Not Quite a Prince || Eric Sohn

~ 27 ~

"Hwang Hyunjin was also born in 2000? I hope that means we can become close friends," Eric said excitedly to Chanmi as they walked through the airport.   

She couldn't respond to him, and since they were in public she couldn't even smile or change her facial expressions. He knew this. Still, she gave him small nods, barely noticeable, to show that she was listening. And so he kept on talking. It was kind of cute, really, to see how excited he was. 

His excitement made a lot of sense too. Here was a boy his age, a Prince, a boy who would also one day grow up to be the King of his own kingdom. They shared that common ground, and this would be someone he can easily relate to. Hopefully, they could even become friends and rely on each other. 

Everything seemed like it was going smoothly. They were at the airport, heading to their private jet. They parked it in the airport so that they could get the publicity photos that his royal parents craved. It would be safer if they could just keep the jet in the expansive Palace grounds, but oh well. She wasn't in charge, so she had no say. 

All week, the team had been preparing for this day. They'd put countless security measures to protect him. 

And yet, something was wrong. She sensed that immediately upon entering the airport, and with every step they took, the feeling became stronger. She had no concrete reason to feel that way, but her instincts were usually right. 

"Something doesn't feel right," she said softly into her earpiece. "I think we should turn around and go back." 

"Are you sure?" Hyunjun asked. He was one of their newest recruits. A very talented guy, but he hadn't developed her instincts yet. 

"I can feel it," she responded. "We can't risk his safety," she said. "We have to turn around." 

"I agree," Hyunjae said through the earpiece. He was leading the group. "Everyone, turn around." 

As soon as he said that, she heard the sound of a gunshot. Without hesitation, she jumped in front of Eric, tackling him to the ground. The gunshot hadn't hit him, it had hit Hyunjun in the arm. Still, she kept her body over his, so that any gunshots aimed at him would hopefully hit her instead. 

"Chanmi, get down," Eric hissed, grabbing her arm and trying to push her to the side. "You're going to get hurt." 

"Be quiet," she snapped. "And let me do my job," she said, scanning the area for the threat. Hyunjae was shouting in her ear now. In a split-second decision, he'd sent half of their team after the gunman. That was great, assuming there was only one of them. If there were multiple, now Eric had less protection. 

"Get him to safety," Hyunjae told her, gripping her arm tightly. "No matter what." 

Chanmi nodded, helping Eric sit up. "Prepare to run," she whispered to him. "There's a hiding place in the airport... it's not too far. We can make it," she said, reaching under her clothes and slipping off her bulletproof vest. She put it on Eric instead, glaring at him when he looked like he was going to protest. "It's built for situations exactly like this. One, two," she said, looking at Hyunjae. He nodded. "Go!" 

The rest of the guards shot to their feet. She grabbed Eric's hand and they ran. The entrance was only a few hundred feet away, but it felt like an eternity before they got to the door. She placed her hand on the entrance scanner and it let her in, and she pushed Eric in first. 

"Keep going," she ordered, holding on tight to his hand as she heard the door lock behind them. She led the way to another door, opening it and leading him down a flight of stairs until they got to the final door. "This door won't open after we go in," she said. "Not from the inside. We'll have to wait until someone comes and gets us. But don't worry. We can survive there for like, a week. Maybe more," she said, pushing open the door and leading them both inside. 

The door locked behind them, and she sighed in relief, turning on the light. Eric's eyes widened as he saw the room. It was dusty from having never really been used, but there was a seating area. There was a bed. There was even canned food and many bottles of water. 

Chanmi stayed by the door. 

"Why don't you come to the back?" Eric whispered, trying to pull her towards the back of the room. She felt his hand trembling and her heart shattered. This was a lot. For a boy whose biggest problem probably used to be failing a test, this was a lot to take. "It's safer back there. Come on," he begged. 

She realized that at some point in their running, she'd lost her earpiece. Great. Now they had no way of knowing what was going on outside. 

"I'm staying by the door," she told him. 

"Why?" he whined, interlacing their fingers as he tried to pull her away from the door. 

"Because if anyone finds us... if the gunman manages to get in..." she trailed off when she saw his face go white. 

"You are not dying for me," he demanded. "I refuse. Now come on." 

She looked at their hands. He was gripping hers, tightly. And she realized something. 

She would die for him. And not because that was what she was trained to do. Not because it was her job. But because... because...

"Eric," she whispered, reaching forward and taking his other hand. "Is it too late to accept your confession?"