Playful Waltz

When she arrived at the hospital, she went directly to the information stand. Her brother was on the second level, in room 103. She thanked the head nurse and hurried to the elevator. When the doors opened, she met Siwon. He waited until the doors closed again and spoke.

“I’m sorry. I should have come and get you when you texted me. Unfortunately, Min Jun-“

“I know. Joon Myeon told me” She sighed. “Why didn’t you call me when the chaos began?” Siwon glanced at the young girl and blinked.

“I didn’t have enough time. I knew that I could save him and bring him home safely. I didn’t want to disappoint your father” She frowned.

It was about her father. It was always revolving around her father. He was endangering his own children.

When she walked into Min Jun’s room, she realized that her father was nowhere in sight. There was only one person and that was Dong Hyun. She felt disappointed.

“Noona!” Min Jun smiled brightly and jumped off his bed. He ran to his sister who was ready to hug him tightly.

“How did you get into that mess?” The little boy smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well, you see, there were these bad guys in black who came out of nowhere. I swear I only wanted ice cream! But they just grabbed my arm and started to drag me somewhere” Mi Rae’s eyes traveled to Siwon. She was openly judging him with her eyes. Min Jun saw that. “It wasn’t Siwon’s fault, noona. I told him to wait for me in the car. I wanted to buy ice cream on my own, like a man. You should have seen him fighting the bad guys, though. He was so cool!”

Min Jun got into a very detailed explanation of how skilled his bodyguard was. Mi Rae tuned his voice out. Her attention was entirely concentrated on Siwon who didn’t utter a single word.

Once they left the hospital, there was just the two of them. Joon Myeon went home in his own car while Min Jun had to spend the night in hospital just in case. Her hard stare didn’t waver. She wasn’t happy with the outcome of a so called weekend day.

“I forgive you for not coming for me but that doesn’t explain why you didn’t, at least, send a message back” Siwon nodded. She was right. But he was caught into the serious matters and didn’t have the heart to tell her to go home on her own.

She was the daughter of Kang President and she had to be protected. That was his job. 

When they arrived home, she intended to go into her room and sleep. That had to be postponed since Siwon grabbed her wrist.

“Where have you been this entire time?” His tone was serious.

“That should have interested you a few hours ago. Now, it doesn’t even matter. I am safe, aren’t I?” Her cold voice and accentuated words made him feel guilty. He let her hand free and she hurried upstairs.

“Siwon, can we talk for a moment?”

The bodyguard turned his head to the kitchen in time to see his boss entering the living room. He gave a last glance to the empty staircase and went to his boss’s aid.

In short, what Kang President wanted was the elimination of a rival family. They were the ones who planned Min Jun’s kidnapping and they couldn’t risk a second attempt; the next victim might even be Mi Rae.

In her room, with the light of her lamp illuminating only half of the room, Mi Rae was curled up on the bed. Her eyes were distant and her mind was trying not to remember the happy times she spent with her mother. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come over.

The next morning, she woke up granted to a loud commotion coming from outside her door. She tried to ignore the noise and covered her ears with the pillow. It wasn’t very helpful. She waited for half an hour for the noise to die but it only became louder and louder. She got out of bed and opened the door harshly. She trailed the sound to the kitchen. There was just one person who was trying, or not, to cook.

“Don’t burn the house down” Her voice was husky and sleepy. She looked like she just came out of the bushes but the new cook didn’t notice.

“I won’t. The cook, the nanny, everyone left for the weekend. The only person who came this morning was the postman” The bodyguard sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. “I’m not good at this”

Mi Rae titled her head to the side and inspected her bodyguard closely. He was dressed in plain clothes. He must have just woken up. He was a little crouched and tense. He must have run an errand for her father that night. He had a spatula in one hand and a pan in the other. He was supposed to cook but he wasn’t very sure he knew what he was doing. She chuckled and walked behind him.

“You’re really bad at this. Just drop two eggs on it and wait until they get crispy”

He nodded and did exactly what she told him to. He dropped two eggs on the pan, literarily. Mi Rae slapped her forehead and pushed him away from the stove. She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the side. She took a bowl and broke two eggs in it. She mixed the yolk, making it look like a cream. She poured the yolk in the pan and swayed it from side to side. She added bacon and cheese and sprinkled a little parsley over it.

“It smells really good” Mi Rae rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. For a man who succeeded in making Min Jun wake up and get ready for school in 10 minutes, he was quite clumsy at more decent jobs.

“Go and arrange the table. Get two plates and two forks from the right counter. The fridge is in the corner. Get the milk out and fill only half a glass” She was ready to make another omelet.

“Yes ma’am!” He gave a small army salute and half smiled. She returned to her eggs contently.

“So, are you going to tell me how did you pass the audition?” Siwon raised one eyebrow.

“Audition?” She nodded and started to cut her omelet. “There wasn’t an audition. I’ve been working with your father for a while now and he thought I should take it easier” She stopped eating and frowned.

“So babysitting me and my brother is easier than what my father used to make you do?” He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to nod in agreement or remain impartial. “Did you kill people before?”

“Yes, I did. But they were bad people. They were dangerous for you and your brother. You can’t even imagine how many rivals planned to kidnap you” Mi Rae’s frown didn’t disappear. Siwon put his fork down and sighed. “Either you like it or not, your father runs a different kind of business”

“He is a gangster. He is part of the mafia. The whole company is just a façade so that he wouldn’t have any problems with the police” Siwon didn’t confirm but he didn’t deny either. “I am not stupid. He wants me to inherit the so called family. I don’t understand why he wants Min Jun to run the company, though”

“Min Jun doesn’t know what his father’s job is. At least, not the whole deal. I believe mister Kang wants Min Jun to transform the company into something truly valuable”

“Then what about me? He wants to get me in trouble and live on the edge?” Siwon shrugged. That was indeed a mystery.

He talked to his boss before and he knew how much he wanted Mi Rae to inherit the mafia family. She was exactly like her mother in appearance yet she was entirely her father when it came to personality. That was true. Kang thought that Min Jun was far more appropriate to become a real CEO while Mi Rae was more appropriate for a more risky life. She was very good at manipulating people without trying too much. She was perfect for the title even if she wasn’t admitting it yet. She was more powerful than any man he had met.

The rest of the day went by very slowly. Firstly, Mi Rae ordered Siwon to go and get Min Jun’s favorite food. Next, she made him call Min Jun’s friends and invite them over. They didn’t need to bring anything, but come. She called Joon Myeon and asked him to come, as well.

“Aren’t you spoiling your brother too much?” Siwon wasn’t allowed to do anything involving the house. He wasn’t able to cook and Mi Rae was sure he was going to destroy the whole house if he were to place the party decorations.

“He almost got kidnapped and spent a night in hospital” She was on a chair, trying to place a few decorations on the wall. She was too busy to even spare a glance towards her bodyguard.

“But he didn’t suffer any painful injury. He got scared a little and that was all”

She took a break from her work to sway her foot in his direction. She almost hit him in the face, which was quite an accomplishment. He caught her leg and pulled on it harshly. She lost her balance and fell directly into his awaiting arms. She glared at him and jumped off his arms. She was quite a strong young girl.

“Are you crazy? What if you weren’t ready to catch me?” She hissed. Next to her hot headed reaction, Siwon looked very calm. He was even smiling slightly. She pushed him hard and walked upstairs.