[Hyosung POV]

Looking out the window, it was already quite bright for it to be 5 a.m. in the morning – well, it is summer after all. The sun wasn’t anywhere to be seen but I could already see all the tall skyscrapers and vehicles in the traffic below. Everyday I never fail to have a jog outside, you know, to exercise daily and keep fit and healthy. Unless there is some special occasion, I always make it for a morning jog.

Dressing up in my tank top and jogging pants, I pulled up my hair in a tight ponytail and slipped on my running shoes before leaving the apartment. I stretched my limbs, warming up my muscles a bit before starting on a slow jog down the pavement just outside of my apartment building. Turning on my iPod, I let the music play as I jogged down the pavement towards the Han River. I smiled politely at the familiar faces of my neighbours and friends from the neighbourhood and continued jogging down the pavement until I reached the river.

Looking at the beautiful scenery, I slowed down my pace as I neared the small stall that I always bought my bottled water from for every jog every morning. But unusually, the stall was closed and I had nowhere to get my drink to quench my thirst. I rested tiredly on a bench beside the stall, facing the river, as I tried to even out my breathing.

“What do I do now? I don’t think there are any other stalls out here,” I huffed heavily.

Suddenly, I heard a low voice from behind me, “Here – I thought you’d need one of these.”

I turned around to meet the gentle eyes of Lee Gikwang, who had a bottle of water in his hand, extended towards me. With barely any time to greet him – or even be surprised that he had followed me all the way here – I instinctively took the bottle, “Thank you.” I pried open to the cap and chugged down the water immediately. I almost finished half a bottle at one go. I closed the bottle back and turned to face Gikwang fully, who was still standing right behind you at attention. “How did you know I was here?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him, as though I was looking at him like he was some sort of stalker.

He didn’t seem bothered by the way I was looking at him, as he answered, “I have my sources.”

“Spill,” I threatened as I aimed the top of my bottle at him, tipping the bottle till it was on the verge of spilling onto his pants. “Or else I’ll really spill this water on your pants and make you look like the grown up man who still pees in his pants.”

His eyes widened slightly and after a pause, “Joon prepared a list for me, which is totally about you. So one of the things he listed is that you go jogging every morning, every time you can.”

“Oh, Joon…” I murmured quietly as I closed the bottle of water. Changing the topic immediately, I quickly offered my drink. “Here, you can have the rest of it,” I said. “You could have told me that you were following me. I could have slowed down for you.”

Gikwang snorted a laugh, “You’re underestimating me?”

“Well, I could have slowed down a little for your benefit,” I retorted back. “Are you underestimating me? Are you calling me a slow jogger?”

He shrugged slightly, “Well, you’re a girl, and I’m a guy. Obviously underestimating a guy is more unlikely than underestimating a girl when it comes to sporty things like this.”

My jaw practically fell to the floor after I heard him literally mock me, “You are one hell of a snob.”

I swore I saw a smug smirk on his lips as he looked away from me. I stood up, furrowed my eyebrows and started jogging back to the apartment building. Maybe not jogging – it eventually became a sprint. I was literally running like a mad dog on the loose but Gikwang was easily running, light on his feet, beside me, with a proud smile on his face. I frowned and quickened my speed. I was focusing more on my speed and feet that I was oblivious of my surroundings. Suddenly I heard someone scream my name from behind, and when I looked up, I noticed I was coming up to a road, where a car was approaching rapidly. Before I had enough time to stop my feet, or even think about what was going to happen, I felt a strong tug around my waist as that force pulled me backwards, just in time when the car was supposed to hit me.

“Hyosung, are you okay?” I heard my name being called as I regained my focus. I was sitting on the floor of the pavement, luckily unhurt, and my waist was still wrapped in a protective hold of Gikwang’s arm. “Are you hurt, Hyosung?”

He held onto my arms as I checked myself, “No, I’m not hurt. It’s okay. I’m fine.” He helped me up on my feet as I brushed my clothes. “That was the second time you saved my life,” I stated.

He shrugged, “Its part of my job already. Just don’t fool around again, especially at a place like this. Joon will be mad if he hears what happened to you.”

Now that he said it, I’m afraid of what Joon would really do if he heard that I almost got into an accident because of my carelessness. “Please, don’t tell this to Joon oppa,” I quickly said.

With a firm and silent nod, I continued to the apartment building – this time a slow paced jog. Gikwang was right behind me as we silently jogged until we reached the building. In the elevator, a silent awkward atmosphere settled in. I just had to break it as I said, “Have breakfast with me.”

Gikwang glanced briefly at me by the corner of his eyes and quietly said, “I’ll be fine on my own.”

“No, you’re eating breakfast with me,” I said with a firmer voice as I towed him out of the elevator on my floor. “You may be fine eating on your own, but I am not.”

I pulled him to my apartment and let him sit in the dining table as I served the food that I had prepared beforehand before I left for the jog. After serving breakfast, I settled down beside Gikwang, giving him his chopsticks and bowl of rice. “So, tell me all about yourself,” I tried to make conversation with him.

He looked at me as though I had just asked a question in an alien language. “Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” he asked. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question, since I’m the one working for you? Why don’t you tell me all about yourself first?”

I narrowed my eyes at him as I swiftly popped in a piece of kimchi into my mouth, “Fine. But don’t think that you will get away from my question that easily.”

He shrugged as he fed himself a spoonful of rice, “Fine by me. Let’s start. How long do you take to shower and wash up after a jog every morning?”

What an odd question, but I answered it anyway, “Usually around 20 minutes, depending on how much I sweat during the jog. Why did you ask that question?”

“I’m not done yet; I still have more questions,” Gikwang quickly said, feeding himself with more rice. “What time do you normally leave to go for work at the elementary school?”

Another odd question, but I answered it dutifully, “7:30 a.m. sharp. I’ll be earlier if the traffic is congested and if I have to take the subway.”

“Where do you go during lunchtimes?” he continued asking.

“When Joon oppa was free during lunchtime, he would bring me to whichever restaurant he wants. But nowadays, I just have lunch at the cafeteria with my colleagues,” I explained.

“Where do you usually head to after work?”

“Straight home, unless if Joon oppa wants to meet me. Or if I want to do some shopping.” I quickly added, “Now why are you asking such odd questions?”

He shrugged as he ate his food, “To know you better, duh.”

“But it’s so… odd,” I muttered the last word quietly as I thought of the questions he asked me. They were all about my daily routines – something he needs to know since he’s a bodyguard. “You asked me all those because of your job as a bodyguard, right? Not because you wanted to know me better, you just needed to know me better, right?”

He smiled briefly as he placed his chopsticks down, “I still asked you to know you better. That’s the main point. Thanks for the breakfast.” He stood up from his seat, “I’ll go up now to wash up. See you in 20 minutes.”

I just sat there, frozen with my jaw ajar, as I watched the door close after him.  I feel like I’ve just been fooled. I wanted to know more about him, but he needed to know more about me. It's time he got off the job and be my friend.

>> hey guys, sorry for the really really late update!! > < I guess i've been really busy and facing a major writer's block x_x

i hope you like this update, although it doesn't seem that interesting.

I'll try to update again real soon (no promises, ok? ^^)

Happy Reading <3