“Where have you been?” his mother-figure hissed when he finally sat down next to her for breakfast. Their seats were closest to the restaurant’s grand piano.

“Sorry, I got caught up by the elevators,” Yuta apologized.

“I already ordered Spanish avruga pearls for you so don’t complain if you don’t like them.”

Yuta blinked. “Come again?”

She smirked. ‘Tsukuda Takara’ put up a convincing act – furrowing her eyebrows, pursing her lips, inflecting her words at the appropriate places to mimic common motherly manners as one would when reprimanding her child. She was also one of the prettiest things in the room, and spared nothing when it came to creating her character. Which meant charming herself and those around her this morning with a floral patterned kogecha sundress, a black pearl necklace, and emerald earrings adorned with a diamond halos. But being a meticulous perfectionist, Ms. Takara also moved with effortless grace and confidence. From the way her wrists floated in the air, to how she crossed her ankles, to how her head bobbed to the side as she laughed like bells were between her teeth; she didn’t just fit in. She was already the best of them.

She had her black hair in a neat bun, exposing part of her back. It was clear skin now, but just hours ago, Yuta remembered seeing a highly decorative letter B, tattooed just beneath her neck. He wondered if it may be part of her real name.

“What’s this?” his mother-figure questioned as she examined something she picked out from Yuta’s hair. He avoided Takara’s gaze.

“A gargoyle… tooth?” Yuta knew very well that Ms. Takara was a smart woman too, so it didn’t surprise him when she immediately figured him out, nor when she began pulling and twisting his ear. “Ow! Okay, okay! I’m sorry!”

“Yuuma…” she started to warn.

“I know, mom! It’s fine!” He rubbed his ear when she let him go. “I even put on your sunglasses and used the stairs after.” Yuta was whispering now, “No one saw. I promise.” Takara raised a brow, took the drinks menu and furtively let it cover .

“You better have a good reason to go outside of protocol,” she muttered. Yuta leaned in closer and looked like he was examining the menu as well.

“Kept a drunk douchebag from picking on a couple of kids.”

“Hmm…”

“What?”

“Seems like we have a handful of drunk s this morning,” Takara said in a low voice. She eyed somewhere across the room, but Yuta didn’t have to look to know what she meant. Just minutes ago, outside the restaurant, he brushed past a very red, very antagonized man with a huge build, smelling like beer. He also just missed spitting at Yuta’s face when he tried to greet the man. Yuta made a mental note: Lee Garo – part-time businessman, full-time .

He had to crane a bit to see above the piano, but Yuta manages to follow Takara’s gaze to the big table by the windows. The Lee family always had special seating arrangements to make sure all their men and women reeked just enough money. But for some reason, none of that cash ever seems to go to happy family get-togethers.   

“Did I miss family greetings?”

“You didn’t miss much,” she shrugged. “Oh, thank you.” The server smiled as he swiftly placed their meals in front of them and left.

“Aburga is caviar?” Yuta asked.

“Avruga, sweetie,” she corrects. “It’s caviar substitute. No fish eggs.”

Yuta poked at the black glop on his plate. “Wow. Thanks mom.”

This wasn’t Yuta’s first job with the Cultureon Group and probably won’t be his last. Ordinarily, he’d work for Madame Yubin – the wife of the old, sharp-looking man at the big table – accompanying her whenever she left South Korea. It was her, her husband and the current head of the family’s decision to hire him this time. And since Madame Yubin wasn’t here today, the only members of the Lee family that knew about him now were Grandfather and Mrs. Hwayoung over there. Which also meant that Yuta was perfect for the job.

“Oh, he stood up,” Takara said, nudging his arm. Even from across the room, Yuta can see him clearly. It’s wasn’t difficult at all. He was a beautiful boy blessed with an ideally symmetrical face and sharp bone structure. His figure was tall and elegant, and his skin was porcelain perfect. Against the backdrop of the clear, open ocean, the boy seemed golden. But unlike the rest of his family, he slouched a bit and smiled ever so shyly as if he was on the brink of apologizing for something. It wasn’t until he walked close enough that Yuta saw his eyes.

His eyes were brilliant. Bright, emotional, and compelling. The boy has yet to learn the sheer charisma he was born with.

And that was him. He was the job.

Agent: Nakamura Yuta

Alias: Tsukuda Yuuma

Assignment: Project NCT

Mission: Protect Lee Taeyong at all costs