Chapter 58
“Wow, it really was there.”
Igeon finally read through the contract that came in his email and laughed in disbelief. It clearly stated that his location would always be tracked and detailed what kind of tracking device would be used. If he filed a lawsuit for invasion of privacy, the judge would simply scold him, saying, “Why didn’t you read the contract properly?” And if NI countersued him for false accusations, he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. Igeon sighed once more as he looked at the black dot embedded in his arm and closed the employment contract. Still, he didn’t feel bad or guilty about it. After all, he was either at home or at the office, and now it would be either at home or at NI, so it didn’t seem like a big problem.
“Seo Igeon-ssi.”
Igeon turned his head at the low voice calling him. The man who had been typing away at his keyboard had stopped moving his long fingers and was now looking at him.
“Have you confirmed everything is in order?”
Ah, Igeon quickly put his phone back in his pocket.
“Yes, I’ve confirmed it.”
“I’ll let it slide this time. But regardless of the circumstances, checking your phone while on security duty isn’t appropriate, is it?”
“I apologize.”
“It’s alright. It’s your first day today, so I’ll overlook it. But please come a bit closer. How do you plan to protect me from a bullet through the window if you’re standing so far away?”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
I was just trying not to disturb your work. Besides, I know that window can’t be pierced by bullets. Still, it was his employer’s order, and Han Taekyung was right—you never know what might happen… Standing closer would actually make Igeon feel more at ease, so he quickly moved to his side. Of course, he positioned himself at an angle where he couldn’t see the monitor at all. He didn’t want to be misunderstood.
By the way, the sun had already set long ago. When was this guy going to leave work? Looking at the time, it was already past 8 PM. Neither Han Taekyung nor Seo Igeon had eaten dinner. Most of the company employees would have gone home by now, except for a few, and the secretaries had already left more than two hours ago. Yet Han Taekyung remained, quietly handling his remaining work. He certainly looked good practicing taekwondo, but he also looked fitting doing office work like this. Suddenly, Igeon became curious. How have you been? Did it hurt a lot when you had the accident? Is your body okay now? Are you still practicing taekwondo?
There were so many things he wanted to know, but it was frustrating that he couldn’t ask.
“Let’s call it a day.”
Finally finished with work, Han Taekyung rose from his chair. Igeon quickly brought over his jacket to help him put it on. Han Taekyung stared at Igeon intently. He didn’t seem pleased. Was this not the right way to do it?
“Don’t do that. I hired you as a bodyguard, not a secretary.”
“Ah, I understand.”
The boundaries of the job are surprisingly strict.
After receiving the jacket from Igeon and putting it on himself, Han Taekyung walked ahead, and Igeon quickly followed behind him. The floor was completely empty except for the two of them, but the lights were still brightly lit. In the elevator, Han Taekyung pressed the button for the underground parking lot first, and soon the elevator descended smoothly. Within seconds, they arrived at the basement where a driver was already waiting with the car. I suppose I’ll be riding with him.
“Executive Director Han, heading home now?”
Just as Igeon was contemplating, a savior’s voice was heard. He turned his head to see none other than Instructor Kim stretching as he approached.
“You haven’t gone home yet, sir?”
“I still have some things to teach Igeon. I haven’t fully explained what exactly he should be doing with you and to what extent… There’s a lot to discuss, so I waited. Today, I’ll accompany you both.”
Han Taekyung nodded in understanding at Instructor Kim’s words. Han Taekyung got into the car first, and Instructor Kim approached Igeon.
“You’ll be commuting together from now on, but before that, you should always sit in the front passenger seat.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Wasn’t this supposed to be close protection?”
As Igeon was about to open the front passenger door, Han Taekyung spoke up.
“Are you saying he should sit next to you?”
Instructor Kim asked with an incredulous tone, and Han Taekyung simply stared into his instructor’s eyes instead of answering. Igeon also thought Han Taekyung might be right, so he nodded.
“I’ll sit next to Executive Director Han.”
At Igeon’s words, Instructor Kim scratched his head and said, “You’re in for a tough time,” while patting his shoulder before sitting in the front passenger seat. Igeon sat next to Han Taekyung. He had ridden in Han Taekyung’s car many times when they were in school together. It reminded him of those days, though the atmosphere was different now.
As the car started moving, Han Taekyung closed his eyes tiredly and leaned back in his seat. He had reason to be tired—from what Igeon had observed all day, Han Taekyung had been moving his fingers constantly, and there was a never-ending stream of people coming to report to him. Igeon wondered if he even had time to breathe. It was truly a valuable learning experience, realizing that ruling from the top of this tall building was no ordinary job.
“By the way, Igeon, have you eaten?”
“Ah, not yet. But I’m not particularly hungry.”
“No, you still need time to eat. What an exploitative employer.”
“Not at all. I usually don’t eat dinner.”
“In our line of work, you need to eat three meals a day. Our bodies need to be healthy. That’s how we protect others. So starting tomorrow, make sure to eat all three meals. We have designated meal times, and we take turns covering for each other. I’ll let you know your schedule tomorrow.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Instructor Kim glanced once at Han Taekyung, clicked his tongue, and turned back to face forward. Han Taekyung kept his eyes closed almost until they reached the villa where he lived, then, as if by instinct, opened his eyes and straightened his posture just as they approached home. The car stopped smoothly, and Igeon got out first, followed by Han Taekyung.
“Then I’ll be here at 6 AM tomorrow.”
Having noted Han Taekyung’s departure time earlier, Igeon said this. Han Taekyung slightly furrowed his brow in response.
“Seo Igeon-ssi, let’s go in.”
“Pardon? Go where…?”
“Let’s go into my house together. Driver Park, please take the instructor home.”
“Huh? What are you saying? I was going to have dinner with Igeon.”
“Please go.”
Han Taekyung closed the car door, and as the driver started the car, Instructor Kim’s incredulous laughter could be heard. Seo Igeon was equally bewildered.
“Let’s go in.”
Before Igeon could ask, “What’s going on here?” Han Taekyung had already started walking, and Igeon quickly stuck close behind him. What was going on? Well, he had been thinking that he should check out Han Taekyung’s house anyway. He needed to examine and understand the security systems both inside and outside the house. But this was too sudden for today.
After passing through several security checkpoints, they reached the 12th floor, which had only Han Taekyung’s penthouse as a standalone unit. He also had to go through iris recognition and fingerprint verification before the elevator opened, and then the front door opened, allowing them to enter the house. Given that it was a standalone unit, Igeon had expected something flashy, but the interior was more modern than he’d anticipated. Hesitant to just barge in, Igeon paused, at which point Han Taekyung, who had already entered, looked back at him.
“Come in.”
Was it an order… or not? Whatever it was, he had to follow. Igeon took off his shoes and entered Han Taekyung’s house. Now what? Should he check the interior? Should he locate the CCTV cameras? Igeon glanced around the house, noting the hidden cameras here and there.
“What are you doing?”
Han Taekyung, who had already changed into comfortable clothes, asked Igeon who was looking around.
“I’m identifying the CCTV cameras.”
“You’ll receive all the materials related to security, including the house blueprint and camera locations, tomorrow anyway, so there’s no need to do that.”
“Ah… Then should I stand guard here tonight?”
If I had known this would happen, I should have brought a change of clothes.
“That wouldn’t be a bad idea, but first, I feel a bit wronged and need to resolve that, so follow me.”
Where on earth was he asking him to go? And what did he mean by feeling wronged? Igeon followed Han Taekyung. The house was truly like a vast maze. He wondered how someone could live alone in such a spacious house. Wait, was he living alone? What if Sunbae Yuhan was here? Since they were engaged, it wouldn’t be strange for them to live together. As he thought about this, his heart suddenly began to pound. What should he say if he met Sunbae Yuhan? How should he greet her? His mind grew complicated, and his steps into the house became increasingly heavy.
“Sit.”
Han Taekyung’s increasingly curt commands didn’t bother Igeon much because he was so tense at the thought that Yuhan might be in this house. He quickly sat down in the chair with a serious expression.
“Eat.”
Huh?
Instead of Kang Yuhan, a plate of fragrant olive pasta was presented before him.
“Uh…”
What was this?
“Even I find it unfair to be treated as an exploitative employer.”
Han Taekyung said to the confused Seo Igeon.
“Finish eating and go home. And come back to the house by 6 AM tomorrow. You can access the key card through the phone you received today, and you can also pay for the taxi fare with the phone, so take a taxi home.”
And with that, Han Taekyung left the kitchen, entered some room, and closed the door behind him. Igeon could only blink in bewilderment at his retreating figure.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
