BLACK DAGGER || pjm.

Chapter 7: Know Thy Enemy

Jimin jogged down the front stairs of Namjoon's house towards the car that awaited him. In a few short hours, he would be meeting a prominent Senator for lunch.

Until then, he was invited to the United States Capitol to "mingle" with the very people who would be relentlessly questioning him for the next two days.

"Wait!" Someone called out from behind him. Jimin turned around, finding Taehyung who had returned after storming out yesterday.

Taehyung came up to him and grabbed his arm. "Don't do anything stupid. You've heard it before, but I am telling you again. You can't fuck around in D.C."

It was obvious to Jimin that Taehyung did mean well, but neither of them were ready to make amends. If Jimin was going to be responsible, it was for Namjoon, not for anyone else. He pulled Taehyung's hand off of his arm. "I'll do what I need to. I'm not a damn delinquent."

Taehyung scoffed. "I will listen to your scars before I listen to you."

Ignoring the remark, Jimin continued to the car and drove off towards the Capitol. It was rush hour for the morning commuters who traveled from nearby Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware.

Add the drove of journalists and concerned citizens and the short distance from Namjoon's house to the Capitol became so unbearable it would have been quicker to walk.

Eventually, Jimin found himself at his destination and was absolutely bombarded with hundreds of small microphones and aggressive journalists. His temporary security detail for the day, while unnecessary, proved helpful in pushing the reporters away.

Jimin and his guards collectively let out a sigh when they finally entered the building. Looking behind them revealed the scope of the impact. Never in his life had Jimin seen so many journalists gathered in the same place.

It all felt incredibly suffocating, prompting him to quickly shake off his suit jacket. He turned his head towards his head guard. "So, who will I be meeting first?"

Wordlessly, the guard gestured to the left wing and they all began walking that way. Jimin passed quite a few Representatives and Senators, all of which either seemed to be in a complete frenzy or calm.

His mind could only come up with one grim reason why that was the case. The younger ones never experienced 9/11 while in office.

A high and chirpy voice with a slight country twang cut through the bustle in his surroundings. "Mr. Jimin Park! Thanks for joining us here for the next few days. I'm sure this is also a difficult time for you as well. I've heard that a few friends of yours were at the Beverly Center."

There was only one person to who that voice could belong to- Sydney Hanson, the Representative for the 3rd Congressional District of Iowa. She was famous for being ruthless when it came to congressional hearings, and she was undoubtedly going to be involved in the hearings happening over the next few days.

Jimin sent a smile in her direction. "Thank you for your concern, Representative Hanson. I am also on the search for answers, just like my friends and the families of the victims."

As she neared Jimin, her smile dropped and her voice dripped with pure venom. "If it ends up being true that your weapons were used to murder innocent American citizens, I will make sure that you and your company will never see the light of day again."

Yeah, these next two days were going to be hell.

--

The ache in Sooyoung's shoulders was unbearable. As she stirred awake, suddenly the plush bed felt more and more like a mistake.