Jae Woo wasted no time getting back to his dorm room and getting ready for work. He showered and dressed in his uniform of black slacks and a white button-up, leaving the top two buttons undone to reveal a sliver of smooth skin stretched over the muscle beneath. He had no major aspirations for being particularly muscular, but he insisted on keeping himself in shape, no matter how packed his schedule became. He switched his glasses for contacts and swept his hair away from his face as he dried it. Unlike his harmless appearance at school, Jae Woo looked handsome in his recreational skin. He didn't have a performance tonight, but he was working at one of the bars that he frequently sang at. It was fine if the party-goers recognized him as Jay- it usually gave him better tips.

Since traffic was exceptionally bad today, Jae decided to walk to work. It was close enough to the university that he would get there before his shift began, thanks to wrapping up his homework early. With a small bag slung around his torso, he made his way through pedestrians and headed toward the bar. He didn't make it very far before his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"What the hell?" Hyung Won berated him in lieu of a greeting. "Why did you take off like that? It was so awkward after you left!"

Jae Woo held the phone a few inches away from his ear at his friend's shrill tone. "I wasn't about to give her my number," He said, weaving through a group of giggling college girls. They still carried their school bags and they turned to look over their shoulders after he passed by. "I have no interest in her. I hope you told her as much."

Hyung Won sighed loudly in bemusement. "Why? Is she not your type?" He paused and lowered his voice. "Or would you prefer a guy right now?"

Jae Woo clicked his tongue in annoyance. He knew that Hyung Won wasn't just teasing him for his sexual preferences, judging from his tone and the respectful whisper. What annoyed him was the insinuation that he should be looking for a partner at a time like this. "Like I said, I just don't have the time for dating now. Why should I have to explain that to a shallow girl like Min Seo? She's clearly faking her personality, anyway."

Hyung Won grew even more agitated. Even if he hadn't had a crush on Min Seo previously, Jae Woo's attitude was particularly bad toward her. It wasn't hard to see that she was trying especially hard to act sweet around Jae Woo, but that didn't mean she was a bad person. "Who cares? She's cute!" He argued. "You could do much worse is all I'm saying."

Jae Woo didn't respond. There was no point in arguing with Hyung Won when he was this agitated. It was hard enough to reason with him when he was in a good mood because of his thick-headed personality. He was about to disconnect the call when Hyung Won continued, apparently having utilized the lapse of silence to cool down a bit.

"Never mind, it's not my business. Are you heading to work? It sounds busy on the street."

Jae Woo glanced around at his surroundings. "Yeah, the nice weather created a lot of traffic."

"I'll stop by later, then. I want to talk with Moon Noona before closing, so I'll go home with you tonight."

Jae Woo made a confirming noise in his throat. "Mn. Do your assignment first. It's due on Friday." He hung up.

Since he had some extra time, Jae Woo decided to avoid some of the traffic by taking a shortcut down some residential side streets. Sometimes he liked to imagine being able to buy one of the nice condominiums for his mom and grandmother, even going as far as to give them a nice SUV in their driveway. In his mind, he liked to give them everything they deserved. For now, all he could do was work until he graduated and then get a better job to help them out. With any luck, he should be able to retire them within ten years.

A barking dog broke Jae Woo from his thoughts. It had been distant for a few minutes, but it seemed like it was getting closer quickly. He turned over his shoulder to peer down one of the side streets he had just passed, waiting to see if he would have to intervene and find its owner if it escaped.

Jae Woo didn't have to wait long before a scream accompanied the barking, which had grown frenzied with excitement the closer it got. He took off toward the noise, rounding the corner of someone's yard and slipping on the asphalt. He picked himself up quickly, just in time to open his arms to accept the child that was barreling toward him.

Jae Woo scooped the boy up and held him close to his body, kicking at the dog that was hot on his heels. If he had waited just a moment longer, the child would have been overtaken by the snapping dog. Seeing that it would have to fight Jae Woo to get to the boy, the dog gave his heels a few snaps before giving up and turning back the way it had come, stopping to sniff along as it went tail wagging. It clearly wasn't vicious, just excited to chase something that would run from it.

Jae Woo set the boy down and crouched in front of him, holding him at arm's length to examine his condition. Luckily, he seemed alright aside from scraped knees and palms. "Are you okay?" He asked, straightening the boy's clothes. He wanted to go after the dog to make sure it got home, but this kid was more important.

The child couldn't have been older than seven and was plenty old enough to walk home from school on his own. He was wearing the uniform of a prestigious private school, though he didn't have a book bag with him. If he had to guess, Jae Woo assumed that the boy had lost it while trying to fend off the enthusiastic dog.

"Big Bro..." The child sniffled, tears welling in his wide eyes. Now that he wasn't in danger, his emotions seemed to overwhelm him quickly and he started sobbing, jumping into Jae Woo's arms again.

Jae Woo allowed him to cry for a moment, patting his back to comfort him. "You're alright, nothing is going to hurt you anymore," He said gently. "Did he get you anywhere? Are you hurt?"

The boy pulled away enough to show him the bleeding scrapes on his knees and hands. "I fell," He hiccuped, his large eyes brimming over with more tears. "It hurts."

Jae Woo patted his head. "I see, it looks painful. You're so brave for fighting him off! So brave. Were you walking home alone?"

The boy's lip trembled and he shook his head. "I was waiting for a ride, but someone tried to kidnap me! I started running and that dog chased me! Daddy's gonna be so mad at me..." At the revelation, the boy began to sob again.

Jae Woo frowned and looked down the road. Someone tried to kidnap this kid in the middle of the day? It's so busy, too. Maybe he got spooked by a work van driving too slowly and mistook it for someone with bad intentions. Whatever it was that made him run, there was no sign of anyone chasing him now.

"Do you know how to get home?" Jae Woo asked hopefully, glancing at his watch. He still had a bit of time left, but he had to use it wisely. He reached to stroke the boy's back soothingly as he spoke, which seemed to help calm him down. "Or do you know your parents' numbers?"

The boy wiped the snot from his nose on the sleeve of his uniform. "No. I dropped my phone with my bag," He turned to point behind him, in the direction he came from. He was still crying but didn't seem as hysterical now. The boy had been shivering and swaying on his feet the whole time, looking like his knees might give out any second.

"Okay," Jae Woo nodded with conviction. "Let's go get it then. Can you walk with me?" He waited for the boy to shake his head 'no', then turned to offer his back. "That's fine, I can carry you. Just tell me where you dropped it."

The boy nodded bravely and climbed onto his back, whimpering as his scrapes brushed Jae Woo's shirt. "That way," He mumbled, pointing over Jae Woo's shoulder. He could feel the boy trembling against his back as he headed in that direction.

"What's your name?" Jae Woo asked as he walked, trying to keep him talking.

"Hyun Tae-Soo," He sounded more relaxed now and seemed to have calmed down. "Don't let the dog come back, okay?" He sniffled, gripping Jae Woo's shirt tightly.

"I'm Yang Jae Woo," He offered in return. "Are we close to your school, Tae-Soo?" The boy seemed to melt in his hands and even sounded sleepy. He must have run pretty far to be so exhausted, and now that his adrenaline was gone he must be feeling it.

He felt a nod against the back of his shoulder, but Tae-Soo must have been too sleepy to respond verbally. Jae Woo walked for a few more minutes before he was ready to give up searching for the lost pack. He was going to be late for work if he didn't turn back now, so he decided to head to the police station so they could help contact Tae-Soo's parents.

He had hardly turned around before footsteps began running toward him from behind. "Tae-Soo!" A male voice called as they approached. "Hyun Tae-Soo!"

Jae Woo turned to face the newcomer, feeling relieved that he could hand the boy over to his father without further involvement. He opened his mouth to say as much but quickly retracted his smile at the man's appearance.

"Goodness, you found him! Is he okay?" The man was dressed in a tailored three-piece suit but was missing his jacket. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair disheveled, but what brought Jae Woo pause were his bloodied knuckles and the matching splatters on his face. He had clearly been in a fight with someone and still held a gleam in his eyes from the rush of it. He rushed to take the boy but Jae Woo took a purposeful step back, grip tightening on his legs.

Jae Woo instinctively backed away, prepared to flee if necessary. He was fast, but with the weight of the boy added to him, he knew the odds of outrunning the physically fit man were slim. "What's your relationship to him?" Jae Woo asked clearly, making a point to show that he wasn't intimidated.

"I work for his family. No need to be so defensive," He laughed disarmingly and held up his hands to reveal a black leather bag. Aside from a scuff, the bag was new and clearly expensive. It was likely that there was a school I.D. inside, so the fact that this man knew the boy's name wasn't proof of their relationship. If he found the missing bag, there was no telling what information he had gotten a hold of, especially if there was a smartphone inside.

Seeing that Jae Woo wasn't buying his kind act, the man dropped the phony smile. "I know, I must look crazy, but I really work for this kid's dad. Just give him to me and go about your day," There was an edge to him now that the mask was removed. He clearly knew how to fight, judging from his posture and stance. His eyes were sharp, like an eagle sizing up its prey. It was obvious that this man wasn't intending to leave without the boy.

Jae Woo sighed and turned to try and see Tae-Soo's face, but his cheek was squished against his shoulder, making it hard to see if his eyes were open or closed. "Are you asleep?" He asked, giving a small bounce to try and wake him. "Do you know this guy?"

Tae-Soo moaned at the disturbance. "I wanna go home..." He murmured in his sleep, still sounding on the verge of tears again. The kid's grip was still tight on Jae Woo's arms, clearly unwilling to let him go. "Protect me, Big Bro..."

Jae Woo sighed again and adjusted the boy in his arms. They were getting tired, slowly but surely, and he didn't know how much longer he could hold him up like this. "He said someone tried to kidnap him. You can't expect me to just hand him over without proof that he knows you," He spoke calmly and leveled the man with his gaze. "I'm taking him to the police station, where his guardians can pick him up."

The man's brow twitched at the mention of the police and he laughed with disbelief. "I don't have time for this!" He dropped the bag and took a few aggressive paces forward, jabbing a hand toward Jae Woo's chest. "Give him up. Now."

Jae Woo was experienced enough to guess where this was heading, and he didn't want any harm to come to the boy in his care. The man stretched his arm out toward Tae-Soo, clearly meaning to forcibly take him.

Jae Woo held Tae-Soo tightly and took a pace back before delivering a quick, powerful kick to the man's jaw, taking him off guard with the flexibility needed for such a maneuver. The man stood unsteadily for just a moment before his body crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Miraculously, Tae-Soo stayed asleep. Jae Woo marveled quietly about how tired he must have been to sleep so soundly despite the ruckus and went to retrieve the designer bag from the ground. He would need it for the police to identify Tae-Soo and contact his family.

They made it to the nearest station right on time, and Jae Woo practically dropped Tae-Soo into an offer's arms. Jae Woo handed the sleeping boy over to the police as well as his bag, gave them his phone number and a recount of the events, and ran to work. He was sure to inform them of the scuffle with the strange man as well and told them where to find him in the back streets so they could collect and question him as needed.

No sooner had he begun weaving through the pedestrians did his phone ring. He answered it while running, flexing his fingers to try and stretch his cramping arm muscles.

"I know, I'll be there in five minutes. It's a long story..." He trailed off as a sleek, blacked-out Range Rover pulled in front of the station. He wanted to see who came out of it, but it was clear enough that whoever the boy's family was, he was well off.

It wasn't his place to worry about Tae-Soo anymore, though, so Jae Woo passed by without looking back.