*SHK’s POV*

“Good morning, Eomma, Appa,” I greet my parents with a smile before kissing them on the cheek.

“Have a seat, princess. Let’s have breakfast,” Appa says and I then take a seat next to him.

“Good morning, sweetheart. Did you rest well?” Eomma asks and I feel grateful for remembering to put on some concealer before coming down for breakfast.

After that annoying encounter last night, I found it hard to fall back asleep. I kept on tossing and turning for hours, and I only fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning. Thus, the reason behind these bags under my eyes. After trying to wipe the frown off my face, I then carefully dabbed on a bit of concealer to hopefully hide the evidence of my lack of sleep.

“Yes, Eomma,” I lie. There’s no use telling her the truth. It would only worry her and she would fuss over me more.

“Anyway, Hye Kyo. Meet me at my office after this,” my father says halfway throughout breakfast and I stop eating to look at him. “I have something important to tell you,” he says and he and my mother exchange glances, which makes me feel suspicious. They’re up to something.

“What is it?” I ask, curious.

“I’ll tell you later,” he responds and I find myself getting even more curious. What is it that he needs to tell me that can’t be discussed over breakfast? Even more, it should be discussed in his office, which means that it is important. I seem to realize that I won’t get anything even if I prod that I continue eating breakfast all while wondering what it is about.

---

Knock knock

“Appa?” I knock on the door before I enter. I see him talking to his secretary at his desk and he gestures me to give him a minute, to which I nod. I then slowly enter then take a look at all the people in his office.

And I thought this was supposed to be a private meeting. I thought to myself as I look around the room which has at least a dozen bodyguards in it, which I have come to conclude since they’re wearing identical suits and because they’re standing really straight. I scan their faces and stop when I see someone familiar. I squint my eyes, trying to rake my brain of where I saw him when realization dawns on me.

“You?!!” I say and at first I think I see his eyes flicker to me, but then he returns to his poker face expression. I can’t be wrong, he’s that arrogant guy from last night. So, he’s a bodyguard, yet he had the nerve to talk to me like that?

I am about to accuse him when my father calls my attention.

“Hye Kyo,” he says and I step forward, his secretary bowing to me fore exiting the room and I take a seat in front of his desk.

“Appa,” I say. “What is it that you want to talk about? And why do we need to talk about it here? Is it important?” I ask worriedly, glancing at the bodyguards. Surely, they’re here for a reason, right? They’re usually just stationed outside the door. He gives me a soft laugh.

“Sorry, I must have worried you. Well, it’s not really that important. Wait, I’m wrong, it IS important considering it’s your safety we’re talking about,” he says. What?

“What?” I ask.

“Hye Kyo, the incident that happened in Europe really shook me and your mother. We realized that you were not safe being away from us anymore, what with the campaign period and elections coming,” he says.

“I know, that’s the reason why I came home in the first place, right?” I say, not really understanding it.

“Yes, but even then, even when you’re already here where we can keep a close eye on you, we still can’t guarantee your safety. This is where it all started, after all,” he says and before I could even rebut, he stops me. “Wait for me to finish first. Hye Kyo, your mother and I decided to get you a security team.”

“What?! But Appa, you already promised me before that you wouldn’t do that to me. You promised you would let me be,” I accuse him. Before I left to study in Europe, he promised me that he’d let me live a normal life there. Yes, with stay out helpers, but no bodyguards. “And isn’t your security team enough?”

He gestures the bodyguards to leave us first, providing privacy. He knows I don’t like it when a lot of people are listening when we argue about things like this. Obediently, the guards go out of the room one-by-one, until Mr. Kim, Appa’s head of security remains.

“Well, that was before the fire happened,” he finally says and that got me to be quiet. “We have realized that these people who keep threatening our lives are no joke. They’re serious about their aim of shooting me down even if it includes you and your mother. They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want.”

“But Appa…”

“Listen to me, Hye Kyo. I’m not letting any of those killers near you and I’m not going to downplay things especially if it concerns you and your mother. I’m not losing you. I can’t take it. I’m not going to let it happen,” he says and I contemplate. “I know you don’t like this any bit, I but we should be careful.”

“Fine. But wait, haven’t you figured out the people behind these threats yet?” I ask him and he shakes his head sadly, seeming to say that no, they don’t know yet. “Okay, but it’s only temporary, right?”

“It’s only until after the elections, when everything’s calmed down or until we find out who’s behind all of this,” he says, looking defeated and I take a deep breath before softly muttering an “okay”.

“Well, then, let me introduce you to your security team,” he says and I have no other choice but to comply.

---

*SJK’s POV*

I stand outside the door with my team while waiting for the President to call us back in. From the look of things, he and his daughter are arguing right now. I still remember the shock on her face when she saw me, even more when her father told her about providing her with a security team. Even from the corner of my eyes, I saw how much she disliked the idea.

The President is not someone you should argue with, but she is his daughter after all. Even for someone so small, she’s a force to be reckoned with. I still remember what happened last night when we met unexpectedly.

The President called me to personally talk to me about protecting his one and only daughter. I have been in the military for years, fulfilling my duty