Burning The House Of Cards: taking revenge on my billionaire family
Chapter 31 - 30. A Dog’s Leash

Chapter 31: Chapter 30. A Dog’s Leash

"I don’t like complicated things, so..."

The young miss raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, the door to the VIP room opened and rows of clothing racks entered, flanked by professional-looking store assistants. Naturally, everyone was bewildered.

"Y-young Miss?" the Chief even stuttered in surprise. "What’s the meaning of this?"

"Why? It’s my next test!" Sarah spread out her hands enthusiastically. "A beauty contest!"

"What?!"

This time, not even Hajin predicted it. He couldn’t hold back his smile, however, which the other candidates did not miss. They were cursing inwardly, but Hajin wasn’t smiling out of confidence--he already knew he was the only one who could be picked anyway.

Is this your way of saying I’m handsome? Hajin arched his brow at the young miss, who of course did not address him directly.

"Miss Seul-ah--"

"Sarah," the young miss threw a warning look at the Chief.

"Uhh...yes, Miss Sarah--but we are looking for your bodyguard. I don’t think beauty had anything to do with--"

Sarah clicked her tongue loudly, looking at the Chief in disappointment. The Chief that couldn’t even prevent a group of people from kidnapping her--if he wasn’t facilitating it himself. Who knows; Sarah believed no one in that house.

"Isn’t it precisely because they are going to be my bodyguards that they need to be presentable?" Sarah said. "They’ll be following me everywhere, so they need to be at least nice to look at! Do you want me to go around with uglies by my side? Be for real!"

The Chief blinked at the annoying, but reasonable logic.

"The skills should be proven already if they reach this stage anyway," the young miss added. "Or are you saying you had been selecting inadequate people to guard me?"

Damn it--what could he do if she said that? The Chief just sighed in resignation and allowed the bizarre event to continue. The whole thing had been weird from the start anyway.

And just like that, the recruitment test for a bodyguard position suddenly turned into a fashion show. It felt more and more like an audition, and the people there wondered if the young miss was looking for a bodyguard or a paramour.

Soon, each final candidate had changed to a new outfit with the help of the store assistant. The young miss had them walking back and forth as if the carpet was a runway, scrutinizing with squinting, judgmental eyes. The candidates, built to withstand pressure, were feeling restless under the sharp, deep gaze of the young woman.

All but one.

There was an amused smile on the last man’s face, charmingly accompanied by a confident, unfaltering gaze. He never averted the young miss’s gaze--instead, it seemed like was chasing it instead. The young miss tilted her head and threw back a smirk at the man. The black eyes scanned the tall man from head to toe and gave a command. "Turn around."

The man turned around without a fuss, a smile still adorning his face. "Aren’t you a fine one? You can be a model or something if you want—turn again."

Exactly what the others thought, it seemed, since they all perked their ear to hear the man’s answer.

The man’s smile grew deeper as he bowed his head, although his pale eyes still fixed on the young master. "If that’s what you wish, Master."

The low voice wasn’t the sharp, arrogant tone he used before. This one was nice, firm yet soothing, full of absolute obedience.

How sly!--was what the others thought about the man.

But their astonishment didn’t stop there, as they looked at the young miss and watched Sarah slowly raise her brow. Slowly, ever so slowly that it felt sensual, the young miss licked her lips.

"How nice," she smiled, eyes curled playfully. "It seemed I get myself a fine dog."

"Young Miss?!" the house staff exclaimed with a gasp as Sarah stood up. But the young woman ignored her and looked at the Chief.

"You heard me. Send the others home. Get him to the mansion, I’ll take him in two days."

"...yes, Young Miss," the Chief sighed, very well understanding that the plan of the other faction was perfectly foiled. He didn’t think they needed to plant a spy on Lee Seul-ah, though--it wasn’t like she still mattered in the family.

"Ah," the young miss, who was about to walk out, turned her head and stared at the tall man. "Your name?"

"It’s Ryu Hajin, Master."

Sarah smirked. "Hmm...Hajin, Hajin...Jin? ’J’ is it?"

And with that, the pretty red-headed hurricane left, leaving the people behind in a swirl of bewilderment.

* * *

It was funny. It was fun. His master was truly adorable. It took his all to hold back from leaping forward, kissing those tapping hands and feet, snatching that waist, begging for a touch, for a kiss.

Hajin came to the mansion the next day, and as he thought, most of them looked at him with hostility, especially those that he beat in the test. It seemed like they tried to alienate him, calling him derogatory names and such behind his back.

He didn’t really pay them much attention, eyes always wandered into the building where his master was supposed to be.

When will you come, Master? He thought, absentmindedly kicking one of the people still moving beneath his foot. Some people dragged him outside for a round of hazing, probably. Hajin had no idea, he kicked them the moment they started throwing punches.

Didn’t matter, it wasn’t like he would work with these people.

"Fuck, you’re a psychopath, aren’t you?"

It was afternoon the next day, in the lounge of the staff dormitory. Hajin looked at the man who yelled that, and after a few seconds, just smirked. "And?"

"You—!!"

The lounge was not as full as yesterday, with several—and by several, it was about twenty—people resting in their room and infirmary. The hostility was still there, but rather than showing it openly, they just stared at him in dread, from afar.

Haa...how could these people even manage to protect someone? Hajin clicked his tongue in disappointment. None of them were qualified to serve his feisty Master.

And talking about his Master...

"Young Miss, I don’t think this is a good idea," vaguely, they could hear the voice of the Chief coming from afar. "He’s like a wild dog. A mad dog. He’s like a beast. It’s dangerous for him to accompany you!"

A chuckle could be heard, as the figure of the family’s second daughter, Lee Seul-ah--who apparently used her English name these days--could be seen entering the lounge.

"Pfft--Park Hyukjin," the young miss scanned the room, and caught the smiling face of the unruly beast everyone had been talking about. "If one caught a wild dog, all you have to do," she crooked a finger toward Hajin while sitting on the couch, "is give them a leash."

Hajin stopped in front of his Master, who looked as lovely as always, in a humble attractiveness that soared with the designer blazer jacket she wore today. "Down," his Master ordered, and Hajin kneeled between the woman’s legs, like a faithful dog.

Or a faithful beast.

Sarah reached out her hand and pinched the beast’s chin, pulling the handsome face forward. "Did you cause trouble?"

Hajin looked into the black eyes, so deep and filled with hidden misery that tickled his heart. "I’ll take your punishment, Master."

"So why are you doing it if you know you’ll get punished?" the fingers slid down, on Hajin’s sturdy neck, tightening just slightly.

People were flinching. They realized then that they might get in trouble if the young miss knew about the hazing attempt they enacted—although it was a futile attempt. No matter how powerless her standing had become, Sarah was still the legitimate daughter of the family. They watched in dread, waiting for what kind of things Ryu Hajin would tattle on.

The grey eyes turned into a half-moon and the smugly parted lips uttered. "I’m merely seeking attention."

Sarah raised her brow and tilted her head. "Attention..." the hand on Hajin’s neck loosened, and the fingers slid down into his collar. "From me?"

The answer came in the shape of a sweet smile, and the fingers hooked onto the first button of the bodyguard’s shirt. "You don’t wear your necktie?"

Again, some people flinched. The necktie—the one embroidered with the HS logo—was the symbol of HS bodyguards. It was clear that even though the rest of his suit came, the necktie was excluded.

It was like saying that they did not acknowledge Hajin as one of them.

A bit childish. So much fun. "I don’t need them."

With a subtle smile, Sarah unclasped the first button on the white shirt. "You don’t need the item pertaining to your official employment?"

Hajin turned his head to look briefly at the necktie that the other wore. "But Master," his gaze returned to Sarah, who was just unclasping the second button of his shirt. "The one I serve is you."

The rest of the people froze. It was a clear declaration that the man’s loyalty was to Lee Seul-ah, not HS Group.

How foolish, they thought. It’s not like Lee Seul-ah has any power now.

But looked at the young miss, who smiled too at that. A foolish master for a foolish servant.

"Aren’t you cute?"

The grey eyes kept staring at Sarah’s face as the young miss took something out of her inner pocket. Hajin had no idea what it was, just drinking on the face he missed so dearly for the past few days. It was only after he heard a clicking sound and felt a weight on his neck that he realized Sarah had put a necklace—no, a choker?—on him.

At the base of his neck was a black leather strap. The spot below his Adam’s apple was adorned with a piece of jade cut in a square shape. Dangling from that was a single letter made of platinum—J.

"In that case, you need your own necktie, aren’t you?" Sarah stroked the gem and the letter, before lifting her gaze to stare at the stormy eyes. "Or should I say, your own leash?"

Hajin felt his lips stretched before his mind even told him to. Ah, yes. This was the moment.

The moment Lee Seul-ah finally owned him, formally, officially.

"Thank you, Master."

With a deep smile, he kissed his adorable master’s hand.