It was the scent of freshly cooked grilled fish with nato that woke Mari up, along with the pounding headache that came as a result from her mini hangover. She trudged out her room with a hand on her head, a smile lighting up her features when she saw the food laid out on the table. In front of her was a traditional Japanese breakfast of grilled fish, nato, and a side of miso soup.

The clock on the living room told her it was a little ways past eight in the morning already, meaning Yui must’ve arrived two hours ago. Mari scrunched her nose in confusion. “Oh, Yui just came?” she mumbled when a pang of pain shot through her head and she groaned while opening cupboard by cupboard, “Where could they be?”

“Painkillers. It’s best taken on a full stomach.”

Mari squealed and crossed her arms in front of her for self defense, the hairs on the back of her neck standing out before the figure in front of her became clearer. The familiar auburn hair, the never changing black suit, and his slender fingers holding a small plate with two red pills and the other hand holding a glass of water. Compared to Mari’s state, Baekhyun definitely seemed more awake, and he looked at the ground, fighting back an amused smile at her messed up hair and the dried up drool beside her lips. “Baekhyun! I uh - what are you doing here? Has Mr. Park not left for work yet?”

“You’re his fiance, Miss, you may call him just Chanyeol. And no, Mr. Park already left for work two hours ago. He’s extending his apologies of not sharing breakfast with you.”

“It’s okay, it’s not like we’re married,” she mumbled to herself just as Baekhyun handed her the painkillers, to which she smiled at thankfully before taking a seat. Baekhyun remained standing rigidly. “He’s really busy, isn’t he?”

“As all CEO’s should be,” He stated as a matter-of-factly.

The statement wiped the smile off her face, which made Baekhyun clear his throat as he fought the urge to shift his weight from one foot to another. Despite the fact she already looked disheveled enough with the crumpled sleepwear and hair sticking from different sides, he couldn’t help but feel guilty when she looked away as if ashamed.

Mari picked at her food instead, “You think I don’t do anything either, do you?” Baekhyun’s brows furrowed the least bit, and she offered him a half-hearted smile. “It’s written all over your face. Don’t worry, even my people look at me that way too. I’d been seeing that look my whole life that it doesn’t even bother me anymore.”

“Forgive me if I may have offended you, but what ‘look’ are you talking about?”

She kept picking at her food for a good while, twirling it with her chopsticks before releasing it and repeating the gesture. “The look that says I don’t deserve to inherit anything because I don’t even help out with the company. Like Mina said, no one knows I exist, and the few that do don’t even see me doing anything. Regardless of their opinions, I’m still an employee just like the rest. I have the right to be here as much as they do.”

Baekhyun pursed his lips, “That must’ve been tough. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“It doesn’t matter, people will always have something to say,” she grinned up at him, although her eyes weren’t as bright as her smile. “Since you’re not telling me why you aren’t with your Boss and hanging out with me instead, care to join me for breakfast? Yui’s great at choosing from the menu and this hotel has really good food.”

“I prepared that for you, actually.”

“You made these all by yourself?” she gestured at the food with a smile, “I must say, you’re definitely a lot more useful than just being a bodyguard. I might keep you around more often.”

Baekhyun nodded, unsure of what to say and feel. When Chanyeol told him he would be her bodyguard, the last thing in his mind would be to share breakfast with her. All he ever expected was to do his job and find out everything Chanyeol wanted to know, considering the man was so firm in belief that the innocent looking woman silently eating her food had something more to her than what meets the eye.

Usually, Baekhyun would just follow his orders and do whatever his duties required him to. It was his silent obedience, loyalty, and respect to both his best friend and boss that often led him to being praised that Chanyeol was lucky to have him by his side. Baekhyun couldn’t exactly agree over the implications for he always believed in his friend’s intuition. He’d known Chanyeol long enough to know that the young man had some sort of sixth sense where he could tell if people were trustworthy or not. It was a quality of his that Baekhyun never dared question, seeing it with his own eyes as Chanyeol refused deals from what seemed like harmless scammers or overly greedy businessmen and saved himself from what could’ve been a disaster.

He trusted his best friend as a businessman, but as the fiance of this woman? He couldn’t be so sure.

Baekhyun hesitantly sat down across her before placing his palms together with a bow, “Thank you for the food.”

Mari sent him a smile, and the two of them ate in silence for a few minutes. The only sound heard throughout the room was the audible slurping of Mari’s soup and the clinging of their metal chopsticks against the bowl. The silence was something Baekhyun was used to as he’d never really been one to talk, but something about the… peacefulness of it, as if sharing breakfast with your bodyguard was an event so normal to her. She sat across him with her eyes closed, cheeks puffed out happily as she munched on her food. Baekhyun, on the other hand, had barely taken one bite, too busy assessing her features and trying to uncover what exactly played on her mind.

He quickly ate when she opened her eyes and stared at him worriedly.

“Baekhyun, about last night… Did I do something wrong?”

Baekhyun visibly stilled. The chopstick was left hanging mid-way to his mouth when Mari spoke, her voice that was barely above a whisper coated with worry and a little fear. He noticed her bowl was nearly empty as she played around with her chopsticks instead, spinning and twirling them on her fingers while staring at it like it was the most interesting thing she’d ever seen.

Her question resonated through his mind like an accusing one, the memory of her falling and him catching her in his arms until they shared each other’s warmth and he was sure she heard his accelerated heartbeat through his suit playing in his head. It wouldn’t be good if she complained to Chanyeol that she was being touched without permission. From what he observed, none of her servants had ever laid a hand on her, maybe save for her secretary who looked like she’d pounce at anyone if any of them didn’t remain their two feet distance from her.

Baekhyun looked down on his bowl, feigning innocence at the thought he may have offended her if she had read the situation wrongly and found it inappropriate. “I don’t follow.”

Mari huffed, “Well, it’s just, you’re nice to me one second and then it’s like you can’t stand me the next.”

So that’s what she was thinking?

“My apologies. You are the fiance of my Boss and I’d like to keep my distance from you as much as possible. I believe it’s basic respect,” He internally patted himself on the back for his excuse. That way, she wouldn’t get any ideas that he had any hidden agendas, especially not one that included seducing the heiress since that wasn’t the case at all.

Mari looked away, “Oh. Right.”

“And to answer your question, Mr. Park assigned me to be your bodyguard instead. He believed it was best to have you accustomed to someone from his world to help you adjust better here. If my presence makes you uncomfortable however, I believe we can always arrange that and have your personal security team assist you like usual,” She spun her head to him and looked at him as if he’d grown two heads. Clearly, she would opt for the latter, and Baekhyun knew he had to do better at convincing her. “Honestly speaking, though, Miss, I think it’s best you stick with me. There are some things Mr. Park wants to show you that would be better if I’d show you them instead.”

“Why can’t he show them himself?”

“Just like how you’re probably busier in your hometown, Mr. Park is the same. He’s given me the duty to show you around Seoul first and prepare you for the upcoming family dinner next week.”

“Family dinner?” She said, horrified. opened to say something as she placed down her chopsticks when the doorbell rang, and the both of them stared at the door then back at each other.

Baekhyun stood up with a bow, “I’ll go get it. Please, keep eating,” Mari nodded, eyeing the door with a frown until Baekhyun disappeared from view. Baekhyun, on the other hand, already had one of his hands snaking inside his jacket, fingers brushing against the gun as he looked through the peephole. Outside stood a woman in a matching white button up blouse underneath a suit jacket and a pencil skirt. Her hair was in a tight bun, secured by a ribboned net and a tray of food nestled in her arms.

He let go of the gun and opened the doors, coming face to face with the secretary whose empty expression soon filled with the rage. Baekhyun didn’t have to think twice. He knew he was quite the unexpected guest. “Good morning, Yui-san.”

“Good morning too, Mr. Byun. May I ask what you’re doing in Fujiawara-san’s home? Mr. Park already left.”

Baekhyun raised a brow, “I’m her new bodyguard from now on, free of charge. Under Mr. Park’s orders.”

Yui peeked behind his shoulder and glared at him harder, “Does guarding her include eating breakfast with her?”

“She insisted.”

“You should’ve refused. It is highly disrespectful to share a meal with the heiress,” she pushed past him with such a strength he wasn’t expecting a short woman like her possessed, marching through the living room to the table where Mari sat wide-eyed as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t have.

Judging by Yui’s trembling fingers, Baekhyun figured maybe they’d both done something they shouldn’t have. He was about to apologize when he remembered Chanyeol’s words, his look of pure determination and anger, until he was reminded that while these women were people he should respect, he had no obligations to them whatsoever. He was just doing his job, and he had nothing to apologize for her at all, even if it meant doing something as taboo as eating with the heiress.

“Did you prepare her food?”

“Yes. Traditional Japanese breakfast to make her feel more at home,” At the mention of it, Mari took another bite.

“Fujiwara-san, don’t eat that!” Yui dropped the tray she had been holding and darted towards her direction, jumping into the table until she reached Mari close enough to swat away the chopsticks, the food landing on the floor with an audible ‘cluck.’

Mari looked horrified, while Baekhyun stood there watching stiffly. “Yui!”

“That could’ve been poisoned, Miss, what were you thinking?!”

“P-poisoned? Mr. Pa— Chanyeol’s bodyguard made it for me,”

“We don’t know these people yet, you can’t just trust them easily and let one of them walk into your home unless it’s Mr. Park and I!”

That snapped him out of his state, and Baekhyun spoke boredly, trying not to sound unaffected at the unexpected aggressive reaction of her secretary. “I can understand Japanese, you know,”

“Shut up,” she hissed at him, turning to Mari and grabbing her up harshly by the elbow with a yelp. “Come on, Miss, we have to take you to Oikawa-san right away.”