[CONTENTID1] Chapter 10 [/CONTENTID1] [CONTENTID2] Tenth Trip [/CONTENTID2] [CONTENTID3] ISEUL’S POV

“What the—what in the world—”

Jongin reacts better than I do. Before I can say anything else, he draws out a mini pistol that he apparently carries attached to his hip, concealed in his suit jacket. Pointing it at my door, he ushers me back to the elevators with his other hand, saying something about how he’s going to take me to my safehouse.

“Wait wait wait, I have a safehouse?”

“It’s part of the new safety precautions my team and I have set up for you and your family,” he explains as we head back to my car in the basement. “Your father, mother, and you each have one for yourselves, plus one more for everyone. I’m taking you to your personal one for now.”

He starts rapping at his phone the minute we hit the road, updating the rest of his team that is also assigned to my family.

“Check for hidden cameras and any wiretapping! I also want CCTV footage for the last fourteen hours and all guest sign-in records for yesterday. Who’s available to monitor SH-C tonight?”

He finally runs out of instructions to give. Here’s my chance! Immediately, I unleash the growing list of questions I have in me. “Where is this safehouse? Since when do I have one? How come I’m only hearing about this now?”

“This was recently set up due to the car bombing at the Prime Minister’s event. Your safehouse is in one of the student accommodations near Sungkyungkwan University. For your own security, I can’t tell you where the other safehouses are located until necessary.”

“Am I going to stay the night there tonight?”

“Most likely, yes.” Under the dim streetlights, I can see his jaw tighten.

I stare at my work tote. “But my clothes…”

“There’s a set of spare clothes you can change into for tonight at the safehouse, along with basic toiletries. We can stop by your place tomorrow morning to get a set of work clothes once my team and I confirm it’s safe.”

He keeps driving. Past the sleek, condo-style buildings that remind me of the ones I stayed at during my undergrad at SNU, and past humbler apartments that once made the news for being infested with roaches. Wait, I don’t want the roach-infested place, but where the is he going?

“Um, Jongin?” I call when he makes a left turn, then right—officially bringing us into the dingiest street I’ve seen all night. “Jongin, where are we going? Are you going to kill me and dump my body behind this…”

I trail off as Jongin stops in front of a drab house that honestly looks like it could be hiding a meth lab or 23 dead bodies inside. I shake my head frantically when he starts getting out. No, no, nope.

“Hahaha, Jongin, you’re not really going to kill me, are you?” I say, laughing nervously as he opens my door. I try to peak behind his back, because what if he’s hiding an axe there?!

Jongin gives me a strange look. “Of course not, Ms. Seo. I’m just going to walk you inside before I go back to your apartment and—”  

“Let me come with you!!”

“Ms. Seo, this place is perfectly safe and adequately furnished on the inside. Come, let me show you.”

Reluctantly, I step out of the car. “Seriously, what is this place?” I whisper as we walk up to the dingy property, gnawing on my lower lip. Something flashing in the window catches my eye. “, are there people in here? Are they watching TV? Jongin, do you know who they are?”

“Relax, you’re not going to be with the rest of the tenants. See, your room is up there.”

Jongin points up at the roof of the building, and I let out a strangled little squeak. “Yah, why the is my safehouse so ugly? Jongin, please—I’ll pay anything to be upgraded to a room at any 4-star or above room downtown!”

“Ms. Seo, your safehouse can’t be at a place anyone threatening your family would expect you to be.”

“Okay, so put me in G-Dragon’s bathroom or something!”

“Do you know how many crazy fans camp outside his place night and day? Ms. Seo, I know this place doesn’t exactly look like your condo, but trust me, it’s a perfectly legitimate co-ed dorm and every room in this house is rented by a Sungkyungkwan University student. Even the owner used to work at Sungkyungkwan as a lab technician. I’ve verified all this information and I assure you, you have nothing to worry about.”

I sulk. “Okay, but still, it’s so…”

Under the porch light, I can just make out a tiny smile. “Come on. I think you’ll like the inside a little more.”

He leads me up the L-shaped stairs that go straight to the rooftop room. I wipe my sweaty palms, mentally criticizing everything I see on the roof so far. Okay, it’s not bad bad, there’s actually a nice patio set for people to have drinks and stuff, but —this is literally the poor people house you see in K-dramas! There’s laundry blowing in front of my face! Random litter everywhere! And my “house”… it’s tiny!

A set of keys jingle in Jongin’s hand and he flings the door wide open with a flourish. “See?” he says, flicking on the lights. “Not so bad, is it?”

I look around.

Oh.

Well… it isn’t, actually.

The first thing that hits me is that this rooftop room, apartment, whatever you call it, is definitely not as small and cramped as it looked from the outside.

And I get what Jongin said about the inside being adequately furnished. I do like the inside a little—no, a lot—more, actually, because once inside, I feel like I’ve been transported to a decent hotel room. This place doesn’t look like a cheap guest house at all, in fact, the elegant furnishing reminds me of…

My eyes pop out of their sockets. “Am I crazy, or does this kind of look like one of Mulya’s twin rooms?”

Jongin beams. “It should,” he replies with a hint of pride. “It’s what I asked the team to model it after as they were setting it up.”

Oh wow. My eyes race all over the room as my thoughts run all over the place. Wow, so many things happened tonight. I was in Japan not six hours ago, and then I thought I was going to be cooked in a meth lab, and now I’m discovering that I have my own lite version of my hotel room?

Did Jongin set it up this way for me? I mean, was he being considerate? Or was it just convenient, because—

“Okay, you’re not answering. Do you not like it? Is the safehouse still an issue to you?”

“Oh, no, no!” I quickly shake my head. “I was just surprised by how you were able to make it look like Mulya. I… You’re right, I like it a lot better than the outside.”

Jongin smiles again. “I’m glad to hear that.”

He launches into a mini tour of the compact studio apartment, pointing out necessities like the spare set of clothes, slippers, wi-fi, ramen supply in the pantry, and…

“The interconnecting room door,” he announces, gesturing at a door on one of the walls. “You don’t have to worry about it. It just leads to my room, because when you stay here overnight, I’ll have to stay here to guard you too.”

Something inside me does a little flip. “O-Oh, so tonight, you’ll be staying here too?”

I’m not getting nervous here. I’m just fact-checking.

“Yes, but in a completely separate part of it. A different unit, essentially. Don’t worry, it has a bathroom and pantry too, so I won’t be bothering you at all.”

I nod, even though that wasn’t what I was concerned about at all.

Jongin continues the short tour, but now I’m too distracted to pay attention. I guess this is exactly like when we stay in different hotel rooms whenever I go on business trips, so why is this setup making me so—

“Alright, so everything you need is here, right?” Jongin suddenly asks, ing the keys into my hand. “I’m going back to your apartment. Don’t worry, I’ll leave two of my most trusted men with you here.”

What? I blink, watching him as he marches back to the door. “Wait, Jongin,” I call, my feet following him on their own, “uh… don’t you think that’s a little backwards? As my bodyguard, shouldn’t you be the one staying here with me?”

“My men will be outside, don’t worry,” he says reassuringly. “You’ll be in this space alone. I’ve also made sure that this place isn’t bugged.”

“Great, but…” I chew on my inner cheeks, unsure of what to say. What do I want to say, really? What am I even trying to say to him?

“Ms. Seo, I have to get back to your apartment as soon as possible to figure out what happened there.”

His tone is patient, but I know that he’s rushing me to let him leave.

But I don’t want to, that’s the thing.

I want him to stay here.

I want him here with me. Not because of any gross feelings, but because I don’t want to be in this crusty little Mulya-but-AliExpress-vibes apartment alone!!

“Do you know what my father did?” is the first thing my gut pushes out of my mouth. “I mean, did he even do anything? I want to talk to you about what happened, so maybe the other guards can check my apartment… can’t they?”

Much to my disappointment, that doesn’t stop him from putting on his shoes. “I need to go to find out exactly that, Ms. Seo. After checking your condo, I also plan to meet with some of my old NIS connections.”

He proceeds to open the door, and before I can stop myself, I find my body springing to life and throwing itself in front of him. “But, but,” I stammer, pouting a little, “I don’t know, I don’t feel comfortable being in this place alone!”

That makes him pause. His eyes soften a bit as he says, “I’ll be back soon,” he gently forces the door wider, allowing himself to brush past me. “If you’re having trouble settling in or can’t stop thinking about the note, try talking to Mr. Kim. Since your fathers are so close, he might know something.”

Crap.

He’s right.

So before he realizes that I forgot all about my supposed boyfriend, I let him leave.

JONGIN’S POV

There’s something bittersweet about coming back to a place you have so much history with, especially when it’s been a while.

I shove my hands in my pockets and hunch my shoulders, feeling slightly chilly as the midnight breeze whips around me. Overhead, leaves rustle, and under the waning moon, I squint and try to see if I can see any movement beyond the massive iron gates. But it’s too dark to see—I can barely make out the gigantic white building.

The NIS headquarters is tucked away in the middle of a literal forest, and its exact location is kept unknown to the general public for obvious security reasons. Fortunately, as an ex-agent, I was able to retrace my steps and get here without an issue. Unfortunately, as an ex-agent, I can’t get in.

The NIS doesn’t exactly accept unsolicited visitors. My history with the agency may allow certain privileges—but that still doesn’t mean I can just waltz in with a guest badge from security. No, security’s gone home already, and I have to wait for someone on the inside to come for me.  

“Jongin,” a familiar voice calls, barely audible over the soft crunching of gravel. “Hey. It’s been a while.”

At the sound of it, my body immediately bends into a perfect 90-degree bow. “Good evening, Mr. Kim. Thank you so much for coming all the way out here.”

There’s a little beep as Kim Woobin taps his access badge on the small side gate. “How have you been?” Woobin asks with a warm smile, strolling out. “Looks like the executive protection world is treating you quite well… though not flawlessly if you’re dealing with anonymous threats at midnight.”

It’s something that’s supposed to be of comfort, but it only wrenches the beating organ in my chest. How can I, in good conscience, accept such a genuine smile from him when I’m directly responsible for his son’s death?

Yes, Kim Woobin was that agent. The one with the son that I got too close with—the reason I left the NIS.

“There’s been little to complain about, Sir. I deeply apologize for bothering you this late at night—I know you must be busy. But with the issue I briefly talked about over the phone, I… I really needed to speak to someone I can trust at the NIS.”

“Well, as a director now, I do have bigger things on my plate. But that also means I have fewer people breathing down my neck, so don’t worry. I’m glad you contacted me. It may be a matter of national security, you said?”

“Yes, Sir.” I produce the brown envelope I have tucked under my shoulder and carefully pull out its contents. “This is what I need help investigating. This note was found in my client’s penthouse earlier tonight.”

Woobin squints as he tries to read the message in the dark. “Cryptic and threatening enough. If this is addressing your client, then her father is Seo Janghoon, the Minister of Economy and Finance, isn’t he? Your client is Seo Iseul, his only daughter who runs the Mulya hospitality business now?”

“Correct, Sir.”

“Any idea who could’ve done it?”

“We found out way too easily, unfortunately. The man who slipped this note under Ms. Seo’s door was not only caught on camera—he waved at it too.”

“Oh?” Woobin raises his eyebrows, surprised. “Who was it?”

“Byun Habaek, Chairman of the Hundred Chemical Group empire. This isn’t completely unexpected. To avoid going into too much detail, his son Byun Baekhyun has history with Ms. Seo, but it didn’t end well, and Ms. Seo is basically the reason he’s going to court.”

Woobin peers inside the envelope again, finding the USB I’ve also included in it. “How come I haven’t heard anything about a conglomerate’s son going to court?”

“The process hasn’t officially started, and I’m guessing they paid a lot of money to keep it as quiet as possible.” I point at the small stick. “There’s also information on this in the USB—a summary of what happened, as well as information on the Byuns. Habaek is involved in politics too.  

“Hmm. Is this a revenge play then?” Woobin purses his lips. “Funny how he’s attacking Iseul’s father instead of Iseul herself, though. If he really wanted to get back at her, he could’ve just sent some thugs to beat her up or something. Not that he would succeed, of course,” he adds, grinning.

I crack a small smile. “I was thinking the same thing. It makes me wonder if… what Mr. Seo did was something ridiculously big.”

Woobin face grows serious once more. “And what he’s doing.”

I nod. “So I think some digging needs to be done, and it needs to be discrete. Mr. Seo is likely going to brush it off, saying that Byun just wants to stir things up to distract the public from his son, but Mr. Kim… after the PM’s car exploded, I think we can’t be too careful with anything.”

“I agree,” Woobin nods. “Do you have any more information? Any leads?”

“Everything I thought would be of value is in that USB. It contains a lot of information on Mr. Seo, which I’ve obtained from Mr. Seo’s own protection team who are also from my agency. Even though the Seo’s are one of our biggest clients, if there is something legitimately… malicious in what Mr. Seo is doing, then…”

Woobin nods, understanding. “There he is—upright as always,” he pats my arm. “I’ve always admired that about you.”

I swallow, trying to block the guilt that comes back whenever this man shows any amount of kindness to me. Of all the people and places I should receive it from, it shouldn’t be Kim Woobin.

“Mr. Kim, do you think the first sentence refers to the PM’s car bombing?” I ask instead, without acknowledging the praise. “Or is it likely, based on the NIS’s investigation on it, so far?”

A secretive smile plays on Woobin’s lips. “I think you’d know that that’s confidential, Jongin. What do you think, though? Do you think that’s what Mr. Seo did?”

I frown. “Possibly… but some things don’t add up.”

“How?”

“Well, Mr. Seo could’ve wanted to wipe the PM out for his close friend who is going to be running against PM Lee in the primaries—Mr. Kim Youngmin. We all thought Mr. Seo was aiming to be PM if Kim was elected, but as of yesterday,” I sigh, rubbing my head at how confusing the whole damn thing still is, “their children started dating. And this was encouraged by their fathers. So now obviously, there’s too big of an interest conflict, and even if Kim becomes President, Seo can’t be PM.”

“Oh?” I can tell that the dating news has surprised Woobin too. “Well… that’s interesting. Maybe it’s something else that Seo wants—but something Kim Youngmin would have influence over as well.”

“Still. Bombing a car like that in front of so many important people and failing?” I shake my head. “I don’t know. It’s a bit too… public and risky, don’t you think? Doesn’t seem like a strategy Mr. Seo nor Mr. Kim would endorse.”

Woobin stares at the brown envelope in his hand thoughtfully. He’s quiet for a long time, until he says, “I don’t think he’s talking about the car bombing in this note.”

“Really?” My eyes widen. “Wait, do you think somehow the Byuns were behind that?”

“I never said that,” Woobin rejects sharply. “In fact, the only thing I can say is that we don’t have enough information to conclude anything at the moment. We might need to wait until something else happens.”

“You think something else will?”

I feel incredibly lost. For the first time in forever, I have no idea what the hell is happening right now.

“People tend to act more as the elections get closer.” Woobin squeezes my shoulder, smiling even though his entire face looks tired. “And I’m almost certain that the people involved in this will, because every actor and motivator in whatever is brewing here is political. So until we get to the bottom of it, take good care of your client, okay? And I say this genuinely. You know I never had any hard feelings for you.”

And just like that, there’s suddenly a lump in the back of my throat.  

“Sir—”

“Hyung, Jongin. Come on, I know I was your senior, but did you forget that I was also a friend?”

“I can’t, Sir,” I whisper. “Not after what happened with Jongguk.”

“Jongin," Woobin sighs. "How can I make you believe that I don’t blame you for that? It wasn’t your fault.”

“It was, because I could’ve just carried him out of the pool no matter how loudly he screamed—”

“But you couldn’t have known and weren’t there alone. It wasn’t your fault alone, yet you already took responsibility like it was. You went rogue and risked your life to take down the attackers, then handed in your resignation. No one else on the team that day felt a hundredth of the remorse you felt, Jongin, so if I were to be mad at anyone, how could it be you?”

I shake my head. I don’t have an answer for him, but I still can’t do it.

“It’s been years, Jongin.” Woobin sighs. “Don’t you know that I never would’ve stayed mad at you for this long? Jongguk wouldn’t have been able to either.”

I bow my head. “I’m really sorry, Mr. Kim.”

Again. Still.

Being directly responsible for the death of someone’s child—someone who’s like an older brother to you—doesn’t leave you that easily.

“I’ll never understand you, but if you insist… I guess you should go back to your client, then.” He starts to turn away, but just as he does, I can hear him saying, “I just don’t want to lose a friend too.”

Woobin’s words reverberate through my head as I drive back to Iseul’s apartment. Yes, I know it’s been years, but it’s going to take more than just time for me get over how I failed him. Failing to protect his son Jongguk still eats me alive, especially because I owe my NIS start to Woobin—and by extension, my entire career.

I cannot, in good conscience, call a man who I owe my life to and repaid by losing his son ‘hyung’. I know to keep all business relations at arms’ length now—including Woobin, and especially Iseul.

I absolutely cannot make the same mistake of getting too attached ever again.

No matter how hard it is this time.  

I reach my destination just as I arrive at that conclusion and step out. Climbing up the stairs to the roof, I greet the two agents I’ve stationed to guard Iseul while I’m gone.

“It’s been quiet all night, Sir,” they report, getting up from the outdoor chairs they were sitting on. “We saw the lights going out, so she’s most likely asleep.”

“Great, thanks. You guys can stand by in the car for now. Talk to the other guys to see if they have any updates on the Byuns.”

“Will do.”

As the two of them trot down the stairs, I dig the spare set of safehouse keys out of my pocket and unlock the door.

Just like my agents said, it’s dark inside. All the lights are off except for one small desk lamp which illuminates the place with just enough light to walk without breaking any bones. The plan was to just tiptoe in, take a quick peek at the den to make sure that Iseul is indeed alright, and disappear into my own room. The plan was to get all that done in less than 10 seconds. But the plan falls right off a cliff as soon as I see how Iseul’s sleeping.

Why is she on the couch?

I rush over, grabbing the blanket that’s fallen to the floor. Seriously, she’s not even using a proper blanket—this is the thin, fleece spare from the closet! There’s a goose down comforter on the bed, which, speaking of which, is also untouched. Why did she choose the couch over a Queen mattress? Is it not soft enough for her?

I pause, trying to reign in all these protective feelings that shouldn’t have come so strongly. But then she whimpers in her sleep and curls up into an even tighter ball, and that’s all it takes to make me lose it.

“Aish, Iseul.” I throw the blanket over her and crouch down.

We’re face to face now–hers asleep, mine wakeful and watching. Despite my conscience screaming at me, I let myself look at her for a bit. She looks so soft and serene when she’s asleep, a stark contrast to when she’s working. I’ve seen her asleep before, but only on planes or taxis—not a living room couch I can pretend we share.

My stomach squeezes and I have to look away.

Enough. No more before it gets worse. I should just scoop her up and tuck her into bed.

That’s normal, right?

I stop, reconsidering for a second. Maybe… wrong.

I’m just a bodyguard. Currently, she’s not at risk of any harm. I should just leave her here—I’ve fixed her blanket and that’s good enough.

But as I back away, my calf hits the edge of the coffee table. Pain shoots up my leg and I open my mouth, screaming silently. , , . It’s all I can do to stop myself from buckling over and crashing to the floor. God that hurts!

I jump around on one leg like a pogo stick, trying to keep quiet, but the damage is done. Iseul stirs and just like that, I’ve woken her.

“Jongin?” she calls, rubbing her eyes as she sits up. “Jongin, what are you doing?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” I hiss, still clutching my calf. “Why are you sleeping on the couch?”

Iseul blinks groggily. “I… I don’t know…” she trails off, looking around with wider eyes. “I guess the couch was pretty comfy.”

She scratches her head violently, and even though her hair’s messy and sticking out in all the wrong places, she has never looked more adorable to me. God, especially in that oversized tee and pajama pants. She looks so domestic, I just—

I ball my fists, making sure my hands are firmly pressed to my sides.

This is fine. Thoughts are fine, as long as they don’t become words and actions.

“Is the bed not to your liking?”

“No, no.” Iseul chews furiously on her lower lip. “I just fell asleep here. I think I was… I was on my phone, and then…”

Oh. She was probably talking to Junmyeon, wasn’t she?

“And then I was going to go to sleep, but I sort of wanted to wait up because… I had stuff I wanted to ask you.”

Oh. She fell asleep here waiting for me?

“I see,” is what I manage to say as I try to keep myself in check. “Is it about the note?”

She nods. “Did you find out who put it there? And what it means?”

I sigh, straightening up as the pain in my leg subsides. “Are you sure you want to talk about this now? It’s nearly two in the morning, and I don’t want to make you worry for the rest of the night.”

In the dim light, I can see that I’ve already done it. “How bad is it?” she whispers, her eyes quivering. “The person who put it there, and what my father did?”

I shake my head once. “Let’s just talk about this in the morning, Ms. Seo. All you should now know is that you’re fine, and you’ll stay that way.”

She chews on her lower lip, frowning like she doesn’t believe me. The sight of her phone reminds me of something.

“Did you talk to Mr. Kim?” I ask slowly, ignoring the pricking I feel in my chest. “Did he say anything useful?”

“Oh, he…” she looks down at her phone, shrugging. “No, he didn’t. Is my apartment clear now?”

Hmm. That was her obviously trying to change the subject. Maybe she’s just not yet comfortable with talking about Junmyeon? Going with the topic shift, I nod. “We can stop by in the morning before we head to the office.”

“Okay. So you can fill me in on the way.”