"Minyoung, ugh what time is it? Baby what's wrong, why are you calling me at this hour?"
I bit my lip nervously. Cops had already come to the house and were checking out the photos and my description of the guy who delivered it.
Now I was trying to get in touch with Namjoon to let him know I was coming over.
"Namjoon, something happened. I'll explain it later but can I come over?" I asked.
"Minyoung, you're scaring me. Of course you can come over but is everything alright? Are you hurt?"
"Emotionally traumatized, but physically okay," I said.
"Baby...yeah okay, I'll wait for you out front. Please be careful. I love you."
"Love you too. I'll see you in a bit," I said.
I hung up the call in time to see his arm protectively around Sooah's waist.
But he broke away from her to wrap me in a protective hug. I squeezed him rather tightly, feeling a tiny bit safer with him around. In our whole family dynamic, Jimin was the oldest, I was next, then Jihyun, and finally Minhee. So being that Jimin was the only older relative I had, he often went out of his way to protect me like an older brother would.
"Hey are you okay?" He asked.
"Not really. But I'm managing," I sighed.
"Do you need a ride? I can drop you off at hyung's place," Jimin offered.
I waved him off, "I'm gonna take my car and drive there. I have some valuables that I need to grab. Which reminds me, Sooah have you grabbed some of the valuables?"
She nodded.
It was simple things we kept really. Money, credit cards, passports, important documents, expensive items and jewelry, and laptops and devices like that. Just in case my stalker decided to rob us.
Sooah gave me a tight hug, "Be careful okay babe. I'll call you when I get there."
I nodded.
"What about Minhee? Has her boyfriend gotten her?" Jimin asked.
"Yeah, he picked her up a few minutes ago. Okay, I'm gonna go talk to the officer. Sooah, call me when you arrive," I said.
We gave each other a quick hug before heading our separate ways.
I went over to the officer who had a grim expression on his face.
"So what's next?" I asked.
"Well, we're suggesting you don't stay here for a while. We're gonna have a unit out here just to keep an eye if there's any suspicious activity around, but other than that, there isn't much we can do. We'll try to catch the person, but for now, I suggest never traveling alone and maybe thinking of hiring a bodyguard or something."
"Okay. But I'm pretty sure the person who's doing this is the guy who's harassing me on Instagram. Is there anything you can do about that?" I asked.
"We need more proof, but we'll keep an eye on it. What I suggest is to not stop posting or whatever you do, considering you're a somewhat prominent figure on the platform. If you stop, your stalker will know they've gotten through and instilled fear in you. I suggest totally ignoring them. Doing so will show that you don't care and they aren't getting you."
I bit my lip, "But won't that anger them more? They'll get upset that I'm not paying attention to them."
"Maybe, but it's unlikely. They'll realize they aren't getting to you and might slip up. That's when we'll catch them."
My head was spinning. I felt sick and I wanted to cry. Why did this have to happen to me of all people?
"One more thing. I know you're planning to drive to your boyfriend's place, but we're a bit concerned that your stalker might be around and try to follow you. So would it be alright if we had our unit trail you to the place and then they'll come back and keep watch the place?"
"Yeah, I'd feel a lot safer. Thanks officer."
I went to grab my jacket before loading up some of the valuables into my car.
I was exhausted and stressed out. And I was extremely terrified. The pictures of me in my room kept popping up in my vision when I closed my eyes.
I got in the car and tightly gripped the steering wheel as I pulled out and drove off. The cop car was following me closely, leaving no room for anyone else to come in and derail my car or cause an accident.
I get immense relief when a gigantic penthouse appeared in front of me. I was even more relieved when I saw Namjoon standing outside.
He was in his pjs with a jacket on. His hair was all messed up and he looked exhausted but still he was waiting patiently for me.
In my rearview mirror, I saw the cop car turn back once I had gotten close enough to the building.
Namjoon came to the car with a little button.
"You can park your car in my spot since I don't have a car," he said.
I did as he said, parking my car in the building's garage.
When I got out of the car, Namjoon immediately locked me in his tight embrace.
My face was pressed against his chest. I didn't realize how terrified I was until I was in his arms. I felt safe once I was with him. I held his shirt tightly, burying my face into his chest.
"I've got you. You're safe. I'm here," he softly spoke.
His words finally made me crack.
The fear and exhaustion took over as I silently began to cry into his chest.
He held onto me even tighter.
"Come on, let's get you inside," he murmured.
Without letting me go, he walked me to the elevator. It was a long ride as he lived on the very top floor, but I didn't mind so long as I was with him.
When we got out of the elevator, I was utterly shocked at what I saw. The lavish interior of Namjoon's penthouse for a split second made me forget about all that had just happened.
(Putting this here cuz I have no idea how to describe how beautiful it looks)
"You don't live here," I breathed out in awe.
He chuckled, "Yep, this is mi casa."
My jaw was to the floor in shock as I saw the expansiveness of his penthouse.
"This is beautiful," I said.
"Yeah, but I've always liked more homey places. They told me to live here for marketing reasons," he shrugged.
I frowned. The fact that his life was controlled by some persona that he couldn't even live a quieter life like he wanted. But that's the price for going for a job that lives in glitz and glam.
I sat down on the very comfortable couch, rubbing the tears and sleepiness from my eyes.
"Hold on, I'll go make some tea and then we can talk," he said.
I couldn't help but feel bad for doing this to Namjoon. It was almost three in the morning and here he was, awake, making me a cup of tea.
He set the two cups on the coffee table and sat beside me.
He took my hands in his and held them tightly.
For a while, we sat in silence and just chugged down the glasses of tea. Neither of us knew how to start the conversation.
"Can you tell me exactly what happened?" He finally asked.
His eyes were gentle and welcoming.
So I spilled it. All of it. The whole truth. What he knew and what he didn't. From the beach photo to the ones I found of me in my room.
Namjoon sat there and listened as I poured my heart out. As I relayed my fears and how traumatized I was.
And then I just broke down. I began sobbing uncontrollably.
Namjoon protectively wrapped his arms around me and let me cry into him. So the two of us sat their like that for a long time, the sounds of my terrified sobs being the only sound that filled the room.
I was scared and confused. I had no idea what to do. What could I do? It's not like like I was someone with a security team to help me deal with this.
I was never meant to deal with this. I started the Instagram account to mess around. I never thought it'd ever get this bad.
Namjoon gently stroked my head, slightly calming me down.
"Why don't we get you to bed hmm? It's pretty late and you've been through a lot. I'm sure a good night's sleep will help you get your thoughts in order," he suggested.
"I don't think I could ever sleep after that picture of me," I shook my head.
"I'll be right beside you. Come on," he said.
He picked me up in his arms and brought me to his bedroom.
His room was huge and his bed was extremely comfortable. I felt like I was on a cloud when I laid down.
At first, I was very restless. I was tossing and turning and just couldn't seem to sleep.
"Baby, turn on your side and relax. I'm here okay. I promise you that I'll protect you," Namjoon yawned.
He turned on his side too and spooned me, protectively wrapping his arm around my waist.
He'll protect me.
That was my last thought before I drifted off back to sleep.