Bodyguard | Kim Namjoon ✓

6.

Two days later Soomin watched Namjoon curiously as he moved around the whole shop with a handheld device that made beeping sounds at a certain interval. The screen of the device looked like a radar.

"What are you doing, Joon?" He answered without sparing her a glance. "This is a bug detector. I'm trying to see if someone planted bugs in this place."

She chuckled. "Who would do that? It's only ever you and me in the shop. No one else is allowed inside." He looks at her then, pausing for a while. "You are forgetting that even if our choice of weapon is a gun we still know how to pick a lock and your locks are not that hard to pick."

Her face fell as she listened to Namjoon. It reminded her that he was indeed one of the mafias. He did dirty work too. No one would suspect him though. He wore a white button down shirt neatly tucked into his jeans. The black apron he wore gave him such an air of domesticity but the black swirls of ink on his neck reminded her, yet again that he belonged to a different world.

"Don't you want to live normally?" She asked. He waited a bit, thinking. "I don't know what normal is." He said. "There are a lot of different definitions of normal. For me, being here, protecting you is normal."

She nodded. "I understand. Everyone has their own version of normal." He came to sit beside her. "What is your normal?" She gave a short laugh. "My normal is, living in a small but beautiful house filled with warmth and happiness. Waking up early, coming to work, meeting new people everyday, exploring new cafes and restaurants for lunch, going out on weekends with friends, have a drink or two and then going to sleep in my small but comfortable bed."

He gave her a small smile. "You are lucky to have such a peaceful life. I never even had the chance to live like that." "I was lucky." She agreed smiling sadly. "But I feel as if you have a dream for a different normal as well." He laughed nervously, getting up and continuing his work. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"You do have a dream, don't you, Joonie?" When he didn't answer she went to him taking the device out of his hand, earning his full attention in the process. "Tell me." She encouraged him, her voice soft.

He stared deep into her eyes, looking for deceit, judgement or even hatred but he found none. He only found curiosity and that somehow made him feel comfortable in her presence.

"When I was little, I had a perfect family. My father had a nine to five job, my mother stayed home taking care us. We were happy. But one day I found out my family wasn't so perfect afterall. My father was deep in debt with late Mr. Park. When he failed to pay back in time he was killed. Mr. Park came after us but when he saw me he gave us a chance to pay back the debt. My mother started working as Soongho's nanny and Mr. Park provided a shelter for us.

"My mother was thankful for sparing our lives but I was dragged on the wrong side at the same time. When I turned 14, Mr. Park sent me to a training camp away from here. That time I promised my mother that I'd earn lots of money and get us out of this hell.

"When I returned two years ago I found out my mother was dead, my only comfort was that Soongho never left her alone in her last moments. I lost my reason to dream and I became more heartless, more brutal than ever. I killed blindly taking the most dangerous of jobs but I always seemed to survive.

"I don't have a dream anymore, Soomin or atleast I don't have a reason to dream anymore. I'm just living, going through the course of my life."

They stayed silent the whole day, both lost in their thoughts, thinking and evaluating. The information they had shared with each other was very personal. They both didn't know how to interact after showing so much of their personal lives to each other.

That day as Soomin locked the shop she spoke before they could get in car and head towards the house.

"You know, Namjoon. You behave so smart sometimes and sometimes you are a complete dumbass." She grinned looking at his confused face. "Dreams never cease to exist it's the will to achieve them that matters. You don't need a reason to achieve a dream. Your existence is enough. As long as you live you must keep on dreaming and work towards it."

Namjoon could only look at her as she walked towards the car. He found himself thinking. If she could dream, work for it he could too.

She wasn't so wrong. He could dream for a better life like his mother wanted.