Hello readers! Jamie here for an update (finally) on this story. I love this story so much, but school has gotten in the way and I haven't even started it yet. Everything picks up from now on. ;D

Dongwoo started his shift off sitting on a bench, listening to some songs to pass time by.

When Dongwoo was sad, he appreciated shifts like this to give him the needed privacy without having to return home. The apartment was sometimes a trap, especially because he knew he was in debt to his landlord for rent. He would sometimes take walks around the neighborhood or any random place he could think of, but in the end it still was not enough to comfort him.

The museum was a different story. Though he held the title of a security guard and the museum was a reminder of that, being surrounded by years of history reminded Dongwoo that in every obstacle of his life, he has his whole life ahead of him. It would take time for the damper to disappear, but in the end Dongwoo remembered that one bad day will not matter with all the accomplishments he will have. Dongwoo can conquer the world if he could. Be the person he wants to be. Be the hero. One day.

Dongwoo kept his earphones in his ear, ignoring the job momentarily to hear his favorite song. 

"VIXX,
neoreul wiihan hero,
V-I-X-X.
Bimil-seureon naye him boyeojul-ke 
like a star.

VIXX, 
a hero for you, 
V-I-X-X.
I’ll show you my secret power 
like a star."

It was enough for Dongwoo to smile and get off the bench. He stretched out his arms and legs before standing up, the earphones still in his ear and the song play. VIXX - Super Hero. Even though it was his alarm, he could never get enough of it. Dongwoo was feeling better than before, and if he had five more hours into this long shift, he did not plan on moping around all night.

Dongwoo hummed, making a lap around the first floor to check up on everything. 

"Achilachil fantastic. 
Wonhaneun sesangeuro nara-ga.

Breathtaking and fantastic. 
The world you want is all yours."

-<()>-

The graveyard shift gave leeway for coworkers to talk to each other.

Dongwoo headed to the Museum second floor's control room, where security guards monitored all activity in the museum. Dongwoo worked the shift several times and always enjoyed visiting the room when he could. Two to three guards were shifted at a time, making it the most social job. During the graveyard shift, guards gathered together at the top of the hour to talk to each other. The control room needed a key to enter, which Dongwoo swiped to get in.

Two guards worked the post and swiveled in their chairs, nodding their heads at Dongwoo. "What's up, man!" one of them stood up to give Dongwoo a high five.

"Jung Hwan. Sun Woo. How's this night treating you?" Dongwoo asked, leaning against one of the control panels.

There was a monitor for every single room and hallway, stacked up on the wall for security guards to observe. The room also gave the option for guards to rewind footage when necessary.

"Nothing going on. It's been your typical night," Sun Woo shrugged, putting his feet up on the table. "Isn't Sunggyu supposed to be working this shift?"

"Not tonight. He's on a date."

"Oohhh." Jung Hwan and Sun Woo smirked at each other. 

"I wonder how that's going for him."

"How are you doing?" Jung Hwan asked.

Dongwoo was making the best out of his night. It had been lonely working by himself, especially afte today's string of events. Still, Dongwoo believed by surrounding himself with good friends, he would be fine. Today was a setback. Only today. "It's going. It could be better, but it's still going," he said with a smile.

"I heard you and Sunggyu got ramen... without us," Jung Hwan said bitterly. "Thanks for the invite."

Dongwoo laughed and placed a hand behind his shoulder. "Oh, come on, we can get ramen tomorrow! How does lunch sound?"

"I don't work tomorrow, but maybe next week."

Sun Woo raised his hand. "Count me in. I want some ramen."

"Alright, do you want to go for dinner?" Dongwoo asked.

"Sounds good." Sun Woo got out of his seat. "Hey Dongwoo."

"Yeah?"

Sun Woo suddenly pushed Dongwoo into Jung Hwan and ran towards the door. "Last one to the Silla Room pays for dinner!" 

Sun Woo escaped without a trace in sight. "Sun Woo, come on!" Dongwoo groaned, patting Jung Hwan's shoulder and heading out the door to get his free dinner.

-<()>-

Dongwoo patrolled the first floor of the National Museum for most of his shift, weaving through exhibits and checking for the usual. During shifts like this, everyone created their own fun. As Dongwoo passed by exhibits, sometimes Dongwoo would perform dance moves in front of the camera for the other security guards to see. He stood in front of a camera by the lobby, moving his hips in circles for the other guards to see.

He stuck his tongue out for Sun Woo to see. Even though Sun Woo had a head start, Dongwoo became the victor in the end.

Dongwoo paid close attention to his walkie talkie, hoping Jung Hwan or Sun Woo would shoot him some jokes to pass time by. On dull nights like this, Dongwoo made the best of it all. 

"Girl... I need a girl..."

Dongwoo's phone rang, and when Taeyang's "I Need a Girl" played, there was no other person it could be.

"Sunggyu?" Dongwoo answered.

The other line was very quiet, and Dongwoo was able to clearly hear Sunggyu's breath.

"Sunggyu?"

"Hey Dongwoo." Sunggyu kept his volume low.

"How's your date?" Dongwoo leaned against the entrance to the Bronze Age Room, taking a quick break to talk to his best friend.

"... I ed up."

"I expect nothing less," Dongwoo smirked, clicking his teeth together. "What happened now?"

"I messed up really badly, Dongwoo. I'm in the bathroom."

"That's why it's really quiet..."

"You know how... umm..." Sunggyu cleared his throat. "You know how I'm on a date right now?"

"Well, who's your date? Bomi, or me?"

"Shut up, I swear, this is serious!"

"Ok, ok."

"I thought today was any other regular date, but I forgot one slight detail."

"Yeah?"

"It's our 3-year anniversary."

Dongwoo almost dropped his cell phone in shock, stumbling forward to toss it around like a hot potato. Dongwoo caught the phone mid-air and brought it back to his ear, laughing in disbelief. "Of all the casual dates you go on, you forgot this one was your anniversary?"

"... a man makes mistakes."

"Sunggyu," Dongwoo cackled, shaking his head. "What am I going to do with you-"

Suddenly, Dongwoo heard glass smashing onto the floor. Dongwoo jumped, backing up against the entrance all and spazzing left and right. 

"Woah! Are you ok, Dongwoo? Even I heard that!"

Dongwoo's hands shook, his eyesight unsteady and his heart racing from the incident. "Sunggyu, I'll call you back." Dongwoo hung up on Sunggyu and switched his phone for the walkie talkie, contacting Jung Hwan and Sun Woo from upstairs. Sunggyu crept towards the Bronze Age Room exhibit, tiptoeing his way through as he contacted his fellow guards. "This is Jang Dongwoo, checking for a disturbance in the Bronze Age Room. Over."

Dongwoo put his phone away and reached for the back of his pants, placing a tight grip on his pistol. Dongwoo's eyes narrowed and his concentration focused with all five senses aware of what's around him. He dropped the goofy persona and traded it for a different character: the protector, the night guard, the awakened.

The hero.

For whatever it was worth, he wanted to be the person to save someone from harm, even if it was a simple artifact.

Dongwoo kept track of the seconds passed, meticulously planning his attack as he turned the corner. He noticed glimmering shards at the side of his eye, illuminating the darkness of the room. Dongwoo placed his thumb at the front of his gun and drew it out of its holster, placing a single index finger on the trigger just in case. With the tip of the gun following the glass, Dongwoo counted to himself before making the turn.

"One, two, three."

Dongwoo spun around the corner to catch one of the artifacts and its casing completely shattered on the floor: a bronze bell. One of many around the exhibit.

Dongwoo held his gun in his left hand and retrieved the walkie talkie with his right hand. "I'm gonna need backup. Requesting backup, Bronze Age Room."

Across the exhibit, a dark shadow quickly passed by the hallway.

Dongwoo caught notice and chased after the shadow, setting off the alarm as he left the Bronze Age Room.  Heading back to the foyer, Dongwoo looked up at the Gyeongcheonsa Pagoda, tall and intimidating on a dark night like this. Dongwoo was a little frightened by the intruder, but he was confident he could catch him, and the single tower gave him hope.

Dongwoo listened around the museum, circling around the foyer for any type of sound to lead him towards the perpertrator. After making two silent laps around the pagoda, Dongwoo heard the tinest rustling across the hall:

Into the Tomb.

Dongwoo followed the rustling noise into the museum's special Egyptian exhibit. Since it was newly built, Dongwoo had never really looked inside of the exhibit yet. Whenever he was on shift, he was never given that room. In fact, Sunggyu was the only person who ever got shifted in the new room. Dongwoo's first visit would be on suspicion.

Dongwoo got his walkie talkie one more time to make a message. The alarm rang in Dongwoo's ears, high-pitched and feeling like it was drilling his brain. "Hurry up, guys. Need someone to check out the Bronze Age Room."

Into the Tomb was the most lavishly decorated exhibit in the National Museum. The walls were decorated with colorful wallpapers of different hieroglyphics, every drawing outlined in gold. Each case was given an ample amount of space for walking, especially since it was a popular place for field trips. Some of the key artifacts included papyrus art, obsidian statues of different gods and spirits, and all staffs used during the Egyptian empire. Descriptions on the walls demonstrated the type of lifestyle Egyptians used to live as well as instructions on the mummification process.

Dongwoo kept his eyes open for strange activity, but he could not help but gaze at the beauty around him. He had never seen anything like this in his entire life, especially with how detailed and decorated everything is. That was when he saw the exhibit's main masterpiece:

The mummy.

Dongwoo took a moment to take in the piece of history he may never see again. Right in front of him was a real mummy, adorned in white cloth and surrounded by different artifacts found in its tomb. Dongwoo gazed at the mummy, questioning how Egyptians were able to think of something like this.

This is amazing. Daebak...

Wait, what is that?

Dongwoo continued staring at the mummy until he noticed something peculiar about it. Dongwoo had never seen a mummy before in his life, but even this detail was questionable. He leaned over the railings and squinted his eyes, taking a second look.

The mummy's side was cut open, and a shiny silver thing stuck out of it. Dongwoo leaned forward and opened his eyes in shock, his eyes no deceiving him.

A USB stuck out of the mummy's side.

-<()>-

Dongwoo juggled the USB in his palm and quickly jogged to the control room. The flash drive could contain important information about a heist or can very well be a bomb. It was security protocol that guards that the right to tamper with museum exhibits if for probable cause of breach in safety. Checking it out was a risk Dongwoo had to take to serve and protect the artifacts of the museum and future visitors.

Dongwoo pushed through the control room doors. "Jung Hwan! Sun Woo!"

But the two other guards were nowhere to be found.

"What?!" The seats were completely empty, and Dongwoo frantically checked the monitors if maybe his friends went to see the mess at the Bronze Age Room. Neither of them could be found, and it was like Dongwoo was the only person working. The alarm had been blaring for more than fifteen minutes, and not a single police officer was in sight.

Unfazed by the lack of support, Dongwoo headed towards a computer and jammed the flash drive in to check it out. 

"Come on, come on, come on..." Dongwoo mumbled to himself.

After a few seconds, a single black box popped up on screen. A red loading bar appeared in the middle of the black box, queueing up a video marked with 10 second length. Dongwoo split his view between the computer screens and monitors around him, carefully watching for anymore suspicious activity around him.

Finally the video started playing.

"The plan has unfolded..." the video starts.

What is this? Dongwoo wondered.

In front of him was a 10-second collage of current South Korean president, Park Geun Hye. The entire video clipped multiple pictures, interviews, and videos of the president, changing in what seemed like every millisecond. Dongwoo's pupils dilated watching the video, his senses enamored by the presentation. Drool slid down the side of his mouth as he watched colors flash, changing from bright to dark to bright to greyscale to high saturation. Dongwoo had never seen a video like that in his life.

Little did he know, this video would change his life forever.

The video turned to black, abruptly ending and returning back to the computer's desktop screen.

Dongwoo waited a few seconds for an aftermath, like something to catch on fire or another video pops up.

Nothing.

"What just happened?" Dongwoo raised an eyebrow, pulling out the USB and putting it in his pocket. He looked over his shoulder to see if anything or anyone was around him.

Nothing in sight.

"What is going on right now..." Dongwoo scratched his head and headed out of the control room. There comes a point during the graveyard shift where even the sanest person starts going crazy. The late hours, the darkness. People start imagining things, and that's what Dongwoo expected.

But Dongwoo did not let everything off the hook. Some things were not adding up.

"Someone is inside the museum," Dongwoo told himself as he took the stairs back down. He reached for his phone intending to call Sunggyu back. "That Bronze Age Room vase and its case bro-"

Smash!

All of a sudden, gunshots hit the glass railings of the staircase.

Dongwoo flinched, slipping down the stairs and rolling as the glass shattered along the trail. Dongwoo landed right at the bottom of the stairs, his whole body aching from the fall. Gunshots continued coming through, piercing the museum walls and ricocheting on the walls.

Dongwoo pushed himself off the floor and leaped forward, sprinting across the foyer to hide behind the Silla Room. The security guard ducked down behind the entrance and held the gun firmly in one hand. There was no time to call for backup, but at this point Dongwoo worried if Jung Hwan and Sun Woo were even ok. The security alarm had been ringing for more than half an hour, but where is the police?

It was a fight for survival. Dongwoo scanned the area for any clue to what was going on. An exhibit smashed on the floor. One of the mummies on display were open up and a USB was hanging right on is corpse. Dongwoo used his surroundings to his advantage, looking at the exhibit case across from him. The Silla Room was dimly lit, but enough for the glass casings to produce a reflection.

Dongwoo used it as a mirror for what was happening behind him, without having to peek out from behind.

After a few minutes, something finally came up.

Three men dressed in gray suits walked across the foyer, each of them firmly holding an assault rifle. They circled the area, pacing back and forth as if they were waiting for something.

Or someone to come out.

Dongwoo's forehead dripped with sweat, his back sticking to the wall he hid behind. He moved forward, staring at his measly pistol. Dongwoo blinked multiple times, shaking off the nerve of failure or fear he had. Whatever those men had, Dongwoo had to fight his way to stay alive and protect the museum.

Dongwoo knew all of the possible exits in the museum and crawled behind the Silla Room exhibits to the locker rooms. Dongwoo was like a cat, sticking as close to the floor as he could and keeping quiet. He crept through the shadows, weaving through every dark place he could. His senses could not fail him now, for he needed to be prepared to use his gun when the time came. "The world is a dangerous place," he whispered to himself.

This undoubtedly marked the craziest day of work Dongwoo had ever lived through. Well, 2nd craziest day.

The people were still in the foyer when Dongwoo made it to the hallway towards the locker room. Dongwoo always made it safely.

That was until Dongwoo's cell phone fell right on the marble floors, making the only sound that could be heard.

Everyone in the foyer followed the sound to a certain hallway, one where Dongwoo's leg was sticking right out.

"Over there!"

Dongwoo heard them coming and had to make a break for it. He got off the ground as they fired their gunshots straight at him. Dongwoo dodged the bullets and ran the corridor straight to the locker room. 

Dongwoo closed the door right behind him and locked it, checking his phone to see if anyone had tried contacting him. There was only two missed calls from Sunggyu and his mom, both which Dongwoo bet have nothing to do with the current holdup. In his short respite, Dongwoo contemplated what could possibly be happening.

One of the vases is broken, the mummy got cut, this USB has random things about the president, Jung Hwan and Sun Woo are nowhere to be found, not a single police officer has come to help, and everyone here has a gun. Come on Dongwoo, THINK! What is happening?

Dongwoo heard footsteps coming towards the locker room, prompting him to escape the museum through the usual back door and make a break for the subway. Dongwoo had no idea who he was dealing with, but he knew it was serious. He bolted down the security check without getting any of his things, kicking the door down and running outside to freedom.

All of a sudden, a person on a shining blue sports bike vroomed towards Dongwoo and came to a screeching halt stoppie. His face was covered with a red motorcycle helmet, his demeanor just as inconspicuous as the people inside.

Dongwoo backed away, the smoke from the breaks making him cough. He fanned it all out as the person on the motorcycle finally spoke.

"Come with me," the person ordered, taking off his sleek helmet and throwing it right at Dongwoo.

The person was a pretty looking fellow, handsome, well-built, and suavely dressed in a black suit and silvery blue tie. His hair was nicely parted to the side, something a motorcycle helmet should not be covering up. His eyes shined with much determination and confidence, inviting yet knowing that business had to be dealt with.

Dongwoo caught the helmet right before it smacked his face, staring in awe of the person on the motorcycle. "Wait, what?"

"Come with me if you want to live," the man explained, gesturing for Dongwoo to ride in the back.

Dongwoo skeptically pointed at the motorcycle. "WHAT!"

"I'll explain everything later."

"WHAT?"

"JUST GET ON THE DAMN BIKE!" he demanded.

"OK!" Dongwoo put his hands up, hopping on top of the bike and putting his helmet on. He hugged onto the stranger for dear life. "I'm on, I'm on!" Dongwoo looked down at his shirt, and as the bike sped up, his nametag pin flew off and landed right on the ground.

Jang Dongwoo.

Title: Security Guard.

His life would change now.