24H | SEVENTEEN

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"Thank you very much for understanding." Rumi bowed several times. "No, thank you for protecting our idols." The girl bowed back. Rumi smiled nodding. "Then, I'll trust you with that. Gomapseumnida." Rumi bowed towards them one last time and turned around to get in the taxi.

"Um jogiyo!" Rumi stopped and turned around to see a girl had walked up to her.

"De?"  Rumi asked. The girl held up the plastic bag she was holding. Rumi looked at her in question. "Um, your cheek is all swelled up." She said nodding towards Rumi's cheek which didn't look in good condition. "I bought ice for drink; you can have it."  The girl said removing the juice pouch from the bag and pushing the plastic bag in her hand. "Ice it, the swelling will go down."

Rumi chuckled and nodded her head. "Gamsahamnida." She bowed her head in gratefulness before climbing inside the taxi. Rumi closed the door behind her while settling down in the passenger's seat. "I'm sorry for the wait." She apologized to the driver who had been waiting for her. The driver nodded in understanding and pulled out of the driveway. Rumi leaned back in the seat and let out a sigh. Am I going soft? She snorted to herself at that thought. Her eyes met Seungcheol's who was glaring at her through the rear-view mirror. She turned around to look at the two idols. "I'm all sober now." She chuckled. She was not. "What about you? Are you both okay?" She asked glancing at both of them.

"We are-"

"Are we okay? Are you in a position to ask us that?!" Seungcheol roared. He had been holding it since Jeonghan had pushed him inside the taxi. He knew he couldn't have done anything back then but still it was infuriating to having to stand there and not able to do anything while that girl called her names and assaulted her. "Have you looked at your face yet?!" Seungcheol roared. Rumi sighed, "It's nothing, really-" "Why did you have to get in middle of it?"

"Seungcheol-ah, she was just trying to help." Jeonghan held his arm trying to calm him down. Jeonghan knew why he was behaving like that. He himself was fuming inside but more importantly he was worried about Rumi. Not able to do anything for their near ones in such situation was always frustrating and Seungcheol was putting it all out on Rumi. "Trying to help? Nobody asked her to! You could've backed off. I could've handle it."

"There were people around leader-nim. And it is my job to help and protect you all." Rumi said sighing again. Hearing those words fumed his anger more. "IT IS NOT! You work for our company that does not mean you have to protect us at the cost of getting hurt!" He roared, Rumi was little surprised at his raised voice, she had never seen him like this before. "Do you think you are doing us good, oh she protected us! Do you think that is going to make us feel good? No, it is not!"

"Seungcheol-ah..." Jeonghan squeezed his arm, though he agreed with each word of his but this was not the correct way of expressing it. "Do you think we want to see our friends getting us because of us?!" Seungcheol asked glaring at her. Rumi didn't know what to say. She pressed her lips and looked away. She was frustrated too, getting hit across her face? If someone from her agency knew she smiled at it and offered her other cheek then they would not believe that she was Rumi Raikar but some imposter in her disguise. Getting hit was one thing but being snapped at after that was another.  She couldn't snapped back him or explain that yes indeed it was her job, that she was hired to protect them. So, she did what she has been getting good at these days. Pretending everything is fine. "I know. I'm sorry." She apologised. Seungcheol was about to retort back when Jeonghan stopped him.

"Rumi, you don't have to apologise. We know you were trying to help us. It's just we don't want to see you getting hurt because of it." Jeonghan worriedly said. Seungcheol scoffed and leaned back in his seat looking away. Jeonghan sighed glancing at him. "Thank you for helping us earlier." Jeonghan bowed towards her. Regardless, she had tried to protect us. Rumi silently bowed back and returned to her seat.  Jeonghan glanced at her worriedly, her face didn't look good. "Are you okay, Rumi?" He questioned.