Kim Myung
*Two days later*
Cherry and I were both in my walk-in closet as we looked for some clothes that she could take. She sat on the stool while I stood, going through the clothes. Namjoon always made sure that I had more than I wanted or needed. He would see me briefly glimpse at something and I’d see him bringing it to me. He always loved to spoil me rotten.
‘I’m sorry we can’t go to the mall right now but Namjoon is insisting I stay here, at least until Jackson’s party is over,’ I said but she just shook her head.
‘Don’t worry about that. It’s safer that way and besides, I’m not really the shopping kind of girl,’ she replied and I smiled. If I were to guess, she was probably the kind of girl who was very resourceful and used what she had.
‘I wasn’t either until I got pregnant. Then I wanted to just keep going to the stores to buy things for him,’ I said with a giggle as I touched my belly. I could have sworn I saw her eyes soften for a moment before she just nodded, disguising her emotions with indifference. ‘I have a lot of clothes and I don’t mind if you take them and right now, I can’t even wear half of my clothes. You’ll put them to good use,’ I said.
‘You don’t even know if I will even stay beyond the week or not,’ she replied and I sighed. I sat down next to her and she looked at me. ‘I’m sorry. I did not mean to upset you Myung,’ she said but I shook my head.
‘You didn’t,’ I replied quickly. ‘Truth is, Beom had been my personal guard for a long time. He had been with Bangtan for a very long time and always showed loyalty. So did Kwang and Jung,’ I said.
‘You miss them,’ she said and I nodded even though I smiled. ‘I’m sorry for your loss Myung. Truly. It’s … it’s never easy to lose people you care about,’ she said and I sighed.
‘No, it’s not. This world, it can be a lonely world. I think, both of us could benefit a lot with you here,’ I said.
‘I’m a runaway Scarlet, Myung. I have a target on my head. What if I place you and your son in danger because of that?’ she asked.
‘This world brings nothing but danger with it. What difference does it make if it’s danger from the Scarlets or from any other rival gang?’ I asked but she shook her head.
‘A lot. You don’t know how vicious the Scarlets can be, how low they can go,’ she said.
‘Are you so worried about me and my son?’ I asked, knowing I was pressing certain buttons which I was not sure I should press.
‘Ye—’ she stopped herself before she could reply but I had seen that tiny crack in her façade. She pretended to be so strong and she was, there was no denying that, but beneath it all, there was a human and I wanted to remind her of that girl she thought has died. She hadn’t died but she had been buried deep within her.
‘Are you sure Cherry? Because it sounds like you do,’ I challenged but she just scoffed in response.
‘I don’t want your or your son’s blood on my hands. I have enough of it,’ she said, sounding as if she just talking about a song she did not like.
‘Let us forget about it and focus on the clothes. By the way, I ordered a dress for you for the party. It is a bit of Gala, showing off event. Jackson loves the flare so you need to look your part,’ I said.
‘Of course,’ she replied. ‘Are you worried?’ she asked suddenly and I shrugged.
‘People in our line of work, we’re always a little worried but I trust Namjoon and I trust you,’ I said but she scoffed.
‘You shouldn’t,’ she said as she stood up. I saw her close her eyes before she turned to look at me. ‘You know I am an assassin. I used to literally kill people for a living,’ she said. Why was she pushing me away so much?
‘Yet, you saved my life without even knowing me,’ I said. ‘In this world we live in, there are no heroes but we try our best. Namjoon, he’s always aimed for Bangtan to be different. You can be different,’ I said but before she could reply, there was a knock on the door. ‘Come in,’ I said.
The door opened and Jungkook came in with his usual smile. ‘Hi noona, hi Cherry,’ he said. ‘We’re going to the pool. Namjoon-hyung asked that you both join,’ he said.
‘Fabulous idea. Tell him we’ll join in a few minutes Kooks,’ I said as he nodded and left. ‘Okay, I have the perfect swimsuit for you. It’s brand new. Never got around to wearing it,’ I said as I opened the drawer and pulled out a bag. ‘Go change,’ I said.
‘Is that an order ma’am?’ she asked but I recognized the playful jab in her words which made me laugh. She smiled and I left the closet so she could change.
Barely a few minutes later, she walked back out with her jacket on top of her bikini. I rolled my eyes but linked my arm with hers, leading her to the pool. We arrived and Namjoon instantly came to me as I removed my arm from Cherry.
‘Hi babe,’ Namjoon greeted as he took my hands in his and placed his lips against mine in a soft, tender kiss. I smiled into the kiss as I squeezed his hands and gave him another peck. ‘Hi Cherry,’ he said as he turned to her who gave him a simple nod. ‘Are you going to swim?’ he asked and I nodded.
‘Yeah. I’d love to get in there a bit,’ I said.
‘Okay. Let me help you,’ he said as I removed my sandals. I let him help me get into the pool and I instantly smiled. ‘Someone likes that,’ he said as he laughed.
‘You can say that again,’ I said. ‘My feet and back were killing me and swimming always helps,’ I said.
‘I know. That’s why I asked you to come,’ he said with a wink as I swam next to the others.
‘Hey Cherry, you coming or are you going to stay standing like a statute over there?’ Jimin teased.
She rolled her eyes as she turned around, giving us her back as she removed her jacket. My smile slowly disappeared as my eyes fall on the numerous scars on her back. There were so many!
She turned back around as she headed to the pool. She divided in and came back up again. If I was not still stunned by the marks on her back, I would have joked about how she looked like a model or someone from a commercial. Yet, my throat and mouth felt dry.
She looked at us, head tilted and a smirk on her face. ‘What? Don’t tell me you’re impressed by a few scars,’ she said.
‘Those are not a few Cherry,’ Taehyung commented quietly but she shrugged.
‘It’s not like you probably don’t have scars from fights,’ she replied.
‘Except,’ Jin began, ‘those aren’t from fights, are they? They’re from beatings, whiplashes to be more precise,’ he added and she sighed.
‘Were you caught and tortured or did the Scarlets do that to you?’ Namjoon asked.
‘Whenever we disobeyed, we got punished. It wasn’t always the same, depending on our disobedience. Sometimes it was starvation, sometimes isolation and sometimes beatings. Lady Scarlet, our, well, boss you could say, she preferred the whip,’ she said with a shrug.
‘Those… those must have hurt,’ Jungkook muttered.
‘You get used to the pain,’ she replied. I found myself wondering what made her stay so long with them and what made her finally leave.
I looked at Hoseok, Yoongi and Jimin who had remained quiet but who observed her without shame. I could tell Jimin was disturbed by what he saw and heard and Yoongi looked angry, but Hoseok I could not read. His face was blank but his eyes were fixed on her.
‘Wh—what would they do to you if they, well, if they ever caught you?’ Jimin finally asked and she scoffed.
‘It won’t be pretty and let’s say that they would make these scars look like candy canes,’ she said.
‘Yet you took the risk and ran away. How brave,’ Hoseok commented with clear distrust in his voice. She turned to him and smirked.
‘Careful, I might slit your throat while you sleep and slip back to the shadows I came from,’ she replies but he was not intimidated.
‘I’d like to see you try,’ Hoseok replied, challenging her.
‘Hoseok stop it,’ Yoongi said, somewhat annoyed as he earned a glare from Yoongi. ‘I know you don’t trust her but know that we wouldn’t know half of the things we do about the Scorpions if it wasn’t for her,’ he said.
‘And if it’s a trap?’ Hoseok challenged once again. ‘She’s an assassin. All she knows is lying and killing,’ he said. I looked at her, somewhat worried about her but she seemed unphased and unbothered.
‘HOSEOK!’ Namjoon yelled a little bit. Hoseok sighed as he decided to leave the pool. I watched Cherry look at him before she rolled her eyes and shook her head.
‘Don’t mind him Cherry. He, he finds it very difficult to trust outsiders and with good reason. We’ve trusted wrong people before,’ I said as I bit my lower lip.
‘I’ll talk to him,’ Namjoon offered but she shook her head.
‘Don’t bother Namjoon. It doesn’t affect me in the slightest and besides, it’s good to have someone like him with you. As much as I dislike the guy, he brings good points to the table,’ she said before she swam to the other side of the pool. I watched her as she took a deep breath and then forced herself down.
‘We got to do something about those two,’ I whispered to Namjoon but he sighed.
‘They need to figure out themselves love. We cannot force Hoseok to trust her and she is not exactly making it easier for him. She keeps on testing him,’ Namjoon said, almost as if with a knowing smile. ‘It’s been a while since he was challenged in that way,’ he added with a quiet chuckle.
Sorry I didn't proof read because I need to go to sleep. I hope it still makes sense haha. I am loving the feedback and love you're giving to this story. Thank you so much and I look forward to keep hearing from you. - Tae's Misfit
"I never thought love was worth fighting for but then I looked into your eyes and I was ready for war."