Bodyguard | PJM

22. The Call

It's silent in the car as I drive us back.

I guess I was expecting too much by hoping things would go back to the way they were before--comfortable. Since he knows about Mom now, it's like a whole new level of complexity has been added to our relationship. A bodyguard doesn't know about these intimate secrets. A friend would.

"Hey, I'm always here if you need to talk." He says hesitantly, "It's not like I have a choice of whether or not I stay near you."

I chuckle at that. "Appreciate it."

"What was she...what was she like?" He gives me a curious but uncertain look, wanting to know but at the same time not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

I smile at the thought of her. "She was wonderful. The kindest and most generous person I've ever met."

Jimin hums, as if satisfied with my response. But I continue.

"Sometimes I feel like her life was too short. Not just because she left me so early, but because she had so much she wanted to do before she passed."

He looks at me. "Like what?"

"Well, she always loved to hike. Bukhansan was her favorite place, but she didn't get to go there as often as she would have liked. She told me that she wanted to...she wanted to..." I sob, stopping mid-sentence as I think about her. Within seconds, warm tears spill down, wetting my cheeks and presenting my sorrow for me. Why do I keep crying uncontrollably?

Warmth wraps itself around my hand, reassuring me in a cozy kind of way. I look down and see Jimin's hand firmly surrounding mine. I blush and he half-smiles.

"I'll protect you, Kyung Mi. Not just physically, but your emotions, too."

+++

I drape my arm across my body and rub my elbow uncomfortably. Everything feels sore and fatigue clings to my body like glue to one's fingers. I just want to wash up and rest, but at the same time I don't even want to get up to close the light.

Jimin appears at the doorway, hair wet from his shower. "You look really tired, Kyung Mi." He observes.

"Oh really? I didn't notice." I drawl, giving him a look with the little energy I have left.

He smiles with his eyes before walking over. "Here, let Oppa take care of you." Oppa?!

He situates himself behind me and starts massaging my shoulders and upper back, applying differentiating pressures that soothe the knots there.

I sigh contently. "Thanks, Jimin. But you're still not my oppa."

He chuckles.

+++

The next morning is the regular routine. Getting ready, breakfast, and the car ride. It's as if yesterday didn't actually happen. Well, no, it's more of we aren't actively thinking about it, but the memory serves as a reminder to the tribulations we've experienced together thus far. I'm glad I was able to tell someone about Eomma.

I expected, as I had a break, for the day to go by just like another. There was no reason for me to think otherwise.

These things always happen when my guard is down, when I least expect it.

It was when I was sitting in the main area after a class with Dong Yoo that I got a call from him despite just seeing him. It was then that I knew something was off.

"Yeah?" I spoke, still on the fence as to if everything was okay or not.

"I need to talk to you. In person. Well, actually, someone could be eavesdropping then. But if we talk on the phone, if this call is hacked and someone is listening in on us then-"

I laugh, cutting him off short. "Dong Yoo, is this about a bad grade you got?"

"I wish." His solemn tone scares my optimism away. I guess things weren't okay. "Kyung Mi, I'm aware this isn't really a person I know very well, but I heard something about Jimin that I thought you should know."

"What?" What could Dong Yoo possibly know about Jimin? What could anyone at this school know about him, for that matter? He works at an agency far from MCOS; it's not like he's popular here.

"Well..."

"...I have reason to believe he's part of the Sparked Mafia."