Agent of Destruction

After a week in Detroit the tour headed to Miami, but Namjoon could feel the resentment emanating off his friends and he had to summon all his acting abilities to keep a neutral expression. If I do well in Miami, maybe I can buy a little relief for all of us, he thought hopefully.

Sejin signaled him from the back of the plane and he went immediately, glad to get away from the awkward silence. “Have you heard anything?” Sejin asked in a low voice.

“No, have you?”

Sejin shook his head. “The… our friends have been keeping us apprised of all developments, and I know that you're facing a lot of challenges right now.” He clasped Namjoon's shoulder firmly. “I just wanted to say you're doing well, considering the circumstances.”

He nodded at the members and Namjoon sighed. “I wish we could just leave them out of it,” he whispered. “They work so hard as it is, and it's killing me to keep them in the dark.”

“It's for their own safety,” Sejin reminded him, “and what you're doing is honorable and decent. They may not ever know it, but I do.”

They soon landed at the Miami airport and the members dragged themselves through it to the waiting car. They were still loading their luggage when Namjoon's phone rang and he stepped away to answer. “I can't really talk,” he muttered.

“Then just listen,” Porter replied. “We managed to pull some strings and get you some decent coverage down here, so we want you to visit Song's place tomorrow night. A car will pick you up and bring you to a briefing beforehand. Any questions?”

Namjoon glanced at his friends, but they were all too morose to notice him. “Is he here?”

“Not that we know of,” Porter admitted, “but one of his lieutenants runs the place and will want to meet you. We'll brief you on him too.”

The trunk door slammed and Namjoon sighed. “I have to go.”

“Tomorrow night, nine-thirty. Be ready.”

The call ended and Namjoon rejoined the others as they climbed into the car.

“We'll take you straight to soundcheck, then you've got a fan meet before the concert,” Sejin announced, “but you get an early night in tonight.”

“Hooray,” Yoongi grumbled.


******


Namjoon wobbled slightly as he ran off-stage and he sat down gratefully on an empty stool. This is murder, he thought, taking an enormous swallow from his water bottle.

Jungkook and Taehyung were in another corner whispering to each other, and even from that distance he could tell they were both trembling from exhaustion. Jin and Hoseok were the only members on speaking terms with him at the moment, and Namjoon felt hurt as Taehyung saw him and turned away coldly. Please let us come out of this in one piece, he prayed.

“Mr. Kim!”

Namjoon and Taehyung both looked up and rolled their eyes as a stagehand came running up. “Yes?” they said in unison.

“Sorry, this one,” he said, pointing at Namjoon. He leaned in close and held a clipboard under Namjoon's nose.

“Sorry, my next song is about to-”

“Shut up and listen,” the stagehand hissed. Namjoon almost choked on his water as he looked up at his face. “Agen-”

“I said shut up!” he repeated. “I only have a minute, so listen to me. We just received intel that Song’s lieutenant is here and planning to speak with you after the show.”

Namjoon's neck prickled and he took another drink. “What should I do?” he asked.

“Be the celebrity persona he's expecting,” O’Hare replied. “Be funny, charming, aloof, bratty, I don't care as long as you sell it. He'll want you to go their place tonight, but you must wait until tomorrow.”

Jimin and Hoseok swept by as they exited the stage and O’Hare waited until they had disappeared around a corner before continuing. “This is the man,” he said, gesturing to the clipboard. It held a picture of a thin Korean man in a grey suit, but his most striking feature were his deep black eyes that were looking suspiciously to one side.

“Mr. Kim, you're on in one minute!”

“I have to go,” Namjoon said, getting up.

“Remember, not until tomorrow!”

O’Hare melted into the crowd of stagehands and Namjoon took his microphone from the stand before running out on stage. He tried to engage in the performance, but found himself scanning the audience for the man in grey. He's probably hidden away somewhere up top. I feel like I'm being stalked.

The thought was so disconcerting he fumbled halfway through his rap and couldn't seem to recover until the song ended and he was able to retreat backstage.

“What was that?” Jin panted, following right behind him.

“Are you okay?” Hoseok asked.

“I'm fine, I just… I just need some water.”

He grabbed his water bottle and drained it rapidly, trying to pull himself together. This is no time to lose your mojo, he told himself sternly.


******


“What just happened?” Jungkook wondered.

“I'm not sure,” Taehyung mused, “but let's hope he can snap out of it. The last thing we all need is to start performing badly.”

Jungkook watched Namjoon walk back out on stage and he chewed his lip thoughtfully. “Maybe we're being a little harsh with him,” he said. “I mean, it's not really his fault if the company decides to increase our schedules. Maybe he thought that by being compliant he could somehow make it easier on us.”

“Easier?!” Taehyung barked. “These last few weeks have been hell on earth, and the best he can do is a few lame excuses!”

“Tae!” Jungkook exclaimed. “What's the matter with you? We're all struggling with this, but you haven't been yourself for weeks. What's wrong?”

Taehyung sighed. “I just… I was just really excited about this tour, you know? And then suddenly Namjoon decided to help suck all the enjoyment out of it. It's like he wants this to be difficult for us.”

Jungkook put a hand on his shoulder. “You and I both know Namjoon would never do something like that,” he whispered. “He only does what's best for us, and for the group too.”

Taehyung frowned. “What happens when the group becomes more important than us?” he challenged.

The song ended and a stylist hurried Taehyung away before Jungkook could reply. Is he right? he wondered. Could Namjoon be putting the group above our friendship?

He decided to keep an eye on Namjoon that night, more to prove Taehyung wrong than anything else, but they made it through the rest of the concert without anything abnormal happening. This is good, Jungkook thought hopefully. He's not acting any differently, so that must mean nothing's changed.

The dressing room was empty when he got back and he checked his watch. The others should be here any minute, he thought, so he ducked behind the changing screen, peeled off his damp shirt and draped it over the screen. He was working on his shoes when he heard the door open and close again.

“What's this about?” a deep voice said.

It's Namjoon, Jungkook realized. Sounds like he's on the phone, but maybe after he's finished-

“I couldn't pass up an opportunity to meet you, Mr. RapMonster.”

Is someone else in here?! Jungkook thought panickedly. He didn't recognize the other voice, but it was definitely male.

“My bandmates will be back soon, so please be brief.”

Jungkook became completely motionless, still bent down over his untied shoe. Why doesn't he want us to know about this?

“Of course,” the other voice said smoothly. “I merely came to offer you my personal invitation to the Sun Room. Iseul said you quite enjoyed yourself last time, but that you also had other interests. It would be my honor to… supply both for you.”

There was a pause and Jungkook tried not to breathe too loudly.

“I see,” Namjoon said finally. “I must say, the Stardust Lounge was… impressive, in every way. I look forward to accepting your invitation tomorrow night.”

Jungkook leaned forward slightly and caught a fleeting glimpse of the other man as he turned to leave. I've never seen him before, he thought. How does Namjoon know him? More importantly, how am I gonna get out of here?

If he made himself known, Namjoon would know he overheard their conversation. If he stayed, it would be obvious that he didn't come in with the others and the same result would occur. Jungkook wasn't sure which was worse, but before he could really panic the door opened and Namjoon left the room too.

Thank goodness, he sighed, getting up again. He tried to remember everything they had said, but the conversation was already blurring together in his mind. I have to remember, he thought, then he saw the pile of hoodies on the couch and he got an idea. He went over and began rifling through the pockets of each one until he dug a pen out of Yoongi’s sweatshirt. Good old Slug, he thought, uncapping it quickly. A quick scan of the room revealed no paper, so he shrugged and jotted down everything he could remember on his bare stomach. There, he thought, satisfied. No one will see it there.

He ducked back behind the changing screen just as the door opened and the other members came in. “Did you see that girl in the second row?” Jin asked, tossing his headset aside. “She was so pretty I thought my heart would explode!”

“Just your heart?” Hoseok teased.

Everyone laughed and Jimin caught sight of Jungkook behind the screen. “Kookie, there you are! I was afraid you'd gotten lost!” he called.

“I just wanted to hurry and get into some clean clothes,” he said, emerging fully dressed.

Namjoon came in and Jungkook immediately became self-conscious. What if he knows? What if he saw me and just isn't-

“Anyone up for renting a movie tonight?” Hoseok asked. “I still haven't seen the new Guardians of the Galaxy.”

“No way,” Taehyung said firmly, “I'm going straight back to the hotel and going to sleep. I can't remember the last time I got more than six hours of sleep per night.”

Namjoon didn't give Jungkook so much as a second glance and he let out a small sigh. I guess I managed to go undetected after all. This put him in a rather interesting position: should he tell the others as soon as Namjoon was gone, or should he wait? His first instinct was to tell them immediately, but his curiosity about the mysterious Sun Room was too great. I'll tell them tomorrow, he decided as he flopped down on the couch.

“Something on your mind?” Yoongi asked, sitting next to him.

“Just my bed,” he joked, but he felt guilty about lying and kept silent all the way back to the hotel. He even tried to google several variations of Sun Room Miami Florida, but there were so many different results he didn't know what to look at first. Tanning beds, saunas, gift shops, how do I know which one is the right one?

“Jungkook.”

“No I wasn't!” he said immediately.

Namjoon cocked an eyebrow. “O… kay. Come by my room, I need to give you something.”

Jungkook tried to keep his anxiety from showing on his face as they went up to their floor and walked down the wide hallway together. Is he gonna yell at me in private? Has he been planning this the whole time?!

Namjoon opened his door and went inside the room, but Jungkook hung back on the threshold. I knew it, I knew he saw me-

“Here you go,” Namjoon said, returning with a pair of headphones. “The left side wasn't broken too bad, so I managed to repair it.”

Jungkook took the headphones gingerly. “You… you actually fixed them?” he whispered. “When did you have the time?”

“Here and there,” Namjoon shrugged. “I know they're your favorite pair, and I have the same brand so it wasn't hard for me to fix.”

Jungkook’s eyes misted over a little as he looked at the repaired headphones. All of this schedule insanity, and he still found time for me, he thought. “Thank you,” he murmured.

Namjoon just smiled and shook his head. “Go sleep, you've earned it,” he said, jutting his chin at the hallway.

He closed his door and Jungkook wiped his eyes with his sleeve. I don't know what's going on with him, but he would never put anything above us, he thought happily.

Notes