So... I'm late because I just walked out of Avengers. You know, I'm not the biggest fan but dammit I cried like a baby at the end. Damn damn damn.
-PB

Wang So

Seoul was still cold. Sharp winds blew snow in gusts and sleet was more common than sun, but So was content to sit on a bench with a cup of coffee in one hand as he looked at the little girl that sat beside him, a steaming cup of hot cocoa in hers.

Mi wore a coat over her school uniform and So watched the wind blow through the rabbit fur pom-pom that sat on top of her hat. Her legs were covered in black stockings and winter boots hugged her feet.

So drank his coffee as Mi kicked her legs back and forth. They sat together after school, killing time before the girl had to go to her piano lesson.

"I like your shoes," So commented, pointing to Mi's boots. The brown shoes were lined with fur and So watched as Mi tapped her feet together.

"They're my fourth favorite," she said, smiling at her feet. Mi looked over at him and So reached forward to wipe whipped cream from her upper lip. His thumb swiped over her mouth and Mi giggled as he looked around for a napkin before sighing and licking the cream from his finger. "Mr. So, were you ever little? Did you have a fourth favorite shoe?"

Chuckling, So wondered if Mi knew that adults all began as children. He then questioned why Mi even had a second and third favorite shoe. He shook his head and patted the little girl on her knit beanie. "When I was little, I didn't have a lot of money like Mi's parents do. So I only had one pair of shoes. They weren't all that nice," he explained. Mi listened attentively and So raised his eyebrows when she scooted closer until their legs touched.

"Mr. So only had one pair of shoes?" she asked, her eyes wide and curious. Nodding, So leaned back against the bench and smiled when Mi then leaned over to peek at the shoes he currently wore. Her brown boots tapped against his black Oxfords. "Didn't your mommy buy you shoes?"

Mi sat back and So shook his head. "I got my big brother's shoes. My mommy didn't get me shoes when I was a kid."

He thought about his mother and wondered how she and his father were. There were no memories of happiness he attributed to his childhood, and when So reminisced his early days, he did so with a bitter taste in his mouth.

Having been with Soo for this long, So had come to realize how much she taught him every day. Through her, he had learned that his parents were undeserving of his time; that he was more than just their second-born. He watched over her family every day, forgoing his days off because he loved his job. For the first time in his life, So found happiness when he woke up because every day, he got to see Soo and interact with her family.

As Mi sipped her cocoa, So remembered something strange he had come across while searching around Chae Ryung's desk for an old copy of Soo's schedule. He had unearthed a stack of old medical bills that had led to a night of research. The ones that had truly caught his eye were from a child psychiatrist that had cared for Mi when she was even younger. So had read through notes and prescriptions derived from carefully tailored appointments that had ultimately led to the conclusion that Hwang Bo Mi had anxiety because of instability in her life. Her need for stability was met with the doctor's suggestions for her parents to show her a strong front together as well as trying their best not to live separately.

Another discovery were the journals Chae Ryung had kept for Mi since she was a baby. So had read over every single aspect of Mi's tantrums, crying, and bedwetting. She had even shook whenever a stranger drew too close to her when she was alone. She had never played with children her age until she was five, and she had clung to Soo, Chae Ryung, or Wook because she could not trust anyone but them.

So understood why Soo did not want to leave Wook for him. He understood why she had sacrificed her own happiness to be with Wook, and looking down at the little girl that kicked her feet and hummed a song from the cartoons she loved, he understood that nothing was worth more than Mi's happiness and safety. So knew Mi still had a ways to go before her anxiety was completely gone, but he could tell that just as Soo had given up much for Mi's sake, he would have done the same for the little girl to be able to talk to her friends and sleep in her own bedroom without fear.

So imagined having a daughter like Mi. He wondered if he could be a good parent. Mi and Yoon seemed to like him enough, so So gave himself room to imagine that a child of his own would not find him as repulsive as he found himself. Perhaps his own child would love him the way Mi and Yoon loved their parents.

So sighed and looked out at the street. Having a child meant impregnating a woman, and he could not see himself with any woman other than Soo. Even the thought of touching or making love to someone other than Soo made him feel dirty. But the woman of his dreams was married. She already had children. Why would she want to have more with the likes of him? She had her husband for things like that.

Logic dictated that So would never be a father if he continued to love Soo, but hope and imagination fluttered in his chest like a little gust of fresh air. He thought about Guam, remembering a chance encounter that had planted the idea of becoming a parent into him.

The family was asleep, Chae Ryung in her room, and Wook's bodyguard also locked indoors.

Meandering around the desolate beach, So took a sip of the beer in his hand and kicked a small hill of sand, watching the particles sift in the wind. The air was cool, the scent of the ocean bringing a happy chuckle from his lips.

He had not realized how awful being single had been until he and Soo had parted. The yearning, the pining, getting erections at the very thought of her… So had become adept in the art of crossing his legs during meetings with the security team, using folders to cover his pants when Soo happened to drop things.

But none of that mattered anymore. So had Soo. He did not need anything or anyone else.

Sighing in content, he kicked another gust of sand before frowning when the breeze turned him in the direction of another person drinking on the beach.

An older man in a black shirt and pants drank from a bottle in a paper bag, smiling like an idiot and staring out at the same ocean So faced. The man was illuminated by the bright lights from the hotel behind him, his crooked grin twitching as he drank.

"Son of a bitch," So muttered. "Small fucking world."

He walked towards him, no longer feeling the need to kick sand around. So stared as the man drank from his bottle again. "What is the General doing on a family friendly beach?" he called.

"I didn't know they allowed dogs on the beach," the man snapped at him. "Judging by the beer, I'll guess you're not hunting people. Sit, Wolf Dog, sit."

So sat down beside his old mentor and chuckled, shaking his head. The cool wind blew past them and he looked at the man. "Park Soo Gyung, I haven't seen you in ten years."

They clinked bottles together and Soo Gyung chuckled. "Oh, that was my alias wasn't it? Park Soo Gyung… and you? What do you go by these days, Kim Myung Seok?"

Taking a long drink, So swallowed an icy gulp of beer and chuckled. "You almost got me. I almost told my real name to someone who set people on fire for a living."

Looking out at the ocean, So smirked. He listened to the person beside him laugh. "I'm retired and you're still an asshole, Wolf Dog. I saw the family. Are you working?"

"Currently? Yes. What are you doing here?"

Soo Gyung only shook his head. "I'm here on vacation with my family. My husband and I- well, you don't need to know about that."

So took a deep breath and looked at his friend. "How did you do it?" He met eyes with his mentor and watched as the older man frowned at him. "I'm retiring," So elaborated. "Going to live with my girlfriend and her kids. I just wanted to know how you hid your family. How come you're hanging out on a beach and not in hiding?"

The sound of the sea covered their conversation from any that might be around to listen. A single drunk man loitered on a balcony near them, singing a song about a woman. So turned towards the water, admiring the stars and the moon that glimmered above it.

"You don't need to cover your family." Soo Gyung sighed. "Normal people don't need protecting. And we cover our backs well enough to blend in without effort. You're the one that cuts people open, right?" So watched him spit into the sand and slowly exhale. So shut his mouth as the older man began laughing. "Oh no, I remember you, Kim Myung Seok. You're the one with weird morals aren't you? One of the best, yet you don't sleep with your victims to lure them in and you always give children painless deaths. All those rules… and now you're retiring in your prime."

Unflinching, So finished his beer and sighed. "Best keep your opinions to yourself. You're fifty-three and retired. I'm thirty-seven and still working. I have no qualms with throwing you into the ocean tonight. There are no friends in this line of work."

He scoffed when Soo Gyung tossed his head back and roared with laughter. "Using my lines against me? Oh how far the pupil has come." So did not budge when the old man's hand connected with his back. "Retiring will be the best choice you ever made in your life. Get a job doing something normal- serve food at a restaurant or fold clothes at a department store. If you've got your paychecks saved, then even those jobs will feel like you're actually making a difference in the world."

"Is that what you do now?" So asked, crushing his can. The cold metal flattened between his fingers and he scoffed again. "Didn't you kill a president? Now you fold clothes and cook food?"

"I'm actually a taekwondo instructor. Listen here, Myung Seok"—the old man wrapped an arm around So's shoulders—"here's some final advice from your old mentor and friend."

They leaned forward and So glanced around to make sure there was no one around them. In the early hours of dawn, they were the only ones on the beach.

"I didn't know if I could be a father or a husband. I just found someone I liked and married him. Kid, if you think you found someone worth giving up this life for, then you need to keep her. You need to stay by her and be hers until you die.

"She has kids? Good. Become their guardian and their dad. You've killed enough for this life and the next one. Devote yourself to being a caretaker and they'll take care of you. You can protect them with your body and they'll protect you with their hearts."

So grunted when his mentor pushed him away, forcing him to stand and stumble against the loose ground. Glaring, he bunched his hand into a fist.

"Get out of my sight, Kim Myung Seok. We know too much about each other, so I'd like it if we never saw each other again. Good luck in the future."

Hanging his head, So drank his coffee and heaved another sigh. His hair ruffled in the icy wind and he looked at his hands as a little pink mitten grasped one of them.

"When I was little," Mi said, "Mommy never let me get a kitten." So held back a laugh at the child's sincerity. He patted Mi's hand as her grip tightened. Her melancholic sigh almost made him lose control of himself. "Mr. So, if I get you your second pair of shoes, then can you get me a kitten?"

That time, So lost it. Leaning forward, he grasped Mi's hand as he laughed. His shoulders shook and he looked at the solemn little girl.

"Sure, kid," he said, patting Mi's head. "If you get me my second pair of shoes, I'll get you a kitten."

He grinned when Mi giggled and bounced in her seat. "Yay! Mr. So is gonna get me a kitten and Daddy's gonna get me a baby brother!"

So's smile disappeared as Mi hummed and sipped her hot chocolate. She kicked her legs out and So held her hand a fraction of a bit tighter. The idea of Soo having another baby with Wook was one So thought he could handle, but in the face of reality, he floundered. "Mi, does… does Mommy have a baby in her belly?" he asked, his voice quivering.

The little girl shook her head, the fluffy pom-pom on her hat jumping from side to side. "I don't know. But Daddy said he would ask Mommy if he could get me a baby brother."

Biting his tongue, So remained silent, nodding his head as he reminded himself that Soo had a right to her body. If she wanted to have another child, that was up to her. He knew she had wanted another for awhile.

It's only right that she ask her husband to provide the other half. I trust Soo and I love her. I can't help if she's married. I won't leave her if she has his baby. I love her and that's all that matters. Any children she has… I'll protect and love them too.

So sighed and thought about the news updates he had been receiving on his phone. Bad news in the political world. That was what he used to clear his mind of bad news at home. He remembered how there had been talk about Yo preparing a bill that would go against Wook's platform of lowering taxes… but no matter how much he tried to use those thoughts to clutter his mind, So always returned to Soo.

Kim Chae Ryung

"I think the tailor needs to be called again. Mi's outgrown her winter dresses and Yoon needs something formal," Soo said. Chae Ryung wrote the orders down onto her notepad, nodding as she went. The steel nib scratched against the paper and she took half a second to admire the mother-of-pearl fountain pen Soo had given her for the new year. A rainbow of colors encased the black body that shimmered as it wrote.

"How many of Wook's cousins have yet to get married?"

Flipping backwards, Chae Ryung pursed her lips and found the page dedicated to family. "Three male and two female cousins. He has nine second cousins that have yet to marry."

She looked up as her boss nodded. Soo leaned back against her chair and closed her eyes. "We won't attend any weddings of second cousins. Wook can go if he wants to, but I won't and neither will the children. That leaves five weddings that may or may not happen soon… and Wook has his political things."

Chae Ryung flipped through her book and found the list for Wook's events for the next month. "There's a dinner for campaign donors and a luncheon for your husband's political party."

She looked up to see Soo pursing her lips. The older woman typed into her computer, no doubt checking her children's school site for any events that would also occur in the next month. The click of her mouse allowed Chae Ryung a few moments to herself. Soo would ask for her when she needed her services.

Chae Ryung did not need to look around to know what the office looked like; she had been in there millions of times. Yet, each time she sat in Soo's office, surrounded by paintings, bookshelves, stock indexes, and platinum picture frames, she felt a repressed want for the perfect glamour that seemed to surround her employer.

Of course, there were dirty things only Chae Ryung knew. As the first member of the staff, she had had a front row seat to every single family event. Wook's past cheating, Wook cheating again, Wook breaking up with his mistress. Soo's miscarriage, Soo's depression, Soo's controlling family. Yet through the dirty and disgusting, the nanny still wanted everything both her employers had. Their perfect facade, their perfect life.

Soo sat in her beautiful office in a white Chanel blouse. Her checkered pants were Armani, her necklace Tiffany's. A ring made of diamonds sat on her finger as a representation of her marriage, and on that same hand, a gold watch with a sapphire on the twelve mark glinted as Soo reached to flick something off of the picture frame that held the giggling faces of her children.

Chae Ryung glanced down at her own clothing. Her white blouse was twenty thousand won, her pants forty. Not a single piece of gold or diamond was on her body, and her watch was generic and bland. A white face against a leather strap.

She wanted the prestige of Wook's career and the elegance of Soo's life. The politics, the Baccarat glasses, the beautiful children, the Birkin bags. It was enough to make her salivate.

Of course, her current job did come with its perks. After working for Soo and Wook for seven years, Chae Ryung had amassed a collection of high-end goods that her bosses gifted to her every holiday. Two plane tickets for herself and a friend every Thanksgiving, alcohol and something small for the new year, and special gifts for Christmas and anniversaries. Chae Ryung remembered receiving a laptop for her fourth year of working for Soo and Wook. After Yoon was born, her gifts had only risen in price and quantity.

She knew she was an irreplaceable factor of the household. Soo and Wook needed her to keep the house running. If connections meant power, then Chae Ryung knew she was the most powerful person in the Hae-Hwang Bo household. Through Soo and Wook, Chae Ryung lived in the lap of luxury, raising children that were not hers while striving to create the foundations for her own attempts to reach her employers' social status.

"I think I'll have Wang So guard us during the political events," Soo said. Chae Ryung felt her cheeks heat at the sound of the bodyguard's name.

A sudden memory overtook her and she coughed as she remembered passing by So's bedroom door in Guam. Hotel doors muffled many noises, but loud sex was not one of them. Chae Ryung had overheard him, breaking all rules and having sex with someone while on duty.

At first, she had dismissed Wang So as another bodyguard that would lose his job once Soo found a way to get rid of him. He glared too much and spoke too little to be Chae Ryung's type, so she had avoided him except on work-related matters. But, due to their close proximity, there were bound to be mishaps. Chae Ryung had quickly realized that her new coworker was the rule-breaking, annoying type. After living beside Wang So for a few months, Chae Ryung had heard more than she had ever wanted to from her usually silent coworker. If she had wanted to hear him jack off in the shower, she would have gotten a job in the porn industry.

"-Ryung. Chae Ryung!"

"Hm? Oh, yes?" She snapped out of her reverie and blinked at Soo. The older woman raised her eyebrows.

"Is my bodyguard's schedule available for him to attend political events with us, or do I have to move things around again?" Soo's voice was gentle and Chae Ryung opened her mouth to answer, but all she could remember was the clear breach in contract So had committed.

"I would like to report a breakage of rules," she blurted. Chae Ryung stared as her employer's eyebrows rose even further. "In… Wang So…"

Soo's surprised expression made Chae Ryung continue. She cleared her throat and set her notepad onto her lap. "I feel like he's been neglecting the rules these days."

Chae Ryung grasped the edges of her chair and leaned in. Soo moved away from her computer and motioned for her to continue. "Has he been neglecting his duties or…"

"In a way, yes," Chae Ryung said. "I don't want to galvanize you, Mrs. Hae, but in Guam, I walked past his door and overheard him having… relations with a woman – while on duty."

She did not imagine the scandalized look on Soo's face. Her employer reddened and Chae Ryung wondered if Soo was embarrassed. Hell, I'd be embarrassed if my bodyguard was caught fucking some girl while on vacation.

"That's quite an accusation. Do you know who he might possibly have been with?" Soo asked. Chae Ryung bit her bottom lip as memories of standing by So's door resurfaced.

I've had to listen to him jack off in his room, you think I want to remember the woman he screwed? And why does that even matter?

"I was not around long enough to discern who she was," Chae Ryung said. "I was just at the hotel to grab something for the girls."

"Ah."

Chae Ryung continued as her employer nodded. Taking that moment, Chae Ryung vented her annoyance towards Wang So to her. "I've noticed he doesn't adhere to the dress code as well. And he also constantly brings up restricted talking points with Mi. I believe he's consistently spoken to Mi about cats."

Chae Ryung frowned when Soo shrugged her shoulders and returned to her computer. "If he was in the hotel, it means I was in the hotel. I trust he would have been able to protect me if an incident were to occur." She seemed nonchalant for someone who had waxed poetic about making sure her bodyguards were always in line. Chae Ryung wondered if Soo was smiling. "I will speak to him about the dress-code breaking, the cats, and… the relations."

Soo closed her folder and Chae Ryung blinked as her employer smiled at her. "I think we can stop scheduling for the day. Please tell Wang So to come here."