Save Me (Kim Namjoon X Readers)

Chapter 8

"You've ruined my whole plan! Why couldn't you had just kept your mouth shut?" Madam Kim yelled. "I just needed that dumb girl to marry my son and then I'll be set for life. But you had to go and ruin everything." Namjoon was still too numb to register the yelling. "I suggest you leave this house before my husband comes back. I'll make sure there's no place in this world for you any longer. And you should be grateful that I'm not killing you."

She didn't even let Namjoon step foot inside the house. Instead, she threw a few slices of bread on the ground and slammed the door on him. Namjoon could give a damn, he didn't want to stay there any longer. His only regret is not being able to thank Lord Kim.

The boat shook under Namjoon's weight. He threw his body down on it and closed his eyes. He wished he never had to open them and to face reality, one that he knew all too well but at the same time he thought things would be different. He thought and wanted you to be different. His heart broke not because of the rejection, but because you turned out to be the monsters he had been afraid of.

He sat up quickly, the streets were deserted and the moon was at its highest. It was time to go. Namjoon untied the rope from the dock and the boat drift away in particular direction. He had no idea where he would go. Maybe he could travel to another town, and start a new life. Images of you continued to flood his mind against his wishes.

Your red hanbok, the red bow in your hair, the redness of your lips. Your dazzling smile, gentle hands, kindness. No, it wasn't kindness, it was an obligation. The memories of you telling him he was insignificant was so vivid to him. Namjoon wants to believe something had taken over you, a spell, but it was your eyes that he saw. In the end, he decided to let the river flow up north. He just needed to get away.

His stomach grumbled and he immediately regretted not taking the pieces of bread. But that would mean succumbing to what Madam Kim had always thought of him. A street rat. His hunger distracted him from steering his boat and it bumped into something. He was surprised to see anyone on the water during this time of night considering how dangerous it was. The man in the other boat raised his cleaver before along with his lantern. Both sides squinted until the look of recognitions wash over them.

"Sir, you scared me." Namjoon said. Somehow seeing a familiar face made him feel better.

"I thought you were some burglar out here stealing my fished." Fisherman Min scoffed, lowering his weapon. Without the lantern, Namjoon thought the man in front of him was simply a skeleton.

"What are you doing out here so late?" Namjoon asked.

"Didn't you know that dark nights were the best for fishing?" the man laughed, the sound rippled across the surface of the water. "I was just bored, that's all. The girls are playing some game right now, why don't you go join them?"
"You're not asking me why I'm out here?"

"You're running away. That's obvious." the man said evidently. "I won't convince you to stay forever, but I can at least offer you a place to stay for the night."

"That's very generous of you." Namjoon said quietly. He thought about his future once more. He could take up fishing with fisherman Min and marry Minji, at least she will accept all that he is. "But I think I should keep going. If I stay in this place, I'll hold on to some false hope."

"I see." the man nodded. "Do you have a plan?"

That's something Namjoon had been asking himself all night. "Do you know about the legend of the River Witch?" he asked.

"Young man, I live in a market. I've heard of all things wild and magical." the man laughed again, this time quieter. "But why are you asking?"
"Do you think she's real?"
"Do you need her to be real?"
"I- forget it, you should get back before you fall in the water." Namjoon said dismissively. He didn't know why he even brought it up in the first place. The River Witch was just a tale made up by bored housewives looking for an escape. The fisherman was right, Namjoon needed the witch to be real. Only then can he asked her to erase his memories, not only of what just happened today, but of you entirely. And only then can he truly be free.

The world had a twisted way of messing with people with broken hearts, they have to live with it forever.

"Will I ever see you again?"

"I don't think so. Tell Minji not to wait and to find a nice suitor." Namjoon smiled one last time before rowing his boat away. Namjoon must have been exhausted because his eyes had closed for hours. The boat hit something sturdy once again and it woke him up. When he jolted up, he realized the town was long gone. His boat drifted somewhere similar to a forest, or maybe a swamp. The water was much murkier and there seemed to be no wildlife in sight.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could almost make out what looked to be a little hut. It was abandoned. Considering he was still exhausted and rowing in this condition was dangerous, he decided to dock the boat and sleep on the ground. He found some fallen branches ear by and managed to pull together a not so comfortable bed. He was in no position to complain.

As he laid down, he observed the sky above him. Somewhere under the same stars was the person he used to love. How everything seems so far away right now. Then a shadow filled in his vision. A pitch black silhouette with jade color eyes appeared.

"Who are you?" it asked. "Answer or I'll stab you."