A Desire for the Moon

32

The house that Seokjin had selected for the house arrest was located deep in the woods. It took almost half an hour to leave the city and enter the forest. Add 20 minutes of driving to reach the safe house. It was initially a vacation home, but Seokjin turned it into a safe house for Jimin. It had the necessary things in the house, ranging from food to first-aid. It was two stories with a huge garden in the front yard and a vast forest at the back. The garden had a variety of flowers, which made Namjoon sad that he couldn't leave the house, even to visit the garden. Namjoon had inspected every corner of the house. He didn't find any cameras or any recording devices. The security outside the house was very lousy for Namjoon's standards. He could run away any minute he wanted. But that would just enrage and disappoint Seokjin.

It made Namjoon a little uncomfortable that he still thought so much about Seokjin's feelings.

A thought went through Namjoon's head. If the arrangements were this lousy, then what was the point in arresting him? He was also allowed to use his phone. He had a doubt that needed to be confirmed. He was thinking about running away that night. Namjoon looked at the phone as it rang. It was a group video call. He smiled while picking up the call.

"Hyung, are you okay?" Jungkook whined a little.

Namjoon chuckled, "Of course, I am. There is everything in this house."

Mark hummed, "It is kind of weird. Are you sure you are being arrested?"

"Yeah." Namjoon sighed, "I clearly heard his majesty." His phone chimed as another member joined the call. Namjoon smiled a little, "Ryoto. How are you?"

Ryoto smiled back with a huge cup in her hand, "I am great! What about you? I heard you were arrested again."

"Ehh..." Namjoon shrugged, "I can run away any minute. The arrangements are lousy. In fact, I might get away tonight."

Ryoto tilted her head, "Of course, the security is lousy. It is not for you."

Namjoon's eyebrows scrunched, "Huh? What do you mean?"

Ryoto started fumbling with her phone, "Did you quit watching the news? It's all over social media, too. Kim Hanseo's followers are searching for you to harm you potentially." There were a few notification sounds as Ryoto sent a bunch of links from social media. "They attacked the hospital you were in. I think they want you to kill somebody so that they can question Seokjin's judgement of character."

Namjoom immediately opened the links one after the other. Videos of Kim Hanseo's arrest were shared, prompting questions about his arrest and Namjoon's subsequent release. They were questioning why Namjoon was out of jail when he had killed so many, whereas Kim Hanseo had just fired in self-defence.

Fortunately, the general public opinion was in Namjoon's favour, as everyone condemned Hanseo's followers for attacking a hospital. They discussed how his followers were brain-dead for attacking a place with the most vulnerable people in it. They also talked about how Namjoon had saved his majesty multiple times from the attacks. Namjoon chewed on his thumbnail as he watched all the videos and read a few articles. There was a faint smile on his lips as he understood that Seokjin wasn't putting him under arrest; he was saving Namjoon from Kim Hanseo's politics. And it was working.

Everyone was wishing Namjoon to be safe wherever he was. So, no one knows where I am. Namjoon thought.

~

The palace was in a frenzy as there were multiple components to take care of. Everyone was overworking to protect the emperor and his image. Another team was dedicated to monitoring the public's view of Namjoon. Seokjin had called Jimin back to the palace. Seokjin sat in his office, scrolling through the latest deals sent out by Barnlong regarding the possible expansion of their region. Seokjin was happy that they had left the kingdoms and smaller cities that belonged to his empire. Though there could be a few disputes about other things, he was happy with the deal sent. He closed the file and went back to the computer on his desk to type out the orders to be given once the deal was signed. He might have to send in some of his military help.