what happens after I kill this heir?”

“After that, it’s simple. When the heir is gone we’re going to make the remaining family bow
down to us and if anyone tries to fight us then we’ll destroy them.” Mr. Choi calmly said. “We’ve
been doing this to regular conglomerates for decades, Jin, by killing the owners and taking over
their wealth. That’s how this clan was able to survive and thrive for so long. After that, you’ll reign
and the empire continues.”

It slightly unnerved Jin at how calm Mr. Choi could be when it came down to killing. Taking
another life was completely against everything he stood for. Jin had to plan his excape sooner than
he thought. He took a deep breath, praying that his fast beating heart would calm down. He then
looked at Mr. Choi straight in the eyes. “Easy.” Jin said, making his voice as steady as possible.

Mr. Choi smiled. “Good. Your target is Min Yoongi of the Min's Corporation.”
 Fear

A brief moment later, Jin walked out of the study and his face had grown paler than it already was.
Jin slightly wobbled then leaned on the wall, looking a little out of it so Namjoon immediately
went over to him to support him up.

“Are you okay, Sir?” Namjoon held him up by putting one of Jin’s arm around his shoulder.

“I’m okay… We’ll be going to a charity dinner tonight, RM.” Jin then leaned on him. “Walk me to
my room, RM… I’m a bit dizzy…”

“You still have not eaten properly…” Namjoon then helped Jin to his room and placed him on the
bed. He felt worried looking at Jin in that state.

“Shit…” Jin said as he closed his eyes. “Change of plans, Namjoon. I think we’ll have to escape
tonight…” He then looked up at him “But… I’m still too weak… So promise me to stay by my
side. I really want to get out alive.”

“Okay… Jin. I promise to stay by your side.”

“We’ll do it after the charity dinner.” Jin said. “Yeah… We will run after that.”

“Rest for a bit, Jin.” Namjoon said as he took as seat beside Jin, stroking his hair.

“Namjoon, I’m scared.” Jin said, his voice wavered.

“Me too… But rest a bit for now. You need to save the energy for later. I’ll wake you up in a few
hours.” Namjoon said.

Jin nodded. He then took out the box from his pocket and put it beside him before he dozed off.

When Jin was finally asleep. Namjoon took his phone and texted Hoseok immediately. “Change of
plans. It’s sooner than I thought it would be. Downtown tonight at Min’s Corporation
building at a charity event. The time has come.”

Sent.

***

Jin stared at himself in the mirror as he was buttoning up his black silk shirt. The shirt hung too
loose for his liking but he knew it was because he had been losing weight since the surgery. He
trailed his hands on his face and sighed when he realized just how thin and frail he looked. He was
about to go to the charity events in a couple of hours. After buttoning up the shirt he then combed
his hair with his fingers, trying his best to look presentable. Then there was a knock at the door.
“Please open it for me, RM.” Jin said toward Namjoon who was standing by the door.

Namjoon nodded and opened the bedroom door. It was one of the maids.

“Excuse me, sir. But I was told to come here to prepare you for the charity dinner.” She entered
carrying a box, which Jin recognized as a makeup toolkit box. The girl looked rather young and
nervous so Jin couldn’t refuse and let her enter.

“Come in.” Jin smiled at her. “You don’t have to be nervous around me. It’s okay. ”
The girl smiled slightly but she was still looking nervous. She then bowed and entered the room,
averting her gaze from him.

Jin then walked toward the cushioned seat in front of the vanity. “I assume you would be putting
makeup on me… What’s your name?”

“It’s Lin.” The girl said.

“Well, come here, Lin.” Jin motioned her toward him. “Make haste since I will have to leave in
two hours.”

“Okay.” The girl approached him and put the makeup toolkit on the vanity. Lin took out several
things and Jin recognized most of them. “I’ll just freshen up your face, Sir. It’s just going to be
very light makeup. You’ve been ill so I’ll make you look healthier.” She smiled. She then took out
a bottle with soothing smelling clear liquid, poured it on a cotton pad, and started to wipe Jin’s face
with it.

Namjoon stood by the door, observing him from a distance.

“Why, thank you, Lin. I really do look quite unhealthy these days, don't I? It’s because I haven’t
had my ramyeon in a while.” Jin laughed a bit, trying to ease the tension. “Please just call me
Oppa.” Jin said “You look awfully young to be working here. I haven’t seen you before today.”

“Well, I just started to work yesterday when you were taking your full day rest in your room. I …
had to replace my brother… Since my family is in debt with your family and my brother is… gone
when you got sick, I took over. I used to be stationed in the street. Just like RM over there.” Lin’s
voice wavered and glanced at Namjoon briefly.

Jin seemed to get the hint and from what he understood was that Lin’s brother must’ve been one of
the guards that were executed the day when he got poisoned. “I’m sorry…”

“It happens, Sir—I mean—Oppa. I understand that protecting you is the top priority in The
Household.” Lin said as she dabbed something cool and refreshing on Jin’s face, but Jin couldn’t
help but saw that her eyes were starting to well up with tears, which she blinked away immediately
to focus back on her task.

Jin frowned and stayed silent like he was in deep thoughts as Lin finished putting makeup on him.
“There. All done.” Lin said as she put all of the tools back in the kit. She then looked at Jin’s face,
“You’re very handsome… I’d believe you if you said you’re an idol or actor.”

“I wish. That’s a better alternative than being stuck in this hell hole…” Jin muttered to himself.

Lin was then looking at Jin curiously. “You… are different, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t have the look in their eyes… And I’ve known your family for some time.” Lin said,
there was a mysterious tone to her voice as she was deeply gazing at Jin’s eyes, deeply boring in to
his soul. “You are not like the rest of them. You’re… actually good. Holy shit.” Her shy demeanor
quickly changed. It was as it she was throwing her mask away.

“You’ve only known me briefly. How can you tell by just looking at me?” Jin laughed.

“I am trained to analyze people.” Lin said calmly. “For instance, I know you guys are in some sort
of relationship as soon as I walk in here.”
Jin’s eyes widened.

Namjoon stepped in and pointed the gun at the back of her head.

Lin laughed as she put her hands up. “Please, it’s not like the rest of this household couldn’t tell. I
heard you both spend time too much time alone and often went out of the line of sight from the
CCTV. You sleep in the same room. And you, Young Master, you have that look in your eyes
when you look at RM. Many have assumed, you know. But there’s no concrete evidence.” Her
gaze then hardened. “And I know you both are up to something…” She then thought for a moment.
“My guess is that you both are planning an escape…”

Namjoon then clicked the safety off. “I’m warning you.”

“Look at you, Mr. Bodyguard.” Lin kept her hands up. “You can relax, RM. I don’t take sides. In
fact, I don’t particularly care. I have my own reasons to help you, Young Master. The most
important thing that I finally now know that the Young Master over here genuinely does not want
to replace his father. I can help you, Kim Seokjin. I may be stationed here as a maid but I am also a
mercenary just like RM.”

“How can I trust you?” Jin backed away slightly.

“When the time comes, you’ll know. I will be stationed at the charity dinner tonight as well.” Lin
then put her hands down. “You’re no match for me, RM.” She then immediately took the makeup
toolkit and hurriedly ran out of the room, intentionally bumping Namjoon’s shoulder on her way
out.

“I don’t trust her.” Namjoon said as he put the gun back in the holder in the back of his pants.

“We’ll just have to see.” Jin said. Then he walked back toward his bed and took the box Mr. Choi
gave him. He then opened the box and took out the small silver knife. He examined the intricate
handle as well as the leather encasing the blade briefly. He then stood up and put his blazer on and
then proceeded to put the knife in the inner pocket of his blazer. “Well, let’s go then, RM.” He
held out his hand toward Namjoon.

Namjoon took Jin’s hand and led him out of the room and to the limo parked just outside of the
front door.

***

Namjoon was nervous out of his mind. He recognized that blade immediately. It was the infamous
killing blade that belonged to the household. He had heard about it from words of mouth amongst
the other mercenary and other members of the league but he had never seen it in person. He
thought it was just a rumor. Namjoon assumed that it was what Mr. Choi had talked to Jin about
earlier that day in secret. Jin has been given his first mission. If he succeeded, then he’ll take his
father’s place, claiming his throne.

But what disturbed Namjoon the most was just how calm Jin looked beside him as they drove
away to the Min’s Corporation charity dinner. Jin, like he had been for the past couple of weeks,
was still unreadable.

“Sir, are you okay?” Namjoon said.

“I’m fine since you’re here with me.” Jin smiled at Namjoon tenderly. He then took Namjoon’s
hand in his and leaned on his shoulder, not caring that the driver was looking at them with a frown
on his face through the rearview mirror.
Namjoon could feel Jin’s sweaty palm and he realized that Jin must felt very nervous. He then
slightly squeezed his hand, reassuring him. “You’ll be okay. I will keep my eye on that Lin girl. I
still don’t trust her. I’ll protect you.” He whispered.

“I know you will, Namjoon-ah.” Jin said softly so only Namjoon could hear. “Thank you…”

Finally, they arrived at a big building in the middle of the city. Namjoon opened the door for Jin as
he stepped out of the limo. Jin then walked ahead on him toward the door leading to the building.
Namjoon then looked up at the banner on the top of the door saying “Charity Dinner In Honor of
The Min's Corporation’s Heir 25th Birthday and Professorship.” There was a picture of a young
man on the side. The picture showed a youthful man with sharp intelligent eyes yet soft features.

“Wow… He’s my age yet he’s already receving his professorship? He must be a genius.” Jin said.
He was genuinely in awe.

“That is Min Yoongi.” A familiar voice said from from the back. Namjoon and Jin turned around.
It was Mr. Choi. “Good. You’re finally here. Your table is already reserved inside. You will be
dining beside the family, Sir. Please follow me.” Mr. Choi led him inside the building. Namjoon
noticed five more bodyguards walking behind him and Jin. He then looked to his side and he saw
Lin in a bodyguard uniform instead of a housekeeping uniform she had earlier that day. Lin
must’ve noticed him looking at her and she gave him slight nod and then proceeded to walk behind
Mr. Choi instead.

The guards from the Household then were all stationed surrounding the ballroom inside of the
building. Namjoon noticed that there were more guards inside and assumed that they all belonged
to the Min’s. He took his position near Jin’s table along with Lin. He saw Mr. Choi introducing Jin
to people. Jin somehow kept his composure and just went along with Mr. Choi.

When the time of the charity event drew near, Namjoon saw the man in the portrait took his seat at
a piano on a stage. Min Yoongi, the heir of the Min’s Corporation. He then saw a couple sitting on
the same table with Jin and Mr. Choi clapping with excitement. That must be the Min’s.

Then the light in the ballroom dimmed and a spotlight were directed toward Min Yoongi. Then a
deep voice echoed in the ballroom. “Hello. Everyone. My Name is Min Yoongi. Thank you for
coming to this charity event in lieu of my recent achievement in becoming a professor as well as
birthday celebration. I will take this moment not to receive gifts but instead, give back to those who
are more deserving.” Then the man briefly explained about his cause and what the charity
supported which were for the orphanages, the children in the foster care system, and the homeless.
It slightly moved Namjoon to hear such sincerity coming from such a person because the cause
that he was supporting really hit close to home for him. And it pained him to know that he was
being targeted to be killed.

“And now… As my gift for you all since you have kindly decided to contribute to this cause, I will
play a piece entitled Rêverie by one of my favorite composer, Debussy.” Then the man started
playing and the ballroom grew even quieter. Namjoon saw Min Yoongi transformed into another
being as he played the piano so beautifully. It was as if he was one with the piano making the
music come alive. He then took a glance at Jin and he saw that he was crying as he watched the
performance. Please, Jin, do the right thing…

Then time flew by and the event continued with charity auctions. Namjoon saw Min Yoongi taking
his seat beside Jin and they introduced themselves toward one another and as the time passed they
seemed to connect well as they got friendlier with one another. By the time the food for the charity
dinner arrived, Jin and Yoongi were already talking in banmal. Jin really played his role well,
almost too genuine for Namjoon’s liking. Namjoon briefly glanced at Mr. Choi and he saw a smug
smile of his face as he observed the two.

Then suddenly the light in the ballroom gone out and it was pitch dark. Namjoon was frozen for a
minute because he was not given prior warning before this so he immediately went over toward Jin
but when he reached out his hand toward Jin’s chair he was no longer seated in his seat.

“Young Master?” Namjoon started to feel panic in the pit of his stomach. When his eyes adjusted
to the dark he saw Min Yoongi, Jin, Mr. Choi and Lin were no longer in the vicinity. He only
saw the Min’s, Min Yoongi's parents, holding each other. “Fuck.”

Then he could hear gunshots and then chaos immediately erupted as people started screaming.

No. No. No. “Jin!” Namjoon screamed as he searched the crowds which were fleeing the ballroom.
Finally, the light entered when the ballroom door opened and hundreds of people suddenly fleeing
for safety. “Jin!”

Then he saw the curtain to the stage flutter. No one in their right mind would go to the stage in this
kind of situation so Namjoon immediately ran toward the stage.

He then lifted the curtain and entered the stage. His eyes grew wide at the scene before him. He
saw Lin holding on to Min Yoongi, making the man kneel on the floor. Mr Choi was behind Jin,
talking to him. He then saw Jin taking out the blade from inside the pocket of his blazer.

“Please…” Namjoon could hear Min Yoongi begged.

A brief moment later, he saw a red dot on the back of Jin’s head. Namjoon immediately realized
that the agent from the intelligence service in allegiance with the police department that Hoseok
was in must have arrived. He turned his head toward the direction where the dot was coming from.
It was a sniper.

No.
 Patience

Namjoon immediately stealthily ran toward the sniper who was still taking his aim from behind the
curtain on the other side of the stage. He finally went close enough to grab the gun from him.

“Don’t do it! Don’t shoot! He’s not going in for the kill!” Namjoon hissed as he took away the gun
swiftly.

The sniper immediately lunged at him to retrieve his gun back, punching his gut, knocking him to
the floor.

“I’m the snitch! Stop!” Namjoon got up and tugged at the gun. Then he could hear screams from
the stage and Namjoon froze.

“Not going in for the kill, my ass.” The sniper said he pointed the gun back at Jin but suddenly he
dropped the gun. “Fuck.” The sniper quickly ran for the stage.

Huh?

Namjoon got up from the floor and ran after the sniper. He saw that Min Yoongi was still alive and
no harm was done to him but he saw Lin and Mr. Choi was no longer in sight. He then saw to his
horror that Jin was lying on the floor and Min Yoongi in distress as he was clutching Jin’s wrist
and there was blood seeping from his hold. He then bolted to their sides. “Jin!”

“When that Mr. Choi guy kept on telling Seokjin to kill me he suddenly just did this to himself.”
Min Yoongi said tearfully as he held on to Jin’s bleeding wrist.

Jin was trembling and Namjoon saw that he was losing consciousness. “Namjoon... I thought you
left me…” Jin said softly as he looked at Namjoon, tears were falling from his eyes.

“Stay with me, Jin!” Namjoon then ripped the hem of Jin’s shirt and tied a tight knot around Jin’s
wrist to stop the bleeding. He then wrapped his arms around him. “You’ll be okay. I’m here.”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t know what I was thinking… I was trapped...” Jin said weakly. “Namjoon… I
love you…” He was slowly growing weaker because he was losing too much blood.

“I love you.” Namjoon said without hesitation and kissed him. Namjoon pulled away as he wiped
the tears from Jin’s face. “Take him to the hospital! Quickly!” Namjoon roared at the sniper. “I
will go after the right hand man. Min Yoongi, you go with him.” The sniper nodded and then
hoisted Jin from Namjoon’s arms and carried him out of the stage with Min Yoongi following them
behind. “I’ll be back!” He said as he ran after Mr. Choi and Lin.

They’ll pay for this.

***

The next day, Jin woke up in the hospital. He looked around to find no one in sight. He was in a
ward with four beds but he was the only one in the room. Then he examined his right wrist and he
saw that it was bandaged. Then he remembered, “Namjoon!” He yanked the IV from his other
wrist and immediately got up from the bed. He went over to the closed door but when he tried to
open it, it was locked from the outside.

“Hey! Open the door! Let me out!” He banged at the door. “Where is Namjoon?! Get me the fuck
out of here!” He continued to bang the door helplessly. After a minute, finally there were
movements from outside the door and a shadow of a figure could be seen from the frosted glass.
Jin stepped back and there was a clicking sound coming from the door. Then, the door swung open
and a man in suit with sharp features and piercing gaze walked in.

“Who are you?” Jin walked backward.

“I’m Jung Hoseok. I’m with the Seoul police department and the intelligence service. You are
under our protection.” He said calmly.

“Where is Namjoon?” Jin said immediately. “I want to see him. Please.”

Hoseok was silent for a bit and averted his gaze from Jin. “Not now.” He finally said.

“I want to see him.” Jin repeated. “Now.”

“Why did you do it?” Hoseok said suddenly as he grabbed Jin’s right wrist.

Jin yanked his arm away from Hoseok and sat back on his bed, avoiding the officer’s piercing
gaze. “I… didn’t know what I was doing… My mind went blank…” He said softly. He really did it
at the spur of the moment at that time when he felt the feeling of hopelessness accumulating. His
mind drifted back to the stage:

“Do it, Kim Seokjin. He’s right there. Kill him and you will reign.” Mr. Choi said from behind
him.

“I-I can’t…” Jin was trembling as he held on to the blade. “Namjoon…” He looked around.

“He’s not here. Just do it.” Lin yanked Yoongi’s hair to expose his neck. Yoongi clenched his eyes
shut as he whimpered. “KILL HIM!” Mr. Choi screamed.

“No…” He said firmly and then his mind went blank.

The next thing he remembered was Namjoon saying ‘I love you’ before kissing him and going
after Mr. Choi and Lin. Namjoon…

Then a thought hit him. “Why am I under your protection? Which hospital is this? Where is
Namjoon?”

“Calm down. I understand that you are quite unwell after the doctor examined you yesterday. It
said that you suffer from malnutrition and you are still recovering from a surgery wound that
repaired the tear in your stomach lining.” Hoseok took his seat on a stool near the sick bed. “You
are here to recover and to be protected from the Shadow League’s right hand man. Based on my
observation you did not accept your position as the new leader so it makes you a target by your
own clan as well as the opposing mafia clan, The Black Rose.”

“Yes. I refuse to accept something that goes against my principle as a human being.” Jin said as he
looked at the officer dead straight in the eyes. “I may be physically weak but I don’t change my
heart that easily.” Then Jin remembered. “If I am indeed under protection, I think I have something
that can help you.”

“Oh?” Hoseok’s head perked up. “What is it?”

“It’s best for me to show you. Where is my blazer? There’s something inside the pocket…”
“You mean the small notebook, the watch, and the USB drive?” Hoseok said.

“Yes. But I’m the only one that can understand them and open them.” Jin said as he leaned back on
the bed, feeling the exhaustion settled back in.

“Are you okay?” Hoseok said, genuine concern was etched on his face.

“I’m okay… A little tired…”

Hoseok then noticed the IV drip. “Ah… I’ll get the nurse. I’ll bring those three things. What else
do you need?”

“I need a laptop for the USB. And please tell Namjoon to come here… I want to see him…” Jin’s
voice wavered and he felt tears started stinging his eyes. He wanted to hold Namjoon so bad.

“Okay…” Hoseok’s voice softened but Jin couldn’t help but saw a flicker of sadness in Hoseok’s
eyes for a moment. Hoseok then stood up from the stool and walked out of the ward. “I’ll tell you
about Namjoon later…” He said before closing the door. A couple of minutes later the door
clicked open and a nurse walked in and re-inserted the IV drip on Jin’s wrist and gave Jin some
warm porridge and milk. “Thank you.”

The nurse bowed and walked out of the ward, locking the door on the way out.

Jin leaned back on the bed and tried to make himself comfortable after he ate a couple of spoonful
of the porridge and drank the milk. He felt a bit better after that but he couldn’t shake the uneasy
feeling inside. Namjoon…

After about half an hour the door to the ward opened again and Jung Hoseok walked in with two
other men in black. “They are with the intelligence service.” Hoseok said. He then took a box and
gave it to Jin. “Those are the items that you spoke of.”

One of the men in black then handed Jin a laptop. “It’s already hooked up to the net if you need it.”
The man said as he took the porridge bowl and the empty glass of milk from the foldable table on
Jin’s lap and replaced it with the laptop.

“Thank you.” Jin opened the laptop and inserted the USB drive. “I will reveal to you my family’s
secrets. I have crucial information to bring the clan to the ground.” He concentrated on the laptop
and typed away. “Even though I was sick, I still have my brain intact. I didn’t just laze around and
do nothing. I thought about escaping numerous times...” After a few clicks Jin turned the laptop
around. “I gained access to the dark web and found all of the transactions and my family’s illegal
shares. Also, I found all of the secret hideouts and connections with criminal organizations from
abroad.” Jin made a few more clicks. “I found the list of the members too.”

“Holy shit.” Hoseok said, his eyes grew wide. “You did the major work for us… We couldn’t even
crack the site.”

“That’s thanks to my father.” Jin said as he opened the small slot underneath the watch. “I was
given a key to a small vault and it led me to that small notebook. It has all the passwords and
access that I needed. Even Mr. Choi, the right hand man, doesn’t know about it.”

“You father gave you the key? Why? How?” Hoseok looked utterly confused.

“He basically told me that my whole family history as Shadow League is a scam. I don’t know the
whole nitty gritty detail how it came about but I can assume that it was done to gain followers and
to help increase wealth. I was also taught by the right hand man for some time and based on my
analysis it was rather cult-like. They brainwash people for a living and they even tried to brainwash
me. The drug trafficking and the weapon selling were just the tip of the iceberg.” Jin then handed
the laptop the other man in black so he could examine it. “My father had a change of heart before
he went on a coma and couldn’t keep up with the façade any longer. The one that you want now is
the right hand man that goes by the name Mr. Choi. Out of anyone I’ve seen in The Household,
he’s the most dangerous since he is very persuasive and a pathological liar. My father warned me
about him but I am still not quite sure what Mr. Choi’s true intention other than just wanting to
take over my family’s fortune and reign the league…”

Jin flipped a couple of pages from the small notebook. “I found everything about the things that my
family owned but I found nothing about The Black Rose. I wrote down my statements inside as
well just in case you need a recount of what I have gone through inside The Household. That is all
that I could give you.” He looked up and handed one of the men in black the small notebook.

“Kim Seokjin.” Hoseok went over toward him and put a hand on his right shoulder. “You truly are
a good person, aren’t you?” His gaze became friendlier and he gave him a wide smile.

Jin let out a sigh of relief. “I just want to be a normal person. I want nothing to do with them
anymore… I’m done...” He then paused for a moment and then suddenly a flood of emotion
washed over him. “Please… Where is Namjoon?” He started tearing up and he clutched his chest,
feeling it constrict.

“Namjoon is still finishing his mission…” Hoseok said carefully. “But… we have trouble
contacting him since yesterday.” He was looking at Jin’s reaction curiously. “I’m sure he will be
fine because he’s… well… he’s Namjoon. I have faith in him.”

“I knew he was hiding something from me… I had a feeling… He was working with you the whole
time, wasn’t he?” Jin smiled slightly at Hoseok.

“Yes. He’s doing the most dangerous task that none of us could ever do.” Hoseok then sat beside
Jin on the bed. He then paused briefly. “Why are you crying this much, Kim Seokjin? Why are you
so persistent on seeing him?”

“He’s… the love of my life...”

 Lost

The day before:

Namjoon ran toward the backstage door as fast as he could and tried to find any clues as to where
they went. He saw no one so he ran to another door in the end of the backstage room. It was an exit
leading out to the hallway. I’ll kill him… I’ll kill them… Anger took over every single fiber of his
being. He will never forgive what they have done to Jin. Then he heard the sound of feet stomping
in the fire escape just beside the door to the backstage exit. He turned toward the door to the fire
escape and opened it. The sounds were coming from above and he looked up and sure enough he
saw the Mr. Choi and Lin heading to the rooftop of the building. He ran up the stairs after them,
trying to catch up to them.

After finally reaching the very top floor, he opened the door to the rooftop of the building
and pulled out his gun. But he immediately put his gun back down because the sight before him
was unexpected: Lin was pointing the gun at Mr. Choi. What?

“Good. You’re here.” Lin said coldly as she steadily kept the gun pointed at Mr. Choi.

“What’s… going on?” Namjoon was confused.

“Tell him… uncle.” Lin said as she sneered.

Uncle?

Mr. Choi’s eyes widened at Lin. “You recognize me?” he said as he kept his hands up. “But you
were so little when I left you, Lin.”

“You remembered me. I see. Good for you.” Lin scoffed. “I recognized that voice and the scar on
your foot anywhere, uncle. I had to make sure it was really you when I washed your feet two weeks
ago. I will never forgive what you did to me as a child, telling me to be a fucking drug mule. I was
five!” She screamed as she clicked the safety off. “I have waited the last five years to gain access to
the Household and when I finally did, I felt like I’ve won, even though I lost my brother in the
process. Fuck you and your cowardly ass for changing your fucking face. Fuck you for avoiding us
for 15 years but then decided to run back to the Black Rose. Fuck you because you thought you
had the right to comeback after you poisoned the oblivious Young Master just to prove how much
control you have.” Lin said bitterly.

“What?” Namjoon said.

“That’s right, RM--No--Namjoon. It was him that poisoned Kim Seokjin.” This time the gun shook
slightly. “And you know what’s even more fucked up?” Lin paused briefly but still keeping her
eyes glued to Mr. Choi. “He’s your father.”

Those three words felt like gunshots to his gut. What? “I-I don’t understand… What are you
talking about, Lin? My father? Him? But my father died fifteen years ago...” Namjoon staggered
backward.

“If he didn’t change his face, you are the exact copy of his younger self.” Lin said. “But I read your
file, Namjoon. You lost your memory just before you were eight and was raised in the foster care
system for years before joining the League, am I right?”

Namjoon stood in silence, trying to process everything.

“Well, let me refresh your memory. You are the heir to the Black Rose clan, you are my cousin,
and you are also the son of the heiress of a diamond company… and this piece of shit.” She was
still firm in her stance, keeping the gun steadily pointed at Mr. Choi.

“Namjoon… I can explain…” Mr. Choi stammered. Lin shot one of Mr. Choi’s legs, making him
fall to the ground and cried in agony.

“Shut it. You are just going to spit more lies.” Lin threatened as she sheathed her gun back. “I’ll
take my time.” She smirked.

Mr. Choi whimpered as he clutched his wounded leg.

“I suppose you want to know the trauma you have experienced that made you lost your memory,
right?” Lin said.

Namjoon nodded slowly. He wanted to know but he was also afraid of what he was about to hear.

“Well, it was my father’s doing. Five years ago, I found out through a journal containing all his
plans from fifteen years ago. He kidnapped you because he was betrayed by his own twin brother
in an operation.” Lin pointed at Mr. Choi. “I read that The Shadow Clan was his idea, Namjoon.
There was no Shadow Clan before 20 years ago. He just wanted power. Since he couldn’t rise in
the Black Rose Clan because of his rank and upbringing, he decided to make his own clan. He was
clever. For years he silently worked with Kim Seokjin’s family. Then finally he left The Black
Rose after he established himself and the clan. My father was destroyed seeing his twin brother
betrayed him and making his family—my family—outcasts after what he did. The Shadow Clan
was created by him as he seduced the conglomerate’s family, Kim Seokjin’s family, to create a
mafia group and a fake history, making use of their powerful connections to gain wealth and even
more power.”

She continued. “You see… My father, the one you killed fifteen years ago, was his identical twin.
He kidnapped you because he thought that by harming you, it would hurt him and made him come
back. But it didn’t work… He was stone cold and truly evil. But my father also had other plans in
case it didn’t work. So he kidnapped Young Master Seokjin as well to destroy both of the clans. It
didn’t work either and that was because of you Namjoon, even though you were unaware of it.”
She glared at him. “I snooped to the police records and they put my father’s DNA and your DNA
as a paternal match. They were not wrong but they matched the wrong twin.” She scoffed. “And
you protected the same person you were protecting fifteen years ago… And then you two fell in
love… It must be destiny, huh… I’m actually quite envious…” She said mockingly.

“The other boy… was Seokjin?” Namjoon said numbly. He was still trying to process all of this
clusters of new information. It was confusing and overwhelming. His mind was reeling.

“Oh, you seemed to have regained bits and pieces, huh. Well, I hope you could remember more
after this.” She then pointed the gun at Mr. Choi and fired, shooting him on the head, killing him in
an instant. The scene was eerie because Lin used a silencer, making the death all too sudden.

Namjoon fell to his knees, watching all of it in horror. Images of him shooting a man in his dream
becoming all too vivid. It was real… Those nightmares were real…

“Since you were the one who killed my father, now we are even.” Lin said coldly. “Look on the
bright side, I’ve finally set you free from all of this.” She then checked her watch. “The Household
has already been invaded and soon it will be completely destroyed. Shadow Clan will no longer
exist and the Black Rose Clan will rise once again. Too bad your mother did not want you because
she thought you were defective because of your trauma. You would have been a great leader with
your skills and intelligence if you still have your memories intact. But your mind is way too fragile
to handle this way of life... I now understand why she sent you away.”

Namjoon was still frozen on the spot, his head was spinning. Jin… Jin… Jin… He was starting to
feel dizzy. Images of the gunshot becoming even more vivid. Images of young and bleeding
Seokjin in his arms becoming clearer. Jin… Jin…

“I will leave. Don’t try to find me and do not try to find the Black Rose Clan. They are too
powerful now that The Shadow Clan is destroyed and have been taken over. Live your life,
Namjoon.” Lin then ran out of the rooftop and to the fire escape, disappearing before his eyes.

After a few moment Namjoon finally stood up from his spot and he started to panic as he saw Mr.
Choi’s dead body. I have to get out of here… Namjoon felt bile rising from the pit of his stomach
and then he threw up.

He immediately ran out of the rooftop without any idea where he was going…

He was lost.

***

A month later:

After the treatment in the hospital, Jin was placed in a safe house owned by Min Yoongi in the
countryside as requested by the authority. Jin also found out that Mr. Choi was dead when he got
out of the hospital. He felt relieved but he was still worried for Namjoon because he was still
missing. Yoongi volunteered to help as well because he was concerned for Jin’s well-being after
what had happened on the stage. Fortunately, The Min’s were close to the authority because of
their connections with the government (Yoongi’s father was a former senator). Guards were
stationed around the house and every few days Yoongi would come bearing food and medicine for
him. Jin found a friend in Yoongi and he felt slight consolation knowing that finally he could talk
to someone openly about everything. Jin’s worry for Namjoon grew as time passed by. He
sometimes grew hysteric at night because he feared something bad had truly happened to the one
he loved. Yoongi always tried to assure him that Namjoon would come back.

“Jin… You said it yourself that Namjoon is skilled and that he is fearless. I’m sure he will return.”
Yoongi said as he heated two plates of omurice and gravy.

Jin huddled on a sofa and kept on biting his nails until one of the fingers bled. “Ow!”

“Hey, stop it!” Yoongi immediately went over to him and took his hand. “Hey… you’re hurting
yourself. Don’t do that.” He then got up to search for a first aid kit. He then took a band aid and
gave it to Jin as he sat on the other seat across from him.

“Thank you…” Jin said softly.

“And today you will finally eat your first proper meal. No more soft food, remember?” Yoongi
said, flashing him his gummy smile.

“Ah… yeah…” Jin smiled slightly, but his mind was still filled with the thoughts of Namjoon.

“Say… Jin, I remembered you told me that you want to become a hairdresser and a stylist. I could
hook you up for an apprenticeship with a professional after all of this is over.” Yoongi said as he
got up from his seat when the timer of the microwave beeped.
“Really?” Jin was moved knowing that Yoongi even thought of that.

“Yeah… You’re my friend. Of course I want to see you return to the society doing something you
love.” Yoongi said as he placed the plates on the table and he gave Jin a spoon. “Dig in.”

“Thank you. I would love that. And thank you for the omurice.” Jin said, trying to keep his
emotion under control because Yoongi was trying hard to comfort him.

He took the plate and started to eat. Suddenly he felt tears welling up in his eyes. “Fuck… This
tasted just like eomma’s…” He put the plate down and started to cry. He couldn’t hold it in any
longer.

Yoongi put his plate down and went over to Jin’s side, putting his arms around him. “You’ve been
through a lot… Let it all out…”

Jin nodded as he kept on crying. He wanted Namjoon to return so badly. He wanted to see his
eomma. He wanted everything to be the way it was several months before.

Images of smiling Namjoon on that bar, the way he had handled his body in that pool, his kisses,
his presence…

Namjoon, please come back…

***

Jung Hoseok was frustrated as he looked at his phone. It had been a month that Namjoon was
missing. The news of Mr. Choi’s death on the roof top came in three days later after the incident in
the Min’s charity dinner, his body already started to decompose when he was found by the janitor.
The news of an old mansion in the middle of nowhere burning was the first clue. The mansion
belonged to Kim Seokjin’s family. The Household must’ve been destroyed and taken over. The
Shadow Clan was destroyed. Everything is over...

But… Namjoon is still missing…

Suddenly, the phone in his office rang. “Hello?”

“Senior Officer Jung, Sir! This is Officer Kim Taehyung reporting from your father’s hospital. I
came to deliver the music player for your father like you asked but I found someone unconscious
on the ground next to him. Your father was too weak to call the nurse but he looked distressed and
he nodded when I asked whether he recognized him or not. The unconscious man must’ve snuck in
through the window because no one noticed him coming in. He looked dirty and unwell so I sent
him to the emergency room. There are no IDs anywhere. He kept on mumbling your father’s name,
and also another person's name called Jin, and saying sorry…” Taehyung said.

“I’ll be there. Stay by his side and keep an eye on him. That’s an order.” Hoseok got up from his
seat.

“Yes, Sir!” Taehyung said.

Hoseok hung up.

Namjoon.
 The Prodigal Son

Flash back to Two weeks after the shooting at the Min’s Corporation rooftop:

Namjoon was hiding near a large trashcan by a luxurious Korean restaurant. He had been following
a lead to where Black Rose was located. The Household was already taken over and burned to the
ground but he still went back there to see the aftermath. He was only trusting his gut by this point
and when he saw a man coming out of the Kim’s former residence he immediately took him and
held him hostage in an abandoned shed several miles from The Household. He checked for the
Black Rose tattoo and sure enough he found it on the sole of the man’s feet. “I know who you are.
You won’t get a word out of me.” The man said. Namjoon’s killer instinct went into overdrive and
he had at some point went as far as torturing the man. He felt like he was losing his sanity. And
finally after two days of digging reeds under the man’s nails and dislocating several of the man’s
finger, he got several words out. “Downtown. Biggest and most luxurious Korean restaurant.”

After he was done, the man was shot point blank and buried. Namjoon hardly recognized himself
in the mirror that day. Stone cold. Just like your father. A voice said.

Lin had warned him to not search for her and Black Rose but he was just too stubborn to listen. He
wanted to know. He wanted to see it for himself with his own eyes. He wanted to make sure that all
of the things that she said was true.

Finally, after stealing clothes from the market, breaking into empty houses to sleep, stole a little
kid’s piggy bank, using hours at the PC bang to read more about what happened 15 years ago as
well as search for the said Korean restaurant, he was ready to confront them. After spotting Lin as
a waitress in one of the five luxurious Korean restaurants he had searched up, he finally found it.
Namjoon had been going on pure adrenaline for the past two weeks searching for her trails, going
with little to no food and being sleep deprived for most days. He was determined. He was angry.

So there he was standing behind a large trashcan, observing the elegantly dressed men and women
coming in and out of the restaurant. Namjoon ran his fingers through his hair, now dyed jet black.
He straightened the stolen tie and jacket and made sure the stolen wallet was still in his pocket. He
checked his reflection in the puddle below him. Everything was in order. Fuck it.

He took long strides toward the restaurant and walked inside and he was ushered to the restaurant’s
bar. So far no one noticed him because of his freshly dyed jet black hair. It was until someone slid
a glass of whiskey toward him.

“On the house.” A familiar voice said. Namjoon turned his head toward the source of the voice. It
was Lin. She immediately took a seat near him, not even sparing him a glance. “You’re stubborn
and a bad listener. But I had a feeling you’d come looking.” She sighed.

Not wanting to listen to more bullshit he immediately responded. “Were any of the things you said
true?”

“You know, for an intelligent man such as yours, I can't believe you could be this idiotic. I killed a
man, for fuck’s sake. I think that justified it enough, don’t you think?” Lin said as she took a sip
from her own glass.

“Prove it. Bring me to her.”

“What? Your mother? She didn’t and doesn’t want you. Her words are always final. The clan is
doing just fine without you.” Lin finally gave him a look with utter disbelief.

“Bring me to her or I’ll go ballistic.” Namjoon threatened as he showed her the handle of a gun
from inside his the blazer’s inner pocket.

Lin sighed. “I was hoping it doesn’t have to be like this. Fine. If you insist. I’ll bring you to her and
then you’ll leave and live your life. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“You have to thank me, by the way. If it weren’t for me, you would’ve been dead since you
walked in.” Lin pointed to the other waiters and waitresses who were occasionally eyeing him.

Namjoon’s eyes widened.

“Your skills are below us, Namjoon. You might’ve killed one of our men to get to this point but
you’ll get nowhere if it weren’t for me. Since I told them you’re family, they let you off the hook.”
Lin said as she gave him a smirk. “Come on. Follow me but no more questions.”

A couple of hours later, Namjoon was in a small city car with Lin on the wheel. “You can ask one
question to the Heiress. She’ll know who you are immediately when she sees you anyway.”

Namjoon felt his heart dropped and he clenched his fists.

“Yeah. She’s well aware of your existence since last year. She thought you died when you
suddenly disappeared right after high school but it turns out you were not just being a regular
delinquent but you became a part of something she loathed: The Shadow League. She sent me to
look for you while destroying Shadow League from the inside." She stopped for a minute as she
realized something. "Huh... I guess maybe in the deepest part of her subconscious she still cared.”
Lin said as she turn the car toward a big department store.

“The whole thing is just a guise, isn’t it?” Namjoon saw the neon logo of the department store
which was in the shape of a rose. Black Rose was hiding in plain sight. He had walked and drove
past the place so many times before but he never realize what it truly was.

“This is the center but the web is much bigger and more complex. And it's spread way beyond this
country.” Lin finally parked the car in the basement of the department store’s parking lot and she
got out of the car immediately. “Let’s go.”

Namjoon immediately followed her. They both went up to the elevator and she led him to the
center of the department store to a large and luxurious jewelry store. “She loves her diamonds…
much more than people, if I do say so myself.” Lin said. “The heiress is always there on most
days.” Lin pointed to a beautiful woman in an unassuming black dress with dark red lips observing
all the collections and occasionally chatted with the employee.

For some reason Namjoon’s steps grew heavier the closer he was to the jewelry store and he finally
stopped in his track when he saw the woman sit on a chair as she put on a magnifying glasses and
examined a box full of diamonds.

“Well, come on. You must have a lot of questions.” Lin ushered him forward. “I’ll be here. She
won’t bite.” Lin gave a sinister giggle.

Namjoon swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped forward. A man stepped in front of him.
“Would you take a look at our finest sapphire collections, sir?”
“No, Seulmin. He’s here for her.” Lin said from behind Namjoon. “The prodigal son is here.”

The man’s face lost all colors and stepped aside, bowing his head. Lin tilted her head to urge
Namjoon forward. “Go on.”

Namjoon took a deep breath and walked forward. He finally got close enough to see that the dark
red lipped woman, his mother supposedly, was examining a rather large pink diamond, she had on
gloves and polished the precious stone with care. The woman must’ve noticed him approaching
and she looked up. For a second Namjoon could have sworn that she emanated a flash of anger but
it was gone in an instant but then it was replaced with a look of recognition.

“Oh. You’re finally here.” She set the stone aside carefully back in the box. “You will have one
question and I will answer.”

Namjoon felt tears stinging the corner of his eyes but he bit the insides of his cheeks to hold back
the tears. “Why…” He finally said, bitterness clear as day.

The woman smiled and it was a surprisingly sincere smile. She took off her magnifying glasses and
tidied up her hair after she took off her gloves. She got up from the intricately carved wooden stool
and approached him. She went closer and closer and finally she was directly an arm’s length. “You
look just like him…” She said softly as she reached out her hand to brush his fringe aside.
Namjoon winced at the touch.

Fear was something Namjoon felt constantly but at that moment it was at its peak. “If you want to
know the exact reason why, the first thing you should be well aware of is your own reflection. And
this.” She patted his head. “You were a diamond in the rough, my son. But you were poorly cut and
the light doesn’t reflect right. If it were to be cut again, it would lose its value even though it shines
beautifully.” She leaned toward him and cupped his cheeks. “You are still beautiful but you
wouldn’t be able to handle such a life. You were damaged enough, I don’t want you to lose your
value.”

Namjoon could smell fresh roses emanating from her. He the dared to look directly into her eyes.
“Why…” He whispered softly, tears finally flowing from his eyes.

She brushed them aside with her thumbs. “I gave you to him for a reason. I want you to live a
normal life. Your mind is fragile. And you losing your memory from such trauma is prove that you
wouldn’t be able to handle our way of life. The Black Rose is a way of life, not just the name of a
clan. Your father wanted to destroy it, meaning he wanted to destroy you too. I won’t have it. But,
alas, it must be in your nature to rebel and even unintentionally be on the path to follow your
father.”

Namjoon was trembling. He felt his heart sunk with every single word escaping her lips.

“My son… I do love you and I do care about you. You should be grateful to that officer, he was
the real father figure for you. You are meant for great things I am sure, just not with us. No more
blood. Live your life. Stay away from us and we won’t go looking for you.” She kissed his cheek
and slipped a hand inside his blazer to take out his gun, pointing it directly at his chest. “Now go.”
She whispered.

With those two words Namjoon turned on his heels and ran for his life.

***

Back to present time when Namjoon was found beside Hoseok’s father sick bed:
“He wasn’t moving much when I carried him earlier. Is he okay?” Taehyung said as he watched
the nurses working on the unconscious man. He was ordered to watch the man closely so he stood
close by.

“He’s alive, officer. But very weak. Lack of nutrition and extreme exhaustion I suspect and I see
signs of infections as well. He’s burning up.” The doctor said as he was taking off the unconscious
man’s clothes. Taehyung could see many scars on the man’s body as he was unclothed, most of
them were deep gash on his abdomen and chest, most of them were old scars. The nurses
immediately washed the man with a washcloth and gave him the hospital gown before inserting
two tubes, one for his liquid intake and the other was apparently antibiotics. “I don’t know who he
is or what happened to him but the most important thing is that he needs to stay here for a few days
until he can walk on his feet again. One more day and he would be dead if his infection is left
alone.”

After treating the unconscious man, the doctor finally left. Taehyung took a seat on a stool beside
the sick bed and watch the man breathe in and out shallowly. He looked gaunt, there were stubbles
unshaven, and he could see how hollow his cheeks were. Who are you?

About an hour later his senior officer arrived. He immediately stood up from his chair and bowed
deeply and then saluted. “Officer Jung, Sir!”

He nodded back in response and went to the unconscious man immediately and Taehyung could
see genuine concern etched in the senior officer’s face. To Taehyung’s surprise the senior officer
took the onconscious man’ hand in his as he sat on the stool beside the bed. “You may leave,
rookie. Your duty is done. I’ll take it from here.”

“Yes, sir!” Taehyung said, straightening his posture.

“And… Taehyung. Thank you.” Officer Jung said informally, catching him off guard.

Taehyung bowed and walked out of the ward.

***

Hoseok watched his dear friend lay on the sick bed, looking rather unrecognizable with his gaunt
look and hollow cheeks. He could feel the bony fingers between his palms and it pained him to see
such a sight. But he was relieved to see that he was alive. “Namjoon… I’m so sorry…”

Hoseok clearly remembered that Namjoon was indeed a troublesome teen. The fact that he
couldn’t remember his childhood made him angry all the time and he would snap every time other
kids would reminisce about their childhood whereas he had nothing to share. He lashed out on
others and as he grew older he fell into a pit he couldn’t get out of. Hoseok cherished him dearly
because he was the first friend he made after moving to a new city when he was a kid. He started
selling drugs and then he just disappeared right before graduation. His father was devastated, he
felt like he had failed him.

Then one day on a drug bust, he caught Namjoon. He was older and the mad look in his eyes had
disappeared into a somewhat somber and hopeless look. It was revealed that Namjoon wanted to
get out of the life. He wanted to change and he wanted to be somebody. Hoseok decided to give
him a chance by making Namjoon a snitch to one of the most dangerous mafia groups. “I’m so
sorry it turned out like this… I promise it will get better, my friend.”

***
Jin was sitting alone on the balcony of the safe house. Yoongi had left earlier in the afternoon and
he had been watching the police guards walking the perimeter. He felt a tight feeling in his chest
again as anxiety took over. Namjoon… He could feel his chest constrict and his breathing ragged
and his gut twisted. He started to cry again.

He leaned on the reclining chair and closed his eyes, crying himself off to sleep.

Then the sound of the phone ringing woke him up. He was told that only Officer Jung could call
the number. So he got up from his seat and ran toward the direction of the telephone.

“Hello?” Jin said, his hands shaking.

“You asked me to tell you how he is. Well… He’s alive.” The officer’s voice said.

Jin could feel the constricting feeling in his chest loosened and he slumped to the floor and started
crying uncontrollably. “He’s- he’s alive… Thank God…”

“Yes. He’s being treated in the hospital currently. Once he’s well enough, he can leave.” Officer
Jung said.

“When can I see him? Is he okay? What happened?” Jin wanted to see him so bad. He wanted to
touch him again. Kiss him…

“I’m sorry but in the meantime he needs to recover alone and you are still in danger. We need to
take precaution.” The officer said, Jin could tell that he was hiding something else.

“But--”

“I’m sorry, sir. You need at least another few weeks there. We need to make sure you can also
safely leave. The Min’s family have made sure to use their connection to protect you as well but it
will take some time to get all the data sorted in the system before you can go back to your regular
life.” The officer insisted.

“I want to see him… please…” Jin felt the ache inside again. Namjoon was there. He was alive for
him to hold.

“In due time, sir… As for now please wait patiently. I will get back to you once things are in
order.” The officer then hung up.

Jin let go of the phone and curled into a ball on the floor. The deep longing in his heart have never
felt more physically painful.

Namjoon… Please…
 Soon

The infection on Namjoon’s many wounds on his abdomen was too severe and in some places had
gone septic. Being awake will be too painful for him in that state so Namjoon had to be put under
medically induced coma to heal after major surgery to remove all of the dead skin and a bit of his
muscle tissue to get rid of all the infections both internally and externally. The doctor even had to
do a skin graft from his thigh to cover some parts. Namjoon had to be treated with many types of
antibiotic until the infection was finally under control.

For more than a week Hoseok had been checking in on him frequently on his progress. He took
care of his childhood best friend, making sure to help him wash and even dressing his wounds. He
truly cared about him and he also felt guilty for placing him in such a dangerous situation.

On the other hand, Hoseok’s father’s condition also had worsened. He no longer had that much
time to live.

“I only have you now, my friend…” Hoseok said after gently scraping the stubble on the underside
on Namjoon’s chin with a small razor. The doctor told him that Namjoon will be woken up that
day and Hoseok was preparing him to make sure he woke up comfortably and as painless as
possible. After he finished cleaning him, he gently wiped Namjoon’s face with a small towel. He
then took a seat beside Namjoon on a stool.

Hoseok then read the will his father gave him earlier that day. His father insisted on giving the
will to him early because he kept saying that he could feel that he didn't have much time left. He
read that his father left a large sum of fortune for all of his children and future grandchildren, and
he even included Namjoon in his will. Hoseok knew that his father had always been frugal and
good at saving money but he didn’t know that he was able to save that large amount for all of
them. Hoseok read that he was given his father’s house along with a share at a local coffee shop,
his sister was given money to finish her education and also a share of the same coffee shop, and
Namjoon was given money to continue his education. His father had been the best father. He had
been playing the role of a mother as well as a father for so long being the single father he was. He
was indeed a true role model for his children.

Hoseok always wanted to follow his father’s footstep and that was why he became a cop. He had
raised his children so well. Hoseok was determined to prove that he would not fail Namjoon. The
last audible words he heard from his father’s lips for both him and his sister were “I’m so proud of
you. I love you.” “Appa…” Hoseok whispered as he clutched the piece of paper tightly and his
vision blurred as tears flooded his eyes.

***

Namjoon could feel pounding in his head. He had dreamt many things during his long slumber. He
had seen the bleeding boy’s beautiful face clearly for the first time. Jin… He remembered a woman
with dark red lips calling him “Monie my Little Monster” as she was chasing him in a game of hide
and seek in a big luxurious mansion. He remembered the senior Officer Jung carrying him in his
arms. The dreams were a mix of a lot of things but he remembered feeling scared and lonely
throughout the whole thing.

“Namjoon-ah…” A familiar voice said. “Namjoon-ah… My friend… Wake up…”

He slowly opened his heavy lids. His vision blurred for some time but it finally focused and he
looked to his side and Hoseok was standing beside him along with a doctor.
“Hobi-ah…” Namjoon felt the dryness in his throat and his voice was hoarse. He tried to move but
he felt like he had no energy.

“Hey, buddy…” Hoseok smiled warmly. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired…” Namjoon managed to say. He then looked down and saw that a thick bandage was
covering his chest until abdomen. “What happened?”

“Your wounds got infected and you had to be put under medically induced coma after major
surgery to fix them.” The doctor said. “You are now safe, you can rest assured.”

Namjoon felt dread settle in. He tried to move but he felt sore everywhere.

“Don’t try to do anything extreme for a long while. We had to remove several muscle tissues and
remove pus and dead tissues from reaching your major internal organs so we had to do a bit of skin
graft from your thigh to cover them. You will be on a lot of pain meds and antibiotics until you
fully recover.” The doctor said. “Now that everything is settled, I will take my leave. Gentlemen.”
The doctor bowed and walked out.

Namjoon could only nod in response as the doctor leave the ward. “I'm so sorry…” Namjoon said
to Hoseok when he doctor finally left.

Hoseok shook his head. “Namjoon it’s okay. Everything is okay now. Shadow League is no more
and you can go back to living your life. I can make sure of that.”

“I’m so sorry… For everything… For being so troublesome. For being a bad friend. For leaving.
For disappointing your father.” Namjoon said, tears streaming down his face. “I am so sorry…” He
sobbed.

“It’s all in the past, Namjoon. But if you want to hear it, I do forgive you and I have felt that there
was nothing to forgive. You were troubled and none of it was ever your fault.” Hoseok said
squeezing his hand.

Namjoon felt somewhat relieved hearing that but suddenly he said. “Your father… Can I see him?”
Namjoon said softly.

“Of course. I’ll help you.” Hoseok went outside for a second and then brought a wheelchair. He
then helped Namjoon to put on a hospital gown to cover his upper torso and helped him up from
the bed and put him on the wheelchair.

Namjoon saw the pajama pants that he was wearing looked so big and he examined himself and
realized how thin he was.

Hoseok apparently noticed that. “I’ll make sure to give you a really big meal later.” He grinned.

Namjoon finally cracked a smile after such a long while.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to him. He really wanted to see you.” Hoseok wrapped a small blanket
around Namjoon’s torso after putting the IV bag on the holder on the wheelchair.

“How’s your sister?” Namjoon said as Hoseok wheeled him out of the ward.

“She’s doing very well. She almost finished her grad school in anthropology. She really wanted to
be a lecturer so she’s working very hard.” Hoseok said.
“Wow… I remembered that she was very smart when we were in school.” Namjoon said. “It’s too
bad that I didn’t see her grew up so well.”

“Well, make sure to not miss much from now on, okay?” Hoseok laughed.

“I promise.” Namjoon said, his voice was full of determination.

“We’re here.” Hoseok arrived on the end of a hall. “Appa has been waiting for you.” He slid the
door open and wheeled Namjoon in.

Namjoon saw the old man lying on the bed. He remembered during the old days, even though he
was a heavy smoker, Officer Jung senior was a fit man with great physique. Now he could see that
age had apparently caught up to him. Hoseok wheeled him to his side.

Apparently the old man was awake and his eyes immediately light up when he saw Namjoon with
Hoseok. There were many tubes connected to the man’s chest under his hospital gown and he was
wearing his oxygen tube on the hole made on his throat because the emphysema was already at its
worst stage.

“Appa… Namjoon is here.” Hoseok said cheerfully.

Hoseok’s father nodded and waved his arm to beckon them to come closer. He was no longer able
to speak but he was able to respond with gesture and a small white board was at his side.

Namjoon remembered that Officer Jung senior had always wanted him to call him Jung Appa so he
did. “Jung Appa…” Namjoon said as he took the old man’s hand in his. "I am truly sorry... For
everything… Jung Appa.” Namjoon then started sobbing. “I was such a disappointment. I promise
to change. I will make you proud.” He kissed the man’s hand.

The man shed tears as he held Namjoon’s hand tightly in his and he nodded sincerely. He then
used his other hand to stroke Namjoon’s hair. After that he took the whiteboard. “I
have forgiven you long ago. I am so proud of you. I love you.” He wrote on the white board and
that made Namjoon sob harder. The man then put the white board down and nodded to Hoseok as
he leaned back on the sick bed.

“I-I love you too, Jung Appa. I should have said this long ago but I am truly grateful for everything
you did for me. I’ll make you proud. I promise.” Namjoon clutched Officer Jung’s senior hand
tighter and he buried his face on the man’s chest. “I promise…”

The old man continued to stroke Namjoon’s hair. However, after a few minutes the stroke became
weaker and Hoseok noticed the beeping on the heart monitor slowed down.

“Appa?” Hoseok’s voice wavered. “Appa!”

Namjoon froze as he felt that the man was no longer stroking his head and his grip loosened. He
looked up at the man but his eyes were closed and he had a smile to his face. “Jung Appa!”

The heart monitor made a long continuous beep and the man’s heart stopped.

Hoseok had ran out of the ward and called the nurse and doctor.

But it was time for Jung Appa to go…

***
For a month after the call for Jung Hoseok, there was no more news about Namjoon. Jin was
slowly losing his mind in the cabin he had been staying in. His only line to the outside world was
Min Yoongi. However, Min Yoongi had been hired at an arts college to teach and his visits were
no longer as frequent as before, maybe every three days he would bring books, food supplies,
movies, play board games with him, and spent several hours to accompany him. Jin was grateful
for that but he still occasionally broke down when he thought about Namjoon. It hurt to even think
about him.

Until one afternoon during an Othello match between him and Yoongi that there was a call on the
telephone. Jin immediately ran to get it. “Hello? Officer Jung?”

“Jin-ah…” A honey-like deep voice said from the end of the line.

“Na-Namjoon?” Jin could feel tears stinging his eyes.

“Yes. It’s me… I’m alive. I’m so glad to hear your voice. I heard that you were worried about me.”
Namjoon said.

Jin started sobbing and he couldn’t even say anything coherent to reply.

“Hush now... Don’t cry… I’m so glad to hear you’re okay after what happened. I was worried for
you as well. Everything will work out. I promise…” There was a certain strength in Namjoon’s
voice that Jin had never heard before.

“Namjoon, when can I see you?” Jin said sniffling.

“Soon. I will see you soon.” Namjoon said in the same firm tone. “The intelligence services are
doing everything in their power so that you can return to the society safely. Min Yoongi will take
part in this as well to protect you with his family connection.”

“I want to see you…” Jin said. It was all that he could think about.

“Wait for me, then. I will see you. I promise.” Namjoon said. His tone was reassuring. “I’m
hanging up now, Jin. I will see you.”

“Yes. I will wait, Namjoon.”

And they both hung up.

“Was that Namjoon?” Yoongi said from behind him.

Jin was still crying but he was finally smiling. “Yes. He said that he’ll be here soon.”

But “soon” was apparently relative.

 Convergence

Days turn to months but Jin still waited. His mind did wonder on how hopeful Namjoon sounded
about their meeting. “He said 'soon' but how soon is ‘soon’? Was ‘soon’ a day? A month? A
year?“ were the thoughts that kept Jin’s mind occupied.

It was on a bright sunny day that Officer Jung told Jin that, for security reasons, he was still kept
away from Namjoon and the same thing went for Namjoon. For a bit, Jin was devastated and
furious when he was told the news. But he slowly accepted that it wouldn’t be so easy. He
understood that their circumstances were not something that could be resolved that easily. Officer
Jung Hoseok assured Jin that Namjoon was alive and he was doing just fine.

After the last call from Namjoon, several months later and after Jin was re-entered to the
government database with new family background and records, Jin was moved to a new home in
one of Yoongi’s family apartment complex. The government agent wanted Jin to change his name
but Jin refused because that was going to be the only thing that was truly his. After a brief
negotiation, he was able to keep it but he was not able to go too far abroad, again, because it was
too risky now that Black Rose were even more spread out underground and outside of the country.
However, as promised by Yoongi, Jin was enrolled at a beauty school and trained as an apprentice
under a professional hair stylist. Min Yoongi’s parents felt truly indebted to Jin for saving their
son’s life so they treated him with so much kindness and even accepted Jin like their own son.
Even so, Jin had to work hard to repay Min Yoongi and his parents and he was aiming at his own
success as he waited to be reunited once again with Namjoon.

Three years later:

Months turned to years...

And Jin still waited…

One evening, a box arrived at Jin’s new apartment with no return address. It was a box of silver
necklace with letter N and J. “I am waiting for you too. I’ll see you.” The letter in the box said. Jin
smiled because he knew who it was from.

***

It was just a regular day at KSJ Salon and Spa.

Kim Seokjin the renowned hairstylist was sitting in his office sketching a new avant-garde
hairstyle he was going to attempt for a workshop when he got a call from Min Yoongi.

“Yoongi-ah! Hey! It’s been weeks! How are you, busy professor? It’s been a while!” Jin said
playfully as he played with his precious silver necklace that he received several months before.

“Ah… Jin. Stop it with the professor stuff. I feel old when I hear that. I’m only 28.” Yoongi gave a
small laugh from the end of the line. “Yeah. I’ve been so busy with teaching and life hasn’t been
too good lately but it’s getting better. How are you?”

“I’m glad it’s getting better. Last time I heard you took someone in your care. But I haven’t seen
who it was since I’ve been busy as well with the salon.” Jin said. “And, oh, I’ve been well and
business have been great. Thanks to you who believed in me!” Jin said as he stood up from his
chair and looked out the window, still twirling with the silver necklace.

“Hey, Jin. You know my family’s charity ball is coming up, right?” Yoongi said.

“Yeah. I got the invitation from your parents in the mail this morning.” Jin turned his attention to
the invitation on his desk. “What’s up?”

“Well…” Yoongi laughed nervously. “Could you help me with something?”

“Of course! Duh! You’re my best friend.”

“Well. I need your help to style someone for the charity. Yeah, he’s the person who has been in my
care. He’s one of the students in the college I’m teaching in. I think he needs it. Maybe give him
your signature relaxation treatment.” Yoongi said. His voice was a bit faraway. “He’s been through
a lot. He needs it badly.”

“Anything for you, buddy. Just call for me when you’re here.”

“Thanks, Jin.”

Jin then walked out of his office to the salon below. After finishing beauty school early, he was
able to make a name of himself in the fashion industry. His past was long behind him. There was
no more Shadow League and the Black Rose apparently have gone further underground from what
he had heard from Officer Jung. The Black Rose was still out there but they were no longer
concerned with small mafia affairs now that they have no rival. Jin was still under the protection as
a witness but he was given a new life.

And each day he still waited for Namjoon.

Much to his surprise, Yoongi arrived around few hours later bringing a beautiful boy with him.
“Jin!” Yoongi said as he shook his hand. “I want you to meet Jimin. He will be getting his hair
done by you.”

The boy was so beautiful Jin had to do a double take. The built of the small framed boy was that of
a ballerino. He couldn’t help but to eye him up and down. “Hello, there!” He must be a dancer. Jin
thought to himself as he examined the boy with his observant eyes. “What a cutie!” There was an
air of innocence in the look of the boy’s eyes and a mysterious kind of pain. He’s been through a
lot. He remembered Yoongi’s words. What happened to you?

The boy looked utterly bewildered. Jin could tell that he was probably not used to the scene before
him. “Hello, nice to meet you...” Jimin said with a small voice as he bowed. He was nervous.

“Ah… And so polite as well! Yoongi, mind if I have fun a bit with him?” Jin said to Yoongi. He
suddenly had a brilliant idea. The boy’s blush was as beautiful as cherry blossoms blooming in the
spring and he wanted to personify that look on him.

“I trust your fashion choices, Jin.” Yoongi was looking at Jimin with certain fondness and Jin had
an inkling that there must be something going on between the two. “Don’t worry, you’re in good
hands…” Yoongi assured Jimin who was still looking nervously around him with wide eyes.

“Yes, hyung.” Jimin replied.

Hyung? Yes, something is going on between those two. Jin smiled inwardly. “Come on, follow
me.” Jin motioned Jimin to follow him to the hair washing station.
Yoongi seated himself on a sofa in the waiting area and started to read a magazine.

“How do you feel about having your hair bleached and dyed pink, Jimin?” Jin said as he started to
wash Jimin’s soft dark locks. Jin picked an aromatherapy shampoo to relax him. The boy
immediately looked drowsy as he massaged his scalp.

“Sure…” Jimin said. The boy was practically sleep-walking when Jin made him sit on the styling
chair. With his pouty lips, the boy looked even younger when he slept. After giving Jimin a bit of a
trim for his messy hair, Jin told a masseuse to massage the boy’s hands, feet, and shoulder as he
was preparing the concoction for the hair.

“I’ll make sure to make you look pretty.” Jin whispered to the boy’s ear.

“Mmm…” Jimin responded as he lolled his head.

Jin chuckled looking at the innocent sight. “Goodness gracious, you are precious.” A few hours
after bleaching and dyeing, Jin woke Jimin up. “Jimin?” Jin tapped the boy’s shoulder.

“Huh?” Jimin immediately sat up. He was still groggy from sleep.

“Time to rinse.” He slightly pat his shoulder.

“Ah!” Jimin slightly jumped on the chair looking at the pink blob on his head.

Jin laughed at his reaction. “You’ll look great. Trust me. Pink is definitely your color.” He assured
him. Jin ushered him to follow him to the washing station to rinse the dye off.

The boy stammered, looking rather unsure as he followed him. “Y-yes…”

“You’ll look great.” Jin said, watching the boy squirmed as he rinsed his hair. After rinsing, he
blow-dried and styled Jimin’s hair and immediately, several other workers gathered around him.
“There. Wow… I definitely outdid myself this time.” Jin said to himself. And he saw more people
standing behind him to look at his masterpiece. “He’s so pretty!” Somebody said. “Are you an
Idol?” Another said.

“No.” Jimin replied meekly. Jin felt so proud of himself. The boy indeed looked even more
beautiful. Jin could see from the corner of his eyes that Yoongi started to approach them. Oh, Jin
knew that look very well.

“You look so beautiful, Jimin… It looks like a bouquet of cherry blossom.” Yoongi was admiring
the sight before him.

Man, you are a sucker for Jimin, aren’t you, Yoongi. Jin gave Yoongi a small knowing smile.

“Thank you, Jin.” Yoongi couldn’t stop staring at Jimin.

“It was a pleasure.”

“Hyung, it’s not too extreme, right?” Jimin said. Goodness, this boy is so cute.

“You look lovely…” Yoongi then leaned down toward Jimin and kissed his cheek in front of
everyone, making the small framed boy widened his eyes and blushed hard. The staff started
squealing and Jin was not shocked in the slightest.

“Awww… You didn’t tell me that he’s your boyfriend.” I called it. Someone, please give me a
bloody medal. “Let me tell you, he’s adorable!” Jin said. “Yah! Yoongi! How dare you keep this a
secret from me!” Jin hissed at Yoongi’s ear and pinched his side playfully.

Yoongi just shrugged in response.

“You little…” Jin muttered to Yoongi. “I swear if you don’t tell me details I will sue you, Min
Yoongi.”

Yoongi shrugged once again. Savage…

“I can’t believe you.” Jin mutter under his breath as he shook his head.

“Let’s go home, Jimin.” Yoongi took Jimin’s hand and led him out of the salon. Jimin looked
dazed and rather out of it as he was clutching on Yoongi’s hand tightly.

“Hey! Yoongi!” Jin said.

“See you in the charity ball!” Yoongi waved his hand, grinning his gummy grin as he went out of
the salon toward his car.

Jin started laughing and he went back to his office to stretch his limbs after hours working on
Jimin’s hair. He went to his reclining chair beside his desk and closed his eyes and stretched his
legs out.

“Hello, Jin. It’s been too long.” A familiar honey-like voice said.

Jin’s eyes flew open and he looked at his side and Namjoon was sitting on a love seat at the corner
of his office.
 Here

There were tears of anger as well as forgiveness. Many kisses were shared behind Jin’s locked
office, from the light chaste ones to the deep soul suctioning kisses. All Jin could feel was
immense warmth melding with pain and great pleasure. Jin couldn’t stop shedding his tears. He
couldn’t believe it. It felt like a dream. He cried inside Namjoon’s embrace until all of his energy
was gone and he succumbed into comfortable darkness. Contentment at last settled within him.

“Finally, you’re here… Finally…”

And Namjoon held him tightly as Jin give way inside the embrace. “Yes, I’m here, Jin. And I will
never leave you ever again.”

***

Jin woke up in his bedroom that night with a jolt. He felt panic started to arise, afraid that what had
happened was merely a dream. He looked to his side and he let out a sigh of relief. Indeed,
Namjoon was next to him, curled up and fast asleep still in his suit, one of his arms outstretched
and Jin realized that he had kept his hold on him in his sleep. Jin laid back down and started to
trace the outline of Namjoon’s cheek with his finger. He was still the same but also different at the
same time. Any traces of his youthful appearance had harden. The purple in his hair was long gone.
Jin realized that, years before, he never truly appreciate him enough when he was next to him,
blinded by his own lust on the most part and only realized his love when he was gone.

I’m sorry…

Jin recalled the day where Officer Jung revealed to him that he had met Namjoon before. Jin
realized that Namjoon had been a part of the turning point of his childhood: the kidnapping.
Namjoon apparently had faced a great trauma after killing the kidnapper and thinking that Jin had
died in his arms, causing him to lose his memory of his early youth. Jin remembered the little boy,
of course, he was indebted to him but he was unable to thank him. After finally knowing the
identity of the small boy who had save him, there were more reasons for him to wait patiently. He
remembered young Namjoon’s determined eyes. Every night, he had wished him well in his
prayers.

Officer Jung also told him that while growing up Namjoon never had it easy and he was glad that
his own father was willing to accept Namjoon as his own son until the end. Fate worked in a
curious way, and despite everything, they were still united in the end.

Suddenly, Namjoon opened his eyes and he smiled. “Hey…” His voice still dripped honey. “You
suddenly passed out earlier from crying too hard. I’m sorry. You’ve been working for hours before
that. I shouldn’t just show up out of the blue like that. You must’ve been exhausted. I told your
employee that you needed a good rest so I took the liberty in driving you home.”

Jin nodded his head as he kept on stroking his cheek. “It’s okay. You’re here… You’re real…” Jin
whispered.

Namjoon took Jin’s hand, holding it firmly and kissed his palm. “Yes, Jin… I’m sorry it had taken
so long.”

Jin shook his head and huddled closer. “Don’t be. What matters right now is that you’re here and
you’re safe.”
And they were quiet for quite some time, enjoying each other’s presence in comfortable silence. Jin
closed his eyes and let his other senses take over. Namjoon still felt the same… The only thing that
changes was his scent… His signature musk and minty breeze was still there but it was sweeter
and more pleasant. “You smell different.” Jin looked at him, his eyes dripping with so many
questions

“Really?” Namjoon thought for a moment. “Maybe it’s because I’ve quit smoking.”

“Oh, so that’s why…” Jin cracked a wide grin despite his puffy eyes from crying earlier. “You
look healthy. I'm so glad...” The last time he had seen Namjoon, his cheeks were hollow and he
was unwell but all of that had long disappeared. Namjoon looked the best he had ever seen.

Namjoon gave a low hearty chuckle. “Thank you. I ate well and I changed many aspects of my
lifestyle.” His gaze then were back on him. For the first time he could feel Namjoon was not
merely looking at his face but it felt like he was staring into his soul. “And you’re beautiful…”
Namjoon placed his soft lips on the bridge of Jin’s nose and traced more soft kisses down until his
lips. He sighed as he brushed his lips on his neck. Jin reciprocated the kiss and deepen it, savoring
his taste like his life depended on it. Namjoon then tangled his fingers on his hair and his other
hand wrapping around his nape. Suddenly he broke the kiss as he felt a slight bump on the back of
Jin’s neck and he looked at Jin’s eyes with a different kind of intensity. “I never really paid
attention to this scar. It was really you, wasn’t it? That bleeding boy in my dreams… Lin had said
that it was you and Hoseok also said that it was you. I never actually believed it.” He kept on
caressing the scar gently.

“Yes… that was me, Namjoon.” Tears welled up in his eyes. “You dreamt about me?”

“I still do to this day.” Namjoon brushed away the tears that had fallen with his thumb. “I have
come to terms that it’s part of the healing process. I have accepted that even though I’ve regained
bits and pieces of my childhood, I’ll never truly gain the full picture ever again.”

Jin nodded and wrapped his arms around him.

“I’m a lawyer now.” Namjoon suddenly said.

Jin looked up at him, his eyes grew wide. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s fortunate that I value knowledge and actually managed to get myself an undergraduate
degree even though I was a delinquent. They sent me to the U.S. in a government exile program
with this knowledge. Thanks to my late foster father, Officer Jung Senior, I regained my motivation
to continue my study and took the liberty of attending a law school there and graduated early. Then
I was allowed to go back and I took the opportunity to take my bar exam and I passed. Now I have
an office in Hongdae. It’s near the park that we went to last time. I got it set up about 8 months ago
to provide legal services, I made consistent effort, and finally just a few days ago I was able to get
my certificate as a lawyer.” He grinned.

“That explains all those books about laws and politics I saw in your car back then. You’re so
secretive. It’s irritating.” Jin huffed.

“I wanted to tell you but you know why I couldn’t.”

“And why haven’t you seen me sooner if you were here all those months ago?” Jin pouted but he
knew better than to be angry at Namjoon.

Namjoon grinned and gave a light peck to his cheek. “I needed to get the administrative stuff
settled for my office and they have to make sure that it was truly safe for me to see you again.”

“Yeah, I know… I just needed to say that.”

Namjoon then looked down at him and admired the silver necklace adorning Jin’s neck. “Well,
they did told me to stay away for a bit. But I couldn’t help it. You know me. I snooped around just
to take a peek at you now and then from afar. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you. I’m
glad I managed to give you this necklace.” He then brushed his thumb on Jin’s lips. “And you’re
as beautiful as ever. It’s a wonder you’ve stayed single for so long without me.”

“I couldn’t forget about you even if I tried.” Jin smiled sincerely.

“Me neither.” Namjoon then kissed him again, this time harder.

Jin then briefly pulled away. “There are still too many things I don’t know about you. Let’s take
our time...” He smiled.

“I’d like that.” Namjoon leaned toward him again and continued to kiss him and they stayed inside
each other’s embrace until the next morning.

***

“Namjoon-ah, will you be my plus one at the Min’s charity dinner tonight?” Jin said as he was
making breakfast the next morning. Namjoon was sitting on the bar stool facing the kitchen,
reading a newspaper article in his tablet.

“I didn’t know you’d still be involved with those kind of stuff. I remember that you hated them.”
Namjoon said as he looked up from the newspaper article.

“I normally don’t. But it’s Yoongi’s. He’s my best friend and his parents took me in as their own. I
have to show up.”

“Oh? The former senator’s son is your best friend now?” Namjoon grinned as he sipped his cup of
coffee.

“Yeah… when you were gone, he was my only link to the outside world. He basically kept me
sane when I was kept in that cabin in the middle of nowhere for months and he convinced his
parents to send me to a beauty school and here I am now. I owe him and his family so much.” Jin
plated the soft omelet and drizzled some mild gravy on top. “Here you go.” He put the plate in
front of Namjoon and gave him a spoon on the side.

“Damn… this looked delicious.”

“Have I mentioned to you that I am totally badass in the kitchen?” Jin cocked his eyebrows as he
plated another omelet and sat across from Namjoon on the kitchen bar.

“You should have.” Namjoon started to dig in. “Fuck. You’re good.” He said through a mouthful.

Jin smiled at the sight as he took a bite of his own omelet. “Thanks. Cooking is like therapy for
me. It’s almost the same as hair styling. They make me happy and relaxed.”

“I’m glad you are content with your life, Jin.” Namjoon said, eyes staring deeply into Jin. The
thing about Namjoon was that his gaze oftentimes were too piercing that you couldn’t help but to
shy away from their intensity.
Jin could feel his cheeks grew hot. “Jeez… I forgot how intense you could be.”

“You think I’m intense? You should look at yourself, Jin!” Namjoon laughed, dimples as deep as
the ocean. “Anyway… Okay, Jin. I’ll go with you to the charity dinner.”

“Wear a tux.”

***

Gorgeous was the exact word to describe Jin when Namjoon came to pick him up that night. Jin
was clad in navy crisp suit tailored to hug all the right places. Namjoon could see the see-through
material of the shirt that Jin was wearing underneath the two piece suit, showcasing the necklace.
“You look amazing.” He slinked his arms around Jin’s waist and gave him a light peck on his lips.
Namjoon could smell a mild hint of sandalwood emanating from Jin. He remembered from his
time as Jin’s bodyguard that Jin never like anything strong smelling and that particular soft scent
embodied Jin’s humbleness to a T.

“And you’re as amazing as always in the tux. I…” Jin cleared his throat. “I missed seeing you in it,
truthfully. It’s always been my favorite look on you.”

“Well…” Namjoon checked himself out on his reflection in the mirror and cocked his eyebrow,
teasing him. “I’m not too bad, I guess.”

“Confidence definitely suits you, Namjoon-ah…” Jin said fondly.

“You need a lot of it in my line of work, Jin.” Namjoon took Jin’s hand in his and led him to his
car. “Let’s go. I hope you don’t mind that I still like regular city car.”

“Namjoon, you should know by now that I don’t really care about that shit. It’s one of the things
that I like about you. You like things simple and just do things that are necessary.” Jin laughed as
he seated himself beside Namjoon and buckled the seatbelt.

“Well, considering where we are going, I hope you don’t mind getting stared at when I give my
keys to the valet.” Namjoon smiled.

“Who fucking cares?” Jin pulled Namjoon into a deep kiss. “Just fucking drive already, Mr.
Lawyer.”

“Ah… I miss that mouth of yours. Don’t get me riled up right now, Jin…” Namjoon smirked as he
started the ignition.

Jin shrugged as he gave him a wide grin.

Namjoon gasped dramatically. “Sassy!”

Twenty minutes later they arrived at the Min’s Corporation building. Namjoon remembered years
before that this exact building was the last place he was with Seokjin and the place that held a new
kind of trauma. Namjoon started to sweat after he gave the key to the valet and took Jin’s hand in
his. He tried hard to keep his composure as he entered the building.

When he entered the ballroom he could feel himself trembling. Fuck. He could see Jin greeting
Min Yoongi and a small framed boy with pink hair and they were talking for some time. Namjoon
could only nod and he was unable to focus. His vision started to swim. All of the unpleasant
memories started crashing in. He held on to Jin’s shoulder for support.
“Namjoon? Namjoon-ah?” Jin was looking at the man beside him. He could see Namjoon’s face
had apparently lost all color. “Excuse me, Yoongi. I’ll bring Namjoon here to the bathroom. I think
he’s a bit unwell.” Yoongi nodded. “I’ll see you Jimin, you cutie pie!” Jin said to the pink-haired
boy and he held on to Namjoon’s waist as he brought him out of the ball room. When he got out of
the ball room, he could see that Namjoon was sweating. “Hey? Namjoon? Look at me.”

“Jin… Let’s get out of here… I-I can’t… I feel sick.” He trailed off and swayed on his spot
dangerously, his breathing uneven.

Jin held on to him. “Okay. Shit. Let’s just go home. I’ll drive.”

Namjoon buried his face on Jin’s shoulder and nodded.

Jin helped Namjoon to the passenger seat and took a seat on the driver’s seat. Jin reclined
Namjoon’s seat back and buckled the seatbelt for him before starting the ignition.

“I’m sorry…” Namjoon whispered after a few minutes and after the car was a good distance away
from the building.

“Don’t be. What happened back there?” Jin’s voice was laced with concern as he kept his eyes
glued on the road.

“I started remembering things from three years ago… I panicked.” Namjoon closed his eyes and
tried to steady his breathing.

“Oh, Namjoon-ah…” Jin’s voice trembled. “If I knew I wouldn’t have taken you there. I’m so
sorry.”

“No, no, no! It’s not your fault, Jin. Please, don’t say sorry. I didn’t know it would happen… It just
did.” Namjoon gave a squeeze to Jin’s arm to assure him.

After a brief pause Jin then nodded in understanding. “How about a cup of tea? Would you like
that?” Jin took one of his hands from the steering wheel to ruffle Namjoon’s hair briefly.

“I’d love that…”

They finally arrived back at Jin’s apartment. Namjoon finally gained even footing and he was able
to steady his breathing. He looked at Jin apologetically when he got out of the car. “It’s okay.
Come here.” Jin opened his arms wide and Namjoon ran toward his embrace. Jin then took his
hand and led him to the apartment.

Namjoon took off his coat and slipped out of his shoes then seated himself on the sofa and leaned
back, closing his eyes and still trying to steady his breathing.

Jin looked at him with so much concern and immediately took off his own coat and went to the
kitchen to heat up some water for the tea. He had never seen Namjoon in such a state before and he
realized that Namjoon had probably seen and experienced things he couldn’t even imagine. It’s a
wonder that he was able to make it out alive. After a few minutes of contemplation, Jin felt a pair
of arms around his waist and realized that Namjoon was behind him. “Heavens! You startled me.”

“You were spaced out and the water was boiling. I turned it off for you, by the way.” Namjoon
said, his breath fanned the wisps of hair on his neck.

Jin immediately turned around to face him. He looked at Namjoon’s intense orbs that radiated so
much emotions. He could feel, at that very moment, all of the pent up frustration, longing, sadness,
and desire he had hold back for so long burst and he immediately crashed his lips on his.
 Need [M]

The tea was soon forgotten.

Hands were fumbling and roaming everywhere, lips were colliding and heat started to envelope
them both. The next thing Jin saw was Namjoon pinning him to the door leading to his bedroom.
Jin kicked his own shoes away and carded his fingers through Namjoon’s soft dark locks as he
tilted his head to the side to expose more of his neck to allow Namjoon to place more kisses there.
Jin reached behind him and opened the door to his bedroom and they both stumbled inside.

Namjoon immediately took both of Jin’s hands in his once again and continued to kiss Jin with
more hunger and passion, trying to make up for what they both have been missing for years.
Suddenly, Jin felt the edge of the bed behind his knees and he allowed himself to fall backward
onto the mattress with Namjoon crashing on top of him. Jin scoot backward and edged closer
toward the pillows and made himself comfortable on the bed as Namjoon crawled after him to hold
him in his arms once again.

As they gave each other more feverish kisses, Namjoon started to unbutton Jin’s see-through shirt
one by one and quickly took it off. He then pulled away to admire the sight underneath him. Jin
with his flushed face looked up at him, his sparkling eyes staring up at him as he was catching his
breath. Namjoon felt like he never really appreciate Jin’s beautiful body enough so he started to
scan down Jin’s torso and roamed his hands on his sides, feeling the supple and soft skin. He then
locked his eyes on the faint small scar about three inches long on Jin’s abdomen, indicating his old
stomach repair surgery scar. Namjoon then went down to place his kisses on Jin’s stomach, paying
close attention to the scar and he could feel Jin’s abdominal muscle contracting as he caressed the
skin with his lips. “Namjoon…” Jin sighed as he caressed his hair, all of his dormant desire
blooming once again. Then Namjoon started to sink his nails on Jin’s hips as he nipped and sucked
the skin on his abdomen. Jin could tell that it was going to be rough. “N-Namjoon-ah… I haven’t
done this since you left.” Jin suddenly admitted.

Dumbfounded, Namjoon pulled away and crawled up to look at Jin’s face, he could see there were
tears pooling in Jin’s eyes. “Really?” Namjoon’s voice wavered. “You know that I wouldn’t even
get mad if you did, Jin.”

“Me neither. I wouldn’t get mad if you did sleep with another person when you were gone… It’s
realistic and understandable.” The tears started to fall from his eyes. Jin was prepared to hear the
inevitable from Namjoon. “But, as for me, I just couldn’t do it.” Jin cupped his face. “There were
encounters, of course. It’s just that my body doesn’t react to anyone else… I only just want you...”

Namjoon wiped away Jin’s tears and kissed both of his flushed cheeks. “I couldn’t either… All I
did was touch myself thinking about you… I couldn’t bring myself to do it either with you
constantly on my mind…” He kissed his forehead. “What we both went through… No one could
understand it.” Namjoon then brought his lips back to Jin’s and sealed them in a searing kiss.
Namjoon could feel Jin’s hands started to unbutton his shirt. Once the shirt was off, Namjoon
flipped their position with Jin on top. Namjoon scoot backward to lean against the headboard with
Jin straddling his lap.

Jin’s eyes started to take in the sight of Namjoon’s golden torso and he saw massive scarring from
Namjoon’s chest until abdomen, it was much worse than the lines and scarring he had seen years
ago. “Oh, Namjoon…” Jin genty caressed the scars, tears falling from his eyes as he imagined how
painful they must’ve been when he got them.
Namjoon took Jin’s hands in his. “The infection from last time went septic… It was hard to heal so
they put me under a medically induced coma and did a number to repair the damage.” There was a
pained expression etched on Namjoon’s face. “They had to put a patch of my skin from my thigh to
cover some places.”

“These are your battle scars, Namjoon…” Jin then leaned down and started to place kisses on them
as he held on to Namjoon’s shoulder.

The brush of Jin’s lips felt soft and gentle on his skin. “I suppose they are… And you have yours
as well…” Namjoon ruffled Jin’s silky strands of brown locks. “It’s good to know that we’ve
fought and won…” Namjoon took one of Jin’s hands with the faded scar on his wrist from the
knife and kissed it. He felt his gut wrenched when he remembered what happened, feeling his own
tears stinging his eyes.

Jin started to trail his lips up to Namjoon’s neck. Suddenly, all of their pent up desire went through
the roof and they both were determined to seek relief and attain the very thing they have both
deprived themselves off: each other.

There was a sudden rush and they both started fumbling with their belts and pants and hurriedly
tossed them away along with their briefs. Jin hurriedly retrieved the lube from the vanity and went
back to straddling Namjoon’s lap. They were both already so hard. Jin put the lube aside and went
back to kiss Namjoon, he missed kissing him so much and couldn’t get enough of his taste. He
gasped when he felt Namjoon wrapping his hand on his member, stroking it slowly. Jin trailed one
of his hands down from Namjoon’s shoulder to return the pleasure by wrapping his own hand on
Namjoon’s hard length, relishing the feeling of its warmth and weight as he stroked it.

“Have I ever told you, how beautiful you are, Jin?” Namjoon kissed the tip of his nose.

“Yeah… you’re such a sap.” He said wrinkling his nose but he let out a broken moan when
Namjoon gave a particular hard tug on his member and teased the wet slit.

“You’re still as sensitive as I remember.” Namjoon said playfully and he continued to stroke his
member and he brought his other hand to caress his back. “I miss you so goddamn much…
fuck…” He inhaled sharply when Jin started to pump faster.

“I’m gonna come…” Jin’s voice trembled as he let go of Namjoon’s cock and held on to his
shoulder instead, his thighs trembling. Hearing that, Namjoon let go and flipped their position
again with Jin underneath him. Namjoon quickly spread Jin’s legs apart and went down to wrap his
mouth on his length.

“Oh God…” Feeling the sudden pleasurable sensation, Jin held on to the pillow underneath his
head and squeezed his eyes, trying to hold back from coming too soon, his fingers entwining
Namjoon’s damp dark hair. Namjoon’s mouth felt so warm. “Nngh…” He felt him teasing the
sensitive tip whilst stroking his shaft.

Namjoon let go of his cock and started to stroke it quickly. “Come for me…” He said. With his
words, Jin’s stomach tightened as he tensed up and he finally came all over his abdomen and
Namjoon’s hand. As he came down from his high, he felt Namjoon’s lips on his again. Jin then put
his arms around Namjoon’s neck and pulled away. Jin darted his eyes toward Namjoon’s still-hard
length. “You haven’t come… Fuck me…” Jin said breathlessly. “I want to feel you deep inside
me…” Jin already looked so wrecked but he insisted.

“Okay…” Namjoon took the lube lying on the mattress beside him and squirted some onto his
hand. “Can you go on your hands and knees?” He said as he warmed the lube between his fingers.
“I can’t…” Jin admitted, still coming down from his high. “And I want to look at you.” He said
before biting into his kiss-swollen lips.

Namjoon could swear that Jin looking like that, looking spent with sweat glistening on his skin,
was a huge turn on and he chuckled as he placed a pillow underneath Jin’s hips. He adjusted his
position between Jin’s legs and he started to push a finger in. Jin was still relaxed from his high so
it was quite an easy glide. Jin winced when he put the second finger in and slightly tensed and
Namjoon put a bit of more lube in. Namjoon plunged his fingers deeper and prodded Jin’s warm
and tight walls, adding another digit.

One of the things he loved about Jin was how responsive he was. “Ah!” Jin started to squirm when
Namjoon started to massage his sweet spot, his cock hardening once again after a few minutes of
stretching. “Namjoon… please…”

“I can’t get enough of your reaction…” Namjoon leaned down to give Jin’s nipple a few flicks
with his tongue as he worked his fingers in deeper, scissoring his open.

“Ngh…ngh…N-Namj—Ah!” Jin bucked his hips up when Namjoon’s other hand wrapped his
sensitive dick and quickly let go when he got the reaction he wanted, making Jin whine.

Namjoon then pulled his fingers out, covered his hard length with a generous amount of lube, and
aligned with Jin’s puckering entrance. Namjoon held up one of Jin’s thighs and slowly glided
inside. Jin gritted his teeth at the burn of the stretch, his thighs tensing. ”Oh, fuck, fuck…” He
hissed.

“Relax…” Namjoon massaged his thigh and waited for him to adjust more for a moment.

“Deeper…” Jin whispered.

Namjoon obliged and he pushed forward until he bottomed out and waited for more adjustment. He
then lifted Jin a bit more by his thighs with both of his hands.

Jin felt so full. “Move…”

Namjoon gave a few shallow thrusts. “You feel so good, Jin…” Namjoon groaned at the feeling of
the warm tight heat surrounding his dick. He felt like he could just come from this alone.

“Don’t hold back… I can take it. Show me all you've got...” Jin panted when Namjoon angled just
right to hit his prostate.

Namjoon gripped his thighs tighter and started to go fast, jolting Jin’s body in the process. Jin
wrapped his own neglected length and gave a few tug but he was so sensitive from the previous
orgasm so he went back to gripping the sheets. He wanted to feel more, he wanted to feel Namjoon
deeper, wanting that delicious combination of pain and immense pleasure he had craved so much.
“Harder…”

“Fuck…” Namjoon took both of Jin’s ankles, holding them up to spread him wider, and started to
plow harder, grinding him into the mattress.

“Yes, yes, yes… harder... ngh…” Jin’s could feel his head hitting the headboard as Namjoon
continuously pounding his insides.

Namjoon looked down at Jin’s blissed out face when he set a relentless pace, with his head thrown
back as he was letting out his sobs and guttural moans. Jin was too pretty for his own good.
Goddamn… He wondered what it would look like to have Jin ride him. He suddenly felt heat
coiling in his guts and he tensed up as he came inside. He let go of Jin’s ankles, putting his legs
back down on either sides of his hips, and leaned forward to give Jin a lazy kiss as he rode out his
orgasm. He then pulled out his softening dick and continued to kiss him.

They held on to each other for a while, relishing each other's presence, whispering sweet words of
love and comfort.

Then, the hunger went back in full force and their kiss, once again turned more passionate, and
rougher with more bites added as they both felt another wave of desire once again, they couldn’t
get enough of each other.

As if reading his mind, “I want to ride you…” Jin said after a few minutes of dirty make out
session.

“Are you sure?” Namjoon said as he looked at Jin’s sweat slicked body, bangs plastered to his
forehead, come on this thighs.

Jin propped himself up. “Yeah… Just hold me up.”

Namjoon helped Jin up. He then leaned on the headboard and placed Jin on his lap to straddle him.
Jin held on to Namjoon’s shoulder and he lifted his hips up. “Help me, Namjoon-ah…”

Namjoon aligned his once again hard cock to Jin’s welcoming entrance and Jin lowered himself
down on his lengths and his jaw grew slack as he felt the fullness once again. Namjoon adjusted
his position a bit so he could feel more comfortable. Jin leaned forward to capture Namjoon’s lips
in his once again as he grind his hips down and Namjoon groaned at the feeling. “So good…” He
wrapped his arms around Jin.

“Nnnnh…” Jin could only respond so much because of how full and how good it felt on his sweet
spot as he rolled his hips down with Namjoon thrusting up. His thighs were burning but he wanted
to feel Namjoon longer inside him. He placed his head on Namjoon’s shoulder and he continued to
roll his hips down, his hard cock aching to be touched. Sensing it, Namjoon wrapped one of his
hands on Jin’s cock and gave a few stroke. “Ahhhh!” Jin suddenly came between their bodies
without warning, his strength started to diminish and he slumped forward. “C--Come in me
again…” He sobbed because it was almost borderline painful at how spent he felt as his sweet spot
was still being thoroughly fucked.

Namjoon cupped Jin’s face up to look at him and he saw more tears spilling out and he gave Jin a
deep soul suctioning kiss before he quickened his upward hard thrusts. Jin gripped Namjoon’s
shoulder and started to choke on his sobs as he bounced up and down on Namjoon lap. He felt
somewhat delirious at the overwhelming feeling when Namjoon started to stroke his soft dick. It
grew hard again as Namjoon continued his ministration. “Oh, God… N-Namjoon… ah-ah-ah…”
He came painfully dry this time and he started to feel faint but he still didn’t want to let go. He
placed his head on Namjoon’s chest as he moaned weakly.

Finally, Namjoon tensed up and came again deep inside. He tilted Jin’s face up to kiss him but Jin
was too weak to reciprocate. “You’re so good… I love you.” He pecked his lips again.

“I love you, too.” Jin managed to say with his hoarse voice and gave him a tired smile, tears still
streaming down his face and this time Namjoon couldn’t hold back his own tears. They stayed in
each other’s embrace for a few more minutes before Namjoon finally gathered enough strength to
slowly pull out and gently placed Jin to lay down on the mattress. “I’ll get the towel and some
water for you, baby.” He said lovingly.
Jin nodded. He was so worn out, his limbs felt like putty, and he felt sleepy. Namjoon came back
with a wet towel and a glass of water. He lifted Jin up to let him drink and then cleaned him up.
After tossing the wet towel away, he then pulled the blanket up and wrapped themselves in it. Jin
quickly drifted off to sleep as he held on to Namjoon’s hand. Namjoon stayed for some time as he
stared at his lover’s beautiful face before he himself drifted off into dreamland.
 Kismet? (Final)

Three years ago:

Kim Namjoon, 23, with his hair freshly dyed purple, was in the PC bang and he was staring at the
glaring bold letters inside the email he had received from the university and he had been focusing
on the word “Graduated” for some time. I did it… After finishing high school, he might’ve been
living on the street for two years as a thug, and after that three years in his car after he was
recruited to deal drugs, and then eventually becoming a hitman for an underground mafia group
but, strangely, he valued knowledge enough to continue his education. Well, even though he
ditched his high school graduation and got his diploma by mail instead.

He fished out his wallet and looked at the worn picture of his foster father (Officer Jung
Senior) Hoseok and his older sister (Dawon) and himself in a rare photograph of them together.
Not a day went by that he didn’t regret disappointing them for bailing out on them after graduation
five years prior. He wanted to do better. He wanted to get out from his way of life. He really did.
So that was why he decided to visit Hoseok in his apartment that night.

***

Jung Hoseok, who had just turned 24, freshly appointed as a senior officer had just got back from a
robbery and he was worn out. His father also had called him earlier that day to tell him that he was
not feeling well and had been coughing a lot so Hoseok had been worrying a lot as well, adding to
his exhaustion. When he entered his one-bedroomed apartment, he hung his coat and took off his
shoes, put the belt with his gun away, and immediately laid down on the sofa in the living room,
not even bothering to take off his uniform or wash his face. He was too tired.

“Hey, bro…” A familiar voice said.

Hoseok jumped at the voice and, by instinct, took out the gun from underneath the cushion and
pointed to the source of the voice. His eyes widened when he realized who it was. “Namjoon?” He
lowered the gun.

Namjoon had his hands up as he was sitting on one of the wooden chairs in the dining area. “Hi...
I’m sorry for breaking and entering.”

“You should, dumbass. Fuck. I could’ve shot you.” Hoseok put a hand to his chest, he had always
been a bit jumpy even though he had learned to control it over the years and channel it toward his
reflex instead. “What the fuck are you doing here? Last time I saw you was many months ago at a
drug bust. You said you want to be a snitch for me but I heard no news from you at all and no one
was turned in. You know that if you got nothing but empty promises, I’ll actually have to turn you
in, right?”

“I was held up for some time. I’m sorry. That’s because they assigned me to something different. I
had to destroy my old burner phone. Here.” Namjoon tossed a new phone to Hoseok. “You text me
from that. My number is there. It’s another burner phone.”

“And?” Hoseok refrained himself from getting up and hugging Namjoon even though he wanted to.
On one hand, Hoseok missed him so much but, on the other, Namjoon was still couldn’t be trusted.

“I’m a hitman now. They saw that I was good at fighting so they told me to do some fighting.”
Namjoon said as he showed him his bruised knuckles. “Don’t worry. I don’t actually kill people.
Not yet anyway..." He looked away. "I found out that once you become a hitman, if you do your
job extremely well, you could enter the big league and be stationed in The Household.” Namjoon
said softly, his voice was neutral but Hoseok could see slight sadness casting over his face.

Maybe he has changed after all. “You really want out of the life, don’t you?”

“I got a degree.” Namjoon grinned. “I took online courses and shit and got a fucking degree. I want
out. Bad.”

Hoseok looked at him in disbelief. “But, you bailed out of the graduation ceremony and stole the
mail! A degree? When did you have time?”

“Just because I bailed out of the graduation ceremony, doesn’t mean that I don’t value knowledge.”
Namjoon smiled. “I found out that once you want something bad enough, you eventually find time
for yourself and do something that you love.”

“Do you at least have something for me?” Hoseok said. “I can’t just hold on to promises alone,
Joonie-ah.”

“Wow… Haven’t heard that name in a while.” Namjoon laughed. “I miss hearing it, Hobi-ah.”

Hoseok felt his chest constrict from the nostalgia. “Namjoon…” He let out an exasperated sigh.

“Don’t worry. I actually got something.” Namjoon rummaged his pocket and handed Hoseok a
piece of paper. “It’s the coordinate to their secret location. I drove one of the guards there once and
got saved the coordinates for you.”

Hoseok unfolded the piece of paper and examined the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates.

“Also, I heard whispers from the underground. They have been talking about an heir to the
league for some time now.” Namjoon said.

“An heir?” Hoseok was in utter disbelief.

“I think so. From the looks of it. I might have to confirm it myself later once I got in.”

“And what am I supposed to do with this information?” Hoseok said. “I might know a couple of
people in the intelligence services but I can’t just barge in to their office and told them that I know
Shadow League's main location. It’s not enough.”

“I’ll become an inside man for you. Use me. I’ll do anything just to get back to the society as a
regular person. It’s my redemption.”

“You’ve entered dangerous waters already. It’s not too late to get out and start fresh in your current
position.” Hoseok shook his head. “It’s much safer to just turn yourself in.”

“I’ll be killed if I do get out in my current position. No. They have to be destroyed, Hobi.”

“Destroy a big mafia group? How exactly a mere police officer like me going to do that?”

“I’ll help you convince the intelligence service. Take me to them. They’ll believe me and you’ll
gain access. I seemed to have gained the trust of several higher ups in the underground. It would be
so easy to enter the big league. I know what I’m doing.” Namjoon insisted.

Hoseok could tell that Namjoon was sincere with his words. “Okay, then.”
Namjoon let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I will contact you more frequently. I should let you
know that I have a couple more assignments left until I could enter.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Silence immediately settled between them.

“Will you be okay?” Hoseok said. Just like old times, no matter how much trouble Namjoon had
seemed to put himself in, Hoseok still cared about him.

“I will. I’ll make time to see you before my last mission as a hitman.”

Hoseok nodded. He decided not to bring the topic about his father’s failing heath to not make
Namjoon worry. Hoseok knew that Namjoon cared about his foster father like his own even
though he doesn’t show it much.

“I’ll take my leave then.” Namjoon went over to Hoseok to pat his shoulder. “I left something in
the fridge for you, buddy. Happy birthday.” He said before walking out and closing the door
behind him.

Hoseok sat frozen for a couple of minutes, taking in what just happened. He then got up from the
sofa and went over to the fridge. He started crying when he saw a birthday cake and a can of his
favorite drink, Sprite, in his fridge. Namjoon, I’ll make sure to get you out… I promise…

***

Namjoon sat in a small quaint bar with a beer bottle to accompany him and a notebook to write his
thoughts in. It was still afternoon and the place wasn’t too busy and he had only one hitman job
left. It had been almost a few weeks with no assignment from the big league so he had been quite
productive in his writing and reading. He also had told Hoseok about his whereabouts like he had
promised and Hoseok was going to meet him the next day. Namjoon was glad that, conveniently,
the bar had allowed him to sleep in his car in the parking lot so that he was able to use the
bathroom just outside the bar. He had been staying there for several days in exchange of doing the
dishes for free.

Suddenly, the door to the bar opened and a beautiful man with doe eyes and full lips walked in. He
didn’t look at his surroundings at all and immediately sat two chairs away from him at the bar
counter. “A bottle of dark beer for me, please.” He said to the bartender. His voice was on a higher
register and there was a definite weight and depth in his eyes. His body was nothing short of
gorgeous. Namjoon couldn’t take his eyes off of him but then suddenly the doe-eyed man turned
toward him so Namjoon went back to his notebook and kept him in the peripheral of his vision.

The gorgeous man kept on staring at him. It’s probably the hair... It had been several long
minutes. Namjoon decided to do something about it.

“Hey, it's not polite to stare..." Namjoon said as he closed his notebook and then looked at him
straight in the eyes, smiling slightly, showing dimples.

Present day:

Namjoon had been staying at Jin’s apartment for several days to make up for their lost time. During
that time Jin took a few days off from work and spent his days with Namjoon. It turned out they
complimented each other so well in their daily routine. Namjoon had showed Jin his apartment and
office in Hongdae to show him his work and what he had done so far. Jin even got to witness
Namjoon working on a small case and his admiration for Namjoon grew tenfolds. “Next time, I
want to shadow you at work.” Namjoon winked.

Jin also had met a young man named Jungkook who had become friends with Namjoon and
apparently the apartment and office space that Namjoon had been staying in belonged to
Jungkook’s father’s estate. Namjoon reminded Jin that they actually had met previously three
years before in the hospital when Jin was recovering from his surgery but Jin couldn’t recall the
incident because he had been too out of it after surgery. Namjoon told Jin that Jungkook had been a
troubled teen in the past and repeated the last year of his high school so he graduated later than his
peers and had been taking two years off after high school to help his father and also volunteered at
an animal shelter. Namjoon also had been helping Jungkook to study for his college entrance
exam. Jungkook apparently had taken interest in studying law and sometimes would come over to
Namjoon’s office to observe him work and take notes, saying “I’m Namjoon hyung’s intern” to
which Jin found so adorable.

One day, Jin let slip a comment during an afternoon tea with Namjoon at a café, saying that
Namjoon was so brotherly toward Jungkook.

Namjoon’s eyes slightly glossed over with tears and he looked down at his mug. “Jin… I actually
did have a brother. Well, a half-brother, really.”

“Did?” Jin put down his own mug. “As in past tense?”

“Yes… When I was being transferred to the United States, news broke in that they found a
decomposed body of a teenage boy in Mr. Choi’s house. Oh, have I mentioned to you that Mr.
Choi was my father?” Namjoon looked at him as he wiped his eyes.

“Wait… what?” It took a moment for it all to process because Jin had been missing so many puzzle
pieces. “Tell me from the beginning. I’m so confused, Namjoon.”

“Well, during the day that we last saw each other, I chased Lin and Mr. Choi to the rooftop of the
Min’s Corporation building. Long story short, Lin told me that Mr. Choi was my father before she
shot him.”

Jin was shocked but he didn’t give any response until Namjoon finished explaining.

“You remember the kidnapping from 18 years ago right?”

Jin nodded. “Vividly.”

“The person who kidnapped you was Mr. Choi’s twin. He was Lin’s father. Which makes Lin my
cousin. Besides dreaming about you bleeding in my arms, I also had dreamt that I had killed a man
when I was young and apparently I did killed a man. That man was my father’s twin, Lin’s father.
Mr. Choi actually used to be in Black Rose but he got out because he couldn’t rise higher than my
mother, the heiress to the Black Rose.”

Jin’s eyes widened even more.

Namjoon nodded at the reaction. “I’ll get to that topic another time.”

Jin nodded. “Okay. Go on.”

Namjoon continued. “My father was the one who gave your father the idea of making a new mafia
group with a fake lore surrounding it. Using your father’s connection and immense wealth, they
were easily able to gain power and followers. My father was a sick man. His twin kidnapped you
and I to get his attention, but my father didn’t care, thus led his twin to have a meltdown resulting
in your injury and me losing my memory from trauma. That bit you already know.” Namjoon took
a sip from his mug to calm his nerves, his hands trembling. “Then I found out that outside of being
a sadistic right hand man to a mafia group, he was fucking principal at a goddamn high school. Can
you believe it? And my brother went there, apparently.”

“What?” Jin was still trying to process this overwhelming information.

“Yeah. I read that even my father couldn’t take care of him properly, his new wife left him, so he
was left to care for my brother, and over the years my brother became a monster because of
neglect. I had read in the police report Hoseok showed me that he was so much worse than I was:
he tortured his classmates and make so many illegal videos to be sold in the dark web. He was out
of control. Then he met his untimely end because he had no one to take care of him after my father
died in that rooftop and he was left alone in a big mansion to fend off for himself. I didn’t even get
a chance to meet him and to feel what it’s like to be a big brother to my own blood.” Namjoon was
shaking. “My father was a piece of shit.”

It was a lot to take in.

“And as for Jungkook… He was one of my little brother’s victim. I also read this in the file. Of
course, Jungkook doesn’t know this.” Namjoon looked away. “I know that I had nothing to do with
what happened to my little brother nor to the things that he had done but… I just feel the need to
make up for what happened to Jungkook. That’s the least I could do.”

Jin took his hands in his. “Don’t blame yourself.”

“I know… But I can’t help it…” Namjoon shed another bit of tears and Jin quickly reached over
and wiped it away with the back of his hand.

“What’s done is done. We should just focus on the future.” Jin said.

Namjoon took Jin’s hand in his and nodded. He took several deep breaths and nodded. “Yeah…
yeah, we should.” Namjoon smiled. He was grateful that despite Jin’s soft personality, he was
mercurial and able to keep his sense of clarity, which greatly complimented Namjoon’s heated and
sometimes self-deprecating nature. “Thank you, Jin.”

It was then that Namjoon’s phone beeped as a notification popped up in his phone. “Do you want
to come with me to meet my foster father and my late brother, Jin?”

“Of course, Namjoon-ah. I’ll be glad to.”

So that afternoon they both visited a columbarium to pay respect to them. Jin could see that family
was so important for Namjoon. Jin himself wishes that his own parents’ ashes could be stored in
the columbarium but their identities were destroyed so he wasn’t able to have any funeral for them.
The least he could do was pray to whatever deity there was and keep them in his thoughts. Jin also
managed to find his eomma but, again, he was not allowed any contacts to his previous life, much
to his dismay. He realized that all he had was Namjoon, as well as Yoongi and Yoongi’s parents.

“Choi Minseo.” The label on Namjoon’s half-brother’s urn read.

On their way back to Jin’s apartment, Namjoon shared fond memories he had with his late foster
father and Hoseok when he has a kid. Namjoon admitted to be a trouble maker as a teenager and
Hoseok, or “Hobi” as he liked to call him, had always been a goody two shoes. Jin would
have never thought that the same Officer Jung Hoseok who seemed to be so austere from the
outside was actually a softie on the inside when Namjoon told him stories about him. “We should
spend time together with him when he’s not too busy with the police paper work, Jin.” Namjoon
said.

“I’d love that.”

***

A few weeks later, Jin witnessed Namjoon finally getting a big case. His client was none other
than Min Yoongi. Namjoon couldn’t reveal much about the case because it was confidential but
Jin could see how troubled he looked when he was reading his files in the living room that night.

Jin decided to ask Yoongi himself and Yoongi revealed that it was Jimin, his boyfriend, that
needed Namjoon’s help. Yoongi didn’t reveal much details of the case to respect Jimin’s privacy
but Yoongi told him that Jimin had been bullied and assaulted badly several times and his attacker
almost killed him. So that explained the sad look in Jimin’s eyes when he came in to the salon.

Namjoon helped them won the case in court, of course, and Jin was so proud of him.

Another coincidence was the fact that it was Jungkook who recommended Namjoon to Yoongi.
Jungkook also knew Jimin. How he knew about Jimin was another mystery for Jin. He would find
out about it later eventually.

***

It was morning. Namjoon woke up before Jin as usual. He looked down and he saw that Jin had
one of his arms draped over his chest so he didn’t want to move and woke Jin up. Instead, he
waited until Jin woke up on his own. He took in the sight before him, the sun was high up that
morning and its rays entered the room, casting a soft glow on Jin’s exposed skin on his back. He
kissed the crown of Jin’s head.

“Hey…” Jin said as he stirred.

“Hiya there…”

Jin rubbed his eyes and looked up at him as he gave him a bright smile. “Let’s make breakfast.”

“I’ll make sure to set the coffee maker for you.” Namjoon chuckled.

“Yeah. You do that. I’m not eating burnt toast for breakfast.” Jin chuckled before pecking his lips,
not minding the morning breath.

Namjoon put on his boxers that he had put on the nightstand and walked out of the bed. Jin put on
his sweater and shorts and washed his face before joining Namjoon in the dining area.

Namjoon was still only in his boxers and he was reading a novel as he was sipping on a cup of
coffee.

“Namjoon, put your shirt on and wash your face.” Jin nagged as he was preparing to make some
intricate breakfast.
 “Yes, sir!” Namjoon saluted and grabbed his t-shirt he had left on the floor in front of Jin’s
bedroom door and went over to the sink to wash his face with warm water and wiped his face with
a paper towel and went back to reading his novel.

“That’s nasty.” Jin laughed as he scrunched up his nose as he was chopping some sausages.

“Your floor is clean! And you said you liked me nasty last night.” Namjoon whined. “’Yes, fuck
my face, Namjoon! Come on my face!’” Namjoon imitated him and then laughed heartily.

Jin’s face burned. “You’re so immature. That’s beside the point, Namjoon. And don’t be horny
now. I have a knife with me.” Jin shook his head and went back to cooking. They got used to
bickering and small fights but they relished those moments as well regardless. They were in their
own domestic bliss and they appreciated their moments with one another.

Suddenly, Jin felt a pair of arms around his waist and soft lips on his neck. “Namjoon! I’m
cooking!”

“Let me stay like this for a minute.” Namjoon said softly. “I want to recharge.”

Jin recognized that tone and he let Namjoon held him for a bit longer. “Okay…”

“Thank you, Jin…” Namjoon said. “I’m so lucky.”

Jin put his knife down and turned about to face him to give him a gentle kiss. “I wouldn’t ask for
anything more.”

Was it kismet? Some say it was if they only see the surface. Was what they have forbidden and was
their attraction so deadly that it caused so many bloodshed along their path? This, for sure, was
highly untrue.

Lust might have triggered their initial attraction but after that, what they shared have been out of
pure love toward one another. The forbidden attraction, as it turned out, was when Jin’s father’s
greed attracted in Namjoon’s father’s lust for power and everything after that was the chain
reaction.

As for Jin and Namjoon, what’s important for them was that they have each other and that’s all
that mattered. They decided to move on from their past and decided to live and breathe in each
other for the rest of their days. And they wouldn’t have it any other way…

-- The End --

End Notes

Do not plagiarize. If you wish to translate, kindly ask for permission in the comment
section and credit me by linking to the original story.

Feel free to comment your thoughts on the story :)

Thank you!
Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!