Chapter Text
A/N - Sajang is a Korean word for "boss". Even though this story is set in the fictional country of Bangtan, it will share certain similarities with Korea. (Hence the usage of some Korean words and customs.)
Chapter One
As you struggled to lift and move yet another one of the oversized centerpieces across the empty hotel ballroom, you muttered a string of colorful curses under your breath, vowing that if you ever laid your hands on the person who thought that using large, awkwardly shaped vases filled with elaborate floral displays containing sharp twigs and dangling ostrich feathers was a good idea, you would have them publically flogged then drawn and quartered followed by boiling them in oil. After that you would take whatever bits were left over and strew them along the ground before jumping up and down repeatedly on top of them.
Okay, maybe that was a bit extreme, but if the opportunity ever did present itself to meet said person you would definitely give them a very stern talking to.
Your current predicament was aggravated by the fact that the assistant that the hotel events manager had promised you almost half an hour ago still had not appeared, leaving you to set up all these monstrosities by yourself.
You managed to hoist another of the ridiculous looking arrangements but as you turned to carry it to one of the tables you bumped into something large and solid that hadn't been there a few seconds ago.
"Hey! Watch it!"
You shifted the vase just enough to glare at the rather bewildered looking man now standing in front of you.
"Aish! There you are! About damn time you showed up! Well! Don't just stand there! Make yourself useful!" you huffed as you shoved the large vase into his arms.
Totally taken off guard, the man let out a short yelp as he staggered back. In a desperate bid to keep from falling over, he leaned against a nearby table while lifting his foot, planting it on the seat of the chair beside him to steady himself. It took him a moment but he eventually regained his balance, thereby keeping both himself and the vase from hitting the ground.
"P-pardon m-me," he spluttered. "Do-do you know who I am?"
You glanced at the man's ankle, now exposed due to his leg resting on the chair.
"You're a guy with a rather unique taste in socks."
You pointed towards the vibrant bit of footwear now appearing from between the man's dark, sharply creased pants and his highly polished shoes.
"Other than that, I'm assuming you're the assistant I was promised over thirty minutes ago who has finally turned up to do his damn job."
The man stood frozen, staring at you as if someone had hit the pause button on him. You waited a few seconds and when he still hadn't blinked, you tentatively raised your hand and waved it in front of his face.
"Hello..."
Suddenly a frightening thought occurred to you.
"Wait....Do you know who you are?" you asked.
The man twitched then shook his head vigorously, as if he'd just been awakened from a trance.
"Of - of course I know who I am," he said in a tone of voice that implied - at least at the moment - that he was anything but sure of his own identity.
Your shoulders slumped in relief.
"Oh, good! For a second I was afraid you were suffering some sort of medical event and I'm sorry but I do NOT have time for that right now."
When the man continued to look at you as if you were conversing in ancient Greek, you placed your hands on your hips, fixed him your best stern expression and enunciated slowly and distinctly while trying (not very successfully ) to keep the irritation in your voice to a minimum.
"So now that I know that you aren't having a stroke, if you're going to help me, then help. If not, then please get the hell out of my way."
As you spoke a rather bemused smile began spreading across the man's face. He then nodded obediently as he set the vase down, removed his suit jacket and began rolling up his shirt sleeves.
"Yes, ma'am!" said your new helper, standing at attention. "My deepest apologies for your wait, ma'am! What do you need me to do first, Sajang-nim?"
You tutted softly as you turned to determine which table needed attention next, missing the discrete hand signal your assistant gave to a man with cat like eyes lurking by the door who sighed before reluctantly stepping back into the shadows.
"You can start by carrying that hideous thing over to that far left table," you said, waving at the container you'd shoved in his arms before. "Try to center it as best you can while at the same time positioning it so one of those idiotic branches doesn't poke some rich old bird's eye out."
"Yes, ma'am! I will do my best, Sajang-nim!"
The man picked up the vase and gave the heels of his shiny black wingtips a sharp click before striding across the room to fulfill his appointed mission.
You shook your head and thought to yourself, Great. Another overeager management trainee. Oh, well. At least this one seems to know how to take orders.
Despite your initial misgivings, you soon had to admit that things started going a lot quicker now that you had an assistant, especially a tall one with strong arms and broad shoulders.
"If you don't mind me asking, Sajang-nim..." The man grunted as he readjusted his grip on one of the larger floral displays. "...but are your working conditions always like this?"
"You mean under staffed and overworked? Yes, pretty much."
"Ah...I meant besides that."
"In what way?"
"Are you always left to work by yourself?"
"If no one else shows up? Yes."
You stopped and pushed one of the centerpieces a few centimeters to the left so it was properly aligned with the table.
"That must be nice," sighed your helper.
"How so?"
"Being allowed to go about your business without a slew of people staring at you and commenting on your every move."
You couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"You must be new at this, Socks! We're the help. Unless we screw something up then no one pays a damn bit of attention to us."
You struck a pose as you gestured to your outfit.
"For instance, if you were an ordinary female like myself, wearing an off the rack shirt and pants with no designer labels..."
You continued on, pointing down to the sensible, cushioned black flats you were wearing.
"...Sporting generic, well worn shoes and a name badge who arrives through the service entrance carrying a clipboard or wheeling in a trolley filled with whatever the people in charge are expecting to be there then you may as well be wearing an invisibility cloak for all anyone else cares."
The man set down the vase in his arms and regarded you carefully.
"I have the distinct feeling that you are anything but ordinary, Sajang-nim."
"I hate to break it to you, Socks, but compared to the crowd that will be dining in here later, I'm as ordinary as they come."
The man frowned but refrained from commenting further. He adjusted one of the twigs in the vase in front of him then asked, "Have you set up a lot of these events?"
"A few. I'm actually just helping out today. The business belongs to a friend but she had a family emergency. She couldn't afford to lose the gig and I've helped out before so I said I'd fill in for her."
"That was very kind of you."
"Not really. Where I'm from that's what friends do for each other, Socks." you shrugged.
You both went back to work but a few minutes later he asked, "Sajang-nim? Do you ever stick around for the events you set up?"
"What? You mean like a guest? Absolutely not. Security will have me booted out of here long before the important people show up."
"That's a shame." The man shook his head as he eyed the vase in front of him before rotating it a quarter turn . "You'd be a thousand times more interesting a conversationalist than the normal attendees."
"Oh, I don't think so, Socks. I wouldn't have the foggiest idea of what to talk about in a crowd like that."
"Really? Not even with the Crown Prince? I hear he's very charming as well as being incredibly handsome."
The man by the door broke into a violent coughing fit and your assistant shot him a pointed look as you moved an ostrich feather that would've been hitting the person sitting next to it right in their nose.
"Is he? Couldn't tell you. I don't follow stuff like that. I could literally trip over the man and wouldn't know it."
"Hmmm....You know what?" the man said with a twinkle in his eye. "I think I'd pay quite a lot of money to see that."
"Yeah, well, the odds of me coming into close contact with someone like that are pretty much 'zero' so it looks like your paycheck is safe for today, Socks."
You grinned and patted the man on the arm as you walked past.
"Now, let's get these last few crimes against humanity situated before the aristocracy arrive, shall we?"
The pair of you were just putting the finishing touches on the last table when the man who'd been guarding the door walked over, staring at his phone with a worried look on his face.
He hesitated then cleared his throat and said, "I'm truly sorry, Your Majesty. I hate to spoil the fun but the Queen has been searching all over for you and is now on the verge of a having a full blown conniption."
As he spoke, the man who'd been helping you nervously glanced over to find you staring at him.
"Ex-excuse me?" you said in a strained voice. "Your Majesty? As in....the reason for all this?"
You gestured to the large banner behind the head table welcoming the members of the Bangtanese Royal family who were scheduled to be lunching in that very room a short time later.
The ears of the man who'd recently been your assistant turned a vivid shade of red as he awkwardly fiddled with his tie.
"Uh....yes?"
You blinked twice then blurted out , "Well....shit."
The man you now realized was the Crown Prince of Bangtan unexpectedly exploded into laughter, loud guffaws echoing around the otherwise unoccupied room as he doubled over and slapped his thigh repeatedly while struggling to catch his breath.
This obviously stunned his head of security, who had never heard anything other than a forced, polite chuckle from his charge in public. The prince usually only shared genuine laughter behind closed door with his younger brothers and with his recent travels those occasions had been few and far between.
However, before the bodyguard could further contemplate this strange turn of events, his phone buzzed yet again. He checked the incoming text message and grimaced.
"Ahem....Your Majesty? I have just been informed that if I don't have you back in your suite within the next five minutes then the Queen is threatening to reinstate public executions with us as the inaugural victims so if you don't mind, I don't believe that particular consequence is commensurate with my current salary."
The guard deftly pocketed his phone, placing his hand on the other man's lower back as he began propelling him towards the door.
"Aish! I'm going, I'm going!" The reluctant royal fussed, just managing to snag his suit jacket off the back of a chair on the way past. "There's no need to resort to violence, Yoongi-ssi! "
As he reached the exit, the prince grabbed hold of the door frame, clutching on tightly with one hand as he gave you a forlorn wave with the other.
"I'm terribly sorry to leave you short-handed once again, Sajang-nim, but unfortunately duty calls..."
His voice trailed off as he was dragged away, and just like that, he was gone.
You stood staring at the door, wondering if there were any clinically documented cases of someone actually dying of embarrassment.
After almost a full minute, you tipped your head back and released a mortified groan before quickly tidying up, collecting your personal belongings and scurrying out the service entrance, hoping that little diner across the street from the hotel was open for business already.
"Perhaps," you thought hopefully. "If there's a deity out there taking pity on me, they'll be serving drinks as well."
xxx
For once, it seemed that Providence had smiled upon you. The diner was open and you decided that one small glass of soju with your meal would not unduly impact your ability to fulfill the last of the floral deliveries scheduled for that day.
You paid the bill, bowing respectfully to the elderly woman running the establishment before making your way back to the hotel parking garage, fishing the keys to the delivery van from your pocket as you approached.
You hopped into the driver's seat and blindly reached into the back for the clipboard to verify your next destination. However instead of upholstery and paperwork, your fingers met with something else entirely. Something warm.
Something that moved.
You let out a sharp squeak of alarm as you whipped around to find the Prince and his disgruntled looking bodyguard hunkered down rather uncomfortably on the floor boards between the as yet undelivered bouquets.
"Socks! I mean...Your Highness...or Your Majesty...or...."
You spluttered in frustration then resorted to simply pointing at the man in question.
"You! What the hell are you doing in here?!"
"You have to help me, Sajang-nim!" the man begged. "Please! I can't...I can't...You simply have to...."
"Whoa! Hold up there, Socks!"
At this point you were so flustered that you decided to let decorum be damned. You didn't care if the man in front of you was royalty or not, he was in your space uninvited and you wanted answers so you'd address him however you pleased.
"The only things I HAVE to do are pay taxes and die and if I had enough money to afford a good attorney then I'm pretty sure I could get out of at least one of those things."
"Please, Sajang-nim! You don't understand!"
The prince began fervently rubbing his hands together and bowing as deeply as he could considering his current physical position.
"I walked back into that ballroom and it was filled with people! People who looked just like the people at every damn one of these blasted things! They all look the same and talk the same and ask the same damn questions over and over and over and I just....I couldn't do it. "
He shuddered at the memory then his countenance abruptly brightened.
"But then, suddenly, there was an act of divine intervention! A sign from on high!"
Something in the back of your mind warned you not to encourage the man but curiosity ultimately got the better of you.
"And that sign was...?" you asked.
"The power went out."
He looked excitedly at you until he realized that you weren't understanding the full import of what he'd just said.
"The power went out and for a moment no one could see anything! And then I remembered what you said about not how no one notices the help so put on my face mask and slipped out via the service entrance! I ran down the stairs until I found myself in the garage. Then I saw your delivery van and once again Heaven had smiled upon me because you had left the back door unlocked!"
His expression unexpectedly changed once again as he scowled and pointed a disapproving finger at you.
"Which is very dangerous, young lady! What if someone mentally unhinged person had climbed in here and accosted you?!"
"Yes. What if....?" you said in a dry, flat voice, glancing at the bodyguard who simply rolled his eyes in response.
"Anyway," the prince carried on, oblivious to the silent exchange between you and his protector. "The only one who followed me was Yoongi-ssi so I dragged him in here and made him wait with me until you came back."
Seokjin sat up straight, smiling proudly as if he'd just presented his parents with a perfect report card.
"Right. Okay." You shut your eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to make some sort of sense of what was happening.
"So, your plan is....what, Socks? Hide out in here until all your fancy lunch guests get tired of waiting for you and leave?"
"Well....no...not exactly."
You slowly opened your eyes and peered warily at the prince.
"What do you mean...not exactly?"
"I mean..."
Seokjin put on his best puppy dog eyes as he batted his unfairly thick eyelashes in your direction.
"...If you'd be amenable to the idea, of course...that - perhaps - you might consider letting us go with you?"
Your face scrunched in confusion.
"Go with me where?"
"Anywhere. I don't care. Just...away from here."
"For how long?"
"As long as you'll let me?" he said, hopefully. "A few days? Long enough for me to experience a normal life?"
You shrank back and began shaking your head vehemently.
"Oh, no! Nope. Nu-uh. No way, no how. I've never had so much as a parking ticket on my record. My first offense will not be getting charged with princenapping."
"Okay, first off, that's not even a word..." started Seokjin.
You raised an eyebrow and snapped, "Do you honestly think you're in a position to debate semantics with me right now, Socks?"
The prince instantly dropped his head as a form of apology.
"Touché. Sajang-nim makes an excellent point."
He then looked up and extended his hand towards you as a sort of peace offering.
"I give you my word as a gentleman that you won't get in any trouble for helping me."
You looked at his hand as if it were coated in a toxic substance and shook your head once again.
"Sorry, Socks. No good. As a wise person once said, "a verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on." Besides, I know next to nothing about you. What if you're some sort of deranged serial killer?"
The prince's eyes opened almost comically wide as he spluttered in righteous indignation.
"Pardon me?! I am a member of a distinguished royal family!"
"Yeah...so was Jack the Ripper!" you countered.
"He - he was?"
The confused royal looked to his head of security for confirmation of this fact.
You felt an almost instant empathy for the poor bodyguard, who looked almost as perplexed at this whole situation as you were.
"It is one of the prevailing theories, your Majesty..." the man sighed.
"Really? My...how upsetting...." muttered the prince, tapping his finger on his chin as he considered his options. "Fine. If my word isn't enough then what will it take to convince you?"
You studied him for a moment before turning to the bodyguard.
"You! What's your name?"
The man blinked in surprise, obviously unused to being addressed directly by anyone other than the prince.
"My - my name is Min Yoongi, Ma'am."
"Alright, Min Yoongi....what do you say about him?"
The man paused then stared at the ceiling, looking for all the world as if he were reconsidering every life choice that had brought him to this moment.
"Speaking off the record?" he finally ventured, looking uneasily at his employer. "With no fear of penalty or repercussions?"
The prince nodded frantically while he gestured as if to indicate, 'get on with it!'
"Fine. Off the record? He's a monumental pain in the ass but other than that he's relatively harmless."
"Relatively?!" the prince squawked and it took everything you had not to laugh out loud at the aggrieved look on the young sovereign's face.
"While I appreciate your candor, Yoongi-ssi," you said. "I'm going to need you to clarify that a bit more, if you don't mind."
The bodyguard simply shrugged. You had a gut feeling that he was a man of few words but when he did speak it was probably wise to listen to him.
"He'll drive you crazy but he would never physically harm you."
You sat and pondered that answer before speaking once again.
"Okay...even if I believe you about my personal safety, what about potential criminal charges? The last thing I need in my life is some Bangtanese Special Forces Squad hunting me down because I agreed to take Little Lord Fauntleroy here on a joy ride."
The security officer hesitated then slowly held up his phone without meeting the prince's gaze.
"You'll be fine, ma'am. I cleared it with the palace as soon as he mentioned this hare brained idea. "
Seeing the scandalized expression on his charge's face he added, "Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Namjoon both said that they would convince the King that you were in desperate need of a short term mental health break. As long as I maintain contact with my superiors and he doesn't do anything monumentally dangerous or stupid then we'll be fine, as long as I have Your Majesty back in time to attend the upcoming Hydrangea Festival Gala."
"Aish! Traitor! I can't believe you ratted me out!" the prince pouted.
"Oi! Socks! Leave him alone!"
You reached over and gave the stunned royal's knee a rather undignified smack.
"It wouldn't be your job and paycheck on the line if this little scheme of yours went sideways, now would it?! He's trying to look out for you, so give him a break, why don't you?!"
The prince scowled and rubbed his sore leg before bowing his head towards the bodyguard.
"Sajang-nim is aggressive but correct. You have always had my best interests at heart, Yoongi-ssi. My apologies for not considering your position more fully before dragging you into this."
"That...that's quite alright, Your Majesty."
The bodyguard dipped his head in reply before turning to find you smiling at him.
"And I'm assuming you've already had me checked out as well, Yoongi-ssi..."
"I did, Ma'am..." The man admitted. "You had, of course, been screened even before being allowed in the ballroom but I did have your record reviewed more extensively while we've been awaiting your return."
"Did you really? How exciting! Did you find anything interesting? Do I have a long lost twin? Was one of my great-grandparents the captain of a pirate ship? Am I actually a magical being whose admittance letter to wizard school was stolen by evil forces that I now must vanquish with the help of my friends?" you said, leaning forward with interest.
"You have an overdue library book - and apparently quite an active imagination - but other than that there was nothing that concerned us in regards to the Prince's safety, Ma'am."
"Damn it! My library book! I knew I forgot to do something last week!" you said as you slumped back in your seat. "Oh, well. Now that we've got that cleared up I suppose..."
"Oh, Thank you! Thank you, Sajang-nim!" cried the Prince. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate..."
You cut him off before he could say anything else.
"Hold on there, Socks! I haven't agreed to anything yet and before I do, we're going to need to set some ground rules. "
"Of course. Quite right. That's only fair," said the prince. "Please name your conditions, Sajang-nim."
You crossed your arms and stared at him.
"Right. My conditions are as follows: I get you out of here and get you settled in somewhere so you can experience 'normal life' - whatever the hell that is - for a little while. In return, you will help me with the rest of my deliveries today as well as providing any other assistance with any other jobs that I deem necessary for the remainder of your little sojourn into my world. Do you find these terms acceptable?"
"Yes! Absolutely! " The prince nodded eagerly. "How would you like to formalize our agreement, Sajang-nim? I'm afraid I didn't bring my royal seal with me..."
"No need for any of that, Socks. I was thinking of something a bit more binding than a piece of paper and a bit of wax."
For the first time since you'd met, the prince seemed genuinely apprehensive.
"More binding?" he asked, his voice slightly higher than before. "And what might that be, Sajang-nim?"
You waited just long enough to make him sweat a little before slowly reaching your hand towards him, little finger extended.
"With a pinky swear."
The prince's eyes lit up as he pulled himself up to his full height (which was quite impressive even though he was sitting cross legged on the floor of the van). He held out his hand in return and you locked pinkies, pressing your thumbs together as you began reciting a vow for him to take.
"Okay, Socks. Repeat after me. I - state your name...."
"I - state your name..."
He immediately started cracking up at his own joke until he saw the annoyed look on your face, whereupon he rushed to correct himself.
"Sorry. I meant to say, 'I - Prince Seokjin - Crown Prince of Bangtan'..."
You narrowed your eyes in warning before you proceeded.
"Do hereby most solemnly swear...."
"Do hereby most solemnly swear..."
"To uphold the terms of our agreement, realizing that if I fail to do so...."
"To uphold the terms of our agreement, realizing that if I fail to do so...."
"That I will experience my liberator and guardian angel's full and unfiltered wrath."
The prince swallowed hard and you could feel his hand tremble slightly before he repeated your words.
"That I will experience my liberator and guardian angel's full and unfiltered wrath."
A tense silence filled the van until the prince finally worked up the nerve to ask, "Is...is that it?"
"It is."
You released his hand but then leaned over and poked your index finger hard in his chest.
"But know this, Socks. If you give me any reason to regret this decision then I will return your sorry ass to your palace so fast your head will spin, got it?"
"Yes, ma'am. Got it."
"Good. Now if you're going to help me then first we're going to have to make you a little less recognizable. I suppose we can't count on everyone being as oblivious to your existence as I was."
You reached into the passenger seat and grabbed a spare baseball cap and jacket.
"Here. Hobi was going to help me today but something came up at the diner. The jacket might be a tight fit around the shoulders but he generally wears his stuff kind of loose so I think it will be okay."
The prince obediently slipped on the jacket and donned the ball cap, pulling it down until almost covered his eyes.
"Okay. Pair that with your mask and it should work. If necessary you can use this pair of sunglasses I fished out of the lost and found at the train station the last time I helped SoonHo with deliveries."
You handed him a pair of cheap sunglasses with a slightly bent metal side arm. He put them on as you leaned back and nodded approvingly at your handiwork.
"That should do it. Now, Yoongi-ssi? Would you be so kind as to hand me that clipboard next to you?"
"Yes, Sajang-nim."
The man did as requested and you gave him a formal bow in return.
"Thank you, Yoongi-ssi."
You consulted the itinerary then began fastening your seat belt.
"Alright, gentlemen. Our next stop is one of the local Nursing Homes but since this little parley has put us a bit behind schedule you should probably hold on..."
You tossed the clipboard into the passenger seat as you started the engine. You quickly checked the wing mirrors before throwing the van in reverse, leaving your passengers scrambling to find something to hold on to as you raced off towards your next destination.
A/N - So that's the beginning! Please tell me what you think and if you're interested in reading more!