Inkeri

Safety

Her father checks the ratings for security and surveillance equipment for her protection. He notices an overwhelming amount of five star ratings for "Phantom Surveillance." He views the "About Us" page and finds the owner is listed as none other than Danny. "Oh, how perfect is this" her father inwardly smirks. He saves the page and continues on his search. Knowing the owner is Danny is only one part of the security he is looking for. He needs to know the equipment and security monitoring center are also top-notch. He checks the Better Business Bureau ratings and multiple websites for any discouraging remarks. There is only one found, someone who did not like the price of the equipment and monitoring. "Well, there it is," her father thinks making a mental note to call Danny when she is shopping with her mom.

Her mother had made a great breakfast of gaeran tost-u (egg toast) and a bowl of kimchi rice. There is something about the breakfast street food her mother makes that brings a smile to her face every time. Taking a moment to reminisce, she loves the mixture of American food and Korean foods her mother makes and has always made for her. She washes breakfast down with hot green tea. She assists her mother by doing the dishes, a chore she does not mind handling at all. The best investment she made was purchasing the dishwasher for her parents. It made life easier for them both. Her father and mother thanked her for doing the dishes and they all decided to get the "to do" list done.

She starts by making a grocery list with her mother. She knows she is going to go to several stores so she wants to be sure they know what they are purchasing. Determined to pay for the groceries as she has been, once again, lovingly given a place to live during her latest romantic disaster, she wants to know the amount of cash she has to take out of the bank since some of the places do not accept cards. In this modern age, it is still the way some of the smaller stores run and she loves that about this city. Her mother and her decide they will have Korean barbecue for dinner so she knows she is going to get some premium meats for the grill and banchan or sides. She starts looking around the kitchen pantry and refrigerator to see what is available. Surprisingly, she does not see gochujang (red chili paste) and decides that has to be on the list. She continues surveying the pantry and finishes her list while her mother finishes getting ready. Amazingly, her mother looks so much younger than this morning. Oh how she wishes she could be as beautiful as her mother she thinks inwardly.

Her father sits restless waiting for them to leave. "Why do they take so long to go?" he thinks while sipping another glass of water. It takes about 20 more minutes until he kisses them both on the cheek and says goodbye. "Be safe" he says to them. Both smiling as they exit the door, it has been his way of saying "I love you" for as long as either one can remember. "Finally" he thinks to himself picking up the phone he is on the website but decides to speak to Danny in person to confirm his suspicions. Danny's phone rings, "unknown number." "Danny" he answers the phone abruptly. Stunned, her father is silent for a few seconds before he starts talking to Danny about his daughters welfare. Danny quickly changes his tone knowing it is her father. "Sorry about that" he states. He has been getting scam calls for the last week and he is tired of it he explains to her father. "I understand" her father states calmly. "What can I help you with?" Inside he is hoping nothing has happened to her. "We need to discuss her safety. Are you in any way associated with Phantom Surveillance?" "Shit" he thinks to himself. "What has happened?" he asks her father. "Nothing, nothing has happened, we are trying to prevent anything from happening. She is on her way to get a restraining order as we speak." Danny lets out a sigh of relief. "Yes, I am the owner of 'Phantom Surveillance."

She is at the police station filing a complaint and filling out the paperwork required for a restraining order. She groans softly as she finishes, her mother sitting by her side. "All done" she states to the officer. The officer states he will submit the papers as needed and she will be contacted for further instructions. The hardest part of the day is over she thinks. She breathes a little easier and her mother smiles at her, "ready?" "Yes." The two of them head to HMart as it has most of the supplies they are looking for so it is the first stop they make.

"So how much will this be all together? I think that would be the maximum protection we can get her." "For her, nothing." Her father is silent. "Why would you do this for her?" "Because, I care for her and want her to, in your words, 'be safe.'" Her father is silent on the line again. "Sir, with all due respect, I am in love with your daughter. I want nothing but the best for her but she is, for lack of a better term, broken in spirit and in love." Her father agrees softly, almost inaudibly on the phone. "Can we at least pay you with dinner tonight? I know Korean barbecue is on the menu." Danny's favorite, her father thinks, how can he refuse? Danny politely accepts but makes one condition, "you cannot tell her. I don't want her to know I am gifting this to her for her protection." Her father agrees again stating he will not let her know until they both agree it is time. He also states her mother will know only so she is aware when she sees the equipment but not the money out of the account. Danny agrees.

Exhausted from laughing and shopping with her mom, they arrive to find her father is in a great mood as well. "Everything okay? Did you get everything you needed?" her mother asks curiously. "Absolutely. The technicians will install everything tomorrow and we will set up the codes for the monitoring. There will be a few security cameras on the outside of the house and the inside near the entrances of the house and near the windows." She is feeling guilty again about the amount of money her parents are spending and offers to reimburse them. "Oh honey, it is something we had been wanting to do for a long time, it just gave us a reason to" her father states.

Her father quickly changes the subject, "Danny will be joining us for dinner tonight." Oh no, she thinks, she has bags under her eyes that could rival Prada. Her mom notices her look and gives a quick laugh. "Get ready honey, I will take care of the preparations for dinner." She give her mom a smile and starts heading to her room. She is rummaging through her closet, so many nice business clothes and casual shirts and jeans. She wished she had known he was coming to dinner so she could have picked out a dress. "Oh!" she exclaims out loud remembering the dress he purchased for her. She puts it on, noticing it is a little looser now. He is going to be upset. He is always harping on her to eat and she had not eaten right the last two weeks. Since she has been in loose t-shirts and jeans he would not have noticed. "Ugh." How does she fix this? She puts a belt around it and it helps enough to "get away with." She puts gel eyepatches on hoping this helps with the purple bags showing her lack of sleep. "Well, this is as good as it gets," she thinks to herself heading to the kitchen to help her mom.

To her surprise, Danny is already in the kitchen helping her mom and making crème brûlée. She had not fixed her hair or put on makeup. She feels like running back to her room to fix it but he stops her in her tracks with his gorgeous dark amber eyes staring at her. He gives a sly smile noticing her wearing the sun dress he purchased. She looked stunning although a little thinner and tired. He wants to go over to her and demand she take better care of herself but at the same time, he does not want to upset her after all she has been through. He spaces out while thinking to himself he will have to send her a "daily dose of aggressive love and affection" via video chat to remind her to take care of herself and drink more water. Kasumi rubs on his leg. Danny quickly looks around. How did he not know they had a cat? "Oh Danny, this is Kasumi." Kasumi? It is no shock she named her cat Kasumi. Kasumi is a munchkin cat, so small and adorable. "Dinner's done." Her mom states getting everyone's attention. They all adjourn to the dining room to enjoy their meal.

Two hours later, they are satiated and decided to move the conversation to the living room. He notices they all are having problems staying awake and he does not want to overstay his welcome. He states he is going to be leaving and states he hopes they rest well. She is shocked, "are you ok?" "Darling, everyone looks tired and I can only imagine how rough the night was." She blushes embarrassed knowing it was her fault they all look exhausted. He shakes her father's hand, gives her mother a quick hug, and she walks him to the door. "Be safe." She states to him softly. "I always will," he replies. Wait, does he know the family statement or is he just replying to say he is always careful? He gives her a quick kiss on the forehead and a wink before walking out of the house and reminding her to lock the door and sleep well. About 15 minutes later, she receives a text letting her know he is home safe. "Goodnight Darling" he texts her. She tells her parents goodnight, changes into the onesie he purchased her and slips into bed and into a deep sleep.