Author's note: A short little update before I leave the country tomorrow. Enjoy people of AFF! :)

I had almost caught up to the thief when he took an abrupt left into an alley. Unable to slow down, I overshot the turn. Swearing loudly, I hastily twisted around and continued the chase, cursing myself.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. You just had to go into bimbo mode at the worst time, didn't you?

If only I hadn't been so distracted by her, I would've noticed the guy come up behind her. But NOOOooooOO... I had only been focused on her hands on my arm and the feel of it. How warm and soft they were... I felt a dreamy smile start to form on the corner of my lips.

Stop it, Reg! Stop it! Focus woman! Goddamnit!

While snatch thieves were common in Korea, they usually occurred in major metropolitan areas, like Seoul and not the smaller satellite cities such as Ilsan. In the heat of the moment, I had let my guard down.

He turned a corner only to find himself in an enclosed alley, trapped like a rat. He turned to stare at me, his eyes filled with anxiety. He looked young. Too young to be stealing. Cracking my neck, I rammed my right fist into the palm of my left hand. Grinning evilly, I raised myself to my full height of 180cm. I was tall, for a girl. A result of the European ancestry on my father's side. I probably stood almost half a foot taller than he did.

I approached carefully, light on my heels and assumed a fighter's pose, ready for a brawl, when without warning, he threw Ji Hyo's purse at me. It hit me square in the face and the weight of the purse threw me off balance. Geez, what did that woman store in her purse? Gold bars!? In the split second it took me to recover, the scrawny Asian had already fled the way he came from.

I figured there was no point in chasing after him. I was winded, and I didn't want to bother hauling him to the police, trying to explain the situation in my half-assed Korean. But more importantly, I had recovered her belongings. Leaning against the wall, I stopped to catch my breath. Soon, I heard the sounds of foot steps running to my location and Ji Hyo calling my name.

“Hey, over here!” I yelled out, still struggling to catch my breath.

She jogged over with my gym bag. “Ya! Are you ok?” She asked, looking worriedly at me.

Breathless, I grimaced as I straightened up. Handing her purse back to her, I smiled wryly. “Sheesh, woman... Now I know why I caught up with him so easily. What do you have in your bag?! It's so heavy!” I grumbled good-naturedly. The comment earned me a slap on my arm.

“Ya! Don't make fun. I was worried for you. Running off like that. What if he was armed? It's not worth it.” She scolded.

I was touched by her concern but chose to hide it. I shrugged, “Well if that scrawny kid could take me out, I shouldn't be your bodyguard.” I huffed. “Check your purse. I'm not sure if he took anything.” I added.

After ensuring that everything was in order, she offered me a lift home. Tired and sore from the day's activities, I readily agreed.

Despite my protests, Ji Hyo walked me all the way to my apartment. I had pulled something while giving chase earlier and when the adrenaline wore off, I certainly felt the pain. Guess I wasn't as young as I used to be. After keying in my access code, I opened the door, walking in with Ji Hyo supporting my weight.

“Hey, lazy ! You're home late! Oh, Miss Song Ji Hyo-ssi... Hello?” Erin's shril