CHAPTER 3

 

“Get out of my way.” Irene said glaring. “You are fired.”

 

“Let’s get things straight.” Wendy stared back at her “You can’t fire me.  You’re not my boss, you’re my assignment.”

 

Irene’s expression immediately darkens “What did you just say? Assignment? Just because my father seems to like you doesn’t mean you have the power here. Get your head straight.” She said gritting her teeth

 

“You’re right,” Wendy said nodding “I should’ve gotten my head straight from the very beginning instead of playing your games. You don’t think I didn’t notice what you were doing the whole week? Telling me wrong time so I’d be late and you can fire me? I promised your father that I’d be patient with you so I did but I’m done playing games with you.”

 

Irene laughed in disbelief “Playing games with me?” then she looks at Wendy fiercely “There are no games here Ms. Son, the only reason why I kept you for a week is so that my father will get off my back, turns out I have made a wrong decision. I don’t care what deal you struck with my father but like what I’ve said earlier, YOU.ARE.FIRED”

 

“I just told you Ms. Bae, you cannot fire me only your father can” Wendy says non-chalantly, ignoring the glare Irene is giving her “How about you call him then tell him that you want me off your back and if he agrees, I’ll do so without question.”

 

Irene clenched her teeth, how dare this person act like this in front of her. As much as she hated the idea that someone like Wendy is telling her what to do, she brought out her phone and dialed her father’s number.

 

1…2…3… Her father answered on the third ring.

 

“Joohyun~” Her father answered softly “Is everything alright sweetie?”

“No.” Irene answered without missing a beat

“Why? What happen?” Irene could hear the man standing up from his seat frantically “Where are you? Is Wendy with you?”

“Yeah, she’s with me.” Irene answered and heard his father sighed in relief “I want her out of my sight now.”

“Joohyun…”

Anger surged in, her hold on the phone tightens because Irene knew that her father wouldn’t agree “I don’t want her or anyone near me Dad.”

“I know, I just… I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Dad I’m fine I don’t need someone to look after me.”

“I know you can take care of yourself but I’m getting old and I’m getting paranoid and all thinking about you because I can’t be with you all the time at least if Wendy is with you, I can feel at ease.”

“I do—“

“Joohyun please, just let me do this.” Mr. Bae said before Irene could argue back “Just this one time, at least let me be a father, give me a chance to make it up to you.”

“Dad…” For the first time, Irene’s voice wavered, and she knew that she had lost this conversation.

 

It wrecked her father when she lost the love of her life ten years ago, drinking every day, wanting to forget everything, neglecting the business, neglecting Irene. Irene lost a mother and she’s losing her father right before her eyes, she’d be lying if she said that it didn’t hurt because it does like hell but a big part of her understands her father, he lost the love of her life, how is he going to be okay after losing his other half. That’s what Irene always tells him, that it’s okay that it’s all in the past and that she already forgives him a long time ago.

 

But of course, as a father it’s not okay. That was selfish of him to act as if he had lost everything when her daughter is still there, so from that day forward; he’s doing everything to make it up to Irene and she didn’t have the heart to stop him from trying.

 

“Okay.” Irene said in defeat.

“Thank you, Joohyun.” Mr. Bae said, Irene could tell he was smiling

“See you later.” Irene said then ended the call.

 

 

Irene didn’t say a word and just turn to walk away from Wendy.

Wendy knew that Mr. Bae wouldn’t agree on firing her but a part of her hoped that he does because a thought of protecting someone else’s life besides her is still creeping inside her head even though that woman already released her from that duty.

 

Wendy runs past Irene and went to the car, she opens the door at the back seat and waited for Irene to step inside. She wasn’t sure if Irene was going inside or would prefer walking back to the office but Irene did stepped inside without saying a word, she’d expect her to say something along the line of ‘get lost, I want you out of my sight’ but she didn’t, she just went inside in silence and for the first time since she had met Irene that Wendy didn’t feel at ease by her silence.

 

Wendy went to the driver seat immediately and starts the engine, though she hated the idea of talking right now because her voice would probably the last thing that Irene wanted to here right now but what choice does she have?

 

“Are we going back to the office, Ms. Bae?” She asked politely, far from the tone she had on their conversation minutes ago “Or should we go to the house?”

 

She didn’t hear a reply, though she wanted an answer, her silence at that moment did feel good, her silence right now is better than ‘Don’t you ing talk’.

 

She wanted to ask again but she fear that if she does, she might actually hear those words so she just looked in front and waited.

After a few seconds, she heard Irene…

 

“I won’t come back at the office, make sure all the documents I need to read for tomorrow is at my desk.” Then ended the call and that’s enough for Wendy to know the answer to her question.

 

 

Wendy immediately steps outside and opens the door on Irene’s side as soon as they reached the front of the Bae’s house, Irene stepped outside still in silence and Wendy could now let out the sighed she’s been holding since earlier when Irene walks inside the house fully.

 

 

Irene threw herself on her bed as soon as she stepped inside her room, the frustration and anger of what happen earlier still lingers and rising inside her.

 

She wanted to say some colorful words from her wide vocabulary to Wendy earlier but held herself back with all her might, she is a woman who runs a global company not because her father founded it but because she earned it, she achieves all great things that only few people were able to do and stooping down on her bodyguards level isn’t going to be on that list.

 

Words and actions rarely gets her, she wouldn’t be able to run the company if she can’t handle yelling’s, swearing and she encountered a lot of them on her way up and she handle all of it gracefully but what happen earlier were one of those few cases.

 

Her own bodyguard called her shouted and swore at her in front of her face and as if those weren’t infuriating enough, her bodyguard called her ‘assignment’ as if she’s a thing.

 

Irene made a deep breath with her eyes close “She’s not it worth it Irene, do not stoop from her level.”

 

 

“Let’s get things straight. You can’t fire me.  You’re not my boss, you’re my assignment.”

 

Irene clenched her teeth when she remembers Wendy’s words again.

 

“You’re not my boss, you’re my assignment.”

 

“You’re my assignment.”

 

Irene stood up from her bed and went out of her room.

 

 

 

“Fire her dad.” Irene said firmly

“I thought we already discussed this earlier.” Mr. Bae replied calmly

“She shouted and swore at me on public where everyone can see and hear us.” Irene said, though she didn’t raise her voice her father could feel the anger lacing on it.

 

Though he had expected that this kind of situation will arise since he fully knew how stubborn her daughter is and despite her good nature Wendy can be a bit stubborn to, he just didn’t expect it to be this sooner. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to shout or swore at you.  I’ll make sure to talk to her about it.”

 

Irene looked at her in disbelief, exasperation rising “I don’t need you to talk to her dad, I need you to fire her.”

 

“And I told you Joohyun, I want someone to be with you all the time since I couldn’t.”

 

“Then find someone else! I don’t want her anywhere near me. Call back Mr. Lee from last time and I’ll double his salary.”

 

“I don’t think he would want to comeback after you fire him on his first day for having a crease on his clothes.”

 

Irene groaned from the memory, one of the things she hates the most is a crease on a clothes “Then, Mr. Ki—“

 

“Joohyun, no can do.”

 

“I don’t want to see her face again.”

 

“Still, no.”

 

“Please be honest with me, is she your secret daughter?”

 

Mr. Bae chuckles “Of course not, I could never do that to you or your mom.”

 

“Are you sure because by your way of defending her tells me otherwise.”

 

“I just trust her and I don’t trust a lot of people, you know that.”

 

Irene groaned in frustration, she knew she can’t win this one “Are you really going to do this to your only daughter?”

 

“Don’t overreact; you’re making it sound like she’s going to murder you or something.”

 

 “She may not but I might dad, so before your daughter becomes a killer I nee—“ Irene stops when they heard a knock from the door.

 

“Who is it?” Mr. Bae asked

 

“It’s me Wendy, Sir.”

 

Irene couldn’t help gritting her teeth and clenching her fist from anger and irritation.

 

“Come in.”

 

“Dad!”

 

Wendy opens the door and heard Irene’s voice before she could see her. “I’ll just come back later.” She said seeing Irene’s figure.

 

“No, come in. Joohyun was just leaving.”

 

Irene looked at her father in disbelief.

 

“We’re done, Joohyun.”

 

Irene wanted to protest but she doesn’t want Wendy to have the satisfaction that her own father is siding to her bodyguard.

 

So she turns away and dragged herself out.

 

 

“I’m really sorry for that Wendy.” Mr. Bae said when Irene slammed the door on her way out.

 

“It’s okay, I should be the one apologizing. I think I went overboard earlier.” Wendy says “If it weren’t for my actions earlier, you wouldn’t have this argument with her.”

 

“Don’t worry about it, I’m actually surprised that it took her a week before she lets out the word ‘fired’, I guess what happen earlier is a good thing at least now she knows that she doesn’t have a choice but have you on her all the time and that she can’t do anything about it.”

 

“Are you sure it’s okay Sir? My presence might cause a misunderstanding between you and her.”

 

“Don’t worry about it, my daughter loves me too much to get angry at me and even if she ever did, it was for her, as long as she’s safe that’s enough for me.” Mr. Bae said as she smiles at Wendy “Anyway, what brings you here?”

 

“Ah, right…” Wendy says when she remembers why she comes here at the first place “I saw someone taking a picture of her from the street earlier, I’m not sure if it’s the same person who took the previous photos of her but I’m sure they’re connected, I couldn’t catch him but I managed to get this.” She said as she gave him the memory card from earlier “If only I also managed to catch him, we would’ve a big lead on who’s behind this.”

 

“It’s okay, this is more than enough.” Mr. Bae reassures her “I’m just glad that you were with Joohyun earlier, who knows what would’ve happen. Thank you for being there Wendy.”

 

“It’s my job Sir, no need to thank me.”

 

“To you it’s just a job but to me, it’s my whole world.” Mr. Bae says smiling at her “I will always be thankful.”

 

Wendy just nodded “Can I get a copy of whatever photos you may find there, I know you already have someone looking into it but I just wanted to see it myself and make my own investigation. You don’t have to worry about me focusing on the investigation, her safety will always be my top priority.”