*Fanart credit to the owner*
"Do you know he is the most gruesome fighter?"
The man looked at another who was sitting quietly in a corner. Legs stuck to his chest and head between his knees.
The guard scoffed, "What's so special about him? He looks like a gentle giant."
The first guard shook his head, "He is from that African camp that was caught five years ago. You won't know. You are new here. But he was the leader there."
The second guard nodded, "But weren't the people from the camp supposed to be dead?"
"No one could touch him when it was his turn to die. He didn't let anyone touch his subordinates as well." The first guard shivered. "They were tough times. Then his majesty let them be on the condition that they won't create any problem till the day they die."
The second guard was slowly able to understand why he was such a huge deal around the prison. He had just shut up one of the new inmates for creating trouble. "How many of them are there?"
"He came here with ten but now they are only two."
The second guard's eyes went wide, "Why?"
The first one shrugged, "Well, some of them asked for mercy killing, some died in internal wars and he killed one himself just a year ago."
The second one gasped. He wasn't reacting to what the first guard said but to the look in the camp leader's eyes. The dragon-like eyes were staring at the other inmate who was trying to mess with him. "Hey!" The guard shouted, "Leave him alone."
"This won't end well." The first guard sighed.
The inmate, Nam ShinJoo, the second guard remembered, had crouched down to the leader. His head was tilted and a smirk on his face. The second guard just noticed the huge scar on the leader's head. It started from his hairline and ended just above his left eye. It was a horizontal scar but it looked so gruesome that anyone would get scared. But Shinjoo was more dense than he looked. He foolishly flicked the leader's head, "Do you think just because you have that huge scar, you are powerful?" He scoffed, "Powerful people don't get scars like those, you know. Powerful people don't let anyone touch them.
The leader just looked at him with bored eyes before looking away. He wasn't looking for trouble but Shinjoo was clearly dumb. He slapped the leader's cheek a little too hard and then laughed, "Such a fucking siss-" He stopped speaking as soon as he was pinned down to the nearest wall by his throat. Shinjoo choked as he tried to get away from the grip.
The two guards ran to the leader. The first guard raised a taser to the leader, "Kim Namjoon, leave Nam Shinjoo before I have to tase you."
Namjoon glared at the guard and tightened his grip on Shinjoo's throat, "You should have told him not to mess with me."
The second guard gulped, "We did. But you can't just kill him like that."
Namjoon scoffed and looked at Shinjoo, "Then you must be pretty dense. Should I just relieve you from your dumb life, then?"
"Namjoon hyung, leave him alone." The two guards looked at the man across Namjoon. "I am sure he will remember this lesson for the rest of his life."
Namjoon glared at Shinjoo, "I don't think he did. He will probably come after me for revenge."
"Hyung..." Before the new member could say anything, he was cut off by the higher authority.
"Kim Namjoon! There is someone here to meet you."
Namjoon looked to his left and titled his head, "Me?" He left the boy he was choking and straightened his uniform. He looked at Shinjoo, "Don't ever breathe near me." He turned around and silently followed the officer into the meeting area.
The two guards sighed in relief. The first guard went to Namjoon's subordinate and patted his back, "Thank you, Jungkook for butting in."
Jungkook just stared at him and turned around without saying anything to go to his cell. He was not really interested in talking to people. That was the thing that helped him to stay alive all these years. But the guard knew that he was just as dangerous as Kim Namjoon.
~
As Namjoon reached the door of the meeting room, the chief stopped. He turned to Namjoon, "Hands."
Namjoon rolled his eyes, "You know, I don't like being handcuffed." He leaned closer to the chief, "You were there when they tried to handcuff me last time."
The chief shivered a little but then he stared right into Namjoon's eyes, "I know. But the person who is on the other side is really important and I can't let you go there without the handcuffs."
Namjoon sighed as if bored and raised his wrists. The chief handcuffed his hands. Namjoon hummed in curiosity. The handcuffs were of premium quality. There was no chain in between the handcuffs and his wrists were stuck to each other. No matter how hard he tugged, they didn't budge. They were a little tighter than the previous cuffs as well. The guest must be really important.
When the cuffs were on, the chief opened the door and the usual meeting room was turned into a fucking corporate-like zone. There was a huge chair in the middle and the man sitting on it was someone that Namjoon would have lunged on as soon as he saw him a few years ago. Five to be precise. Namjoon sighed. Now he understood why the chief was jittery. He stared at the man as the chief and his guards bowed to him.
The emperor of the land.
The royal majesty who had sentenced Namjoon and his men to death. Though he changed it to a life sentence, Namjoon was not exactly happy with that. The emperor sat on the throne with one leg on the other, slightly sprawled on the chair. He was wearing a black suit with a white T-shirt and a pair of sneakers. The last time Namjoon saw him, he was wearing a crown but right now there was no crown and his hair was down as opposed to the regular styled hair. Namjoon sat on the chair that was right in front of the king.
The chief glared a little at Namjoon and then looked at the king, "I am sorry for the prisoner's indecency, your royal majesty. He doesn't know enough about the kingdom's rules." He looked at Namjoon, "Bow to him!"
Namjoon just stared at the king, making the emperor chuckle, "I like him." He said as he looked at the man beside him. The man, probably his secretary, had cat-like eyes and was shorter in height. His hair was long and styled professionally. He was wearing a black suit with a black tie and had a tablet in his hand. The emperor sat straight as he stared back at Namjoon. "Kim Namjoon. Went missing when you were ten and then resurfaced after fifteen years. All changed and tough and everything."
Namjoon looked really uninterested. The emperor looked at the secretary and the secretary walked to Namjoon and gave him the tablet. Namjoon looked at the tablet and then at the king, "Really? A photo of a woman who calls herself my mother? I thought you were better than Kim Seokjin-shi."
There were several clicks of the guns being put out of the safety lock. Namjoon looked around and found five guns pointed at him. Seokjin raised his hand and everyone relaxed. "Well, she is your mother. She is in the hospital."
Namjoon chuckled, "You see this scar?" He pointed at the scar on his forehead with one hand but the other automatically went with the first one because of the handcuffs. "This was given to me by my so-called mother. Do you really think I care about her?"
Seokjin shook his head, "You underestimate too much, Kim Namjoon. Swipe left and you'll find something interesting." Namjoon did as he was told and his expression changed. Seokjin smirked, "Kim Taehyung. The sweetheart of the empire. Highest grossing actor in the century. What do you think will happen if people came to know that his brother killed around 25 people..." He looked at the secretary, "Was it 25? Is it more?"
The secretary nodded, "35."
"Ooo..." Seokjin smirked harder, "How do you think it will affect your brother?"
Namjoon knew what exactly Seokjin was doing. He was using his brother as a weakness. Namjoon loved Taehyung more than his own life. He clenched his jaws, "What do you want?"
Seokjin smiled and looked at the secretary again, "I told you I like this guy." He looked at Namjoon, "Be my bodyguard for a month. I will not only make sure that you are out of this hell hole but I'll make sure that the sun never sets on your brother's career."
"I refuse." Namjoon locked the tablet. He really looked uninterested in the whole thing. "I'm better inside these walls and my brother is well capable of striving in the industry. We don't need your help."
Seokjin signalled to his secretary. He went to Namjoon and took the tablet away. He fished a card out of his coat pocket and gave it to Namjoon, "Tell them to call on this number if you change your mind." Seokjin said as he got up from the chair. He stopped a little and smirked, "Ah, I know you want to stay here but what about your minion?" He turned entirely to Namjoon. The expressions that were on Namjoon's face were anticipated. He chuckled, "What is his name...?" He acted as if he was really trying to remember.
"Jeon Jungkook." The secretary added.
"Right." Seokjin looked at Namjoon with a sharp gaze, "Jeon Jungkook. Has a lot of potential. But such a waste. If you agree to this, he will be out of here too." Without waiting for Namjoon's reply, Seokjin left the room. The men who were with him followed shortly after.
Namjoon stood up and looked at the chief. He raised his handcuffed hands. The chief immediately opened his hands. Namjoon sighed and caressed his wrists a little. The handcuffs are always a huge problem. He never liked them. Some say that it was also connected to his childhood trauma. Namjoon never gave any answer to anyone when they asked. Not even Jungkook.
It was dead silent when Namjoon went back to his cell. Jungkook, who had been his cellmate from the very start, was already there. He looked at Namjoon, "Shinjoo will not mess with you again."
Namjoon chuckled, "What did you do?"
Jungkook shrugged, "Just knocked some sense into him."
Namjoon sighed and sat on his bed. His figure was more slouched than usual and Jungkook immediately knew something was off. He sat beside Namjoon, "What happened? Who came to meet you?"
Namjoon sighed, "The emperor."
Jungkook gasped, "What? What did he say? Are you getting a death sentence?"
Namjoon chuckled, "You couldn't think that I was getting freed?"
Jungkook looked away awkwardly, "I mean, you did kill 35 people. I can't think of any way you can get out."
Namjoon nodded. He looked at the ceiling. The room felt smaller now. He had a chance to get out of this room. But what would he do after that one month of guarding the king? No one will give him a job and he might just be out there begging for a living. It would really crush his pride. He looked at Jungkook, "Jungkook-ah, would you like to be out of this hell hole?"
Jungkook's eyes went wide. He thought about it for some time and then shook his head, "No."
Namjoon was shocked. He would have expected Jungkook to say yes. Jungkook was still young and he could do many things if he was out of here. "Why?"
Jungkook shrugged, "There is nothing out there for me to do. And you are here. I don't want to go anywhere without you. I am kind of used to you and I want to stay by your side. No matter what."
Namjoon was really touched. He had never seen loyalty this strong. It made him hug Jungkook tightly but it wasn't in his nature. He got up from the bed, "I'll be right back." He went out to one of the guards from before and just stood there.
"Do you have a cigarette?"
The guard fumbled and then produced a stick from his pocket. Namjoon took it and then looked at the guard. The guard sighed and gave him the lighter. Namjoon took a huge puff of the cigarette and then sighed. All the stress in his system seemed to fly away with the smoke of the cigarette. The nicotine hit him all in the right places. His brain became hazy and all the worries flew away for a while. He took another puff and it became more hazy. After the fourth puff, he threw the cigarette away and went back to the cell.
~
"So, I think it is important for the kingdom to impose the tax."
Seokjin was sitting on the huge throne as one of the ministers explained about some bizarre tax that would only drain the citizens out. Why did the ministers think that Seokjin would be dumb enough to pass something this ridiculous? The chair, on which he sat, was so huge that it was half comfortable to sleep on it. He tilted his head and sighed, "Not granted." He waved his hand in the air and the minister was left with no choice but to leave the throne room. Seokjin was sure that he would come again with a "better" version of the tax plan.
Seokjin looked at the secretary and narrowed his eyes, "If you knew that he was going to be this useless, then why did you hire him, Yoongi?"
Yoongi shrugged, "Well, you insisted on not scrapping the 'free jobs for noble people' law. What else was I supposed to do? According to the rule, because his father made rules for taxes, he got the same job."
Seokjin sighed, "Bring me the rules. I will change them next week. No one is getting a high-level job without a proper exam."
Yoongi hummed, "It will face a lot of resistance from the nobles."
Seokjin nodded, "I know." He leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "But can they even go against me?" The ceiling was made of a mixture of gold and copper. It depicted the war that his forefathers fought to get the land that they ruled. "Yoongi, get me the best architect in the empire. No in the world. I want this ceiling changed."
Yoongi was shocked even though he was used to Seokjin's sudden demands. But he knew that these sudden demands were never sudden for Seokjin. He had thought through the decision over and over again. He had made a complete plan in his mind before ordering something. Yoongi nodded, "Okay. I will look into it."
Seokjin tapped his finger on the handrest. He was a little impatient. "Did the chief call?"
"No," Yoongi answered immediately. "Do you really think Kim Namjoon will agree to this?"
The tapping of the finger became rapid, "Yes. He will."
Yoongi was not really sure, "I think he won't. He wasn't interested in his brother, he hates his mother and that kid, Jungkook, I don't think he loves him."
Seokjin smirked, "Try responsibility."
"Huh?" Yoongi couldn't quite understand what that meant.
Seokjin looked at Yoongi, "Jungkook is not Namjoon's love or any relative. He is Namjoon's responsibility. And responsibility is a stronger force than love."
The door opened and a man, taller than Yoongi, came in. He bowed to Seokjin before speaking, "The Barnlong kingdom would need an RSVP. Are we going?"
Seokjin sighed, "I am waiting on Kim Namjoon. I don't want to go there with a huge number of security people. Kim Namjoon is like a one-man army."
"Am I not good enough?"
Seokjin blinked a little. Did bringing Namjoon to deliver the wrong message? He sighed, "You are honestly the best I can have, Hoseok. But you know how it gets in Barnlong. And if Namjoon agrees, you will see why I want him so bad. Trust me. And it's not that I'm looking for your replacement. He will work under you. I just need one more layer of protection for me and that is Namjoon."
Hoseok bowed, "I am sorry, I made you explain yourself."
Seokjin waved his hand in the air, "Doesn't matter. I can't let my security personnel hate me now, can I?" He smirked and got up from his throne. "You are dismissed after escorting me to my room. And if Namjoon doesn't reply by tomorrow, tell Barnlong I am not going."