Heal me // A Jikook Trilogy //

《34》Even the Strongest Struggle

Sweat dripped down my spine, my hair already sticking to my skin as I hit the punching back again with all my force.

It helped, if only a little.

Helped my wrecking nerves to not think abut Lian being back in that house.
Being back with that monster that was her father.

Lian had not wavered, not looked scared as she left the Junkyard with Tae by her side, dressed neatly and a little nerdy to pose as an intern in a local hospital.
I wasn't in the least bit concerned he could pull it off.

He'd portrayed much more difficult roles.
And even though Lian had proven herself to be just as clever, just as brilliant and resourceful, this was so much more personal to her.
It was her father after all.

I just hoped she would not get too emotional.
Literally everything depended on it.
And knowing the things I did about that man... I wasn't entirely sure he would spare his own daughter when faced with the choice between her and power.
A man so ruthless... who knew what he was capable of?

I threw another round of punches, my muscles vibrating with the strain, my breathing hard already.
The boxing area was far off, located close to the wall of stacked cars at the edge of the camp.

The sun had not set yet, but was hidden behind the wall of stacked cars which meant the entire ground was thrown into soft shadows.
I had been on it since two hours now.

So it shouldn't really surprise me when someone approached.
Actually, I was surprised it had taken them so long to come look for me.

I expected it to be Jimin, but when the person stepped closer, I made out the bulky shape of Namjoon.
He always carried this tranquillity with him and most days, only his presence could calm me down.
Not today though.

I threw another angry punch while Namjoon watched me, hands crossed in front of his chest, feet apart.

"Try using less strength and more speed. It's not always the power in your muscles that makes a punch painful, but the speed with which you hit. Simple physics. Inhale: draw back. Exhale: punch."

It came naturally to me to follow his instructions.
I took a breath and lunged, then exhaled and punched the bag.

"Now take a faster breath. Shorten it by half."

I did, taking a short breath and releasing the air immediately.
The punching bag flew back harder than before.
It shouldn't be a surprise.
Namjoon always knew what he talked about.

I continued regulating my breathing, trying to punch the bag faster while using the same amount of strength.
Namjoon kept watching until he sighed and spoke in a quiet voice.

"You okay?"

I stopped midway of the punch and turned towards him.

I could lie and tell him everything was all right.
Instead I sighed as well and took a step away from the bag, taking off my gloves with trembling fingers. I might have overdone it today.

"Would you believe me if I said yes?"

Namjoon's lips tugged up in the smallest smile.

"No. Not really."

I nodded and threw the gloves on the floor, turning fully to our Leader.

"I'm worried about her. I'm not sure she can handle meeting her father like this. What we are asking of her...."

Namjoon's eyes went far away for a second.
They always did that when he was deep in thought.
They became darker for a moment, glazed over with whatever gift Namjoon was given to make him so incredibly smart.