Fight for You | JJK

06

After the dinner party, Jungkook half-expected you to just stay at home the next day and by default, give him a free day so he could get another workout in, which - unfortunately - didn't happen.

But he also half-expected you'd do something to cheer yourself up and well, here he is, both arms filled with shopping bags of your newly-purchased items because you "felt like it." And you don't seem to be halfway done.

He follows you as you go from one luxury store to another. You look at jewelry then immediately check out the first thing that catches your eye. You try on coats then buy all of them without a second thought. You ask him to choose between bags - which is really the one he looks at the longest - that you purchase right away.

It's exhausting, much more to carry all of your bags, but at least you're barely talking or laughing. He might've been more exhausted if you were, but he also has a feeling he knows why.

You're wearing dark sunglasses that you don't remove. You have your airpods on when you're in the car, music on full blast as you look out the window. He doesn't have the heart to ask if you're okay; that's being a friend and he doesn't want to be one. But he hears you turn down an invitation to a party tonight, faking a cough and saying you're sick, and that's how he knows you're not really fine.

The car pulls up in your driveway and your security guard proceeds to unload your dozen shopping bags from the trunk.

"I left a bag at the back, Mr. Sim. Please give it to your wife and greet her an advanced happy birthday for me," you smile for the first time.

"And thank you, Jeon," you turn to him. "I'll see you on Monday."

**

Jungkook feels as though he'd imagined that night, as Monday comes and you return to being your usual self, one that remains for the next few weeks until the New Year celebrations have come and gone - with your high pitched voice when you talk on the phone, and your higher pitched voice when you talk to him. You have that wide smile again, the one that's friendly when it comes to others but flirty when it comes to him.

You're back to glancing at him from the backseat of the car and from your table during your lunches and dinners out. You ask him about his day everyday, as if there's anything else to share other than doing his job of protecting you.

You ask about his life, too - if he has siblings, what his favorite food is, what he likes to do during his spare time. You ask him if he believes in the existence of mermaids, what he thinks he was in his previous life, or if he'd rather have aliens or robots rule the earth.

It's all silly, superficial things you ask that he mentally rolls his eyes at. He's not keen on sharing about himself, especially to you, one who's worlds away from him and would never understand anything he went through.

But you try, everyday - over the coffee you get him every morning, over the car ride that has you constantly engaging him and Mr. Sim, and over the walk to your office when you're dropped off. And it's pretty tiring for him.

"You're so serious, Jeon. It's okay to smile," you'd tell him, poking his arms to get him to look your way and do as you ask.

"Please let me do my job, Ms. Lee," he'd answer, earning him a pout at the formality and the way he backs away, his gaze focusing on something that isn't you.

His favorite part of the day is always going home - spending a few hours at the gym, eating instant ramen over basketball game replays, and imagining a life other than this, one that doesn't require him to lock parts of himself so he can do his job and earn as he'd planned.

You're not a difficult client, just an intimidatingly happy and annoying one, where laughter comes easy and there's freedom to do whatever you want, wherever you want. You're surrounded by people constantly, you're well taken care of, and you have those who listen to you and trust in your capabilities.

He's never been reminded so much of what he doesn't have, of what he isn't.

He never wished for a grand life, but Jungkook can think of so many ways it can be better, if he just didn't have the bad start that he did.

He'd kept his distance from his previous clients, the way they had. But you don't, seemingly wanting nothing more than to penetrate his built up walls of steel that's been up since he could remember.

It makes him feel uneasy because no one has tried - to ask what food or drink he prefers, what his hobbies are, what thoughts make him happy, or how his day went. He doesn't know what you're up to, but he knows that no one's ever really shown this to him, shown him like they care.

**

You eye the dishes in front of you, trying to determine which one of them doesn't have garlic, or at least, very little. You think in your 25 years of living, your parents would remember by now that you're allergic to it, but apparently they don't.

You look at the vegetables and steamed fish, thinking those would be enough to get you through dinner with your parents, as they'll be away on a business trip and have some instructions to leave you with.

Jungkook stands by the wall, internally salivating at the food. He notices you carefully checking each dish, wondering how your parents are unaware of your allergy, one he picked up after the time you had red marks on your neck when you failed to tell the server about it. Jungkook had been the one to panic then, worried about how bad it could be, but you'd stopped him and said it was okay, nothing that medicine can't cure.

He's told to standby to listen in on your father's instructions while he's away, and Jungkook mentally takes note of the out-of-city business meetings and events you have to attend.

"Have you found a date for the Kims' gala next weekend, ___?" Your mother asks.

"I plan to go alone," you shrug.

"Why don't you go with Do-hun? He seemed to enjoy your company the last time you went together," your father suggests.

Your face drops at the memory. "I don't want to take him. He wasn't very nice."

"That's the same thing you said about Han-jae and he's a very upstanding young man. It seems like your standards for being nice are quite high, hmm?" Your mother laughs. "Try lowering it a bit, maybe your boyfriends would stay."

"Maybe," you hum, picking on your food.

And for the first time that Jungkook meets your gaze, you turn away.

"I'll ask Jimin to go with you," your father says, referring to a family friend he often asks to accompany you as a last resort, and you nod in agreement.

"Good, I'll tell him then. It's better than you being alone again," he continues. "Now that's settled, I need you to meet with Mrs. Wong in Jeju the week after that. She's still wary of the contract we worked on and wanted to discuss the terms but all the executives can't make it so just stand in for us first."

Your eyes widen in anticipation. "What if she agrees?"

"Well, uhm, then that's great. You can bring the documents just in case," he says then turns to your bodyguard. "Jungkook, it will be your first time to accompany my daughter there so make sure you get briefed before you leave. The Wongs tend to attract unwanted attention so be on high alert."

"Yes, Sir, understood," Jungkook replies, and for the first time during that evening, he sees you smile.