"No...why do I feel like this will never end!! What am I supposed to do now...!! It's already the end of the month huh.." Jaehyun cursed under his breath, going through the pile of letters he received in the mail for late payments that are long due. In his small, 1-room apartment, Jaehyun sat at the corner of his single bed, with his hair sticking at every direction, thinking of his next step. Trying to make ends meet hasn't been the easiest thing for Jaehyun. With the economy not being in good shape, Jaehyun has been struggling with various jobs by doing possibly every offer he's received such as dish washing at some Mala restaurant, late-night food deliveries, packing boxes at warehouses, being a personal shopper to rich ladies....the list goes on. He's tired of this life but well....when life gives you lemons, you take it and make lemonade, right?

   Jaehyun plopped himself on the bed and stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks that had become more visible since he moved in. He heaved a heavy sigh to no one but himself. When will this horrible, tiresome life of his end? Hasn't he been doing enough? Why is it so darn difficult to live life simply? He tried and tried but he too knows that God won't burden him more than what he can bare. And he doesn't want to be a burden to anyone, because that's the last thing he'd wished for. To be a burden. But....that thought seemed tempting at the moment. He just wanted a shoulder to lean on. To listen to him, and be there for him so he wont feel so....alone anymore.

   Ding Dong! The doorbell rang. Who would it be coming here this late? He thought.

   "Ah, my bro!! How've you been? Not great maybe? Your eye bags are showing and you don't look as handsome now," Mark, Jaehyun's childhood friend came barging in and gave a sorry look to his friend. He studied the room, taking in the sight in case things didn't look so great. And well, yeah, it doesn't. Nothing had changed, really. But he did notice the overdue letters scattered on the floor beside Jaehyun's bed and thought maybe that's the reason his friend looked like a tornado flew around the room before he came in. Just when he was about to nag Jaehyun, the latter spoke.

   "Stop. Don't say anything, okay? I'm tired. I know you're going to offer me to stay with you for like the hundredth time but I'm sorry because I'll have to turn down that offer. I'm not moving in with you!" Jaehyun ruffled his already messy hair and walked towards the kitchen to get Mark a drink. Mark rolled his eyes when Jaehyun had his back facing him and brought his hands to the side of his hips. "No one said anything about you moving in with me so don't act like I'm so desperate for you!" 

   Jaehyun smirked and shook his head slightly, grabbing the glass of instant coffee and passed it to Mark. "I know, just messing with you." The both of them sat on Jaehyun's bed, trying to ease the tension because Jaehyun's always just.... hiding stuff. Mark wants to help. They're bestfriends and bestfriends help each other out, right? But Mark knows how selfless Jaehyun can get. It's frustrating, yes, but that's just how he is. 

   "How's your current job though? You think you'll stay for long? Let me know if you need some job offers. My dad has been finding some for me and told him to look some for you too," Mark suggested, knowing that his father has broad connections due to his vast working experience. "Thanks man, think I'll need it. The noodle place boss said he might need to lay off some workers because his business isn't doing so well," Jaehyun replied, staring at a blank spot on the floor when his mind went blank, as his mind gets clouded by the possibilities of him having to lose yet another job. 

   Mark tapped Jaehyun' shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Do you mind if I sleep here tonight though? I'm lazy to ride back home, heh," Mark showcased his perfectly aligned teeth as he settles himself beside Jaehyun on the already-packed bed before Jaehyun could retort back. A few minutes later, Mark's snore was heard, leaving Jaehyun alone once again deeply trapped in his own thoughts. "Damn, all these thinking is making me sleepy...ah, I'll just go job hunting again tomorrow after work.." Jaehyun mumbled to himself as he too drifted off to sleep.

                                                                ---

   Kim Hyeri yawned for the 3rd time that morning while looking through her 90-page script, memorising her lines for her current role in Gone For So Long despite barely sleeping the day before because for some reason her lines are not sticking to her head. She sighed in exasperation and looked at her watch, rolling her eyes because someone is late for 5 minutes. Particularly, her manager Lee Jun. "He's gonna get it today...." Hyeri cursed under her breath and right at that moment her manager barged in her room, looking like he just got hit by a bus.

   "Listen, I can expl-" "Come. Here. Now" "Hyeri-ah no, plea-" "AAAAHHHHHH NOOOOO!!-" 

Lee Jun pouted and gave Hyeri a death glare while rubbing his now-almost-bald head, easing the pain she had caused earlier. "You're just mean! You're always mean to me.. I was only late for 5 minutes and you're already trying to make me bald!," Lee Jun avoided Hyeri's eyes which was squinting at him so hard. "Right, and how many times has it been?! I swear to god if you're late again I'm gonna fire you-" "Okay, fine, geez!!," Lee Jun scooted over to where Hyeri was sitting, trying to gain sympathy by making cute faces. Hyeri looked away in disgust and stood up, heading for the door. "Enough with the chit-chat because now I'm late for my shoot. Thanks to you, the champ!" Hyeri said sarcastically and Lee Jun pursed his lips in guilt, following suit. "Sorry, ma'am-"

   The shooting location was thankfully only an hour's drive thanks to the traffic. Director Kwon of Gone For So Long smiled widely at Hyeri the moment he saw her at the entrance. "Ah, to whose honour do I owe this to? Good to see you sweetie, although you're late!" Director Kwon jokingly laughed, hugging Hyeri in a tight embrace. Hyeri bowed in apology and gave Lee Jun a look. "It wont happen again, Director Kwon. I had a long night memorising the lines, but all's good now! Let's start shooting!" Hyeri cheered and Director Kwon laughed along, directing her to the makeup room. 

   "See? I always feel sorry to Director Kwon and you gave me another reason to feel worse today," Hyeri glanced at Lee Jun who is clearly guilty for not being organised enough despite being used to the job scope. The makeup room located at the back had a few artists still getting their makeup done and Hyeri peeked though the door opening before entering herself. "Hyeri, what are you doing? You need to get your makeup done now," Lee Jun said while he too tries to take a peek inside. Hyeri stood back and tucked her fringe behind her ear, trying to act indifferent. "Just...keeping a lookout. You know? For safety reasons of course," Hyeri lied. Lee Jun, who's too used to Hyeri's antics scoffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Oh please, like I don't know.. you're hiding away from Juri, right?" 

   As if Lee Jun wasn't spot on with his guess, Hyeri clicked her tongue and strutted her way into the makeup room to avoid Lee Jun's burning questions. She was just not in the mood for drama that day. After a sleepless night, dealing with people was the last thing in her mind. Which was why she had planned to get home the moment this shoot gets wrapped up. Hyeri gulped, her eyes still looking around to avoid Juri. When she noticed that the lady wasn't in sight, she heaved a sigh of relief and took a seat before she started applying makeup on herself. Her previous makeup artist had quit because quote, "I can't stand you and your arrogance anymore so good luck finding a new makeup artist because I quit!", end quote. Hyeri rolled her eyes remembering that incident and shook her head in hopes of forgetting that incident altogether. 

   All of a sudden, Juri appeared behind Hyeri which caused the former to raise her brows in disbelief. Juri flashed a sinister smile through the reflection, making Hyeri scoff in disgust. Hmm, I don't think I saw you coming in earlier. Did you check to see if I was here before coming in, perhaps?", Juri smirked, picking up a makeup brush to apply some eyeshadow on Hyeri. Hyeri froze in her seat, reminding herself to not do anything harsh which could cause herself more trouble. She wasn't going to let another article slip about how much she and Juri hated each other, no. That'd be troublesome. So with much calmness and poise, Hyeri stared at Juri in the eye, not a tinge of fear reflected in them and removed Juri's hands away from her face. Shocked by Hyeri's movements, Juri took a step back, her face turning a little red. "Don't think I'd be intimidated by you. But, you're right. I was avoiding you. You wanna know why?," Hyeri brought her face closer to Juri, "because you'll never win me. You know it, I know it, we both know it. So I suggest you stop with your nonsense because I think we can leave that to the viewer's ratings. I heard...your manager's not amused with your recent performance. I can share some tips, if you want." Hyeri said with so much confidence she swore she saw Juri's fierce expression falter a little bit there. Juri on the other hand, found it difficult to keep her cool. "You !! I swear I'll kill you. Just you wait!" Juri shouted before strutting off with angry steps. Hyeri grunted before plopping herself on the seat, mentally tired from all this. Juri's threat didn't scare her one bit because all these while she's been nothing but talk and risking her reputation just because of Hyeri? Not worth it. But maybe Hyeri should've hold that thought longer. Because after all, hatred is an ugly feeling. 

   "Great job there, Hyeri-ah! You're left with a few more episodes so once that's done you can start on your other projects. I see that your fans have been showing immense support for your magazine shoot the other day. It's selling fast!," Lee Jun looked through his ipad to update Hyeri of her upcoming schedules. "You're full these 3 months. You can do it, right?" Lee Jun spared a half apologetic smile, earning a lazy nod from Hyeri. Her body needs a good, long massage. These back-to-back shoots and meetings isn't helping because she's starting to feel the weight of being a sought-for actress. "Also...Hyeri-ah, earlier in the makeup room, nothing happened right? I overheard from Juri's makeup artists that she raged to everyone right after she talked to you. Did you stir her up, maybe?" Lee Jun the ignition of their private van, peeking at Hyeri's reflection through the rearview mirror. Hyeri had her eyes shut from all the shooting earlier and upon hearing Lee Jun's question, her eyes shot open, ready to retort back. "She started it. All I did was just warn her and remind her of her place. Besides, she was the one who got all riled up. I was nice to her, okay!" Hyeri moved her hands around as she explained herself (read: defended) so Lee Jun won't accuse her of stirring up beef again. Lee Jun sighed and drove off, worried for Hyeri. He had wished that Hyeri and Juri to get along, because after all, they used to be bestfriends. Now they're just arch enemies that can't stand the sight of one another. "Okay, I believe you. But please stay out of trouble. And tell me everything so I'm updated with what happens with and around you, got it? I'm pretty worried...actually. Juri doesn't seem normal these days. I even heard she takes anxiety pills to keep herself grounded. She's unstable I guess so its safer to avoid her. Okay?," Lee Jun continued and waited for Hyeri's reply but no answer came to find him. Angling his head to the side, he turned his head to check if Hyeri was indeed listening to him or ignoring him, only to see that Hyeri had fallen fast asleep. 

                                                                ---

      After work, Jaehyun had gone around Hongdae in search for a new job to cover his soon-to-be lost part-time position at the noodle place near his place. Famous for its local shops and bars around the area, Jaehyun was confident he'd get some offers but to no avail. Despite him juggling various jobs at once, Jaehyun never wanted to be in a situation where his everyday earnings are only enough to get him by for the next day, no. That'd be too risky and irresponsible of him. He wants to know that he has savings ready for the future and for emergencies. His mother had left him little to get by, considering they came from a not-so well-to-do family. But Jaehyun never blamed his mother so, because he'd seen how much his mother had worked for the both of them when she was still around. And he thanks her everyday for it and visits her every so often, to remind him of his mother's love and grace for him. "Ah, no luck so far. Maybe I should try somewhere else?," Jaehyun sat in front of the convenience store, drinking his favourite banana milk. "The weather's not helping either...aish, why's Mark calling me now of all times?" Jaehyun mumbled when his phone started ringing.

   "Yah, where are you now? I got some good news!" Mark sounded chirpy on the other end, making Jaehyun hopeful and curious to know more. "Hey Mark, what? What is it? Talk slower!" Jaehyun closed his eyes momentarily, trying to decipher Mark's words but its difficult when the latter is talking like a speed truck. Mark pursed his lips into a smile and paused. "I need to tell you in person, meet me at Hongdae now," Mark suggested. "I'm actually already at Hongdae. I'm in front of CU2 at the corner. You coming soon?" Feeling hopeful, Jaehyun tried to calm his beating heart. He doesn't want to set any expectations for it to be crushed in the end. "Yeah I'm on my way!," Mark sounded like he was panting, probably running for the bus, Jaehyun thought. "Let's stay calm, shall we?"

  After what felt like 15 minutes, Mark waved his hands happily, signaling his arrival to Jaehyun. Jaehyun waved back and flashed a wide smile, curious yet anxious to know of the news his friend had promised a while ago. Pulling a chair out for Mark and placing a can of soda in front of him, Jaehyun was all ears. "Hey, thanks man. So," Mark paused and took a deep breath, studying his friend's face to probably figure out the latter's thoughts. "My dad told me he had a job for me in the morning. So I asked him what was the job scope like and he continued to explain about how great of an opportunity this would be for me because of the pay, yada yada yada...oh! He also mentioned about how I've been slacking around at home contributing nothing to the household.." Jaehyun's expression faltered and sighed. "Bro, you're diverting from the topic at hand! What's the news!!" Mark chuckled, "Oops. Sorry. But ok, I'm getting there! Basically, my dad has a friend who works in showbiz and he phoned my dad asking if I could be Kim Hyeri's bodyguard. Like, let that sink in..KIM. FREAKING. HYE. RI. Bro," Mark had his eyes (almost) gauging out of his sockets upon emphasising the name of Korea's most well known actress around. Jaehyun frowned. "Sure, big deal but. The pay? How much are they offering? What about the schedule? Any information on that?" Mark hung his jaw low, shocked by Jaehyun's unbothered reaction. "Aren't you fazed though? She's like so pretty!" 

  Yes. Kim Hyeri is pretty but Jaehyun can only focus on one thing now. Money. He needs it desperately so he could pay off some overdue stuff. A bodyguard...hmmm..doesn't sound bad at all, really. "She is but I cant deal with that right now. I'm in deep bro I need some cash. But wait," Jaehyun cocked his head to the side and squinted his eyes. "Why are you turning it down though? I mean isn't it a dream job for yourself?" Mark shrugged, "I know...its unbelievable. But, despite me wanting to be her bodyguard, I know I dont have what it takes to be one, what more for Kim Hyeri. I'm not the least bit muscular or worse, I can't even fight!" It's true though. Even back in high school when Mark got himself in trouble, he couldn't fight against his enemies and had to rely on Jaehyun to get him out of bad situations. "But you! You can. My dad did mention a test though. So I think it'll be pretty tricky. Kim Hyeri will also be personally interviewing the shortlisted guards to see if she can connect with them. She can be quite picky they said." Jaehyun took all the information he needed to apply for a spot. "Do you know how much they're offering?" Jaehyun had to weigh out his options. If this job does pay well then maybe he can quit his other jobs. Because being a personal boduyguard meant that he'd have to stick by Hyeri 24/7. And that meant that he'd have to commit to one job that rises above the rest. "Ah, my dad said they're offering $900." Jaehyun waited..."Per month? Or.." "Ah, nope. Per. Day." Mark smirked and wiggled his brows, knowing damn well Jaehyun wouldn't say no to such an enticing offer. "I'm...I'm in. Help me ask your dad for this favour!! I owe you one bro," Jaehyun tapped his best friend's shoulder, thankful for his help. Maybe...just maybe...he can start dreaming of a hopeful future. "Sweetie, you owe me way more than that!"

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Aaaand that's the first chapter for you guys! Let me know how it was!! /throws hearts/