round about
dhwjunheeâ:
   her answer is entirely unexpected and catches him off guard, his eyes widening as his lips part to return a comment, but finding no words on his tongue. the words should be strange but instead, they sink into his heart, holding him there and reassuring him that heâs going to be okay. everything is going to be okay. the feeling is so strange and he finds himself looking sheepish instead of irritated by the words. youâre precious, her voice echoes, and he hesitates.Â
   the revelation that she had been asked to do so (surely by his parents, who else would be quite so overprotective?) should anger him, should frustrate him, but he knows that his parents only mean well. theyâre still worried, even though sixteen has come and gone with no incident. no maleficient, no curse, and he thinks that maybe heâll be okay. maybe maleficient wonât exist in his lifetime.Â
   âi donât need protection,â he says slowly, and he hesitates, âbut⊠if itâs you, i⊠i donât think i mind. i donât really know why â i donât even know your nameââ and right as he says that, she throws her arms around him, and his eyes widen, arms automatically coming up to hold onto her, just as tightly. instinct drives him to do so, and for some reason, it feels right. he doesnât know why it feels so right but it does. it feels like they were meant to know each other, that she was meant to protect him.Â
   âyou feel familiar,â junhee says helplessly, not sure how else to express the intense feelings heâs feeling around this girl he doesnât know at all. âwho are you?â
For a brief shining moment, the young woman registered her hug was being returned and it felt like some small, lost part of her had found its way home. Eyes slid shut, the corners of pert lips turning up in contentment. But, almost as quickly as instinct had taken over, Kya broke through it, aghast at such an invasion of the others personal space. She was supposed to be protecting, not harassing! And yetâŠ
Nope!
âWake up, Kyungah,â she mumbled, palms lightly slapping cheeks as she backed away from the warm embrace, trying to get a hold of herself. As accustomed as she was now to strange things happening, the ranger was dumbfounded by the whole interaction thus far. âWow, I am so sorry! I donât know what came over me. I justââ cutting herself off, the befuddled student shook her head once more. âYouâre just, special. I mean everyone is special, but like to me specifically?â Kyungah was prone to spells of making little sense, dreamy imaginings had a way of avoiding logic, but even to her own ears the words sounded absurd.
Fingers pressed against bang covered forehead while she stared at him. That thrumming in her heart picked up its pace, driving to some conclusion she just couldnât see. Who was she? Who was he??? âOh gosh, Iâm sorry my nameâs Kim Kyungah!â Folding into a polite bow, as she shouldâve done in the first place, soft smile resurfaced against her will. âI know who you are Song Junhee. At least, I think I do?â Hands knitted together before her, wringing in the awkward lull of reason. âDo we know each other? Iâm sorry, I just have such a headache all of a sudden.â









