bodyguard ; kth

7 ; first day

"higher! higher! little to the left! okay, stop!"

i yelled over the sounds of the construction workers. today was my first day as aera's bodyguard. my first task was to improve the home security. i'm adding a whole new gate with a proper intercom system. i'm making a tall fence around the perimeter of the house. i'm also going to install a dozen more cameras around the place.

jaeho hired many workers to help us, this sped up the process. everywhere i looked, there was people either drilling, jackhammering or digging. we were making good progress.

i would occasionally see kitae and jiae as they walked in and out of the garden. junsoo and gun would mostly stay inside but would sometimes come outside to see our progress. the only person i haven't seen yet was aera. every since i signed the contact yesterday morning, i haven't met her.

watching the workers work, i felt someone's presence next to me.

"hey, taehyung. just wanted to tell you what an amazing job you're doing," jaeho complimented, smiling at me. i smiled back, replying, "it's only because you cried like a baby yesterday."

he punched my shoulder, saying in a hushed tone, "that stays between you and me. i'm known as the strong guy around here, don't wanna lose my street cred." i sniffled a laugh, shaking my head at him.

"anyway, i should check on aera. you know where she is?" i asked. he shrugged and said, "i think in her room. she's been very moody lately so try not to upset her."

"okay, thanks," i said, walking away.

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"aera?" i called out. wandering through the halls, i looked into every room. it's been ten minutes and i still couldn't find her. the room were dark, no one on sight.

'where is she?' i thought, turning into another hallway.

then suddenly, a scream was heard from afar.

"aera."

with all my might, i sprinted towards her. another scream from her and i was almost there. i quickly opened the door, only to find aera crouched on the floor. she had her face covered as she sobbed into her hands. i frowned, wondering what on earth happened.

i slowly made my way to her, kneeling beside her. placing a hand on her shoulder, i softly voiced out, "aera..are you okay?" as soon as i touched her, she flinched and looked at me. her soaked green eyes bore into mine. she moved forward and hugged me tightly, burying her head in the crook of my neck.

"you're here.." she cooed. i was caught off guard. my heart picked up its speed and my cheeks burnt a hot red. i loosely placed my hands on her waist, securing her body against mine.

"w-what's wrong?" i asked, mentally cursing at my stuttering. i could feel my skin dampening from her tears, her body trembled as she sobbed.

"aera, tell me. i can help you," i quietly spoke. she sluggishly pointed a finger towards the closet, "in there," she whimpered out. slowly, i got up from my seated position, carrying aera in the process. taking small steps, i approached the closet. tightening my grip on her waist, i used my other hand to open the closet door. aera screamed loudly, holding onto me for dear life.

moments passed and i didn't see anything. the closet was empty. but when i saw a little black thing moving, i couldn't help but hold in a laugh.

a spider..was what made her feel scared and vulnerable. i chuckled, disbelieving of the situation. she continued whimpering onto my shoulder, muttering inaudible things like, "it's so scary," and, "i hate spiders.."

i smiled, holding her against me more securely, wanting her to feel protected. she was so innocent and pure. i found the situation both adorable and comedic. i patted her head, whispering gently, "it's okay..i'm here now."