10 years earlier
"Wrong", the man yelled furiously.
"Again."
The teen boy nodded and pulled the trigger from the weapon in his hands.
His arms felt weak from the weight the gun had and still flinched when the shot had been fired and his body was hurled back from the pressure.
"Still not good enough", the man commented and clicked his tongue.
"I didn't take you in so you could be a disappointment to me, Namjoon."
The man grabbed the boy's jaw and tugged it fiercly so he would look at him.
"Concentrate. Snipers's can't allow themselves to think while shooting."
The young boy cleared his throat. He felt intimidated by his teacher, as always, but at the same time, he had a lot of respect for the man.
"O-okay."
"Try again now."
The boy got back into position and took his aim. He tried following the advice and cleared his head from all thoughts. It was hard, because he had so much on his mind that it burdened him to push those doubts away. Yet, he managed to escape the thoughts and ideas that were too complex for a 17-year old, and focused on the target several miles aways. He peeked with his right eye, it being the better one for sniping and breathed steadily.
With a loud bang, the target - which was a bottle - popped open and let its content spill over the table it was on.
Namjoom couldn't hold in a surprised laugh upon seeing the result.
His eyes travelled to his teacher, searching for approval.
The man just nodded, letting a smile creep up his face.
"As promised, we will now drink that champaigne to celebrate your achievement."
Namjoon smiled at the unusual kindness the man showed and stood up again. Hongbin walked over to the table and took the champaigne in order to fill the two glasses he had prepared.
"Cheers", he smiled and held his glass out.
The boy returned the gesture and took the glass to his mouth. However, he hesitated. Something was wrong with the whole thing.
"What's wrong?", Hongbin, who hadn't drunken anything, asked.
Exactly the fact that he hadn't taken his drink first, was what irritated Namjoon. Hongbin was a drinker and would never want to wait until taking a gulp of alcohol.
"It's poisoned, isn't it?", Namjoon asked, looking through his glass' contents. He saw his teacher through the unusually thick liquid the glass held.
Hongbin chuckled and then emptied his own glass onto the ground and placed the it back on the table.
"Another lesson for you. Don't trust anyone."
Namjoon swallowed his own saliva. It could have taken him just a moment, no, a second to fall over dead just then and there.
"What if I really ended up drinking that?", he nervously asked.
"Then you wouldn't have been good enough to be my student", Hongbin smiled.
"However, you proved that you were smart and didn't drink."
"You could have killed me", Namjoon protested, in disbelief that the man would have actually done that.
He had lived on the streets for some time before meeting Hongbin, but he had never thought his own teacher would attempt to kill him. He had experience with poisoning though... as his parents had tried doing it to him once.
"Then you'd just be one in many", Hongbin explained.
"Kill one or twenty, it doesn't make a difference in this line of business."
Namjoon felt his insides grow cold at those words. In the end, he was only another among many on this planet. He wasn't anything special. He thought that maybe Hongbin had at least seen something special in him and had taken him as a student because of that. But apparently, he meant nothing to the man either.
"I see", Namjoon coldly spoke.
"Then, can you teach me how to properly get the job done?"
Hongbin crossed his arms.
"It will be tough. But I trust you can do it."
Namjoon felt his hopes rise again. Yes, he wanted to impress his cold-hearted teacher and succeed him. The number one place in sniping would belong to him once he was finished with training.
"Thank you", Namjoon said and bowed deeply.
He was truly grateful for everything Hongbin had given him. Even though he wasn't the best person himself, Namjoon respected the man wholeheartedly.
Hongbin pursed his lips and patted the boy's head.
"Yes, yes. We'll continue your training tomorrow."
Namjoon felt his heart beat faster at the thought of becoming better. He knew he had talent and was good enough to do this. For the first time in years, Namjoon felt accepted. He belonged right here, with a sniping rifle in his hands.
His family had never accepted him for who he was - or used to be.
Maybe that was the reason he could never love himself as he was. Because there was always someone holding that mask in front of his face, not allowing him to be himself. His parents had never wanted him, neither had he wanted them to keep nagging him about how he acted.
It was his life and he could finally decide what to do with it. Bein an assassin was the only time he could say "I love who I am" and just go on with it. It was the only time he felt like himself, which was why he depended on Hongbin to be his teacher and guide him towards the right path. Even though the man was harsh, he was the best assassin out there.
There was no one better to learn from.
---
"Hongbin?", the 18-year old Namjoon asked while knocking on the opened door.
"What??", the man blurted out.
"You called for me", Namjoon spoke coldly. He saw his colleagues Sehun and Kai sitting across Hongbin's table so he had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen.
"Ah, right", Hongbin sneered and waved the boy over. The whole room reeked of alcohol and drugs, all coming from Hongbin.
Namjoon sat on the sofa, avoiding to look at the other two boys he didn't like that much. They just hissed when he sat down.
"I have a mission for you", Hongbin spoke to all three.
"All of us?", Sehun questioned with an eyebrow-raise.
"Yes", the man confirmed. He then layed out a map of the city and stabbed his knife into the area around an old factory.
"There is a factory here. They have lots of cash", Hongbin smirked.
"I need it."
Namjoon felt a clump in his throat.
"But...I only just robbed a bank last week."
"So?", Hongbin innocently asked.
"Will you not do what I tell you?"
Namjoon was speechless. What had it come to this? Just a year ago, he was Hongbin's only student. The man used to be so different back then. He had started getting more money thanks to Namjoon's achievements and had gone beserk. He had started drinking and taking drugs as if it was nothing and was really greedy.
"How much do we take?", Kai questioned.
"Everything!", Hongbin shouted without hesitation.
He chugged down a glass of wine as if it was water and slammed the glass onto the map as well.
"Bring me the money"; Hongbin sighed and swayed a bit in his seat.
"By tomorrow morning, I want to have it."
Namjoon forcefully nodded and left the room with the other two guys that had joined Hongbin's rapidly growing mafia organization.
"Listen", Sehun rudely spoke to Namjoon.
"I don't know who you think you are, but you won't be the one to bring that money to his desk."
Kai didn't bother to stop his friend as he gripped Namjoon's shirt.
"You might be the boss' favorite, but you 'ain't fooling me", Sehun sneered.
"You just want the money for yourself, don't you?"
"Are you talking about you or me?", Namjoon replied, breaking free from the boy's grip.
"I don't plan on letting greed corrupt me, like Hongbin."
Sehun's eyebrows crashed together.
"I'm in this for the killing, not for the money", Namjoon clarified while straightening his clothes.
"We'll meet up front in half an hour for the mission. Don't be late."
Sehun stared at the boy with an open mouth while he left them standing in the hallway.
"What the hell?", was all that Sehun commented. "He's weird."
"Indeed", Kai agreed.
Half an hour later, all three had met up in front of the building and got in the van together. Namjoon was the one driving, so the other two had positioned themselves in the back along with the weapons.
It was silent until they reached the destination.
"Are you sure this mission is legit? I mean, he was drunk when he told us what to do", Sehun muttered upon looking at the building.
"And high", he added.
"That doesn't matter", Namjoon spoke.
"He'll kill you in any case if you didn't do what he wanted."
"Scary", Sehun noted.
Kai scanned the place as they got out of the car. It was suspicious that there weren't any guards on the outside if they really did have a lot of cash.
"Should we split up?", Kai suggested.
"And here I thought you were stupid", Namjoon sarcastically said.
"I'll take the main entrance."
He boldly rushed forward before the two could comment anything. Splitting up wasn't a good idea with those two imbeciles, but Namjoon wanted to finish quickly. This task was a complete waste of time and work. Hongbin had been acting far too irrationally lately, making Namjoon constantly feel under pressure when having to do something for the man.
"Rob this place, rob that place", were his daily requests.
This wasn't what Namjoon had signed up for, or what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Plus, he knew it was wrong. He much rather wanted to have a feeling of justice after finishing a mission, not guilt.
Quitting was something he had thought about, but he figured that it would be impossible. He'd be dead in seconds.
Namjoon carefully sneaked around the middle area of the factory and proceeded further inside. He knew at how great of a risk he was for being alone and using a regular gun. But he couldn't snipe in missions like these, which was why he wondered why he had to do this at all.
He soon met up with Sehun and Kai, who had come up from their own entrances.
"The place is clear", Kai informed.
That was the weird part about the whole operation here.
"Look", Sehun pointed out.
"Could the money be there?"
He nodded towards a metal door that lead to the control center. It had a simple lock on it that could be broken with a strong kick. Sehun did that for them and they went inside.
Namjoon had a bad feeling about all of it and decided to stay outside and guard.
"Oh my god", he heard Kai gasp.
"What's wrong?", Namjoon questioned.
Kai didn't bother to answer before running past Namjoon while pulling Sehun behind him.
"There's a bomb!"
Namjoon didn't wait for a second time and ran behind the two. It was ovious they had been set up. But why? Was this maybe one of Hongbin's tests for all three of them? Or did he really want to kill them...?
Upon getting outside, they nearly ran against the row of men that had built up in front of the entrance. They had bulletproof vests on with a logo that was unknown to the three boys.
"I knew it", one of the enemies spoke.
"Hongbin's men."
Namjoon and the rest readied their guns to fire, but they knew well that they were overpowered. The men from the organization pointed their guns at the three boys. From the corner of his eye, Namjoon saw the insides of the building break together as the miniature explosion took place.
"So this was just to lure us out?", Sehun asked in a pissed tone.
"We've got you right where we needed you", one of the guys spoke. They all seemed older than 30.
"Like a flock of sheep surrounded by wolves."
"But a few sheep can always escape from the flock", Namjoon grinned and did what he had waited on for a long time. He thew the gas bomb to their feet, causing the thick smoke to spread instantly.
"Run!", Namjoon yelled at the guys that obeyed immediately.
He himself ran behind them at first, but ended up falling behind. Stamina really wasn't his thing.
He felt someone knock him over from behind and heard the cracking sound when someone pulled back the safety on a gun against his head. His own gun was hurled away by the man holding him.
Without hesitating, he used the trick Hongbin had taught him to throw the enemy off before he could even react to the movement. The gun fell to the floor, while Namjoon pounced at the man with force.
It was harder than he thought, because the guy was very good at fighting. For his last attempt, Namjoon managed to reach the spot his gun was at and pointed it towards the figure.
"Easy there, boy", the man spoke and raised his hands in defence.
"You're very skilled for your age."
"Who are you and why are you here?", Namjoon spat, his eyes never leaving the older man before him.
"My name is Bang SiHyuk. And you?", he said in a friendly way. Namjoon wondered how he could stay that calm when a gun was pointed at him.
"Randa", Namjoon introduced. That was the name he went by when he worked for Hongbin.
"I asked why you were here."
"We are a secret agency and we came here to prevent your robbery", the man smiled.
"Prevent? Why would assassins prevent crimes?", Namjoon asked.
"Not all assassins have to be bad", the man said, still holding his hands in the air.
"Neither do you have to work for someone like Hongbin, young man."
Namjoon gulped.
"Hongbin isn't evil... he just-"
"Are you saying that robbing places and killing hundreds of innocent people isn't evil?", the man questioned.
Namjoon hadn't ever really thought about it. In his eyes, Hongbin was still his cold, yet kind teacher. He never used to be as corrupted as now.
"You don't have to work for him", the man said.
"If you're afraid of leaving, you don't have to be. With us, you will always be protected."
Namjoon felt sweat drip from his forehead.
"No! You're just trying to distract me until others get here so they can kill me!"
He pulled the safety on the gun, preparing to shoot.
"I'm not!", Bang ShiHyuk spoke hastily.
"I really mean it. I've heard a lot about you, Namjoon. You're an amazing sniper."
Namjoon's hand noticeably relaxed a little.
"Really? You've heard about me?"
"Yes, you're known as the 'Sniping Monster' in our organization. Number #56 on our wanted list", the man spoke by heart.
"Do you really want to waste your talent like this?"
Namjoon licked his bottom lip. He threw a look back to where Sehun and Kai had disappeared to and only heard the faint sound of car tires on the asphalt. At least they had made it.
"See? They left", Bang ShiHyuk said.
"People like that aren't the ones you should be around."
"How would you know?!", Namjoon shouted.
"You don't know me and you don't know my life! Maybe I enjoy living like this and maybe I like being used by Hongbin to get money?"
"We both know that isn't true", Bang SiHyuk said.
"Hongbin is known for being manipulative, so it's no wonder that you were drawn into this business and still want to be loyal to him. But please know that he doesn't care about you in any aspect more than as a pawn."
Namjoon felt his arm grow weak from holding the gun upward.
"A pawn?", he mouthed after the man.
"Yes. He'll never see you as more than that", Bang SiHyuk explained.
"The only thing he'll do is use you as a toy until you die on him. Then he can get a new one."
Namjoon felt a pain in his chest. Maybe because this was something that he had already known for a long time, but never dared to think about.
"You don't have to stay", the man spoke calmly.
"Come with us and you can be treated as an equal. Use your skills for a good cause."
Namjoon looked into the man's dark eyes and saw his own reflection in them. That way, he knew he was seen and taken seriously for the first time ever.
---
"I swear to god, if he doesn't give me back my charger by tomorrow, I'll set up a gas bomb in his room", Yoongi grunted.
"Just buy a new one", Hoseok laughed as he threw himself next to Yoongi on the couch.
"That isn't the point! He keeps taking my things!", Yoongi yelled.
"Then learn that you have to hide all your valuable things from Namjoon", Jin laughed as he patted Namjoon's shoulder.
The leader smiled at his older friend who seemed to always protect him when needed.
"What's all the commotion about?", Taehyung sheepishly asked as he came out of the bedroom.
"Is it dinner time already?"
"You ungrateful little-", Jin cursed and threw his slipper towards Taehyung.
"You think I have that much time on my hands?!"
Jungkook, you and Jimin just returned from your training session and greeted everyone else.
Namjoon stood at the side and observed all of you laughing and arguing at the same time. A smile was plastered across his face while watching this wonderful group of people in front of him.
Namjoon found that it was truly different than working alone. He learned to trust people again. These people had become his life. He learned what it was like to have a real family.
"Namjoon, what's wrong?", Jin questioned.
"You're spacing out."
Namjoon looked around to see that they were out of their old dorm. All of you were looking at him carefully.
Everything around you was white.
"Where are we?", he asked in confusion, not seeming to remember how he had gotten there.
Jin smiled and stretched out his hand for Namjoon to take.
"I'll show you. But you have to promise me something."
"What is it?"
Jin grinned.
"You have to wait for us there, no matter how long it takes."
Namjoon raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean? Where are we going?"
Jin shook his head and pointed to the rest of the members and you standing next to a large door. It opened by itself, showing a bright countryside behind it. Namjoon had always wanted to visit the countryside.
"Go", Taehyung spoke.
"And wait for all of us."
Namjoon didn't understand.
"Why do I have to go by myself?"
He felt Jin slightly pushing him while holding onto his hand tightly.
"We'll come too, one day. It's not time for us yet."
Namjoon eyed every single one of you carefully. You were smiling at him.
He then looked at Jin's reassuring face one more time before taking his first steps to the door.
"Have a safe journey hyung", Jimin smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.
All of you did the same and pushed him through.
As the door started closing again, he saw all your faces one last time before leaving that world.
××××
A/N: Sorry, I had to give Namjoon a proper goodbye. But now the final fight is close, and Jimin wants revenge on Hongbin. For that, he'll have to push his anger on Taehyung aside and fight with Bangtan.
Sorry for the inactivity! I'll try to update more often.
-Author❤