October 29, 2019
"There's no…" Namjoon was cut off by a panting Taehyung who stormed into his office without bothering to knock. Three pairs of eyes turned to him.
"I'm sorry, Namjoon…" he began breathlessly, propping himself up on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "If I'd known it was going to happen, I wouldn't have told her anything…" he paused to catch his breath.
Namjoon and Seokjin raised their eyebrows. It was assumed that Ari was currently practicing shooting with Taehyung as they discussed a possible partnership with another group and their leader was sitting next to Seokjin and across from Namjoon.
When Namjoon had a meeting with another leader it was always at his house, it was rare but right now there was just such a meeting and Taehyung's intervention was not something that was expected.
And for him to interrupt them, something serious had happened and he tensed up. "Breathe, Tae, and tell me what you said and why you look like the devil is chasing you?" Namjoon tried to calm him down and glanced sideways at the other who was watching the scene curiously.
Taehyung looked uncertainly at the outsider and turned back to Namjoon. "Ari, she was asking me questions about…about Binna…" he stretched and shook his head. "I don't know what happened to her, all of a sudden she just freaked out and, shit, she's scaring me to death, no one can get her gun and…" he looked pleadingly at Namjoon.
"What?!" Namjoon growled and Taehyung looked down. “I'm sorry, hyung, she asked and…” he swallowed dryly, avoiding Namjoon's gaze.
"I'll deal with her, you go ahead" Seokjin interjected, standing up. Namjoon looked at him skeptically but nodded. The meeting was important, so there was simply no other choice at the moment.
Seokjin and Taehyung walked out and Namjoon turned back to his guest. "I'm sorry about that, women, what can I say..." he shrugged indifferently and the other nodded in understanding.
"Ari, calm down, for God's sake!" Seokjin tried to approach her to take the weapon from her, but she was completely distraught. Her tears flowed, her chin trembled and she sobbed like a child.
"I can't do it, I can't be like her!" Ari cried and forced the new magazine in, reloading the gun, she aimed it and with a scream emptied the magazine into the target again.
"What the hell did you say to her, Taehyung?" Seokjin glared at him and Taehyung backed away timidly as Ari turned slightly towards them, reloading. "Nothing much, she asked what Binna was like next to Namjoon, there among ours and…" he trailed off as she fired off another magazine, still screaming tearfully.
“I can't, Jin oppa, how can I be like her, how can I scare them!” Ari cried and bowed her head, staring at the gun. Her hand shook uncertainly as she reloaded. Seokjin gaped. "Ari, stop and look at me." he ordered softly but loudly and she obeyed.
"No one wants you to be like Binna, little one. You just have to keep your head up and don't let them crush you" he smiled and she sobbed even harder. "There's the problem, Jin oppa! So I have to scare them, just like her!" Ari aimed the weapon again and began firing.
"Ari, that's not what I said…" Jin tried again, but she cut him off, her worried gaze darting to him and she tilted her head, smirking like a psychopath, clearly not listening to him at all. "He'll know… The very first time I stand next to him in front of them and freak out, they'll all know…" she shook her head.
“Ari…” Seokjin looked at Taehyung who continued to back away, not taking his eyes off Ari's gun that was currently hanging from her index finger. "They'll find out I'm weak, Jin oppa, and they'll take advantage, use me against him and I won't be able to protect him and he'll abandon me and..." she cried again, changing her demeanor again.
"He's going to leave me because I'm not strong like her, because I'm not Kim Binna!" Ari roared, the anguish in her eyes turning into a psychopathic glare again. "Ari, you're tired, put down the weapon and let's talk!" Seokjin ordered firmly, but she wasn't even looking at him anymore.
"Shit, she won't hear me." Seokjin cursed and looked at Taehyung. "How do you deal with crazy women?" Seokjin mumbled and Taehyung shook his head, blinking startled.
"Shall we let her shoot until she calms down?" Taehyung offered softly and Seokjin looked back at Ari who continued to empty magazine after magazine. "Do we have that much ammo?" Seokjin shook his head thoughtfully.
“At least she's not trying to kill anyone…” Seokjin almost laughed at the cowardly note in Taehyung's voice. "Are you afraid of her, kid?" Taehyung pouted. "She hasn't acted like this before, hyung…" Taehyung justified and they both looked at Ari again.
“Women are strange creatures…” Seokjin sighed. The next month there was a sort of gala night where Ari was supposed to accompany Namjoon. But the closer she got to the date, the more nervous she became, and it seriously affected her mood. Like right now, jumping from the heartbroken girlfriend to the shadow of the dead wife and then to a psychopathic, cold-blooded killer-to-be.
With the first option, the sobbing crying Ari was easy, but the one that appeared next, she was bringing out Taehyung's angels and to be honest, Seokjin was a little scared too.
Seokjin sighed and crossed his arms. "At least her aim is great" Taehyung looked at him in disbelief. "Seriously? Is that what you're thinking right now?" he gaped and Seokjin shrugged.
"Well she's probably picturing someone's head in there, hopefully not one of ours" Jin laughed and Taehyung blinked, swallowing hard. "You're both crazy!" Taehyung gasped theatrically, shaking his head.
"She just needs to vent her insecurities and she's doing that through the shooting." Seokjin replied, motioning for one of the guards to bring more refills. "I don't think she would seriously hurt anyone" he added and heard Taehyung let out an almost relieved sigh.
Ari kept shooting. Someone approached her and left her more refills. Her heart skipped a beat with each shot, her vision clouded with tears, but she didn't stop.
Her thoughts left her breathless. How to be like her, how does a woman scare a mobster? She wasn't capable of scaring an ant, how could she keep Namjoon's dignity if she kept trembling at the thought of mixing with such people.
Ari wanted to be with him, he was kind, caring, loving, made her happy, made her feel like a queen and she didn't want to lose him just because she was a coward. But the moment Namjoon discovered what a weak woman she was, he would regret his choice and break up with her, leave her.
"What the…" Seokjin and Taehyung looked at Namjoon who was staring in amazement at the empty magazines at Ari's feet. "Since when does she shoot like that?" he asked and Taehyung shook his head. "Since before I came to you" he answered and Namjoon gasped.
"She thinks she's not good enough, that she's not strong like Binna. This idiot here" Seokjin nodded at Taehyung who pouted "Told her that Binna scared everyone and now Ari thinks you're going to abandon her because she's weak" Seokjin explained and Namjoon looked sheepishly at Ari who hadn't even noticed that he was at the shooting range.
"Leave us alone" Seokjin nodded and he and Taehyung walked out followed by the security man. Namjoon waited for him and turned back to Ari, looking at the position of her legs and arms.
He came closer and, hugging her from behind, slid his hands over hers. "There you go, baby" he lifted her arms slightly so they were level with her shoulders. She shuddered, her finger released from the trigger, and her body shuddered.
"You're getting better" Namjoon praised her, running his lips down her neck and taking the weapon from her hands. "But not good enough…" Ari whispered, her tears welling up with renewed force, her sobs stifling.
"You've only been training for a few days, trust me, you're doing great dear." he grabbed her wrists and using her own hands, he hugged her tightly, entwining their fingers.
"I'm going to fail Namjoon, I'm going to fail you too" Ari cried softly, leaning into his chest. "Maybe you should find another one, someone who looks more like Binna.." Namjoon abruptly turned her towards him and pressed his lips to hers, pressing her back.
Ari melted, letting him capture and subdue her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she rose, tilting her head to deepen their kiss. Namjoon picked her up and her legs closed behind him.
He stepped forward and placed her on the counter, his hands sliding under her sweater and cupping her breasts. Ari moaned and her fingers closed in the fabric of his jacket.
"Don't ever compare yourself to any woman, baby!" Namjoon broke the kiss and leaned against her neck. "You are my queen, the woman who sets my blood on fire like no other" his tongue trailed along her jaw line and she tossed her head back.
"And when it's time to stand up to those bastards" his teeth left an imprint just below her ear. "Act exactly like one." he returned to her lips, holding her neck as he continued to massage her already bristly nipple through her bra with his other hand.
"Be cold, arrogant, see them as the nothings they are" she sighed against his lips and he smirked, looking deep into her eyes. "You're Kim Namjoon's girl, Bangtan's girl. You're more than any of them and no one can or will ever have the right to call you weak!" Namjoon growled and she nodded slightly biting her lip before he again take them over and make her scream his name from the bottom of her soul.