[CHAPTER XXIX]

Masquerade

Another day, just like any other.

Hongbin was arguing with his seniors at the Parliament on setting new laws and rules for the country. He stood firm with his decisions and Hakyeon stood nearby as he watched.

Hakyeon knew nothing about laws or politics so he was quite bored just watching them argue in what seems to be another language. He never thought that he would become a bodyguard for someone like Hongbin until three years ago. He’s never had much thought about his dreams or goals that he wanted to pursue while he was growing up. He liked the freedom he had and as the only son in the Cha family, it seemed obvious that he would inherit the family bakery.

But one thing happened after another and finally, he left Pinewoods. As happy as he could have been staying in his hometown for the rest of his life, just being in that town reminded him of the sadness that could not be erased. So, when Hakyeon was asked by Hongbin’s father to guard his son, he agreed.

The bakery was gone and Hakyeon wanted an excuse to run away from his past. Just being in Pinewoods, reminded him of the sadness and desperation he had caused.

Because unlike the rest of the folks in Pinewoods, Hakyeon still remembers.

He still remembers Jung Taekwoon.

While Hakyeon was deep in his thoughts, the meeting was already over. Hongbin walked suspiciously towards Hakyeon, his bodyguard that seems to have a habit of spacing out constantly.

“Ya. It’s over. Let’s move it.” Hongbin demanded.

“Huh? Oh yeah. Right. Let’s go.” Hakyeon replied, while still trying to come back into reality.

Hongbin stared at Hakyeon and shook his head. No matter how many times Hongbin tells Hakyeon to pay attention and stop spacing out, the older never seems to remember. Just as they were leaving the building, one of Hongbin’s acquaintance greeted them.

“Sir Hongbin, will you be attending the dinner party tomorrow evening?” He asked Hongbin.

“Huh? I thought I had already refused. Why would I be interested in-…” Hongbin paused. He took a glance at Hakyeon. “Never mind. On the contrary, I guess it won’t hurt to go.”

Hakyeon looked blankly at Hongbin, at the younger agreeing to go to some party. He’s never been interested in them in the past, why the sudden change in mind?

“That’s wonderful. I’ll make sure you’re listed on the guest list. Will your bodyguard here be attending as well?”

“Of course,” Hongbin said.

“See you tomorrow.” The man said and left.

“You’ve never been to one, right?” Hongbin turned to Hakyeon.

“A party?”

“Yeah.”

Hakyeon nodded his head.

“Well then. Be thankful. You can attend this one and only this one. I don’t like crowds and parties but since father keeps telling me to reward you for your service, I’ll let you attend one. I guess it won’t hurt to give this opportunity to you as a gift. But you better stop spacing out afterward and start paying attention to me!” Hongbin declared.

“Thanks. I guess?” Hakyeon wasn’t sure whether or not Hongbin was being nice for once or just because he was a good child and listening to his father’s words.

Either way, Hakyeon saw this as a good way to help him relax and possibly, take his minds off of things.

*   *   *   *   *   *

The night came for the party and it was a perfectly clear night for the event. Many rich and high-status individuals came to the party by their fancy carriages and perfectly groomed attire. All the riches of the Capital was gathered in a single place during this special evening. Parties such as this weren’t unusual for those that lived in the Capital. It was more like a routine for them. Gathering together, chatting and having fun.

“Welcome, Mr. Lee. Please put these on.” The receptionist at the front desk handed two strangely decorated masks to Hongbin and Hakyeon. “All attendees are required to wear these for tonight’s party. It is tonight’s theme. Please enjoy the rest of the night.”

Hongbin rarely attends these types of parties and it was a first for Hakyeon as well. Both looked at one another questioning the hobbies of the rich. But still, they put the masks on.

With the mask on, Hakyeon realized that his visions were a lot more narrowed and since he can’t identify Hongbin like usual, he had to make sure he remembered the mask the younger had on and keep a close eye on Hongbin. He was the younger’s bodyguard after all.

Hakyeon was very nervous as he was walking with Hongbin down the long crowded corridors. There were so many attendees that night and the fact that he couldn’t make out their faces made him even more nervous. But everyone was just enjoying their night, drinking expensive wine and eating a variety of delicacies. They were all so carefree.

“Relax, would you? This place is highly guarded like every other night. This is the usual. Just have fun or something. Or else, it’d be pointless for me to bringing you here with me.” Hongbin trying to make Hakyeon be more comfortable and assure the older that he could relax.

Hakyeon nodded and tried to relax but it was quite hard in this type of setting.

As the two made their way into the main ballroom, Hongbin got dragged off to socialize with others that seemed to be from the Parliament. Hakyeon knew he wouldn’t understand what they were discussing about nor did he blend in with that crowd, so he decided to stand nearby to just watch over the young master.

His eyes started to wander off towards the dance floor. Couples were dancing happily with one another towards the music, and a group of musicians made the night even better. At the very center of the stage was a singer for the night. She sang her hearts out in her best voice. Hakyeon was suddenly reminded of Taekwoon’s beautiful singing. He was always attracted by Taekwoon’s soothing voice whenever he sang for Hakyeon.

Hakyeon was never confident in his own voice. He thought he sounded weird. But Taekwoon on the other hand had a voice of an angel’s. That’s what Hakyeon have always thought. As great of a singer as the lady that was singing for the party, it just wasn’t as good as Taekwoon’s. Taekwoon’s voice had the ability to enchant his listeners and pull them in.

Hakyeon was reminded by his sweet memories of Taekwoon that he didn’t realize that a man was approaching him.

A slightly tall and lean man walked and stood in front of Hakyeon.

“Would you like a dance? You seemed bored,” he asked.

The mask the man had on covered his face completely. Hakyeon wasn’t able to make the man’s face because of it. He dressed exceptionally fancy like the many others during the party. The man groomed himself to the point that Hakyeon almost thought he was some sort of prince from a fairy tale. Hakyeon was mesmerized by the man’s appearance that he couldn’t answer back immediately for the invitation.

“So? Would you like a dance?” He repeated.

“I’m a man you know…” Hakyeon looked very confused and looked at his own attire to make sure he didn’t dress like a woman. Nope. He was a perfectly well-dressed ‘man’ in a suit and tie for the evening. Even Hongbin had to help him choose what to wear for the party.

“I know that. It’s quite obvious.” The man chuckled at the confused Hakyeon. “It’s just, you seem so bored. It won’t hurt to have a single dance with me, would it? Don’t worry too much about others. Everyone is just here to have fun after all. Man or woman.” He offered his hands to Hakyeon, like a gentleman.

Hakyeon took his hands without realizing and was swept away to the dance floor.

The problem was however, Hakyeon didn’t know how to dance. At least not ballroom dances. He’s done festival and parade dances back when he lived in Pinewoods, but nothing as fancy as the dance he was invited to perform.

“Don’t worry. Just follow my lead.” The man placed his hands around Hakyeon’s waist and pulled him closer, making Hakyeon feel slightly embarrassed.

Hakyeon didn’t really understand why he accepted the dance or why he didn’t seem to know how to refuse the invitation either. But either way, he was beginning to have fun for once.

The man was strangely friendly and rather familiar as the two continued their dance. Hakyeon didn’t feel awkward at all having the man as his partner. He felt relaxed being guided by such a gentleman. He stumbled a few times during the dance but the man helped him back up. Hakyeon was thankful.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Suddenly, the lights went out and everyone was startled. But no one panicked. It seems to be part of the event for the evening so they waited patiently for the lights to go back on as well.

As soon as it did, Hakyeon realized his partner was gone.

He glanced around but could not find him. Just then, he realized someone else was gone from the ballroom as well.

Hongbin was nowhere to be found. Hakyeon began to panic. He was supposed to keep a close eye on Hongbin as part of his job, yet he lost sight of the younger because he was too attracted by the man in the mask for a dance.

He ran out frantically to look for Hongbin. Hakyeon felt very guilty for losing sight of Hongbin. He had forgotten his own job as a bodyguard because he was too relaxed and having too much fun.

He made his way down to the gardens and looked around for any sign of Hongbin. There wasn’t anyone around as everyone was too busy enjoying their dance inside. Then, Hakyeon heard sounds of swords clashing.

He ran towards the sounds and found Hongbin fighting a number of masked individuals. They were attacking Hongbin. Hakyeon rushed immediately to help him.

“Hongbin-ah! Are you okay?”

“Where were you?! Damn it. Seems like they were planning this all along. They dragged me out as soon as the lights went off.”

Hakyeon and Hongbin stood side by side, fighting and defending one another.

“Who are you guys?” Hongbin demanded an answer from his mysterious attackers.

“You don’t need to know. You’re going to die here anyway. Lee Hongbin!” One of them said.

Both Hakyeon and Hongbin were fighting the attackers but they were outnumbered and exhausted. These were professional assassins.

Just then, a man jumped in front of them. The man who invited Hakyeon for a dance earlier.

“You two okay?” he said.

“You! Yes, we are. Kind of. But why are you here?” Hakyeon was surprised.

“Talk later. Let’s just get rid of these guys first.”

The man was powerful. His skills were exceptional compared to Hongbin or even Hakyeon’s. Despite the number of assassins that were attacking them, the man fought well. Finally, the three successfully fought off the attackers and captured the ones that were kept alive.

“Who sent you guys?” Hongbin demanded once again.

Apparently, these assassins were sent by one of the senior officials from the Parliament who has been very envious of Hongbin’s status and he was angry at the younger’s attitude. Hongbin was annoyed at the senior’s childish ways to fight him. Guards from the mansion finally showed up and assisted Hongbin in arresting the assassins. Hongbin asked Hakyeon to wait for him and rest as he went to sort out the mess with the guards.

*   *   *   *   *   *

“Thank you for helping us,” Hakyeon said to the mysterious man. “My name is Hakyeon.”

Hakyeon took off his mask as to show his appreciation for the man.

“Don’t worry about it. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Hakyeon-hyung.” He said.

The man started to change his tone of voice. Which sounded awfully familiar to Hakyeon.

“Huh? Do you know me?” Hakyeon asked.

“Of course. Guess my disguise was really good after all!” the man chuckled mischievously.

He took off his mask and to Hakyeon’s surprise, was a face of familiarity. A face he hasn’t seen the past few years.

It was his good friend, Lee Jaehwan.

“Jaehwan-ah! But… why? Why are you here? No, wait, where have you been? We’ve been so worried about you since you and your brothers suddenly disappeared from Pinewoods!” Hakyeon ran closer up to Jaehwan to confirm whether or not he was dreaming. It really was Jaehwan. His good friend from Pinewoods.

“Woah. Calm down hyung. One question at a time. But yes. I am indeed ‘that’ Lee Jaehwan.”

Hakyeon was so relieved to see Jaehwan again and ran to hug him. Jaehwan gave the older a pat on the back and comfort the older who seemed to be tearing up from their reunion.

“But I don’t get it, why are you here? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Hakyeon asked again.

“Just a little surprise for you I guess? It was fun. But hyung, I’m hurt. You didn’t even recognize me behind this mask.” Jaehwan pouted cutely.

“Well… you even had your nose covered up! That’s your trademark you know.” Hakyeon finally laughed.

“It’s been a while since you laughed. I thought you’ve changed for good. After all that has happened.”

“Huh?”

“You know… when your mother passed away. You didn’t even cry during her funeral.”

“I… couldn’t. Not when dad was already so heartbroken.” Hakyeon felt saddened at the memories.

“And…” Jaehwan continued, “Taekwoon-hyung.”

To Hakyeon’s surprise, Taekwoon’s name appeared from Jaehwan’s mouth. His friend should have forgotten everything about Taekwoon, like everyone else in Pinewoods.

“Wait. You remember Taekwoon? But I thought you forgot about him too!”

“I pretended to forget but there’s no way I would.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m different. Different from you all. People like me and Taekwoon would never forget about one another’s existence. Even if he didn’t realize it at the time.”

“Different? What do you mean?” Hakyeon was confused.

“Hmm… how should I explain this? I’m not exactly human.”

“What? Stop confusing me Jaehwan. Just get to the point.”

“I’m … a God.” He said.