Twisted Games(Ryeji ver)

RYUJIN[CHAPTER 2]

PRINCESS HWANG YEJI OF ELDORRA WOULD BE THE DEATH
of me. If not literal death, then the death of my patience and
sanity. Of that, I was certain, and we'd only been working
together for two weeks.

I'd never had a client who infuriated me as much as she
did. Sure, she was beautiful (not a good thing when you were
in my position) and charming (to everyone except me), but
she was also a royal pain in my ass. When I said "right," she
went left; when I said "leave," she stayed. She insisted on
spontaneously attending crowded events before I could do
the advance work, and she treated my security concerns like
they were an afterthought instead of an emergency.

Yeji said that was the way things had worked with
Sunghoon, and she'd been fine. I said I wasn't Sunghoon, so I didn't give a damn what she did or didn't do when she was with
him. I ran the show now.

She didn't take that well, but I didn't give a shit. I wasn't
here to win Ms. Congeniality. I was here to keep her alive.
Tonight, "here" meant the most crowded bar in
Hazelburg. Half of Thayer had turned out for The Crypt's
Friday night half-off specials, and I was sure the bar was
over max capacity.

Loud music, loud people. My least favorite kind of place
and, apparently, Yeji's most favorite, considering how
vehement she'd been about coming here.

"So." Her brunette friend Wonyoung eyed me over the rim of
her glass. "You were a Navy SEAL, huh?"

"Yes." I wasn't fooled by her flirty tone or party girl
demeanor. I'd run in-depth background checks on all of
Yeji's friends the moment I took the job, and I knew for a
fact Jang Wonyoung was more dangerous than she appeared.
But she didn't pose a threat to Yeji, so I didn't mention
what she did in Ohio. It wasn't my story to tell.

"I love military men," she purred.

"Ex-military, W." Yeji didn't look at me as she finished her drink. "Besides, she's too old for you."
That was one of the few things I agreed with her on. I was
only twenty-eight, so I wasn't ancient by any means, but I'd
done and witnessed enough shit in my life to feel ancient,
especially compared to fresh-faced college students who
hadn't even had their first real job yet.

I'd never been fresh-faced, not even when I was a kid. I
grew up in dirt and grit.

Meanwhile, Yeji sat across from me, looking like the
fairytale princess she was. Big brown eyes and lush pink lips
set in a heart-shaped face, perfect alabaster skin, golden
hair falling in loose waves down her back. Her black top
bared her smooth shoulders, and tiny diamonds glittered on
her ears.

Young, rich, and regal. The opposite of me in every way.

"Negative. I love older women." Wonyoung upped the wattage of
her smile as she gave me another once-over. "And you're
hot."

I didn't smile back. I wasn't dumb enough to get involved
with a client's friend. I already had my hands full with
Yeji. Figuratively speaking.

"Leave the woman alone." Chaewon laughed. Fashion design and
communications major. Daughter of an environmental lawyer
and the chief of staff to a cabinet secretary. Social media star. My
brain ticked off all the things I knew about her as she
snapped a photo of her cocktail before taking a sip. "Find
someone your own age."

"Guys my age are boring. I'd know. I dated a bunch of
them." Wonyoung nudged Minjeong, the last member of Yeji's close friend group. Aside from Wonyoung's inappropriate come-ons, they were a decent bunch. Certainly better than the friends of the Hollywood starlet I'd guarded for three excruciating months, during which I saw more "accidental" genital
flashings than I'd thought I would ever see in my life.