Her small heels clattered along her steps as she with a smile kept greeting the fellow villagers that she would find on her way.
Terra was on her way to meet with Taehyung as he had informed her that he was back from his morning ride and would hurry to go change and meet with her by the main road so the two would go to the city together for some shopping.
She had put on a dress she liked a lot along with a pair of dark fleece-lined tights that boosted her confidence, for they sure did justice to her legs. Even her hair and makeup had looked perfect today, making her extra satisfied with her overall appearance.
" You sure are glowing today, Terra. The young Kim sure is a lucky fellow. " Commented one of her neighbours who she found seated at the cafe and greeted him subtly with a light head movement and a smile.
" If she is glowing that much, maybe you should wear your sunglasses, uncle." To her surprise, Namjoon stepped out of the cafe with a cup in his hands and a teasing smile as he had replied to his elder.
" Yah! Who are you calling Uncle? I am not that old! " The man retorted only for his companion on the table to break his momentary delusion by reminding him that he was almost 70.
The mentioning of his age made Terra burst out laughing, and so did Namjoon, both quite unbothered for they both knew well what kind of person was that old man.
" He might die from a heart attack if you pass by often dressed like this." Namjoon approached her with a smile, and the two started walking away.
" Don't exaggerate. It's just a simple dress. I don't really look that good, do I? " She didn't lose her chance to fish for a compliment as she looked shyly his way, and Namjoon gave her a confident reply.
" You look absolutely stunning. " He uttered, oblivious that his good intentions of wanting to lift her confidence had done more than that.
Namjoon had originally taken his time to get comfortable with Terra. However, once he had accepted her as someone who would be sharing the rest of her life with his cousin Taehyung, he allowed himself to behave casually with her. He was sure that she would not misunderstand him after all, yet despite the fact that she had not, his comfortability had grown to become a temptation for Terra. A temptation she was trying to pretend that it did not exist.
" You are off to the city, aren't you ?" He added thankfully as she was caught off guard by his direct compliment despite the fact that she had led him to give her some praise. Hearing him say it had had an impact on her.
" Oh, yes. Tae will be driving. Wanna tag along? "
" No, no, I won't be the third wheel on your date." He joked, and she cracked up instantly. " I will just send a list of things I need to Taehyung, and maybe you could make sure he doesn't forget to buy them for me."
" Rest assured,"
" Great! Have fun then. I will see you later. "
" Sure! Bye. "
He walked away cheerfully, and Terra just observed him go for a moment as her mind was mapping his figure.
I need to find a way to get rid of these inappropriate thoughts I have for him. Otherwise, I might end up doing something stupid.
She thought as she went on her way, with a pinch of guilt growing in her chest.
---change of set ---
Veta and Jimin had just stepped out of the room where they had left Dana to rest, their footsteps echoing around the empty corridor of the monastery.
Jimin was the only one looking left and right from time to time as he followed his general a step behind, she looking rather confident and relaxed despite the fact that he knew that the news of Dana having to stay in the monastery with her, was most likely out of her plans.
"Sergeant-"
"Don't call me that! Even walls can have ears sometimes." She cut off his attempt to question if she was alright and Jimin just pursed his lips and straightened his posture for her tone made him feel as if he was back in his old days. Merely a soldier standing before his mighty sergeant.
After a while of walking from corridor to corridor, Veta's steps came to a halt before a small door and without hesitation, she pulled the key out of her sleeve and unlocked it. She made her way in rather swiftly and so did he, making sure that he closed the door well behind him.
Once inside Jimin came to face a small office that was not unfamiliar despite the fact that he had not been there before. It just carried the vibe of the offices they used to have in their army base.
"Now that Dana will be staying here, you need to be in the village too. I can't keep you in the premises of the monastery but I still need you near." Veta spoke as she opened a shelf and allowed her eyes to scan through some files until she found what she needed and pulled it out, handing it to Jimin.
"There's this small shop that's been up for rent for years and none has taken it. It's right by the centre, near the library. It comes with a small living space on the second floor. Go rent it and come to this village as a new face." She ordered him as Jimin had opened the file and was scanning the information.
"Wouldn't it benefit you more if I stayed hidden here though. Dana will get lonely. Besides as a newcomer in such a small place, don't you think I will draw too much attention?"
"That is our aim. Draw all the attention possible. Become the talk of this place, lure them all in and get friendly with all of them. Distract them." She clarified and Jimin smiled as he closed the file and looked at her serious face.
" What is it that you are really sending me to do?" He knew her well and thus there was no way that her orders did not have some ulterior motive. He was certain Veta would not separate him from Dana, knowing how dangerous it was if she was to ever show herself to anyone. Logically Veta should have been asking him at that moment to become Dana's shadow and make sure she stays hidden, yet she was asking him to leave her be on her own.
Sure using him as a distraction could be beneficial however that alone was not good enough of a gain to risk Dana's exposure.
"Dana's exposure may be important but that threat will hover above our heads until I get them both to escape from here together. I can't pull the same strings I did to send Dana off this place, so you will become my new string. As a businessman, you will find ways of importing and exporting on the island and we can later use them for more than just your small shop. "
"You still are going to help them?" Jimin spat back in slight surprise for even though he certainly was capable of figuring things out under the pretence of a businessman, there was a part of him that didn't fully want to cooperate and thus he couldn't help but question, why was someone like Veta helping those fools that had gotten entangled all on their own.
"Don't look at me like that. I know how you feel about Dana but this is your mission and you will see it through. Did I make myself clear?" Her gaze hardened on him as she met his eyes and Jimin lowered his head, slightly frustrated and slightly embarrassed over the fact that she had seen right through him.
"I am not trying to interfere...It's just...I really don't think that they have anything to do with our actual mission...And I don't know you for a soft-hearted person Sergeant. You wouldn't mix work with personal feelings, nor you would ever take so long to complete a single mission. I have oathed to blindly serve you despite the fact that you are no longer my Sergeant nor you are any longer part of the army, however, my respect for you has a limit." Jimin clenched his fist by the side of his body as he spoke those bitter words that he had held within his mind for a long time.
His eyes didn't dare look at her face after he spilt those thoughts of his for he carried a certain fear for her in his heart as well as a debt he had sworn to pay back for as long as he was alive. She was the one, that treated her team as her own limbs, under no circumstances was she to ever let anyone behind no matter the danger or the risk. She was a sergeant he could trust blindly and lean on yet she was also someone that he didn't consider much humane. Such a heartless individual devoted to only her duty could never allow others to entangle her mission, no matter how much she was to have empathized with them.
It was just impossible in his eyes, hence he could never accept anything sentimental to be the reason Veta is helping Dana and Jungkook or anyone else in this village. She had the clothes of a nun but he had always seen her dressed in her uniform. In his eyes, she was a strategist with a single aim, and that aim never included any mercy for obstacles.
"I see...what is gonna take for you to cooperate then?" She didn't appear faced by his slight rebellion and Jimin slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers.
"I can't be the one trusting you forever. I don't want this to be one-sided no more. If you want my help...you have to let me in. You have to trust me too." He laid his condition as his gaze grew a bit more confident for he knew that from the moment he had spoken those words, he couldn't not back out.
"I want you to let me know, what your mission is in this place." He clarified sternly and the two fell into a loop of silence that felt eternal to him, under that cold gaze of hers, but as she allowed the corner of her lips to move upwards, Jimin couldn't help but slightly regret the fact that he was so direct with her.
To his utter surprise, however, Veta allowed that smirk to grow into a wide smile as she agreed to his condition.
"I have no issue with letting you know. There's only one condition, however."
"What is it?" He felt chills running down his spine despite the taste of regret that started forming on his tongue, for her gaze was letting him know that his curiosity and need for knowledge may have brought him before a frightening door.
"The moment you get to find out, you should be aware," Veta approached him and slowly brought her hand to his neck where she allowed her finger to rest on his Adam's apple.
"You will be laying your life on the table." She whispered as she started moving her nail against the skin of his neck, ghosting the memory of a cold sharp knife.
"There's only an end to this dance and that is eternal. Succeed or not, the only one that will welcome you at the finish line...will be death."
---To be continued...