(A/N: SoEul has been my OTP for a while now, but I've never had an idea for a fic revolving around them.

...Until now.)

Guardian Angel

1
first encounter

::-::

The Chu residential complex is known for its extravagance. Even So Yi Jeong, who has seen his fair share of mansions and modern-day palaces, cannot help but admire its long, winding pathways, its clean-cut architecture, its fairytale gardens. He takes his time to make his way through, studying not only the plants and the buildings, but also analyzing all possible entrances and exits as well as potential angles of fire.

Eventually, he reaches a pavilion by the complex's pond. There, his employer, Mr. Chu, is waiting.

"Ah, Yi Jeong-ssi," Mr. Chu says. "Punctual as usual."

Yi Jeong stops before him, bowing slightly. "Thank you for hiring me, sir," he says crisply.

"Of course, of course," Mr. Chu says, waving his hand. "You have received very high praise from all of your references and have a remarkable amount of experience, especially for your age. It was hardly a difficult decision."

Yi Jeong only bows again.

"As you have probably heard by now, your charge is to be my daughter, Chu Ga Eul," Mr. Chu says. "You will look after her safety wherever she might go—work, downtown, the Alps, everywhere."

Yi Jeong nods wordlessly.

Mr. Chu lowers his voice. "I don't know how much my secretary told you, but you must realize how important this is."

"Do not worry, sir. I am well aware."

Mr. Chu fidgets slightly. "It isn't only being aware, Yi Jeong. Ga Eul-ie thinks I'm hiring you just to be safe, but... I haven't told her just how severe the situation is."

Yi Jeong feels a tingle of curiosity despite himself. "And how severe is the situation?"

Mr. Chu spins around, clasping his hands behind his back. "Come with me," he says. "I will show you."

He leads Yi Jeong to his study—pristine in every way, from the scrubbed marble floors to the intricately carved executive chair to the polished mahogany desk. It almost distracts Yi Jeong from the large box of overflowing letters settled in the center of the room.

"In this box," says Mr. Chu, tapping one side of the box with a slim finger, "are death threats and hate mail, all addressed to my daughter. They have doubled in frequency recently, probably due to my newly released statement concerning my political stance."

Yi Jeong cautiously picks a letter from the box, shooting Mr. Chu a questioning glance. Mr. Chu nods in approval.

"Look at whatever you wish," Mr. Chu says. "It might even help you learn the habits of any potential attackers."

Yi Jeong gingerly prods the envelope open, scanning through its contents. It is a spiteful letter from a high school classmate—or perhaps their parent, judging from several alarming phrases said about Mr. Chu as well.

"Each letter is like this?" he says, dropping the envelope back into the box.

Mr. Chu digs through the pile of mail, pulling out another envelope. "No," he says. "Most are worse."

Yi Jeong takes it, feeling as if something is lodged in his throat. He reluctantly peruses the letter's contents, frowning at the strong descriptions of murder threats that the writer pens. "Does your daughter—that is, is she—easily misunderstood?"

Mr. Chu chuckles at his cautious wording. "That is the most polite I have heard anyone word that question," he says.

"So—is that a yes?"

Mr. Chu shakes his head. "It is a no from me," he says, "but you will be able to see for yourself quite soon."

He leaves the office. Yi Jeong follows.

::-::

Mr. Chu is called away on account of a business emergency before he can introduce them.

"My sincere apologies," he says as he shrugs his suit jacket on. "Would you prefer to have a formal introduction later, or would you like to meet her now?"

"Sooner would probably be better," Yi Jeong replies. "She may need some time to get used to... new arrangements."

Mr. Chu nods with an approving smile. "Very well. You know where her room is?"

"You have showed me the blueprints of the house, sir."

"You have already memorized it?"

"It is my duty, sir."

Mr. Chu lets out a booming laugh. "I am very glad I have found you, So Yi Jeong," he says, and before Yi Jeong can ask him what he means by that, he is already out the door.

::-::

Chu Ga Eul's door is unlocked, so when Yi Jeong gets no reply after knocking softly, he decides to enter.

What he sees is captivating—an angelic creature, with flawless, soft features, hunched slightly over a potter's wheel, perfect lips pressed together in concentration as she forms a vase with gentle hands. She is so focused that he stays by the door, not wanting to intrude.

His charge is attractive. Very, very attractive.

That is not a good thing.

Presently, she withdraws from the wheel and stands, stretching her arms with a contented smile on her face. He takes the opportunity to quietly knock on the wall.

"Ga Eul-ssi?" he says.

She turns around, eyebrows lifted slightly in curiosity. She freezes at seeing him, her eyes fixed on his face, lips parted slightly in—shock? Fear?

"My apologies," he says. "I didn't mean to alarm you." He slowly moves closer, assessing her body language to make sure that he is not frightening her. "My name is So Yi Jeong. Effective today, I am to be your bodyguard."

She makes a strange noise—something between a squeak and a hiccup—but makes no move to back away. "B-bodyguard?" she mumbles, as if in a daze.

He bows his head slightly, forcing his eyes away from her. "Yes," he says.

"I—see," she says, twisting her clay-laden hands in her apron. "Well—it's very nice to meet you... Yi Jeong-ssi."

The way she says his name—softly, cautiously—makes his pulse skyrocket. It takes every ounce of his concentration to make sure that his expression does not flicker.

This job would be harder than he thought.

::-::

Chu Ga Eul quickly retreats into the safety of her bathroom for a few minutes to process what exactly is happening.

She must have acted like a complete fool back there... but she couldn't help it. The last thing she had expected was for a young man to enter her room and introduce himself as her new bodyguard—much less a man that looked like that.

Chu Ga Eul prides herself on not being shallow—no celebrity crushes for her—but even she had been stricken by just how handsome So Yi Jeong was. Perfectly sculpted features, gorgeous hair that looked effortlessly styled, muscular yet trim figure... How such a person had decided to dedicate his life to being a bodyguard instead of a model or an actor is beyond her comprehension.

Ga Eul scrubs voraciously at her hands in the bathroom sink, suddenly feeling quite self-conscious. She is only in a casual tee and some jeans, covered with a baggy, ugly apron, with traces of clay on her hair and face. Had she known that she would get such a visitor...

Oh, stop it, Ga Eul-ah, she reprimands herself. He is your bodyguard, not a date. She scrubs even harder at her hands. He probably already has a girlfriend, anyway.

That thought brings her back to her senses. She unties her apron and dries her hands. After taking a deep breath, she slips out the bathroom door and into the unknown.

::-::

They are introduced formally after dinner.

So Yi Jeong stands before her as Mr. Chu slowly paces between them, his hands clasped behind his back. He begins detailing Yi Jeong's duties: verifying that Ga Eul is protected at every moment, including eating and sleeping; supervising her commute between home and work; escorting her both inside and outside the house. The list makes Yi Jeong feel like some awkward cross between a babysitter and a stalker.

Thankfully, Ga Eul does not appear unsettled by such arrangements. Even when Mr. Chu mentions that Yi Jeong is to sleep in the same room as her—albeit on the other side of a partition—she quickly masks her brief alarm with a demure smile.

"Understood, Father," she says.

Yi Jeong inclines his head in respect. "I will not misplace your trust, sir," he says.

Mr. Chu only nods. "I know you won't," he says cryptically, and sweeps from the room, leaving the two alone.

::-::

When they retire to her room, Yi Jeong expects her to ignore him; to go about her business as usual; to pretend that he doesn't exist. He does not expect her to whip out five grape-sized beads and place them on the ground before him.

"Have you ever played gonggi, Yi-Jeong-ssi?" she asks, her eyes glinting with excitement.

"Yes," Yi Jeong says. He decides not to tell her that he actually used to drill himself in gonggi in order to improve his hand-eye coordination.

"Back at my high school, they used to call me the gonggi jjang," she says, pushing her sleeves over her elbows.

It is a clear challenge, but one that Yi Jeong does not want to take. The more he befriends her, the faster he will fall for her; of that, he is sure. She is too beautiful, too friendly, too intelligent. His only hope is to remain distant.

"Yi Jeong-ssi?" Ga Eul says, and the pleading look in her eyes sways him.

He sends her a teasing grin, scooping up the beads in one fluid motion. "If you surrender now," he says, "I promise to grant you mercy."

Her face lights up in a smile that makes his heart rise to his throat. "We'll see about that," she says.

He is rusty at first. She wins the first round by a mile, the second by a long stretch; but he manages to turn the third barely in his favor, and wins decisively the round after that. The disbelief on her face is evident after he takes his third and final victory.

"You won," she says, as if such an event is a rare and momentous occasion.

"So I did," Yi Jeong says, unable to stop the full-force grin on his face. "What did I win?"

Her eyebrows furrow slightly in confusion. "What?"

"A prize," Yi Jeong explains. "A reward. Something like that."

She pretends to scowl, but her eyes are bright with laughter. "A reward? This is hardly a certified tournament."

"Still," Yi Jeong chuckles. "Look, Ga Eul-ssi, it doesn't need to be extravagant. How about a—a paper certificate, perhaps, or maybe a—"

Without warning, she leans forward and gently touches her lips to his cheek. He cuts off abruptly, feeling his mental processes immediately screech to a halt.

"Will that work?" Ga Eul says, her expression unreadable.

Yi Jeong only stares at her, frozen in shock.

Ga Eul shrugs, then leaps to her feet and strides to the bathroom. "I'll go wash up and get ready for bed," she says. "Thank you for playing, Yi Jeong-ssi. And congratulations."

Even after the door shuts securely, it takes a long moment before Yi Jeong returns to his senses. He slumps against the wall, hand against his forehead, vainly attempting to ignore the hammering of his heartbeat.

He is in trouble.

He is in so much trouble.

::-::

The moment Chu Ga Eul shuts the door behind her, she drops against the ground, suddenly feeling a keen wish to melt right into it and disappear forever.

What was that all about, Chu Ga Eul? What were you even thinking?

Perhaps the problem was that she hadn't been thinking at all. Not thinking, only feeling, only going along with that accursed instinct of hers—the instinct that fell for that charming smile, that captivating glint, that lighthearted tone of voice. She had felt a sudden pull to So Yi Jeong, as if there was a magnet between them, drawing them together.

Ga Eul buries her head in her arms, breathing deeply. She can not treat him that way—he is her bodyguard, not a stranger to flirt around with. He is dedicating himself to protect her, to keep her safe, and she is rewarding him by being immature and terribly shortsighted. He deserves a better charge; an obedient charge; a girl that would respect him like he respects her.

Ga Eul leaps to her feet, straightening her hair. She will make it up to him. She will not make the same mistake again.

(A/N: This will be a medium-length fic, probably between 8-12 chapters long.

Thoughts?)