Take My Hand | KNJ ONE-SHOTS & IMAGINES

The Protector

Kim Namjoon yawns, shielding his eyes from the sun's glare. All he wants is to go home and sleep. These past few days have exhausted him completely. Thoughts of long naps and cozy blankets fill his head, bringing a wistful smile to his face. Ahh, almost home.

"Hey!" The sound of heavy footfalls against the pavement reach Namjoon's ears before he feels a hand snake around his bicep. "How funny! I didn't think I'd run into you here!"

"What?" Namjoon's brow furrows in confusion as he looks down at the girl that is smiling and clinging to him like he's someone she truly knows. "I don't..."

Shit. Is he that out of it that he can't recognize this person? No. Impossible. Then why is she doing this? She leans up and allows her lips to brush his cheek before they move to his ear. "Some guy is following me. Can you just pretend you know me? Please?" she whispers frantically.

Namjoon looks up and sees an older man standing a short distance away. He must've been watching them because he looks down at his phone when he notices Namjoon staring at him. Oh, shit. He's been hearing about things like this happening a lot lately.

"I'm sorry, but I wouldn't do this if I had a choice. He's been following me for so long." The girl looks terrified. Her face is flushed and her eyes are wide.

"Okay, okay," Namjoon murmurs. "Don't worry. I'll stay with you."

"Thank you, thank you so much." The girl breathes out a sigh of relief as Namjoon begins walking. She falls in-step beside him, pushing a hand through her hair.

"Do you know him?" Namjoon asks, keeping his voice low.

"No," the girl whispers, shaking her head. "He's been following me. He's tried talking to me, but even when I ignored him he kept on."

"I'm sorry." Namjoon hangs his head, feeling a sense of shame slowly course through his body. "Does this happen a lot?"

"This is the first time it's happened to me, but it happens to my friends quite often." The girl frowns. She starts to move as if she's going to look back.

"Don't do that," Namjoon says. "Just try to pretend that he's not here. I know that's easier said than done, but try your best. If you give him so much power over you, it'll make you feel worse. Just focus on me, okay?"

"Okay, okay." The girl lets out a slow, shaky breath. "I'll try." She wrings her hands, biting her lip.

The pair walks in silence. Namjoon can feel the girl's anxiety radiating off of her. He has to do something to distract her. "Hey," he says. "What's your name?"

The girl startles. "H–huh? Oh, it's Hana."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Namjoon." he smiles as he fiddles with the cap on his head. "I wish we could've met under better circumstances."

"Yeah," the girl beside him chuckles and ducks her head.

Namjoon glances back over his shoulder, his eyes widening in surprise. Shit, the bastard has gotten really close! He's right on their asses. Namjoon bites his lip. He's sure that if the girl knew how close this guy was, she'd freak out.

Fuck, Namjoon can hear the creep's heavy breathing. He has to do something. He has to stop this. Namjoon reaches for the girl's wrist, murmuring a soft "excuse me". He pulls her to a stop, stepping in front of her as he turns to face the older man.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Namjoon's voice adopts a harsh edge. "You've been on this girl's ass for a while now, haven't you? Why don't you leave her alone?"

The older man's face twists in mock-surprise. "What do you mean? I'm just walking."

"You were so close to us I could hear you fighting for oxygen." Namjoon smirks.

The older man's mouth falls open as he absentmindedly takes a step back. "I don't know what you're—"

"What if it was your daughter? Getting catcalled and followed by someone so much older than her? How would you feel?" Namjoon murmurs.

The other man's face blanches then flushes. "I'm sorry," he mutters, ducking his head.

"Yeah," Namjoon says. "Get the fuck out of here. Now." He shoves the man. "And if I ever see you doing something like this again, I'll beat you black and blue."

Namjoon watches carefully as the man hurries away with his head hung low. After a moment, Joonie turns back towards the girl. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she nods. "Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem." Namjoon says, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is there some place safe I can walk you?"

"Oh, yeah." the girl nods. "I live a few blocks from here. But you don't have to walk me."

"Please, I want to be sure you're safe," Namjoon says.

The girl bites her lip, then nods. "Thanks, Namjoon."

They start walking once more, and after a moment, the girl speaks. "Are you sure it's not out of your way?"

Truthfully, Namjoon lives a whole bus-ride in the other direction, but instead of saying this, he shakes his head. "Don't worry about it."

After a short while, the pair stops at the door of the girl's townhouse. "Thank you." She pulls Namjoon into a sudden embrace.

"It was the right thing to do," Namjoon says. "People shouldn't have to be scared to be alone. From now on, I'll do my best to keep an eye out for anyone that might need help. Next time, I'll be quicker on the uptake, though; I promise." He winks. "Be safe, Hana."

"Bye, Namjoon."

Namjoon smiles as he walks toward the bus stop. He did good today. "Good job, Kim Namjoon."