Night-Owl Romance
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Chapter 13: Tumultuous Escapade
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*SNEEZE*
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"Ngh... S-So cold...!", Mina whined, her teeth chattering in a fast rhythm as she nested a pair of icy hands deep inside her pockets. She was restlessly swinging from one leg to another, keeping a close watch for any signs of trouble – her frown darkened, checking the phone every couple of minutes for updates.
"L-late...", she muttered, further pulling onto the coat's hood, in a futile attempt to warm up her reddened ears. The weather was colder than yesterday, brutally worse after gushes of wind aimed at her repeatedly. Being exhausted wasn't ideal either – her body's heat levels were already lower than normal. "Come faster...", the girl sighed, continuously scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary.
Mina was prepared to make a run for it if danger arose.
She had carefully chosen this rendezvous spot for a reason. The crowded intersection would make it impossible for attackers to get away with hurting her – she hoped. It was a ten-minute walk from the apartment building, far less at running speed. A subway entrance was right across the streets, its underground warmth rather tempting.
However...
She was obliged to stand here.
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'Why, you may ask? Well... the answer was fairly simple.
Two words:
Han Jumin.'
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Thanks to Seven being M.I.A. in the morning, Mina had no other alternative but to ask the CEO heir for his help in order to avoid a chaotic repeat of yesterday's events.
At the time,
Jumin and Jaehee were still discussing matters involving Elizabeth the 3rd in the chat room, the young business director expecting detailed feedback regarding his purring feline lady. Jaehee was finding it increasingly difficult to completely satisfy the desires of her insatiable boss, his unnatural attachment to his pet reaching new worrisome heights.
The morning was a nightmare, no end in sight. *horrid cough* 'So much fur spreading inside my home, my furniture, my carpet... the cleaning will take weeks...' (╥﹏)
All of that changed when Mina popped into their conversation, switching the focus away from Elizabeth. They weren't happy with the things she had to say, arguing against her decision to adventure outside... Yet, the girl wouldn't back down, ignoring every word of advice or concerns.
"It's too dangerous, MC! Please, reconsider and prioritize your safety with more consideration!", Jaehee pressed the matter further, confused by her sudden stubbornness. If it was a matter of provisions, they could suggest plenty of solutions, which would not require her departure from Rika's-
"It's something only I can accomplish without mistakes... I'm sorry."
Since Mina's academic future was at stake, the planner was determined to see this journey through, with or without their consent. Not to mention, someone of Assistant Lee's caliber could make a lasting impact on the party's success – he had the necessary resources to offer generous donations and multiple connections in the art world that could prove useful to certain members in the group.
"..."
It was still surreal how Mina managed to grab his interest in the first place. She couldn't figure out the man's true intentions. 'Why had he accepted such a deal? Was I not the most disappointing student he had ever encountered? Then why did he bother to give a helping hand when there were people with far greater talent than-'
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"Are you the one called MC?"
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"Huh?"
A thundering question strayed Mina from her thoughts, the girl feeling confused as two towering figures suddenly showed up out of nowhere, flanking her position left and right. The men were both clad in black suits, their clothing immaculate and impeccably worn – outfit, boots, gloves, tie, glasses; the only color present in their overall appearance was due to their hair. The one on the left sported some really vivid, short golden locks, hair color far intense than Yoosung's blonde, whereas the other went for a creamy white style. The latter stood out the most in Mina's view, the planner mesmerized by his eyes.
'They were red, just like Zen's...'
Without further warning, these two had created a seemingly unbreakable wall and no matter the force applied, it was impossible to break through. Fear was creeping in as she took a few steps backwards. Were these men whom she was expecting or... not? It was a terrifying prospect. Also... How did they get here, undetected?! Mina couldn't even sense them coming towards her, the sudden realization igniting a lot of restlessness in her heart.
"W-Who are you?!", she demanded an answer with barely audible sounds.
"Coat check, backpack check, hair color-", another foreign voice spoke, Mina spotting more individuals joining in this friendly gathering. The newcomers were three in number, one of whom was crouching on the pavement and gazing straight into her eyes, keeping his expression blank. His snow white hair was giving off blue hues underneath the light, compared to the grey tones present in Zen's. "-check.", he finished his assessment, picking himself from the ground and gave a curt nod towards his nearest ally.
"Target confirmed, hm...?", the one with dark hair followed.
"The boss will be happy we'd found her~!", an excited orange-haired male grinned at the revelation.
"Yo, MC... You're ours now.", the raven stepped closer to Mina until they were few inches apart. Lowering to her level, his smile widen as he took off his glasses, revealing feral yellow eyes that nearly stole her breath away –
"It's in your best interest to remain close and impose no trouble to us."
– from the crippling fear.
"Or else... the consequences might prove dire..."
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Somebody help!
She was trapped! \(º □ º l|l)/
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~oOo~
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"H-Han Ju-m-min...", the girl softly mewled his name in a weakened, trembling manner. Mina bit her chapped lips, still shaking from the considerable amount of attacks she had received against her womanly senses and parts – these guys were tainting her innocence without mercy. There was no time to rest her wildly beating heart which had been running an intense marathon for over an hour already.
"MC? What's the matter? You appear distressed... are you in danger?! Haven't the personnel come to secure your location? I had been informed that they had been successful in retrieving you.", Jumin questioned rapidly for he had missed several calls from their newest R.F.A. member. Judging by the eagerness in her voice, he feared it was an urgent matter he had neglected.
His fears were dumbfounded.
"Oh... the personnel did come alright...", Mina's mouth edged into a crooked smile, eyes slimming down into thin slits. Her knuckle turned white as the other hand gripped the phone until its corners sank deeper into flesh.
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"All five of them!"
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"I see. Only five had been dispatched? Unacceptable, I specifically instructed Assistant Kang to spare at least a dozen of our best men-"
"A dozen?!", the planner shrieked, quickly throwing a slap over mouth as she looked across the shelves for any suspicious movement. Mina had done her best to lose the unwanted convoy, running maniacally through the streets and diving right into this art shop, breathing heavily for half a minute before resting easily – she had lost them.
Mina's waterworks started leaking from all the stress these guards had caused her heart.
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~oOo~
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This whole mess started from the excruciatingly long subway ride where she had been physically mushed into a wall by the imposing raven, sticking close to each other for more than half the road. "Sorry, lovely ~ Can't help it when there's so much traffic.", he whispered cheekily, winking at her reddening expression. The girl could also feel something of considerable size pressing into her stomach region, causing hitches in her breathing at the thought of it being his - *gulp*
"Don't worry, it's just a precaution~!", he added after the handle of his black gun came into her full view which misaligned with her dirty thought but proved to be more dangerous than that. It only caused her to panic some more, Mina wanting to push him away and run as far away as possible. Unfortunately, the subway had been so packed with people, hot and suffocating that it was quite difficult to maneuver even an arm.
They were stuck in a near embrace and she felt like dying on the spot.
Next moment of shame was the ATM machine episode; less horrible as an incident, but still embarrassing in its own way. The men had simply barricaded themselves around the girl, forming a circular human wall with their massive stance and staring intensely at nearby pedestrians. Their aim was to block their view from the machine, scaring off any potential threats from the apparatus. Young locals believed they were protecting some kind of celebrity, ready to take a few snapshots of the woman until... this average looking girl with no make-up came into view, disappointment written clearly on their faces.
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"Man... what a letdown, I thought we could finally see a celebrity!"
"I know... why are these good looking men around such a plain person?"
"Maybe she's from a rich family...?"
"Rich? And wearing such outfits?"
"Ah... you're right... even you dress better and you're from the countryside!"
"Kekekekeke..."
"Don't laugh at me!"
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Mina wanted to live underground the earth and never see the light of day again. (ノಥ益ಥ)ノShe dressed perfectly fine in chromatic style of brown, red and cream. That didn't mean she looked plain or ugly for f**ks sake!
Or...
Did she look that unkept...?
Mina was worried as she brushed her brown locks but the attitude from the orange haired guard who nastily confronted the gossipers had brought relief to these unsettling thoughts.
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~oOo~
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"A dozen is really too much for me to handle! I honestly thought you'd send one guard. Just the one! One is more than sufficient for me. Not this... this-", Mina's words remained stuck inside her throat as yellow eyes caught whiff of her own honey brown hue, smirk ensuing from the male. *wink* Mouth wide open in sheer horror, the party planner was unable to form coherent sounds anymore as she noticed the incoming army of 5 who were dangling around the shop with their eyes peeled for signs of potential danger.
With their arrival, the female staff members were pulled into a spell binding trance, fending off the actual customers who truly needed help.
"What are these clothes they are wearing... they are standing out in the crowd so much!", Mina couldn't help from remembering the painful embarrassment in the subway with her unclean thoughts.
"I cannot fathom the reasoning behind your words – are you displeased about their attire? It is a standardized uniform specially designed for the security personnel, highest quality materials used with the least restrictive cuts one could get. It is highly recommended for their line of field work as free body movements become vital during their missions. Be assured, that these men are well-trained and well-equipped-", Mina inadvertently lowered her gaze at the raven's pants, biting hard onto her knuckle, until she met with droplets of blood. "-in handling any provocations."
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What about the provocations they caused to her body and soul?! (ノಥ益ಥ)ノ
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"I-I see...", the girl couldn't mutter anything intelligent, unable to complain further for it was in vain. Jumin felt this conversation was dragging on needlessly, ending it shortly.
"..." (ノಥ益ಥ)ノ
Mina grabbed the side of her head as she spun around, mentally cursing the situation. She hurried into another room, an impressive array of colored papers decorating the walls and shelves. The girl loathed the guards' piercing stares roaming over her figure. It was digging up her insides too uncomfortably – Mina felt the most comfortable when people viewed her as a shadow, not taking notice of her presence non-stop. It was mainly because none would show her this level of attention on a daily basis.
For the past several days though, the young planner had suddenly taken the function of a light bulb inside a dark room, attracting every living creature lurking in the corners.
She was not used to being the center of attention of others apart her family, nor their care...
This uncomfortable sentiment grew when the individuals in question were visually pleasing to the point of sin, Mina being made mercilessly aware of this due to certain... urges, which were boiling endlessly in her nether regions.
Unmet and unholy urges, never dealt with before. \(º □ º l|l)/
*deep sigh*
Still...
Jaehee confessed she'd picked the best people to protect the girl, briefly mentioning it to Mina in the private messages she had sent while spamming calls to the busy Han boss.
These five men formed a special division of security in the firm, called the C&R Dandelion Brigade or The Five Ji. The group encompassed very tall, very muscular and suspiciously good looking young men whose members rivaled only with Zen in terms of charms and beauty – they were, dare say, on equal footing with the actor's visuals. Jaehee passionately disagreed with this statement, nobody able to surpass Zen's visuals in this life time or another!
Nobody human anyway.
However...
Unlike Jaehee, Mina wasn't completely blinded by the silver haired male. The quintuplets were a potential risk, threatening to dethrone Zen from his highest ranking position. Just picturing the actor among these ravishingly eye-pleasing security forces, especially next to those two white haired guards, whom Mina liked the most due to their quiet nature...
Gosh...
It would plunge his narcissism up to the roof!
"Oh no...", the planner's imagination took a horrifying turn, picturing the actor's reaction to his physical assets being so evidently challenged by Jumin's men, forcing him to further upgrade his own aesthetics at a faster pacing. As a result... Mina's newest role handed out by Zen the other night might get an unwanted upgrade.
Selfies, over selfies, over selfies would surely flood the planner's inbox, in rapid successions, every...
Single...
Day!
Or...
Or hour...
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"Hang on...", she narrowed her eyes, tilting her head sideways.
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O-O ;;;;
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WHY WAS SHE EVEN THINKING OF ZEN IN SUCH TIMES?!
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Mina's brain was malfunctioning from being so sleep deprived... it was the sole explanation and nothing more! Her body was exhausted and a hormonal melting pot from such close proximity to the Dandelion Squad – these men were too much for her to handle solo!
She couldn't wait for this freaking outing to finally end and go back to the apartment. ;=;
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~oOo~
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*SNEEZE*
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"Ashi!", the silver haired male sniffed loudly, unsure why he suddenly had this dry, sneezing fit.
Considering he had never caught a serious cold throughout his 24 years of existence, Zen assumed it was due to the powdery make-up splashes across his face, a lot more used on his skin compared to the previous shows he had acted in. The actor had been trapped inside this make-up boutique since early morning, spending hours in the care of an artist who was carefully brushing his face with white powder and planting unnaturally bright colors on his eye lids. She chose warm mixtures of yellow, blue and green, creating a fantasy appeal – his handsome features had been enhanced tenfold during this process, Zen very pleased by the end result. He took a sneak peak photo while the artist was busy packing up her kits. The woman had trouble keeping her hands straight on the job, the lady impressed by the quality of his skin canvas – she fell in love with Zen immediately~~~~!
"Zen-oppa, I'm so jealous!"
He was then given golden contact lenses to conceal his red iris and a stylized mask covering the top half of his face. Afterwards, Zen was moved into the dressing room, doing the last fitting session into the costume before rehearsals started: the outfit consisted in emerald traditional garments mixed with more modern cuts and themes to enable flexibility in his movements since the choreography parts were physically demanding, as well as the fighting scenes. The finishing touches were the navy blue jewelry adorning his head and a long golden wig, thus the transformation of Zen finally concluding~!
He was allowed some time to rest and repeat his lines one last time while the set was being brought in on the stage and tinkered with. *SNEEZE* The silver haired male skimmed through the chat room, reading through endless cat conversations *SNEEZE* when...
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MC WAS OUT OF THE APARTMENT AGAIN?!
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"Seriously, that girl! She really wants me going bald so badly?!", the actor plunged his nails deep into his wig, frustrated in the same manner Jaehee had been by the party planner's attitude. He took this chance to give MC a call, praying she would be answering and that nothing harmful had happened to her so far. Thankfully, she picked up after mere seconds, the actor quickly giving a relieved sigh when he heard the girl speak.
However...
"I. Found. You~~~~!", a playful, deep male voice was echoing throughout their conversation which caused a deafening shriek from her side, Zen nearly dropping the phone on the ground. "You thought you could escape me again, MC? That's not very nice of you...", he threatened.
"Y-You..." , Mina panicked.
The actor immediately recovered his composure, terrified of the prospect that 'Unknown' had taken hold of the coordinator at that moment. He was immensely worried and scared shitless, calling out her name in panic until the girl's focus returned to the conversation on the phone.
"I'm b-back.", she tried to regulate her breathing through her panting.
"MC, who the hell was that?!", Zen was unusually demanding and grumpy.
"S-Sorry, Zen... he's one of Jumin's bodyguards...", MC responded in a feeble manner. "Just ignore the noises he's making-"
"Yo, I am not just any bodyguard, I am the security chief. And I'm not making noise- *objects fall from a shelf* Ahem~!"
"For the love of god...(E)", the girl sighed upset in a lower register, trying to shove him away. "Shoo, it's private! Jisoo, go away and stop snooping!"
"Hmm? You're suddenly so red and it's not because of me this time... Is that your boyfrie-"
"A-A-AS YOU CAN SEE! *cough* I'm having a r-really pleasant day because somebody thought I needed the bodyguard leader and four other people orbiting around me! A-Ha-ha-ha-haaaa~!", the sarcasm was so deep, it stung the raven from the other line who was complaining about her sudden cold attitude – what happened to the lovely squeaky chick from before?
"I'm not squeaky!", she whined in a high pitched tone, proving the guard's point while she attempted to run away from him. "A-Anyway, sorry Zen, I really can't talk to you properly now. I have to finish these errands fast unless I want to pull another all-nighter. See ya~!"
"W-Wait!- *End Call* "MC!"
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For some reason, Zen wasn't pleased at all with the news...
His mood instantly worsened.
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End Note: I really wanted Mina to get bodyguards and it was a struggle to consider how many she should have. A dozen felt really overprotective but Jumin's style for sure; but, at the same time, I also wanted MC to interact with them on a personal level and imagining 12 different people from scratch was a no-no from my part.
Then, I remembered Cheritz had other games ~~~ I only played Jisoo's route, 3/4 done with it, LOL, thus he'll be the main focus of the security squad. Also, their personalities might be inaccurate in some areas, however, for the sake of how I envisioned the story, it will have to do. ^^
