Namjoon checked the clock on the wall and began to wonder. "It's been 15 minutes..."
"What's taking her so long?" Jin raised his eyebrow blankly, including Yoongi and Hoseok.
"Perhaps, there could be a delay," Namjoon said faintly, then get startled by the phone ring and answered. "Val. What's going on? I thought you're coming."
"Something happened to my friend. He got shot by a few criminals," Valerie explained.
"Oh my god. Is he seriously hurt?" He asked worriedly.
"Not that much. Just one shot of the bullet in his arm. Nothing critical," Valerie said shakily.
"That's a relief. But who would make such a commotion?" Namjoon questioned curiously.
"I don't know, but we are going to find out. I've got to go now and I'll meet you later," she informed briskly.
"No problem. See you and be careful out there," Namjoon reminded.
"I will. Thanks," Valerie hummed in response and ended the dial.
Namjoon lowered his phone and put it on the glass table, exhaling out anxiously. He slapped both of his own cheeks lightly, whereas the other three looked at him oddly.
"What did she say?" Hoseok beamed.
"Her friend is in the hospital due to the gunfire," Namjoon said shortly.
"What? Is she alright?" Hoseok asked in concern.
"She is. As of now, she's taking care of him," Namjoon answered.
"Looks like I'm going to wait for a while," Jin said, nodding slowly with a frown.
"Awww. Don't worry, she'll be here, Jinnie," Hoseok grinned endearingly.
"Let's give her time," Yoongi said and stood up from the couch to get a cold drink in the fridge.
"Hmm," Jin agreed and tapped his upper legs, standing up properly. "I need to go back to my restaurant. My employees need help because there are most customers sending requests in line."
He headed towards the front door and waved at them. "Later!"
"Bye!" The three replied in unison as soon as they watched him leave the house.
Inside the hospital room, Valerie was sitting in the chair looking after Bryan, who was sleeping peacefully. Several thoughts were running through her head, pondering who would cause gunfire in the middle of Myeong-Dong Walking street. What was even strange was that she called Namjoon to notify him about something and all of a sudden, they were under attack. Yawning to herself, she was falling asleep near the edge of Bryan's body with her arms crossed collectively as her mind subconsciously drifted slowly into images.
"Hahaha! Your music sucks. Go back to where you belong, you grisly foreigner," a guy's voice spatted scornfully with a loud chuckle.
"No... Stop," she whispered disconsolately, gesturing her hand to stop him.
However, he ignored her as he ripped all of the pages of her music sheets into pieces until they descended on the floor, right in front of her.
Her expression became crestfallen as her eyes were gazing down onto them in distraught. The guy, on the other hand, smirked at her and walked away, leaving her standing alone with tears dropping from her eyes. The torn papers were wet, blotting the written notes jointly, including the flower that was withered.
Instantly, Valerie jolted upright when she was being shaken lightly and her name being called out.
"Ms. Nown. Ms. Nown," the nurse lady said gently.
Valerie blinked her eyes groggily and stared at her in surprise. "Huh?!"
"So sorry to disrupt your sleep, but it is best if I handle this job myself. Your friend is in good hands," the nurse assured her with a certain nod.
"Okay. I'll just head home, then and thanks," Valerie smiled tiredly and fixed her hair onto the sides.
Once she was walking, she noticed a sign that leads to the South-side Parlor bar and ordered two sets of whiskey. Sitting in one of the empty stools, she placed her hand upon her temples, feeling a bit lost on the recent case that she was trying to solve. She made a deep, long breath of dissatisfaction on the suspects that were targeting them. She shut her eyes and drank the liquid from the glass.
"Hey. What is a pretty girl doing here?" A guy in his late 20s grinned flirtatiously as he stood beside her while the hip-hop music was playing in the background.
"Go away..." Valerie said quietly, avoiding eye contact.
Although, the black-haired guy didn't dare to budge, so he moved a little closer and snaked his arm around her. He chuckled slightly by saying. "Come on, baby. Have a little fun. We can go somewhere, ya know."
"I said 'go away,' asshole!" Valerie raised her voice irritably, elbowing him on his stomach. But he was strong and kept leaning onto her neck to kiss her until someone grabbed his arm aggressively, then twisted it over to see another guy standing, who is none other than the business CEO of Fairview Park Corporations.
"What the fuck?! You're Jimin!" The guy became bewildered and felt a firm grip on his arm in which he was trying to break free.
"I believe Valerie refused to go with you," Jimin said carefully as his eyes narrowed sharply at him.
"Hah. So you know this gorgeous? What if I don't want to? Hmm. You can't scare me, Mr. Park," the guy huffed out derisively and continued on, tauntingly. "Don't forget that she was the one who wanted to throw herself away."
Suddenly, a loud smack of punch was made towards his face and groaned sorely as he clutched on his abdomen, becoming frightened at his presence.
"Haven't you learned to respect other women at all? A guy like you has no decency whatsoever. Surely, any assault or harassment can lead you to jail if you ever attempted to. I guess you don't have the balls to man up and take dating seriously. This is your way of pursuing a woman? You're humiliating yourself. If you ever show up here again, trust me... I won't hold back," Jimin warned in a hiss, sending death daggers in his direction and squeezing his arm tightly.
The guy begged desperately and panicked. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! I won't do it. I promise!"
"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to her," Jimin demanded.
The guy glanced at Valerie and bowed down remorsefully with a murmur. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," she looked at him forgiving as she was blinking a few times.
The black-haired guy quickly scrammed off and was let go of Jimin's grasp and disappeared out of their sight.
On the other hand, Valerie's vision was turning into a slight haze and blurry once she stumbled off the stool. Then, she was luckily caught in between his arms.
The two of them were staring intensely at each other and couldn't help but wander in their brown pupils.
Jimin's mouth agape for a moment and asks. "You alright?"
"Yeah..." Valerie hiccuped and giggled lightly. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Jimin nodded.
Later on, they went out for a night stroll, walking together after Valerie regained her full consciousness.
"What are you doing back there in the bar?" She questioned softly.
"I happen to stop by and have a drink. Everyone loves that place," Jimin pointed out.
"Ah. I see," Valerie muttered.
"I could ask you the same thing," Jimin said curiously.
"Just trying to unwind. Plus, there's no point in telling you everything because you wouldn't as well," Valerie laughed dryly and looked away to admire the lights. "I need to go home now. I'm exhausted the whole day."
As she was about to march off, Jimin grabbed her wrist and pulled her to turn her attention on him.
"Wait. Look, I know I was a little harsh on you before, but I'm able to help you this time," he said, breathing heavily.
Valerie noticed his face starting to get pale and furrowed her eyebrows as to what could it be that made him behave this way.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
