Chapter 2: Something Special

Hak was a man on a mission.

Unfortunately, the mission was not going well.

He shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket. The warmth of the late afternoon sun was quickly dissipating, giving way to an evening chill. Despite being early Spring, the temperatures dropped low enough to frost most nights.

He already checked half the shops in the plaza for Yona's birthday present. Nothing seemed quite special enough.

Hak last few years, he'd given Yona what he considered practical gifts.

When she turned 15, Hak gifted her a pepper spray keychain.

"Here's how to aim it so you won't spray yourself by accident, Princess."

At 16, when Yona earned her driver's license, he carefully put together an emergency kit for her car.

"Princess, I'll show you how to use the jumper cables, but if you get a flat tire or something, just call me, ok?"

On her 17th birthday, Hak presented Yona with a heavy-duty flash light.

"I know your dad's been traveling for work a lot lately. Keep this in your nightstand, just in case."

Even Chairman Il had clapped Hak on the back and thanked him jokingly for being the reason the high school boys kept their hands off his daughter.

He's not exactly sure how he fell into the role of unofficial bodyguard to the Chairman's only daughter, other than convenience. Mundok probably had something to do with it.

He's also not exactly sure when he started thinking of Yona as something other than a childhood friend. When did spending time with her become the best part of his day? When did she start showing up in his dreams? And when did he start feeling so damn protective of her? All questions he can't quite pinpoint the answers to.

What Hak does know is that at some point he started falling for her and can't seem to stop. Adding teenage hormones to the picture made the last few years particularly difficult to keep things platonic. To keep his teasing from being too obvious. To keep his hands off her.

The fact that Yona's father doesn't see him as one of those boys is a testament to Hak's self-control. Instead of trying to convince himself that he doesn't have feelings for Yona, Hak is just resolved to never act on them. Which would be a lot easier if he didn't spend so much time hanging out with her. In her bedroom. Alone.

Fucking masochist, he thought, rubbing his temple.

Either way, having Hak around all the time probably scares away most of Yona's dating prospects. Not that he see's that as a bad thing. Not that he can tell her that.

Because Hak also knows that Yona only has eyes for Soo-won. He tells himself it's for the best, since Soo-won almost certainly will become Chairman himself one day. The three were inseparable as kids, and Yona has been harboring a serious crush on Soo-won basically forever. From the beginning, Hak never even had a chance. This is what he tells himself, anyway.

As much as Hak wants Yona for himself, he knows she's out of his league. So, he's made peace with the idea that as long as it's Soo-won, he can let her go. They'll be the ultimate power couple, and she'll be happy. That's a good enough consolation. This is what he tells himself, anyway.

The thing is, Soo-won hasn't been around much since he graduated high school and started soaring up the corporate ladder. Not that Hak is a slouch. He's Mundok's apprentice in the security division. He splits his time between there and keeping an eye on Yona.

Hak reached the end of the plaza, still empty handed. The sun had dipped almost completely below the horizon.

Shit, he swore to himself. He was running out of time. Hak glanced around, considering his options.

Nestled at the end of the alleyway was one more shop. The illuminated sign in the window simply said "Imports", and the display was a mix of snacks, magazines, trinkets and various sundries. Hak, now cold and frustrated, decided to try his luck.

Eighteen.

Hak raked a hand through his unruly hair as he perused the slightly disorganized shelves. While he found the idea that someone magically goes from a child one day to an adult the next absurd, Yona's words from earlier echoed in his head.

"I'm a woman now."

Damn. He really should have teased her about that line.

"Shopping for someone special?" A pleasant female voice asked.

"Huh?" Hak looked up from the display he must have been staring at for too long. An employee stood a few feet from him.

"It's just that you've been standing there for a few minutes with this bewildered look on your face. Usually that means there's a girl involved," the clerk smiled at him kindly.

"No, no, it's not like that," Hak answered too quickly, waving his hands.

"Like…what?" She asked knowingly.

"Er…Nothing." He suddenly found the pattern of the floor tiles very interesting.

"Oh, my mistake. Please let me know if you need help with anything." She nodded and began to walk away.

"Wait." He almost shouted.

"Yes?" She turned, waiting.

"There is a girl," Hak admitted. "I'm looking for a birthday gift. Something….special." He felt his face getting hot.

"Ah, I can certainly help with that," the employee grinned.

—-

It was completely dark by the time Hak got back to his apartment. He just finished changing into sweats when his phone buzzed. It was a text from Yona.

I hope you didn't get me a taser. Just saying.

He smiled, eyes drifting to the small, square box sitting on the coffee table. The clerk even tied a bow around it.

Wouldn't you like to know. Guess you'll have to wait and see tomorrow, he typed back.

Meanie, she shot back almost immediately.

Hak's thumbs hovered over his phone for a moment, deciding how far he wanted to go.

Don't worry. I made sure to get something fit for a *woman*

He could see she was typing. Then she wasn't. Then she was again. He smirked. He loved catching her off guard. If only he could see her face right now. He took a sip of his drink.

That's really thoughtful of you Hak

But I already have a personal massager ;)

Hak choked, carbonated liquid filling his nose. Coughing, he checked to make sure he read that correctly.

"Where did that come from?" He groaned out loud, trying to keep that particular image out of his head. Yona didn't typically tease him back. At least not like this.

He liked it. Even though he knew he shouldn't, Hak typed a reply and quickly hit send.

Damn Princess, what's gotten into you tonight?

Hak felt his heartbeat quicken. He tried scrolling through his news feed as a distraction. After what felt like hours, she was typing again.

Wouldn't you like to know

Hak sighed heavily. This was one of those Angel vs Devil on your shoulder moments, and there was a clear winner.

I would very much like to know, he replied. Hak adjusted his position, suddenly glad he'd changed out of his jeans already.

"She's gonna call me a pervert in 3…2…1…" He muttered as the exchange continued.

Nothing

Ok…he replied. Maybe he misread the tone after all.

That may change soon though.

"Fuck," he breathed. "There's no way." Hak shook his head, drawing a hand down his face. He could feel his pulse throbbing in his fingertips and other…extremities.

Princess…are you teasing me again?

It was all that he trusted himself to say.

Well its bedtime for me…see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams Hak 3

His eyes widened as he dissected every word and symbol. Was that supposed to be a heart at the end? What was she playing at? Or was all this some kind of dream? He had so many questions, but with a substantial amount of blood currently being routed elsewhere, his brain wasn't working very well at the moment. No way was he going to be able to sleep in this state.

Hak layed back, finally letting himself picture Yona with her….ahem….massager, and did what any horny as fuck 20 year old guy would do in this situation. It was not the first time Yona's name was on his lips as he climaxed.

Sweet dreams, indeed.

—-

Aaaand there it is - a bit of smut to tide us over for a bit. ;)