"Ugh." The sunlight was really irritating. "Bixby shut the curtains."
There was no reply, and the curtains were still open.
He clicked his tongue, "Bixby!" There was no reply. "God damn it!" He got up, completely irritated by the lack of response. The unfamiliar surroundings scared him at first, but then he remembered that he was not in the palace. "Ah!" He ruffled his hair and looked on the other side of the bed. It was empty. There was a note stuck to the pillow.
I know you are disappointed. But something happened at the palace. I need to run. I'll come back on the weekend. Text me when you wake up. Take care. I love you.
~Hoseokie hyung. 🤍
Jimin smiled as he read through the note. He immediately looked for his phone.
Seokie hyung💞
I just woke up.
I hope everything is okay there.
He was about to lock his phone when there was a notification. He didn't expect Hoseok to reply immediately.
Seokie hyung💞
Good Morning, Minie-yah!
Everything is okay here.
You don't have to worry.😊
Okay!
Don't work too hard.
I will try!
Jimin laughed a little before turning the screen off. He was about to get up when he smelled something cooking. His mouth started watering, so he immediately got up and got ready.
When he got out of the room, a delicious smell filled the air. He walked towards the kitchen island. "You know how to cook."
Jungkook flinched a little and turned back. He bowed a little, "Ah, yeah. Namjoon hyung taught us how to cook."
Jimin nodded. He sat down on the bar chair, his legs hanging. "What are you making?"
"Korean Pancakes."
"Jungkook..." Jimin cleared his throat, "What are you getting paid?"
Jungkook stopped flipping the pancake in between. He turned the stove off and turned back, "Why do you want to know?"
Jimin took a deep breath and looked at the island. "I never had an actual friend. I was under supervision until I was 12 years old. And then every person around me was getting paid by his majesty."
Jungkook knew what it meant not to have real friends around. He was always bullied or isolated because he was weak. He smiled softly, "I can't disclose the payment. I signed an NDA, but he pays enough for me to live comfortably."
Jimin nodded, "That's good. Are you supposed to report everything to his majesty?"
Jungkook shook his head, "No. I am only supposed to report any major incident."
"You know," Jimin cleared his throat, "No, I have a request. Can you pretend that you are not getting paid to be with me?"
"Huh?" Jungkook couldn't understand what Jimin meant.
Jimin looked at the island. "I want to know the feeling of having a real friend. I want to be able to talk freely with someone. I want to be myself. Usually, I can only be myself around Hoseok Hyung."
Jungkook's eyes went wide. Was Jimin being open about the relationship?
Jimin raised his eyebrows, "I know that Namjoon-shi must have told you about us."
Jungkook nodded a little, "Yeah. I know about you."
Jimin smiled a little, "I want to be able to rant to someone about Hoseok hyung."
Jungkook started laughing loudly, "Nah, I can't pretend."
"Huh?" Jimin looked at Jungkook with huge doe eyes.
Jungkook smiled softly, "I will try and be your friend for real."
~
The distance between the study and Namjoon's room was not great, but it seemed never-ending for Taehyung. He wanted to talk with Namjoon, who told him to accompany him to his room before going out to get something to eat and a change of clothes.
"The room is bigger," Taehyung said as soon as he entered the room.
Namjoon chuckled, "Yeah. I thought the same thing when I got here."
Taehyung sat on the bed. He looked around the room. Nothing in the room could distinguish the room from Namjoon's. The furniture looked like the palace gave it. There were a lot of notes on the table. Probably made by Namjoon.
Namjoon went to the cupboard and took out a black t-shirt. He took off the suit and slowly got out of the shirt. He heard a soft gasp from Taehyung.
Namjoon turned around with wide eyes, "What happened?" Taehyung's lips were a little open. His eyes welled with tears. He stepped near Namjoon and lightly touched a scar on Namjoon's shoulder.
Taehyung looked at Namjoon, a tear falling on his cheek. He scanned Namjoon's body completely before taking a broken breath, "Hyung..."
Namjoon's body had a lot of scars on his body. There were cut marks, bullet marks and scratch marks all over. Some of the marks were faded. They were barely noticeable. But some were very prominent. He also had a bandage around his arm. It must be something recent. Namjoon was still facing danger. It was probably because of him. Namjoon had to face so much because of him.
Taehyung started breathing shallowly. He couldn't believe how tough Namjoon's life could be to have so many scars. Namjoon was fighting for his life while he enjoyed the luxury. And he was still blaming Namjoon for leaving him behind. Even if he had gone with Namjoon, he would have just held Namjoon back. Taehyung knew he wouldn't have survived even one day if he had gone with Namjoon.
Namjoon gently placed Taehyung's head on his shoulder, "It's okay, Taehyung-ah." He could feel Taehyung trembling. "Taehyung-ah... I had promised you that I would keep you safe. And I can go to any extent to keep you safe."
Taehyung detached himself from Namjoon and shook his head, "I am sorry, hyung. I was so rude to you at the funeral. Jungkook was right. I can't-"
"It's not your fault, Taehyung-ah. I chose this. For me, for us." Namjoon caressed his arm to calm Taehyung down
"Hyung, you don't have to keep me safe anymore." Taehyung sounded too desperate. "That woman is no more. And I can keep myself safe now. So please, don't overexert yourself. If you don't like it, then leave this job."
Namjoon laughed a little. He patted Taehyung's head softly, "You have grown a lot, huh?"
Taehyung whined, "Hyung... I am serious. Just leave this job."
Namjoon shook his head, "I am doing this for both you and Jungkook. And it is a contract, so I can't leave unless the contract is finished."
Taehyung pouted a little, "Is Jungkook so important to you?"
Namjoon scoffed and started laughing, "God, Taehyung-ah. Jungkook and you both are important to me. In different ways but equally important."
Taehyung nodded, "Okay."
Namjoon quickly wore the t-shirt and changed into jeans. He went to Taehyung, "Let's get something to eat."
Taehyung nodded.
~
"Argh!" He threw all the things on the table to the floor. The glasses shattered as they fell to the ground. Kim Hanseo screamed in frustration again, "That son of a bitch is making me lose my mind." Hanseo turned around, "And you are not helping here."
The man, almost in his 30s, was standing there with his head hung low.
"So fucking useless."
Slap!
The man closed his eyes and clenched his jaws as he felt the impact.
"Do you not feel sorry for your hyung? The man who killed your hyung has been sitting on that throne for years, and you have done absolutely nothing about him, Kim Munbaek!"
Soohyun was still standing with his head low. He was about 187cm tall. A little darker skin and a long face. His hair was dyed brown. He was wearing a black blazer and a white T-shirt. He had a ring on his thumb and second finger. There were earrings on his ears and a chain on his neck, "I am sorry, abeoji."
"Sorry?" Hanseo scoffed. He slapped Munbaek again, "You are sorry? Don't be sorry, do something!"
Munbaek nodded, "I am trying, abeoji. I am trying my best."
Hanseo shook his head, "You are not trying enough! The minister you planned was caught. His son, Lee Yooshin? He was caught red-handed with his spy cameras. You are just useless. Nothing like your hyung."
Munbaek sniffled a little, "Just give me one more chance, abeoji. I have a contact in the Barnlong Kingdom. Seokjin is going there in a week. I will make sure that this time, Seokjin doesn't come back."
Hanseo glared at Munbaek, "If this time, you are not successful, I will disown you. Remember, you don't have anyone except for me. You will be begging around on the streets in no time."
Munbaek bowed to Hanseo and left the room. As soon as he left the room, he held his jaw in his hand and hissed, "This old fucker is pretty strong." He looked at the door, "Hyung left me alone with this old monster." He took his phone out of his pocket and called someone. "Are you ready for the weekend shoot? I heard that Hoseok is not going to be there. It should be easier."
~
"They are clear."
Namjoon nodded. "Okay, Let them go."
The bodyguards bowed to Namjoon and cleared the people waiting there. The people were carrying a lot of equipment for shooting. Hoseok had taken the weekend off to see Jimin.
The emperor's birthday was getting closer. His supporters had sent out a lot of gifts to the emperor. So Seokjin clicked some photos and sent them out on social media and his official channel. He had also decided to film a video thanking the people for sending the gifts out.
Hoseok had gone through the safety procedure multiple times. So many that Namjoon had an urge to break all of them. If it weren't for Seokjin's safety, he would have definitely broken all the protocols. The fun thing was that Hoseok had also held a meeting with him and Jungkook and went over how it was important for them to be safe when they were assisting Seokjin and Jimin. Namjoon understood why he was briefed on that, but he couldn't understand why he was so concerned about Namjoon and Jungkook's safety.
All clear
Namjoon came out of his thoughts when he heard one of the guards in his earpiece.
He took a deep breath and started walking towards Seokjin's study. He brought the mic in his sleeve to his mouth, "Wonwoo, are the cameras ready?"
Yes.
Wonwoo responded.
"Any blind spots?"
Negative.
Namjoon hummed, "What about the backup energy sources?"
They are all set. There won't be any mistakes.
"Okay."
Namjoon knocked on the door three times before entering the study. Seokjin looked up from the papers he was signing.
"The people for the shoot have arrived. If you are done here, we can head to the room."
Seokjin chuckled, "Namjoon, when will you start bowing to me?" He placed his elbows on the table and rested his head on his palms.
Namjoon rolled his eyes, "Probably never. I thought you would get used to it by now."
Seokjin tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, "How interesting. What if I make you bow in front of me one day?"
Namjoon smirked a little. Seokjin noticed the faint dimple. He didn't look away. He didn't want to accept that Namjoon was extraordinarily handsome. "I'd love to see you try."
Seokjin laughed a little, "Challenge accepted." He slammed the files shut and got up. He was wearing a grey three-piece suit with a tiny leaf brooch on the collar. He straightened the suit before exiting the room.
From the peripheral vision, Seokjin saw Namjoon nodding to one of the guards. The guard immediately said, "His Majesty is heading toward the shooting location." Seokjin was a little confused. Usually, Hoseok would announce his positions. So, if Hoseok wasn't there, it should be Namjoon doing it. He decided to ask Namjoon about it later when they were alone.
They chose to shoot the video in a spare room where Seokjin sometimes spent his time when he needed space to think. Most of the videos that he shot were in a proper studio, but because Hoseok wasn't there, he chose the safest place to shoot the video for Seokjin. He was especially ansty because Yoongi wasn't there either. Namjoon got the text in the morning that he was going to handle Seokjin and the shoot alone. He wasn't nervous about it. He had done a lot of profiling alone, but he didn't like the absence of a secretary. He was basically doing two things. He felt severely underpaid.
The lights in the room were blinding. As soon as they entered, everyone bowed to Seokjin. Seokjin greeted them politely. The stylist and the makeup artist started flocking to him immediately.
Namjoon started scanning the room. The staff looked fairly unsuspicious. The equipment was already set up for the shoot. As Namjoon started following Seokjin, his eyes fell on the guy in the corner with a baseball cap and a mask. He was doing something with the lights. Namjoon's instinct told him that he looked out of place. He shook his head. He knew he had a habit of doubting everyone around him. Especially when he was protecting someone, he forced his instincts down and followed Seokjin.
In about half an hour, they started shooting. They shot the video first. To Namjoon's surprise, they didn't change Seokjin's clothes. As they were shooting the video, Namjoon realized how well-articulated Seokjin was. He had never listened to his speeches, even when they were telecasted in the prison. He disliked the authorities so much that he never once thought that listening to Seokjin could be so captivating. The way he smiled while he spoke. The way he looked genuinely thankful for the love and support of the people. Namjoon knew that Seokjin's smile was trained, yet somehow it looked real. The way he followed the script but added his little dad jokes and adlibs was so cute that Namjoon almost smiled.
The video was done in one take. Namjoon went to Seokjin with a bottle of water and gave it to him after removing the cap. Seokjin took a large sip before giving it back. "Oh!" He dropped his ring as he was handing the bottle back. Namjoon bowed down to take the ring. When he got up and was about to return the ring, he saw Seokjin smiling smugly. Namjoon scoffed.
"This doesn't count."
Seokjin shrugged, "I didn't say anything."
Namjoon shook his head, "I know what you are thinking, but I wasn't technically bowing to you."
Seokjin smirked a little, "But you were bowing in front of me. I think that's enough."
Namjoon huffed and turned around with a smile.
Wait, why are you smiling? You just lost.
He shook the thought off and returned to his place.
The next was the photo shoot. They decided to stake the gifts around Seokjin as if he were standing in the sea of gifts sent by his followers. The flash of cameras was blinding, but Seokjin was posing comfortably. He looked like a professional model.
Namjoon looked away to control his thoughts. Usually, he was pretty good at that, but that day, it just didn't seem to work. He started to observe the surroundings. Something struck his mind, and he started to look for the suspicious-looking man from before. He wasn't there. Namjoon went to one of the guards and whispered the man's details. The guard bowed and stepped out of the room to search for the man. As soon as Namjoon returned to his stop, he saw something moving.
Seokjin felt a strong tug on his arm. He felt like he was being snatched as if he were an item. He heard something fall with a loud noise. But he wasn't too concerned about it. His body had collided with something or someone. When everything settled in, he realized that Namjoon had pulled him out of the spot. His hand was resting on Namjoon's chest as Namjoon shielded him from whatever had happened. His heart was beating so loud that he knew Namjoon could probably hear it. Seokjin immediately looked at Namjoon.
The situation slowly started sinking in. Namjoon's hand was on his lower back, and the other one was reaching out for the gun. Namjoon's face looked strained, jaws clenched, and eyes as sharp as ever. He was analyzing the surroundings for other potential threats. When he didn't find anything, he looked at Seokjin. When their eyes met, Seokjin felt an electric charge run through his body. His mind went blank. It felt like he could get lost in the dragon-like eyes scanning him. It was the same feeling when Namjoon scanned him for injuries while catching Lee Yoshin. But it was more intense this time. Seokjin looked away and closed his eyes to control his breathing. Seokjin took a step back when he felt calm. Namjoon slowly lifted his hand from Seokjin's back.
The highlight had fallen off the ceiling, and the glasses had shattered all around the room. If it had fallen on Seokjin, he would have been seriously injured.
"I am so sorry, Your Majesty. I don't know how that happened."
Seokjin was still in a trance. He registered the director's voice but couldn't understand what he was saying. So he just nodded and looked at Namjoon. It seemed like Namjoon immediately understood what he wanted.
"We will postpone the shooting," Namjoon said to the director in a stern and commanding voice, leaving no room for argument. For now, you can work with the photos you already have." He looked at one of the guards.
"His Majesty will retire to his room." The guard immediately announced on the mic on his sleeve.
When they left the room, Namjoon heard the guard in his earpiece.
We couldn't find the man
Namjoon closed his eyes for a few seconds before speaking, "Copy. Come back." He tilted his head in anger. He was angry at himself for not listening to his intuitions. That could have been dangerous if he hadn't noticed the light moving.
You need to focus, Namjoon!