Guise

"My dear lady, if you would keep still for a moment," The words had a sharp, nagging edge to them, and the man grunted as he pulled harder. It was then by some miracle of god, after thirty goddamned minutes of trying that he managed to get her out of the pitfall.

Two bodies lay pitifully against the old oak tree, and everything was silent with the exception of their heavy breaths.

Lee Soo Jung. A grimace fell over his features as he looked over to survey his new employer, supposedly an elegant young lady in her mid-twenties, but now covered in mud and grim. How she managed to fall into the hole was well beyond his imagination. Not to mention the fact that he dug it yesterday on the orders of Soo Jung herself. His disdainful gaze rolled over to her watching eyes.

Oh.

"Sunggyu, do not give me that look. Do you want to lose your job?" She said indignantly, a stubborn fire running across up her hazel orbs. Pointedly, Soo Jung stood up, brushing her sleeves and her dragon-patterned hanbok in a purposeful manner.

“No, my lady,” He dragged the last syllabus, earning an arrogant roll of eyes from the girl before she set off into the town area.

Eyes bulged, with the exception of Sunggyu. Everyone was shocked to see the only daughter of the wealthy merchant Lee Jung Yeop going around town as if there was nothing wrong. It was a known fact that the girl was a little boisterous, but oh, it was the first time they saw her covered with leaves and dirt from head to toe. It definitely wasn’t a suitable sight for an adult that has been taught to behave sophisticatedly since young.

It only made her real caretaker mourn in despondence for the nagging he would receive later.

“My lady! What in the heavens happened to you? I told you to stay still, didn’t I! Your mother would be so infuriated to see you in such a mess!”

“Oh, don’t be so uptight Mr. Shin. Nobody died, and I’m fine. Let’s go now, I have no more business here.” She patted his back with a self-entitled smile, and the caretaker could only sigh a strained yes in response. He fell back and swiped his head towards the newest addition – a young man she had hired from one of the inns – narrowing his eyes at the lad.

If Sunggyu felt anything, he didn’t let it show. He pointedly ignored Mr. Shin, as he looked straight into the horizon, watching the girl as she made another unneeded comment to a passing villager.

“You are supposed to do your job properly and ensure her safety at all times. Look at her!” The elder gestured dramatically towards the poor excuse of a rich merchant’s daughter, “But I suppose a peasant from the bars wouldn’t know any better.” It was obviously meant for Sunggyu’s ears, but the latter did well in disregarding Mr.Shin’s words. The derogatory words had been nothing but repetitive throughout the course of the past month, and Sunggyu could care less knowing that he was all bark and no bite.

“Sunggyu! Why are you lagging behind like Mr. Shin? You aren’t old! Come on,” He rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time before quickening his pace, taking her spot besides her quietly like he always did.

.

It’s been three months since he had started the job. He was supposed to find the perpetrator of the attacks against her father under the guise of protecting the lady. Sunggyu frowned as he avoided an arrow in the nick of time. Who exactly was it that was targeting her father? He had asked around for information from his social circle, more specifically a boy who was great at collecting intel named Sungjong, yet the latter couldn’t even find much.

All he knew was that the attacks were getting more and more drastic, and the pay was getting a tad too little for the risks he was taking.

A shiny glint was caught in the corner of his eyes, and in the next second, Sunggyu was pulling back the bow sight, releasing his grip on the arrow as it flew straight into the enemy’s head. It seemed that the guy was alone, and after a few minutes of maneuvering around to camouflage himself, he finally came out into the open.

The male surveyed the dead assassin on the floor, and picked up the object that caught his attention – a pin with an insignia of bluebells. It was eerily familiar, in fact too familiar. His heart pulsed as he searched through the body for other clues; weapons, sacks, poisons… The sachet of powder matched the one that was sprinkled over the meals whereas the dagger.

It was one he was so accustomed to. He used it for a couple of years before passing it to Jaehyun. Was it all just a coincidence to play with his mind? The events matched up so perfectly because Jaehyun didn’t have his dagger with him a few days ago. I forgot to bring it, he said sheepishly. Sunggyu groaned. This was just a disaster waiting to wash over.

All right, he thought as he walked out of the deserted forest, I’ll just report to my lady a little late.

.

“Sunggyu?” Soo Jung called suspiciously, “Do you need to tell me anything?”

The male smiled politely before waving her off. “No, nothing. Continue with your flower arranging.”

“Nothing? Didn’t you manage to get ahold of the assassin?” She grumbled at the lack of drama and more importantly, information. Soo Jung sighed loudly in frustration as she threw the flowers aside. “I hate doing this so much.”

Sunggyu shrugged, taking a seat beside her as he picked up the flowers and placed them on the table yet again. “Jisun-noona told me she would pay me if you made a bouquet, so do it.”

“Am I the employer or are you?” She glared. “Whatever, let’s go to the training grounds. You said you would train me today.”

“But Jisun-noona said--”

“There, there, there and there!” Soo Jung bunched together the flowers in a random, kind of abstract manner, “Are you happy now? Let’s go.” She stuck the bouquet into the glass vase before pulling Sunggyu to his feet. “Come on, we don’t have all day.”

Sunggyu shook his head as he allowed her to drag her to the training field – her backyard.

“Here, take this.” She threw him a wooden sword whilst she readied herself with hers.

Sunggyu stood, relaxed, in his spot. It did more than piss Soo Jung off, and she came charging with a loud yell. Her slash was immediately dodged with a small step towards the side. She turned around to frown at Sunggyu, pointing at him like he was at fault. “Counter it! Stop dodging,” She tried for another hit but failed.

“It takes a lot of energy to counter it--”

“Do it!” She yelled hot-headedly, letting out a puff of air that sent her fringe flying. The fringes of her hanbok were also getting muddier from the dirt, but Soo Jung didn’t give any form of concern. She was too concentrated on getting a hit in to even care.

“We should start from the basics, which is dodging, okay? Lady Soo Jung,” He drawled, which didn’t serve to appease her annoyance at all.

“Kim Sunggyu! You had better watch it--” She came swinging at him with the sword raised high, and he did what he did best – avoid. Soo Jung used too much power in the swing, and low and behold, she was plummeting head first into the small lake. She let out a tasteless scream, before bracing herself for the fall.

It didn’t happen though. A pair of strong arms circled her waist and pulled her backwards, and Soo Jung found herself on her back, cushioned by none other than her personal bodyguard. Groaning, Sunggyu lightly pushed the girl off him, wincing at the hefty impact. He sat up and hovered over Soo Jung’s face, wondering if she was okay or not.

Her face had gotten a deep shade of red, and Sunggyu thought if he had broken her. He should really run if she was injured. There was no doubt he couldn’t cover the debt. “Soo Jung, oi, you okay?”

To be honest, she wasn’t, but she nodded her head profusely for the male to get off her case. The adventurous, devil-may-care, dominating and selfish Lee Soo Jung may not seem like it, but she was really just a er for cliché romances.

She had just initiated the lock on the events that would make her fall for Sunggyu, hard.

.

Sunggyu ruffled the runt’s hair. Apparently, he had lost his dagger a while back and didn’t dare to speak of the truth, and thus the lie. Sunggyu was glad he trusted Jaehyun enough to ask. He didn’t have to suspect the boy any longer. Worst comes to worst, he would have had to choose between a dongsaeng and his job, and he would have chosen the former. However, a feeling of guilt would have haunted him because of a certain someone that he had grown accustomed to bickering with.

That aside, it meant that the assassin was likely someone he knew very well, and he was so glad he was not on good terms with the bluebell association. In fact, he would love to lay his hands on the right-hand man’s neck and snap it for all it’s worth. The man had killed one of his closest members when he was still the leader of a guild, and he hadn’t gotten a chance at revenge for fear of him targeting the other members. Now that he was a lone wolf, he could do whatever he wanted.

With that in mind, he said farewell to Jaehyun before skipping off to find the lady. She would be more than happy to hear the news, and the small army that the Lee Family had wouldn’t hurt if they needed to go against the bluebell association.

He jumped over the walls as always, but sensed something amiss as a worried mass of people loitered outside Soo Jung’s room.

“Oh! Sunggyu!” He found himself in front of a frantic Jisun. Her wrinkles were heavier than usual, and she looked as if she hadn’t slept in days. “Have you seen Soo Jung?”

What? Was she not in her room?

He pushed the door opens and frowned as he surveyed the place. Strange, there was only one exit, yet…

“Did no one see or hear anything?” He pushed, but no one spoke up. There was only one place she could be – the backyard. Sunggyu paled at the thought before rushing through the doors. He immediately dived into the lake, and almost ran out of oxygen if not for the adrenaline and grit. He found what he was looking for, and reached out to hug her unconscious body closer to him, doing his best to get both of them to shore.

He rolled her body onto the ground as he took in silent big gulps of air, and got out of the lake himself, his outerwear soaking wet and dripping messily onto the floor.

There was no time to waste. Sunggyu titled her head back slightly and lifted her chin, checking for any signs of breath. It seemed that she had been in there for way too long, and the male immediately placed his hands atop of each other, compressing her chest steadily. He pinched her nose, placing his mouth over hers before desperately blowing air into Soo Jung’s mouth. He silently prayed for her to awaken as he redid the steps over and over again.

After what seemed like eternity, the brunette awakened with a splutter of water and relentless coughing.

Sunggyu sighed in relief, and fell backwards. He wasn’t even aware of it himself, but it seemed like his heart had been racing rapidly at the thought of Soo Jung’s death. He was much more involved with her affairs then he would have liked. Sunggyu shielded his face from the sunrays as the rest of the servants in the household crowded Soo Jung.

He peeked from behind his arm when a shadow fell over him. It was Jisun.

She smiled kindly at him. “Thank you, Sunggyu.”

Sunggyu only shrugged. “I’m her bodyguard. It’s only normal.”

“Yes you are, but still, thank you. You care much more than you seem to think you do, and I’m glad. You would do right in this household.” With a grateful smile, the elder walked off to tend to Soo Jung.

Sunggyu watched on as the clouds in the sky flew past, clearing the sky in its natural light blue aura.

.

“Are you ready?”

It’s been a month since the situation occurred. No one really talks about it nor brings it up, and it’s fine that way. After Soo Jung had recovered, Sunggyu relayed all that he knew and the girl was more than ready to up and protect her family from future attacks.

She couldn’t meet his eye the whole time he was relaying the information to her. Soo Jung was blushing from the tip of her ears all the way down to her neck. Sunggyu didn’t seem to mind the way he saved her, so she could do well forgetting about it in case someone for it.

But really, he practically kissed her, and he was there, looking like he was the most bored person in the world. Was he really just so impassive or was he just great at acting?

She hates him yet likes him all at the same time.

That aside, the plan was more important.

Her father was more than disagreeable with his daughter, and told her to wait patiently as the head commander came up with a plan. Sunggyu was invited to be the left hand man, and Soo Jung was so excited about the idea that he didn’t had the heart to reject the position.

Now, they are waiting to execute it in the middle of the night, hoping to end it once and for all.

Is Sunggyu ready? He lives his life as a rogue; he has to be ready.

“Yes.” The word slips off his tongue easily, “Are you?”

Soo Jung doesn’t know the reality of fights, and her determination answers Sunggyu with a quick of course.

She had decided to tag along, but little does she know that she was going to stand guard at a safe location for the rest of the night. Sunggyu doesn’t bother going on the right track to tell her because all she’s going to do is complain.

“Okay, so you know the plan right? I’ll be leaving now, so go to your post,” He nodded his head in the direction she was supposed to be in, and quickly entered the main building.

It’s a mess right after. It doesn’t seem like they were expecting them, but yet it seemed like they did. Whichever the case, Sunggyu is focused on staying alive, and kills everyone that doesn’t allow him to do so.

He doesn’t stay long with the small crooks, and instead goes to find that one person he seeks to murder, and hopefully, he can sleep dreamless after that.

As if fate was rooting for him, he meets the one he is looking for in the last room. The person drives a sword into the chest of Sunggyu’s fellow ally, and the latter scowled.

“Oi,” Sunggyu grits and flies towards the guy, unlike the way he moves when he is with Soo Jung. He is out to inflict pain, and will not hold back.

“Oh. Sunggyu-hyung,” The man laughed in an animalistic manner, I hope you liked the presents I left you.”

“I would appreciate it if you would stop, Myungsoo.” Sunggyu smiled darkly, putting every inch of his body weight into his attacks.

“I suggested them to the head in hope it would make you target poor Jaehyun-ie, but it sure did backfired. I guess I should have known better than to leave my soldiers with insignias,” He grinned, blocking every one of Sunggyu’s raging predictable attacks with ease.

It doesn’t last long though, because Sunggyu shifts into a more calm dynamic. Myungsoo is taught the arts of swordsmanship by Sunggyu, and it would be pointless to think he could win. A final attempt that seemed too easy, he had Myungsoo pinned under his body.

The memories of Woohyun’s unmoving, dead body flash through his mind.

“Why the revenge? Is it good enough?” The boy under him smiles, and Sunggyu almost falters at the sincerity in his eyes, but is brought back by the mocking nature of his words.

“You killed Woohyun, isn’t that good enough reason? Goodbye, Myungsoo.”

“I’m glad then.”

He slices his neck and watches the red liquid ooze out profusely before he can comprehend Myungsoo’s words. Even though he might have been one of them, it makes Sunggyu sick in the stomach. In fact, he feels weak and cruel, and he feels like vomiting.

Sunggyu sits by the body until someone speaks off a surrender by the bluebell association, where he then leaves the building, smiling sheepishly and tiredly as he meets Soo Jung’s glare at the entrance.

.

A year after, Sunggyu still thinks about Woohyun and Myungsoo, but not as much. He now dedicates most of his time to a temperous woman.

.

“Sunggyu, do you have anyone you like?”

“No.” He shook his head before placing the book back on the shelves.

“Do you have an ideal woman?”

“Well, she can’t be oppressive. It would be good if she was good at housework as well,” Sunggyu said breezily, and Soo Jung gulped. Well… she wasn’t that domineering… and it should count if her servants could do the work for her.

“…Is that all?”

“Yeah, I don’t really care much for this,” Sunggyu shrugged as he finally looked her in the eye, albeit impassively.

“Then, I should be your lover.”

Sunggyu smiled in defeat, eyes crinkling up in amusement as the first signs of emotions in a while. He had painstakingly listed all the attributes she didn’t have to , yet she came up with the conclusion that she indeed was patient, kind and good at housework. She really was one of a kind. “Is that a overbearing demand, or a question?”

“It’s a statement, and today is your first day of being my fiancé.” Soo Jung grinned triumphantly as she stepped closer to the male. She grabbed his face, pulling him down for a small peck on his lips. “I’m going to marry you.”

.

.

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Be not caught by the cunning of those who appear in a disguise.
Horace

Prologue ; a few years back

"Woohyun has been digging his nose into my activities for too long, you need to exterminate him," A low, gravelly voice hummed. The young male before him pursed his lips, disbelieving of his ears. "Sir, I can't--"

"You will, Myungsoo, otherwise the hyungs you love so much will end in the same fate."

He can't believe he has to choose between a stranger whose a good friend of Sunggyu's and Sunggyu himself, but it is obvious who he will protect.

Resigned to his decision, Myungsoo nods at the figure that is hidden in the dark behind the straw screen, and as he retreats, he can only make out the markings of a mystical beast as the flames burn.

End