A/N: Heheheeey jagiyas~! So this is the rewritten version of Chapter 1! Hope you like it!

Anyway, this has illustrations in between but since FFN probs does not allow it, check out our Archive on Our Own if you want hahahaha same username!

Trailer:

watch?v=RDOxgrwLefM

or

p/CBixWm5g9JM/

o-o-o-o

Every waking minute, she wondered… just what the hell is wrong with him?

"Yes, princess—"

"I've said it once and I'll say it again—my bodyguard is broken."

o-o-o-o-o

Ayu clipped two braided blonde locks in a half ponytail. Although she preferred a full braid, her chin-length hair forbade her to do so. She sometimes wished she had not cut her hair, but the barrage of compliments from her social media had tickled her narcissistic side.

It took merely a week before she eventually grew bored with the limited variety of styles she could do.

"Pink or nude? Red is good too, though?" Ayu shook her head. "No, that's trying too hard."

Looking into the mirror, she pictured two versions of herself, one sporting a pink shade, the other with a nude shade. At first, it was a simple dilemma that boiled down to three choices— would she go for a feminine, striking, or a subtle kind of beauty? With the striking red out of the picture, her options narrowed down to a subtle nude or a feminine pink.

Eventually, she set down the other two tubes, settling for feminine, "Pink it is."

Twisting the cap open, she looked at the mirror and swiped the applicator on her lips. She smacked her lips twice to even the colour out. Once she was done, she placed it back in the tube and twisted it close.

For her most dreaded part—contact lenses. As the fanmeet fiasco happened fairly recently, she was yet to get used to poking her eyes.

'I just got your messages~!'

Ayu switched off the alarm notification and checked the time—2:00 P.M.

There was no time for contact lenses.

"Guess I'll go nerdy."

o-o-o-o

When she says her heart almost leaped out of her chest, it was an exaggeration...

But there was no denying that he scared the living daylights out of her.

"Do I know you?"

There was no knock on the door; not even a text message—as she opened the door, she found herself face-to-face with astranger in a black suit, waiting in the front door.

"Sorry I'm late," he bowed. "I was told a princess needed a bodyguard?"

'Princess? Bodyguard?'

Frowning, Ayu eyed him up and down; he was of average height—with her stopping just below his ear—and had white hair with its tips a faded red. Despite the white hair, he did not seem old—he looked to be in his early 20s, in fact. Just like her.

Was it too late to take out her pepper spray? He might attack her anytime.

"Bodyguard?" she scrunched her brows. No one informed her about a new bodyguard. "How would I know if you're telling the truth? Do you have any proof to validate your claims?"

"Yes," he fished through his pocket and pulled out a phone. He quickly tapped his fingers on the screen, then handed it to her. "You can call your dad."

Though suspicious, she took the phone from his hand.

His contacts book had only one contact in it—Big Boss.

Her lip curled into a sneer at the name, 'Big Boss? Cringey.'

She pressed the 'Call' button and held the phone against her ear. Two rings later, the other line picked up.

"Ray? You called?"

Sure enough, it was her father's familiar deep voice. And he knew Ray… So Ray was not a random die-hard fan trying to get close to her.

"Dad?"

"Oh, princess, it's you. I see Ray has arrived."

"What's this about a bodyguard? What about Mister Park?"

"Ah, about that… I replaced him. I figured Ray would handle the job better."

So he was still hung up about the fanmeet incident! Granted, it only happened three weeks ago but...

"Dad! I swear he did nothing wrong! It happened so fast; no one could have foreseen it!"

"Still, it was his job to act fast."

Ayu let all her stress out with a sigh. As his only daughter, her father cared for her too much that it bordered on overprotectiveness.

Scratch that; it was not borderline—he certainly was overprotective.

"Okay, Dad. I'll call you later. I have to go."

After saying their goodbyes, Ayu tapped 'End Call' before handing it back to Ray.

"So…," she crossed her arms, "you're Ray?"

He took the phone from her, then nodded with a polite close-mouthed smile that screamed forced. Being in the showbiz industry had exposed her to such smiles that she was no stranger to it.

After all, she herself was an expert at that sort of smile.

"Just Ray."

Uncrossing her arms, she nodded. "Well, at least you're on time. I'm going to have lunch with my friend. Do you know where Chamwon Restaurant is?"

"No, but I can use Noogle Maps."

"Alright," she nodded and walked past him. "Let's go, then."

o-o-o-o

"Zen-oppa!" Ayu excitedly waved, bouncing on her heels.

A handsome long-haired albino turned his head to her direction, "Ayu!" He waved back, motioning them to come over.

"Hey," she tapped Ray's shoulder, then whispered, "Does my hair look good?"

"Of course, Princess," Ray vigorously nodded. "You'd still look good even without it!"

'Is complimenting her also part of his job description? Dad really did things overboard.'

Though weirded out, she led him to their reserved spot, with Ray following exactly five steps away.

Multiple eyes followed their move, but no one dared to get close. With the peaceful atmosphere and customers minding their own businesses, she could not help but feel that their lunch would go smoothly.

"I'm sorry! Did you wait long?"

Zen shook his head. "No! Come on, let's order."

Pulling their chairs back, they were about to take their seats...

Ayu paused, wearing a look of plain confusion on her face. Zen, too, had an identical expression on his face.

Source of confusion: her new bodyguard.

It must have been a strange sight: three adults, pausing mid-sit with their asses hovering over their chairs.

His first day working for her and he was not doing a good first impression.

'What does he want?' Standing straight, Ayu held Ray's arm and pulled him up. "Zen-oppa, will you excuse us for a moment?"

"Um, sure," Zen said, confused, but sat down anyway.

"You can order now! We'll be back reeeaal quick!" She faced Ray and released his arm, cocking her head to the side and motioning him to come with her.

He nodded, following Ayu as she led him further from the table. With Zen out of earshot and taking a menu from a waitress, Ayu placed a hand on Ray's shoulder and pushed it down, making him bend to her height, and whispered, "Okay, I know Dad told you to be this overprotective, but I promise to give you a bonus payment later—just please! Sit somewhere else!"

Ayu made sure her smile did not falter. Personal space in public places was a luxury celebrities like her could not afford. A headline of "Idol caught mistreating her bodyguard?!" would prove detrimental to her image… especially in Zen's presence.

Ray whispered back, "A bonus payment is hard to enjoy when I'm missing my head."

'You coward. Can you even call yourself a bodyguard?'

"You don't have to worry. Just enjoy your date—"

"Shh! It's not a date!" Blood rising to her face, she darted her head side-to-side, then sighed in relief. So far, no one noticed.

The showbiz industry was an unforgiving one—she was basically "owned" by her fans. Being in a relationship was seen as something of a betrayal to them. Even being seen with Zen was a surprising sight, and rumours about their "dating scandal" used to pop up.

It had caused an uproar within the fandom so as a result, she always assured her fans that they were just friends.

Unfortunately.

The explanation seemed to satisfy them, as hanging out with Zen was not much of a shock anymore.

"And don't mind me. I promise you'll forget I even exist! Trust me," he beamed at her with an innocent smile on his lips.

"Does this face look like it trusts you?" she hissed back in a harsh whisper.

Ray studied her face, and for a moment, he thought he was looking at something utterly hideou—

"Yes," he answered briefly.

"Fine," she sighed. "Let's go back. Oppa must be hungry."

Heading back to the table, Ayu took slow strides to calm her nerves, gazing longer at Zen who was intently reading the menu, unaware of the attention she was giving him. Even from afar, Zen gave off an aura of unrivaled beauty and charm. Hell, even the way he flipped pages stirred in her tingles of teenage giddiness.

How anyone could look perfect just by doing nothing was something Ayu once thought impossible. But the first time she laid eyes on him, she realized just how closed-off her world had been.

She was not alone in thinking that; almost everyone in the room had their eyes fixated at Zen, and not just because he was a famous celebrity.

The closer they got to their table, the more the surroundings blurred for her, and the more focused Zen's beauty became. Ayu somewhat hated the paparazzis, for despite how perfect Zen looked in every angle, they lacked the skill to capture the breathtaking beauty he possessed. A disgrace to photographers around the world, was what they were to her.

At least the paparazzis' incompetence worked in her favour, for she was one of the lucky few able to admire his beauty in the flesh

"Sorry about that," Ayu spoke as she reached their table.

"It's fine." Zen handed her the other menu.

"I haven't introduced you guys to each other. By the way, this is my new bodyguard, Ray! He replaced Mr. Park just a while ago."

"It's fine! So, are you ready to or… der?" Zen's voice faltered at the end.

Confused, Ayu followed his line of vision and frowned. She was willing to give him a second chance since not everyone should be judged by their first impression but this…

Ray, arms crossed over his chest, stayed rooted by Ayu's right.

"Oh," Zen was the first to regain his senses, "don't you want to join Dongwon? You might feel out of place." he pointed to a nearby table where a tall, bald man sat, reading a menu.

"It's fine. Just enjoy your meal, Sir."

"But—"

"Ah, don't mind him," Ayu dismissively waved her hand. They were just wasting their time. Smiling through gritted teeth, she gave Ray's arm a squeeze. "Ray here! He's just really," she squeezed it tighter, "reeeaaally… passionate about his job."

Ray pulled his arm out of her grasp, "Ahaha! You overestimate me, Princess!" He said, sporting a big smile on his face, intensifying in Ayu an urge to rip it off of his face.

"Ooh, 'Princess'?" Zen said with a playful quirk of his brow.

"Ah! That's what he used to call his bosses! It kinda just… stuck to him! Old habits die hard, you know?"

'How dare Ray embarrass me in front of Zen?! What if he found it cringey?'

"If you say so, Princess!" Zen teased. For some reason, "Princess" sounded far better coming from his lips. As usual, Zen will always be the exception. "Well then, at least take a seat," he requested and gestured to the chair beside Ayu.

Ray shook his head. "Oh no. I'll stay here."

"You'll," Ayu choked out her next word, "what?"

"You know, I need to act fast if something happens to you," he said matter-of-factly.

She did not know what potential her father saw in Ray; all she could see was Ray teetering on the fine line between caution and paranoia.

"Ah, you don't have to!" She forced a smile, shaking her head. Surely, not even he was dense enough to miss her straightforward message.

'Seriously. You. Don't. Have. To.'

"Oh, what's wrong?"

Dongwon walked over to their table, then slightly bowed. He stood by Zen's side, mirroring Ray's position.

"Oh, um, want to sit with us?" Zen offered, albeit confused.

To Ayu's dismay, Dongwon shook his head. Things seemed to be going in a direction that strayed from her original vision.

"Hmm, I see?" Zen said. "We'll order takeout for you after, how does that sound?"

The two bodyguards nodded, mumbling their thanks.

"Okay! Now that that's settled… Ayu, is there anything you want?"

Humming to herself, Ayu flipped a page and shrugged, "I'm not sure. Whatever you think is good."

"Okay! I'll just order the usual then." Zen raised his arm, catching not only a nearby waitress' attention but the other customers' as well.

They must have wondered if their presence was an elaborate endorsement; after all, having two celebrities hanging out in basically any place—from five-star restaurants to junkyards—was bound to bring attention.

The waitress that came over was a young woman, possibly around 18 to 19, with a name tag that says "Jihyo".

"Yes?"

For a second, Ayu was unable to suppress the frown from showing. Once she noticed, she quickly replaced it with a smile.

'Who the hell does this girl think she is?'

Being in the entertainment industry made it easy to discern that type of voice—one she heard a lot from girls; it was the voice that made her want to slice her ears off.

Ayu looked in disgust, as the waitress swayed her body side-to-side, bouncing on the balls of her feet and looking at Zen with an awestruck expression.

'Please mess up our order.'

"We'll have Set C…." Zen showed her the menu, pointing at their order.

The way the Jihyo girl's face got closer to Zen's triggered within her an urge to….

Jihyo scribbled their order on her notepad, particularly slow for a two-word order.

'Hurry up.'

Once she was done, she bowed and left the table. Ayu's murderous thoughts were finally put at ease.

"So… about your role!"

Zen's face lit up. "I'm glad you asked!"

"What's your role?"

"Okay, so it's a murder mystery show. Basically, my character is a lawyer prodigy. Something happened in his past that made him into who he is, which I won't say because it's a spoiler. So anyway—"

Not once did she chime in or cut his words off, only nodding every so often. The combination of Zen's perfectly-sculpted features, enchanting red eyes, melodic voice, and passion for acting never failed to capture her in a trance.

"I'm sure you'll do a good job!" Ayu gushed. "Can't wait to watch it!"

Zen chuckled, "When I first heard the summary, I thought it might be something you'd like."

"You thought so?"

"Here's your order."

To her relief, a different waiter came with their order. After turning the grill on, he set down two trays of raw meat and plates of side dishes—kimchi, fish cakes, japchae, steamed eggs, and baby potatoes.

"Order's complete. Enjoy your meal." The waiter dipped his head and left.

'Discomfort by proxy'—did such a term exist? If so, that was the perfect way to describe what Ray currently felt, what with all those stares directed at the two celebrities. How could anyone get used to this? It was hard enough to eat with just one person staring, but more than one? He might as well be a zoo animal, then.

Glancing to his left, Ray spotted a group of high school-aged boys five tables away, two of them holding menus in front of their faces, trying to catch a peek of his oblivious boss. Today was a lucky day for those boys, as their idol crush was too busy making disgusting googly eyes at Zen to notice them.

"You mentioned you wanted to try acting, right?" Zen asked.

"Oh… yeah. I just wanted to try it out like once, but I'm not really actively looking," Ayu shrugged.

"Hmm, if you want, the director told me he has a friend who'll be directing a film! And she's looking for actresses who can star in her movie."

"Ooh! What's it about?"

"Not sure yet. I'll ask him."

"Tell me, okay?!"

With another glance to the left, Ray saw that those boys now had phones discreetly peeking out from their menus.

Ray rolled his eyes. Seriously, who were they fooling?

He shifted to the left, blocking Ayu from their view. Though faced away from them, he could hear them whining how perfect the photo would have been were it not for "that photobombing tofu".

He suppressed a snort,'Tofu? That's the best you can do?'

As derogatory as it sounded, it did not bother him at all. After all, pale skin such as his own was sought after.

"So Sienna—"

The brief frown that rose from Ayu's face did not go unnoticed to Ray's eyes.

Sienna Park, the visual, center and lead vocalist of the girl group his boss' daughter was from—Dandelion; also considered the second-most popular member after Ayu.

Zen, however, was unaware of the sour change of mood, for her face reverted back to its over-the-top cheerfulness in an instant.

'Well, idols have to keep up a facade…'

It jarred Ray as to how she could switch from sweet to murderous with ease.

Click!

Ayu's head instinctively snapped up. "Oppa!" She squealed.

'Oppa,' Ray almost sniggered at that. 'Do girls actually think they look cute saying that?'

"Hmm, what caption should I put?" Zen sang teasingly.

"Delete that!" She threatened with wide eyes, only for her growing grin to render her threats futile, as though she enjoyed being teased by him.

'Get a room…'

"Why not? It looks cute! See?"

Zen held his phone in front of her, which showed a candid shot of her, mouth slightly open, in the middle of talking and flipping over a piece of beef.

"Cute?" A dust of pink slowly spread on her cheeks as she turned her head away.

"Yeah. I rarely see you with your glasses on. It always looks so new to me."

"Oh… Maybe I should've worn my contact lenses instead," she pouted, before adding a new set of strips to the grill.

"Nah, that's not what I meant. I think you look cute with your glasses."

Her hold on the tong loosened.

Shing!

"Ah!" She exclaimed, recoiling as the meat sizzled and spattered oil droplets on her.

Zen took the tong from her, taking over. "Do you disagree that much?" He chuckled at her flustered face.

"O-Oppa! You're such a joker!" She sheepishly laughed. Without the tong to keep her occupied, she fanned her reddened face with both hands.

Ray wanted to throw up all over their fishcakes. It was hard to stand there with a straight face.

Before he could actually throw up, Ray stopped listening in on their conversation. It's not like there was anything interesting to take from it.

As for her father, he could finally sleep at night without worrying about Zen stealing his only princess away. From the looks of it, his paranoia was baseless, as it was all unrequited on Ayu's part.

With a father like that, he pitied any guy unfortunate enough to catch Ayu's fancy.

"Ooh, I think this is done," Zen said, switching the grill stove off. One by one, he took each slice and placed them on another plate.

"Hmm!" Ayu gushed as she inhaled the barbecues' mouth-watering aroma. "This looks so good!"

"Eat up," Zen said, handing her a pair of metal chopsticks.

"Yes! Thank you for the food!"

She waited until Zen took the first bite. "Is it good?"

"Yep!"

Using his own chopsticks, he pinched a chunk of rice, adding a small slice of pork along with it. With a palm below to catch any falling grain, Zen brought it closer to Ayu's mouth. "Say 'aah'!"

'What do you think you two are doing?'

They were famous celebrities; would it kill them to be more careful? Surely, this would cause a dating scandal.

And a scolding from Big Boss as well.

Just in time, he could already see someone pulling out a phone from two tables away.

Eyes closed, Ayu leaned forward and opened her mouth, "Aaaahh."

'You're not helping matters at all, dummy.'

Ray moved to her left side, just before she took a bite, hiding her from the photographer's view before giving the camera a "little" smile— an apology for ruining what should have been a perfect shot.

But his apology seemed unwanted, as they scowled both at their phone screens and him.

"Is it good?"

"Mm-hmm!" Ayu nodded, simpering, and seemingly disconnected from the real world.

"I'm glad you liked it," Zen nodded, before facing Ray. "Mister Ray, you really don't want to sit?"

"It's fine," he shook his head with a forced smile. "I'm not hungry anyway."

"Hmm, I see—"

Bzzt! Bzzt!

"Oh, just a moment," Zen said, glancing at his vibrating phone, then at Ayu. "Sorry. Can I take this call? It's a bit urgent."

"Sure! Take your time!" She nodded.

"I'll be quick!" Zen held the phone near his ear, speaking in a hushed tone as he headed to the bathroom.

With Zen away to take the call, the whole table was quiet. Ayu continued eating without him.

This was bad. The absence of a tall and handsome guy like Zen to be intimidated by made it easier for average no-name guys to try their luck.

Not even 10 seconds after Zen left, a young man, holding a journal and pen, was heading towards their table.

How foolish. Ray may not be as tall or breathtakingly handsome as Zen, but it didn't matter. Now that he was paid to be stuck by Ayu's side, the chances of ever coming near her were close to nil.

The date had numbed his mind so much, he might as well amuse himself.

Taking advantage of Ayu's absentmindedness, Ray sidled to her left, placing a hand behind her and resting it over the chair's rail.

Ray's protective stance prompted the young boy to stop in his tracks, looking as though he was having second thoughts.

He flashed the young man a cheeky smile that was in no way welcoming.

Put off by the hostility emanating from his smile, the boy's conflicting thoughts were put to rest, and he finally backed out.

With his intimidation a success, he straightened his posture.

"Okay, done!"

Her rat-tailed friend finally arrived.

Zen announced, then pulled his chair back and sat. "Did you wait long?"

"Nope, not at all!"

"Soooo… how's this charity thing of yours doing? Something… F.A? " Ayu questioned with a slight tilt of her head.

"RFA? It's doing well! Hmm, we still don't have a set date for the next party, though."

"Oh, I see," she nodded.

"I'll send you and the girls an invitation once our party coordinator decides on the date."

A split-second pout crossed her face but was immediately replaced with a full grin.

"Yay!" Ayu clapped. "What will the party theme be?"

"Umm…"

Their heads turned at the stranger's arrival.

"O-oppa…"

'Oppa? The princess wouldn't like that.'

The barely noticeable twitch in her eye was enough proof.

A slightly chubby girl approached their table, accompanied by another girl who looked the same age as she did.

"Go on," said the other girl, giving her friend a light push towards Zen.

"Yes?" Zen flashed her a polite smile.

"U-um…"

"She wants an autograph!" The friend said, sipping from her mug and positioning herself near Ayu.

"I-I…!"

"Oh, sure!" Zen said, easing her nerves. "No problem at all!"

Etched on his boss' face was an uncomfortably wide smile that failed to reach her eyes.

"R-really?!" The girl smiled, handing to him a DVD case of Tei's Tea Leaf, the film that skyrocketed his fame, making him a beloved household name.

Smiling, Zen took it, "Mm-hmm!" He stretched a palm out to his bodyguard, who then placed a black marker pen on it. Uncapping it, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Y-Yoori!" The girl blushed, leaning closer to Zen.

Hidden underneath the table was Ayu's tightly-clenched fist, nails digging in her palms sure to leave a crescent-shaped mark.

"Okay! Yoori, " Zen mumbled as he wrote his message. "May you always be happy and healthy. Make sure to always eat your meals…"

Face still close to Zen, she snuck a glance at her friend, mouthing something before giving a slight nod.

Something seemed off.

Ray jolted his head to his left. Something was definitely off. No one, not even Zen's bodyguard, paid attention to the mug in the girl's hand, hovering above Ayu's head, and slowly tilting downwards.

Quickly shifting to the side, he reached out to grab the girl's wrist.

"Ow! W-what the?!"

"Ray?!" Ayu abruptly stood, widening her eyes at him. "What are you doing?! Let her go!"

She reached a hand out to pull Ray away from the girl, but was too slow to stop…

the tea…

from spilling…

on…

Zen.

Splash!

"Ah!" Zen stood, hair dripping wet and clothes stained with black tea, squeezing the liquid from the drenched part of his shirt.

Ayu snapped her head towards Ray, "What did you just do?!"

She had on her face an absolute look of disgust.

"Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry! He didn't mean it!" She panicked. "What to do, what to do…?" Ayu grabbed a fistful of tissues and dabbed them on his damp shirt.

"This has gotten… a bit out of hand," Zen lightly chuckled, rubbing his nape. "Take out?"

"I forget this usually happens when you're famous." Zen joked once they reached their car.

"Same.…"

For the first time since meeting Zen, his humour was lost on her. She's always laughed even at his unfunniest jokes, but now... How could she laugh when the day she's been looking forward to the most turned into such a wreck?

"It's weird. You know, I sometimes invite Sienna here—"

'Sienna this, Sienna that.' That cursed name always brought out a frown on her face.

"—but this never really happened." Zen scratched his head and chuckled. "You be careful, okay?" He held the door open for Ayu, handing her the take-out bag and waved. "Make sure Mr. Ray doesn't skip a meal!"

With zero enthusiasm, she nodded, forcing out a smile that failed to reach her eyes. "Sure!"

The windows rolled up, and they sped off. Ray did not turn the radio on this time and simply drove in silence, occasionally glancing at her from the rear-view mirror.

As for Ayu, she was too busy cooking up a plan on how to get away with murder.

Ayu slammed the door open, hitting the wall with much force, and stomped her way in.

Following exactly 5 steps behind was Ray, carrying a box package under his arm and staying silent all throughout.

Coming to an abrupt halt, Ayu kicked her wedges off of her feet and flung them to opposite directions.

"I hate her. I hate her. I hate that… UGH!" She tightened the grip on her handbag's strap, knuckles turning white and fingernails digging into her palms. The temper she kept contained the whole car ride was now bubbling beyond her control.

Skipping the mandatory 5-second countdown, she snapped her head at Ray and snarled, "YOU!"

Stomping her way towards him, Ayu jabbed a finger on his chest. "First day working and this is what you do?! Why did you have to mess this up? What right did you have to ruin everything? Everything was going well until you decided to literally spill the tea on Oppa!"

Ray said nothing, simply watching her seethe with anger.

"AND. THAT. SIENNA. He had barbecue with Sienna before… me? Huh?"

Ayu grabbed fistfuls of her hair, yanking it at its roots. A glimpse of Sienna eating and laughing with Zen flashed in her mind—fleeting, but enough to fuel her rage.

Taking deep breaths, she paced back and forth around the living room. With gritted teeth, she let out a soft scream, controlled and barely a scream at first, gradually rising to a crescendo.

And thus came the apocalypse.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

She picked up a throw pillow from her couch and hurled it towards Ray, who barely avoided getting hit. "AAAAAAAHHHHH! I CAN'T EVEN!"

Nothing was safe in her presence. Any object unfortunate enough to be within arm's reach was practically Sienna and Ray in her eyes.

She grabbed three more pillows, hurling them one by one in every direction. "AAAAAHHHHH! CURSE! EVERYTHING!"

Even her Louis Vuitton handbag was not spared from the madness. She unzipped it with much force, almost detaching its zipper, and dumped all of its contents on the ground.

She picked up her first victim—a pressed powder around ₩78,000—and threw it across the room, letting out a long, ear-piercing battle cry. Not even the slightest hint of regret crossed her mind as it collided against the wall, dropping to the floor with a loud crack. Her ₩78,000 pressed powder was now barely worth a cent.

Her second victim—a flower vase she received from a fan two Christmases ago—met the same fate as the first. Who cares if it was a gift? Who cares if they were expensive? She. Wanted. Everything. Destroyed.

Imagining the scattered ceramic shards as Sienna's face was doing nothing to curb her bloodlust. Driven by the memory of their disastrous date, she picked them all up, not caring about the wound or even worse, the infection she could get.

It's fine as long as they die before she does.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!"

From the corner of her eye, Ray was darting his head side to side.. The chaos unfolding before him went beyond his control.

It was not enough. Thrashing the whole living room was not bringing any satisfaction at all!

If laws did not exist, she would have killed those two already!

Lastly, she caught sight of her phone, grabbing it and dialing the only person she knew would understand her.

At the first ring, the other line picked up.

"Yes—"

"FIRE HIM! FIRE! HIM! I WANT ANOTHER BODYGUARD! IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE MR. PARK! ANYONE BUT THIS PIECE OF TRASH! THROW HIM AWAAAAAAAAAAY! AAAAAAHHH!" She screeched at the top of her lungs.

"P-princess, calm down! What's wrong?"

"MY BODYGUARD IS BROKEN!"

"What?"

"RAY! HE… RAY! HE RUINED EVERYTHING! I'LL NEVER GET THIS CHANCE AGAIN AND HE–HE! UUUUUGGGGH!" She repeatedly stomped her feet.

"Deep breaths, Princess, deep breaths. What did he do?"

"RAY! HE SPILLED—"

Then followed a string of curses befitting a sailor. If her words could be censored, it would merely be a continuous, uninterrupted beeping noise.

"Give Ray the phone. I'll speak to him."

"FIRE HIM, OKAY?"

Ayu tapped the loudspeaker button, stomping towards Ray, who was standing still, carrying a box package under his arm.

She shoved the phone on Ray's free hand. "You're screwed."

Ray held the speaker near his mouth. "Yes, boss?"

She crossed her arms and loudly tapped her foot. If looks could kill, Ray would have been shish-kebab by now. To be more precise, he had already been impaled by her death glares immediately as they stepped out of the restaurant.

"What just happened? I don't understand what she's saying. She said you spilled a girl on her tea? And someone's shirt was drenched with this Zen? What? W-what does that mean?"

"Ah. That."

"So you really did something?"

"Yes, but not in the way she makes it out to be."

Ayu uncrossed her arms and stomped her foot. "JUST GET TO THE FREAKING POINT ALREADY!"

"I'm not done talking," Ray coldly snapped.

She gaped at him in a scandalized manner. 'How dare you?'

"And she's right… somewhat."

Irritated, she huffed a few stray hair strands away from her face, 'Somewhat my ass.'

"I did spill the tea on Mr. Zen but I was only trying to stop the girl's friend from spilling the tea on your daughter."

At Ray's words, the frown on Ayu's face slowly faded and was soon replaced by confusion. The tea was meant for her?

Stills of that unfortunate incident flashed in her mind—malicious intent hiding behind a useless piece of trash's youthful smile, aiming a water gun at Ayu's eyes, hellbent on blinding her with whatever unholy mixture she had concocted.

If Ray had been with her back then… would he have prevented it? She watched the conversation between her father and her bodyguard, a somber look marring her face.

"What? Why would they do that?"

"Simply put, they dislike Ayu.."

"This is unbelievable! How could anyone dislike my Ayu?"

"Heh, I wonder how as well," he sneered as he sent a sidelong glance her way.

Ayu's spirits sank lower. All this time, she was lashing out at someone who... did not deserve it?

Having tea spilled on her was not nearly as dangerous as the time she nearly went blind. Unlike then, the one from the barbecue place was merely an expression of hate rather than a desire to harm, but still….

"Tell me their names! I'll make sure—"

"Stop!" Ayu marched towards Ray, snatching the phone from his hand. "No need! Goodbye, Dad!"

"Princess—!"

She ended it before he could say another word. She knew it was rude, but she did not care anymore. He'd forgive her anyway.

She looked around her, at the mess...

'Mess' was an understatement; it was a trainwreck brought about by her rampage— the aftermath of a friendly date gone horribly wrong.

With the anger ebbing away, only silence was left between the two.

"Are you being honest with me right now?"

"Yes."

"You know I could fire you anytime, right?"

"Yes."

Blue eyes scrutinized his mint ones, intently searching for the slightest hint of a lie… at least something to justify her outburst...

However, Ray held his ground, staring her down with the same intensity as her. He looked as though he was challenging her, disregarding the fact that he was still working under her…

...as if he thought they were equals.

"Are we clear? Can I go now?"

She was the first to break eye contact. "Do… Do what you want," she said, casting her gaze on the ground.

He bowed, carrying the box package under his arm, then left.

o-o-o-o

He had seen better content from Nat Geo Wild.

Ray rolled his eyes and scoffed. Handling his boss' daughter's tantrums was not part of his job description; last time he checked, he was a bodyguard, not a babysitter.

Her shrill voice was grating to the ears. He knew how much her father doted on her. Judging from his boss' stories about her, he expected a spoiled princess wannabe…

...not the batshit crazy woman package that came with it.

He was expecting at least a "thank you" from her, even when his effort deserved nothing short of a bow of gratitude. Were it not for him, those dirtbag fans of hers would have flooded in, asking for autographs and ruining her date. She should have been thankful that he was considerate enough to help her enjoy her date in peace.

| From: Big Boss

|You did a good job today. Keep it up. Be ready by midnight sharp tomorrow.

Ray shot a glance at the box package under his bed. Another one? He'd have to be extra careful around Ayu, then.

"Tsk, tsk… useless brat…."

'Condoms exist to prevent the birth of such abomination.'

o-o-o-o

As Ray stepped foot in the dining area, he was greeted by the smell of bacon and butter.

Ayu, who was seated at the other end of the table, glanced up at him. Upon meeting his eyes, she hung her head down, playing with the ends of her hair instead.

Across from her, at the spot he usually sat on, was an untouched plate of five greasy bacon strips and scrambled eggs. Beside it was a plate of pancakes stacked atop each other, drizzled with syrup and topped with slowly melting butter.

Bzz!

A fly flew past him, then landed atop a strip of bacon.

Ayu waved it away, but it was a stubborn one, moving on to another strip instead. "TCH!" She shooed it again, and the fly eventually gave up and went away.

"You should've eaten it sooner if you didn't want flies getting to it."

"I don't eat these stuff."

"Why is it here, then? Is Boss coming over?"

"No."

"Ah. How about that pretty boy?"

"I don't invite men to my house. And Zen is too much of a gentleman for that."

"Ah. Your frie—"

"AH!" Ayu slammed her hands on the table. Testing her patience first thing in the morning was not good for anyone's health. "JUST EAT ALREADY FOR GOODNESS—!" She stopped herself before she could continue further. Closing her eyes and taking a sharp inhale, she composed herself.

"Eat it now if you don't want it to go cold," she said in a somber tone.

This brought about a scowl to Ray's face. Was it that hard to say sorry? She was in the wrong, yet she still held her pride.

He figured her father had probably instilled in her mind how she never needed to apologize.

"Tough luck, then, Princess." Ray reached for an apple in the fruit bowl, then bit into it.

She felt annoyed at how the seconds ticked at an unbearably slow pace, and his loud munches only worsened it. Was it that hard to eat? If it was a matter of taste, there was nothing to worry about. She can cook if that's what he was worried about.

After what felt like an eternity, Ray swallowed. "I don't eat those kinds of food too."

He stood up and headed straight to the door, leaving her sulking.

'Go choke on your pride and bacon. See if I care.'

o-o-o-o-o

Thanks for reading~! Do leave kudos or reviews if you've liked it and let us know what you think ^ 3 ^ (ehrmegersh I sounded like a youtuber there lololol)

For everyone's information~

MC 2 - Ayu