36

                                    

                                          
The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. 
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The Art of War
Sun Tzu 
                          
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"Namjoon knows. And he's going to willingly take the blame."
                          
Going to willingly take the blame.
                          
Take the blame.
                          
The blame.
                          
The significance of those words nearly suffocated Taehyung as he repeated them over and over in his mind. He understood the underlying implications quite well; his former bodyguard turned half-brother turned enemy would be framed for each nefarious transgression against Korean National Oil. The violent attacks, the years-long manhunt, and the murder - all crimes carried out by others - would fall to Kim Namjoon alone, with proof and motives already collected and crafted. 
                          
And Namjoon knew. He knew he was going to be double-crossed yet was resolved to accept complete responsibility anyway . . . All because his guilt twisted his perception of reality and his shame made him believe he was nothing but a villain.
                          
A strong wave of nausea rolled through Taehyung's stomach, the revelation fully sinking in and unleashing a torrent of conflicting thoughts and feelings. More than anything, he needed time and an unquestionably safe location to process every single event and discovery from the last twenty-four hours. Too much had happened, too many contradictory pieces of information were learned, and too much had changed. 
                          
Fuck, so much had changed.
                          
Just twenty-four hours ago, the evening had seemingly ended after a successful - and steamy - date night with Jungkook. But their tender and relatively carefree atmosphere shifted when Taehyung uncovered his hidden relation to the former bodyguard. If that wasn't jarring enough, he then had to return to the place of his family's murder to rescue his sweetheart from a shoddy kidnapping attempt. And just when the worst appeared to be in the past, he learned that Namjoon was not only alive but was also a conspirator to every incident that had altered the course of his life.
                          
If the revelations had ended there - if nothing new was unveiled - things would've been so easy right now. Hell, up until thirty minutes ago, Taehyung had been ready to walk out of this house without hesitation. The prospect of turning in these criminals and watching them face the consequences had been a reassuring thought, one that enabled him to get some sleep and endure the hours without Jungkook by his side. And when he had come to this room, his only concern had been fleeing from this nightmare once and for all.
                          
He hadn't dared to waste any more time on the man he once trusted with his life.
                          
But - because life rarely went according to plan - Taehyung's resolve was immediately tested once he set foot in this room. After speaking with Jungkook and learning of Namjoon's troubled past, doubt wormed its way into his mind and made him question all he thought he knew; hearing of the former bodyguard's apparent guilt made him pause. And to make matters even more confusing, he overheard a rather telling conversation between Jin and Namjoon, an exchange that gave Taehyung a glimpse of the man he used to know:
                          
The man who comforted him and made him laugh;
                          
The man who played games with him and taught him multiple methods of self-defense;
                          
The man who let Taehyung talk incessantly about everything and anything, from his ex to his family to his dreams for the future;
                          
The man who sometimes acted less like a paid bodyguard and more like an attentive brother.