For her, he was willing to take a bullet...

No questions asked...

No second thoughts...

For him, she was the source of his life...

His forever.

Present day...

Presidential Speech, South Korea, Seoul, 2023

"Everything is in place," A voice spoke over the Bluetooth bud. 

"Wing A?" Johnny asked.

"It's covered," The male confirmed. 

"Great, if you notice anything suspicious, you know what to do." 

"Yes, sir!" 

"Good," Johnny replied shortly before turning off his speaker. 

"Is everything alright, babe?" 

Hearing her voice a smile cracked on his face and he turned around. "All is in perfect order... and you look stunning." 

She smiled shyly. "And you look handsome." 

Johnny winked and walked over to her, pulling her into his arms. Today was an important day, and as much as he focused on work, his girl was on his mind as well. After all, her safety was the most important. 

"It can get crazy today," He said. "Don't let me lose sight of you, okay?" 

She nodded. "You don't need to worry." 

"Good," He mumbled and the two of them kissed. "Ready?" 

"Mhm," She smiled. 

With that, Johnny took her hand and the two walked out. Nali's father was already waiting for the two behind the stage. As with any daughter, Nali came for support together with her mother. At first, the latter didn't agree with it due to the danger they were putting themselves in, but in the end, he gave up and just went on with it. Johnny had also played a big role in that and persuaded the elder to let them attend it, promising him that he will make sure that the security was at its highest level. That being said, Johnny called his crew and set everything in its place, making the elder relax.

Did Nali's father know about their relationship? Yes, and it was something Johnny wanted to be clear with. 

Johnny was serious about it, and he wanted him to know that he had no intention of hurting Nali or driving her around, selling her false hopes and dreams. Despite his past, and despite the things that he might have done before, Johnny changed and that life was a thing of the past. Now, he had a different purpose in life. He had goals. Dreams. Plans for the future and all of them included Nali. 

The result? 

***

"Nali and I are together," Johnny said bluntly as he sat at the dinner table across from her father. 

The elder looked at him for a moment and then at Nali. "For how long?" 

"For about two months," Johnny confessed. "I don't want to hide it because I have nothing but serious intentions when it comes to Nali, so I want to ask you for a blessing." 

The male was silent as Nali and Johnny observed him for a moment before he grinned and stood up. "This calls for a celebration, besides, I already knew that. I was just waiting."

"How?" Nali blinked. 

"I have my ways, sweet daughter of mine," Her father winked. 

Johnny chuckled slightly, as Nali looked a bit caught off guard.

And just like that, he gave them his blessing. 

***

And for sure, Nali's father knew everything. There wasn't a fly that could pass by without him noticing it. But. did Nali or Johnny ask how? No. They both agreed that it wasn't their concern and that the only thing that matters was the fact that he accepted their relationship and he didn't meddle in it. What they did was none of his business as long as his daughter was happy and Johnny made sure she was. 

"Dinner still stands?" Nali asked as the two walked down the hallway. 

"I cleared my schedule," Johnny confirmed. "No worries about that."

"But you still won't tell me why it was planned out of the blue?" She hummed, poking his shoulder. 

Johnny chuckled. "Can I not take my girl out?" 

"Mhm... but you are up to something. I know that look." 

"Who? Me?" He blinked innocently. "Oh, look, there's Pa!" 

And before she could manage to say anything, he hurried his step, making her roll her eyes at his childish behavior. 

"You sneaky ..." She mumbled.   

"Everything is set," Johnny spoke as he approached her father. 

The male nodded. "Let's do this." 

Taking their positions, Johnny checked with his team once again, making sure that everyone was in place. Nali and her mother took their seats, as Johnny and his partner stood behind them, focusing their attention on the area around them as people started to gather. The ones that arrived were being checked for any weapons at the entrance; for now, everything seemed in order, but they were still careful. Soon the hall was packed and the spotlight was on Nali's father and the show could begin.

"I want to thank you all for coming today," Her father said. "The fact that you have trusted us again means that we are on the right path to making South Korea great again! It means that..." Her father trailed off as the crowd listened to him and the media covered it.

For a while things were 

"Anything on your side?" One of the men spoke over the bud 

"All clean," The other added. 

"Not exactly," Yuta said. "Twelve o'clock."

Johnny hummed and exchanged glances with the partner next to him before grabbing his gun under his suit jacket and taking a step back. Things escalated fast as a couple of shots went off filling the room with panic. Nali, her mother, and her father were told to stay low as Johnny and the others took them back into one of the safe rooms. But did things turn out how they had planned? No. It happened in a matter of seconds and Johnny found himself standing in front of Nari, being her live shield as the opposite latter pointed a gun at him. 

Johnny exchanged a quick glance with his partner and then looked at the latter who was now standing in a small group. Of course, the special forces were on their way since the police were incapable of doing their job right this time, but until they got there, the only people that could do something were Johnny and his crew. This only goes to show that no matter how high the security is, idiots will always find a way to infiltrate somewhere and cause problems. 

"Put down your weapons!" The latter hissed at them. 

"Let's calm down, shall we?" Johnny said calmly. "There is no need--" 

"I said put down your ing weapons!" 

As Nali was standing behind him Johnny felt her squeeze her grip and tug his shirt. She was scared beyond anything and he knew that. Her father and mother were also surrounded by the bodyguards so right now finding a way out and getting them to safety were most important. But how? Surely, they would need a distraction. Johnny scanned the area with his eyes as he carefully bent down and placed the gun down on the floor followed by the others, but little did they know that Johnny came prepared, as always. 

"Slide the gun over to me!"