A Bullet to the Heart, ₗₑₑ Fₑₗᵢₓ

7.

⇝ ⇝ ⇝  I trekked to the practice room just as I said I would. After warning them, I needed to recheck the perimeter. Check the buildings surrounding this one and then get on with my job. I was a bit exasperated at the fact I had to tell my clients to listen to me for their lives to not be at risk. It seemed a given to be wary of everything around you when government soldiers were assigned to your protection. I knocked strongly on the practice room door as their music played loudly.

I heard the music pause and a sharp voice allowing me entrée into the room. I stepped in and the members were spread out all over the room. Someone, Jeongin, I think was sprawled over the floor with his eyes closed, his chest heaving. He opened his eyes and set his attention on me when I strolled in.

"Gather round, I need to say something," I expressed into the room.

Chan took the initiative and made the members gather around on the sofa in the corner of the room. I was aware I properly looked like I was going to pin them down and shoot at them but I really wanted them to understand where I was coming from with my irritation. I stood in front of them, pondering how I was going to begin this.

"So? What is this about? Did something happen?" Felix was the first to ask, and I looked over the group of boys.

Most of them looked bewildered, confused even, which was fine. I would be appeasing their confusion. Chan, the oldest, looked like he was intently listening which I was grateful for. It seemed to me that he was the only one taking this seriously. The others, despite being young and sheltered, weren't getting the feel of this meeting of safety.

"Yesterday night, someone went out late at night, alone." I started, getting straight to the point, "You can't do that without telling me,"

"Huh, why not?" I think it was Hyunjin who spoke as he crossed his legs over one another. His English was slow, almost cute.

I sighed to myself, "Perhaps you guys aren't grasping the severity of the situation you're in."

I pulled out a handgun from my waistband, just hidden under my bulletproof vest. I pulled back the slide to reload it and the members crawled back from me as far as possible. The tension just by my actions proved just how unprovoked they thought this was. It should be expected. I rolled my eyes and placed the gun in the palm of my hand, so the barrel was facing away from them.

"This is a handgun, I carry a few to do my job, my job is to protect you."

"This is ridiculous, we should be able to go out at night!" I listened to Hyunjin as he turned to Chan and spoke in Korean. I looked at Chan expecting he would translate.

"Why are you showing us this?" He asked instead, as the members continued being uncomfortable and annoyed.

"A handgun can hit you from 30 meters away, about 3 times this practise room, if you go out alone at night, you won't be able to even spot someone aiming a gun at you, understand?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" One of the members, Han, contested.

Nothing I said so far was painting the picture I wanted it to, no one was taking it earnestly. The danger they were in seemed to be way farther away to them that it actually was. I sighed again and put the gun away. I looked at them again, all of them just seeming infuriated or dazed now.

"Look, you guys are being targeted by cyber aggression, some of those attacks have already become physical right?"

"Yeah, we've been swarmed in airports by dangerous people," Chan clarified, and I nodded.

"Those attacks have been planned by massive groups of people, okay?" I emphasized, "Those people are highly dangerous, they have access to knowledge and weapons from the dark web. Chan, translate for me."