Chapter 8
My special bodyguard
{2 weeks later}
"A dance?"
"Yes Joon. Its a celebration dance party for my business partner's success." Your appa explained.
"Pardon my rudeness Sir but, why me?" Joon asked.
Your appa chuckled and said,"Because Joon! You are the only person who is able to persuade Hyerim to come. I have never seen Hyerim smile for 3 years now. But ever since you came, she seemed a little happier."
Joon was delighted to hear that. He felt special to you.
"So Joon, i want you to persuade Hyerim to come. Whatever means, i just want her to come. Understood? Its on Saturday at 7pm." Your appa said.
"Yes,Sir." Joon bowed and walked up to your room.
Joon was contemplating on how to persuade you. He finally mustered up his courage and knocked on your door.
"Come in!" You shouted from inside.
"Here goes nothing.." He whispered to himself.
He then went in and bowed.
"Good morning!" Joon greeted.
He closed the door behind him.
"What's your business here?" You asked, flipping through the pages of your newly arrived magazins.
"Hyerim, do you like to dance?" He asked.
You were suprised by his sudden question and shot your head up to look at him.
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, there's this dance party I've been invited to and i want you to be my dance partner."
You sighed and asked,"Did my father make you do this? He invited you to get me to go didn't he?"
Joon looked down and nodded.
"But Hyerim, this is a great opportunity to try to understand their culture of elegance or some sort."
You closed your magazine and placed it onto your desk.
"Well, i guess so but... I don't have any dresses." You confessed.
Joon stared at you with a wide grin.
"Lets go shopping!" He pulled you up and dragged you down the stairs.
"Joon! I don't want to go shopping!" You retaliated.
"No, we need to find you a dress!"
"Joon!" You shouted.
Joon didn't care and dragged you out of the house... With force..
Your appa was just watching the two of you with a smile on his face.
"Joon! Let go of me! I can walk by myself!"
"And you're sure you won't run away or esape?" Joon asked.
"Yes, i'm sure. Now would you please let go of me!?"
Joon let go of your hand. The both of you then walked side by side down the street. Without any warning, Joon grabbed your hand again and pulled you into a dress shop after 10 minutes of walking.
"This one!" Joon yelled and pointed to a beautiful black dress.
"Emm.. Joon.. Its-" you tried to reject but Joon interrupted.
"Go try it on!" He pushed the dress towards you.
You almost stumbled back but balanced yourself.
"This way Miss." An assitant guided you to the changing room.
After trying the dress on, you looked at yourself in the mirror. It was the first time you ever felt inferior and girly. You weren't used to wearing dresses and never wore a dress before.
"Its ok Miss, you look great!" The assitant encouraged you.
"Really?"
"Yes Miss. But what would complete the look is to let down your hair." She smiled at you.
The assistant undid your hair for you and the curls unravelled itself showing off your true beauty.
For the first time in your life, you felt pretty.
A small smile formed.
"Come on, lets go show your boyfriend!"
"Oh no! He's not my-"
You couldn't even finish your sentence as the assistant pushed you out of the changing room.
Joon awed your beauty. He was caught speechless. You got a little discouraged by that and said,"See, i knew it wouldn't look good."
You were about to turn to go back into the changing room when Joon grabbed your hand.
"No, Hyerim, you look amazingly stunning. You're beautiful." He praised.
You couldn't say a word. You didn't know what to say.
Am i really beautiful? You thought.
"Lets buy this one. I'll pay." Joon offered.
"No, its fine. I'll pay."
"Yaah! It should be an honour to you for me to buy you things! I don't buy things for others so consider yourself lucky." Joon refused.
"You stingy pig." You playfully poked him.
Joon shot you a look but you just smiled at him. Joon smiled as well. He didn't know why but he was happy to see you smile.
"Thank you for buying! I'm envious of the 2 of you!" The cashier said.
"Oh no! We're not dating. He's just.. A friend." You clarified.
Joon felt a small sting to his heart.
"Aww.. Thats a pity. The 2 of you would make such a great couple! Even though you are not dating, here's a free couple keychain! " the cashier smiled brightly.
You took the keychain and thanked her.
While walking down the streets again, you took a look at the couple keychain.
[pretend that it is 2 keychains.]
How cute.. You thought.
You then took the monster and handed it to Joon shyly.
Joon smiled and placed it into his pocket.
"Its really cute." He said.
You nodded and replied,"Don't lose it!"
He chuckled,"Alright. Lets go find you some shoes!"
The two of you continued walking until you spotted a beautiful pair of black high heels.
Joon then encouraged you and walked into the shop. You followed in but then realised that the shoe's heel was really high.
"Joon.. I think i'd better not take this ons. I'll fall.. Its too high!" You told him.
"Its ok, i'll practice with you. Lets find your right size first and we can practice at home." He smiled.
You were afraid but felt a little relieved when Joon said that he would practice with you. You tried standing up but couldn't even stabilise yourself. You almost fell but Joon caught you and held onto your hand.
"Try walking." He encouraged.
Taking baby steps, Joon still held onto your hand firmly.
"Come on lets practice at home." He said.
You nodded and removed the heels. Your feet felt so much better. Joon chuckled at your expression.
"We'll take this pair please." He said to the assistant.
You wore back your comfortable sneakers and walked over to the cashier.
"Since you paid for the dress, i'll pay for the shoes." You said.
You paid for the shoes and held the bag. Joon and you then headed back to your house.
"Joon.. Can i just ask you a question?" You asked.
"Yes, sure." He smiled.
"Why are you a bodyguard?"
He looked away and there was a look in his eyes which you couldn't distinguish.
"Well, i'm an orphan. My father left us when i was 4 and my mother passed away when i was 6. But a kind man took me in and raised me to be a bodyguard." He explained.
"Oh, i'm sorry." You said.
"Its alright. I grew strong from that and everything turned out pretty well.."
You looked at his eyes. His eyes still showed a hidden sadness which y knew all too well.
His eyes... They are like mine of 3 years ago. You thought.
Though you didn't say or ask anything else, you knew that something went wrong inbetween his sentence.
Once the both of you finally reached your house, you went up to your room with Joon.
"Come on, lets practice!" He cheerfully said.
You let out a groan of frustration but still did as he said. You slipped into the high heels and tried standing up. You felt unstable and held onto Joon's arm. He held onto your hand securely and firmly in response. He had patience with you and walked with you slowly around the room. He then gradually let loose of your hand.
Once he finally let go of you, he then said,"Try to walk on your own now."
You gulped and took baby steps. After a few minutes, you took a step forward and began walking unsteadily around the room.
"Joon, I- woah!" You lost balance and fell.
But to your suprise, it wasn't a hard surface that you landed on. You had fallen on Joon's chest. The both of you heaved a sigh of relief.
"Are you fine?" Joon asked.
"Yeah, i'm alright." You said.
The both of you looked at each other and laughed.
"Lets just stay like this for awhile." You said.
You rested your head onto Joon's chest and closed your eyes. You were feeling a little tired. Joon stared at your face and admired your fleeting beauty that he never really noticed before.
When he was sure you were fast asleep, he then carressed your cheek softly and gently.
"Maybe its time to let go and love another." Joon thought aloud.
He carried you up gently and placed you down onto your bed. He covered the blanket over you and removed the high heels from your feet. He placed them beside your bed and glanced at you once more before going back to his own room.
He sat on the side of his bed and pulled out a drawer containing things that were precious to him. He opened the box and stared at the rings that were shining brightly before him.
He sighed and placed them back into place. He lay on his bed with the back of his hand covering his eyes. He closed his eyes and let out another sigh. As the memories seeped in again, he became more weary.
*flashback*
Joon stared at the bleeding girl, he was stunned and didn't know what to do.
The girl then looked at him in agony. He finally let reality slip in and rushed towards her.
"Jiyeon! Don't die on me!" He held her in his arms.
"Joon... I'm.. Feeling tired..." She coughed out.
"No! Jiyeon! You have to stay alive! For me! Because i love you! I always have and i always will! Thats why, you can't sleep!" He shouted.
She gave a bitter and regretful smile,"I love... You too Joon.. But-"
She coughed out blood.
"Jiyeon!"
"You must forget me.. " she whispered.
Her hands were getting colder and her fce was getting more pale. Joon grabbed onto her. His tears were flowing like an endless river. With one last goodbye smile, she whispered,"And move on..."
Her eyes slowly closed and the life that was once in her had left. The last teardrop she shed flowed down the side of her eyes. Joon's teardrops were slowly mixed with hers.
"Jiyeon. Why didn't you hang in there?" He sobbed miserably.
*end of flashback*
Jiyeon... I guess i should really move on though i can never forget you. I've met a really nice girl. He thought.
When his thoughts changed from Jiyeon to you, his lips curved upwards to form a small smile. When he realised that, he laughed to himself.
Since when did just thoughts of Hyerim always make me smile? He thought.
With a flip of a switch, Joon just shut his eyes away and escaped from reality for awhile and went into a comfortable sleep.
~~~~~~~~
"Come on, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Alright! Again!" Joon commanded.
The 2 of you had woken up and is now having a dance practise. You accidentally stepped on Joon's feet which cause him to yelp in pain.
"I'm so sorry!" You bowed.
"Its fine." He said and took a seat at the edge of your bed.
"Lets try having you be able to walk in heels first." He suggested.
You nervously put on the heels and walked around. Without a doubt, it was very unstable. Just then, a thought came to your mind.
"Joon, why not we focus on dancing? I have my own plans on the heels." You said.
Joon didn't know what your plans were but he still nodded and played along. After hours of practise, you were finally able to dance without stepping onto Joon's toes and you could partially go into the rythm.
"You still need more practise so that you can just dance to the rythm but lets take a short break first." Joon said.
You nodded and threw him a bottle of water. He skilfully caught it with one hand and drank up. You drank yours too and walked around the room instead of sitting down to slowly calm your pounding heart. You were actually a little shy at the skinship between you and Joon but just didn't show it.
{2 hours later}
"Yes! I finally succeeded!" You punched your fist in the air.
You had finally succeeded in dancing. You could dance smoothly to the rythm and even memorised the steps. Joon smiled at you and said,"Yeah but thats because you have such an awesome dance partner like me!"
You laughed and smacked his arm,"Always complimenting yourself aren't you?"
"Yaah! Its called loving yourself! If you love yourself then you get more confidence." He defended.
You teased,"Seems like you're over-confident!"
Joon laughed as well. Whenever you were with Joon, you found happiness. You were glad that Joon was your bodyguard even though you don't need one. You were glad that he was just in the same room as you, laughing with you.
"Joon, you're perspiring a lot." You stated.
"And so are you."
"Get your stinky body out of my room and bathe!" You laughed.
Joon laughed and went to his room to bathe. While he was bathing, thoughts passed through his mind.
Why is it that I'm always happy to be with Hyerim? Why is it that i really want to protect Hyerim but not as a bodyguard? Why does her smile make my heart flutter? Why is it that when she cries, i feel so sad too and want to hug her? He thought.
He changed into casual clothing after a shower and went over to your room. He knocked on your door but there was no response. He opened the door and let himself in. He looked around the room but you were not there. As he was walking down the stairs, he heard your voice and quickly hid behind a pillar.
"Can you teach me how to walk in heels?" You asked your umma.
You didn't feel comfortable saying 'umma' so you just asked the question.
Your umma was glad that you had asked and smiled,"Sure."
You then put on the heels and stood up but you were very wobbly. Your umma then teached you slowly and when you were finally able to take a few steps without wobbling, she let go of your hand. You tried taking a few steps but ended up landing on your .
Your umma was shocked and worried and was just about to help you get up but was startled bh your sudden laugh. After seeing you laugh, she laughed as well and helped you up. She was happy that you were at least trying.
After an hour, you were finally able to stop wobbling but your pose while walking was just a big 'no'!
Your umma then continued to teach and guide you on your poise and told you to straighten your back and walk like a queen.
After several attempts, you finally succeeded and could walk a few steps with the poise.
"Oh! Thats great! But you would just have to practise a little more to get the hang of it. High heels were never easy for me from the start either." Your umma said.
You thanked her and removed the heels. You were now walking on your tip toes because of wearing heels for too long. Your umma chuckled and sighed.
Joon, who was watching all along, quickly ran and sat outside your door when he saw you coming up. When you were approaching him, he laughed at your tippy toes.
"Hyerim, why are you on your tippy toes?" He asked, though he knew why.
"I practised walking in heels thats why. Heels are so irritating! I wonder how hard it must be for those high class ladies as well." You said.
"Do you need a foot massage?" He suggested.
"Yeah, i sure do."
"Come on!" He then opened your door and grabbed a pail inside and filled it up with water. You sat at the edge of your bed and awaited his massage.
He also grabbed a towel and went to you with the pail. You then placed your foot into the pail. He then started gently massaging it.
Your skin was smooth and soft yet so stiff. After massaging one foot, he then moved on to the other. You liked how Joon's hand felt on your skin. After finishing the massage, Joon then wiped your feet dry.
"All done!" Joon exclaimed.
"Thank you." You said.
Joon then emptied the pail of water into the sink and washed the towel. He put them back into place and went back to you.
"Hyerim, its getting late and we've had a long day right? So, go and rest. We can continue practising tomorrow." Joon said.
You nodded and softly murmured,"Good night."
Joon heard it and smiled brightly,"Good night to you too."
Your heart fluttered at his smile and unknowingly smiled as well. Joon left to his room and lay on his bed as he fell into a deep slumber.
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