Eventually, Hyosung made the decision to go shopping for clothes. She directed Gikwang to park the car at a vacant parking lot in front of one of her favourite boutiques. Although it looked very classy, it was those kinds of boutiques that had everything Hyosung needed – from formal evening clothes to casual weekend clothes. And they also provide a wide range of clothes for men too.

When Hyosung entered the store, she noticed that Gikwang was still standing outside, guarding the entrance. She went back out of the store.

“What are you doing out here?” she reached out and grabbed his arm.

Gikwang simply looked up at her with a surprised and yet confused expression, which made Hyosung laugh.

“Stop acting like a bodyguard and come inside,” she said as she brought him inside the quiet interior of the store.

There were no customers in the store, except for the two of them, and there were just a couple of staffs, lounging by the cashier’s counter. Hyosung swiftly moved down the aisles and Gikwang quietly followed her. She paused by a rack of sundresses that looked perfect for summer vacations.

“You know, you don’t have to be so serious in this bodyguard thing. I don’t even have enemies,” Hyosung laughed lightly. “I never wanted a bodyguard for myself, but Joon oppa insisted.”

Gikwang stood with his hands in his front pockets as he softly said, “Then why don’t you just ignore me to my own business, since I am of no use to you now?”

Hyosung’s eyes widened, slightly taken aback by what Gikwang had just said, “For your information, I’m not such a mean person to just ignore you. I’m a nice person who would accept you as a friend, better than just a bodyguard.”

Gikwang lifted his shoulders slightly, agreeing with the fact she had said. Hyosung smiled, glad that he had understood her motives better.

“Furthermore, I’ve always wanted a friend every time I go out, whenever Joon oppa’s busy,” she added on.

Instantly, she placed a stack of clothes on his arms. She kept on adding more clothes to the pile, until it almost reached his neck. After getting what clothes she wanted, she headed to the fitting room, with Gikwang right on her trail.

Hyosung started to try on all the pieces of clothes she had picked out as Gikwang waited patiently by the seats outside the fitting rooms. Whenever she asked whether it looked nice on her, he would just nod quietly with a polite smile on his lips.

After trying on a few sundresses that received the same response from Gikwang, she tried on the last dress – a fancy-looking evening dress that might not be suitable for formal dinners or functions. The fabric hugged her body tightly, which barely covered the curve of her bottom.

Poking her head out from the curtain, she called out for Gikwang, “Could you come here for a minute?”

Hesitating for a second, he got up on his feet and made his way to Hyosung’s cubicle. She drew the curtain and stepped out from the cubicle a little, turning her back towards him.

She reached back and swept her long hair to her side as she said, “Could you help me zip it up?”

Gikwang wasn’t taken aback by the request; instead he helped her like it was his task. Without hesitating, he reached out, got hold of the zipper and swiftly zipped the dress up. His finger lightly brushed against the skin of her back. Hyosung’s breath caught in as she felt the slightly rough touch of his finger on her skin.

“There,” Gikwang muttered as he took a step back to observe your outfit.

Hyosung turned around and glanced up at him awkwardly, smoothing her hair out evenly on both sides of her shoulders, “How do I look?”

Looking at herself in the mirror, she spotted Gikwang’s eyes from the reflection of the mirror. He was observing her back with almost unreadable eyes that somehow had a slight sparkle. Within a second, he noticed her eyes watching him intently and he quickly cleared his throat.

“I don’t think you should wear that,” he said quietly.

Hyosung tilted her head to one side as she ran her hand across the smooth fabric along her curves. She turned her body, observing how the dress accentuates her curves and slender and slim figure.

“Hmm, that’s what Joon oppa would have said too,” she murmured and smiled, as she went back inside the cubicle.

After trying on the clothes, she placed some clothes that she’s confirmed of buying to one side. Gikwang’s eyebrows rose with slight confusion.

“Aren’t you gonna buy that?” he asked in a small voice.

Hyosung nodded, trying to stifle her smile, “Yes, I am, after I choose some clothes for you.”

Grabbing his hand, she led him to the men’s section and took out some clothes that were decent but a little less formal that what he was currently wearing.

“If you wear these, people will definitely know that I do not have a bodyguard,” she said with pride as she brought Gikwang back to the fitting room.

Without complaining or even letting out a sigh, Gikwang started trying on the clothes that Hyosung had picked out for him. Most of the ones she chose weren’t suitable for his petite height and body proportion, but luckily there were a few good ones that made him look more handsome and charming.

“See? You look even more handsome in this,” Hyosung beamed and clapped her hands happily. “Let’s ring those up.”

After a full hour in that store, Hyosung exited as a satisfied customer as she had purchased new clothes. She wasn’t sure whether Gikwang was as happy as her, but she could tell he enjoyed his time just now.

He was about to take the driver’s seat when she stopped him, “I’m sending you home.”

Now he was even more surprised, “You’re sending me home? Shouldn’t it be me sending you home safely, since that’s part of my job?”

“Well, technically, since this is my car, I should be the one sending you home,” Hyosung explained. “So you wouldn’t need to walk back home. I’ll just drop you off at your apartment and I’ll drive home myself.”

For the first time, Gikwang smiled naturally, “Actually, Joon sir has already arranged things such that my apartment is in the same building as yours, so technically, I can still send you home.”

Hyosung just stood there, slightly ajar and her eyes wide with amusement – she didn’t expect Joon to plan things out so perfectly for her. Gikwang gestured for her to remove her hand that was blocking him from the driver’s seat and she awkwardly withdrew her hand.

Gikwang drove smoothly through the traffic, reaching their apartment building within a matter of minutes. He parked the car in the carpark in the basement and they got out. Awkwardly, they both got into an elevator. Hyosung pressed the number 12 and Gikwang pressed 15.

"Three floors?" Hyosung raised her eyebrows. "That's rather close."

"You may think that Joon is over-protective of you and you might feel a little uncomfortable," Gikwang began as he kept his eyes on the number above the door. "But he just cares a lot about you. He left me quite a number of tasks when he appointed me as your bodyguard."

Hyosung shook her head as she sighed, "Joon oppa..."

The doors of the elevator opened when it reached the 12th floor. Hyosung passed Gikwang's shopping bags to him as she exited out of the elevator.

"I had a great time just now," she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

She waved goodbye as she widened her smile and then the doors closed. Gikwang just stood there frozen to the ground. Did my heart just skip a beat?

>> it's been quite a while, huh? Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Been terribly busy to update this fic.

I'll try to update whenever I can :)) keep commenting and Happy Reading <3