The office was quiet as Joonmyeon studied the resumes in front of him. He couldn't count how many people he'd interviewed, but none of them had stuck out. It might have been presumptuous, but he knew eventually his parents hands off stance on his personal security would change the longer the engagement continued. The more they leaned on the future marriage as foundation for the company, the less freedom he would have. It was only a preemptive move to seek out and procure his own trustworthy security before his parents said a word. There was knock on the door and Joonmyeon waved his hand; glass doors did nothing for privacy.

"Joonmyeon-goon, I have the next interviewee," the voice of his secretary came with that continual hint of dissatisfaction that came when Joonmyeon organized things without his knowledge.

After going home early the day before, Joonmyeon had been up most of the night considering his decision, before he started to contact people he knew; influential friends. Kids he went to school with, who knew more about how to keep secrets from their parents through years of adolescence than anyone else. But none of men he'd interviewed showed Joonmyeon he could depend on them to keep what he wanted kept secret.

"This is the last one, did you want me to start looking through regular channels for more applicants?" 

Joonmyeon raised his head, looking from the familiar face of his secretary, to the boy in the suit next to him. "No. I'll handle this myself. You can leave us."

The door was closed behind the secretary, and Joonmyeon focused on the male. He looked young. Unlike most of the men he'd interviewed. And from his resume, it showed he had little experience in personal security and lacked a decent education. There was a very short list of previous jobs, and if Joonmyeon went from resumes, he wouldn't have called the male in. But he'd come recommended highly and Joonmyeon knew when it came to his parents, a diamond that looked like coal would serve him better than anything else.

"Byun Baekhyun?" Joonmyeon read the name from the resume with a flicker of his eyes. 

"I'm Byun Baekhyun," the male, Baekhyun, responded with a bow before he stood uneasily. "I've never done a proper interview before. Please look over me well."

"You've never..." Joonmyeon gazed down at the resume then up at Baekhyun. "Then how did you come to work for your previous clients?"

Baekhyun looked around the room before he spoke carefully. "My first client is close to my best friend. I did a good job, and he helped me acquire more work after he didn't require me anymore."

"And your first client was?"

"I can't tell you. Sorry, sir," Baekhyun gave the answer quickly.

"Then how do I know if you're any good if you can't tell me who you worked for and when, so I can call them up and check? How can I check if this resume is full of lies or not?" Joonmyeon pressed the topic, watching Baekhyun's reaction.

There was a pause, Joonmyeon studied the way Baekhyun blinked his eyes as he thought and then steadied his gaze again. 

"I'm not in any company, and I'm not well-known. You got my resume and recommendation from someone you know, and all you have to ask is whether you can trust them. If you can trust them, then you can trust me."

"Trust doesn't work like that. You earn my trust yourself, you don't borrow someone elses."

"I have a best friend, a childhood friend. He trusts me. He trusts me to do well, and to treat him well. He trusts me to have a good heart and make good choices. He trusts everything I tell him because I know his secrets. I know all of them," Baekhyun explained with a nod of his head and a serious look.

"And?" Joonmyeon didn't see the point of the story.

"You only have to trust me as much as your secret is worth to you," Baekhyun seemed to breathe out heavily before he continued. "Because your secret to me, is my pride, my self-respect and my ability to look the person I care for most in the eyes. I give out your secret and I give that away."

Joonmyeon lowered his gaze to the resume on the desk, he wasn't sure if that was some speech, or some attempt to get attention. Either way, it caused him to falter. The friend who had passed him Baekhyun's resume was someone he trusted, and someone Joonmyeon knew well enough to say he wouldn't simply recommend someone on a whim. But the resume still lacked and when his eyes fell on the boy, he didn't give the vibe of personal security.

"What training do you have? Fighting skills," Joonmyeon asked which made an odd look to come to Baekhyun's face.

"Ten years of Hapkido."

Joonmyeon nodded. "Do you still train?"

"I sometimes help teach at local academies, when I'm not working."

A smile came to Joonmyeon's lips as he looked to Baekhyun. "So you like kids?"

- - -

The small eight year old boy in front of Joonmyeon showed a slightly toothless smile, his pants were a little dirty from playing out with the other kids and he was still catching his breath after running around. It was a boy Joonmyeon knew well, he'd been at the orphanage since the first time Joonmyeon had visited. His parents always promoted it as charity work, as a wealthy son showing kindness to those who weren't as well off. But Joonmyeon preferred to keep it to himself, the donations and the visits he made. 

"Come, play!" The boys excited voice was higher than his usual one and Joonmyeon glanced to those with him.

Baekhyun, who was hired for a testing period. Xifeng, Joonmyeon's future wife. Yifan, the translator. 

When his mother had heard that they're clashing schedules would make a new date difficult, she had made calls, and when Joonmyeon had had breakfast that morning, his mother had happily informed him of the perfect opportunity to make a good impression. It was the weekend. Saturday. Joonmyeon used that time doing what made him happy, and his mother had intersected her own wants into it. That made Joonmyeon on edge.

"Joonie-hyung!" The little boy tugged at Joonmyeon's arm, and he crouched down to meet him at eye-level.

"Han Sol-ah, I can't play today," Joon tried to break the news softly, but the little boy, Han Sol, didn't understand.

"Why? You even brought friends! They can play too!" Han Sol insisted.

Joonmyeon glanced over at the group he was with. Baekhyun looked exhausted before he even got there, a call at a ridiculous hour of the morning from Joonmyeon had clearly woken him for a bad nights sleep, but he'd said he'd come when he was called, and he had come. As Joon's eyes shifted over to Xifeng, he noticed she was dressed nicely, clothing not made for playing games in the dirt and Yifan was back to his stiff expression, wearing a suit; professional. 

"They aren't exactly dressed to play. Today, I'll just be showing them around and introducing them," Joonmyeon was attempting to explain the nature of public appearance to the boy. "Remember that game we played when all those people were here? 'I'm an idol'"

Han Sol's expression brightened at the name of the game. "Can I be in a boy group with Sang Won and Ho Joon again?"

There was a nod of the head, and Han Sol dashed off to the other kids to spread the news. An anxious breath came from Joon before he turned his attention back to the group he was with. Baekhyun was stifling a yawn in the back, and Xifeng was talking to Yifan in a lower whisper, the taller male having to lean over to get close enough. 

"The kids are going to give us a talent show," Joonmyeon said with a small nod.

Yifan felt his Xifeng tug at his sleeve again, and his eyes moved from Joonmyeon to his half-sister. 

"For a translator, you're terrible at translating. What did he say?" Xifeng's demand came with a smile and a soft tone.

"The kids are going to do a show for us," Yifan translated with a nod of his head.

"Father threatened me if I didn't come. I didn't think kids would be involved in a date," Xifeng's annoyance had been clear from the moment she woke up, and Yifan had watched her try to contact their father to get out of it. "And who is the blonde man who came with Joonmyeon?"

Yifan chose to ignore her complaints, and focused his attention on the same male that Xifeng had questioned the presence of. "I don't know. I haven't seen him mentioned in any of the information I was given. Do you want me to ask?"

The question caused Xifeng to subtly shoot him a glare.

Yifan decided that was a clear 'no', and instead looked towards Joonmyeon. Both Joonmyeon and his blonde counterpart were dressed in casual clothes. Jeans and t-shirts. It was strange to see Joonmyeon dressed down. Even when Yifan had visited him late at night, Joonmyeon had worn expensive clothing; the kind that came with affluence. But in the average clothes, and talking with another male his age, Joonmyeon looked almost like everyone else.

"He's my fiancee, or are you admiring the other one? I guess your taste could be like that," Xifeng's voice cut through Yifan's thoughts and he shook his head.

"I was thinking we were overdressed," Yifan returned, before Joonmyeon's gaze seemed to fall on the two siblings.

"We have to go this way," Joonmyeon said with a nervous smile and Yifan noticed the uneasy way the male wrung his hands together.

- - -

After they had wandered a little through the orphanage, Joonmyeon giving them a small amount of information as they moved through, the group made it to a decently sized room in the back. It looked like play room, toys scattered over the floor and what looked like small cots for younger children. As they entered, squeals of annoyance came from some of the children who were trying to clean up and protests of, 'it's not ready yet'. Yifan couldn't help but notice how delighted the kids seemed to have Joonmyeon around, some lingered around the Korean males feet and tried to direct him somewhere.

"Alright, alright. I'll sit here, but what about my... friends?" Joonmyeon used the word friends with hesitation.

Once everyone was seated, an act that took longer than usual, the children were able to get themselves organized. Joonmyeon found himself seated next to Xifeng, after a lengthy discussion with the children that she didn't understand Korean and that it would be okay for her to sit there. Yifan sat himself on the opposite side of Xifeng, and as he turned his head, he noticed the blonde boy with Joonmyeon was in the back with one of the children who was in a cot. The blonde male was happily playing with the child and he's toys.

When the lights were turned off, Yifan looked around for a moment, before a group of children came to stand in front of the seat group. They held a toy microphone in their hands, and introduced themselves as a group, then individually. Even when they fumbled over their words, or struggled to follow what they had clearly practiced hard at, Joonmyeon clapped and cheered. Which caused the blonde boy to follow after, and slowly Yifan and Xifeng.

The show, as Joonmyeon had called it, was singing and dance routines. One's Yifan only recognized partially from television he'd seen while in Korea. Some of the kids struggled more than others, forgetting the moves, losing the lyrics or missing the beat. It was in the middle of routine that the lights suddenly flickered on.

"What's going on in here?" A woman's voice came with a tone Yifan recognized at motherly; questioning and ready to scold.

There was a couple glances around, before Joonmyeon stood up on his feet.

"Sorry, I was just getting the kids to show what they had practiced," Joon gave a bow in apology.

"Aigoo, Joon-ah, how many times have I told you to tell me before you come?" The woman's scolding came with a heavy sigh. "And kids, why didn't any of you come tell me we had visitors?"

The children seemed to grow quiet, nervous laughs coming from them as the pointed to Joonmyeon with an eagerness to get the blame off themselves.

"They were excited to show my company their show," Joonmyeon explained with his own nervous laugh, and Yifan noticed Joonmyeon shoot a look to the children who squealed a little and cluttered together more. "They're turning into tattle tale's and I don't think I want to come anymore."

A slight uproar came from the children as they all changed their minds and tried to take the blame onto themselves. Chorus's of 'I did it', 'Joonie-hyung didn't do anything' and 'let him stay' coming in youthful voices. The sudden playfulness from Joonmyeon made Yifan curious, he'd yet to see the softer side of Joonmyeon; the other had shown very little of himself behind the walls. It was when Joonmyeon's eyes connected with Yifan's that he seemed to revert back, a look of anxiety and then he turned away.

"That's your influence on them, they never listen to me," the woman voice moved, and Yifan turned his head to see he approach the blonde male and retrieve the child from his arms. "But who are all your friends?"

The question made Yifan look back to Joonmyeon who wore a slight look of discomfort before he spoke.

"Byun Baekhyun, he's my personal security. Li Xifeng..." A visible breath before Joonmyeon continued. "My fiance. And Wu Yifan, her translator."

"Fiance? The Chinese girl from the news?"

Joonmyeon nodded his head. "That's her."

"What are they talking about?" Xifeng's hissed whisper came low and behind a smile she wore for too long. 

"He's introducing us to the woman. The blonde man is Byun Baekhyun. Personal security," Yifan explained as his eyes focused on the girl next to him, and she switched into polite mode, gathering to her feet to face the woman and give a greeting to the woman.

Yifan also soon found his feet, and followed Xifeng, bowing towards the woman who was soothing the child in her arms.

"Miss. Li, thanks you for letting us visit the orphanage. She extends her gratitude to the person who takes their time to look after children like this," Yifan put words in Xifeng's mouth, his own words if he were to be honest. "And she's happy to see this other side of Joonmyeon."

An awkward expression was shown on Joonmyeon's face, but Yifan only got to see it for a second before Xifeng's face caught his attention.

"What did you say?"

"That you were thankful to visit, and that you give gratitude to the woman who makes her life looking after children without parents," Yifan gave her half the truth and he saw the look of disbelief in the corner of her expression.

A heavy sigh came from the woman who began to slowly pace, Yifan's eyes falling on her movement. "I'm sorry, Joon-ah, but I need the room for the younger children."

"Ah, no, that's fine," Joonmyeon's quick response came with a wave of his hands and a quick bow. "We can find something else. And make sure you let me know when you start to make lunch. I'll help."

- - -

The young boy stepped on Yifan's toes again, they were standing in the pantry in the kitchen, and the only light was coming from under the door. A soft whine came from the boys lips as he shuffled again and Yifan felt the boys feet stand on his again. He couldn't stay still, and they were going to be found. 'Hide-and-Seek'. Yifan turned his head when he heard voices and footsteps come closer. He blinked a couple times as he leaned closer to the door, and listened; it sounded like Joonmyeon and the other male, Baekhyun.

"Give me the medication," Joonmyeon ordered in agitation.

Yifan heard the water get .

Joonmyeon cupped his hands under the running water, and brought it up to his lips. He could feel his heart thudding desperately against the inside of his chest, and he tilted his head back as he swallowed down the water. There was anxious rocking on his feet as he wiped the last of the water from his lips with the back of his arm. Even his breathing was becoming short and sharp, a weak coughing coming from his lips as Joonmyeon cupped his hands over the edge of the bench and used it to hold himself up. He could feel the sweat on his brow, and the trembling in his weakening joints.

"Do you need to leave?" Baekhyun asked from his side, and Joon waved towards to the kitchen door. 

He couldn't find his words, or speak; the only thing in Joonmyeon's head was his echoed eight year old voice.

'Let me out, please. Let me out.'

"There's no one coming," Baekhyun stated as he returned to Joonmyeon's side.

When a noise came from the pantry, Joonmyeon's eyes shot to the door, and he watched as Baekhyun walked towards it. There was a moment of apprehension before Baekhyun opened the door, revealing Han Sol and Yifan. Both stood with weak looking expressions on their face and Joon clutched the fabric of his shirt, rubbing his chest. This was not how it was supposed to be. Joonmyeon lowered his head more, and tried to steady his body with the help of the counter.

"Baekhyun, I need to go," Joonmyeon managed out.

- - -

The goodbye's were short, Baekhyun giving them in Joonmyeon's place, as Yifan held the door open for his half-sister. It was only once Baekhyun had turned and left that Yifan grabbed onto his sister's upper arm. She had been the one who was supposed to hide with Joonmyeon, she had made that clear when they were deciding who was the seeker. Baekhyun was the seeker. Yifan and Han Sol were hiding buddies. Xifeng and Joonmyeon were hiding buddies. It was the only system that seemed to bring peace.

"What happened?" Yifan could feel his anger come through; Joonmyeon had looked terrified and pale.

Xifeng shook his grip off, and her eyes flickered with their own annoyance. "We were hiding in a small closet, and he started to ask to get out and I stopped him. And then he got up and left. I didn't do anything."

"And you didn't put your hand on his thigh or make him feel awkward while the kids were doing their show either?" Yifan returned with knowledge.

He'd seen her do it, cover a false laugh with her hand and then let it casually fall onto Joonmyeon's leg. That was her tactic with most men, an inappropriate accident because she was enjoying their company too much. Yifan had noticed the way Joonmyeon tensed, and awkwardly turned his body away; he hadn't like it, and yet, Xifeng had persistently left her hand there. It bothered Yifan.

"He's my fiancee, Gege," Xifeng stated as she climbed into the backseat of the car. "I can do what I want. And you should hide that it makes you jealous. It's no fun if you're wear everything on your sleeve."

Yifan closed the door for her, and exhaled. It wasn't jealousy. Joonmyeon had looked liked his whole life had drained out of him, and it genuinely concerned Yifan. The other male wore the look of someone suffering, and hiding it as well as they could. Although, Baekhyun seemed to know, and was trying to help; Yifan didn't find much comfort from that.

- - -

Joonmyeon brought the bottle to his lips, and gulped down the water. He was in the back of his car, waiting for Baekhyun. The other had left to handle Xifeng and Yifan. As he lowered the drink, he glanced out the window to see Baekhyun jogging towards the car and Joonmyeon felt a sense of anxiety again. He shouldn't have accepted to play the game, he should have tried to steer them towards another game, but he didn't want to cause a fuss in front of the kids or the others. The fact was, Joonmyeon couldn't play 'hide-and-seek'; he hadn't for years.

The drivers door opened, and Baekhyun's head came into view. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Take me home. It's the weekend. You probably had plans," Joon nodded his head as he met Baekhyun's gaze.

"I told them that you're still sick from early this week," Baekhyun informed Joon, who once more nodded.

"That's fine. We'll have to figure out other covers if this happens again."

"Yeah," Baekhyun's short response came before he leaned back and then climbed into the car properly.

It was after Baekhyun had pulled on his seatbelt that Joonmyeon leaned forward and patted the other's shoulder. 

"Can I borrow your phone to make a call?"

There was fumbling around before the phone was handed over, and Joonmyeon fished out his own phone. He unlocked his phone first, scrolling down through the contacts until he found the number he was looking for. Then his gaze moved to Baekhyun's phone, running his finger over the screen until he found the keypad. He glanced from the number on his phone, to the keypad of Baekhyun's, putting in the numbers, and taking a deep breath before he called. 

It rung out, and Joon lowered his gaze, hanging up as the woman's voice began to inform him that he could leave a message.

"Is everything okay?" Baekhyun's voice came as Joonmyeon handed the phone back over.

"It's fine," the weighted response fell from Joon's lips as he turned his attention out the window.

"Do you want me to save the number?"

Joon hesitated before he shook his head. "Delete it."

"Yes, sir."

Joonmyeon brought his thumb to his lips, and began to chew on his nail. He hadn't expected the call to be answered, they usually weren't. But the memories that had flooded back to him while he was stuck in the dark, had made him want to hear his childhood friends voice again. The other was the only one who knew what it felt like, the only one who could understand, and Joonmyeon needed that. Even with all the people around him, Joon had gotten quite used to feeling alone.

- - -

His own sobs filled his ears, and eight year old Joonmyeon fumbled through the dark, his hands hitting the cold metal above his body as he struggled to breathe. He just wanted to get out. It was dark, and there were things digging into his back. Sweat made his elementary school uniform cling to his body, and he could feel the stickiness of various liquids he'd wiped over his sleeve grow uncomfortable. There were trails down his face, and his neck, and he could feel ache from crying so much grow in the corners of his jaw. 

"Let me out, please. Let me out," he pleaded, his lips trembling over the words and the following breath being choked on. "Please."

He laid his hands flat on the surface above him, and began to hit on it in desperation. Why was no one coming? Why was no one saving them? Why was it so hard to breathe? When his arms started to become weak, he turned his body, finding the same coldness to his side.

"Let me out," Joon's voice became more urgent as his palms stung from the constant connection to the cold metal. "Just let me--"

Everything around him shuddered violently, and Joonmyeon felt a dry scream come from the back of his throat. His body trying to push him away from the noise and movement that encapsulated him. 

"Shut up, kid! Don't make me kill you for fun!" A cold and deep threat came from beyond the metal, it was muffled, but Joonmyeon still felt the fear cause more sobs to shudder through his body. "Shut up!"

An arm found it's way around Joonmyeon's body, one the size of his own, one that was familiar.

"Shh, Joonie. It's okay," the weak comfort came from a familiar voice, and a hand rubbed Joonmyeon's chest softly. "We'll be okay."

They continued to rub his chest, and hush Joonmyeon; their body curled in the same small space as Joonmyeon's. 

"I'll keep you safe."

Joonmyeon heard those words over and over, as he muffled his sobs with his own arm and tried to pretend he was anywhere else but there.