Kwon Jieun never thought in her entire life that her brother will go to that far that he got her a damn bodyguard just because she doesn’t update him about her life. Kwon Jiyong may be the boss, the leader of the biggest mafia league, but when it comes to her, she knows that Jiyong would do everything and everything, which in some case, it’s pretty annoying. She first got a call from Baekhyun saying that her brother was damn serious as the bodyguard has arrived in the building – and she wanted to slam her head on the steering wheel right that moment.

When Kwon Jieun met Kang Daniel for the first time, it was pretty dark, but she could tell that his physical figure was too good for a normal person. The next day, she figured that Daniel bites back to her words, which is something peculiar to do for a general person, especially when he knows that she is part of the mafia house. The interesting part is, Kwon Jieun did find nothing weird about his background. No criminal records, no ty things going on in his life – he is just that ordinary poor abandoned boy.

But Kwon Jieun is never stupid, when she saw how Daniel fought Nam Woohyun, one of the best hit man the league have, she knew immediately that she was right – that Kang Daniel is not just some other dancer – he could be as dangerous as she is.

“It’s hard, I mean, his story was hidden perfectly that it’s almost impossible to cover it only by himself, Eun-ah.” Kim Myungsoo was sitting in front of her, sipping his coffee as he casually spilling out information. “Whoever he really is, that guy could be threatening,” Myungsoo continued as he turned his head to the window, pointing Daniel’s back with his chin.

“How did Jiyong find him?” She asked instead, as she still looking at Daniel’s figure from inside the coffee shop – she didn’t talk about anything that happened the night before, but instead she took Daniel for a walk, and neither Daniel talked about it either. “You don’t know?” Myungsoo raised his eyebrow and Jieun shot him an unimpressed glare. “I have some guesses after doing some highly risky investigation just for you.” Myungsoo smirked. “So, there was a large-scale project about four years ago, recruiting a hundred and one potential kids to be added to mafia houses,” Myungsoo explained.

“A hundred and one?” Jieun raised her eyebrow. “For the aesthetic, maybe? It was like a training camp? The people that organized this project remained unknown at first, but they were looking for sponsors back then.” Myungsoo shrugged. “Jiyong is one of the sponsors,” Jieun concluded. “Yeah, they promised the sponsors that they could pick the kids they like the best,” Myungsoo added. “Jiyong hyung stopped sponsoring them when they cut the number into twenty kids,”.

“You wouldn’t know why, right?” Jieun sighed. “Of course not, me getting this much very confidential information is already good enough, this was supposed to be more buried than any other secret,” Myungsoo scoffed. “Your bodyguard is supposed to be one of the kids, you figure that out already by now, right? He was trained to be an professional criminal, Eun-ah, like us,” Myungsoo finished.

“Well, that’s explain why Jiyong went through all that stupid of getting me a bodyguard,” Jieun scoffed. “Well, yeah, he is that petty that he have to find those kids, huh? After all, he paid some good money to fund them before.” Myungsoo turned his head to Daniel’s direction again, who is still standing on the pavement, looking at the people passing by. “But, Jieun-ah,” Myungsoo called her all of the sudden.

“Here’s the interesting part, when I looked into it, the sponsors never met the kids before and vice versa, they were planning to do it with the final line-up,” Myungsoo said in a hushed tone. “Jiyong hyung is technically playing with fire with a blindfold,” He added. “But then again, your brother wouldn’t just let anyone inside the circle, right? Especially around you?”.

---

“Did you have a great time watching people while I’m doing some business?”. Jieun’s flat voice startled Daniel a little bit. “Yeah, it’s pretty refreshing.” Daniel nodded before he started to follow Jieun’s track. “Hey, Jieun-ssi.” Daniel decided that maybe he was the one who should ask about it if Jieun won’t. “Don’t you want to talk about last night?” Daniel scratched his hair nervously. “I mean, I can explain?” He added.

“No,” Jieun snapped almost too immediately and shook her head slightly, which made Daniel even more intimidated than her being nonchalant about it. “Look, I used to get this basic self-defense–,”. “Daniel-ssi,” She cut his sentence out of the blue. “If you are going to talk about it, might as well tell the truth, hm? Otherwise, there is nothing to be discussed.” Jieun actually flashed him a half-smile while saying those words. “Because they don’t teach you how to snap a gun from someone’s hands like that for a basic self-defense,” She added without looking at Daniel’s direction.

“They actually did,” Daniel muttered in a low voice, but loud enough for Jieun to hear it. “Yeah, if you were trained to be a mafia, Daniel, not a dancer,” Jieun replied which caught Daniel off guard and fell into silence.

“You called me Daniel without a –ssi,”. The way Daniel switch the topic awed Jieun, but she was then become annoyed by the fact that she let herself for it to happen. “We are not friends,” She said shortly. “Of course we are not, we are colleagues.” Daniel smiled. “So becoming my friend doesn’t excite you any longer?” Jieun wanted to slap herself, maybe she need to hang out more with other people to actually not embarrassed herself on a conversation.

“It still very much is, but we should take it slow, I mean, you did plot to kill me last night,” Daniel replied with a still very wide grin plastered on his face. “I never planned to kill you,” Jieun snapped. “Obviously.” Daniel let out a sarcastic scoff, and immediately slapped himself mentally – he’s definitely as good as dead. “Well, yeah, maybe once or twice, or more,” Jieun replied instead.

“Have a dinner with me tonight,” She added afterward, which slightly took Daniel aback. “What?” His eyes widen in disbelief – four days being with the latter and that is the first time Jieun wanted to have a meal with him.

“Business dinner, Daniel, if you are claiming yourself to be my bodyguard, shouldn’t you follow me even to that?” Jieun raised her eyebrow, shooting a stoic look to the latter like it was the most obvious thing Daniel should do. “Oh, yeah, of course, I was confused, I thought you were – yeah, whatever, let’s go,”. Jieun knitted her eyebrow together in confusion when Daniel stormed away from her and went to her car first without waiting for her – and even it was like a flash of light, Jieun could see that the latter was flustered.

And it somehow made her lips curled up just a tiny bit. “Can I call you without a –ssi too, Jieun-ssi?” Daniel asked first thing first when they got to the car. “You can if you answered to my one question with all the honesty, how’s that sound to you?” She answered with a challenging tone, and he didn’t answer until a couple minutes later with only an okay. “Are you going after me?” Jieun said without looking away from the street.

“No,” Daniel replied before they went back to silence.

---

“Talk only if I told you to, Chanyeol will be joining today because this is a big client, just ing smile when they talked and straight face when they didn’t,” Jieun explained right after she parked the car. “Got it.” Daniel grinned as the response. The restaurant was packed that evening, Jieun did mention that it’s actually better to do a deal in packed crowd that’s why they chose a place at the downtown.

“Why are you bringing him?”. Daniel learned days ago that the lanky guy who couldn’t stop glaring at him at the first day is Park Chanyeol – one of the best conman at the league.

“He is stuck with me twenty four seven, pity him instead of me,” Jieun replied as she took a vacant seat beside Chanyeol. “Jieun-ah, it’s not safe.” Chanyeol tried to argue but Jieun shrugged him off nonetheless, “He is with me all the time for four days already, I think we had already passed the stage where Daniel realized that this is a harmful ed up job,” She stated nonchalantly. “Besides, he could take care of himself, right?” Jieun turned her attention to Daniel all of the sudden, which made Chanyeol to do the same.

“A dancer doesn’t fight like we do,” Chanyeol snorted instead. “Jiyong hyung must’ve lost his mind,” Chanyeol added as he sipped his beer. “Don’t gave too little credit to my bodyguard and to my brother, Chanyeol.” Jieun smirked to Daniel and gave him a sudden shiver.

Daniel was quite the whole meeting, he understand bit by bit about the deal, but then lost his focus when he started to feel hungry – and he freaking thought that they would actually eat at the restaurant. They finished about thirty minutes later, as they walked out from the building and went straight to the parking lot. “Jieun, a second?” Chanyeol suddenly called out, which Jieun responded with a nod and gave her key to Daniel and told him to wait.

“Are you really keeping him? It’s been four days,” Chanyeol asked hastily when they were alone. “Yes,” Jieun answered shortly. “Why?” Chanyeol raised his eyebrow and his tone was a little too annoyed that it should be. “Just because.” Jieun shrugged – maybe having a companion around is kind of nice after so long working alone, but Jieun will never say that out loud – and she hasn’t really figure out Daniel’s true background and intention. “I’ll be keeping an eye on him,” Chanyeol said as he pointed at her car. “I can take care of myself, Chanyeol,”.

Daniel would be lying if he said he was not afraid of what Kwon Jieun could actually do to dig up more information about him, but he insisted that he should stay calm and collected, but his plan was wrecked when he literally jumped out as Jieun opened the car door. “Okay, but what are you scared about?” She asked as she started the engine. “I was just a little bit surprised,” Daniel defended. “Yeah, right.” She was not looking at him, but he knows that she was rolling her eyes.

“Why don’t we go eat somewhere, I bet you are starving since the foods earlier are just for a mere property,” Jieun proposed all of the sudden. “Okay, but did you just ask me out on a date?” Daniel grinned, he was teasing the latter and he didn’t really know where the he got the guts to do that in just a second. “You don’t want to date me, Daniel, trust me,” She replied instead, emphasizing each word. “Why not?” He raised his eyebrow, genuinely curious because although Kwon Jieun is scary and lethal, one is going to be honest that the girl is especially, pretty.

“Because, I scam and do criminal stuffs for living? I mean, that’s a pretty massive turn off.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “Except if the other party living in the same world as yours too,” Daniel added. “Well, okay, that’s true, but I’m pretty unapproachable, you see, not to mention that you have to go through my brother first, so,” Jieun replied. “I think you are pretty nice.” Daniel smiled. “Even though you probably only nice to me because you are still curious about me,” He muttered in addition, it was loud enough for Jieun to catch.

“Yeah you are right, it is important to stay on my good side,” She exclaimed. “I’m trying to.” Daniel grinned. “What do you want to eat, Daniel?” She asked all of the sudden. “Chicken?” He replied almost too immediately as Jieun nodded for an agreement. They settled in a restaurant nearby and the dinner was mostly consisted of silence but at least for Daniel, it was more to the comfortable one rather than a tense silence. Jieun didn’t ask much about the night before – Daniel knows that she knows something, but at least for that moment, he just wanted to not think about any of it.

“I’m going to drop you off the main building,” She said after they got back into the car. “Why? If you have another appointment then I should come along,” He replied with confused eyes. “No, I’m going home,” She stated in her infamous flat tone. “I thought we are living under the same roof?” Daniel raised his eyebrow. “No, Daniel, none of us live in the building unless we need to, you are all alone in that huge- building,” Jieun deadpanned.

“Holy ,” Daniel cursed under his breath. “Why? Are you afraid of living alone?” Jieun let out a slight scoff. “Well, yeah, since the building is really big, like I always thought we are living together.” He frowned. “Well, let’s make a lot of money and buy a unit for yourself, hm?” Jieun replied nonchalantly, which Daniel responded with a pout and a nod. “That disappointed knowing that we live under different roofs?” She smirked.

“Yes.” Daniel let out a sigh and his out was still very much visible that Jieun suddenly couldn’t resist taking a look at the sight and finding that the man beside her was looking like a lost stray dog – and goodness, it was a bad idea since Jieun was then lost her focus for a good couple of seconds because for the reasons she didn’t want to know, her heart swelled a bit – has she been underestimating Daniel and his effect too much?

---

Kwon Jieun wanted to palm herself really hard when she actually agreed to Daniel about visiting one of the doll crane machine shops – after a week being spent with the latter, she learnt that for still, whatever reason she doesn’t want to figure out, she just simply, couldn’t resist Kang Daniel, even though she was the one who supposed to be in charge, remembering that he is her bodyguard. “I played this a lot before, I will get you one, Jieun-ah,”.

Jieun also, annoyed by the fact that they are no longer using formal speech and she feels okay with it – she really need to get rid of Kang Daniel soon. “If you are so poor before, why spent money on something so unimportant?” She raised her eyebrow judgmentally, as the latter just frowned by her statement. “Sometimes, when we won a competition, I have a little bit money to be spent, I mean, I want to have fun too,” He snorted.

“You could get some food, that’s fun,” She replied, still with her unimpressed face. “Why don’t you try it once and tell me this is not rising your adrenaline.” Daniel pointed at one of the machine with a challenging look. “This is a bad ing idea,” She scoffed but putting the money inside the machine nonetheless.

“I mean, how come in your whole twenty two years of life, you never touch this thing before?” Daniel knitted his eyebrow together in pure astonishment. “Excuse me, I am busy working to earn money so I don’t starve on the street,” She replied nonchalantly while focusing on the machine. “Well, no need to open my old wound,”.

Fifteen minutes later, Jieun was positive that she had spent more than she had spent for food at the machine instead and she wanted to punch Daniel’s knowing grin from his face – and on the top of that, she had got zero dolls. “Let me do it,” He suddenly snapped and grabbed the controlled from her hands – which made their hand brushed for the slightest second but Jieun immediately took a step aback from the small skin ship action – , she really needs to gather her sense properly.

“Done, for you.” A moment later, Daniel proudly flashed the bunny doll to her face with a proud smile. “How did you do that?” She took the doll and stared it in disbelief for a good couple of seconds. “Practice,” He responded with his bunny teeth showing – which Jieun thought is actually kind of cute but she swore to anyone she would never say that out loud – in her twenty two years of life, Kwon Jieun never told herself to get back to her sense as much as when she was with Daniel.

“Thanks for the doll, I guess, no one, uh, have ever given me a doll before, I don’t know how to react.” Jieun shrugged. “That’s really unfortunate, well, you have me now?” Daniel laughed rather awkwardly. “Yeah, let’s just see how long you will last though.” She smirked at the end as they walked out from the shop. The sky was still bright, but Jieun decided to call it a day since Chanyeol was waiting for her at her apartment to discuss about the new client – which Daniel insisted to come, but Jieun glared at him and threatened to fire him if he didn’t go out from her car.

---

“What is that?” Chanyeol pointed at the thing Jieun was carrying when he spotted her from the hallway of her apartment. “A plush doll, can’t you figure that out?” Jieun raised her eyebrow skeptically as she opened the door lock. “Yeah, but the question is more like, why are you carrying that?” Chanyeol snorted when they both got in. “Because it can’t walk by itself?” Jieun replied as she put the plushies on the couch. “We both know what I really meant by that question,” Chanyeol huffed in annoyance when he launched himself next to the plush doll.

“Uh, yeah, we were at the crane doll machine shop? Daniel got me one,” Jieun stated nonchalantly from the kitchen as she took two glasses of water for her and Chanyeol. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?” Chanyeol raised his eyebrow in complete disbelief and Jieun only responded with unimpressed glare as she handed him the glass. “Because, I’m pretty ing sure that you said you played a crane doll machine with your bodyguard,”.

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened.” Jieun nodded. “Have you lost your mind?” Chanyeol asked in genuine confusion. “I’m pretty sure I’m still sane though?” Jieun scoffed when Chanyeol couldn’t stop staring at her like she some kind of a mad woman. “Jieun, we need to talk about how you are very bizarrely tolerating your new bodyguard, not to mention, this is not your first bodyguard, the last one lasted like five seconds,” Chanyeol ranted in disdain.

“The last one is annoying, I mean I hate it when I got nothing to get rid of him.” Jieun shrugged. “And Daniel is not?” Chanyeol raised his voice unconsciously. “Is not,” Jieun replied stoically. “Do you like him?” Chanyeol sighed in defeat. “I don’t hate him yet.” She shrugged, again. “Can we stop talking about –,”. She was cut by the ring of the doorbell and got up from the couch afterwards to open the door. “Oh, Chanyeol’s here too?” Myungsoo said when he took a peek inside the apartment unit.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Chanyeol smiled slightly and waved his hand to Myungsoo. “Uh, yeah, hi Yeol, look, can I talk with you outside then?” Myungsoo whispered the last part to Jieun, who responded with an understanding expression. “What’s with the secrecy? Are you guys dating?” Chanyeol smirked teasingly when Jieun and Myungsoo only shot him a death glare before they got out from the unit.

“What is it? Uh, and do you really need to run to my apartment like this?” Jieun sighed as she leaned to the wall next to her door. “Uh yeah, see, you know I’m the best in this field, and the best works fast –,”. “Get to your point, for sake,” Jieun snapped. “The dance academy is never closed down, Jieun, whatever bull Kang Daniel is spitting about bankruptcy, that is not right, the academy only bought by some investor who completely changed the academy format,”.

“And why didn’t I find this fact?” Jieun raised her eyebrow skeptically – sure, Myungsoo is a better secret searcher that she is, but to miss a small detail like that was just impossible. “Because they made it look like bankruptcy, they sent away all the members and took them back right after they settled the new setting, and one thing, it happened like two months ago,” Myungsoo explained with a low tone.

“Okay, then why the Daniel claimed that he only starved like three days?” Jieun snorted. “Maybe because he only got kicked out from his room since last week? That’s one probability, but honestly, I did some digging up and they never took him back,” Myungsoo continued. “And it is only weird because according to this file, Daniel is their ace,” Myungsoo said as he handed Jieun the file that he has been holding with a slight smirk.

“How many kids that they didn’t take back?” Jieun said as she skimmed the file, which consisted of a lot of pictures. “They cut like a half of the kids, and some just simply didn’t want to go back,” Myungsoo replied. “I’m not here to tell you just this, Jieun,” Myungsoo suddenly added, which came out like more of a whisper. “I looked it up and there is a very similar case with what happened to the academy, and for some reason it was a small entertainment company,” He added as he pulled Jieun further away from the door.

“Basically someone else bought the company with the same method.” Jieun nodded as she stated. “I mean, we don’t need an expert to figure that they are under the same group,” Myungsoo added. “But here’s the weird thing, they took back everyone once they settled with the new management,” Myungsoo said as he took the file and opened one of the pages on the very back. “Except him,” Jieun said as she looked at the picture of a man with a very prominent feature with his pair brown orbs.

“Except Ong Seongwoo,”.