Chapter 9: Is Big Sister About to Become a Deadbeat?

"Even if it is not a death sentence, she must be punished!"

"Honestly, if I carried a child for ten months only to give birth to someone like this, I would want to die!"

"I agree! We cannot tolerate these brainless people continuing to cause trouble!"

"Is JYP watching this?"

Bored, Suzy read the hateful comments one by one. The gloom in her heart had reached its peak, yet the more it hurt, the more she felt compelled to read them. It was a form of self-torture that even her manager could not stop.

As an employer, this "bunny" was quite generous, often buying snacks and coffee for the team. Cha Lun-hoo took a deep sip of his iced Americano; the bitter taste was indeed effective at helping one stay alert.

"Mr. Bodyguard, if you feel that your good intentions were not rewarded, but instead landed you in trouble, would you regret what you did?"

This man seemed to have encountered a similar situation, one that had cost him his entire future. Although he appeared to be a man of great integrity, she was curious: over the past year of days and nights, as he faced life's setbacks, were there moments when he regretted the decision that had changed his life?

Standing by the window with his back to her, Cha Lun-hoo reflected. To be honest, his actions at the time were not entirely free of opportunism. His group had concluded that the "Little Sun" could no longer restore the republic and that following her blindly would lead to a dead end. It seemed better to withstand the pressure and wait for a regime change, hoping that his group might reap some benefits later.

However, the outcome had been less than satisfactory. He had staked everything on a gamble and won, yet there was no prize. It was distressing, but he could not show any sign of regret, especially not in front of his employer from Gwangju.

The Jeolla region, especially Gwangju, held a deep-seated hatred for conservatives, particularly the military factions. Everyone there, if one looked up the family tree, had relatives who bore blood debts owed by the remnants of those reformists. His own home in North Jeolla Province was the same; as seen in the last election, where the progressives secured 88% of the vote, it was clearly their stronghold.

"If you do the right thing, why should you regret it? I will continue to do the right thing in the future as well!"

Cha Lun-hoo’s words made Suzy’s eyes light up. Her bodyguard was truly talented; he spoke well and was incredibly pleasing to the eye. She had to admit that the company’s money was well spent; when her contract expired, she would definitely find a way to take him with her.

She was naturally unaware that in his time working at nightlife venues, this man had mastered the art of telling people what they wanted to hear. As long as the company paid him, he could keep saying pleasant things, and even someone as shrewd as Suzy found his words remarkably sincere.

There are many ways to make a girl happy, and it is not just about sweet talk. Even when there is a vast gap in status, if one resorts to flattery, one loses all sense of agency. Sometimes, showing a tough attitude inconsistent with one’s actual status, while using communication skills to hide one’s weaknesses, creates a balance between dependency and independence. There was much to learn from this.

"Lun-hoo, you are so right. These malicious comments are completely unreasonable; it’s so annoying. Some people even say they want to kill me."

Suzy had asked for Cha Lun-hoo’s age; since they were only six months apart, there was no need for honorifics—they were essentially peers. Seeing his cold expression, the "bunny" secretly wished she could make him call her *noona*.

"Next, we are joining the cast for the filming of *Vagabond*. Although the shooting schedule isn't long, there are many places to travel to. It will be hard work for you, Mr. Cha. Suzy’s safety is of the utmost importance."

The manager’s words made Cha Lun-hoo nod heavily, signaling that she could leave it to him. As the saying goes, he who eats the king’s food must be loyal to the king’s business. Since he had taken this job, he would be responsible and diligent; he would be the one to guard the safety of his beautiful employer.

...

"I never thought that one day, trading my military uniform for a suit would mean becoming a bodyguard."

Though living like this wasn't bad—working with Suzy was not overly demanding—the feeling of confusion in his heart grew with each passing day, with no outlet for release.

Jessica, his older sister-figure, was busy, yet she never stopped reaching out to him. She had just messaged him saying she was going to Hong Kong to promote her brand. When he left the nightclub, her concern wasn't about the wasted money, but that she wouldn't see him as easily anymore.

"What? You’re going to be a bodyguard? You’d be better off being *my* bodyguard! Why don't you quit that job? I’ll arrange something for you here; come and be my personal protector."

In truth, she was just saying it. If she really arranged for Cha Lun-hoo to be her personal bodyguard, her business partner would likely be furious enough to force a total fallout. While she liked this young man, she knew that the fruits of her labor over so many years could not be destroyed in an instant.

"So, where exactly are you working as a bodyguard? Are the hours long? Are you working for a private boss or somewhere else?"

He brushed off her questions vaguely; there was no need to cause unnecessary trouble over such things. He hadn't even revealed the identity of his poor younger sister, Sejeong, to her, fearing it would only lead to complications.

Seeing that Cha Lun-hoo didn't want to talk about it, she couldn't force him. They simply agreed to meet up after she returned from Hong Kong, and the man didn't refuse. This older sister had treated him well, and he was not an ungrateful person.

Yet, if she found out he was working as a bodyguard for another female artist, how unbalanced would she feel? But there was no helping it; he didn't want this relationship to become one of superior and subordinate—that would change the nature of things. Besides, he was afraid she might do something drastic.

The older sister had been having a rough time lately. She had been blacklisted as a debtor in China, and this trip to Hong Kong was partly an attempt to coordinate a resolution. After leaving her group years ago, she had chosen to work in China to maintain her visibility. She had signed with an agency and filmed some variety shows, but with the arrival of force majeure, that path had been completely cut off.

She couldn't perform, but the contract still stood. She needed to pay nearly two million dollars in breach-of-contract penalties—a heavy burden for both her and her business partner at this time.

Her partner suggested that since the contract had been signed through a shell company registered in Hong Kong, there were no assets to seize. Since they couldn't perform in China anyway, they could just default on the debt without a second thought; it wasn't as if they were refusing to perform on purpose.

But the usually not-so-clever older sister felt that although they couldn't perform now, it didn't mean there would be no opportunities in the future. If they waited and were confronted with this old debt later, it would look terrible.

Rather than that, it would be better to proactively negotiate an acceptable price. After all, it was a case of force majeure; she hadn't intentionally refused to perform. She hoped the other party would be reasonable, and perhaps the amount could be negotiated down.

She rubbed her forehead in pain. She needed to secure more benefits and bargaining power within her brand; otherwise, never mind doing what she wanted, how would she ever be able to provide for Cha Lun-hoo?

"I wonder if your employer treats you well as a bodyguard? I hope you don't run into anyone who likes to make things difficult!"

Having recently watched the drama *The K2* featuring Im Yoona and Ji Chang-wook, and hearing that he was working for a female employer, she couldn't help but worry: would something like the plot of a TV show happen? Since this man left the nightclub, her influence over him had diminished, and the rising sense of helplessness left her feeling quite sour.