Twisted Games(Ryeji ver)

RYUJIN[CHAPTER 22]

“THAT MAKES US EVEN.”
I stuck my phone between my ear and shoulder so I could
grab my suitcase out of the overhead bin.

“I told you already that it does.”

“I want to make sure it sinks in.” Yunjin's drawl
seeped over the line, its smooth, lazy veneer hiding the razor
blades beneath the surface. It reflected the woman behind the
voice, a debonair charmer who could kill you with one hand
and a smile on her face.

Many a person had failed to look beyond the smile until it
was too late. It was what made Yunjin so dangerous and such an
effective CEO of the world’s most elite private security agency.

“I didn’t realize you’d become so attached to the
princess,” she added. My jaw flexed at the insinuation, and I nearly bowled over an older man wearing an unfortunate mud brown jacket in my haste to get off the plane.

“I didn’t become attached. She’s the least annoying client I’ve
had, and I’m sick of rotating between random pop stars and spoiled heiresses every few months. It’s a practical decision.”
In truth, I knew I’d fucked up less than twenty-four hours
after I turned down her offer to extend my contract. I’d been
on the plane back to D.C., and I would’ve forced the pilot to
turn back if doing so wouldn’t have landed me on the no-fly
list and resulted in a very unpleasant detention courtesy of
the U.S. government. But Yunjin didn’t need to know that.

“So you move to Eldorra, the country you hate most.” It
wasn’t a question, and she sounded less than convinced.
“Makes sense.”

“I don’t hate Eldorra.” The country came with a lot of
baggage for me, but I had nothing against the actual place. It
was a me problem, not a them problem…for the most part.
The woman walking next to me in an I Heart Eldorra T-
shirt stared at me, and I glared back until she blushed and
hurried past.

“If you say so.” A note of warning crept into Yunjin's
voice. “I agreed to your request because I trust you, but don’t
do anything stupid, Shin. Princess Yeji is a client. The
future queen of Eldorra, at that.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” Yunjin was technically my boss,
but I’d never been good at kissing ass, not even when I was
in the military. It’d gotten me into my fair share of trouble.
“And you didn’t do this because you trust me. You did it
because I spent the past month dealing with your mess.”
If I hadn’t, I would’ve taken the next plane back to
Eldorra after I landed in D.C.

Then again, if I hadn’t, Yunjin might not have agreed
to pull her many strings for me. She didn’t do anything purely
out of the good of her heart.

“Either way, remember why you’re there,” she said
calmly. “You are to protect Princess Yejj from bodily
harm. That’s it.”

“I’m aware.” I exited the airport and was immediately hit
with a blast of frigid air. Winter in Eldorra was cold as shit,
but I’d survived colder in the Navy. The wind barely fazed
me. “Gotta go.” I hung up without another word and took my place in the taxi line.

What had Yeji's reaction been when she found out I
was returning? Happy? Angry? Indifferent? She hadn’t
refused my request to be reinstated as her bodyguard, which
was a good sign, but I also wasn’t sure the palace gave her a
choice. Whatever it was, I’d deal with it. I just wanted to see her
again.

I’d left because I thought it was the right thing to do.
We’d agreed what happened in Costa Rica would stay in
Costa Rica, and I’d tried my best to distance myself
afterward. To give us both a fighting chance. Because if we
stayed near each other, we would end up in a place that could
destroy her.