Queen of Roses

17) Kim Namjoon 아님 RM

Taehyung didn't recognize him at first. How could he when everything about him, from his clothing to the way he carried himself to the very aura he exuded, had changed?

The only thing that remained the same was the shoe he carried in his hand.

Shock and confusion rippled across the group in varying degrees of intensity as soon as they escaped from the tunnel and caught sight of what patiently awaited them. No one was surprised to see Jackson and his Grandmother there, each holding blazing torches to illuminate the otherwise dark night.

But what was truly shocking was that, there, standing in front of the cave entrance was the cobbler they had met earlier that day. Except, the scraggly white beard on his face had been trimmed neatly, his dirt-filled fingernails scrubbed clean, and his previously ragged, torn hanbok replaced with a clean, navy-blue robe. He leaned on an elegant, wooden cane with one hand while holding the Princess's repaired shoe in the other.

"Congratulations, your highness," he said in a much deeper and calmer voice then any of them were accustomed to, "you have passed your first test."

"What are you talking about?" Chaeyoung finally asked when she had recovered from her initial shock, "who are you?"

The cobbler stepped forward, his expression thoughtful, "they call me many names. Cobbler, shoe-maker, monk, God of Destruction, RM. However, I prefer to go by Kim Namjoon."

Taehyung's jaw dropped wide open in disbelief. They had travelled laboriously for the past couple days, hiding in the wilderness and barely surviving vicious attacks, all in pursuit of this man who had been in front of them all along. This man who had deceived, poisoned, and almost killed them for the sake of one "test". Bitterness and regret flushed through him fleetingly as the realization that his life had now become a series of shocking twists and life-threatening adventures dawned on him.

Everyone was shocked, however, Chaeyoung's reaction was by far the most intense.

"B-but, you were just an innocent cobbler," Chaeyoung sputtered, a mix of betrayal and astonishment colouring her features, "I invited you to have lunch with us, I broke my shoe for you, I ... I trusted you."

She said the last sentence in defeat, as if she suddenly realized where she had gone wrong.

"Aha," Namjoon replied calmly, "that was your first mistake. Because what was the first lesson your father taught you?"

She released a short sigh before mumbling, "never trust anyone."

"Never trust anyone," he repeated louder, his tone stern, "and yet you trusted the three of us so easily – despite the fact that you know nothing about us."

"So, you decided to throw us all into this cave for what? Punishment for being so naive?" Jisoo demanded, her frustrated state a stark contrast to Namjoon's stoic one.

Her anger didn't seem to faze him at all as he simply shifted his attention towards her, "not quite."

"We have been searching for you for days. Jung Hoseok instructed us to find you so you could help us," Taehyung interjected, unable to withhold his annoyance any longer, "and yet you merely watched us fight for our lives in the tavern and then literally threw us to the wolves. Right now, you seem more like an enemy than an ally."

"Yes," Lisa agreed adamantly, "you could have stepped in sooner to assist us."

"And give up a valuable learning opportunity?" Kim Namjoon quipped, raising an amused brow, "that would have been a waste. As I have already mentioned, this whole thing has been a test – an assessment, if you will."