To Protect You - Hui
Group: Pentagon
Member: Hwitaek aka Leader Hui aka cute little shit
Genre: Bodyguard!AU; Idol!Reader, Bodyguard!Hwitaek; think of Hui as Ji Changwook in the K2; female!reader (I try to keep these gender neutral but for the purpose of this it’ll be female pronouns used) #slowburn #tension #Igotfrustratedwritingthis
Request: Hell yea it was! Is it only me or this world needs a Hui - Bodyguard scenario? 😅❤
Length: short|medium|long|idk man (8966 words, wow)
A/N: Listen this came to me just after posting Shameless and let me tell you, it got me feeling some type of way. My mind was going crazy with ideas but I hadn’t slept yet so here we are now. The magazine name is made up as well as any agency name or proper name to places aside from actual locations.
A/N part 2: If there is enough requests for a part 2 ( like more than 1) I may turn this into a mini series.
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As a rookie soloist idol, life for you was hectic. You had started out posting covers, both singing and dancing, on youtube and instagram garnering quite a following before a small company found you and offered to sign and debut you. After talking it over with your parents, and reading the contract forwards and backwards you signed and got to work. Eight months later you debuted as a soloist and you were so well accepted your fame skyrocketed.
It didn’t take long before sponsorship deals were tripping over the other to get you to sign them. Your company got calls about appearing on various popular variety shows and guest staring on radio programs and everything you ever dreamed of was happening before you. You hadn’t expected any of this to happen, yet the public welcomed your warm and down-to-earth personality with open arms.
By the end of your debut promotion your company went about hiring a personal body guard for you, someone that would escort you nearly everywhere because with your surge of fame came netizens, came the “fans” that took things way too far.
Your manager met your chosen body guard before you as you were busy working on the next few songs for your EP that was the current goal for you. An EP with your debut song and others you will write yourself. You were sitting in the small studio with the company producer chatting about the sound for the EP when your manager waltzed in.
“(Y/N), I have someone for you to meet if you have a moment.”
“Sure, thanks Mr. Jo.” You nodded towards the producer, “Let’s go with what we’ve got and I’d love to hear what you’ve come up with by the end of the week!”
“Of course, you’ve given me a lot of ideas, I’ll see you Friday for our next studio day.”
“Thank you.” You bow, gather your things, and follow your manager out of the studio to leave the producer to do his thing.
“You know the company has decided to hire someone to help protect you, they’ve picked someone.” Your manager explains as he’s gesturing around him. “Not that I can’t do that myself, but everyone would feel better if you had a trained bodyguard to escort you to and from your schedules with me.”
You nod along secretly thankful the company has made this move because you had been thinking about it recently. As you were about to ask a question your manager stopped outside of your designated, small practice room.
Your immediately met with a young man, at least your age maybe a bit older. He was smaller in build but still looked rather menacing. He was in a tailored black suit with a white button up under it and a skinny black tie that disappears beneath the buttoned blazer. His hair was fading from a dark blue to a medium-light grey and from the distance you could see a single piercing in each ear.
Your manager briskly walked over to the stranger and greeted him excitedly. You waited for the introduction, not knowing how to really act towards this person yet.
“(Y/N), this is Lee Hwitaek he has been hired to be your personal body guard. He will go to all your schedules with you, whether I’m there or not, and will take care of you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss (Y/N).” He bowed deeply which threw you into a bit of a panic at the sudden formal treatment. Your entire team had gotten comfortable with you over your time with the company so formalities weren’t really an everyday thing.
“Uh, yes hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” You return the bow and stick your hand out to shake his.
He returns the gesture and then your manager launches into the schedule you have for the next few days. He hands you a copy of your schedule and then another copy to Hwitaek. There was a fansign first thing tomorrow in Incheon, Hwitaek’s first exposure to your fanbase. Which in reality was 90 percent good, with that small 10 percent of sketchy “fans” who can be a bit extreme. From the fansign, you were to get a quick bite to eat, then straight back to the studio to work on a possible new track’s choreography. Then there was a shooting for an advertisement for a new ice cream brand you really enjoyed, which was super exciting.
Thursday’s schedule was a photo shoot with an up and coming young model named Ko Shinwon in Mokpo for PrettyPretty Magazine, a popular magazine that does stories on rising young stars. You had a few hours scheduled for more practice and the last schedule for Thursday was meeting your partner for a special stage you had been contacted about with a young and famous choreographer named Kang Hyunggu who has gotten his start much like you.
After covering all this in great detail with a timeline and everything, your manager excused himself to go to a meeting leaving you and your new bodyguard alone.
“I want to thank you in advance for tomorrow.” You broke the silence first. “My fans are wonderful, they spoil me with all their love and gifts but some can be a little intrusive. After the last scare I’m thankful the company has found someone to be watchful.”
“What kinds of things have happened before?” His tone was professional but curious.
“A few male fans have sometimes acted kind of aggressively when I sign albums and talk to them, like saying rather inappropriate things.” You shifted a bit uncomfortable in your chair. “The main reason you were hired is because a week ago just before my promotions were done two people snuck back stage and broke into the dressing room I had been assigned to. They tried to steal things from myself and the staff with me. They were caught when my stylist came to get me and found them just standing over me.” You shivered, the fear of what they could have done making your stomach churn.
“I see, I hope to stop that from happening Miss (Y/N).” Hwitaek was very professional as he spoke.
“Uh, please just call me (Y/N).” Everyone on your team referred to you as such, you didn’t want Hwitaek to feel pressured to address you so formally.
“Yes ma’am.” He nodded.
“Do you prefer Hwitaek? You’re apart of the team now and I prefer everyone to be comfortable since we’ll all be working together.”
“I go by Hui as well, that’s how most people refer to me.”
“Okay, I look forward to working with you Hui.” You smiled, moving to answer your ringing phone you missed the slightest quirk of his lips. “Hello? Yes we are. Ah okay, I’ll ask him. Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Your managed hung up the call and you turned to Hui. “Manager Kim wanted to know if you could get me home tonight because the meeting is going to run rather late.”
“Of course, c’mon.”
After packing up your things you followed Hui out to a familiar company van you often travelled in and Hui drove you to your apartment. The conversation in between giving directions was sparse and very general. After thanking him you walked towards your apartment and waved to him after getting to your building. He waited until you were inside your building and you had sent a text saying you were in your apartment before leaving. You sluggishly got ready for bed and fell asleep almost as soon as your head hit your pillow.
---
You had no idea how alert Hui could be at five in the morning but you were thankful he had picked you up with a coffee for you, your favorite drink. You tossed your backpack into the single seat just beside yours as you slid the side door shut.
“Good morning, Manager Kim sent me as he is already on his way to the salon to meet us there.”
You hummed to response, the cup warming your hands as you muttered a quick thank you.
“Go ahead and rest more if you need to.” You opened an eye to see Hui glancing at you before he put the van in gear and started towards the salon.
An hour and a half later you were all made up and in your chosen outfit for the fansign. Manager Kim was in the driver’s seat and Hui was in the pasenger’s seat. Things were relatively comfortable as conversation between the three of you flowed easily. Manager Kim was a talker and Hui seemed to pick up on it and he easily fell into a good give and take. You mainly listened, thankful Manager Kim had someone else to keep him company on the drive. You learned that Hui was only a few years older than you and he had gone into an academy where he trained to become a body guard right out of high school. It wasn’t his first choice of a career but he enjoyed it. He told Manager Kim that his favorite part of the job was that he might not be that intimidating being on the smaller side, but people who pressed an issue learned quickly he was not to be messed with.
That amused you to think that people could see Hui in his fitted suit and intimidating presence and think he means anything but business. Yes he was shorter and smaller in build than probably half your male fanbase, Manager Kim too, but even so, he seemed like he knew what he was doing. You felt safe in his presence even if nothing has happened yet.
As Manager Kim parked outside of the venue for the fansign Hui jumped out and opened your door for you. He took up a protective lead as you jumped out with your bag at hand. There wasn’t a lot of people outside yet seeing as the fansign was a few hours away but there was enough for a crowd to gather. As people started to take notice of you when your manager drove off Hui turned towards you.
“Would you like to go straight inside or take a few minutes out here?”
“There aren’t too many waiting, a few minutes with them. Just until Manager Kim gets here.” Hui nodded and lead you towards the gathering crowd.
“If you would like to see (Y/N) before we go inside the venue, you need to be calm and orderly.” His voice was strong and commanding.
You watched as the twenty or so waiting fans quickly did as Hui said, they lined up and waited rather quietly as you greeted each other of them. Thanking them, taking a photo if their phones were ready, and telling them you looked forward to seeing them inside. Reminding them to make sure they had something to eat, and that they stay warm as it was chilly that morning. There was only four people left as Manager Kim started making his way towards you, Hui was a step to the side every moment you were meeting fans. You quickly thanked the last four, snapping super quick selfies before Manager Kim motioned to follow him inside. The male fan at the end of the line went to grab your wrist to stop you mumbling about a blurry picture, but you never felt the contact because Hui stopped his mid-reach and told the fan he should be thankful he has a picture at all. Hui guided you by a hand on your lower back towards the venue behind Manager Kim, keeping an eye of those around you and making sure no other fans made a grab for you.
---
Before the fansign began, Hui took up his place behind you. He was more of a watchful eye, whereas Manager Kim was there to keep your table free of clutter. As it began, you talked into the microphone given to you. Thanking everyone for spending their Wednesday here with you and saying how you were looking forward to getting to meet everyone. After you finished speaking, your debut song started playing over the speakers and you got situated behind the small table.
Then your fans started to line up and greet you. You answered all kinds of questions ranging from how you were feeling to what artist you would want to collaborate with to what your favorite snack was. You were gifted with a few flower crowns all of which you wore until the next one, you had stickers places on your hands and shirt and a few on your cheeks. You had little wrapped gifts given to you by bashful fans. You made it a point to fawn over your fans as much as they did to you because they were why you where were you are. You made sure to hold their hands as your signed their albums if they wanted you to and answered any post-it note questions. You giggled with them and did your best aegyo when they asked.
It was fun for you, a little exhausting but fun. There was a pause as a fan was lugging something onto the stage and Hui handed you a chilled bottle of water with a smile.
“I can see why your fans love you so much, you’re very good with them.”
“Thanks.” You stuttered, “I wouldn’t be here without them.” He nodded, seemingly happy with the answer and nodded towards the fan who had made it to the table.
“(Y/N)-noona! I got this for you!” The younger fan thrust a rather large teddy bear towards you. “I saw your comment about always wanting one in a radio interview recently. So a handful of fans and I chipped in to get you one.” Then he handed you an envelop. “This is a list of all the people who contributed and their twitter handles.”
“Oh, thank you so much!” You pulled the bear towards you and admired the large bear. “I’ll be sure to tweet a big thank you after the fansign, thank you so much.” Hui stepped forward and set the bear behind you as you continued talking to the fan as the young man told you his name.
The fansign continued without any trouble till the fan who tried to grab you before got to the stage. He seemed calm as he approached you and he placed his album on the table. You got his name and signed it. As you handed it back to him he place his hands over yours on the album and leant towards you.
“You’re so pretty up close. If I had a girlfriend as pretty as you I’d never let you leave the house.”
The comment made your skin crawl. Hui noticed you start leaning away from the fan and immediately recognized the guy. Hui stepped forward and removed the album from both you before handing it to the fan.
“Please keep the line moving.” Hui glared back at the fan who stared him down but listened nonetheless. “Are you alright?” You nodded and after a moment he stepped back to his place.
The fansign ended without any other minor problem. You thanked everyone again, preformed your debut song and did a cover of your favorite Hyuna song, who all your fans new was your girl crush, and wished everyone safe travels home. Before you could catch your breath you were ushered towards the company van and the drive back to the company began.
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Hui sat in the back corner of the dance room going over security plans for the shoot later that day. He was on and off the phone with various people making sure things were secure. In between the choreographer teaching you new moves and going over them you frequently caught Hui’s eyes in the mirror. You’d had plenty of people sitting in the room as you practice but catching him watching you made your face flush as your entire body grew warm. You became keenly aware of just how sensual some of the choreo could be and felt out of place dancing like that in front of Hui. Once your choreographer picked up on your hesitation she thumped you in the forehead to get you to focus again. After a few more go overs of moves you were messing up on she made you do the choreography once more to the song from beginning to end to finish practice. As the song ended and you struck the ending pose, chest heaving from the exertion, your choreographer was clapping and cheering.
“You’ve done well today (Y/N)! Don’t forget to keep practicing so you don’t forget the choreo okay? What do you think bodyguard? She’s pretty great right?” Your choreographer turned toward Hui, who you notice had been watching.
“With all the hard work she puts in,” Hui started to answer your choreographer directly, “it’s no wonder she’s a rising idol.” Then he turned towards you, a small smile present. “You did good today.”
You nodded in quiet thanks trying to keep your face as indifferent as possible. Your choreographer thanked you for your time, which you copied, and then she packed her things and with a ‘see you tomorrow’ she left. You were alone with Hui again.
“You’ve got about half an hour before we’ve got to head towards the CF shooting.” He pulled a water from out of nowhere and tossed it to you. “If there is anything you’d like between now and then let me know I’ll get it.”
“Thank you but I’ve got snacks in my bag.” You walked over to your backpack and pulled out a smaller bag to show him. “Would you like something?”
His facade gave way to a smirk as he nodded.
“I’d like that, thank you.”
“Corn chips or spicy chicken chips?” You help the two mini bags of chips up.
“Which do you want?” You held up the spicy chicken chips. “Then I’ll take the corn chips.” You toss the corn chips that he catches with ease.
You sit on the floor with your legs crossed and rip open the bag to start eating. Hui watches you a moment and notes how you smile about the food for a moment, before he follows suit and eats his corn chips.
Your manager joined the two of you about twenty minutes later walking in on a conversation about the latest comeback by one of your personal favorite groups.
“C’mon A.C.E’s comeback was amazing! They’re dancing is incredible.” You gushed, having sluggishly moved to gather your things.
“They’ve always been really talented, nice guys too.” Hui commented nonchalantly, laughing when you froze in place.
“You’ve met them!?” He nodded, “Okay, I want to hear everything! I’ve been following before they debuted! I even saw them busking once!”
“You’re fangirling is cute.” He pulled you to your feet, the comment came from under his breath.
“C’mon kids, off to the CF shoot!” Manager Kim called at the doorway, eyes on his phone and van keys in his hands.
Hui walks after you as you follow your manager. The drive to your CF is a little more friendly and warm as you invited Hui to sit beside you in the middle. Manager Kim encouraged it after you asked because he needed to make some calls and put in his bluetooth ear piece and went into a conversation the whole drive.
You and Hui fell into a conversation just about yourselves, trading facts and little stories that some to mind. As you arrive at the shoot, you’re quickly whisked away to get made up, hair, makeup, and outfit change, before being brought onto a bright and cheery set. There was a summer scene set up at an old school ice cream parlor and a slightly older male positioned behind the counter playing the worker. You were put into a cutesy summer outfit with dewy make up and little buns on your head. The CF shoot went by without much trouble, the script was short and sweet and you got to eat your favorite ice cream repeatedly. Within about 4 hours the main CF has been shot, with a few extras for various other CFs to be pieced together. It’s roughly 10 pm when you practically crawled back into the van exhausted from the day’s schedule.
“Sleep, I’ll wake you up when we get to your building.” Hui’s voice is soft as he buckles in your already dozing form.
---
“Alright, careful now.” You heard a quiet voice muttering as you slowly came to consciousness. “I’ll take her up and be back down shortly.”
You were pressed against something warm, your head cradled, and the movement slow and precise. There’s a soft humming near your ear and a strong hold under your legs and around your lower back.
A familiar voice is mumbling the code to your apartment building as your body is shifted to type it in. Then the quiet of the entrance way engulfs you as Hui is ascending up the stairs towards your apartment.
“What are you doing?” Your voice is rough.
“Taking you to your apartment.” He answered coolly, focusing on the numbers.
“You could have woken me up.” You rubbed your eyes.
“You don’t get much sleep, it’s fine.”
“I’d have woken up when you dropped me off anyway.”
“Probably.” You noticed a smirk curve at his lips. “You’ve got to get up early tomorrow too, I’ll be here around the same time again.”
Hui twisted his body to slip the key your manager had for emergencies into the lock and open your door. After a few moments of looking around your small apartment he sat you down just beside your couch, your feet hitting the ground first. He made sure you were steady before his hands left you and he moved to his standard hands behind his back stance.
Your face and body flushed, the realization of just how close the two of you just were. You also moved into a more professional stance with your hands clasped infront of you as you looked up to Hui’s face.
“Thank you, I appreciate it. I’ll uhm, see you tomorrow.” Your cheeks flushed more from just how he was looking at you.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, sleep well (Y/N) and make sure you eat something too.”
Before Hui could second guess himself, he reached out and patted your head. Then he muttered a quiet good night and saw himself out of your apartment.
Thinking about what just transpired you took a quick shower and found yourself lying in bed thinking about the softness in Hui’s eyes when he was looking at you.
---
Your alarm was a harsh reminder that you had a day full of different schedules and you forced yourself of out bed and into passable clothes for the day. You were ready in twenty minutes and opted to eat when you remembered Hui’s words last night. A faint heat rose to your cheeks as you nibbled on a toasted bagel lathered in peanut butter. After a quick snack you finished packing anything you’d think you’d need throughout the day and were slipping on your shoes when there was a knock on the door.
“Good morning!” You beamed, the rush of energy from the food hitting you.
“You’re in a good mood this morning.” Hui mused, trying to keep his smile at bay, “I’m guessing you slept well?”
“That’s part of it, I was out not long after you had brought me up.” You paused, your cheeks flaring at the memory. “I just finished a small breakfast so this feeling is new.”
“You don’t eat breakfast everyday?” You shook your head. “When do you eat then?”
“Manager Kim usually stops at a convenience store on the way to my first schedule. Today’s schedule starts later than normal so I had some extra time to sleep and eat. I’d usually be at the salon by now getting prepped for the day.” You shrugged, “Because there will be a team provided at the shoot I get to take it easier today.” This was the life you had signed up for, the tough times would soon be outweighed by the good times.
“I see.” He opened the door and motioned for you to exit. “We best get on our way then.” You noticed how he looked distracted now, but you tried to push it to the back of your mind.
“Did you sleep well Hui?”
“I did. I even got up early to run a few miles and have a hearty breakfast.” He smiled down at you, you notice it didn’t reach his eyes like it usually did.
“You ran a few miles?” You gawked at Hui as the two of you made your way down to your building’s lobby.
“Yes, I run a few morning a week. It keeps me healthy. Why are you looking at me like that?” He laughed, the light had returned to his eyes.
“You get up, by choice, earlier than you have to to run a few times a week?”
“Is that hard to believe?”
“I guess it’s not, just the thought of waking up to run though. Never.” You scrunched your nose at him.
Hui watched the action, the way your cheeks pulled up causing your eyes to squint a bit. He had no idea why his heart rate picked up at the movement. He stared for a moment longer before moving his gaze to in front of him. Out of habit he moved to grab the handle of the door to open it for you when you went to do the same. You beat him and Hui hadn’t realized he was clasping your hand until both of you froze and stared at the other.
A few heartbeats passed and neither of you moved. Your hand was still holding the door handle and Hui’s larger hand was on top of yours, warm and tough. The sudden physical contact sent your heart into override and turned your tongue and throat into a desert. You swallowed trying to wet your throat, only to subtly wet your lips. You watched Hui watch you and the chill that traveled your body was indescribable. Without realizing it Hui mimicked your actions and you watched Hui’s tongue peek out to wet his lips. You were so focused on Hui’s warm hand and watching his face that you hadn’t realized what exactly was happening. Hui took a step closer to you and his free hand tentatively held your jaw. You started to lean up first and Hui, again, mimicked your actions. He moved just a bit and waited to see if you were going to close the space. You were going to, all rational thought about dating a coworker flying out the window, you were going to kiss Hui and you were going to relish in the feeling of his soft lips on yours and his hand holding your face. You moved forward more, his breathe from his slightly opened mouth hit your face. Your heart was beating even hard and you felt lightheaded from the sudden rush of adrenaline that your body produced in response to your nerves. You bumped his nose, yours lips had to be less than a centimeter away. The two of you were so close to crossing an invisible line.
Bzzt. Bzzt.
Both of you froze. Hui’s phone in his blazer pocket was going off. You immediately took a step back, much larger than a normal step, and looked away from Hui. He was just as winded as your were. His heart was beating so hard he was sure you could see the outline in his chest.
“Hello?” He answered his phone, sparing a glance your way and noticing how flushed your face was and the nervous glances you sent in his direction without looking at him directly. “Yes Manager Kim, we’re on our way out now. Uh, (Y/N) left something up in her apartment so we walked back up to get it. Yes sir, we’ll be out shortly.”
Hui cleared his throat as his put his phone away. He looked back at you just in time to see you quickly advert your attention to your phone.
“Manager Kim is waiting, but let’s give it a moment.”
You nodded without a word. Your body felt like it had an electric pulse going through it, you were hyper aware of everything at the moment. You heard Hui sigh before you saw him rub the back of his neck and he took a tiny step towards you.
“I’m sorry, I crossed a line just a moment ago.” Hui bowed with his hands behind his back, much more formal like he was the day you met.
While a lot of time hadn’t really passed since the two of you had met, he was with you almost every waking minute. Formalities were gone before lunch the first day. To see him revert back to it sent you into a strange panic.
“Hui, really, both of us crossed a line. Let’s just go about our days like normal.” You paused, “Nothing happened away, we didn’t do anything.” You couldn’t force yourself to say much more.
“If you say so, but still, I apologize.”
“I apologize as well.” You shot forward to bow as well. “Doesn’t feel right, huh?” You joked when Hui’s face scrunched up.
“You’re right. Back to normal?” You nodded. “Let’s go then, you have a photo shoot to get to.”
Hui opened the door for you, this time you waited, and the two of you walked out to the familiar company van you always rode in. You both greeted Manager Kim once you were seated and the drive began. You stayed quiet mostly because your mind was in a frenzy. What happened in the lobby replayed in your head the whole drive. Thankfully, the two men in the front kept up a pretty serious conversation about the latest soccer game seeing as they were for opposing teams. They were talking stats for players and plays made throughout the game, you were not one to watch soccer so it was easy to focus on the movie reel in your head. Even after Hui had turned around in his seat to tell you you’d arrived the movie was stuck on repeat.
---
The first half of the photoshoot was going extremely well. Ko Shinwon was nothing but a gentleman, who checked with you before doing anything the photographer told him. Every pose, every light touch, every moment spent staring into each other’s eyes or flirting for the camera, he made sure you were comfortable. In between changing the sets and outfits, you found yourself drawn to Shinwon. He reeked of such a confidence and brightness it was difficult to not gravitate towards him like you were a moth and him a bright light.
Of course, part of the schedule was set aside for an interview of you and Shinwon. So with the two of you dressed in the last outfit for the shoot, an writer for PrettyPretty Magazine sat down with you on set and filmed a short interview. Most of the questions were pretty standard, the interviewer asked about the plans both of you had with upcoming projects. Shinwon said he would be walking at a very high profile runway but he wasn’t allowed to reveal it himself. You teased about a mini album in the works and how you were working on your next single for sure. To which Shinwon showed a reaction you weren’t anticipating and that caused him to confess that he had been following you since your youtube cover days. That topic hadn’t come up when the two of you were casually chatting, so you were shocked to say the least. You were more embarrassed because that made you confess that you’d followed Shinwon for a while as well, back when he had started as an instagram model. The interview ate it up asking if the two of you had met before and proceeded to freak out even more when you revealed this was your first time.
She asked next about a friendship blooming.
“If Shinwon would like to be friends, I’m up for it. I haven’t had the chance to meet a lot of people since I debuted. I really only hangout with those around my company, my manager, and my bodyguard.” You explained, a smile naturally shining through.
“I would love to. I’m still pretty new to all of this and most of the other models I’ve worked with are really intimidating so I keep to myself.”
“Looks like I have a new friend!” You giggled, giving the camera a thumbs up.
“PrettyPretty Magazine facilitating friendship one pair of rising stars at a time.” The interviewer joked.
It continued on smoothly for the next half hour or so, you two played a few games and answered some questions fans had sent it. As it came to an end the interview suggested that for the ending you could talk about Shinwon’s upcoming projects and he could talk about yours. You took a minute or two to figure out what to say and did a cute ending with Shinwon fanboying and telling everyone to pay attention to you and your new music in the works while you struck a few poses and encouraged everyone to support Shinwon as he modeling career continued to grow. In the spur of the moment Shinwon threw his arm to make half a heart and without missing a beat you completed it and did your sign off after Shinwon did his.
The interviewer gushed about how professional you two are and how cute both of you were throughout the whole interview. After they had put away their equipment, they asked you and Shinwon for a picture for the magazine’s social media. You both posed with a pair of peace signs and thanked the interviewer and camera lady for being so kind as they left.
“Well that was fun.” Shinwon breathed as he sat back on the chair he’d just been sitting on.
“That was my first interview with someone else.” You smiled at him, “It’s more fun than doing one alone.”
“I’m so glad you got all my jokes.” Shinwon faked a pout. “The few models I’d done one with have never laughed! It’s such a mood killer.”
“Do they really scare you?” An eyebrow quirked at him.
Hui came around the corner to let you know it was almost time to leave but hearing you talking to Shinwon he froze. He pressed his back against the wall and listened in even though he knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop but it was too easy and he was too curious.
“Most of them don’t smile much on set, they speak with their eyes.” Shinwon rolled his. “It’s really unsettling when you’re with someone all day and they don’t crack a single smile, so yes. They’re terrifying.”
“I see, am I scary?” Hui perked up at your question, his chest tightened.
“Not in the slightest.” Shinwon chuckled. “The only thing scary about you is your talent, you’re practically a triple threat. That is terrifying.” He winked.
“Nice joke.” You rolled your eyes. “I’ve been out in the entertainment world for a few months, I’ve got much too learn before I’d consider myself even a double threat.”
“You’re working directly with a producer on your new music and writing your own stuff, right?” You nodded. “You’ve got a voice unlike any I’ve heard in a long time, I mean you debuted and everyone knew who you were less than a week later, right?” Again you nodded. “And now you can add part-time model to your list of jobs.” Shinwon motioned to the set and your coordinated outfits. “That sounds like a triple threat to me.”
“Man, I need you to give me pep talks all the time.”
“Let’s make it happen then.” Shinwon held his phone out to you. “Let’s keep in contact and I’ll be sure to make the pep talks really good.”
You couldn’t hold in your laughter, but you took his phone and put your contact info in. You sent a message to your phone, the ding letting you know it went through, before you handed it back to the guy before you.
“I’ll make sure I return the favor somehow. I look forward to this budding friendship.”
“I do too.” Shinwon’s smile lit up the room and he paused, before clearing his throat. “I’m a hugger so I was wondering if I could give you a hug… And maybe we could take a picture so I have proof this happened.”
“Yes you can,” You giggled as Shinwon pulled you into a friendly hug, “you do know that once those pictures get printed in the magazine everyone who reads PrettyPretty will know we were together.”
“I know, but it’s different than having one on my phone.”
“Let’s do it then.”
Hui chose now to pop around the corner because if he didn’t his heart was going to explode and he might knock Shinwon unconscious.
“Ah! Hui can you take a pictures of us on each of our phones!”
“I can just send you the ones we take.”
“I know, but it’s different than having one on my phone.” You teased, Shinwon’s face screwing up in mock anguish at your teasing.
“Sure, hand them over.” Hui tried to remain professional because he didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling but it made his nauseous.
Hui took a few photos on each phone before relaying his original message to you. Shinwon bid you farewell because his manager had sent him a message. The two of you promised to keep in contact before Hui whisked you towards the dressing room for you to change back into your own clothes. Soon you were packing your things back up, thanking the crew for taking such good care of you, and Hui was escorting you to the van to go back to the studio.
The drive back was quieter than before, Hui was on the phone discussing security and the schedule for when you were meeting Kang Hyunggu later to start learning choreography for a special stage next month. Manager Kim stopped on the way back to get a late lunch. You noticed that Hui had grabbed a few extra snacks, all your favorite, and made sure they were in your bag before digging into his food. Every time you tried to catch his eyes, he looked away instantly.
---
You were halfway through your dance practice for your new song when you locked eyes with Hui in the mirror. You had just sat down to take a break after running through the routine for the fifth time, you looked up and your eyes were just drawn to him. He was sitting in the back corner where his blazer was thrown over a nearby chair, the sleeves of his button up were rolled to his elbows, and the skinny black tie he always wore was slack around his neck. The moment was so intense for you, you glanced at the water bottle in your hand before looking back up at his reflection. Hui was still watching you.
He had yet to tell you that he had been a fan for about a year now, a friend had sent one of your covers for him to watch just months before you were signed. It’s how he knew your favorite snacks, what your preferred caffeinated drink was, it’s why he started this job with so much respect for you. It’s because he saw you when you were just some girl on youtube and now you were an idol. He wrote off his overprotective feelings towards you as a mix of just what your character brought out of him and the fact that it was his job to protect you. Even so, he wasn’t able to decipher while his body and mind reacted the way they did when you were talking to Shinwon. He had done a background check on Shinwon last night, Hui had felt completely comfortable with trusting Shinwon to not hurt you. Yet when Hui watched the two of you during the photo shoot with how close you were to Shinwon and how you were always touching him in some way, it made Hui seethe. With his training he could have easily walked over to Shinwon, thrown him over his shoulder knocking the breath out of him, and rendering him immobilized in seconds without hurting him. In Hui’s mind he did that, he also tugged you away and kept Shinwon from getting your number.
He was pulled out of his thoughts and his mostly mindless watching you when Manager Kim came to tell you it was almost time to meet Hyunggu. Hui watched silently as you thanked your choreographer again, she reminded you to practice and joked about keeping the choreos separate after starting the new one today. You said your goodbyes as you gathered your things again, not changing from your dance clothes and waiting for Hui to gather his things.
“Do you need anything?” He voiced handing you a cold bottle of water Manager Kim had dropped off moments before.
“No, I don’t think so. This schedule shouldn’t last too long, we’ll be done earlier than yesterday I can eat back at my apartment.” You waved him off as you chugged half the bottle of water.
“You should eat something, especially if you’ll be dancing again.” Hui pulled a cold cut sandwich from his bag and an apple. “It’s not much, but I stopped by the convenience store after running an errand because I figured you’d be hungry.”
“Thanks.” You reached out to take the food and once again one of Hui’s hands covered yours.
Time stopped for a moment, what had happened this morning replaying in both of your minds as the two of you just stared at the other. A warmth spread from his hands over yours to your chest than to the rest of your body. Hui felt a surge of electricity start from your hand and travel through his body. Neither of you moved, neither of you breathed. You thought you two were going to be stuck like that for eternity before the door opened and your choreographer walked in. You two bolted back you with the food in your hands. She mumbled something about her jacket as she eyed the two of you, a smirk adorning her lips. She bid her farewells again after getting her jacket and and left, the look she gave you before the door shut just told you she was going to give you hell the next time she saw you without Hui.
Time moved in double speed after the moment was ruined. You followed Hui out to the van and the drive to the studio to meet and practice with Kang Hyunggu began and ended. You hadn’t even noticed you’d dozed off in the backseat when a scream jerked you awake.
“You’re okay, don’t worry.” Hui’s soothing words and hand on your knee melted the momentary fear. “It seems that the location was leaked, there shouldn’t be anyone here.”
You looked out the window and saw at least fifty people crowding the van and screaming, calling your name. You had never been more thankful for the blackout windows than now, no one could see in but you could see all of them.
“I’m going to try and do another loop, Hui call the head of security and see what they can do it help.”
“Yes sir.” Hui pulled his phone from his pocket and was deep in a conversation in moments.
You sat up in your seat and learned over by Manager Kim.
“Can we get out of here without hurting anyone?”
“That’s my goal.” Both of you seemed skeptical, but Manager Kim managed to get around the zealous crowd and went back around the block in a wide loop.
“Good driving Mr. K.” You praised, incredibly thankful this was over for the time being.
“Thanks kid.” He chuckled, sparing you a glance in the rearview mirror as you sat back in your seat.
“Okay.” Hui stole all the attention, “The security manager at the studio said they’d get the crowd apart to create a walkway in a few minutes. He suggested we just hang out for a few until he calls me back letting me know it’s all clear. He said he doesn’t know how the information about Hyunggu and (Y/N) both being there but he’s sure it was leaked and that caused the crowd. Thankfully, Hyunggu arrived before the crowd appeared so he’s safe inside.”
You pulled out your phone and checked Hyunggu’s social media pages, twitter first. You wanted to laugh no matter how stressed this made you when you saw the video and caption he had posted less than a minute ago.
“Yea, he posted a short video clip of our van getting mobbed before getting away.” You held it out for the two men up front to see as Manager Kim put the van in park three blocks away. “He captioned it ‘I love u guys but now my dance partner ran away. Come back (Y/N)!’ Is he even allowed to use dance partner and my name in the same sentence. I thought they hadn’t announced our collab yet.”
“I haven’t gotten a call that they did, they had teasers they wanted to film next week. Maybe someone slipped up? Who knows, let’s focus on you getting into the venue safely.”
“I’ll take care of that.” Hui’s tone was deeper, more serious. “Promise me something thought.” Hui turned in his seat to look you dead in the eyes.
That familiar chill ran through your body as you nodded, then mumbled a quiet okay.
“If something happens, don’t look at me any differently okay?”“Sure, of course.” You nodded, unsure of what that meant or foreshadowed.
Manager Kim decided to run in for some snack to the little corner store with a list you put together of stuff for the security team and Hyunggu as a thanks for waiting and helping. Just as Manager Kim got seated and handed the bags back to you Hui’s phone rang. A few moments later you guys were on your way back to the venue. You separated the snacks into the bags for each person, Mr. K’s in one bag, Hui’s in one, and you divided the snacks for Hyunggu and the staff between a third bag and your backpack. By the time you had finished and handed Hui his bag and Manager Kim’s, you were back at the venue. The screaming and yelling was louder as it seemed like the crowd doubled.
Your anxiety in situations like these was usually under control because security was tight and you knew you’d be okay. However the security was having a tough time keeping an area big enough for you to walk down and the crowd only seemed to get rowdier as Manager Kim stopped as close to the venue as he could. Your heart was in your throat as you looked at the sea of people, bobbing and weaving as if they were waves in the ocean.
“Stay behind me. Hold me hand if you need to but don’t go far from me.” Hui’s hand enveloping yours grounded you for a moment, before a blush took over.
“Okay, I won’t stray.” You could only nod as you took a few deep breaths to calm your racing heart.
“On three.” Hui counted down slowly, giving your hand a squeeze before taking the bags of snacks from you and getting ready to move. “Let’s go.”
Hui threw his door open and immediately opened yours next. You stepped out and cowered behind Hui as he shut both door after telling Manager Kim something. He rested his free hand against his lower back for you to hold, which you gratefully held onto. He exchanged a few quick words with the security manager who had met them at the van and helped lead you towards the front door. You waved and tried to smile telling everyone to get home safely, you didn’t have it in you to thank them for showing up.
You were three-fourths of the way there, just a few more feet. The crowd had calmed down a great deal, there wasn’t a lot of pushing but there was a lot of yelling and cameras out, your name was being screamed every second. You were huddled close to Hui, practically on his heels with the warm of his hand once again centering you. You could make out people just past the glass doors when there was a loud thump that was followed by screams. You whipped your head around in time to see a few males fans had knocked two security guards down and created a gap. Two- three people rushed through and were heading for you. The manager behind you easily stopped the first guy, but the other two got by while he was occupied. You were sure they didn’t mean any harm at least you hoped, but your body went into fight-or-flight mode. You didn’t have time to make a choice because Hui was in front of you by the time you blinked. Hui grabbed the first guy by the wrist and pivoted his to get a hold of the fan’s belt and threw the fan over his shoulder. The fan his the ground with a thud completely stunned. Then Hui zeroed in on the second rogue fan and was ready for every punch the guy threw. He block and avoided everything the fan threw at him. Hui managed to land a flat handed hit on the fan’s collarbone, then followed up by dropping to his knees and sweeping the fans legs.
You watched in awe as your bodyguard dropped two men bigger than him by 150% with minor damage in seconds as the security manager still struggled with the very first rogue fan. Hui grabbed your hand and quickly tugged you into the building before going back to the door to check on the situation. By that time the security team had gotten it under control and you noticed Manager Kim slipping past the chaos with so much as a second glance down the side of the crowd with a single security guard by his side.
After Hui was sure it was under control he turned towards you and checked you over. His hands started at your shoulders before running down your arms. He stopped at your hands and then just looked over your bottom half. No new scratches or bruises. He checked your face, turning it left and right, up and down just till he was satisfied that you were really okay.
“Thank you.” You mumbled, your heart in your throat.
“No problem, it’s what I’m here for, to protect you.” Hui let out a breathy laugh and released you to run his hand through his hair. “We’ll be sneaking you out the back, we’re not doing that again.”
“Okay.” You nodded, not in the mood to argue.You two caught your breath as Manager Kim sought out Kang Hyunggu and his manager to figure out what the plan way. You took a swig from your bottle of water and looked around the lobby. You looked over Hui who was off to the side watching the room but he locked eyes when he noticed you move. He gave you a tiny smirk before the moment was interrupt by your manager.
“He’s been warming up in the dance studio, let’s get you introduced then.” Hui followed you as you followed your manager to meet the spunky amateur choreographer who stole the country’s heart.
---
Hui spent the next two and a half hours trying to ignore how touchy the choreo was for the special stage. He tried to ignore the way the kid named Hyunggu looked at you and how he so casually called you Noona. Hyunggu made you to laugh and smile the whole time. He worked with you every step of the way, helped you get your body in the right position with gentle touches. Encouraged you when your messed up and praised your successful moves.
Hui liked the kid, he was talented and too damn likable. Hui, however, did not like how quickly the kid took to you. Alone, Hui could have adopted Hyunggu because he was a little ball of energy, but with you, Hui wanted to break his hands so he could touch you again. As Hui realized these thoughts were passing through his mind he had to physically shake them away. He was your coworker, you both worked for the same company. You two hadn’t known each other for very long either. These feelings Hui had, the way his body and mind were acting was ridiculous and he knew it was. Yet he couldn’t stop them. He watched Hyunggu mutter a joke he couldn’t hear and watched you laugh so hard you covered your face and held onto his shoulder to steady yourself. He didn’t know how the next few days would go or even the next few months, but he did know that whatever feelings he had for you would continue to grow. And at the moment he was working out how he was going to continue like things were normal and he was okay, when in reality he felt constantly nauseous and annoyed at every other guy who got too close to you.
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