A/N: Gender Bender!

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Taeyeon climbed the ranks fairly easily. He learned quickly and became one of the best fighters in the gang. Average in height, but still had the fastest hands and greatest agility. When he was offered a position amongst the inner circle, he wanted it. It had better pay. But he had to prove himself first, which was the hard part. When he learned what he needed to do, he immediately backed away. It was the final straw. He wanted to turn a new leaf. A fresh beginning.

 

So, here he was, sitting in a below average suit he managed to steal some time ago. He was going to be interviewed for a security detail position. Surprisingly, he didn’t need to prove any educational background. Besides, his life would be on the line for another life. It didn’t need much. Taeyeon applied at a security agency and so here he was. As he waited his leg bounced anxiously.

 

“Kim Taeyeon?” called out the secretary’s voice causing him to snap his head up.

 

“Y-Yes?” He stuttered silently degrading himself as he stood up.

 

“Seriously? You’re stuttering when you used to be in a freaking gang” He thought.

 

“Mr. Lee will see you now,” she said as she motioned for him to enter the office.

 

He quickly gathered his belongings and walked to her. Taking a deep breath, he entered the office room. The room was modern and was neat. Quickly scanning his surroundings, his eyes landed on a middle-aged man sitting at one of the leather arm chairs in the middle of the room. He quickly bowed to greet the man who motioned for him to take a seat at the adjacent couch.

 

“Hello, I’m Kim Taeyeon” he finally said bowing once more before taking a seat.

 

Mr. Lee had dark black hair that wasn’t showing any signs of age, but his face showed that time was going through its course. He was in a black suit with a black button up with the last button undone. The middle-aged man did a small bow with his head while giving him a small smile, “Please to meet you. I’m Lee Soo Man, president and CEO of SM Security”

 

They sat in an awkward silence as Mr. Lee looked at Taeyeon’s application. Taeyeon could feel his hands getting clammy in nervousness.

 

“Your application is very short. It has only your name, address, and a contact information. Do you have any work experience? School?” Mr. Lee asked with a raised brow. He placed the application down and crossed his legs as he leaned back in his chair.

 

“” Taeyeon thought. What was he going to say?

 

“Well…” Taeyeon was trying to think of a valid excuse. Except, he couldn’t think of anything. “Well… you see…” he continued to stall.

 

“Mr. Kim. I hope you realize that I’ve done a thorough background check on you” Mr. Lee said sternly.

 

The color in Taeyeon’s face completely drained. “There goes trying to find a decent job” Taeyeon thought, deflating in his seat.

 

“Mr. Kim, I advise you to be honest”

 

Taeyeon sighed. “There really isn’t much about me sir… I’m an orphan who didn’t go to school. I really can’t find a job that would take me and make enough to provide for me and my siblings,”

 

“So, you ended up joining a gang?”

 

Taeyeon’s shoulders slumped. There was no way he was going to get this job now. “I… had to…”

 

“Then why are you here in my office if this gang you are part of provides for your needs?”

 

Clenching his jaw, he looked down. “Because it isn’t right. It’s killing my conscience… my little sister wants me to stop. I need to set a better example for them…” his voice soft as he felt his heart breaking at the thought of his siblings.

 

“Are you still part of this gang?”

 

Taeyeon quickly shook his head. “No! I… I left…”

 

Lee Sooman furrowed his eyebrows “You left? I’d expect such notorious gang that you had joined to have done something to you for trying to leave. You look fine to me” he crossed his arms eyeing the young man in front of him.

 

Taeyeon shook his head again as he looked down. The floor was now looking more interesting as the clock ticked by. “They did not let me off so easily… T-They tortured me until I was gasping for breath… until I was nearly dead…” he explained cautiously. He tried shaking out the images in his head. Then he lifted his left hand. “They even chopped off my pinky…”

 

Mr. Lee’s eyes widened. “Are you completely free from this gang?”

 

Taeyeon nodded. “Yes… but I have to pay a fee to keep me and my siblings safe”

 

“Interesting. So, Kim Taeyeon… why did you decide to apply for this position?” Mr. Lee was definitely intrigued by him now.

 

“I’m one of the best fighters. Trained by the most fearless gang members. I didn’t go to school so I don’t have much… Fighting is my greatest skill” Taeyeon said honestly as he looked down at his tattered dress shoes.

 

“Pathetic” Taeyeon thought.

 

“This job requires you working with high profile clients. You will hear things that need a lot of confidentiality. Your loyalty has to be on the task at hand. You have to be trustworthy. Seeing that you have been in a gang…” Mr. Lee’s voice trailed off as he noticed Taeyeon’s body deflating.

 

“I understand…” Taeyeon said softly. He lost all his hope. “Thank you for taking time to meet me… I’m sorry that it was a waste of your time,” he cleared his throat and stood up to walk to the door.

 

“Yah! Hold on a minute!” Mr. Lee called out. “I haven’t even given you my decision”

 

“B-But… you said… because I was in a gang…”

 

Mr. Lee shook his head and stood up. “Look. You said you wanted to be a better example for your siblings. You already sacrificed your childhood to be a parent for them… and you lost your finger to find a better means of life, right?”

 

“Yes… that is true sir,” Taeyeon held back a sigh.

 

“Prove me wrong. Prove to me that hiring you was the best decision I’ve ever made” Mr. Lee smiled.

 

Taeyeon’s eyes widened. “W-Wait… are you saying…”

 

“Yes, I’m going to hire you. But you need to attend a few classes regarding confidentiality, ethics, and what not. Come back tomorrow for contract signing and getting you into the system. Don’t disappoint me Taeyeon,” he smiled brightly.

 

“I won’t let you down sir!” Taeyeon beamed looking brighter and more confident than he did when he walked in the door. “Thank you so much sir! Thank you!” He bowed furiously. “I owe you my life!”

 

Mr. Lee let out a chuckle, “Get out of here and I’ll see you tomorrow at the same time. Let my secretary know about it so she can pencil you in”

 

 

X X X

 

“I’m home!” Taeyeon called out as he walked into the shared apartment.

 

A teenage girl in her high school uniform came running towards him. She had the brightest smile “Oppa! How did it go?”

 

Taeyeon pursed his lips as he walked through the small hallway ignoring his little sister’s question. She frowned at his silence. Taeyeon joined his younger brother in the living room.

 

“Did you not get it?” asked his younger brother worriedly.

 

Taeyeon looked at his sibling’s solemn faces and burst out laughing. “Aigoo! You guys are so cute. I got the job!” he grinned sheepishly.

 

His siblings cheered loudly before pulling each other in a group hug. This was definitely worth it. Family came first and getting clean money to provide for his siblings was important.

 

“When do you start hyung?”

 

“Not sure, but I have to go back tomorrow to make things official,”

 

“To celebrate, we should get chicken!”

 

Taeyeon couldn’t help but chuckle, “Aigoo. Dahyun-ah”

 

“You love me~”

 

 

X X X

 

“I’m here to see Mr. Lee” Taeyeon smiled politely.

 

The secretary looked up and nodded. She motioned for him to go through the doors.

 

With a soft knock and a ‘Come in’, Taeyeon walked into the office. He expected to only be meeting with Mr. Lee but there was another person in the office. He raised a brow and stood awkwardly.

 

“Oh. Am I interrupting? Should I come back another time?” Taeyeon asked.

 

Lee Sooman looked up from a stack of papers he was holding and shook his head. “Come in, I want you to meet someone,” he said motioning for him to take a seat.

 

Hesitantly, Taeyeon made his way to the couches. He bowed at the other man sitting at the other couch.

 

“Taeyeon-shi, meet Hwang Leo” he smiled.

 

“Hello, I’m Kim Taeyeon. Pleased to meet you sir,”

 

Leo Hwang was sporting an expensive looking suit. He looked a little distressed with the eyebags under his eyes, but he had a wide smile.

 

“I know that I had just hired you last night, but Leo is a good friend of mine and he is asking me for help. I don’t normally let new hires into a big task. However, with your background and skill I think you’d be beneficial”

 

Taeyeon’s eyes widened in surprise. A client already? This made him giddy, but also very nervous.

 

“I have arranged you to take the classes you need at night when you are not on duty. However, I’m unsure about your situation with your siblings as Leo needs someone to stay at their home”

 

The young man pursed his lips and thought for a second. His siblings are old enough to take care of themselves, but he worries sometimes about their well-being. But it would look bad on him if he declined the offer. Sacrifices were needed to be made and this was another step towards the right direction.

 

“May I ask what the task will be?”

 

Leo Hwang looked at Taeyeon in the eyes, “I’m running for the presidential campaign and let’s just say my running mates are not as innocent as they are… I worry about my safety of my daughter, so I need someone to watch over her”

 

Taeyeon raised an eyebrow. He was going to be a babysitter? “How old is your daughter?”

 

“She’s 24. I have my own security detail being an assemblyman and being a presidential candidate, but there have been accounts of threats towards my daughter. As a single father, I can’t help but worry for my youngest’s safety”

 

“If you don’t mind me asking, where are your other children?”

 

Mr. Hwang let out a sigh. “They’re in America with their own families. I wanted my daughter to go to America, but she refused”

 

Taeyeon nodded his head. “I’ll gladly take the offer. However, there are a few things I’d like to discuss. Will I be able to get any days off?”

 

Mr. Hwang smiled and nodded his head. “You’ll have the nights off to attend to your classes and you can have Sundays to yourself to visit your family. However, I do ask that you do move into my house so that if anything happens you have easy access to us”

 

“That’s perfectly fine”

 

“Do you have a driver’s license Taeyeon?” Mr. Lee asked.

 

Taeyeon nodded his head again. “Yes, but I do not have a car sir…”

 

“That’s fine, you can use one of mine. Just don’t scratch my beauty” Mr. Hwang joked.

 

“Alright. Let’s get these contracts signed and talk about the finer details like pay, shall we?”

 

All the men nodded in agreement.

 

“When do I start?”

 

“How soon can you start?”

 

“I can start tomorrow,”

 

“Perfect”

 

“Great, I’ll draw up the contracts now and get them all signed!”

 

 

 

X X X

 

“Taeyeon oppa! Kibum oppa is being mean!” Dahyun whined as soon as Taeyeon walked through the doors.

 

“Aigoo, what are you going to do that oppa now has a job?” Taeyeon asked with a raised eyebrow. He slipped off his shoes and walking into the apartment.

 

Taeyeon heaved a sigh as he looked around the living room and then at his two siblings with an unreadable expression. Both Dahyun and Kibum could only look at their oldest brother with a confused expression.

 

“Hyung are you okay?”

 

Taking a seat on one of the arm chairs, he looked at his siblings with a serious expression. “Kids, I got a job for the time being. I need you two to know that I will not be living here for the time being”

 

“What?!” they all gasped.

“I swore confidentiality. But I’ll be a bodyguard to one of the presidential candidate’s daughter. I’ll be working for them while the campaign is going on to ensure their daughter’s safety. They want me to stay at their house so I can better watch over their daughter” he explained.

 

“What?!”

 

“I’ll be off duty at night, so maybe if I have time, I can come visit you guys. But on Sundays I have the day off so we can meet then. I’ll be sure to come check up on you and call you. Key, since you are the next oldest, I expect you to be responsible in taking care of yourself and Dahyun” he said sternly looking at the second born. He sat up straight and nodded his head in understanding.

 

“And you Kim Dahyun are in your final year in high school, you are an adult now. You need to be responsible for yourself and make sure that your Key oppa doesn’t get into trouble”

 

Dahyun nodded her head but looked at her brother with worried eyes. “Oppa… what about you?”

 

A chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head “Da… you know very well what I’ve gone through being part of that gang for fifteen years. You know I’m capable of pain and know how to get out of a sticky situation at any given time. I’ll be fine” he smiled reassuringly as he reached out to squeeze his sister’s shoulder.

 

“Who wants to help me pack?” he said in a more cheerful voice wanting to lift up the gloomy atmosphere. He didn’t want to leave them, but it was part of the job description that he had signed up for. “Whoever does a great job will get a bonus allowance!”

 

With that said, his siblings sprang from their spots and raced towards his bedroom pushing each other along the way.