A/N: Hi everyone, thank you for reviewing chapter 3, I’m going to try to make seulrene have more friendly conversations here, but I also don’t want to rush too much either. Please enjoy

Joohyun was in the middle of signing and reading documents when there was a knock at the door. She tells the person to come in but doesn’t look up from her work. She hears the sounds of boots against the ground, and when she looks up she is stunned to see Seulgi. The monolid woman isn’t dressed in her typical bodyguard outfit. She is dressed in her service uniform that looks even hotter on the already gorgeous woman.

“S-Seulgi?”

“Good afternoon, Madame Bae. I’m reporting for duty, anything you need, Ma’am?”

Joohyun tries not to make it too obvious that she is staring. She has seen other military officers in uniforms too, but how come Seulgi looks even better in hers. After all, who doesn’t love a person in uniform.

“Um…” Joohyun feels her brain turning to mush, and it’s not like her to be at immediate loss for words.

“Ma’am.” Seulgi reaches for her hand with one of her gloved hands. Joohyun hopes she isn’t all red faced and blushing like a fool.

“Seulgi, I….”

“I’m at your service, Joohyun. I’m here for whatever you need.”

Joohyun finds herself leaning up to kiss those soft looking pink lips. She has been guilty of fantasizing about kissing Seulgi for a while now. It looks like Seulgi will lean down too, only the next thing Joohyun knows there’s the sound of an alarm blaring and she’s falling out of bed and onto the floor. She falls onto the floor so hard that she’s startled awake.

“Oh, it was just a dream.” The raven-haired woman sighs. Of course it was a dream though, because why would Seulgi call her by her name. Joohyun picks herself up off the floor and decides she must at least shower and start her day. The president can’t deny that ever since learning about Seulgi being a soldier. She has been even more drawn to her. If Seulgi is uncomfortable in anyway about her choosing to stick close. The brunette doesn’t say anything. Seulgi is if nothing else ever the professional.

“I might need a cold shower.” Joohyun tells herself because she still has thoughts of soldier Seulgi in her mind.

In her room Seulgi is doing her usual morning routine of sit ups, and push-ups. During her boot camp days when she was pushed to her absolute limits in training. The monolid woman found that getting up just to do drills was hell on earth. Seulgi adjusted well enough and certain routines have followed her even now, such as getting up at the crack of dawn.

“Damn, Kang.” Kai can be heard as he passes by her room. “I swear you work out much harder than any of us.”

Seulgi pauses mid push-up. “You’re all just lazy.”

“Oh, ouch.” Kai feigns being hurt. “Anyway, will you please join us for breakfast. I feel like I hardly see you eat.”

Seulgi stops what she is doing and agrees to join a few of her colleagues for breakfast. She can smell from the food alone that Victoria is cooking, and she’s not one to miss her boss’s cooking. Victoria always treats them well because she not only cooks a lot of tasty Korean food. She is always spoiling them with delicious Chinese dishes.

“I’m only here for Vic’s food.” Seulgi announces to everyone because they are all surprised to see her entering the dining room.

“Kang, well hello to you too.” Baekhyun grins, as he really can’t hide his surprise.

“It’s about time you graced us with your presence, Kang.”

“She’s here for the right reason.” Victoria says proudly. She then piles Seulgi’s plate especially high and places it front of her.

“How the hell do you expect for her to eat all of that!” Several of her coworkers complain. Victoria wastes no time in whacking them all in the heads.

“Shut up! She is thin as it is.” The dark-haired boss turns to Seulgi with a warm smile. “Seulgi-yah, please eat.”

It really is too much food. Seulgi just sits down and eats. Everyone is amazed when she does clear her entire plate, soup included. She’s so much smaller than all of them, but to see her clear her plate just as any of them would was an experience in itself.

“Good girl!” Victoria pats her cheeks playfully.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“What did I say about that mom stuff!” She inhales sharply and then looks serious. She needs to talk to Seulgi. Victoria tells her to follow her to her office so that they may speak in private. Seulgi does and wonders what to expect this time. The monolid woman thinks she does have a good idea on what to expect, however.

“Seul.” Her boss begins softly. “Dr. Son has told me that you haven’t made it to the last few appointments with her.”

It is exactly what Seulgi thought it would be. She hasn’t been to Dr. Son in the past two months. Seulgi avoids Victoria’s concerned gaze for a while, but she knows that she has to explain herself.

“I have been busy here.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t you give me that bull, Seul. You know if you ever need time off for your health or any reasons I am the first person to give you the time. Why now are you skipping your appointments. Are you uncomfortable with Dr. Son, if so we can find another doctor for you, Seul.”

It’s not that Seulgi is uncomfortable with Dr. Son. She is a nice doctor and Seulgi can tell she genuinely cares about her patients. It’s also not like she’s the first psychiatrist that the former soldier has ever seen. Seulgi has seen a few of them over her time in the service, particularly after Sooyoung died. Also when she was injured and honorably discharged. Those doctors didn’t do anything but attempt to fill her up with drugs.

“She’s fine, maybe a little too friendly. I don’t have any issue with her though.”

“Well, why have you been avoiding these appointments I thought you said your commanding officer would consider letting you re-enlist if you complied with treatment.”

Seulgi lets out a laugh but it’s not in a humorous tone. It’s the sort of dry, cynical type of laugh that only worries Victoria more.

“They won’t let me back in there, even if I’ve done a lot of good, and earned medals. I’m damaged goods, Vic. No one wants damaged goods.”

The way Victoria hears Seulgi call herself damaged goods makes the older woman hug her tightly. Seulgi stiffens in her arms much as she expected. The monolid woman isn’t but so reciprocal to physical affection as others might be.

“Kang Seulgi, you’re not damaged goods. Don’t you ever let me hear you say that again. Do you hear me?”

Seulgi nods against her. Victoria may not want to believe it, but she feels like she’s damaged goods. After all she gave to her country. The very second she was injured they let her go, granted she was terribly injured and it took her a long time just to properly heal, still Seulgi felt discarded and alone. She only had military life for so long, and it was all she knew. In some ways it’s still all she knows, and doesn’t think she is altogether fit to be in society as is. These are thoughts she hasn’t shared with anyone, as there is no one who could possibly understand.

“Thank you, Vic.” Seulgi thanks her anyway.

“You’re welcome. Please talk to someone, Seul. It’s not good to hold in everything, trust me.”

Seulgi promises then that she will schedule another appointment and she will go. Victoria threatens her that she better go or else. After their talk she dismisses Seulgi and tells her to get ready. President Bae is attending a function in a matter of hours.

“You know there are other bodyguards you can send. It doesn’t always have to be me.” Seulgi tells her.

“Um, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, Gomdori. Our President Bae prefers to stick close to you. I’m surprised she isn’t attached to your hip at this point.”

Seulgi has noticed, of course she has. She’s seen how Joohyun will move closer to stand besides her. The brunette assumed it was because she used to be a soldier. Seulgi remembers what happened not too long ago.

(Flashback)

Seulgi, Kai, Baekhyun, and two of their other coworkers escorted the President to a world leaders conference in France, and they were on their way back to Seoul. Seulgi was walking further behind because she has been having nightmares lately. It’s not always when Seulgi remembers about being in that plane crash while out on a recovery mission, but when she remembers the sounds of the engine, fire, and that crash into the jungle. It’s often hard for her to think of anything else. She stops when she hears footsteps and turns to see Joohyun is standing closer to her.

“Ma’am?” The brunette questions. Seulgi didn’t know that Joohyun was so close to her. It tells the soldier that she’s off her game since normally she would hear any footsteps approaching closely.

“I’m sorry, do you mind if I stick close to you?”

“Do the men make you uncomfortable?” Seulgi asks, although she knows the men she works with, and they’re not a bad group of guys. Victoria only hires the best people, and any undesirables are usually fired way before they even make it to actual bodyguard status.

“It’s not really that. I just…” The raven looks hesitant. Seulgi knows all too well what it’s like to not be able to properly explain herself, so she tells the President it’s fine, and to just stick close. When they’re about to board the jet. Joohyun turns back to look at her.

“Will you be okay?”

The question throws Seulgi off. She wasn’t expecting for Joohyun to ask her if she’s going to be okay.

“It’s my job to protect you.”