* principal- another term that is used to describe someone important being guarded by a bodyguard/s aside from 'client'

    Jiyong walked along the carpeted hallway of the large house, passing by the closed doorsof a few spare rooms on the first floor. It was with disappointment that whatever prior plans he had with his principal earlier, was thwarted by an unexpected call from the minister of the Government Administration and Home Affairs. He was dismissed by Chaerin as Seunghyun took the call, and did what he was told with a mental note of doing it later, when the opportunity presented itself.   

    But for the meantime, he'd have to gather his men for a thorough recapitulation of today's tasks consisting of their client's itinerary, as well as for him to make sure that everyone did their assigned duties properly.

    Turning sharply around the corner, he caught sight of two members of his team, picking on the leaves of the potted plant just outside the office space assigned to them and motioned to follow him inside after a brief exchange of niceties. It was still an hour and a half before their scheduled departure, plenty of time to make sure things are in order to avoid any probable mishaps from happening.

    His job was never easy and it sure is damn tiring, but he had no choice; and somehow, in some little way, a part of him has come to love and grown attached to what he did both in profession and a living. He's worked hard. An exertion of effort to prove himself and made things possible through hardwork and necessary sacrifices he'd given. A few sleepless nights and a hardheaded ward could not--- and will not deter him from doing his job.

    But of course, if he were to be honest, a more reasonable and compliant principal would help ease off a bit of their load.

    He was greeted by the spectacle of his men--- scrambling and righting themselves from twiddling around, upon his stepping inside of the room. A few of them were playing cards expertly covered under a copy of the morning paper, while some played with thier phones.

    A crook of his finger, as a wordless command, and the deck of cards as well as the smartphones was confiscated and then securely locked in a filing cabinet in one corner of the room. Its key was securely kept in his pocket. Not that these men did not know how to pick locks, but even so, they know better than that.

    Jiyong's team consisted of nine people, including himself, skilled in different areas such as tactical driving, unarmed combat as well as first- aid and firearms tactics. He and a man not younger than himself named Seungri, are close- protection officers who follows and escorts Seunghyun in both public appearances and private meetings. Another two served as drivers, Dae Ho for Seunghyun's and Nam Kyu for the convoy.

    The remaining were tasked in examining premises and venues, searching vehicles and doing rounds of overnight duties; and on some rare occasions--- an ancillary unit, assigned for *IED detection, counter- sniper monitoring and background checking.

    His men may look like a bunch of inept blokes, but they sure are capable of acting the part and do a job well done when they worked. It just happened that they have a slippery client that manages to knock them off of their socks.

    After a long deliberation and discussion undertaking transportation, escorting and monitoring of Seunghyun and his schedule, he dismissed the men, so as for them to set about final preparations for the departure. Two gurads were sent ahead to check their route for possible road blocks and detours as well as closed lanes before they travelled.

    Once that was settled, Jiyong sat himself heavily on a black, leather sofa and slowly rubbed at the back of his neck, disturbing the fine hairs on his nape. As it was a habit he'd picked up years ago whenever he felt stressed or in deep contemplation. He was both, at the moment.

    Things were prepared and would hopefully go smoothly throughout the entirety of the day, though the nagging sense of danger somewhere in his mind, refused to be shaken off.

    Taking risks was never in the options, ever since the last attempt at Seunghyun less than a month ago, with things going overboard. A (thankfully) deactivated explosive found in a utility closet on Seunghyun's office was all it took for them to realize the grave threat of the situation, like an unexpected stab from an opponent with your back turned.

    Where there were originally four of them, security was doubled with five additional men to ensure maximum security for their client.

    "What's with the sour look on that pretty face?" Seungri asked, handing him a mug of steaming coffee and leaned his weight against an office table across Jiyong's slumped form. "Rough morning?"

    An icy look was sent on the younger man's way at what he said. The kid certainly has the nerve to talk to his superior in an incautious way. His mouth as well as his noggin, simply had no brakes nor filter that oftentimes earned him a couple of upsides in the head, courtesy of Jiyong.

    "Its always a rough morning," He replied in a clipped tone and blew on his coffee. Lifting his gaze from the warm, brown liquid he fixed Seungri a pointed look. "And what did I say about untucked dress shirts  Mr. Lee?"

    Sloppiness was something Jiyong did not tolerate, for the sole reason that they are amongst the presence of government officials and political figures most of the time; the way they presented themselves in public would indirectly reflect on Seunghyun. And while it is not necessarily prohibited for them to have their heads dyed, he himself had platinum blonde hair which was neatly pulled back into a tight little ponytail, it was important to keep in mind the need to look clean and presentable.

    "So much for the hope that you wouldn't notice." Seungri muttered under his breath and began fussing over his shirt in acquiesence. When finished, he resumed drinking from his own mug and opened his mouth to fire more questions. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

    He shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. Not really."

    "Man, I'm telling you" Seungri pushed himself off the table and placed his cup into the nearby sink as he talked. "Loosen up, okay? You're always so uptight and worry too much."

      Circumstances would have told Jiyong to argue the point that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, wrong with trying to do one's job properly and take it with seriousness. And although it isn't stated in bold, black letters on print, their job description inevitably included 'worrying' : for the clients safeguard and for their own lives. It basically sums up the essence of the job into a single word. He chose to keep it to himself though, and let silence descend into the room.

    A few blessed minutes was given and he was able to let his mind slightly wander freely, away from work and its stressors, while Seungri checked the batteries of the CB radios without a word being uttered. He had his head leaned at the back of the sofa, eyes closed shut.

    "The other guards say it though," Seungri said all of a sudden.

    Jiyong peered at the man before him with an annoyed look crossing his face. The kid had a talent for saying random and offhanded comments, that always managed to set off his temper ablaze. "Say what?"

    "That you're pretty," Seungri stated matter-of-factly, the nasty glare thrown at him slipping off like water to a duck's back. "With half of them wondering if you're actually a girl underneath all that layer of suit."

    Jiyong decided that knocking Seungri's teeth to the very back of his throat would be a petty reason to waste energy and time, so he settled with an unobtrusive form of revenge. Simple but very effective.

    "Ah Seungri," Jiyong stood up and walked  towards the door. "Did I mention you'll be relieving Taehyun of overnight duties later?"

    With that said, he left the room and a protesting Seungri behind.

      
    They were outside of the manor, with two cars waiting for Seunghyun and Chaerin to be ready to leave. It was a few minutes until their scheduled departure and sure enough Jiong saw two figures, clad in black descend from the stairs and slowly made their way to the front door where the rest of them stood, ready for duty.

    The pair seemed to be arguing in hushed voices, Chaerin making wild gestures with her hands as if to emphasize whatever her point was. It was nothing new for them seeing the two argue with their presence, and have been treated once or twice to the sight of the woman pulling their client by the ear.

    As they neared, Senghyun made a repressive gesture to his secretary as an end to their discussion, and turned to  the security team with a broad smile and a lingering look to the blonde team leader.

    The gesture was ignored by Jiyong, as per usual. He never entertained nor engaged in dalliances initiated by their principal. The blunt disinterest and rejection was often responded with a dejected look from Seunghyun before splitting into an amused smirk at Jiyong's lack of reaction. The past few months, has been a game of  temperate pursuance and polite refusal between the two of them. A few invitations for lunch or an affectionate glance in his direction or coffee delivered to him was a common occurence that he never paid mind in.

    He waited until Seunghyun and Chaerin settled in the car, before he signalled to his men and climbed in next to Dae Ho on the front seat. A message from one of the guards he sent earlier affirmed of their route, which was good news since it relatively shortened their travelling time as they were headed for the National Assembly that morning.

    The convoy slowly made its way out of the black gates and into the street. The view of the quiet residential area, with its lavish homes and scant neighborhood just beyond the tinted car window passed by in a blur.

    "How is your little sister, Seungri?"

    Jiyong heard Seunghyun ask the younger guard who sat with him and Chaerin at the back which broke the silence.

    Seungri's little sister has been in and out of the hospital because of leukemia. The poor girl was recently diagnosed with the illness two months ago and Jiyong stood witness to a crying Seungri after he received the disheartening news.

    "Never been better, Sir." Seungri replied with an almost shy chuckle at the end of his sentence. "She claims it's all thanks to the stuffed panda you gave her."

    Seunghyun's answering laughter seemed to reverberated in the enclosed space of the car. Rich and deep and oddly contagious.

    Unknowing even to himself, Jiyong's mouth lifted in a small smile at the fond memory of the little girl blushing profusely when Seunghyun placed a kiss on her tiny hand during an unplanned visit to the hospital, as he continued to listen in on the conversation.

*IED-     Improvised Explosive Device

    A/N: And the second chapter is up. This was supposedly updated a lot earlier today, but our place had a major blackout for some apparent reason. But here it is. I hope you guys find the story interesting enough. And a big thank you to everyone who has subscribed and commented.

    So, what do you exactly think is Seunghyun's position in the government? Can anyone hazard a guess?