Twisted Games(Ryeji ver)

YEJI[CHAPTER 9]

SOMETHING CHANGED THE NIGHT OF MY GRADUATION. PERHAPS IT WAS
the shared trauma, or the fact Ryujin had voluntarily opened
up to me about her past, but the longstanding antagonism
between us transformed into something else-something
that kept me awake late at night and drove the butterflies in
my stomach nuts.

It wasn't a crush, exactly. More like attraction paired
with...curiosity? Fascination? Whatever it was, it put me on
edge, because on the list of the worst ideas I could have,
sneaking out and getting kidnapped was number two.
Developing non-platonic feelings for my bodyguard was
number one.

Luckily, my schedule in New York kept me so busy I
barely had time to breathe, much less indulge in
inappropriate fantasies.

Ryujin and I moved to Manhattan three days after
graduation, and the following summer was a whirlwind of
charity board meetings, social functions, and house hunting.
By the time August rolled around, I'd signed the lease on
a beautiful Greenwich Village townhouse, worn down two
pairs of heels from trekking through the city, and met
everyone on the social circuit, some of whom I wished I
hadn't met.
"It's slipping." Ryujin scanned the surrounding crowd.
We were at the opening for a new Upper East Side exhibit
celebrating Eldorran artists, which normally wouldn't be a
big deal, but the guest list included action movie star Lee Sung-Hee and the paparazzi were out in full force.

"What?" I said through my smile as I posed for the
cameras. The appearances got tiresome after a while. There
was only so much smiling, waving, and small talk a girl
could stand before she keeled over from boredom, but they
were part of my job, so I grinned and bore it. Literally.

"Your smile. It's slipping."
She was right. I hadn't even noticed.
I re-upped the wattage of my smile and tried not to yawn.
God, I can't wait till I'm home. I still had a luncheon, two
interviews, a board meeting for the New York Animal Rescue
Foundation, and a couple of errands to run, but after that...
PJs and sweet sleep.

I didn't hate my job, but I wished I could do something
more meaningful than be a walking, talking mannequin.
And so it went. Day after day, month after month of the
same thing. Fall turned into winter, then into spring and
summer, then fall again.

Ryujin stood next to me through it all, stern and grumpy as
always, but she'd dialed down the overbearing attitude. For
her, anyway. Compared to a normal person, she was still
overprotective to the point of neuroticism.

I loved and hated the shift in equal measure. Loved it
because I had more freedom, hated it because I could no
longer use my irritation as a shield against whatever was
crackling between us.

And there was a thing. I just wasn't sure whether I was
the only one who saw it, or if she did too.
I didn't ask. It was safer that way.

"Do you ever think about doing anything except
bodyguarding?" I asked on a rare night in. For once, I had no
plans other than a date with the TV and ice cream, and I
loved it.

It was September, almost two years since Ryujin and I first
met and over a year since I moved to New York. I'd gone full
out with the seasonal decorations, including a fall wreath
over the fireplace, earth-toned cushions and blankets, and a
mini pumpkin centerpiece for the coffee table.

Ryujin and I were watching a screwball comedy that'd
popped up in my Netflix recommendations. She sat ramrod
straight, fully dressed in her work outfit while I was curled
up with my feet on the sofa and a pint of ice cream in my
hand.

"Bodyguarding?"

"It's a word," I said. "If it's not, I'm declaring it one by
royal decree."She smirked.