The Nanny
Title: The Nanny
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Summary: Kim Jaejoong was searching for his father. Jung Yunho, on the other hand, was looking for a nanny. A series of events led them to find each other instead.
Disclaimer: Real people belong to themselves. So I really don't own anything.
A/N: This fan fiction is inspired by and loosely based on the Taiwanese drama "Down with Love." This is also unbetaed, so I apologize for any mistake I made.
Chapter 2:
As planned, there was already a car waiting for Jaejoong, parked at the end of the alleyway. Inside the car, Jaejoong found a duffel bag and a brown envelope on the passenger seat. The duffel bag was the one Jaejoong had packed that morning, filled with his clothes (mostly shirts and jeans), bathing essentials (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and a toothbrush), and some food he had managed to sneak in from the kitchen (cup noodles and junk food). After packing, he had hidden the bag under his bed, for Ryo to get.
The brown envelope, on the other hand, was from Ryo. It contained a fake ID, a passport, and a wad of cash. There was also a note in Ryo’s handwriting: When the Queen was twenty, she had gone to South Korea to study at Seoul National University. She had gone incognito and under an alias. The Royal Council kept it a secret from the public. That was as far as I could dig up. You’ll have to find out the rest once you get there.
A one-way ticket to South Korea was also included in the envelope. Jaejoong set his lips into a thin line. He supposed it was a good thing that the Council required him to learn many languages to use for diplomatic and consular relations with other States. His Korean was quite accented but at least he was fluent. Jaejoong then checked out his fake ID and passport. Kim Jaehwa.
Jaejoong continued to read Ryo’s note. With your features, it would be easier for you to leave Japan if you’re a girl. They’re all going to be looking for a guy, anyway. Besides, you can always make yourself another fake ID and passport when you’re already in South Korea. If you’re worried about how you’re going to become a girl, look at the back seat.
Jaejoong reached out behind him and pulled out a shopping bag. He opened it to see a wig, a summer dress, and a pair of sandals. Nishikido Ryo was a bastard, Jaejoong decided, who always got the last laugh.
++++
Yunho was already waiting patiently outside of the gates of St. Catherine Elementary School as soon as the bell rang, signalling the end of classes. Yunho felt refreshed - four hours’ worth of sleep, a home-cooked meal, and a relaxing shower - did him some good and Yunho took note to thank Yoochun when he goes to the law firm later.
“Uncle Yun! Uncle Yun!”
Yunho broke into a wide grin as he bent down to the ground and spread out his arms to catch both his niece and nephew, who had ran out the moment they saw their uncle outside the school gates. The twins crashed into Yunho, who caught them in his embrace. ”Have you two been eating a lot? You’ve grown heavier.”
It was his niece, Soo Jin, who first pulled away. With arms across her chest, she glared at Yunho and pouted. “Uncle Yun didn’t come home for two days.”
“Soo Jin, don’t be mad at Uncle, you know how hard it is to be a lawyer.” Tae Jin, the older of the twins by five minutes and Yunho’s nephew, admonished. “Uncle Yun would make it up to us by buying us toys!”
Soo Jin’s face brightened up. “Really?” She tugged at Yunho’s sleeve. “I want a life-sized doll!”
“Uncle Yun’s getting me a PSP!” Tae Jin looked at his uncle, eyes wide and sparkling. “Right, Uncle Yun?”
At six years old, Yunho’s niece and nephew had developed the talent of knowing how to get their way. Yunho ruffled Tae Jin’s hair. “Of course. Whatever you two like.” It appeared that Yunho would not be dropping by the office any time soon.
“Yay!” When Yunho stood up, Soo Jin was already pulling him to the car and Tae Jin ran off to tap at the window on the driver’s side to wake up their sleeping driver. “Jin! Jin! Uncle Yun’s taking us to the mall!”
“Wait.” Yunho stopped walking, looked around the school, and frowned. At this time, other students had come out of the school, more cars had parked in front of the gates, and the sound of talk and laughter filled the air. “Where’s your nanny?”
“Yuri-unnie?” Soo Jin’s eyes grew wide as she blinked innocently at her uncle. “She went back home right after taking us to school this morning.”
“Really?” The twins’ nanny, Yuri, accompanies the twins to and from school. According to Changmin, no one had seen Yuri since that morning, when she took the twins to school. The driver, Jin, had returned to the mansion alone. Changmin had assumed that Yuri had chosen to stay at the school and wait there until the twins’ classes were over.
Soo Jin’s head bobbed up and down, pigtails flying, as she nodded vigorously. “Why?”
“No reason.” Yunho supposed Yuri ditched work and took the day off. He made a mental note to talk to her about that. He smiled at Soo Jin. “Let’s go to the mall.”
++++
Ryo had been right about one thing - no one in Narita Airport had been looking for a girl. It had been easy for Jaejoong to board the plane bound for Seoul. Three hours later, Jaejoong was already at Customs in Gimpo Airport.
The television screens were all covering the same news. They showed Jaejoong and YamaPi’s carriage disappear in a cloud of smoke that seemed to appear out of nowhere. No one had seen Ryo throw the smoke bomb - he was ninja like that. YamaPi’s face flashed on to the screen, calm and passive. Amidst the noise at Gimpo, Jaejoong managed to hear his cousin’s reaction towards the incident.
“I take all responsibility for the Crown Prince’s disappearance.” YamaPi bowed to the crowd of reporters outside the palace. “It was my fault for not looking after him.”
Jaejoong’s fists clenched. If it was anyone’s fault, it was Jaejoong’s alone - YamaPi had nothing to do with it. Jaejoong was the one who had planned on running away, coerced Ryo into helping him, and tried his very best to keep it from YamaPi. He had not wanted his cousin to get into trouble with anyone, particularly the Council.
But from the very beginning, Ryo had already warned Jaejoong of this - Pi would take the blame whether or not he knew anything so it was probably better if Jae told him what was going on. Jaejoong had stubbornly refused, claiming that the less Pi knew, the better it would be for the Council would not suspect Pi of anything. Jaejoong hated that Ryo was always right.
“All efforts are now being exerted to look for the Crown Prince. The Council thinks he is still somewhere in the country.” YamaPi looked directly at the cameras. “Wherever he is, I hope Crown Prince Jaejoong is safe and happy.”
“Welcome to Seoul.” The Customs Inspector smiled and handed back Jaejoong’s passport to him. “Enjoy your stay.”
Jaejoong tugged a strand of his long black hair behind his ear and bowed graciously, the summer dress he was wearing reaching below his knees. “Thank you.” His steps small and graceful, he walked out of the airport, and in to the sunset. No one took a second glance at him, no one stopped to talk to him, and no one knew that he was Crown Prince Jaejoong.
Jae contemplated his next move. His head felt heavy because of the wig and he really wanted to get rid of the summer dress. As much as he did not want to be found out, he would not give Ryo the satisfaction of cross-dressing and pretending to be a girl. But first and foremost, he needed a place where he could stay for the time being.
“Now, where should I go?” Jae muttered as he flagged down a taxi. The taxi stopped in front of him and just as Jae was about to open the door, another man had stepped inside the passenger seat and slammed the door behind him. Jae could only watch as the taxi sped away. He huffed. “Well, talk about rude.”
++++
But at that point, Kim Junsu couldn’t care less about manners and etiquette. He had just come back from a long flight, had not slept for almost 24 hours, and had just wanted to go home. So when the taxi stopped in front of the lady, Junsu didn’t give a damn and just jumped inside. He had waved a wad of cash in front of the driver. “See this? Just drive me to a hotel and you can keep the change.”
As the taxi made its way out of Gimpo Airport, Junsu finally relaxed enough to lie his head on the headrest. He closed his eyes and allowed his breathing to become even. It took some time but finally he was back in South Korea although no one had known of his return. If they did, Junsu doubted if he would be riding in a taxi at that moment.
But that was okay - Junsu really did not want to deal with anyone right now. And besides, if things went as smoothly as planned, maybe people wouldn’t have to know that he was actually in Seoul.
++++
“Minnie! Minnie! Look what Uncle Yun bought us!” The twins cried out the second Yunho, who was carrying shopping bags, opened the door to their home - or at least, what they have considered home for the past year. The front door opened up to a long walkway leading up to the foot of the staircase, where Changmin was waiting.
Soo Jin showed off her life-sized doll and Tae Jin held up his PSP for Changmin to see. Changmin smiled, eyes mismatched as he took the life-sized doll. “It’s so pretty like you, Soo Jin! What’s her name?”
Soo Jin giggled. “Hana.”
“Nice to meet you, Hana.” Changmin shook the doll’s hand while Yunho ordered the driver Jin, who was holding the other shopping bags, to follow him and together they placed the bags on the living room.
Tae Jin then nudged Changmin and offered to the latter his new PSP. “Help me win?”
As Changmin helped Tae Jin cross the finish line, the door slammed open, and revealed a furious nanny. “YOU BRATS!”
The twins immediately hid behind Changmin’s back and cowered in fear. Yuri was the nanny that the agency had sent to Yunho a week ago, to look after Soo Jin and Tae Jin. Aside from Changmin (who had designated himself as Yunho’s butler), and Jin (Yunho’s driver), the Jung household was composed of two maids, a cook, and a gardener. Because Changmin is still studying, no one could look after the six-year-old twins permanently, and that was the reason why Yunho had sought the help of an employment agency to hire a nanny.
However, not one of the nannies the agency had sent to Yunho had lasted for more than two weeks. And from the looks of it, Yuri wouldn’t either. She was walking slowly towards Changmin, her eyes flashing with anger, and her whole body shaking.
Changmin shielded the twins protectively. “Is something wrong?”
“THOSE BRATS LOCKED ME UP IN THE JANITOR’S CLOSET OF THE SCHOOL!”
“That’s no reason to yell.” The twins whimpered in fear.
Yuri took a deep breath. “I was stuck there since this morning, because the closet happened to be at an isolated place of the school. It was a good thing the guard heard my cries and decided to free me.” She paused. “He thought I was a ghost.”
Tae Jin let out a snort and Soo Jin giggled. Changmin tried to hush them. “It isn’t funny,” Yuri hissed. “Those brats don’t know how to treat people. I allow them to do whatever they want and this is how they repay me? No wonder their parents headed to an early death.”
As soon as she said that, Changmin’s face darkened. The twins went silent and one could hear a pin drop in the room. Yuri stepped back a little. “I-”
“You stepped out of line.” Yunho spoke up as he walked over to Yuri. He had heard her outburst from the living room. “I could understand your anger at what my niece and nephew did. It was wrong of them to do what they did but it does not excuse you from saying those types of things.”
Something in Yunho’s tone made Yuri tremble in fear. Yunho’s face was calm and collected but even Yuri knew that he was angry.
“You’re fired, Yuri.”
++++
Akanishi Jin would not admit it to anyone else but he liked his job. Not a lot of people would be proud to admit that they work as a driver or chauffeur or whatever they like to call it, but Jin was different. He honestly enjoyed working for Jung Yunho because the latter treated him as a friend and an equal.
When Jin had moved away from home, he had moved to another country. He was 24 when he came to Seoul and could not speak Korean at all. But that didn’t stop him from doing what he wanted, so Jin tried his very best to adapt to the city he had chosen to settle in. It was far enough from Japan that he did not have to be reminded of his past but also near enough that he would not get too home sick.
Jin had been working as a barista for a coffee shop when he had met Jung Yunho. The latter was a patron of the shop and frequently came there whenever he got out of work. The coffee shop was owned by an old man in his eighties and was situated in a quiet neighbourhood. The old man had been nice enough to hire Jin and give him the space above his coffee shop to use as an apartment for free in exchange for working as a barista.
Unfortunately, the old man had decided to move away to the country and stay with his grandchildren. Before leaving, the old man had sold the coffee shop to another person but he had generously allowed Jin to keep the apartment. So Jin had a place to stay, but he did not have a job.
It was during that time that Yunho offered Jin to be his driver. The law firm was starting to pick up clients and Yunho was beginning to find himself too tired to drive himself to and from work and to any other place he might need to go to. It was Yoochun who had suggested that Yunho hire a driver and when Yunho found out that Jin was looking for a job, the former thought to hire Jin. The Japanese man was amiable and friendly enough and Yunho figured that if he was going to hire a driver, it should be at least someone he felt he could trust.
Jin started working for Yunho around the same time the twins came into the latter’s life. Jin had always loved kids so he didn’t mind driving the twins around too. Besides, the twins like him and vice versa. Jin had witnessed the scene with Yuri and even he had to keep himself from doing something to the now-fired nanny. The girl should have just kept her mouth shut. The death of Soo Jin and Tae Jin’s parents was taboo in the Jung household. It was a wound that still hasn’t healed but preferred to keep hidden beneath the surface.
Jin yawned as he opened the coffee shop and turned on the lights. Aside from being Yunho’s driver, the new owner of the coffee shop also paid him to keep watch of the shop during night-time, since he was already living in the second floor anyway. Since it was a quiet neighbourhood, no break-ins had occurred and Jin would like to keep it that way.
So he didn’t expect the figure that greeted him when the lights flashed on the room. It was a girl with long black hair and a summer dress. She was sitting on the counter, her head on the countertop, fast asleep. But the noise Jin made when he opened the door seemed to have woken her up, because she was stirring. Jin watched as she lifted her head up and rubbed her eyes. When she saw Jin, her whole face brightened up. “Yo!”
The pretty face that greeted him looked familiar. Jin furrowed his brows in confusion. “Do I know you?”
“Yah! How can you forget me?” With a pout, the girl removed his wig. “Thank god! I’ve wanted to do that since I came here. But I was afraid that the barista would still be around, so I had to be careful.” He shuddered. “I had to flirt with him a bit too, so he would allow me to stay here and wait for you even after closing time, since I don’t have a key to your apartment.”
“Of course you won’t have a key; you’re not supposed to be here.” Jin glared at him. “Do you really want the Royal Council to kill me, Jae?”
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Summary: Kim Jaejoong was searching for his father. Jung Yunho, on the other hand, was looking for a nanny. A series of events led them to find each other instead.
Disclaimer: Real people belong to themselves. So I really don't own anything.
A/N: This fan fiction is inspired by and loosely based on the Taiwanese drama "Down with Love." This is also unbetaed, so I apologize for any mistake I made.
Chapter 2:
As planned, there was already a car waiting for Jaejoong, parked at the end of the alleyway. Inside the car, Jaejoong found a duffel bag and a brown envelope on the passenger seat. The duffel bag was the one Jaejoong had packed that morning, filled with his clothes (mostly shirts and jeans), bathing essentials (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and a toothbrush), and some food he had managed to sneak in from the kitchen (cup noodles and junk food). After packing, he had hidden the bag under his bed, for Ryo to get.
The brown envelope, on the other hand, was from Ryo. It contained a fake ID, a passport, and a wad of cash. There was also a note in Ryo’s handwriting: When the Queen was twenty, she had gone to South Korea to study at Seoul National University. She had gone incognito and under an alias. The Royal Council kept it a secret from the public. That was as far as I could dig up. You’ll have to find out the rest once you get there.
A one-way ticket to South Korea was also included in the envelope. Jaejoong set his lips into a thin line. He supposed it was a good thing that the Council required him to learn many languages to use for diplomatic and consular relations with other States. His Korean was quite accented but at least he was fluent. Jaejoong then checked out his fake ID and passport. Kim Jaehwa.
Jaejoong continued to read Ryo’s note. With your features, it would be easier for you to leave Japan if you’re a girl. They’re all going to be looking for a guy, anyway. Besides, you can always make yourself another fake ID and passport when you’re already in South Korea. If you’re worried about how you’re going to become a girl, look at the back seat.
Jaejoong reached out behind him and pulled out a shopping bag. He opened it to see a wig, a summer dress, and a pair of sandals. Nishikido Ryo was a bastard, Jaejoong decided, who always got the last laugh.
++++
Yunho was already waiting patiently outside of the gates of St. Catherine Elementary School as soon as the bell rang, signalling the end of classes. Yunho felt refreshed - four hours’ worth of sleep, a home-cooked meal, and a relaxing shower - did him some good and Yunho took note to thank Yoochun when he goes to the law firm later.
“Uncle Yun! Uncle Yun!”
Yunho broke into a wide grin as he bent down to the ground and spread out his arms to catch both his niece and nephew, who had ran out the moment they saw their uncle outside the school gates. The twins crashed into Yunho, who caught them in his embrace. ”Have you two been eating a lot? You’ve grown heavier.”
It was his niece, Soo Jin, who first pulled away. With arms across her chest, she glared at Yunho and pouted. “Uncle Yun didn’t come home for two days.”
“Soo Jin, don’t be mad at Uncle, you know how hard it is to be a lawyer.” Tae Jin, the older of the twins by five minutes and Yunho’s nephew, admonished. “Uncle Yun would make it up to us by buying us toys!”
Soo Jin’s face brightened up. “Really?” She tugged at Yunho’s sleeve. “I want a life-sized doll!”
“Uncle Yun’s getting me a PSP!” Tae Jin looked at his uncle, eyes wide and sparkling. “Right, Uncle Yun?”
At six years old, Yunho’s niece and nephew had developed the talent of knowing how to get their way. Yunho ruffled Tae Jin’s hair. “Of course. Whatever you two like.” It appeared that Yunho would not be dropping by the office any time soon.
“Yay!” When Yunho stood up, Soo Jin was already pulling him to the car and Tae Jin ran off to tap at the window on the driver’s side to wake up their sleeping driver. “Jin! Jin! Uncle Yun’s taking us to the mall!”
“Wait.” Yunho stopped walking, looked around the school, and frowned. At this time, other students had come out of the school, more cars had parked in front of the gates, and the sound of talk and laughter filled the air. “Where’s your nanny?”
“Yuri-unnie?” Soo Jin’s eyes grew wide as she blinked innocently at her uncle. “She went back home right after taking us to school this morning.”
“Really?” The twins’ nanny, Yuri, accompanies the twins to and from school. According to Changmin, no one had seen Yuri since that morning, when she took the twins to school. The driver, Jin, had returned to the mansion alone. Changmin had assumed that Yuri had chosen to stay at the school and wait there until the twins’ classes were over.
Soo Jin’s head bobbed up and down, pigtails flying, as she nodded vigorously. “Why?”
“No reason.” Yunho supposed Yuri ditched work and took the day off. He made a mental note to talk to her about that. He smiled at Soo Jin. “Let’s go to the mall.”
++++
Ryo had been right about one thing - no one in Narita Airport had been looking for a girl. It had been easy for Jaejoong to board the plane bound for Seoul. Three hours later, Jaejoong was already at Customs in Gimpo Airport.
The television screens were all covering the same news. They showed Jaejoong and YamaPi’s carriage disappear in a cloud of smoke that seemed to appear out of nowhere. No one had seen Ryo throw the smoke bomb - he was ninja like that. YamaPi’s face flashed on to the screen, calm and passive. Amidst the noise at Gimpo, Jaejoong managed to hear his cousin’s reaction towards the incident.
“I take all responsibility for the Crown Prince’s disappearance.” YamaPi bowed to the crowd of reporters outside the palace. “It was my fault for not looking after him.”
Jaejoong’s fists clenched. If it was anyone’s fault, it was Jaejoong’s alone - YamaPi had nothing to do with it. Jaejoong was the one who had planned on running away, coerced Ryo into helping him, and tried his very best to keep it from YamaPi. He had not wanted his cousin to get into trouble with anyone, particularly the Council.
But from the very beginning, Ryo had already warned Jaejoong of this - Pi would take the blame whether or not he knew anything so it was probably better if Jae told him what was going on. Jaejoong had stubbornly refused, claiming that the less Pi knew, the better it would be for the Council would not suspect Pi of anything. Jaejoong hated that Ryo was always right.
“All efforts are now being exerted to look for the Crown Prince. The Council thinks he is still somewhere in the country.” YamaPi looked directly at the cameras. “Wherever he is, I hope Crown Prince Jaejoong is safe and happy.”
“Welcome to Seoul.” The Customs Inspector smiled and handed back Jaejoong’s passport to him. “Enjoy your stay.”
Jaejoong tugged a strand of his long black hair behind his ear and bowed graciously, the summer dress he was wearing reaching below his knees. “Thank you.” His steps small and graceful, he walked out of the airport, and in to the sunset. No one took a second glance at him, no one stopped to talk to him, and no one knew that he was Crown Prince Jaejoong.
Jae contemplated his next move. His head felt heavy because of the wig and he really wanted to get rid of the summer dress. As much as he did not want to be found out, he would not give Ryo the satisfaction of cross-dressing and pretending to be a girl. But first and foremost, he needed a place where he could stay for the time being.
“Now, where should I go?” Jae muttered as he flagged down a taxi. The taxi stopped in front of him and just as Jae was about to open the door, another man had stepped inside the passenger seat and slammed the door behind him. Jae could only watch as the taxi sped away. He huffed. “Well, talk about rude.”
++++
But at that point, Kim Junsu couldn’t care less about manners and etiquette. He had just come back from a long flight, had not slept for almost 24 hours, and had just wanted to go home. So when the taxi stopped in front of the lady, Junsu didn’t give a damn and just jumped inside. He had waved a wad of cash in front of the driver. “See this? Just drive me to a hotel and you can keep the change.”
As the taxi made its way out of Gimpo Airport, Junsu finally relaxed enough to lie his head on the headrest. He closed his eyes and allowed his breathing to become even. It took some time but finally he was back in South Korea although no one had known of his return. If they did, Junsu doubted if he would be riding in a taxi at that moment.
But that was okay - Junsu really did not want to deal with anyone right now. And besides, if things went as smoothly as planned, maybe people wouldn’t have to know that he was actually in Seoul.
++++
“Minnie! Minnie! Look what Uncle Yun bought us!” The twins cried out the second Yunho, who was carrying shopping bags, opened the door to their home - or at least, what they have considered home for the past year. The front door opened up to a long walkway leading up to the foot of the staircase, where Changmin was waiting.
Soo Jin showed off her life-sized doll and Tae Jin held up his PSP for Changmin to see. Changmin smiled, eyes mismatched as he took the life-sized doll. “It’s so pretty like you, Soo Jin! What’s her name?”
Soo Jin giggled. “Hana.”
“Nice to meet you, Hana.” Changmin shook the doll’s hand while Yunho ordered the driver Jin, who was holding the other shopping bags, to follow him and together they placed the bags on the living room.
Tae Jin then nudged Changmin and offered to the latter his new PSP. “Help me win?”
As Changmin helped Tae Jin cross the finish line, the door slammed open, and revealed a furious nanny. “YOU BRATS!”
The twins immediately hid behind Changmin’s back and cowered in fear. Yuri was the nanny that the agency had sent to Yunho a week ago, to look after Soo Jin and Tae Jin. Aside from Changmin (who had designated himself as Yunho’s butler), and Jin (Yunho’s driver), the Jung household was composed of two maids, a cook, and a gardener. Because Changmin is still studying, no one could look after the six-year-old twins permanently, and that was the reason why Yunho had sought the help of an employment agency to hire a nanny.
However, not one of the nannies the agency had sent to Yunho had lasted for more than two weeks. And from the looks of it, Yuri wouldn’t either. She was walking slowly towards Changmin, her eyes flashing with anger, and her whole body shaking.
Changmin shielded the twins protectively. “Is something wrong?”
“THOSE BRATS LOCKED ME UP IN THE JANITOR’S CLOSET OF THE SCHOOL!”
“That’s no reason to yell.” The twins whimpered in fear.
Yuri took a deep breath. “I was stuck there since this morning, because the closet happened to be at an isolated place of the school. It was a good thing the guard heard my cries and decided to free me.” She paused. “He thought I was a ghost.”
Tae Jin let out a snort and Soo Jin giggled. Changmin tried to hush them. “It isn’t funny,” Yuri hissed. “Those brats don’t know how to treat people. I allow them to do whatever they want and this is how they repay me? No wonder their parents headed to an early death.”
As soon as she said that, Changmin’s face darkened. The twins went silent and one could hear a pin drop in the room. Yuri stepped back a little. “I-”
“You stepped out of line.” Yunho spoke up as he walked over to Yuri. He had heard her outburst from the living room. “I could understand your anger at what my niece and nephew did. It was wrong of them to do what they did but it does not excuse you from saying those types of things.”
Something in Yunho’s tone made Yuri tremble in fear. Yunho’s face was calm and collected but even Yuri knew that he was angry.
“You’re fired, Yuri.”
++++
Akanishi Jin would not admit it to anyone else but he liked his job. Not a lot of people would be proud to admit that they work as a driver or chauffeur or whatever they like to call it, but Jin was different. He honestly enjoyed working for Jung Yunho because the latter treated him as a friend and an equal.
When Jin had moved away from home, he had moved to another country. He was 24 when he came to Seoul and could not speak Korean at all. But that didn’t stop him from doing what he wanted, so Jin tried his very best to adapt to the city he had chosen to settle in. It was far enough from Japan that he did not have to be reminded of his past but also near enough that he would not get too home sick.
Jin had been working as a barista for a coffee shop when he had met Jung Yunho. The latter was a patron of the shop and frequently came there whenever he got out of work. The coffee shop was owned by an old man in his eighties and was situated in a quiet neighbourhood. The old man had been nice enough to hire Jin and give him the space above his coffee shop to use as an apartment for free in exchange for working as a barista.
Unfortunately, the old man had decided to move away to the country and stay with his grandchildren. Before leaving, the old man had sold the coffee shop to another person but he had generously allowed Jin to keep the apartment. So Jin had a place to stay, but he did not have a job.
It was during that time that Yunho offered Jin to be his driver. The law firm was starting to pick up clients and Yunho was beginning to find himself too tired to drive himself to and from work and to any other place he might need to go to. It was Yoochun who had suggested that Yunho hire a driver and when Yunho found out that Jin was looking for a job, the former thought to hire Jin. The Japanese man was amiable and friendly enough and Yunho figured that if he was going to hire a driver, it should be at least someone he felt he could trust.
Jin started working for Yunho around the same time the twins came into the latter’s life. Jin had always loved kids so he didn’t mind driving the twins around too. Besides, the twins like him and vice versa. Jin had witnessed the scene with Yuri and even he had to keep himself from doing something to the now-fired nanny. The girl should have just kept her mouth shut. The death of Soo Jin and Tae Jin’s parents was taboo in the Jung household. It was a wound that still hasn’t healed but preferred to keep hidden beneath the surface.
Jin yawned as he opened the coffee shop and turned on the lights. Aside from being Yunho’s driver, the new owner of the coffee shop also paid him to keep watch of the shop during night-time, since he was already living in the second floor anyway. Since it was a quiet neighbourhood, no break-ins had occurred and Jin would like to keep it that way.
So he didn’t expect the figure that greeted him when the lights flashed on the room. It was a girl with long black hair and a summer dress. She was sitting on the counter, her head on the countertop, fast asleep. But the noise Jin made when he opened the door seemed to have woken her up, because she was stirring. Jin watched as she lifted her head up and rubbed her eyes. When she saw Jin, her whole face brightened up. “Yo!”
The pretty face that greeted him looked familiar. Jin furrowed his brows in confusion. “Do I know you?”
“Yah! How can you forget me?” With a pout, the girl removed his wig. “Thank god! I’ve wanted to do that since I came here. But I was afraid that the barista would still be around, so I had to be careful.” He shuddered. “I had to flirt with him a bit too, so he would allow me to stay here and wait for you even after closing time, since I don’t have a key to your apartment.”
“Of course you won’t have a key; you’re not supposed to be here.” Jin glared at him. “Do you really want the Royal Council to kill me, Jae?”