Kris hated pretending.

Having to be Kris and not Wu Fan, Kevin Wu or Li Jiaheng was driving him insane.

                Kris sighed, wondering how his life could’ve been if he stayed in Vancouver, having life as normal as it could be. He was grateful for the opportunity he had been given. He really was… but slowly yet surely, he was realizing one by one what he had sacrifice, was sacrificing and would sacrifice in the future. But he wasn’t sure if he could deal with sacrificing his heart.

Yet, the need to keep her safe overpowered everything else.

He wondered how different it would’ve been if Choi Sooyoung hadn’t entered his life.

The answer was simple.               

Dull

Meaningless

Kris sighed yet again at the irony that was his life.

“Gege!” Tao whined, pouting fully for added effect. “Snap out of it already!”

“What?” He didn’t mean to sound annoyed but he really just couldn’t help it.

 A look of pure sympathy crossed his best friend’s face. “I know you’re worried about seeing her again but you can’t forget that she can’t find out.”

The older man nodded stiffly. “She’s the president’s daughter… nothing more, nothing less.”

Tao shook his head. “You’re a bad liar, you know that?”

“K-Kevin.” His mother’s voice rang out throughout the house. “Someone’s here to see you.”

It didn’t go unnoticed to him how her voice stuttered; a simple thing that gave so much away. His eyebrows furrowed as he leapt off the bed and dashed down the stairs, coming to a screeching halt in the living room. Kevin’s eyes widened as his gaze locked on their visitor – the unexpected visitor to say the least. Was he seeing things? If not, what was he doing here?

“Mr. President.” He mumbled under his breath.

Choi Jungnam smiled warmly as stepped further inside the house; Kevin’s mother standing behind him. “Look how much you’ve grown, Wu Fan.”

Kevin stiffened, wanting to lash out at the older man. Was he for real? Was this the same guy who told him back when he was just merely twelve years old that he could never play with his daughter ever again? He glared at the elder man. If he was back in Korea, he would think twice about it. But they were in Vancouver, Canada and as far as he was concerned, the president was on a home court disadvantage.

The president sighed when he got no reply. “I know the last time we saw each other, it was a far from pleasant conversation.”

“No .” He bit out angrily, not bothering to hide his true feelings.

His mother shot him a stern look. “Wu Fan.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” The lone Korean in the house raised his hand, not wanting mother and son to fight.

“What do you want?” Kevin remained unmoving.

“I need your help.”

His tone gave him away. Kevin straightened up; concern soon flashing across his face. “What happened to Sooyoung?”

“Nothing… yet.”  Choi Jungnam sighed regretfully. “Based on credible reports I’ve received, there’s a plan to kidnap her.”

Mrs. Wu gasped and her son stiffened again almost immediately. “Can’t your bodyguards do something about that? Heighten the security?”

“The threat is among them.”

Kevin clenched his jaw; his hands at his sides. No wonder all his bodyguards were waiting outside and he was alone inside with him and his mother. Not even the president’s right hand, Kim Heechul, was with them. “What do you want me to do?”

“Be her bodyguard.”

                Kris sighed at the memory; the tall man seated in the living room of the president’s residence with the highly qualified friends he was permitted to bring along with him – Tao, Chanyeol, Kai and Sehun. All of them were under the pretence that they were government-trained bodyguards newly assigned to the youngest of the two presidential daughters. Tao, Chanyeol, Kai and Sehun all sported identical masked looks of apprehension; their attention discreetly focused on their ‘leader’. His dark raven hair was gone, replaced by a short sandy blonde cut; all in the hope that Sooyoung wouldn’t recognize him.

Kevin… Wu Fan was now Kris.

                The approaching footsteps soon got the five men to their feet, bowing as a customary show of respect. But despite the fact that he in a sharp breath and willed himself to do what he had to do, Kris’s stance faltered a fraction as he straightened up; his eyes meeting hers. The moment her eyes went wide, Tao and Chanyeol exchanged a look; the two men silently hoping it was what they thought it was.

“Gentlemen, this is my daughter, Choi Sooyoung.” The president cleared his throat. “Sooyoung, these are your new bodyguards, Tao, Kai, Sehun, Chanyeol and Kris.”

Kris was almost sure that he saw a flicker of disappointment in her eyes but it disappeared soon before he was completely certain. “You got bodyguards that are around my age?” She beamed at her father. “You actually listened to me.”

If it were at all possible, the five new bodyguards blinked in unison.

She didn’t know.

Choi Jungnam’s affection for his youngest daughter was as clear as day. “Sooyoungie, I know they’re your bodyguards but try not to tire them out too much.”

“Appa, I don’t find volunteer work tiring at all.” Sooyoung laughed, pressing a kiss on her father’s cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

“Go ahead and wait in the car. I’m sure Mr. Goo has been waiting for a long time outside.” He smiled at the mention of their long time driver. “I’ll just have a word with your bodyguards.”

“Don’t scare them off, appa.” She laughed once more before disappearing out the front door.

The president’s gaze fell on the tallest of the five men before him. “I know that wasn’t easy…”

“I’m here to do my job.” Kris interrupted shortly.

“I’m sorry, Wu Fan. I’m sorry for all this.”

o-o-o-o-o

Kris didn’t know which was harder – knowing that Sooyoung’s life was at risk every second or being so near her yet she didn’t know who he was.

                He stood as stiff as a board off to the side of a large room together with Kai, Sehun, Chanyeol and Tao, watching as the youngest of the presidential daughters played with the patients of the children’s hospital they were in. There were no media and unneeded onlookers in the room and Kris knew what she was doing was not a scheduled event or something of that nature. She was doing what she was doing simply because she had a big heart.

Kris would know. She treated him like a real best friend would back then.

If he didn’t know better, he wouldn’t believe that she was the boss’s daughter and he was simply the house help’s son.

                A forceful tug on one of his pant leg’s snapped Kris out of his thoughts; the tall man looking down to see a small girl standing by his feet; a fistful of the material of his pants in her small hand. A quick glance to her pink hospital bracelet told Kris that the girl, barely having even started life, was a cancer patient… Leukemia to be exact.

The child’s doe-like eyes were wide as she stared up at the older male. “Why are you just standing there?”

                Kris’s blinked at the question, mentally smacking himself when he realized how long he had zoned out from his surroundings. He was the only one standing by the wall and it was with a hint of surprise, confusion and amusement that he took note of how his friends had a child or two with them.

“Huh?”

“Sooyoung unnie was calling all of you to join us and play.” The girl informed him. “But you didn’t move.”

                The sandy blonde haired man nodded slowly, finally allowing himself to look at Sooyoung and nearly failing to stifle a gasp when he realized that she was watching him. There was something about the way she was looking at him – as if she was finding something. Answers, perhaps? Was she beginning to recognize him now? Was she seeing Wu Fan instead or Kris? Kris clenched his teeth. He couldn’t fail, not when her safety depended on it.

Fighting the guilt that was starting to course through him for what he was about to do, he offered a small, apologetic smile to the girl. “I can’t play with you. Sorry.”

Then, he turned to leave, not failing to notice the look of disappointment on her face. Kris knew that if she really did believe that she recognized him, her hope was dwindling fast.

Because Wu Fan wouldn’t think twice about playing with a little girl.

o-o-o-o-o

                It was an emotionally straining day and Kris was more than eager to look for the President and report to him as fast as he could. He needed to rest, to forget. Kris sighed, running a hand through his hair as he strode through the main sitting room, headed for the room that was the President’s office. Sooyoung was safe in her room and his friends waited for him outside. He sighed once more at the thought of the brunette beauty. It was a struggle for him to pretend that he didn’t know her, that even her littlest actions affected him in the greatest of days.

He didn’t know how he was going to last like this.

                Entering a narrow hallway that led to the back porch and the President’s office, Kris came to a stop as a voice greeted him. He cocked his head slightly to the side, listening to intently. He knew that voice. It belonged to Byun Sang Woo, the head of the Presidential Security Team. He was standing in the back porch, apparently talking to someone in his phone. Kris silently tiptoed until he was standing against the window, giving him the perfect view of the older man yet being shielded by the curtain at the same time.

“The President’s hired new bodyguards for Sooyoung.” He grumbled to the phone. “It would be harder to kidnap her now. They’re guarding her like freaking watchdogs. We need another plan.”

                Kris didn’t really need to hear anything else. Deciding the President could live without hearing his report of today’s events, he quickly yet quietly walked away, practically running out of the mansion once it was safe enough to do so. Tao, Sehun, Kai and Chanyeol all straightened up when their leader practically burst through the double doors; identical looks of confusion on their faces.

“What’s wrong?” Kai asked, knowing that whatever got Kris to that state had something to do with Sooyoung.

“Get in.”

                Not bothering to wait for a reply, Kris stormed towards their car, getting in the driver’s seat soon after. Knowing that he could and would leave them if they didn’t move fast enough, the four men piled quickly inside the car and Kris hurriedly drove off. The atmosphere in the car was tense and his four clueless friends knew that whatever it was that he had yet to tell them, it was far from good. Kris’s eyes were wide and frantic as he drove; a multitude of expressions crossing his face so rapidly – from fear to hatred to anger to helplessness. It didn’t help his friends any when he suddenly entered a dirt road and pulled over when they were a considerable length away from the main road; Sehun noting that they weren’t anywhere near the presidential residence.

“Hyung, what–” Whatever Chanyeol had left to say died on the tip of his tongue as Kris left the car, slamming the door in the process.

“Gege, what the hell!” Tao yelled as they climbed out of the car soon after. “You cannot just have a hissy fit and drag us to the middle of nowhere and not explain a damn thing.”

Kris leaned heavily against the car, facing away from his friends. “I know who the threat is.”

Kai’s jaw dropped. “Who?”

“Byun Sang Woo.”

“The .” Chanyeol hissed. “Why does that bastard want to kidnap her?”

“I don’t know.” Kris’s jaw tensed as he angrily kicked the sand and gravel surrounding his feet. “I didn’t stay long enough to find out.”

“Then what are we going to do now, hyung?” Sehun asked. “Do we tell the President?”

“We can’t let Byun Sang Woo know that we know.” Kai protested almost immediately. “He’s just going to outsmart us everytime.”

“Gege, what now?” Tao ran a hand down his face in frustration.

They stood there in edgy silence for an eternity it seemed before Kris finally spoke.

“We’re going to let him take her.”