“I promised that I would protect him no matter what and whether or not he knows that that’s what I’m here to do, I’m going to continue watching over him. Besides, I’m pretty sure that he’s not human. There’s something very special about him and I’m glad that I can be the one to protect him. I mean, the way his smile lights up a room. The way his voice melts any heart that has the chance to hear it. He’s so warm-hearted and sweet. I’d hate for anything to happen to him. I refuse to let it happen.” – Jin Kyong

“Jin Kyong-ah, can you come help me with this, please,” Jinki’s honey-like voice carried through the bookstore, catching the ears of whom they were trying to reach.

“Coming~” Jin Kyong called back, scurrying from her place at the register and making her way to the back store room.

Jinki was holding a box that had a label taped to the side, reading: NEW SHIPMENT. He set the box down for a moment, smiling sweetly at his co-worker. “Do you mind helping me carry these to the new release shelves,” he asked, rolling his shoulders and then picking the box back up. Jin Kyong simply nodded, returning his smile and picking up the box that had just been under the one her manager had picked up. She followed him out into the store and to the shelves. They both set their boxes down. “I’m just going to grab the last box. You can start putting these up while I go get it,” he informed her, disappearing from her sight for a moment.

Jin Kyong watched after him for a second and then turned her pointer finger into one of a claw with a sharp nail at the end. She tore through the tape on the top of the two boxes and then returned her finger to normal. She pulled back the flaps of the cardboard box and began pulling out the books. As she put them up, she heard a crash and dropped the ones that she was holding. She rushed to the back to see Jinki lying under a pile of books, the turned over box to his right. Jin Kyong smiled at him and offered a hand to help him up, “Are you okay?” His face became a light shade of red as he nodded his response.

Jinki wasn’t the clumsiest person around, but she had definitely gotten used to the fallen books and having to help her manager up from the floor. She’d been working at the town’s bookstore since it opened those few years before, when she first became Jinki’s guardian.

The two had been friends before working in the shop together, having gone to school together. They’d actually become bestfriends in school. It was pretty easy since they’d had a lot of classes together and because the student body had been so small, they managed to see each other a lot. Their friendship had taken a rough turn though when they became freshman in high school. Jin Kyong was coming to terms with what she was and had distanced herself from Jinki. When others of her kind took notice to how Jinki was constantly trying to stay in touch with her and mend their broken friendship, they began to try to use him to get her to join their “packs.” Even though he never found out why she acted the way she had, he was thankful that they were close again, despite his life having been in danger so many times before she declared being his guardian.

“You’re always there when I need you,” Jinki smiled, taking her hand and standing up.

“I always will be,” she replied, completely honest.

Jin Kyong helped him pick up the fallen books and place them back in their toppled box. After a brief moment of going back and forth over who would carry the box out, she took the box out with the others, Jinki following close behind. The two put the books away properly on the shelf, taking turns going to help customers that came in.

Soon enough, the books were put in their place on the shelves, the cardboard boxes put away in the back storage room, and it was time for their lunch break.

“Do you want to go out for lunch,” Jinki asked, placing the “out to lunch” sign on the door.

“I’m fine with anywhere,” Jin Kyong replied, making her way to the door and standing beside him.

“You know, you say that every day.”

“I guess I’m just not very picky.”

“Well, if you pick, just this once, it’ll make me very happy.”

“The corner eatery then? I’ve wanted to go for a while.”

“All you had to do was tell me,” he replied, smile never fading.

She simply smiled in return and stepped outside with him.

After Jinki locked up the shop, they walked side by side down the street. They smiled, sharing jokes and stories of events that happened over the weekend.

To others, they appeared to be a happy couple without a care in the world. In a sense, that’s exactly what they were, just without the title. They spent whatever time they could with each other, excluding work hours. Whenever it was questioned if they were together or mentioned that they should just get together already, neither would deny the notions, the response typically stood as looking away and blushing or a bashful smile.

Jinki held the door open for a Jin Kyong, who smiled as she stepped into the eatery. They sat at one of the tables outside on the upper balcony, ordered their food, and waited patiently. There was a decently long silence between them before he broke it by clearing his throat. She looked at him curiously and could easily tell there was something on his mind. She never forced him to tell her, but had always let him know that if there was anything he wanted to talk about, he didn’t have to hesitate to say what it was; the same went for him when it came to her. She waited, looking down at the people that walked by the balcony.

“Can I ask you something…?”

“Ne. Go ahead,” she replied, eyes back on him.

He had his head bowed, looking down at the table, “I…I was just wondering…” He paused, his face twisting up as if he was trying to get his thoughts together, “I’ve been thinking lately…about how people say we look like a couple…”

She looked at him a bit wide-eyed, “Ne…”

“Have you thought about…us being in a relationship…?”

“Well, yes, I guess I have. Why?”

“Do you want to…?”

“Yes, of course I do,” she cheered, smiling brightly.

He finally looked up from the table, smiling wide enough to make his eyes turn to slits.

They sat, enjoying their lunch. Once it was over, he paid and took her hand, walking with her back to the shop. Suddenly, they stopped walking, neither of them being able to move their feet.

Jin Kyong caught Jinki shivering from the corner of her eye and looked over at him. She gripped his hand, making him look over at her. A blue smoke ghosted around Jinki, causing him to let go of her hand out of fear and trying to swat it away. She reached for his hand and he reached back, being pulled away. Unable to reach her, he was into the arms of a black shadow, disappearing into the blue smoke.

When she was finally able to move, Jin Kyong collapsed to her knees, her hands balled up tightly into fists. Her eyes glowed briefly and she let out a deep snarl. Whoever had taken her Jinki, she hoped they were prepared to die.