It was the start of a new era. At least that’s how it felt for me. My days of following around whoever would have me were essentially over. In reality, my visits to the government started out rather brief, a lot like that first visit. I’d show up with Namjoon, sit awkwardly on the couch and answer a few benign questions. How I was doing, how Jungkook was doing, and every once in a while Mr. Jae would ask me about my life in America. The man was a breath of fresh air, if I was being totally honest. He treated me like a normal human being, unlike Chairman Rho who clearly saw me as some sort of asset to exploit, and Mr. Shin seemed to consider me some sort of pest to be exterminated. It wasn’t so bad, all things considered. Namjoon stayed quietly by my side, graciously accepting being treated like some companion animal, though I could see that Rho trusted him. By proxy, I could feel him starting to get comfortable with the idea of having me around. It was almost nice, at times, to just be able to sit on a nice couch in a temperature-controlled building, looking out a genuine glass window at the little town down below. If only the company wasn’t so vile.

“Alright then,” I had been shamelessly zoning out when the Chairman’s voice brought me back, causing me to blink to refocus my vision. As usual, I offered a small, demure smile to the Chairman, seated behind his dark mahogany desk. He wasn’t looking back at me, however, as he was taking inventory of the other members of his party. “I believe you gentlemen have work to do,” he dismissed them as he usually did. I moved to stand along with Namjoon, as I normally did. However, the Chairman cleared his throat loudly, “Ah,” he spoke so suddenly, I paused mid-stand, “Seoyeon. I think it’s about time we have a chat, hm?”

“Alone?” I blurted out, perhaps with a bit too much panic in my voice as I stood up straight, instinctively looking up at Namjoon, who was looking down at me, his dark eyes wide in his round face. At least he was attempting to look calm, but his normally plump lips were pressed into a hard line.

The Chairman laughed his wheezy cackle, “Of course, my dear.” Namjoon and I glanced at each other again, his forehead wrinkled from his raised eyebrows, as if he were asking me a silent question. Another laugh came from the rotund man behind the desk, “I appreciate the protectiveness Namjoon. Perhaps it really is for the best for you to stay in that wretched compound. Regardless,” he paused to look between us, “I won’t keep her long.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered quietly, giving him a little nod. I was ready. I knew eventually I would have to be alone with the man to discuss my purpose. Namjoon had made a promise that he’d be with me every step of the way, but at some point I realized that just wasn’t going to be possible forever.

Namjoon stared me down for another tense moment before he reluctantly looked away, giving a little bow to the Chairman, “Yes, sir.” He rested a large, heavy hand on my shoulder for a moment. I could feel the warmth through my shirt. Without meeting my eyes, I could feel his lingering hesitation before he stepped away, leaving my shoulder feeling cold with the lack of contact.

I stood awkwardly still as the three men left, the sound of the chrome elevator door thudding shut signaling that I was finally alone with Chairman Rho. My skin began to crawl with dread. This wasn’t exactly something I had been looking forward to. “Come. Sit,” the Chairman finally spoke, gesturing to one of the high-backed upholstered chairs across from his large leather one. Hesitantly I obliged him, sinking slowly into the disappointingly uncomfortable rigid chair. Once I was sufficiently settled, my hands resting on my crossed knees, I offered him another small smile, trying to hide my unease. “So what do you think?” the Chairman’s voice was airy and pensive, his wide, slightly saggy face twisted into a smug little smirk as he gestured to the bookshelf-lined walls, “Of my little collection here.”

I felt my brow twitch in mild surprise. “It’s quite impressive, sir,” I admitted. It was, truly. In my several visits, I had stolen glances around the room, catching glimpses of book titles in Korean, English, and languages I didn’t understand. “Can you,” I started, unsure of how delicate the subject might be, “Have you read all of these?”

He chuckled rather warmly, much to my surprise, “Heavens no. A large fraction of them, yes, but I doubt I’ll ever read all of them,” he trailed off, his voice a bit listless as he looked around. “Not to mention I can’t read the German ones,” he practically murmured under his breath before looking back at me. I supposed I shouldn’t have been surprised for a man of his position to know several languages.

“I think I’ve read a few,” I spoke again quietly, craning my neck to spot out some of the literature I had been assigned in high school. I was beginning to grow uncomfortable again, unsure of where this thread of conversation was going. He didn’t just invite me to stick around for some pleasantries and small talk, of that I was sure. Unfortunately, all I could do was play along.

Another tense moment passed, and I found myself picking at the seam of the velvet upholstery on the arm of my chair. “You’re wise to be frightened of me, Seoyeon,” Rho finally spoke, making my neck snap to look at him suddenly. He laughed, undoubtedly at my expression, “It’s alright,” his voice was unnervingly cheerful. “At the end of the day, we have some business to attend to, don’t we?”

I clenched my jaw in resolve. So here it goes. “Yes, sir, we do.”

“As much as I’ve enjoyed your company,” he began, leaning back in his chair, bringing his fingertips together in front of him, “I’m curious to hear what the American-raised breeder thinks she can bring to the table.”

The curt, backhanded description of my role was certainly scathing, but I couldn’t deny that he was right. This was going to be a tough sell. “Sir, with all due respect,” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, “what is the government’s current situation with international relations?”

“The girl cuts straight to the point!” the Chairman roared with laughter, “What, are you a budding diplomat? Sin Seonho, our UN representative is looking to retire, you know.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the laughter and the sarcastic comeback. “Sir,” I pressed, failing to repress the agitation in my voice, “Again, with all due respect, sir,” I was borderline stammering at that point. I reached up to scratch the side of my nose nervously before speaking again, “Before The Reclamation, North Korea didn’t exactly have a glowing reputation in the international community.”

The raucous laughter and smirking suddenly ceased, Rho’s face falling into a slack frown. “Go on,” he replied in a flat monotone. Clearly he wasn’t pleased.

Coughing awkwardly, I gathered my thoughts, “Well, let’s see,” I was floundering. I had thought this conversation through so many times, but now that it was happening, I was choking. It was just like those arguments I imagined in the shower: epic in my head, but in reality, they never quite pan out. And then finally it came to me. I sat up straight, wiggling my a little to dissipate the gathering numbness, “Chairman Rho, in 2011, one of the most televised events in human history was broadcast all around the world in over one hundred and eighty countries. Do you know what that was?” His frown twitched downward slightly, his brows knitting together briefly. I was clearly losing his interest. Rhetorical questions were apparently not his thing. I coughed uncomfortably again, “The wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, sir.”

The Chairman huffed through his wide, flat nose, leaning forward onto his elbows, propped up on his desk, “I knew you were clever, but trying to trick me into throwing you and your precious Golden Boy a wedding?”

“No!” I blurted out, practically cutting him off as I sat up straight in alarm. Jungkook had been right about one thing- marrying him would certainly not be the worst outcome of this whole scenario, but I certainly was not ready to consider that an impending possibility. “No,” I repeated, trying to calm myself as I let my forearms rest on the lightly cushioned chair arms, leaning forward slightly, “Sir, the reason that wedding was watched by over seventy million people wasn’t just because it was a royal wedding. People cared about Kate Middleton. She was a normal girl who came from nowhere, but suddenly there she was, getting married to the Prince of England.” I had spoken the whole thing on one breath, afraid he would interrupt me again if I had the chance. But I had to take a breath.

Rho began to laugh heartily again, “You? You want me to promote you? I love what you’ve done with yourself, Seoyeon, but I don’t think you exactly have a seventy million viewer face, dear.”

“No,” I practically growled, repeating the word for what felt like the millionth time, “No offense, sir, I don’t think this country is exactly ready for a booming tourism industry, either. We just need to give the people something to care about,” I stressed, getting exasperated with his lack of understanding. I felt my façade slipping, my controlled, innocent mask wearing away.

“Hearts and mi