Survival Instinct // Namkook

chapter 40 - a psychopath

J-Hope was still sitting by the fence, idly petting one of the goats, when he saw Suga approaching the farm. The gang leader was talking to one of the farmers, his expression unreadable as usual, his voice low but firm. J-Hope couldn't hear what they were discussing, but from the way the farmer nodded and gestured around the fields, it seemed important.

As Suga finished his conversation, his sharp eyes landed on J-Hope. For a second, J-Hope thought about getting up and moving somewhere else, but before he could, Suga started walking towards him. There was no escaping now.

“Enjoying yourself?” Suga asked, his tone flat as he came to stand beside him.

J-Hope looked up at him, unsure how to respond. He wasn't sure what Suga thought of him, but the man's cold demeanor was enough to keep him on edge. Still, he tried to muster a small smile.

“Yeah,” he said, running his hand through the goat’s fur again. “It’s peaceful here. A nice change from everything else.”

Suga didn’t respond right away. He just stood there, arms crossed, his gaze drifting over the animals and the workers tending to them. After a moment, he turned back to J-Hope, his expression unreadable.

“So, what’s the deal with you and those two?” he asked, his voice cutting through the silence. “You don’t exactly fit in with them.”

J-Hope hesitated, unsure of how much to say. It was true—he didn’t really fit with Namjoon and Jungkook. He’d just been tagging along, trying to survive. But explaining that to someone like Suga felt… dangerous. Still, he figured honesty was probably his best option.

“Yeah, I guess I don’t,” J-Hope admitted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “I ran into them a few days ago. Well, they saved me more than anything. I was trapped under some rubble, and Namjoon and Jungkook pulled me out. I’ve been with them ever since.”

Suga raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. His silence made J-Hope nervous, but he pushed on, feeling the need to explain himself a bit more.

“They’re good people. I don’t really know where I fit in, but they’ve helped me survive, so I’m sticking with them for now.”

Suga gave a noncommittal grunt, his eyes scanning the farm again. J-Hope felt a surge of admiration for the place—the way it was run, the orderliness of it all. Despite the harshness of the world outside, Suga had built something here. It was impressive.

“This farm,” J-Hope said, motioning around him, “and the city… it’s really something. I didn’t expect anything like this still existed. You’ve built something incredible here.”

For a moment, Suga’s face softened, just a flicker of something beneath the cold exterior. But it was gone as quickly as it came. He gave a slight nod, but his expression didn’t change much.

“It’s what needed to be done,” he said simply. “Survival comes first. Everything else is secondary.”

J-Hope nodded, though he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that Suga didn’t seem more… human. Here he was, complimenting the man on everything he had built, and Suga just brushed it off like it was nothing. But before J-Hope could think more about it, the farmer Suga had been speaking with earlier came storming back, his face flushed with anger.

“Boss,” the farmer began, his voice raised. “I- I checked again and this is insane! I told you, we can’t keep up production like this! The water supply is—”

Before the man could finish his sentence, Suga pulled out a pistol, his movements calm and practiced. Without a second thought, he aimed and fired. The sound of the gunshot rang out across the farm, echoing through the fields. The farmer fell to the ground, dead before he hit the dirt.

Immediately the animals panicked, fleeing to the other side of the field, a few goats toppling over and the heads of other gang members turned around.

J-Hope’s heart pounded in his chest, his mind reeling from what had just happened. The gunshot still echoed in his ears, and he stared at the lifeless body on the ground in shock. He could barely process what he’d just witnessed, his breath coming in shallow, uneven bursts.

One moment, the man had been arguing, and the next… he was gone. Just like that. Suga didn’t even blink...

Suga, on the other hand, remained calm, indifferent even, as he holstered his pistol and looked back at J-Hope with an unreadable expression. J-Hope braced himself for something harsh or cold, expecting Suga to say something dismissive, but instead, the gang leader surprised him.

"You good with animals?" Suga asked, his tone casual, as if the brutal execution hadn’t just taken place in front of them. “We’re short on hands here at the farm. If you want a job, there’s plenty to do.”

J-Hope blinked, his brain struggling to catch up with the sudden shift in conversation. Of all the things Suga could have said, this was the last thing he expected. He glanced from Suga to the body and back again, trying to make sense of it.

“A job?” J-Hope repeated, his voice shaky.

Suga nodded, as if offering him a simple, reasonable proposition. “Yeah. You seem to like it here. We could use more help. Better than wandering around with nothing to do.”

J-Hope swallowed, his mouth dry. Part of him wanted to say no, to get as far away from this place—and from Suga—as possible. But the other part of him, the one that had been craving stability and safety, felt a strange pull. This farm was peaceful, aside from the ruthless execution he had just witnessed. There was something here, something almost... normal. And after so long without normalcy, that was tempting.

He cleared his throat, glancing nervously at the body still lying in the dirt. “Yeah, I—uh, I can help,” he said, still unsure. “I’m good with my hands, and I’ve worked in an animal shelter before.”

Suga gave a brief nod of approval. “Good. Report back tomorrow. Someone will show you what needs to be done.”

And just like that, the conversation was over. Suga turned and walked away, leaving J-Hope sitting there by the fence, still processing everything. He stared after him, trying to understand the man who could kill so casually one moment and offer a job the next.

J-Hope’s thoughts swirled in confusion. He didn’t know whether to be grateful or terrified. But one thing was clear—sticking with Namjoon and Jungkook had brought him into a world far more complicated than he had imagined.

---

Thanks for reading and voting!
(⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡