A little red envelope was waiting on the dining table one morning when Laura came down stairs. Ji Hoon, who was already seated at the table drinking his coffee, pointed it out to her.

"It looks like you have mail."

"Mail? For me?" Laura asked in confusion. As far as she knew, there was no one who would write to her - her mom could just video chat her any time of the day or night if she wanted.

"It's an invitation, if I had to take a guess." Ji Hoon said. With furrowed brows, Laura opened the envelope. It was, as Ji Hoon guessed, an invitation to see the New York philharmonic orchestra.

"Oh." She said in recognition. "I've been wanting to go for so long..."

"What is it?"

"Tickets to a concert." She said, holding them up. "I wonder who sent them..." Ji Hoon got a text on his phone and read it.

Mr. Talavera sent tickets to a concert tonight. Miss Talavera will likely go and you're the escort.

"Daebak." Ji Hoon muttered, mildly impressed by Andrew's timing as he replied to Laura's question with such coincidental time. He looked up at her.

"Your stepfather sent them. And I'll be your date for tonight." He said.

"Oh, er..." Laura felt hesitant. Going to a concert alone with her bodyguard didn't seem right - it was almost like a date...

"You are going, right?" Ji Hoon asked, seeing the doubt in her face.

"Yes, of course." Laura replied. She couldn't miss this even if she had to go with a bodyguard instead of a boyfriend. She had been looking forward to the concert for months and it had been so hard to get tickets. She had to remember to thank her stepfather later. She turned to Ji Hoon.

"Quick question, do you have a tux?"

David Geffen Hall, the iconic venue for the famed philharmonics, was packed to capacity as well dressed crowds swarmed in to take their seats for the concert. Laura filed in as well, dressed in a simple navy blue formal gown, befitting the extravagant event. Beside her, Ji Hoon followed, taking long but slow strides to keep up with her smaller steps. He looked heartbreakingly incredible in the glossy black tux, but the look of distaste which he made little effort to hide marred his otherwise perfect appearance. The reason for this distaste was his unfamiliarity with such posh superficial settings for the only concerts he had been to were the ones with bass guitars and drums played by tattooed and pierced artists.

"Where are you going?" Laura asked as she saw Ji Hoon trail off towards the main entrance into the hall.

"Inside?" He replied, confused. She smiled.

"We have prime seats in our own box up there." She said, pointing to the upper floors. Ji Hoon turned back and followed her.

"Oh, great." He said impassively. Laura felt amused.

"Do you not like concerts?" She asked.

"Not exactly." He said evasively.

"You don't seem too thrilled to be here."

"I'm on duty so it doesn't matter whether I'm thrilled or not."

"O-kay then." Laura said, a little stung by his cool manner. Sure, he was keeping his distance for her benefit since he promised not to invade her space any more than he could help, but still, a little socialization wouldn't hurt.

"Oh no, he's here." Laura flinched on seeing Luke Wetmore accompanied by an elderly woman nearby. Ji Hoon immediately stiffened and put himself a little in front of her.

"Just in case -" He began and wrapped his arm around her waist. She sucked in a breath, unused to the intimate gesture.

"Play along." He whispered in her ear. Luke spotted them and although his expression soured on seeing Ji Hoon, he didn't turn away.

"Laura. A surprise seeing you here." Luke said as he approached them.

"Miss Talavera?" The woman beside him asked.

"Yes. Mother, this is Laura Talavera." Luke said. Laura inclined her head politely to the lady.

"My, you are as beautiful as my son described." She said with an indulgent look. Ji Hoon thought she looked like a frog who just swallowed a fly.

"Ahem, yes, well, mother, we should take our seats. Will you be joining us, Laura? We have our own box and all..." Luke asked, glancing keenly at Laura.

"I'm terribly sorry but we must turn down the offer, our seats have been reserved for us already." Ji Hoon said with a smile that was too perfect to be true. Laura knew he was faking it but he did it so convincingly that she smiled, impressed.

"Oh, and who are you, young man?" Mrs. Wetmore asked.

"Permit me to introduce myself - Ji Hoon Kim, Laura's boyfriend." He said with a little bow. Mrs. Wetmore's eyes widened and she made a little choking noise in her throat.

"What?! Boyfriend?! But Luke darling, you told me -"

"Later mother, we can discuss it later." Luke cut her off hurriedly, clearly irritated that the subject was brought up. They walked away and Laura could hear Mrs. Wetmore still spluttering in shock. She giggled.

"Good show." She said to Ji Hoon. He turned to her with a genuine smile.

"He's still looking. Do forgive me for what I'm about to do next." He said before leaning down to her and placing a delicate kiss on her cheek. Luke smacked into the entrance door as he didn't see where he was going, his eyes still being fixed on the show Ji Hoon put on and he had to apologize to his mother for lagging behind. Ji Hoon pulled back.

"That should upset his evening." He said, grinning. Laura stared at him. She had been caught completely off guard by that and felt warmth tinge her cheeks. Her breath also sped up, surprising her. Why was she reacting like this? This sort of reaction was for high school teenagers, not grown young women. Had her lack of a love life rendered her so green in the field of romance that a simple kiss made her blush?

"Nice digs." Ji Hoon said as they entered the box. They were quite high up and quite alone as Laura's stepfather bought them private seats.

"Not quite the word I'd use but - hey, what are you doing?" Laura asked, seeing him examine every corner of the box.

"Just a security check." He mumbled. "All clear." Laura smiled.

"Thanks to you, I can trust that I won't end up like Lincoln." She joked. Ji Hoon frowned.

"Don't even joke about something like that." he said sharply. Laura deflated.

"Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood..." She sat subdued in her seat, not wanting to press any more conversation. She sighed. Her bodyguard had to take his job too seriously; as commending as that was, he made for poor company.

The heavy velvet curtains rose and the opening bars of 'Appalachian Spring' filled the air. Twenty minutes into the concert, Laura heard Ji Hoon stifle a yawn. She sighed.

"Are you bored already? There are like two hours more of this to go," She said.

"No, no, I'm fine. It's very - enjoyable." He said, hoping he sounded more enthusiastic than he felt. Laura hid a little smile.

"Why don't you take a nap? I'll wake you during the intermission." She said. Ji Hoon hesitated. A nap did sound appealing right now - but he was on the clock and couldn't afford to sleep.

"Nobody is going to shoot me from here," Laura said, guessing his thoughts, "And I won't tell Andrew." he smiled.

"Thanks." He said and settled more comfortably in his chair. He dozed off quickly and Laura watched his slow, even breathing, more fascinated by it's tempo than the engaging symphony in front of her.

"Even bodyguards need to rest." She said softly. His head lolled to the side for lack of support and hung uncomfortably on his shoulder. Laura reached out and ever so gently tilted his head onto her shoulder. Unconsciously sensing comfort, Ji Hoon snuggled down and went back to sleep. Laura left him there, not daring to shift for fear of disturbing him.

"One hour and fifteen minutes to go." She mumbled.

When the intermission finally came, Ji Hoon woke up feeling disoriented. He bolted up straight when he realized he had fallen asleep on Laura's shoulder.

"Hey, sunshine." Laura said playfully. He checked his watch.

"I was asleep for forty five minutes?" He said half to himself. He stood up, stretched himself and yawned.

"Did you have a good nap?" She asked, leaning over the armrest as she looked up at him. He cleared his throat.

"Yeah, um, I'm gonna go get myself a coffee. Do you want anything?" He asked.

"No, thanks." Laura said, feeling like he wanted to avoid her.

"Okay. I'll be back soon, don't move." He said, flapping his hands in a 'stay' position.

"Aish, I can't believe I fell asleep on her shoulder, she must have been so uncomfortable..." He grumbled to himself as he made his way through the bright hallway towards the cafe. As he stood in line for a coffee, Luke came up.

"You again." he snarled at Ji Hoon. He smiled.

"Yes, me. You don't seem pleased to see me." He taunted in the politetest tone. Luke jabbed his finger at him.

"Mark my words, you bastard, I'll get Laura away from you one way or another." He said in a low growl. Ji Hoon grabbed his finger and bent it backwards making him wince.

"Ah, argh!" He pulled away, cradling his finger.

"You get that finger anywhere near my Laura and you might lose it for good." Ji Hoon said with that same impertinent smile. Luke stalked away muttering profanities under his breath. Ji Hoon watched him furtively, making sure he didn't head for Laura's box. He saw him turn off and go downstairs and exhaled in relief.

"Maybe he's not a suspect after all, he's such a wuss..."

Ji Hoon drank his coffee, threw away the cup and returned to the box.

"I'm back -" The box was empty. He scrambled back out.

"Aish, where did she go? Urgh, Laura, I told you to stay put!" He ran through the hall which was fairly crowded as people ambled about, stretching their legs during the intermission. His eyes darted around, searching for the short brown haired figure in navy blue.

"Come on, come on..." he raced to the ladies' room, pausing outside. No one was about.

"Laura! Laura, are you here?" He called out through the door. The door opened and Laura stepped out. Ji Hoon heaved a huge sigh of relief and leaned against the wall.

"Ji Hoon, what are you doing here?" Laura asked. His expression became stern.

"I asked you not to leave! Why didn't you stay put? I got so worried! What if something had to happen to you and I wasn't around?!" Laura felt indignant.

"I just went to the bathroom! Nothing happened, okay? You don't need to get so freaked out about it."

"You don't get it! Your life is in danger!" He lowered his voice so people wouldn't hear but it was still brimming with anger. "You can't just walk out wherever you want, it's not safe! I'm responsible for you and I'd appreciate it if you cooperated with me!" Tears bubbled in Laura's eyes.

"Forget it, I can't take this anymore." She said and turned, walking away. Ji Hoon followed her immediately.

"Laura, Laura, wait!" She didn't stop but headed right out into the chill night air. She shivered in her sleeveless gown since she didn't have a coat - she had left it in the cloak room at the reception. Ji Hoon caught up with her and held her arm.

"Laura..."

"Please, I need a minute alone, okay?" She cried. He let go of her on seeing her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get mad at you like that." He said more gently. She turned her face away from him, embarrassed to be seen crying. He saw her shivering; he took off his coat and wrapped her shoulders with it.

"I understand, okay?" Laura said through her tears. "I get why you burst out like that. I just can't take it... I hate living like this, I don't want to be a target and having a bodyguard track my every step, it's suffocating!" Ji Hoon swallowed heavily. He knew exactly what it felt like, being a target, being tracked every step of the way, never being able to let your guard down... but he couldn't tell her that. Because that was the dark side of his life, the life he tried to leave behind. And even now, though he'd tried to move on, he was still tied to the past and couldn't be completely free from it.

"Laura..." he touched her shoulder. "I know it's hard. I know you want to run away from it all and just be free. But that's not an option at the moment. It's the one luxury you can't afford." Laura almost smiled at the irony of his words.

"Your life is important. And people are well aware of that. That's why you're a target. They're not going to leave until it's over."

"When will it be over?" Laura asked. Ji Hoon gazed steadily at her.

"When you're safe. I don't know when that moment will come, but you have to believe that it will. I need you to be patient. I'll be here to protect you until then." A little hope rose in Laura. Somehow, in his straightforward manner, he'd managed to comfort her. And it was childish to throw a tantrum when he was doing everything he could to protect her. She calmed down.

"Okay." She said. Ji Hoon patted her back.

"Good girl."

"Why do you treat me like a kid? I'm almost twenty two you know." She said, cheering up a little. Ji Hoon smiled.

"You're six years my junior." He stated. "It's only natural for me."

"Pft. Are you bragging about your age?"

"No, I'm evaluating yours. I think you're very mature for your age. I've met girls who act like spoiled children at your age."

"Really? Care to tell me more about these girls?" Laura asked mischievously. He laughed.

"You never miss a chance, do you?"

"Nope."

"I can see that... Do you wanna go back inside? The concert must've resumed."

"No, I don't feel like it anymore. Besides, it's obviously torture for you. Why don't we hit Starbucks for some cinnamon coffee cake instead?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Laura took his hand. "This date is not over yet anyway." Ji Hoon knew she was joking but he couldn't help smiling at the thought as they walked to the car together.