Chapter Text
“...I see it wasn’t as peaceful a takeover here.”
I had only just told Yoo Sangah to block Kang Ilhun’s mouth when a new voice entered my ears. Though I’d been caught off guard, Jung Heewon was faster than me in raising her sword in our defense.
Again, I found myself relieved that I had her on my side.
Yet, who were these people…
“Um, we mean no harm. Really!”
The tallest man in the group spoke as much, but it wasn’t convincing when his men were on guard around him, eyes wide and sharp as they held their own weapons up. With swords, spears and shields, they were certainly better equipped than the people who came from Myeong-dong.
“Could it be..?”
I looked over at the sound of Yoo Sangah’s shocked voice. “Sangah-ssi?”
“They’re…aren’t they BTS?”
“Who?”
“Bangtan Sonyeondan,” Yoo Sangah repeated, looking at me with wide eyes. “The idol group! That man looks exactly like Kim Namjoon.”
“Ah, you know us? We’re thankful,” said the tallest man. Looking back at him, he certainly did have the aura of an idol. His skin looked smooth, his face was small, and his lips…
Anyway. Bangtan Sonyeondan? That was a mouthful, and didn’t much sound like a proper idol group name. Though, what would I know when I’m not really interested in those things?
“Could you tell your men to stand down first?” I asked.
“My men…ah. Hey, you two,” Namjoon said. He sounded exasperated, like he was talking to unruly puppies as he patted the two men in front of him. Upon closer inspection, it seemed those two might be idols too with how much their appearances sparkled. They could slap Yoo Joonghyuk twice on the cheek, or maybe even more than that.
“But hyung,” said one, eyes growing wide and doe-like as he stared up at Namjoon, sword still in his hands. “They raised a sword first.”
Namjoon looked over at me. Then he smiled sheepishly, revealing dimpled cheeks.
…something told me that this guy would immediately lose in a fight, just enough that I found myself convinced into doing something I wouldn’t usually do.
“Heewon-ssi.”
Jung Heewon lowered her sword with a sigh, as did I. The two idols immediately lowered their weapons as well, their menacing auras dropping like they were mere delusions as they smiled brightly at me.
Idols were a little scary. I’m realizing this now.
“Pardon me for being blunt,” I said. “But why are you here? Have you also come to offer an alliance to us?”
Namjoon immediately brightened up at those words. What, I was right?
“Yes!” he said. He sounded boyish despite his height and deep voice, I found myself wavering in shock. Surely, this man couldn’t be as innocent as he appeared. “We came from Yongsan, and we’ve already gone through three other stations,” he added, before tapping at the navy scarf tied around his neck. “I talked to the people there, and I thought I could talk to the people at Myeong-dong too, but they were already gone when we got there…I didn’t think they’d try to attack another station first.”
“What would you have to offer that would benefit us?”
“Well, I suppose you won’t trust me easily when you’ve already been under attack like this,” Namjoon agreed. “We have an army? If that’s something that you think would be helpful. You seem to be strong enough on your own, but I’m sure greater numbers can still help.”
“...an army?”
I peered at his back, and found what could count as an army. There were so many people, men and women and teenagers, it was a wonder that they didn’t bother to attack us yet. They might have us outnumbered, even.
Well, it wasn’t like Gong Pildu would let them get their way easily, but still.
“Er, not a literal army,” he laughed. He tried to get through the barrier formed by the two other idols in front of him, then stopped when he found that they wouldn’t move. “Guys? Could you let me through?”
“He just threatened to kill that guy on the floor,” said one idol with long lashes that even I could see from the distance I’m at. “I don’t trust him that much, Namjoon-hyung.”
“They were attacked first, though.”
“Still!”
“Hyung, they still have their swords,” said the guy with doe-like eyes, lips pulled into a pout as he glared at Namjoon. “You also have the flag, so can you just stay behind us?”
“I doubt we can talk properly like this…”
“It’s better if you stay there,” I said. I sheathed my own sword, watching him with keen eyes. He seemed a little naive, if I were to be honest. I couldn’t tell yet if it was an act or not, but if it were, then he’s doing a good job of it. “You’re the representative, aren’t you?”
“Namjoon-ah.” This time, it was another tall person who spoke. Another idol too? He certainly had the face for it. “You’re the representative, so you’re the only one who can take their station. If you go there, it’s a threat.”
Namjoon blinked wide eyes at the guy who just spoke. “Ah. I forgot.”
He forgot? That can’t be right. This guy, was he really putting up an act or was he just that foolish?
“See, this is why you’re not allowed to fight,” the same man sighed. “If Yoongi were here, you’d get an earful just for that.”
“...right.” Namjoon nodded, then turned to me with a small, embarrassed smile. “I’m sorry, I hadn’t considered that. I’ll stay here. Ah, as for the other benefits…was there anything else you needed, besides numbers?”
“You say you have your numbers,” I said, walking forward to them. My arms were folded on my chest, which seemed to be enough to put the other group at ease as they didn’t put their weapons up again.
It was dangerous. They were either that naive, or they were strong enough to afford being complacent.
“Why couldn’t you have just taken over our station with brute force, then?” I asked, stopping a fair distance away from them. “The others already made an attempt. Or did our strength scare you?”
“I mean, I don’t think anyone would want to be killed like that,” said the other tall idol.
The look on my face must’ve tipped Yoo Sangah on to something, because she whispered to me, “That man, he’s Kim Seokjin. The two others from left to right are Jeon Jungkook, and Kim Taehyung.”
“...I see.”
Was Yoo Sangah an idol fan?
To Seokjin, I said, “Then, your numbers might not be that good anyway if you don’t have the equivalent strength.”
Seokjin smiled at me. “Aren’t you being a little too pessimistic..?”
“Kim Dokja.”
“Dokja-ssi. I’m Kim Seokjin.”
I gave a look to Yoo Sangah, who gave me a pleased smile in return. I said, “So I’ve been told, Seokjin-ssi. Then, would you be willing to give up your flag to me?”
“What could you offer us in return, then?”
It was Namjoon who spoke this time. He’d lost his sheepish smile along the way, gaze turning sharp as he looked at me.
I answered, “Our protection. I’m sure you caught a glimpse of what we can do earlier.”
“That doesn’t seem to be a fair deal,” he said. “Though I only mentioned our numbers as an offer, that’s not all we have. I would like to know what else you can offer so I’ll give up our flag to you.”
Jung Heewon gave me a look, and I nodded. She said to them, “We have knowledge on the scenarios that could make things easier for your group. Regardless of how strong you are in numbers, that will be useless in scenarios where individual strength is involved.”
Namjoon’s gaze sharpened even further at those words, though he smiled anyway. It was the smile of someone used to politics, used to having his face shown on screens. He said, “I wasn’t kidding about giving up the flag. Your name is..?”
“Jung Heewon, Kim Namjoon-ssi.”
He didn’t flinch at the firm way she spoke his full name. “Jung Heewon-ssi. I really would rather not fight. But I also don’t want my people to be used like mere tools for whatever purposes you may have. I want to believe the best and think that you’re good people, and I can’t know that unless we have a proper talk. So, given those things, can we discuss this in a proper setting? I will give you information from my attribute window in return, if that will help.”
“Hyung!”
Namjoon shook his head at the chorus of yells from the younger idols. “Not anything huge, I swear. I have you guys to protect me, anyway.”
I felt a pang in my chest at that odd show of trust during such apocalyptic scenarios. These people were entertainers so they must be used to acting in front of others, but somehow, strangely enough, I felt myself wanting to believe in their sincerity.
Still, I couldn’t let myself be swayed that easily.
“Heewon-ssi,” I said. “Sangah-ssi. Let’s talk for a bit.”
“I believe they’re being sincere,” Sangah said, the moment we distanced ourselves away from listening ears. Even Lee Hyunsung seemed to be nodding in agreement. “They’re good people, Dokja-ssi.”
“Aren’t you just swayed by their squeaky-clean reputation as idols?” Heewon said, raising a brow. She didn’t seem too convinced with her own words, the way she kept sneaking looks back to where the idols were.
“Their reputation is clean for a reason…but I don’t think I have to convince Heewon-ssi of that, do I?”
Heewon gave Sangah a look.
Then she sighed.
“Yes, alright…they just look like good people to me,” Heewon confessed eventually. “That’s the weird thing about it, honestly. How can anyone still look that good after everything? It’s a little terrifying.”
I understood her thoughts far, far too well. Even trying to activate Character List bore nothing when I checked on them, confirming the idea that they weren’t characters at all.
“They’re willing to give up their flag to us,” I said, rubbing my chin in thought. “It’s careless. That’s the thing that concerns me. What if they have something else up their sleeve?”
Sangah giggled behind her hand, then stopped when she saw my confused look. “Ah, sorry, Dokja-ssi! I was just thinking that it’s funny that you think of them being that cunning. I understand they might not be as innocent as they appear, but…”
She smiled at me.
“Don’t you think they might just be that trusting in the first place? And Dokja-ssi is a good and reliable person, anyway. I can see why they’d give up their flag to you.”
Hyunsung brightened up at those words. It was like looking at my own portable sun; it was painful to the eyes. “That’s right!”
“...I’m grateful for the trust. It’s a little burdensome, though.”
That bright smile on Hyunsung’s face immediately turned pitiful, making me feel a little bad. He said, “Oh, sorry!”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. Then, let’s just accept their offer for now and see where it takes us.”
With that decision made, we returned to the group waiting for us. I came forward first, holding out my hand to Kim Namjoon with what I believed was a polite smile on my face. “Kim Namjoon-ssi, we’ll accept your offer of an alliance. As for what else we can offer, besides our protection, we have knowledge on the future scenarios that we can share with you. I’m not certain on what else we can offer since we’re lacking in number, but…”
“Dokja-ssi.”
I blinked at the sound of my name coming from such a deep voice. It was a little jarring to hear his voice be like that, considering how beautiful his face was. “Yes? Yes.”
“Does this mean you’re willing to trust me for a bit?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it. I didn’t know these people, and I didn’t know what kind of characters they had, but Yoo Sangah seemed to trust them. I wanted to believe that she was a good judge of character, even if she was a bit too optimistic.
Maybe this time, she could be right.
Eventually, I ended up saying, “Yes, that’s what it means.”
Kim Namjoon, for all that he stood as the representative, looked to his other members for assurance. Once he’d received a final nod from Kim Seokjin, he turned back to me with a smile and took my hand, finally stepping out from behind the barrier of his two younger members.
With a firm handshake, he said, “It’s a deal, Kim Dokja-ssi.”
With far too much ease given the deaths we’d dealt out earlier, Namjoon untied the flag from his neck and handed it over to me.
I hesitated from accepting it for a moment. I told him, “Are you sure about this?”
His smile softened. Something about the look on his face made me uncomfortable, like I was on the receiving end of far too much trust than I deserved.
He told me,
“Dokja-ssi.”
I nodded. “Yes?”
“The fact that you asked me that at all already means a lot.” He took my hand and placed the flag in my open palm, before curling my own fingers closed for me.
Those eyes of his that had been so sharp earlier, are now soft enough that I felt myself faltering again. Like an indulgent father, the kind I was never able to have in all my years as a child, he said,
“I trust you too, Dokja-ssi.”