Victoria woke up with a cried. She was drenched with sweats. Her long brown hair stuck to the back of her neck. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might jumped out of her chest. Her bed looked as if a tornado had gone through it. Her bed sheet was a tangled mess around her legs. The pillows were thrown on the ground.  She placed a hand on her heaving chest and took a deep breath, trying to slow it down.

For the past two weeks she has been having the same dream. She didn’t know who the man that saved her was. She never met him in her life and why was she so upset over his death. What she felt was like her life had just shattered into pieces when he died in her arms. It was like she had lost the most important person in the world.

A knocked at her door brought her back from her trance, “young miss, are you awake?”

“Y ... yes,” she stammered. “Come in.” She threw the blanket off of herself and got out of her bed and tried to fix the mess she had made. She heard footsteps behind her and it stopped just a few feet behind her. She turned around to be met with a familiar face, the household supervisor, with her white-silvery hair, wrinkly, but kind face. “What is it nanny?” That is what Victoria called her, she been calling her that since she could speak.

Nanny bowed at her, “Good morning young miss. Your father would like to see you.”

“He’s back?” Victoria asked as she made her way toward her bathroom. The nanny followed close behind her. She turned and smiled at her nanny. “I’ll shower and get ready. Tell him that I will be down in twenty minutes.”

She slightly nodded and left the room.

“I wonder what he wants this early in the morning,” she muttered to herself as she the tap and waited for the water to warm.

[*]

The nanny was back to fetched Victoria when the twenty minutes was up. She followed her to the dining room. Her father was sitting at the head of the table, reading a newspaper. It was a sight that Victoria was familiar with, “Good morning father.” She said as she took the seat next to him.

“Good morning darling,” he folded the newspaper and placed it down on the table.

A younger girl, with dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, who was wearing a white dress shirt and black skirt that stopped just below her knees, all the maid in her household wore the same outfit. The girl placed a plate in front of Victoria. On the plate were fruits of various kinds, a piece of toast and some scrambled eggs. The girl came back with a pitcher of orange juice and poured it into the glass.

Once she was done the girl retreated from the dining room. Victoria took a sip of her orange juice and glanced toward her father, “nanny said you have to talk to me.”

He rested his elbows on the table and folded his hands together, “I decided to hire you a bodyguard.”

Victoria set her glass down and stared at her father curiously, “Why do I need a bodyguard? I’m just an ambassador’s daughter. Are you being threaten, father?”

“No,” he shook his head and the corner of his mouth lifted to form a weak smile, a smile that never reached his eyes. “I just thought that you need one. I want to protect my precious little girl. Isn’t it better to prevent something bad from happening before it happens? ”

She raised an eyebrow, because of her father’s action, but chose to ignore it. However, her father’s over protectiveness gained him a small chuckled from her, “You’re so over protective. Whatever, I guess I’ll go along with this bodyguard thing. When do I get to meet this person?”

Her father glanced over at nanny and nodded. She disappeared out of the room for a few minutes and returned with a tall, slim build male. He bowed at them and when he lifted his head up it made Victoria gasped with surprise. He was the same person that she been dreaming about and here he was in the flesh. She caught a glimpsed of surprise in his eyes, but it was gone so quickly that she wasn’t sure if what she saw was correct.

Her father looked at her curiously before turning back to the man, “Gunwoo, this is my daughter, Victoria. I believe that your superior had given you the details of your work.”

Gunwoo stood straight and rigid in the door way of the dining room, “Yes sir.” He gave off a silent coldness, but there was something underneath that. It wasn’t something she could put her finger on. At the corner of her eyes she saw him quickly glancing at her and then quickly glanced away.

“Come have a seat with us,” her father said. That made Victoria whipped her head in her father’s direction. Since she could remember, her father never asked the help to sit at the same table as them. He treated all that works for him respectfully, but never did he ask them to share anything with him.

“I prefer to stand sir,” Gunwoo answered.

Her father grinned, “As you wish.”

That only gained more interest from Victoria. There is more to Gunwoo that her father is letting on. She will figure it out.

She looked at her father and then at Gunwoo. Clearing , “So what exactly is the detail of his work?” She couldn’t help but stare at Gunwoo, while she asked the question.

“He’s to become your shadow. He will follow you where ever you go –“

“Even the washroom?” Victoria cut her father off.

Her father shook his head, “Don’t be smart with me Victoria.” She smiled mischievously at her father. He just continued to shake his head, “He will move into our household. He will attend the same university as you. He will be in all of you classes. He will be with you every hour of the day, three hundred and sixty five days, apart from when you are sleeping ... or when you have to use the ladies room.”

Victoria stared at her father with opened-mouth, “What? You don’t really mean that do you?”

“I mean everything I said,” her father said as he got up from his chair. “Starting from today he’s your shadow. His identity as your bodyguard would be kept a secret. No one in this house apart from nanny, you and me knows about his true identity. This is all for your safety. Now, I have a meeting to go to. Please be nice to him, Victoria. He’s actually a son of my very important friend.”

So that’s why her father was treating this man, Gunwoo so nicely. He’s not just some regular bodyguard, but a son of her father’s friend. Victoria knew that for her father, a friend is very hard to come by, a friend that he could trust that is.

Victoria started on her breakfast. She poked the strawberry with her fork and popped it in . Slowly chewing it she watched as Gunwoo stood where he was. He was like a statue, no movement in his face or body. He reminded her of the guards in front of Buckingham Palace, “I prefer if you sit down. Mr. Gunwoo.” She said his name politely, trying to gauge his reaction.

He didn’t react, he didn’t move. He remained where he was. The only thing that was moving was when he blinked his eyes. She sighed, “This is going to be fun.” She said sarcastically. “You’re making me feels like I’m a burden to you. Also, you need to be natural around me if you want to blend in as a ... a friend. Remember, you’re not supposed to look like a bodyguard, but you’re supposed to blend in. Best way to explain this situation to my other friends and school is to say that you’re my friend.”

He glanced at her and she thought that she caught a smile that escape from his lips, but if he had smiled it was gone with a flashed. He walked toward the table, pulled out a chair and sat down across from her.

Victoria turned toward her nanny, “Could you get Mr. Gunwoo some breakfast, nanny?” Nanny nodded and left the room.

“Call me Gunwoo,” he muttered so quietly that if she wasn’t paying attention she would have heard what he said.

However, she pretended not to have heard him, “Excuse me?” She smiled inwardly to herself.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and reopened them, “I said, call me Gunwoo.” He said, louder this time.

Victoria couldn’t help, but chuckled at him and she saw a little tinted of red across his cheeks, “We’re going shopping after breakfast. We need to get you some books and our university’s uniforms.”

[*]

A year had passed by like lighting. Autumn turned into winter, winter turned into spring and spring had turned into summer. Gunwoo had stuck around Victoria like shadow since the first day they met. He held that cold and quiet exterior of his for the longest time, but Victoria had slowly chipped away at it. He started to talk more. It took time, but he finally became comfortable around her.

She knew that deep down inside he was kind and warm person. She sometimes would find him helping nanny out around the house. Once, while they were walking along the street a child fell. He rushed over to help the little boy up, brushed the dirt away from his cut knee, patted the kid on his head and smiled.

She had grown attached to him and her heart would beat quickly every time she is around him. She knew then that she had fallen for him, for her own bodyguard. Even if it’s a one sided love she was happy. However, the fact that he was only around her all the time, because it was his job pained her.

She stood in front of the house with a picnic basket in her hands. It was a nice day out and since she love to cook she prepare some stuff for a picnic. The sun warmed her skin as she stood there waiting for him.

“Where are we going?” his voice came from behind her.

She turned around and gave him a big smile. She lifted the basket up and said, “Picnic.” She reached for his hand and dragged him toward the car. “To the Han River please.” She announced to the driver.

Once they arrived at their destination she led him to a large tree. She set the basket down and pulled out a blanket from it, “Help me put this down.” Gunwoo did. Once the blanket was down the both of them sat there and Victoria arrange the sandwich’s box on the blanket. She pulled out a can of soda, opened it and handed it to Gunwoo. “Isn’t this nice?”

He nodded as he took a sip of his soda. It was how it always was. She talked most of the time, while he nodded or answer her will short sentences, but she didn’t mind it one bit. Love can really change the way you look at a person. How you accept everything that they do.

A leaf landed on her head and she tried to pull it out, but she was having a hard time. It caused Gunwoo to laugh at her, which was the first time her heard him laugh. It sounded more like a musical melody than a laugh. She stopped and stared at him. He leaned in closer to her, his face was only inches from her face and she could feel his warm breath on her cheeks. She could feel herself flushed.

He pulled away with the leaf held between his index finger and thumb, “Why are we here anyway?”

“I want to spend a nice day having a nice picnic with you,” she said, while she looked away from him. Her face was flushed and she did want him to notice it. “Gunwoo ... can I ask you something?”

“Hmm”

“Have you ever dreamt about someone that you never met before? I have and it felt so real,” The silent that lingered made her turned back to look at him. A shadow came over his face and he was staring intently at her. “Are you okay?”

“I ...” he bit down on his bottom lip nervously. It was like he was fighting internally with himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose before he spoke. “Yeah, I had a dream like that once. It haunted me for months. It was before I met ... before I met you.”

"Do you believe in fate?"

"Fate?"

She nodded, "Fate or destiny, a predetermined course of event. Something that is set in the universe and is unavoidable. Do you believe in it?"

"I don't know," he said as he took a bit from the sandwich. 

She frowned. She couldn't held all the thougts in anymore. He may think of her as crazy after she said this, but she could careless about that right now, "Well I do. I had a dream. I ... I dreamt about you." A look of shocked flashed across his face. Victoria smiled weakly at him and continued. "The dream plagued me for weeks. Every night, for weeks I dreamt about you. How you saved me." She stopped and looked down at her hands. "How you -" 

"Died in your arms," he finished. She looked up at him perplexed. "I had the same dreams. Except our role ... they were switched. You know how surprise I was when my father gave me your picture and told me that I'm to be your bodyguard. It was like this girl that died in my arms in my dreams is real. I couldn't believe it. Then I met you and I knew that you're real. I knew that I have to protect you no matter what."

"Is that why you took the job?" He nodded. "Why exactly did my father hire you? Tell me the truth?"

He got up and turned away from her. She went to stand beside him. He racked his hand through his short brown hair, "There was a death thread on you."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Why me?"

He looked out toward the river. The sun shone upon him, which made it looked like he had halo around his head. He looked like an angel at that moment, "They know that they can't hurt your father directly. Hurting the most precious thing in his life will get him to stop his plan of revealing the truth about their corruption." 

She looked past him then. A figure standing a few feet from her had caught her attention. He had a black cap on his head, which hid his face. A long black jacket, which is weird on this nice warm summer day. He lifted his hand and there was a gun in it. Just like her dream she stared down at the barrel. She saw Gunwoo stepped in front of her. 

She wasn't going to let this happen again. The dream had warn her about this situation and she was prepared for it. She stepped aside, a gun in her hand, and BANG! 

The sound of gunshot rang throughout the park. The man slowly crumpled to the ground. Gunwoo spunned around with a look of horror on his face. Victoria collapsed onto the ground and the gun rolled out of her hand. Her body shook violently. Gunwoo rushed toward her. His arms around her body, "Victoria! Are you okay?"

She slowly nodded. The look on his face made her heart trembled. Something that she couldn't explain.

"Are you hurt?"

"No ... no," the word stumbled out of . "I ... shot him."

"I know," he said softly. He patted her head, as he rocked back and forth with her in his arms. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to calmed her down. "You did the right thing, Victoria."

"I had to," she said. Slowly gaining her senses back from the aftershock. "The dream, our dream, it warned me about this situation and I will not let you die for me."

"Why?" he said. He was looking at her now, but his warm hands was still holding onto her shoulders. "I'm your bodyguard. I'm your shield and this is my job."

She reached up and cupped his face with her hands, "Because, Lee Gun Woo, I love you."

Somehow she saw his eyes light up or maybe it was her imagination, but she didn't prepared for what happened next. He leaned in and kissed her. His soft lips was on hers. "I love you too, Song Qian."

She couldn't help it then, but a smile escaped her lips, despite the situation. She glanced back at the shooter's body on the ground and nodded toward him, "What will we do with him?"

"My father's men will take care of him," he said and for the first time since they met he smiled brightly at her. He pulled out his phone and typed something into it and hit sent. Within minutes, men in black suit swamped the area as Gunwoo walked her to their car. He leaned and kissed her gently on the forehead, "Would you believe me if I said, I knew I love you before I met you?"

Looking up at him she smiled and nodded, "Fate."