In Ho stirred his cup of noodles, watching the steam rise from the tangled depths with satisfaction. It would be cool enough to eat in a minute or so. His stomach rumbled quietly in anticipation. He asked, "Who is she? This girl you want me to protect?"
Across the convenience store table, Jeong frowned and glanced casually out the window at the smear of streetlights.
He doesn't want to talk about her, In Ho thought. He shoveled some instant noodles in his mouth and made sure to slurp extra loudly.
Jeong removed his hand from where it rested on the tabletop to hide it in his lap. Probably making a fist.
In Ho smiled.
"Her name is Hong Seol." Jeong answered finally. His voice was strange. Almost . . . unsteady? "She's my girlfriend."
Girlfriend?
He must have said that last part out loud, Jeong was glaring at him.
"She's in my class at University, studying business like me."
Ah- a chaebol heiress, perfect for a merger with Tae Rang group, probably.
In Ho added some kimchi to the bowl, "Why doesn't her family get her a bodyguard if she needs one so badly?"
Most of the time, Jeong was like a pond on a windless day, deep and still. Nothing on the surface indicating what was happening below but now, In Ho could see ripples. They showed in the slight shift of the other man's shoulders, the very faint downturn at the corner of his mouth. "Her family can't afford that. They have a noodle shop."
Not an heiress? The daughter of a noodle shop?!
In Ho could feel his mouth hanging open.
"I'll pay you in cash," Jeong offered abruptly.
In Ho shrugged and shut his mouth. He didn't care how he got paid, as long as- the pieces fell into place suddenly. He breathed, "You haven't told Mr. You," amazed at this overt act of rebellion, so unlike Jeong.
Quick as a diving bird, Jeong leaned across the table. Where he was distant before, he was suddenly too close. The fury he masked so well burned in his dark eyes, "My father is none of your concern." He spat out. Taking hold of himself, he sat back and smiled and there was nothing friendly about it, "Just do your job- protect Hong Seol. Or I'll see you and your sister begging on the street."
Under his hand, In Ho crushed the small container of kimchi into a crumpled ball. They glared at each other over the table. The image of In Ha flashed through his mind.
In Ho asked finally, "Why would the daughter of a noodle shop need protection?"
"There have been some break-ins in her neighborhood."
"So, get her an apartment in a better neighborhood."
A muscle worked in Jeong's jaw, "For someone who has been offered salvation on a silver platter, you seem determined to reject it."
"You didn't do this for me." In Ho answered coldly, "Stop pretending you're doing me a favor. This is a business arrangement. You want me to protect a girl in exchange for seven million won a month, I'll do it. But don't expect me to fawn all over you."
A silence stretched taut between them. Outside the fluorescent light of the convenience store sign flickered as a soft rain began to fall.
Jeong spoke finally, "I'll send all the details to your apartment. Meet me at the University, at the business school on Wednesday, 3 p.m. Don't be late. I'll expect you to begin your duties then." He stood, staring down at In Ho coldly, "I'm putting Hong Seol's life in your hands- don't fail me."