Jaejoong was awakened by the sound of a doorbell. He saw Mr. Cha walking toward the door of their hotel suite.

 

 

 

 

            "I ordered breakfast," explained the butler before opening the door.

 

 

 

 

            A uniformed bellboy walked in pushing a food cart. He noticed that the food on the cart was only for two people.

 

 

 

 

            "That won't be enough for three," he commented.

 

 

 

 

            "I know. But I am having my breakfast in the buffet table downstairs. I am interested to know all the Korean dishes being served there."

 

 

 

 

            He smiled. Mr. Cha loves to eat and his favorite hobbies was to taste all the local food in whatever country they were in. It had been four years since they crossed paths, but this was the first time Mr. Cha had ever been to the Korea. He was instantly curious about the food, the arts and culture of the country where he was born.

 

 

 

 

            After the bellboy left, he peered into one of the covered plates. He saw some toasted bread. He was about to get one when Mr. Cha slapped his hand.

 

 

 

 

            "A gentleman doesn't eat breakfast unless he has properly performed his morning rituals."

 

 

 

 

            "Since when did I become a gentleman?" he growled. And he preferred to eat first than take a bath.

 

 

 

 

            "You became an Argentinian gentleman named Mr. Giovanni Pesetas when I reserved this suite for us."

 

 

 

 

            "Giovanni? That sounded like some gay hairdresser!" he complained. "Can't you think of any good names for me every time you create a new identity for me?"

 

 

 

 

            Mr. Cha covered the toasted bread.

 

 

 

 

            "Go clean yourself up, Jaejoong. We also have a visitor. It is not nice or proper for you to face her during breakfast looking like that. You should shave that beard of yours, it doesn't suit you at all."

 

 

 

 

            He sighed. It would just be useless to argue with a stuck up butler. Mr. Cha had always been strict when it came to rules of etiquettes.

 

 

 

 

            Although Mr. Cha was only thirteen years older than  hi,, he still treated Jaejoong like a ward or a son. Despite his complaints, Mr. Cha continued to act like a father figure.

 

 

 

 

            He found himself remembering his own father and how he died. Sorrow and anger began to consume him as memories of the past flashed in his mind. He stopped those memories and quickly dismissed them. There was a proper time for such emotions. And that would be the time when he finally faced Lee Soo Man and exacted his revenge.

 

 

 

            He rose from the sofa that served as his bed last night. The suite Mr. Cha got them in the Mallavio Hotel had only two bedrooms. Jaejoong gave one of the rooms to So-dam. The second one went to Mr. Cha after he beat him in a game of rock, paper and scissors.

 

 

 

            Although Mr. Cha offered to share the room, he declined. He had once shared a room with Mr. Cha before, and he never got any sleep. The butler had the habit of snoring too loud.

 

 

 

            Jaejoong preferred the sofa where he could sleep and he had no snoring roommate.

 

 

           

            He walked toward the bathroom. Inside, he found a shower and a bathtub. He never took a bath in a bathtub. He preferred the shower. The only time he ever got inside a tub was when he had a female companion there with him. And what he did in the tub wasn't exactly taking a bath.

 

 

 

 

            He took off his clothes. Those were still the same clothes he wore yesterday. He was too tired and too sleepy to change into the pajama Mr. Cha kept on insisting he wore. He wasn't like Mr. Cha' former employers who changed clothes before sleeping. He was used to sleeping on the same clothes he wore all day. He only changed his clothes the next day or after taking a bath.

 

 

 

 

            When he was still a mercenary, he often wore his clothes for days without changing them. It was kinda hard to change clothes when you were in the middle of a battle in the desert or in the jungle.

 

 

 

 

            But when Mr. Cha came into his life, a lot of things began to change. Mr. Cha was trying to turn him into some sort of respectable gentleman. Despite his annoyance, Mr. Cha continued to teach him the proper ways of doing things. Mr. Cha had also put his finances in order. Before, Jaejoong simply kept all his money in the bottom drawer of his cabinet or inside a duffel bag under his bed.

 

 

 

 

            Mr. Cha put a stop to that. He created new names for him which he in turn used in getting him several bank accounts all over the world. Now, all of his money went to these accounts. Some of his money though was invested by Mr. Cha in business and in the stock market. Whatever profits these earned were deposited to Jaejoong's bank accounts automatically.

 

 

 

 

            The money he earned on such investments was used to buy a small chateau in France. That chateau served as Jaejoong's haven when he needed peace and quiet and some time to think.

 

 

 

 

            He stepped under the shower and let the water ran down his body. Ever since his father was killed and he had decided to carve his own path, he had remained alone. He lived his life underground. He got to know a lot of people, but not one of them became his friends. Until his path crossed with Mr. Cha. Mr. Cha wasn't just a friend but a confidante. He also became his guide back to society.

 

 

 

 

            He had learned to trust and depend on his friend. If he was a superhero, Mr. Cha would certainly fit the role of his reliable sidekick.

 

 

 

 

            After his shower, Jaejoong wasn't surprised to see a clean polo shirt, pants and underwear on the counter in the bathroom. Laid out also on the tiles was everything he needed for shaving including his favorite after-shave. Mr. Cha had always been a very efficient butler. He ranked first class when he was still working for a family of English aristocrats before they met.

 

 

 

 

            Jaejoong began to shave his beard. The moment he lost the beard, he would also lose the character of Bong Pil. He would look different. He would look like his father. The only difference would be that his father was light skinned while he was tanned.

 

 

 

 

            After shaving, he didn't linger anymore in front of the mirror. He didn't want the mirror to remind him of his father's death and his ongoing revenge.

 

 

 

 

            This wasn't the time to think of his revenge. He needed to deal with his immediate problem named Lee So-dam.

 

 

 

 

            He got dressed. He didn't bother to button his shirt. He wanted to eat first since he was already hungry. Upon stepping out of the bathroom, he was greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Mr. Cha often brought with him a coffee maker wherever they went.

 

 

 

 

            Mr. Cha gave him a mug of hot coffee.

 

 

 

 

            "Thanks." Jaejoong also noticed that the food on the food cart was now properly arranged on the dining table in the suite. He sat himself on one of the chairs around the table and began eating. This time, Mr. Cha didn't slap his hand.

 

 

 

 

            "How long is So-dam going to stay with us?" Mr. Cha inquired.

 

 

 

 

            He had gotten used by now of Mr. Cha inquisitive nature. The butler had always been intrigued about who he really was. He didn't keep it a secret that he continued to investigate and research information about Jaejoong. Mr. Cha rarely hid anything from him. He always spoke whatever was on his mind whether he would like it or not.

 

 

 

 

            "I am not really sure."

 

 

 

 

            "She's not your companion?" There was disbelief in his tone.

 

 

 

 

            "I only helped her escape from her uncle who was trying to marry her off to some guy."

 

 

 

 

            "Ah, another damsel in distress like Miss Nana?"

 

 

 

 

            Nana was a beautiful teenager from India. He saved her from being sold to ion. But he didn't do it out of the goodness of his heart. Nana was part of his plan of revenge. He helped Nana leave India, had her educated and taught with skills she would need when Jaejoong finally confronted Lee Soo Man. Nana was an investment and part of his revenge.

 

 

 

 

            "You can never call So-dam a damsel in distress. In fact, the reason why I ended up helping her was because she blackmailed me," he disclosed.

 

 

 

 

            Mr. Cha raised an eyebrow.

 

 

 

 

            "You, being blackmailed by a girl? Unheard of!" he retorted.

 

 

 

 

            He chuckled.

 

 

 

 

            "I find her very interesting, so I made her believe that she succeeded in blackmailing me."

 

 

 

 

            "Ah, I see," Mr. Cha said in understanding.

 

 

 

 

            "By the way, she needs a new identity. Get her papers and documents that she would need."

 

 

 

 

            "Should I include a passport for that?"

 

 

 

 

            "Of course."

 

 

 

 

            "Are we going to take her to France?"

 

 

 

 

            "Probably."

 

 

 

 

            "Can I give her a new name?"

 

 

 

 

            "Absolutely not! I cannot allow you to give her one of those awful names! Let's wait for her to wake up and we shall ask her what name she wants for herself. And Mr. Cha, use the name she chooses!" he warned the butler.

 

 

 

 

            He nodded. But something about the glint in the butler's eyes worried Jaejoong. He just hoped that Lee So-dam won't end up with an ugly name.

           

 

 

 
           

 

 

           

 

 

            So-dam was temporarily disoriented when she woke up in a strange room. Slowly, as the vestiges of sleep left her mind she remembered how she came to be in this suite in Mallavio Hotel.

 

 

 

 

            The helicopter piloted by Mr.Cha landed in a private airstrip yesterday. From there, they boarded a rental car, driven again by Mr. Cha, and proceeded to the Mallavio Hotel. Mr. Cha had already gotten the suite before he found out about So-dam. The suite only had two rooms. Jaejoong gave her one of the rooms and fought Mr. Cha using the game rock, paper and scissor for the right to use the second room.

 

 

 

 

            Jaejoong lost and ended up using the sofa in the suite's small living room.

 

 

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