Six hours later, Andrew returned to the city with Ji Hoon. Ji Hoon looked out the car window through his sunglasses, studying the view outside. It was past sunset so the city was lit up with it's neon metropolitan lights, every building lit up and reflecting a luminescent glow on the window glass.

"Noisy, bright, polluted. Feels like Seoul." He said.

"Good then you should fit right in. Now I do have a list of rules for you. Number one, you'll need new clothes. You'll get fitted up with the equipment after that. Then a haircut... some manners in etiquette..."

"Excuse me?" Ji Hoon asked, turning to him with disbelief.

"Also keep the bad words to a minimum - that is, zero, and speak in English at all times when at the company. You can keep your extracurricular skills under wraps for now." Andrew continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"Tae Wook, what did you drag me into?" Ji Hoon asked with a look of disgusted horror.

"Oh yes, and only address me as Andrew when we're not alone." Ji Hoon leaned back, dropping his jaw.

"Do I at least get to eat what I want?" he asked.

"Of course. Unless Miss Laura decides to eat at a five star restaurant. That won't be too often, she's just as down to earth as you when it comes to food. She can look lobster in the face and say no."

"At least she's sensible." Ji Hoon muttered.

"We can stop for a pick-me-up before heading to the company. Mr. Talavera is expecting you tonight."

Nice to be in demand." Ji Hoon said with sarcasm. Andrew chuckled.

"Get used to it. you'll be working round the clock for the lady. When she sleeps you sleep. When she eats, you eat."

"It'll be hard for her to date anyone if that's the case." Ji Hoon said.

"She's not into dating so no fear of that. Although, she was supposed to go on a blind date tonight..." Andrew pulled out his phone to check for any messages.

"Nothing yet so it must be going well." He muttered to himself. The phone blared to life at that moment.

"Be careful what you say." Ji Hoon teased him. Andrew answered it immediately.

"Yes Mr. Talavera, I'm -" he paused and suddenly leaned forward.

"What? When? How?" he asked, sounding worried. Ji Hoon eyed his expression.

"She what?" Andrew's voice went hoarse. "What about Mr. Talavera? Is he -" he listened for a minute.

"Let doctor Gilford take him to the hospital if needed. I'll check on Miss Laura. Has Mrs. Hale been informed?" the panicky voice at the other end obviously replied negative.

"Alright, I'll inform her after seeing Miss Laura. Goodbye." He hung up and dialed another number.

"What's wrong? Where's the fire?" Ji Hoon asked. Andrew turned a pale face to him.

"Mr. Talavera collapsed. His blood pressure shot up. It's because of Laura..."

"What happened to her?" Ji Hoon asked, comprehending the serious turn Andrew's expression took.

"She's been in an accident. She's badly hurt..." Andrew paused with a sigh before going on.

"Looks like your job started a day early."

Orwell Springs hospital was packed on the lower floors. Nurses ran to and fro, doctors weaved between patient beds and wheelchairs tried to find the safest straightest path through it all. Andrew and Ji Hoon navigated through the crowd to the reception counter, Ji Hoon keeping his black cap low to hide his face partially.

"Miss Laura Talavera. She was admitted an hour ago." Andrew panted out to the receptionist.

"She's the VIP patient you called about right? Are you her guardian?" the woman asked. Andrew quickly pulled out his business card.

"I need to see her at once. I'm here on behalf of her father, Jason Talavera. Where is she?" he rattled out.

"She was in surgery an hour ago. She's been moved to the recovery room since then." The woman said passively.

"I asked to move her to a private room!" Andrew almost shouted in desperation, irritated with her unhelpful attitude. "Why can't this hospital get anything right?"

"Andrew, calm down, let me speak to her," Ji Hoon said. He pushed him aside, leaning enticingly on the desk with a come-hither smile on his face.

"Miss Inglewood," he said silkily, reading her name tag, "My friend here is desperate to see the patient. I'm sure you can understand."

"I do understand but my hands are tied," she replied apologetically. Ji Hoon reached out and laid a subtle hand on her shoulder, making her heart skip a beat.

"If you can do anything to help, I'll be sure to let Mr. Talavera know about it. An excellent employee such as yourself certainly deserves a word of acknowledgement," Ji Hoon said, giving her a heartfelt look of appreciation. The woman fluttered her eyelashes, a faint pink appearing on her cheeks.

"Oh, well, maybe there's something I can do." She quickly checked her computer and gave them the information.

"Yes, Miss Laura Talavera, moved to room six-nineteen, twenty minutes ago. It's on the sixth floor, the last door on the right," she said directly to Ji Hoon who smiled disarmingly at her.

"Thank you very much," he said with a faint bow and turned, pulling Andrew with him, leaving the woman all dreamy-eyed.

"Still a smooth operator, huh, having the women swoon at your feet," Andrew commented, but Ji Hoon shrugged.

"You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Was all he answered, and Andrew shook his head.

They took the lift up and practically sped down the corridor to the room. A nurse was standing outside the door reading a chart.

"Are you from room six-nineteen? How is the patient?" Andrew asked breathlessly.

"Miss Laura Talavera? She's been hospitalized for a car accident... several flesh wounds, a few broken ribs, concussion and blood loss. Her body went into shock after losing a lot of blood so she's in a coma. We've given her infusions and painkillers so far."

"No internal surgeries?" Andrew asked.

"No, the ER only cleaned up her glass cut wounds. I'll be back to check on the patient in an hour."

"That dumb receptionist... Thank you." Andrew said and walked past her into the room with Ji Hoon.

"Fancy. So this is what money feels like." Ji Hoon said, taking in the extravagant room. It was more of a suite, with expensive furniture and spacious surroundings. He finally laid eyes on the still figure laid on the patient bed, the small tubes of an oxygen pump running through her nose. She looked helpless and weak as she lay there almost lifeless, and Ji Hoon breathed heavily.

"I see why you wanted me so bad." He said to Andrew.

"Mr. Talavera will have a fit if he finds out. I can't tell him unless she wakes up." He said.

"She will. She looks like she's got some will power left. Give it a little time." Ji Hoon said, taking a seat near her bed.

"Yes... yes... time... I need to make some phone calls, can you wait here with her? It's not safe to leave her alone." Andrew said.

"That's what I'm paid for, isn't it? Don't worry, she'll be safe with me."

"Make sure you inspect every doctor or nurse that comes in. They might be a phony trying to harm her."

"Andrew, what do you take me for? Relax. Anybody try to hurt her any I'll toss them out the window." Ji Hoon said calmly. Andrew laughed nervously.

"Maybe you shouldn't go that far..." He said before exiting the room. Ji Hoon turned to Laura studying her sleeping countenance.

"Annyeong, Miss Laura. I'm Kim Ji Hoon, your new bodyguard."

It was cold. At least, Laura was shivering. But she also felt cold perspiration on her forehead. She tried to think. Where was she? She couldn't remember anything. All that came to her mind was a nightmare she had been having. There were flashing lights, screeching horns and then a dark figure had come out to attack her. She wanted to scream and grab something for defending herself. she instinctively flexed her fingers and was surprised to find a warm rather rough hand in hers. Was that part of the dream?

She slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding with pain. Her vision took a minute to focus and all she could see was the outline of a face. An oval shaped face, with dark hair falling all over the forehead. The face's eyes became clearer and she saw they were dark as shadows. And yet, the expression on the face was gentle, reassuring. And then she realized it was a stranger, staring right at her hovering a few inches above her.

"Hello there. Welcome back to the land of the living." The stranger said with a pleasant voice. Her eyes widened and she looked down at her hand. She gasped when she saw it was in his hand. He noticed her look down in confusion and explained.

"You were having a nightmare and calling for your mom. I held your hand hoping it would calm you down." Laura dropped her gaze. She felt embarrassed. Her hand was locked in a perfect stranger's and she had a nightmare in front of him.

"Who are you? And where am I?" she croaked. She was shocked her voice came out so bad and tried to clear her throat. She felt a sharp pain in her chest while doing so and cried out.

"Shh, relax, don't try to do that. You have a few broken ribs so that's gonna hurt." The stranger said.

"Broken ribs?! What happened?" she asked, panicking. The ECG machine that she was hooked up to beeped rhythmically faster and a nurse clothed in a pale green uniform came in.

"The patient is stressed, please refrain from stimulating her by talking." The nurse said. She quickly injected something into Laura's IV and went away. Laura felt sleepy again but forced herself to stay awake.

"Please, I want answers. How did I get here?" she asked the stranger. He breathed heavily.

"Look, you should let me do the talking. You've been through a lot and you're not supposed to move." He said.

"Fine, but can you at least raise the incline of this bed?" she asked. He got up and took a remote, adjusting the bed.

"Is that better?" he asked. She made a noise to affirm it. He sat back down.

"So I'm guessing you don't remember anything?" he asked.

"No..." Laura said. "Could you at least tell me who you are? I know you're not a nurse."

"My name is Ji Hoon; I'm your new bodyguard." He said straightforwardly.

"My - bodyguard?" Laura asked in surprise.

"Yes, now no more talking. You've had an accident and as you might have figured out, you're in a hospital. A swanky one." Ji Hoon said with a hint of a smile. "You've been asleep for a few hours. Your father's secretary brought me here last night after he heard about the accident. Now does that answer everything?"

"Um..." Laura processed everything slowly. She remembered what happened - she had left the Faye hotel in a cab but a truck crashed into her cab before she could get home. And now she was here, with a bodyguard? She didn't understand that part.

"Do I need to go over it again?" Ji Hoon asked softly.

"No, I got it but, where did you come from? Up until yesterday, I didn't have a bodyguard."

"Your father thinks you need one. And considering the shape you're in -" he eyed her broken form, "I'd say I agree."

"That's not - but I..." Laura sighed. She didn't have the energy to argue so she changed the subject.

"Are you sure you're a bodyguard? You don't look like it." she said, her words slurring a little as she observed his casual clothes. The sedative was threatening to overtake her. She saw him give a knowing smile.

"Why, am I too good looking?" he asked slyly. Laura felt a laugh bubble in her chest and smiled. He was funny. The effort to laugh caused pain in her chest and she moaned.

"I shouldn't have made you laugh, I'm sorry." He said quietly. He tucked the blanket more securely around her.

"How bad am I?" she whispered.

"You really want to know?" he asked, looking at her face. She nodded determinedly.

"I can take it." she said.

"I'll bet you can... a few broken ribs, some cuts and bruises and a concussion. I'm surprised you're awake at all, the doctor said you'd be out till tomorrow."

"I'm not as delicate as they think." Laura said quietly. Ji Hoon gazed straight into her eyes.

"I believe that." he said. Laura felt a warmth tingle through her heart. No one had ever taken her seriously before.

"What time is it?" she asked suddenly.

"Four in the morning. You should get some more sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up." He said.

"Right... because... you're my bodyguard..." she said drowsily. She heard his soft laugh before dozing off.

"Because I'm here to protect you... I'll keep you safe."