Sugar and Smoke Rings

Chapter Four

“Thank you for paying last night, sir.” Jungkook bowed down in front of his higher official who simply patted the boy’s head.

“You deserved it, officer Jeon.” Namjoon said and walked to the next cabin and halted in his steps when he found the deserted room turned upside down. Papers were strewn across the room with torn files and folders on the floor. The table was a mess with pens and pencils scattered across the wooden platform. The ink bottle was tipped down creating a pool of blue ink on the pristine white floor. The walls were bare of medals, plaques and pictures and so were the little shelves where the officer kept framed pictures of his friends and families.

Panic coursed through his vein when he noticed the picture of Kang sticking out of one of the drawers. Namjoon quickly left the office looking for some explanation behind the torn down room. 

“Where is Officer Han?” Namjoon asked one of Han’s fellow detectives and the look he gave was filled with grief.

“He left the force, sir. He gave the resignation to Commissioner Choi last night.” the officer said and Namjoon stood there stunned. Han was an asset to the department and his resignation added on to the list of the losses the department went through. 

Namjoon’s walk back to his office felt as if he walked for miles because his head was heavily occupied by unwanted thoughts. He saw Jungkook standing by his door and gave him a weak smile. 

“Is there something you want to share, Jeon?” Namjoon asked and motioned Jungkook to come inside. Jungkook closed the door behind him and Namjoon asked him to sit on one of the chairs. 

“Sir, I need your help with something.” Jungkook said and Namjoon smiled at the boy. Namjoon had taken a liking towards Jungkook since the very beginning as the boy frequently remained him of Taehyung. 

“When I joined the department, I had to use the influence of someone who owed me to let me in without completing one test.” Jungkook said and Namjoon’s warm smile dropped. Jungkook was a good kid who respected rules and regulation the most and he never expected him to do something this illegal.

“What?” The question hung in the air like a thick fog and Jungkook cleared his throat before continuing.

“I have Hoplophobia'' Jungkook said and Namjoon’s clear head was clouded by a buzzing noise. Hoplophobia was the fear of firearms and the most important part of a police uniform is the officer’s pistol. Namjoon’s heart ached for the boy because he realized how painful it would have been for him to endure the gun he had to carry with him every day. 

“I have the fear of firearms, sir. But becoming a police officer was my dream and I wanted to face my fear. But it has been years but till now I couldn’t even stand the graze of my holster against my skin.” Jungkook said and stood up from the chair he was sitting. He rounded the table and stopped in front of Namjoon. He knelt in front of his senior officer and bowed his head till his forehead met the cold flooring. 

“Help me, sir.” Jungkook said and immediately Namjoon sat down beside him and pulled his body. He hugged the boy whose eyes were brimmed with tears and smiled to himself when the boy hugged him back. 

“It’s okay, Jungkook-ah. It is perfectly alright to be afraid of something and it is quite mundane to fear something. I won’t reveal this to anyone as long as you do the same. I will definitely help you overcome this terrible fear of yours.” Namjoon comforted him and helped him up. He led Jungkook to the leather couch Taehyung imported from Italy and sat him down while he kneeled in front of him. After making sure that he drank a cup of water, Namjoon looked at Jungkook with a smile that warmed his heart.

“I know someone who has a wicked aim and they will be more than happy to help you once they know how much you mean to me. But I would like to warn you about him, he has two faces.” Namjoon said and Jungkook snorted at the remark. Namjoon narrowed his eyes and shook his head.