02

                                    

                                          
"Ms. Lee, meet Jeon Jungkook, your personal bodyguard," Mr. Han says, face so serious as always, hence why you savor the very rare moments when you charm him and get him to smile. 
"Good morning, Ms. Lee," Jungkook bows. "Pleased to be at your service."
"That sounds too formal," you laugh as you rise from your seat to get a better look at him.
"Ma'am, then," he responds.
"You make me sound old. Just call me ___."
"That's quite inappropriate, Ma'am. You're my employer."
"Technically, my father's your employer. And I'm just his extension, but I prefer you call me by my first name. Is that clear, Jeon?"
"If that's the case, then, you should call me Jungkook."
You think about it for a bit. "I like Jeon better," you sweetly smile.
Barely 4 minutes in and you're already getting on Jungkook's nerves. But he masks his frustration and gives you a curt nod. 
"Whatever you prefer, ___," he says, your name sounding foreign in his tongue. 
He prefers the formalities when it comes to his clients; that adds to the boundaries that are set early on and the clear employee-employer relationship that must be observed. He doesn't know what to make of you wanting to be casual with him but he's already not fond of it.
"You may leave us now, Mr. Han," you say, prompting the older man to bow and hand Jungkook an envelope, which he says includes important information Jungkook should know and a credit card for his monthly allowance, on top of the hefty sum he will be paid for this assignment. Not all clients are that generous so he'll happily take this one. 
Mr. Han exits your room and you're left alone with Jungkook, and you take this time to appreciate the man standing in front of you. 
He's wearing a slick black suit over a white polo and a thin necktie. His hair is pushed back, exposing his forehead, and the sharp jawline shaping his face is so striking, as all his other features are. He has beautiful obsidian eyes with a piercing stare, which adds to his almost intimidating look because try as he might, looking all serious with his clenched jaw and formal, almost-robotic stance, he has natural boyish features that make him look younger than he really is. And pretty handsome, too.
And that's an advantage, you believe. He was the youngest out of all the candidates and that's one of the reasons why you chose him. You're sick of the old and intimidating bodyguards who used to be assigned to you; they were boring and pretty much scared everyone away. You needed someone who would blend in, one who wouldn't be too obvious is your bodyguard, and Jungkook ticked those boxes. 
He knows you're assessing him, similar to the way your father did. Jungkook is assessing you, too, in the most subtle way he knows how. He's trained to read people but more than anything, he's done this too many times to know what he's dealing with. 
He already knows you're dressed in luxury from head-to-toe; he wouldn't be surprised if your nail polish costs more than his entire outfit. You're conventionally pretty, he'll give you that, but there's this almost sickly sweetness about you that just doesn't sit well with him. 
It's approximately 2 and half minutes when you break into a smile. And Jungkook thinks it's pretty basic, too. 
"So I'm guessing you've met my father and he told you all the things about me being a social butterfly who trusts every person she meets and that I need protection because I'm the heir of this company?"
Jungkook nods.
"And Mr. Han told you I always go out and that you should be worried about everyone?"
Jungkook nods again, a small huff escaping his lips, as if amused with you knowing these things. Perhaps you're not as clueless as he initially assumed.
"You're not my first bodyguard and to be honest, they're just overreacting," you shrug, leaning on your desk. "I need to befriend people because I'm literally a walking advertisement for the company. And also, I was 5 when I almost got kidnapped but that was only because my friend was the target but since then, they think that everyone is out to get me. Or my father. Through me. Whatever. My father thinks everyone's a threat."
You speak animatedly yet so casually, and Jungkook doesn't know if he should be appeased or worried.
"Is that why I'm here, then? Because you think your father is overreacting?"
"Partly. But you're here mostly because there's a multi-billion won deal he's cooking up and that's really the only time he assigns me a personal bodyguard. He's scared that I'll be used as a pawn or something," you say. "I already have Mr. Sim. He's my personal chauffeur who's also like my bodyguard so you're like, just an added layer of protection, I guess."
Jungkook clenches his fists behind his back, feeling worthless that his own client doesn't even believe he's needed. What a waste of time, he thinks, but it's not like he can complain. This is objectively better than the last, where he was instructed by his actual client to tail a woman he was interested in, something that Jungkook objected to. At least this one is part of the job. 
"But do you think there are threats?" Jungkook asks you.
"Hmm, that depends. I can go to a bar and anybody can be a threat, and that's because I'm a woman drinking alcohol whom someone thinks they have a right to take advantage of. And that doesn't have anything to do with me being the heir of this company."
How you take things so lightly is beyond him. He doesn't know if you're that clueless or you're that perceptive. 
"Regardless if you think there's a real threat or not, it is my job to protect you, whether as the heir of your company or as a woman. I don't take any assignment lightly," Jungkook states. 
And it's the way that he says it, like he truly means it, that makes your heart skip a little beat. 
"That's good to know, then. This shouldn't be hard," you smile. "I have a few things to work on then I'll go out for lunch. You can stay in the staff lounge and just wait for me to call you when I'm ready."
"Understood," Jungkook says.
"Okay. It's nice to meet you, Jeon." 
He turns to the door and leaves, and you're unable to control the way your teeth bite your lip as your eyes follow his form out in the hallway.