There was a sharp rap on the door and Sehun entered, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dimly-lit room. He scanned the room briefly, and for a moment, panic swept over him – where was his charge? He took a step forward, then relaxed as he identified the dark shadow of Luhan leaning over his study table, presumably working on the proposal that had taken up so much of his time over the past few days.

Sehun coughed to draw Luhan’s attention to him, but the older man did not look up.

Carefully, Sehun made his way to stand at Luhan’s side; there was a dull clink as he stepped onto something. Sehun looked down, startled, only to see the broken shards of the vase that, only yesterday afternoon, had been sitting on Luhan’s study table.

Sehun bit back a sigh – he had guessed that Luhan would be in a bad mood. After Sehun had told him about the letter from his brother, Luhan hadn’t taken a single step out of his room, refusing to even eat dinner and breakfast.

“Luhan.” Sehun lay a hand on his charge’s shoulder, but Luhan just shook him off roughly. “Leave me alone, Sehun, so I can finish this damned thing.”

“Enough, Luhan. It’s been hours since you rested.” Sehun grasped Luhan’s arm firmly, pressing it down so that he could not write.

Luhan looked up, a bitter, self-mocking smile gracing his full lips. “What’s a few hours? Compared to my illustrious family, I’m nothing – of course I must pay a price to be able to call myself their family, to be able to stand on the same level as them.”

Sehun wished he was with as good with words as JB and Luhan were – perhaps then he would know just what to say to comfort his charge, to take away his pain. But he’d never had any talent with words, and he could only stay silent and speechless.

With a tired sigh, Luhan picked up his pen. “Why did you come in? Is something the matter?”

Sehun perked up, suddenly remembering the guest he had left downstairs. “Yes- Ms Yoona is here.”

Luhan stopped abruptly, his pen lifting slightly from the paper. “Yoona? Im Yoona? What the hell is she doing here?”

“She said she has something important to discuss with you.” Sehun replied with a shrug.

Luhan paused for a moment, glancing down at his paper. Then he gave a sudden, wicked smile, the playfulness coming back to him in an instant. “Tell her I’m asleep. Let her wait for a while.”

Sehun’s brow raised skeptically. “Are you sure you want to do that? When Yoona goes into a rage-”

“I can more than deal with her.” Luhan replied dismissively. “Tell her to wait.”

Sehun didn’t know whether to sigh or laugh at his charge’s immaturity as he made his way back to the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jiyeon sat down heavily on the soft, springy bed, her gaze distracted as she stared right ahead.

The bodyguard who’d helped her with her luggage lay her bags down beside her. “I’ll leave you to pack, Miss Park. And…I’m sorry about what happened earlier – if not for my thoughtlessness you would not have been shouted at by the Young Master.”

Jiyeon forced a smile. “No, it wasn’t your fault. That guy is just weird.” Even as she spoke, she could not erase the image of the wild-eyed, furious JB bursting into the room – she’d been sure JB would hit her, or something just as bad. She was surprised, frankly, to see that the usually cool, collected Young Master had such a side to him.

The tall, hunky bodyguard, Kris, appeared suddenly, leaning casually against the doorway. His eyes were sharp as he acknowledged Jiyeon’s presence with a nod, but his words were directed at the second bodyguard. “Come on, Tao. The Young Master wants a moment with her.”

Jiyeon stiffened.

Tao, the shorter bodyguard, glanced up at her. “Don’t worry, Miss Jiyeon. He will be civil – the Young Master doesn’t like losing his temper either.”

Jiyeon’s expression was cool. “I couldn’t care less about what he likes.”

“Given that I am still in a rather bad mood, I would suggest you avoid provoking me.” JB’s voice drifted in from outside; Kris stepped aside to let JB enter.

The blonde-haired chaebol casually pulled out one of the chairs sitting at the study table. He leaned back against the chair, glancing briefly at Tao and Kris.

Wordlessly, the two bodyguards backed out of the room, closing the door behind them.

“I apologise for my earlier outburst.” JB said easily, crossing his legs.

Jiyeon shot him a scathing look. “Apology not accepted. How would you like to be going into a stranger’s house unwillingly, and then having the stranger stare at you like you’re a cockroach to be killed?”

JB’s brows rose, his lips curling into an amused smile. “Surely not a cockroach.”

“Close enough.” Jiyeon snapped. “What’s your problem, anyway? It’s only a room, and it’s not like I was going to ruin it or anything.”

There was a pause, and Jiyeon nearly flinched as his eyes went dark. “It’s not just a room.”

Silence engulfed them as Jiyeon stared at JB. The casual nonchalance that usually marked his face had vanished, leaving behind only a frightening intensity – an intensity that scared her, and yet also, inexplicably, drew her to him.

Suddenly, it was as if a switch had been flicked – the intensity vanished, replaced by an easy charm. “Well, your first assignment will be tonight, so I suggest you get ready.”

Jiyeon frowned. “Assignment?”

A lazy smile stole over his face. “That’s right. The company is holding a party tonight – we’re expected to bring partners, and you have been brought here for the purpose of playing my girlfriend, so, naturally, you’d be expected to accompany me tonight.”

Jiyeon’s lip curled. “A party? What, one of those events where men and women just stand around and flatter each other’s makeup and clothes?”

JB shrugged. “It’s been said that the closets are often occupied with men and women doing, well, things not appropriate in public.”

Jiyeon’s face flushed. “What?”

JB gave a wicked grin. “You heard me.” Before she could react, he leaned forward, his lips brushing her ear. “Dress up nicely – I have high expectations of you.”

Jiyeon jerked back automatically, her face furious, but JB had already ambled to the door. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” He opened the door and took one step out of the room – then he stopped, turning back. “That room – do not go into it again. I try to keep a tight rein on my temper – but I cannot always guarantee that you will be safe from it.”

The door slammed shut behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The door was thrown open with a loud bang; Luhan jumped, his pen drawing a dash through the words he had already written thanks to the sudden action. He looked up with a scowl. “What the hell-”

“Note to self: next time you lie that you’re asleep and you don’t want your cover to be blown, lock the door.” Yoona snarled

Luhan leaned back in his chair, scoffing. “I’m not afraid of you. And you just ruined the proposal I was working on.”

“Yes, and you just waited three damn hours of my life, you inconsiderate .” Yoona retorted.

“Considering this proposal is for your family’s company, I thought you’d be a little more concerned.” Luhan squinted at the dash he had accidentally drawn, trying to assess the damage done.

“Well, you can probably just draw up another proposal – it’s better for you to be doing work than wasting your life away with that girlfriend of yours. Who was it again? Hyoyeon? Or was it Jessica?” Yoona sneered.

Luhan smirked. “Admit it, you’re just jealous so many women want me. With your personality, I bet men don’t even dare to come within a ten-metre radius around you.”

“Actually, no, I just question their taste in men.” Yoona folded her arms. “Are you done with the immature insults?”

Luhan snorted. “That’s fresh, coming from you. What do you want, anyway? And what are you even doing back in Korea – I thought you were only coming back at the end of the year.”

“Can’t I visit my brother?”

“Far be it from me to point this out, but if you wanted to visit JB, shouldn’t you be at his house? What are you doing here?” Luhan’s brows rose as he tossed the proposal onto the table – he would never be able to submit this ruined copy, he thought with a sigh.

“Are you going for the party tonight?” Yoona asked, her tone more civil for the first time.

“I was going to go, but now that someone’s ruined my proposal so I have to write a new one-”

“You ruined your own proposal. I didn’t go anywhere near it. If you were steadier with your hand, or if you weren’t so immature as to make me wait, this wouldn’t have happened. Besides, who in the world submits a handwritten proposal? That’s like, grade school standard.” Yoona pointed out coolly.

Luhan ignored that. “What about the party tonight, anyway?”

“I need a partner.” Yoona announced. “My grand return to Korea – I can’t turn up without a partner.”

Luhan rolled his eyes. “That’s it? Why don’t you go ask Kai or Baekhyun or Minho?”

“Minho’s bringing one of his girlfriends, Kai isn’t going because he’s busy with a new case and Baekhyun’s going with Krystal.” Yoona counted off her fingers.

“Baek’s going with his sister? Well, then you can go with JB, can’t you? Why torment me?”

Yoona scowled at him. “I called Kris to ask if JB was going with anyone, and apparently he already has a partner. Some Park-something girl.”

“Park Jiyeon? She’s succumbed to his charms already?” Luhan looked started.

Yoona gave Luhan the evil-eye. “This is all your fault, Luhan. If not for your “teachings”, he would never have become such a playboy and spend all his time breaking hearts.”

“What teachings? It’s not my fault that JB had the bad luck to meet a girl who treated him that way, is it? I did try to warn him to keep away from her.” Luhan folded his arms. “What time is the party?”

“Is that a yes?”

“No guarantees. I’ll see if I can finish my work in time.” Luhan spoke dismissively.

Yoona grinned. “I’ll hold you to that.” She rose from the chair. “I’ll message you my address. We’ll meet at six?”

Luhan acknowledged her words with a nod, his eyes already focused on the new proposal he was drawing up. But as the door closed behind Yoona Luhan looked up, his eyes staring at the door, unreadable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jiyeon gazed blankly at the many dresses in the wardrobe. They were all incredibly beautiful and probably incredibly expensive, but that didn’t change the fact that they were all totally not her style. These were dresses that someone elegant and overly extravagant would go for. Although Jiyeon wouldn’t mind being called the former, but she definitely did not fall under the latter category.

There was a soft knock on the door, and the bodyguard named Tao poked his head in awkwardly. “Hello. I was, uh, just wondering how you were getting along in here. The party’s in another two hours, and it’ll take a while to get to the location so-” He broke off abruptly as he noticed that Jiyeon seemingly had not made any preparations in the past three hours since JB had left the room. “Is everything all right?”

Jiyeon had to fight to keep a look of dislike off her face. “Did your fantastic Young Master choose these clothes? Because he has a terrible sense of fashion.”

There was a long silence, and Jiyeon had an acute sense of having said the wrong thing. In a suddenly formal tone, Tao spoke, “These clothes were not chosen by the Young Master.”

“Either way they’ll look hideous on me. And unless Im Jaebum wants me to totally disgrace him at that little party- wait, that is a thought…” Jiyeon mused.

Tao bit back a sigh, recognizing plain dislike when he saw it. “Well, I believe the Young Lady has some clothes in her wardrobe. She looks to be about your size and height, so I believe her clothes would suit you.”

Jiyeon’s brows rose. “The Young Lady?” Nevertheless, she stood up and followed after Tao who explained as he walked, “The Young Master’s older sister, Im Yoona. You may have heard of her before – she’s a rather prominent fashion designer.”

Jiyeon couldn’t hold back her gasp. “The Im Yoona? The one who moved to America a few years back? She’s legendary! Her dresses are- well, they’re perfect!”

Tao smiled. “Then I think you would agree with her sense of fashion.” He made his way to a door opposite JB’s room and entered, leaving the door open for Jiyeon. As she entered, Jiyeon noted the empty bareness of the room – there were no furnishings except two large wardrobes in the corner of the room, and a study table on the left. The size of the room only made the bareness even more obvious.

Tao threw the wardrobe doors open, and Jiyeon had to swallow back her awe. Yes, Im Yoona had good taste in clothes. Fantastic, even. She stepped forward, staring admiringly at all the clothes in the wardrobe.

Tao pulled out a low-cut black dress that shimmered elegantly in the light; he held it up to Jiyeon, casting a critical eye. “I think this would look good on you.”

Jiyeon took the dress from Tao, surveying herself in the mirror. For the first time in hours, she allowed herself a smile. “I think so too.”

Tao grinned. “I’m glad you like it. Now, let’s get back to your room. You still need to put on makeup and all that.” As he led her out of the room, he locked the door behind them. Jiyeon followed silently after him, absorbed in her thoughts.

As they reentered her room, Tao gave a slight bow. “I’ll return in about half an hour – the Young Master should be back by then. Please get ready in the meantime.” He took two steps out of the room, but then was stopped abruptly by Jiyeon’s voice. “Thank you. For helping me. Really.”

There was a slight pause as their eyes met. Tao allowed himself a small smile. “Just doing my job, Miss Jiyeon.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Kris stepped out of the car first; before Jiyeon could even reach for the handle of the door, Kris had opened it for her, bowing elegantly like the gentleman he probably was – although Jiyeon couldn’t be sure, since she didn’t exactly know him, but he sure seemed like one.

The hunky bodyguard held his hand out to her, assisting her in getting out of the car, and Jiyeon could not help but think that Kris was definitely a gentleman – certainly much more of one than Mr Im Jaebum, who’d called half an hour earlier to tell her that she had to get to the party herself because he was “busy”. And that was why she was here, coming to a party where she knew no one, all alone.

Kris’s voice was low. “Would you like to wait outside here for a moment while I check if the Young Master has arrived yet? If he has not, we could wait out here for him – I’m sure you do not feel very comfortable with walking in alone.”

Jiyeon hesitated for a moment, glancing up at the tall, majestic building. She wasn’t surprised that Empire International had chosen to hold their “party” here – after all, they owned Empire Hotel, a chain of hotels that were located all around the world. She had to admit it – she was terrified of walking in there alone. Who knew how many hotshots would be at the party? What if she messed up or said something embarrassing in front of them?

Kris sensed her reluctance; wordlessly, he turned to enter the building alone, but Jiyeon’s voice made him stop in his tracks. “Do you mind coming in with me?”

Kris hesitated, indecision flickering across his face. “I do not think that would be appropriate, Miss Park. I am only a bodyguard. If I were to be seen walking in with the Young Master’s girlfriend-”

“I’m not his girlfriend. Besides, we’re standing together here, aren’t we? People could see us anyway.” Jiyeon cut in, a little too brusquely.

“Standing here is one thing, Miss Park. To be seen walking into a social event together – that is quite another. Besides, you will be presented to the public as the Young Master’s girlfriend, will you not? It would not be appropriate.” Kris maintained, his handsome face stubborn.

Jiyeon bit back a sigh. “Never mind then. I’ll go in myself.” She was determined not to show any sign of weakness and fear – if JB found out she didn’t dare to go alone to the party, it would definitely make her seem weak, and that was one thing she would not allow.

And so she forced herself to walk in, one step at a time, into a world completely foreign to her.

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A.N: Hey guys, I'm back! This update was a bit long in coming, so sorry about that><

First of: we learn more about the bodyguards in this chapter - Sehun and his concern for Luhan, Tao and his adorableness, Kris and his strange formality. All the bodyguards have their quirks, and all are pretty important.

And Yoona is here! I hope you Yoona/Luhan fans are happy :) She'll feature even more in the next chapter, esp with relation to Jiyeon.

Until next time!