Chapter 55 - Her Instinct [2]

That's when, she felt a hand against her mouth and nose, preventing her from inhaling in any of that, and as a tear dripped down her eyes, she found herself being pulled. Raising her head, she took a look at the man protecting her; it was the same man that had saved her previously as well. In her half conscious state, Moon Jiwoo found herself being hurriedly pulled to the lower part of the hotel, and the further she was taken away from the fire, the better she felt. Moon Jiwoo was soon taken out from that hotel room, and the blaring sounds of the firetrucks reached into her ears. Her complete consciousness was gradually returning to her. She was soon brought further away from that fire, and even though the slight burning smell wafted into the air, it was better than before. The man stood beside her behind a tree, and as he released his hand from around her mouth, he disappeared into the thin air before she was able to say something. The breath she was holding in left her mouth, and she found herself wondering about the strange man. After that, she put her mind into what happened today, and her actions seemed more or less confusing to her. Even though her job was to protect Sookyung, whatever happened today was foolish and dangerous for her as well. She mumbled, "Moon Jiwoo, have you finally lost it? Why the hell would you even run into that fire to save that damned guy? You truly had become muddled! Don't you know how dangerous fire is for you! You would have been done for if it was not for that man saving you!" Moon Jiwoo was well aware of how detrimental heat or fire was for those from Red Clan; it had worse affect than it had on those from Yellow Clan. After some coughs had escaped from her mouth and she managed to compose herself completely, she decided to take a walk back at the hotel in order to check whether or not he was live. "Moon Jiwoo, you were too reckless this time around! Your instinct to save the prince might cloud your judgement at times, but despite that, you still need to be careful!" 'Cloud my judgement? Instinct? Are you actually saying that I will be risking myself again like this to save that guy not because I want to, but because this is my instinct?' "You can word it out like that. Since you are the chosen one, it is more or less your responsibility to save the Prince with your life, and today, you acted upon that instinct. Although that instinct of yours is strong, you need to smarter and more tactful!" Minnie vocalised. Walking over to the road, Moon Jiwoo halted in her steps and clenched her hand to form a tight fist.  'So, I will be continuing to risk my life like that to save him? There is no ȧssurance that I will be surviving after this, right? Since this makes my thoughts all muddled up, I don't want to continue this job anymore. Does anything else matter if I die?' It was none of Moon Jiwoo's business whether or not her actions were selfish. Although she was brought here and given another chance to protect Oh Sookyung, currently, her priority was to save herself.  The danger of this situation of hers was something she had become aware of after the incident today. This was a near death for her, and there would certainly be repetitions of it if she stayed close to Oh Sookyung. Death brought fear within her like many, and she was desperate to keep on living. For a man she bȧrėly knew, she was not willing to throw away her life. She was not some loyal servant under Oh Sookyung. Before Minnie was able to say something, Moon Jiwoo felt a palm on top of her shoulder, and as creases appeared between both of her eyebrows, she turned her back to see who it was. Oh Sookyung stood behind her while a small smirk sat on his face. He was the last person she wanted to see in this moment, and seeing that he was perfectly alright brought both relief and anger within her. The conflicting feelings within her managed to confuse her. That's when, a thought crossed her mind. What if she killed her at that moment? Then, there would be no need for her to risk her life for him. As much as tempting the offer was, she brushed it away from her mind; getting rid of the evidences of a murder was too difficult. She did not want to spend rest of her life behind the bars if she was caught. "It seems that you went inside that fire. Was that for me?" he spoke out, extending his hand towards her, and wiping away the dark dust from her mouth. The teasing tone in his voice aggravated her further. She should not have held any expectations towards a man like him; however, seeing how the man she nearly lost her life for reacted, she raised her hand to deliver a punch at him. However, before that fist of hers was able to come in contact with him, her punch was caught by him, and an amused expression formed on his face at her glare. "What's with that weak punch? I thought you were stronger than that!" he commented, "How are you supposed to protect me with such mediocre skills?" "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" she exclaimed, "JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP! Do you think I really want to be your protector? No, I don't want to, but I damned have to be it. I don't even want to lose my life for the likes of you, but it is apparently something I can't change.  No, I will change it; I will not foolishly die because of you. B-but today, I wasn't able to hold it in. My thoughts became all muddled, and I don't want that repeating. I don't want to protect you again!" It was not difficult for him to notice how the girl before him was trembling, and subconsciously, he found himself extending his hand towards her, pulling her into a tight hug. Moon Jiwoo appeared completely vulnerable before her, and this was the first time he had seen the girl be this way. It was as if something that terribly shocked her and frightened her. The girl did not respond to that hug neither did she try to pull away from it; Moon Jiwoo was completely still. Her heart squeezed painfully at the thought of dying like that, and suddenly, the future began to feel frightening to her. The fact that she had no control over her life had her shivering. "I don't know what has you trembling this way, but you do realize that you should not leave yourself vulnerable in front of a guy like me," he stated, "You don't know what I might do to you without your knowledge." Hearing those words of his, she moved back slightly and, raising her head, stared at his face. He gazed upon Jiwoo's face while amusement played on his face. "I suppose, you can look decent when you have that mouth of yours closed," he voiced out, bringing his face closer to hers. In that instant, Moon Jiwoo found herself thinking that Sookyung was someone attractive, and she found herself being caught in awe. As he brought his face closer to her, his warm breath fell on her face. What was about to happen suddenly woke up all of her nerves, and raising her head, she bumped her head against his face. As a sharp pain seared through her forehead, his hold on her body loosened. Taking that opportunity, she quickly jumped back from the man, and glaring at him, she exclaimed, "Stay away from me, You Pervert! You are gross!" The thought of kissing Oh Sookyung made shudders go through Moon Jiwoo's spine. Regardless of how attractive the man before her, she could not bear the thought of being kissed by him. A groan left his mouth as Sookyung rubbed his nose, and staring at Moon Jiwoo, who was standing defensively, he rolled his eyes. "What are you thinking about? I am not even interested in someone as flat as you," he spoke out, "Do you think you will be able to attract anyone with how you look? Tch! You are really narcissistic!" "Yah!" Jiwoo exclaimed while she moved forward. However, all of a sudden, she lost her balance and was about to fall back when Oh Sookyung grabbed on to her wrist and pulled her closer to him in order to prevent her from falling. Then, leaning closer to her ear, he whispered, "Is this your method of seducing me? So cliché and boring." He softly bit into her ear at that, and at that, heat rose up her face. Raising her hand, she pushed the man away from her while holding her ear. While Sookyung stumbled backward, Jiwoo stated, "You creep! Get away from me!"