CHAPTER 202: CHAPTER 201. AS A LOVER

Sarah woke up feeling more disoriented than ever, almost as much as the time she woke up after getting drugged. The only difference was that she woke up with Hajin this time.

Which was not supposed to be.

After sufficiently punishing and rewarding Hajin simultaneously, they moved from the treatment room to a regular patient room. Unlike the outside, the patient room looked more like a hotel room with medical equipment—mildly comfortable, at least. There were even rooms with two beds: one for the patient and another for the guardian, which Sarah and Hajin took.

Hajin was grumbling, but Sarah didn’t think it was reasonable to sleep together when he was still connected to a blood pack and had a stitched hole in his stomach. Sure, the bullet miraculously missed his organ, but it wasn’t like his wound was magically cured by the doctor. He couldn’t very well lie on his side to spoon Sarah as usual, and Sarah worried about accidentally hitting the wounded area when she was tossing and turning in her sleep because of her nightmare.

And she knew she would have one after seeing the world turn red with that gun sound.

But why--why did she find Hajin in her bed when she woke up?

Squinting her eyes, Sarah looked around the room to make sure that she was, indeed, still lying down on the guardian’s bed. But somehow, Hajin had slipped into her bed after the nurse got rid of his transfusion. Surprisingly, he was still reasonable enough to lie on the side that didn’t get shot.

"When did he get here?" Sarah grumbled while pulling herself to sit and lean against the headboard.

She looked at the sleeping man, whose hand was reaching up to hug her waist in reflex. Sarah couldn’t help but poke his cheek in amusement, even though he probably needed mere sleep to recover.

It was so hectic last night, but so quiet in the morning. But then again, she was the only one who acted like the world was ending or something--which felt embarrassing now that she had calmed down. Perhaps because the other was so calm and nonchalant, Sarah felt even more exhausted from the emotion she exerted, and fell asleep right away after making sure Hajin was asleep from the painkiller.

Still, the puppy found his way to her bed. "You’re a bad boy," Sarah poked his cheek again.

"But it’s been a while since I can hug you to sleep, Princess..." the puppy whined, still with closed eyes. "Don’t be so stingy when I’m hurt."

"Who tells you to get hurt?" Sarah pinched the cheek since the guy was awake anyway, and Hajin laughed while opening those beautiful grey eyes.

Amazingly bright and glowing despite the hole in his stomach. What a beast.

But, well...Sarah had been sleeping in her mother’s bedroom, so he was right about them not sleeping together in a while.

"When did you move here?" Sarah continued to poke her puppy’s cheek. "You’re not taking off the needle just to sleep with me, are you?"

"Of course, not; that tattoo guy did it after the bag was empty," Hajin rolled to his back, shifting his head to lie on Sarah’s thigh.

Like a habit, Sarah stroked the head on her lap, caressing the cheeks she had been poking and pinching. "You don’t need more? The blood..."

"They said it’s enough, or I might get too energetic," Hajin replied cheekily, nuzzling into the caressing hand. It was always nice when his princess spoiled him like this, even though he didn’t like the fact that it was likely derived from guilt. "I’ve told you it’s nothing; not my first rodeo. If anything, getting shot in the middle of a city is better."

The hand on Hajin’s jaw stiffened for a second, before grabbing his chin and tilting it. "What the hell, puppy?"

"I mean, it’s close to medical facilities," Hajin chuckled. "I once got shot in the middle of a desert, and it was a pain to keep the sand out of the wound."

Sarah let go of the man’s jaw and bit the inside of her cheek. She realized, at that moment, that she didn’t know what Hajin had been doing while she was in the States. She knew Hajin was in Aegis, but she never thought of asking him more about it.

Had she been to wrap up with herself?

"What...exactly did you do in Aegis?" Sarah asked, feeling guilty about the disinterest she had of her lover’s past.

"Hmm? Well...it was only simple bodyguard work at the start. It was only after I moved to RED that the ’mission’ started to get harder," Hajin crossed his arms while reminiscing.

"Aegis’s special forces?"

"Yeah," he stroked his lips as he recalled his past mission. It had been only half a year since he left the company, but his short time with Sarah pretty much overshadowed everything. "The client is the Big Boss, after all; things like sneaking into some secret labs, guarding important materials...oh, there was a time when I was sent to scout a material location in an uninhabited land. I learned that wild beasts are truly a force of nature there."

Sarah raised her brows. "Even though you have guns?"

"Some are too fast for the bullet to land, and some had thick hide that a low-caliber firearm wouldn’t do much," Hajin shrugged. "Well, those were fun, exciting times in their own way."

Sarah suddenly recalled how she thought Hajin was moving like a leopard in the mansion. Did he get inspired by those wild beasts or something? She lightly pinched both of his cheeks, squeezing them. "You...were made for that kind of thing, huh?"

"I guess," Hajin laughed softly. He never learned much in his youth anyway, just martial arts and street fighting. He learned everything else after moving to this country, fattening his resume to appeal to Sarah.

"Do you want to go back?" Sarah asked. "Doing those kinds of...mission, again?"

Hajin looked up, staring at the eyes behind the lengthy bang. He pulled himself up and parted the black hair, tucking some behind her ears so he could see her expression better. Hajin wondered if Sarah even knew what she looked like at that moment.

"Would you like me to?" he asked.

Sarah frowned. "I’m asking you."

"And I’m asking you," Hajin provoked, before adding with a cheeky smirk. "In the first place, I joined Aegis in exchange for information about your well-being and position."

Sarah blinked, blushed, and then narrowed her eyes."Stalker."

"Guess I am," Hajin chuckled against her cheek, kissing it lightly. "So?"

Sarah stared at the man who looked like nothing serious had happened to his body, recalling how relaxed he was during the whole thing. She recalled how easy it was for Hajin to face a whole mansion full of gangsters--even if most of them were drunk and high. This incident--him getting shot--was also simply because an additional man came through a hidden path.

Who would have thought a mere gang possessed that many firearms anyway? Where was the usual baseball bat and crowbar?

Sarah had to admit that Hajin knew what he was doing; he had the competence and the countenance of an elite force. Yonghwa did not hide his desire for Hajin’s skill, so he could always return to Aegis if he wanted.

But...

"No," Sarah said quietly, fiddling with the black jewel and J pendant in front of her eyes; eyes that had seen the world turn red with the trickles of Hajin’s blood. "I don’t care how strong you are, I don’t like you getting hurt."

Hajin arched his brow and curled his lips. "Oh, you finally know how I feel."

"Hey," Sarah slapped the cheeky guy’s shoulder, who made an obviously fake pained sound.

"I’m a patient," Hajin pursed his lips.

"You said you were fine," Sarah rolled her eyes.

Hajin laughed softly. "Indulge me a bit, Princess."

"I’m serious, Ryu Hajin!" Sarah grasped Hajin’s face, glaring at him with shaking eyes. "I can’t afford to lose you now," she said in a trembling hiss, almost as if suffocated. "Ever."

Not because she needed him to help her revenge, but because she needed him as a partner; as a lover. If she had to lose him like she lost her mother, especially while doing something for her...

Sarah was sure she would lose herself too.

Hajin smiled and leaned forward, pressing their forehead together. "So do I, Lee Seul-ah."

Sarah widened her eyes slightly, before pressing her lips on the bodyguard’s a second later. A kiss that was neither harsh nor soft, but full of passion. A kiss one would give their lover after a life-and-death situation. Wasn’t it what had just happened, anyway? Forgetting about the wounded stomach, Hajin held Sarah’s waist and leaned toward her, almost pushing her to the mattress again.

And she might let him; she was so close to pulling him down herself, letting her heart take control instead of her rationality.

"Breakfast is here!"

That was the case anyway, before the door opened energetically by a pair of caffeine-powered twins. Sua’s raised arms froze in the air as her eyes caught the couple on the bed.

"Oops?"