Who you used to be - [p.jm]

42. Reflection

10 years earlier

"Wrong", the man yelled furiously.
"Again."

The teen boy nodded and pulled the trigger from the weapon in his hands.
His arms felt weak from the weight the gun had and still flinched when the shot had been fired and his body was hurled back from the pressure.

"Still not good enough", the man commented and clicked his tongue.
"I didn't take you in so you could be a disappointment to me, Namjoon."

The man grabbed the boy's jaw and tugged it fiercly so he would look at him.
"Concentrate. Snipers's can't allow themselves to think while shooting."

The young boy cleared his throat. He felt intimidated by his teacher, as always, but at the same time, he had a lot of respect for the man.
"O-okay."

"Try again now."

The boy got back into position and took his aim. He tried following the advice and cleared his head from all thoughts. It was hard, because he had so much on his mind that it burdened him to push those doubts away. Yet, he managed to escape the thoughts and ideas that were too complex for a 17-year old, and focused on the target several miles aways. He peeked with his right eye, it being the better one for sniping and breathed steadily.

With a loud bang, the target - which was a bottle - popped open and let its content spill over the table it was on.

Namjoom couldn't hold in a surprised laugh upon seeing the result.
His eyes travelled to his teacher, searching for approval.

The man just nodded, letting a smile creep up his face.
"As promised, we will now drink that champaigne to celebrate your achievement."

Namjoon smiled at the unusual kindness the man showed and stood up again. Hongbin walked over to the table and took the champaigne in order to fill the two glasses he had prepared.

"Cheers", he smiled and held his glass out.

The boy returned the gesture and took the glass to his mouth. However, he hesitated. Something was wrong with the whole thing.

"What's wrong?", Hongbin, who hadn't drunken anything, asked.

Exactly the fact that he hadn't taken his drink first, was what irritated Namjoon. Hongbin was a drinker and would never want to wait until taking a gulp of alcohol.

"It's poisoned, isn't it?", Namjoon asked, looking through his glass' contents. He saw his teacher through the unusually thick liquid the glass held.

Hongbin chuckled and then emptied his own glass onto the ground and placed the it back on the table.
"Another lesson for you. Don't trust anyone."

Namjoon swallowed his own saliva. It could have taken him just a moment, no, a second to fall over dead just then and there.

"What if I really ended up drinking that?", he nervously asked.