namjoon
when he fights for you
It was a regular night. Things were going their usual flow. Namjoon was standing behind the counter, sorting through the packs of cigarettes and filling up the shelves. It was a calm night since it was during the week. There were only occasionally some customers coming in. Namjoon was working the night shift at a gas station. He hated his job, but he was yet grateful for it. Finding a job without a diploma was nearly impossible these days. As a college dropout himself, he didn't have too many career choices. All that mattered was that he had a roof above his head and food in his stomach, so he made it work. He was by himself in the tiny store. Once he finished organizing the shelves he sat behind the counter and read. It was his most favorite thing to do.
At least this way he could find some joy in his dull monotonous life.
He was absorbed in the story, forgetting about his surroundings. But this peaceful moment came to an end too fast, when the silence was broken by a piercing cry for help. Namjoon darted from his old wooden chair when he heard a woman scream. Without hesitation, he ran out.
A young woman who looked about his age, came running into his arms. Her eyes were bloodshot and wide with panic. Blood was dripping from her nose and a large purple bruise was forming on her left cheek. She tightly gripped onto his arms, crying hysterically.
"Sir, please help me" she was stumbling over her words in her hysteria, "Please help me, call the police- he is after me- i- please do something" she cried desperately. Namjoon's fingers were shaking as he grabbed her by her wrist and hurriedly pulled her after him. His heart was beating in his throat, and he was sweating buckets. He pulled her into the store, quickly locking the doors.
"You must calm down now" he told her gently, helping her sit down on the chair behind the counter. "I will call the police now. They will be here in no time. You are safe now."
She was having trouble breathing, clutching her chest as she choked on her tears.
As Namjoon reached out to put her hair back to take a look at her bruise, she winced frightfully. Namjoon quickly put his hand down, feeling his chest tighten.
"Have some water" he said, pouring her a glass. With shaky hands she put the glass to her lips and took tiny sips. In the meanwhile Namjoon clumsily pulled out his cellphone from his pocket and dialed the emergency number. He kept glancing out the window to check whether her abuser was in sight.
"Seoul 911. What's the exact location of your emergency?"
Namjoon began to answer the dispatcher's questions one by one, adrenaline rushing through his veins the whole entire time.
Once he hung up, he turned back to the woman. Kneeling down in front of her, he took her shaking hands in his, in an attempt to calm her down. He was afraid she might suffer a panic attack if she kept hyperventilating like this.
"Take a deep breath and exhale slowly" he told her, looking into her red eyes. She held his hands tightly, as she followed his guidance and concentrated on his voice. Her heart was violently racing in her rib cage, it was painful to breathe and her whole body ached.
It all had happened within the blink of an eye. She was on her way home from work as she noticed a man following her.
On alert, she quickened her pace and tried to create some distance between her and the stranger. Just when she thought he was left behind, he cut her way in an alley. He was drunken, the heavy stench of cheap beer and sweat hitting her face like a slap. She tried to run away and defend herself, but he was at a point of no return. He was going to risk it all to have her.
