When Shadows Fall | BTS Kim Namjoon

Chapter 29: No Guarantee

A/N: Surprise, it hasn't been six months since I last updated! Oh, and this book is at 8k reads now - thank you so, so much to everyone who's been reading! <3

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"Yes, Mom, I'm fine," I repeated for probably the sixteenth time. My dad had been the one to answer, but when Mom had heard the words attacked and hospital she'd forcibly taken over the phone. "The doctors said my skull didn't fracture, so it's just some surface scratches I have to worry about."

"What about the concussion?!"

"I said they didn't think I had a concussion, I just am supposed to watch out for any symptoms during the next few days." I sighed. "Please, Mom, I didn't call so you'd worry about me, I called because I didn't want you to read about this in the newspapers and panic before hearing it from me."

"I'm your mother, I'm allowed to worry about you."

"Just not too much, please."

My dad's voice faintly sounded through the phone. "We'll both try not to worry too much, Chunhwa."

I leaned against the wall. "Thank you. I'll call when we're back at the apartment, and at least once more this week."

"You'd better call more often than that! I want to hear how you're doing every day, you hear me?"

"Yes, yes Mom, every day. But please, don't panic if I forget."

"Chunwha!" I winced at the sudden jump in the volume of my mother's voice.

"Okay, okay, I won't forget. I promise." I looked around the hallway, trying to find an excuse to give both my parents and myself time to process our conversation. "I have to go check on Jisuk now."

"Tell her we're hoping she has a speedy recovery!" my mom said.

"Yes, I'll do that. All right, bye."

I hung up and put both hands over my face, pressing my third finger against the inner corners of my eyes. My parents hadn't been satisfied with a cursory briefing on the events; they'd wanted every detail, and the pain of reliving last night had been... significant. I was split between numbness and terror.

Before I'd called my parents I'd had the faintest hint of an intention to call Seulgi or Areum, but that wasn't going to happen now. Both my brother and my best friend were sure to be almost as insistent on details as my parents. If I contacted anyone, it would be Namjoon – he knew what had happened. I'd be able to just update him on the arrest.

Taking deep breaths, I tried to list everything to do. Go home. Clean up whatever had been disturbed by Creepface's intrusion. Update Namjoon. Make a note to myself to call both Seulgi and Areum when I could. Shower. Go to bed as early as possible.

Sending off a short text to Namjoon saying that Creepface had been caught, I headed back toward Jisuk's room. I wasn't sure when the doctors would say she could leave, but I wasn't going back to that apartment without her. I couldn't face it alone.

A few steps from the door, my phone went off, so I went back to the drinking fountain alcove to answer the call. "Hello?"

"Chunhwa, it's Namjoon. The police caught him? The man who attacked you last night?"

"Yes."

"Good, good. Wow."

I was unsure what he meant, so I just waited.

"What happened? All I know is that there were gunshots, in your apartment. Who was it?"

My brow wrinkled. "It was Creepface. I thought you knew that."