CHAPTER 4
STEP UP
Jet sat unmoving, oblivious to the swarm of women casting curious glances at her and apparently very bored of it all. To emphasize the whole situation, she kept glancing at her watch, and, sometimes, her phone.
"Oppa," the closest to Woo Bin cooed. "Who is she? Why do you have to bring her with you?"
Woo Bin shrugged, taking a sip of his drink and observing Jet from the corner of his eye. "Need to, babe. Dad had hired her to be my bodyguard, though I must say it's not quite needed, really," he drawled lazily. Jet snorted.
"Ah, so lucky," a few of them sighed collectively.
"What lucky? Bad luck, more like," Jet muttered under her breath, punctuating it with a small yawn. This did not escape Woo Bin's notice.
"You bored?" he asks, a smirk beginning to form at the corner of his mouth.
"Nah, I'm good—it's only a quarter till twelve. Too early to leave now, since we just got here, right?" she answered.
"I get it—there's no need to be sarcastic."
"Sorry, boss. Just saying. My job, remember?"
"Eonnie," one of the girls turned to her. "You get to be with him all the time, right?"
"No, not really," Jet answered, casually leaning back into the couch. "Just during work hours."
"Aw, I wish I could be in your place," another said wistfully.
That makes the two of us, dear, she thought sarcastically, and smirked, which Woo Bin noticed.
"What's with the smirk? Are you thinking of something again?" he asked curiously.
Jet said nothing. Instead, she continued to lounge lazily on the couch.
"Have a drink, eonnie," one of the girls finally coaxed her, handing her a glass of what looks like champagne (probably from their table, Jet mused).
"Uh...no, thanks. I need to be sober, or I won't be able to do my job right. Imagine what will happen if I get even a little drunk," Jet said solemnly, just to see how the girl would react. As expected, the girl covered her mouth and let out a theatrical gasp.
Woo Bin was looking at her interacting, or at least trying to, with the ladies surrounding him. He had to marvel at her patience. How come she still manages to talk to them and still totally ignore me? he wondered.
"Hey. It's rude to stare, especially when you're surrounded by these pretty ladies," Jet pointed out, eliciting a few giggles. Woo Bin straightened out, embarrassed.
"Let's go home," he finally said, standing up. The girls protested, but Jet stopped them.
"Sorry, ladies," Jet said, going out after him.
Woo Bin went out of the club, Jet following close behind. As soon as they reached the parking lot, he turned to her, his irritation apparent.
"What the hell were you trying to prove, Ms. Dema-ala?" Woo Bin asked, or rather, burst out. "What are you trying to do back there?"
"Nothing. What does it look like to you, sir?" Jet spat back, not concealing her sarcasm.
Woo Bin raked his hair in frustration. "For a bodyguard, don't you think that's a little out of line? You're in no position to treat me the way you did back in the bar. Or even speak to me anyhow you like. My life may be at your mercy, but that's what my father's paying you for."
Jet's temper snapped at this point. How dare he! It took every ounce of her strength to retain her composure. She took several deep breaths before speaking. "Fine, sir. I'm sorry if I was offending you in any way and if it makes you happy then I won't talk to you anymore. Ever. I won't say a word, I won't answer any questions, I'll never ever talk back. If that should ease your mind, sir." And with that, Jet started to move forward, but stopped in her tracks when she sensed some movement nearby. She held her left arm in front of Woo Bin, suddenly alerting her senses for anything.
"What's the-" Woo Bin began, but fell silent when Jet looked at him sharply. Instead, he alerted his senses for anything Jet might have sensed earlier.
Footsteps. Jet swore she she had heard a pair of feet shuffling a few meters away since they got out of the club. She only just noticed because sh was too busy being pissed at Woo Bin.
Not anymore, Jet thought, and whirled around. Sure enough, there he was, running towards them—the man in black, knife in hand. Jet was sure as hell he isn't there to ask for the time.
And, speaking of time...boy, did he pick the wrong time.
Before Woo Bin could even react, Jet was already there to meet the guy. Taking the man by surprise, Jet grabbed the knife arm and gave it a twist to the back, making him drop his weapon, followed by a kick to the lower back. The man cried out in pain, trying to turn around to attack with his free arm.
However, Jet never gave him a chance to react. In one swift move, she grabbed the arm and pinned the man to the ground with her knee, rendering him immobile. The man put up a struggle, but Jet sank her knee into his back even more.
"Well, well, well..." Jet began in a voice that sent chills even to Woo Bin's spine, pinning the man with surprising strength he never even thought possible. "A wannabe assassin...hmmm...what should I do about you? Break your arm? Or break your back? Choices, choices..."
Oh God, she seems to be enjoying this, Woo Bin thought in shock, staring at the woman before him who had a manic gleam in her eye and a smirk reminiscent of a demon. He thanked the stars he wasn't in the poor guy's shoes. He just missed it by a hairsbreadth, and involuntarily shivered as soon as he realized this. Woo Bin made a mental note to never get into her bad graces again. Ever.
"Well?" Jet's voice brought him back to reality. "Are you just gonna stand there or what? Shouldn't you be asking him an all-important question?"
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" the man volunteered, almost screaming in pain. "Just...just let me go!"
"What, and leave me stressed?" Jet emphasized the word by digging her knee deeper into his back. The man groaned in pain. "Much as I would like to see that guy over there dead, unfortunately my dear, you can't do that. Not," she said, pinning the man down, "under my watch. So," she turned to Woo Bin, "anything you want to ask this guy?"
Finally gathering his wits about him, Woo Bin hunkered down to Jet's level. "All right," Woo Bin began. "I'm already tired of asking this but...who the hell sent you?"
"JANG!" the man cried out almost instantly. "Jang Shin Ji! He...was the one...who hired me!"
Woo Bin swore under his breath. Jang really was a pain in the neck. The man definitely had it for him, and really was that desperate enough to off him. Just because he turned down the man's offer that would, ultimately, allow the former to take total control of the gambling industry, and all the shady dealings the man was involved in...he sighed irritably.
"That was fast," Jet commented, and with a chop to the neck, she rendered the man unconscious. She turned back to Woo Bin. "Well? What shall we do now? With this guy, I mean."
"I'll take care of it," Woo Bin said, and took out his phone. "It's me. The usual. Yes, same place. Thanks. No, I'm fine. Yeah, lucky. Make it fast. Kamsahamnida." He turned back to Jet, still wary of getting close to her. "Let's go?"
Jet nodded. Turning around, she started to walk back to the car. All of a sudden, she wobbled and swayed. Woo Bin rushed forward just in time to catch her before she fell down.
"Jet?" Woo Bin called out, patting her cheek. No response. He sighed, and smiled. Superwoman's drained now. Woo Bin picked Jet up gently, placed her inside the car, and drove home, leaving his would-be assailant for their police connections to pick up.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Jet knew, as soon as she opened her eyes, that this was definitely not her room. She bolted upright, the covers sliding off her chest. She's still in her tank top and pants, her blouse and blazer hanging on the coat rack. The curtains were still drawn, though some bits of sunlight have managed to filter through the window.
"I thought you're never gonna wake up."
The words jolted Jet back to reality. She turned towards the voice and saw Woo Bin lounging on the couch, having breakfast, watching her.
"Wait...how...what...?" Jet stuttered, confused.
"Actually," Woo Bin said, setting down his cup of coffee, "you were totally out of it since last night. And I thought you were such an Amazon." He chuckled to himself.
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Jet groaned inwardly. She remembered that indeed, she had passed out after handling Woo Bin's attacker. How could she have weakened like that? And in the company of this guy too! Jet slapped her forehead in embarrassment. Then she remembered something.
"Hey...why am I...in your room?" Jet managed to ask, getting out of the bed. She took a tentative step and wobbled a little. Woo Bin stood up, concerned.
"Hey...are you sure you're okay? How about you rest a bit more?"
Jet brushed him off. "I'm fine. I'll manage. Thanks for letting me sleep here. I'm going back to my room now." She took her clothes and shoes and headed towards the door.
"You don't trust me?" Woo Bin asked. "I won't do anything to you." He smirked, which irritated Jet.
"Yeah, I know," Jet snapped back. "If it were the case you would've done that while I was...how'd you put it...out of it." She opened the door, then looked back at him. "Anyways, I'm not your type, right? Call me when I'm needed for duty...sir." And with that, Jet closed the door behind her and stalked off towards her room.
Woo Bin sighed. "You don't know half of it, dear." He sat back, thinking of how relaxed she was when asleep—not quite as guarded or as fierce as she was awake. What intrigued him was the name she murmured in her sleep. She had said a name. Some man's name.
Kent...
"Just who is this Kent anyway?" Woo Bin wondered out loud, then rang for the maid to clear his room.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Jet plopped face down into her bed, feeling pissed about her boss. Sure, she had no right to, but the guy can be such a jerk it's already wearing her patience, and it's only been two days.
Two days...
Then it hit her. Oh God, the report. Today's the day I have to report to Col. Amparo. Jey stood up to retrieve her netbook and set it up for video conference. She glanced at her watch. 10 A.M. It's 9:00 back home. Just in time...
"Sgt. Dema-ala," Amparo greeted her as soon as they were connected. "How's your mission so far? By the way, your quarters look...grand. They giving you VIP treatment?"
"Good morning to you too, sir," Jet answered, chuckling. "Anyways, not yet that much, as I've been here only two days. However, there was...an incident involving the subject."
"Indeed? Do tell me."
Jet narrated everything that had transpired the night before. "He mentioned a name, sir. Jang Shin Ji, I think it was."
"You did good, Jet," Amparo commended. "Actually, this Jang was formerly connected with the Song family. His syndicate runs several casinos across Asia. You know the King's Palace Casino, right? That's the one."
Jet let out a whistle. "I see. But how is he connected to this mission, sir?"
Amparo stroked his chin, thinking. "As of this time, we have no leads yet, but we're pretty sure he is part of the cartel. As I've said, he was..."
"Formerly connected with the Song family." Jet pondered for a moment. "Then how...right. My mission. That will be all, sir."
Amparo smiled. "All right, Jet. Thanks for the info. And kid? Don't get yourself killed. Understood?"
"Understood, sir. Over and out." Jet signed off from the video conference, lying back on the bed. This whole mafia business is getting too complicated, she mused, closing her eyes.
A knock on the door jolted her out of her reverie.
"Come in, it's open," Jet said. One of the maids entered, bearing a breakfast tray. "Um...you don't need to..."
"Young master's orders, miss," the maid said, setting the food on the bedside table. "And he says for you to rest this morning. You'll be needed after lunch." She bowed, and went out of the room.
Jet sighed in frustration. The guy sure is bossy, she thought. Oh well. She might as well enjoy the rest of her morning, to prepare for the day ahead of her. And wondering if she'll ever make it through.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Jet ran into Song Woo Hyun as she was going down the stairs for lunch, which surprised her; as far as she knew, he rarely goes home. She can't help feeling embarrassed, as he hadn't combed much (not that her hair needed it) and she is in her house clothes, which is an oversized shirt and shorts, but the feeling quickly vanished when she saw him smiling warmly at her.
"Good...afternoon, sir," Jet greeted him with a bow.
"Jet. How are you feeling? Are you alright?" Woo Hyun asked with genuine concern.
"I'm okay, thanks." Jet cringed inwardly, remembering how she passed out after last night's events. Woo Hyun must have read her mind, as he let out a small chuckle.
"It's alright, don't be ashamed. I understand you did your job well, and that's all that matters," he assured her.
"Thank you for the confidence, sir," she replied, grinning sheepishly. "If you'll excuse me, sir..."
Woo Hyun waved his hand airily. "Oh, go ahead. Don't let me keep you." And with that, he strode towards the direction of the study.
Jet heaved a sigh of relief. Sure, the man looked intimidating, but the fact that he was a little fatherly towards her relaxed her somehow. Mr. Song reminded her a lot of her own father. She smiled at the thought, wondering how they were back home.
"What are you smiling about?"
Jet stopped in her tracks. There walking towards her was Woo Bin, hands in his pockets, eying her amused. Suddenly, her good mood evaporated in an instant.
"It's personal, sir," Jet snapped, walking away from him to the kitchen. To her annoyance, he kept walking alongside her.
"How personal?" Woo Bin persisted, following Jet into the kitchen. Jet turned around to face him.
"Excuse me sir, but is it your habit to poke your nose into somebody else's business?"
Woo Bin chuckled. "You know, everyone's been saying that about me. But can you blame me if I'm just concerned about people I care about?"
"Does that include me?" Jet suddenly blurted out without thinking, and immediately she felt like taking a hammer and pounding her head with it. How stupid can I get? If Woo Bin weren't watching Jet could've banged her head on the counter. Repeatedly. Or until her brain is functioning properly again.
To her surprise, Woo Bin smiled. "Well, why not? After all, my life is in your hands. So it is therefore imperative that I should care."
"Right," Jet muttered, scrounging about for something to eat.
"Anyway," he continued, "what are you doing, looking for something to eat? You could have asked any of the maids here to prepare something for you."
"I can manage, thanks," Jet answered.
"Ever the independent woman. Hmmm..." Woo Bin said thoughtfully. Then he continued, "Oh by the way, get ready. We're going somewhere this afternoon. It's really important. Be ready in about..." he glanced at his watch, "an hour and thirty minutes. That's all." And he turned to leave.
Jet rolled her eyes. The guy really is impossible. Impossible to figure out, and impossible to get along with.
And impossible to ignore?
Jet shook her head. Focus. I need to focus, she thought. The mission.
With that fixed on her mind, Jet ate her lunch in solitude.
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Woo-hooo! New chapter! Hurray!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for following this story...and for putting up with me...LOL.
Till next time! :)