Ten
Cut the Dead Weight
This is a reminder Nari is remembering the memories as we read them, just from her perspective. Please keep dates in mind!
August 30th, 2017
The never-ending heat finally broke, meaning that the people in the shelter finally stopped laying around languidly. It’s not like they had a choice, really. Going out at unsafe times would probably mean death, especially because soldiers from the opposing side started taking strolls in the street.
It had started out gently enough, and Namjoon had frozen at the sight of the soldier in the unfamiliar uniform that had a gun slung on his back. The soldier simply dipped his head in greeting and spoke in a dialect that Namjoon had difficulty understanding, “Get off the streets if you know what’s good for you.”
That hour had been marked off for outside excursions, leaving only a two hour gap of safety. And a day later, they had brought in bodies that couldn’t be saved. Because the opposing side had soldiers that infiltrated the city. And they shot on sight.
Sure, most of the injured with South Korean soldiers, but that meant that the opposing side was using any means necessary to crush any remaining resistance in the city.
The temporary water supplies and food were still being passed out during safe hours, and Namjoon couldn’t explain how. Was it humanitarian efforts? Was it a deal between the two sides in order to stop the possibility of a humanitarian crisis and war crimes?
Namjoon didn’t have an answer, and he didn’t like not having an answer. He sits, watching the able-bodied group within the shelter plan the next excursion as the children are calmed by Jimin and Taehyung, who somehow still had bright smiles on their faces.
The person who no longer had a smile on her face? Nari. She had become cold since learning about the slave trade being set up and integrating the existing survivors of Seoul, and even more so when the group had voted not to do anything about it. Survival was first, and if they couldn’t ensure their own survival, there would be no point.
And as much as he understood her reasoning, their survival was of more priority. When they are living in constant danger, how could they worry about others? Namjoon feels that he is being rather realistic. Nari, however, is a pure idealist. And the world outside of the shelter didn’t favor idealists. It was a clash of priorities and ideals at the finest, and he feels well aware of it. And he has a feeling that Nari understands that too, but she isn’t going to back down.
Nari is frowning, a blanket over her shoulders regardless of the heat. Hoseok is next to her murmuring, and she’s shaking her head. Namjoon gets up, padding over to them, “What’s going on?”
“Nari isn’t eating,” Hoseok narrows his eyes. “If you don’t eat, we can’t keep the injured alive. Simple as that.”
“Are you calling me selfish?” She raises her eyebrows, and looks both haughty and irritated at the same time. “I can’t eat knowing that females my age are being forced into the slave trade.”
“And I’ve told you that we’re not doing anything about it.” Namjoon’s voice is firm.
Nari throws the blanket off her shoulders and rises to her feet, seething, “So you’re saying that you’re willing for innocent women to be and tortured, just so you stay alive?”
Her voice is dangerously low, and the people in the shelter quiet at the argument that was hovering in the air. Namjoon growls back at her, “I’m willing to keep the people in this shelter safe.”
“And by that, you’re an enabler,” She hisses. “You stand by instead of trying to free unsuspecting victims. Yoongi has been figuring out how to handle a gun. I don’t see why others can’t in order to threaten the enslavers.”
“You’re suggesting that members of this shelter risk their lives when they very well could be enslaved if captured!” Namjoon’s voice escalates into a yell.
“I would rather be a slave myself than watch people be enslaved! Jungkook got approached by someone who got enslaved, and she was begging him for water in exchange for any ual activity he could dream of, because they’re not even given water or food!”
Tensions had been ridiculously high in the shelter during the last month, but they always felt the highest when he was around Nari, because all they would do is quickly devolve into shouting matches.
“And if people buy her services, it’s their own fault for survival not being a priority,” Namjoon snaps back, turning away from the conversation because he had had enough.
But Nari didn’t. And her voice is dangerously low, “Don’t you have a sister?”
Namjoon freezes, and his heart races at the thought that he was turning away from what his sister would have wanted as well. He swallows before murmuring, “She would be smart enough to not get caught.”
“You’re a heartless b*stard, Kim Namjoon.” Nari is shaking her head, and Namjoon knows she is without even looking back. “You don’t deserve the respect you’re g
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