Burning The House Of Cards: taking revenge on my billionaire family
Chapter 29 - 28. Audition

Chapter 29: Chapter 28. Audition

There was a commotion in one of HS Group’s subsidiaries.

Suddenly, one morning, without any prior notice, the employees were greeted by bulky, muscly people dressed in suits that it looked as if a group of mafia was storming into the lobby.

It took them three separate discussion threads on the company’s intranet to finally realize that the stern-looking people were bodyguard candidates for one of HS’s Group family members.

In short, it was an entry test.

Just like that, the employees were back at work again, and the receptionist heaved a sigh of relief because people no longer asked her about who was all those people.

Of course, it wasn’t like they had never seen bodyguards in action before—after all, they worked for one of HS Group’s children. But those people wore neckties with the Group’s logo, and they only ever saw a maximum of three accompanying each member of the main family. So seeing a throng of stoic-faced men and women with imposing builds just put their imagination into thriller mode.

Just after the receptionist sighed, thinking her job was over, a large shadow fell over the front desk. She pressed her lips while her face still bowed, sighing again inwardly. For some reason, most of the recruitment candidates were either stingy with their words, very arrogant, or felt like they had killed someone or two, making her scared shitless.

But since this was still her job, she collected her wits and lifted her head with a smile on her face. The smile soon faltered though, and she froze, eyes blinking fast.

"Excuse me,"

Ah, what a nice voice, she thought.

"Where should I head for this?"

The person took out his phone, and showed the e-mail announcing his passing into the next step for the bodyguard entry test. It was a large, beautiful-looking hand, attached to a long, veiny, strong arm. But it took the receptionist a while to shift her gaze to the phone, because how could she, when that face was attached to that body?

A dark hair combed just enough to not make him look sloppy, but instead give him this wild, sexy feeling. A pair of sharp eyes, filled with mystifying grey as deep as a lake under stormy skies. A handsome feature, a sharp jaw that could cut any fingers tempted to stroke it, and a charming smile capable of bewitching people into buying even the most obnoxious scam.

The receptionist felt she would agree to join a cult or an MLM if the man offered it to her.

Is he a model? A celebrity?

The receptionist needed to blink several times first before she caught the content of the e-mail the man showed him.

What...why would a gorgeous specimen like this work as a bodyguard?

The man retracted his phone and with that, also his smile. "Am I in the wrong place?"

The receptionist shivered as the nice voice dipped low and cold, as cold as the stormy eyes staring at her like a beast to prey. "N-no, you’re in the right place," she stuttered, and for a second forgot what she must do. The man just stared at her silently, until she was startled and asked him finally. "Umm—c-could you give me your name, um, Sir?"

"Ryu Hajin."

With that short answer, the secretary ran through the database and procured a name card swiftly as if being chased by a running tiger. When she gave the man the visitor card, he gave her a smile that never reached those beautiful cold eyes above.

"Y-you can go to conference room no. 3 on the fourth floor..." she informed the man with her eyes fixed on the table, wishing it was shiny enough to reflect the gorgeous face she dared not to look for much longer.

Even after the man had gone, she still felt the dread. It reminded her of the time she went to the zoo when she was a little, and the lurking panther on the three suddenly attacked the glass cage, right in front of her. She still refused to go to the zoo since that day.

Those dull grey eyes of the man reminded her of the beast.

Compared to the other candidates that came before him, the man seemed to look harmless, with his good-looking face and model-like figure. And yet, compared with the other, more scary-looking people, that man was way way scarier.

Ugh—the secretary hoped the man wouldn’t get chosen.

* * *

Ryu Hajin didn’t bother to look around. He didn’t have to, didn’t need to. There would only be one person to pass, and it couldn’t be anyone but him. So he simply wouldn’t care about anyone else.

The other also didn’t seem to be wary of him. Of course. Song Yonghwa told him to come polished, looking as dashing as possible. He had come in a formal shirt and a vest suit, still formal but not overly stifling. He looked handsome enough to be so out of place, as if an actor trying to audition for a bodyguard role in a drama.

So, after a few glances, the other lost interest in him. They probably thought he was just some pretty boy who knew how to fight a little bit, and tried to earn the spot using his face.

Well...so what if I do? Hajin chuckled inwardly, recalling his first fight night in Helios.

Hajin listened to the one in charge of the recruitment, a buff middle-aged man who seemed to be the Chief of the HS Group’s security personnel. Honestly, the man didn’t seem to be in a good mood. Probably because of this abrupt recruitment test that felt more like...audition?

How one formed and recruited its security personnel was different from one another. But commonly, it was a close recruitment where the head of security reached out to people they knew--either their old comrade, or someone trustworthy from certain brokers or security companies. Since this security personnel needed to be blind and deaf to everything and worked well with the others, it was rare to get a complete outsider to join the team.

So clearly, the Chief would probably felt a bit pissed about this open recruitment.

And probably, because the requirement for this particular position was as crazy as it could get.

Hajin almost let out a chuckle as the man listed the thing their employer wanted the chosen bodyguard to do aside from the usual security concern. Included in the list was the ability to do housekeeping like cooking and cleaning, even brewing coffee and mixing drinks. Fluency in foreign languages and a maximum-class driver’s license were a must.

It was almost like they wanted to hire a housekeeper who could double as a bodyguard, and the appalled expression on the other candidates was thoroughly entertaining.

"Shouldn’t you tell us something like that beforehand? What if we don’t have the other skill you mentioned?" one of the candidates asked angrily.

Right. The initial recruitment notice only informed them that HS Group was looking for a bodyguard who was skilled at driving. Many probably came thinking that they had to double as a chauffeur too, not a full attendant. That in itself wasn’t rare--more often than not, guarding a conglomerate meant they would be involved in chasing situations.

"Then you’re welcome to step away. We will provide the transportation fee if you talk to the front de—"

"That’s not—"

"You. Are. Free. To go." the Chief spoke in barely repressed anger, words punctuated by sharp spike and cold stare. "The Young Miss only came with the complete requirement this morning. Would you like to lodge your complaint to her?"

Ah, truly, what an adorable creature my Master is. Hajin stroked his lips which were slowly stretched into a smile.

Of course, there was no way these people had any guts to make a complaint to their future employer. Thanks to that, almost half ended up returning before the test even began.

Didn’t matter. The position was his in the first place--although he started to wonder how his adorable little master would claim him in the end.

For now, Hajin was also pretty amazed that there were still a dozen candidates remaining, including him. He knew that some of them probably came from his master’s enemy, more prepared than anything. But it was pretty amazing that there were others with such diverse skill sets.

As for Hajin—well, he’d been preparing for four, no, five years already. From building portfolios in Aegis, and making a contract with Sonh Yonghwa to teach him everything—everything that he might need to be able to serve his little butterfly.

He didn’t just drive heavy-duty vehicles, but also helicopters and jets. He learned to cook her favorite Korean meals, trained in all kinds of housework, and remembered all things Sarah liked and hated. Song Yonghwa had drilled into him important things like the politics of HS Group, to things like how to dress Sarah, how to hack, how to act...

He learned everything legal and illegal, clean and dirty things, so Sarah would need no one but him. To be the only one owned by his Master.

And Ryu Hajin couldn’t wait to show his Master. The more people he went against, the better he could show it, right?

Hajin was excited about the number of candidates, but got disappointed pretty fast. Turned out, some of these people were those who only tried their luck by sticking in even though they didn’t have the skills. It seemed like they thought the requirement was just a prank, or a test to see if they would falter in front of the challenge while thinking there was no way HS would really test them on each requirement.

Well, they were wrong.

It was apparent from their pale and flabbergasted face as the Chief announced the test; that they would fight with HS’s bodyguards, and then proceed to cook something, brew coffee, and make a cocktail while explaining the process in any language aside from Korean. They would be awarded points in each skill category, and the five candidates with the highest points would proceed to the final interview.

Of course, this system was introduced by the Young Miss they would serve should they pass.

She’s really having fun with it, huh? Hajin chuckled the moment they finished explaining the method. It was like Lee Seul-ah wanted him to dance, doing everything that he could, challenging him.

A test only for him, with a few others served as an extra.

How fun. His master truly knew how to entertain him.

Although...it’ll be even more fun if she’s here...

Hajin sighed in disappointment at her absence. Well, didn’t matter. Once he finished the trial, he would be able to stay beside his little butterfly all the time.

For now, he would relish this enjoyment his Master created for him.