Through the crystal clear glasses that made up each pane of the French windows surrounding the front walls of the restaurant, Hyun Jun caught a glimpse of a familiar black sedan pulling up across the street. Its heavily tinted window was marked by a small flag on top, showcasing the infamous red and blue Taegukgi circle.
Only this time, the Taegukgi circle sat right between a dragon and a Siberian tiger emblem.
Upon seeing the emblems, Hyun Jun’s shoulders fell in an instant, knowing full well what they signified.
Across the table, Mia watched the warmth in Hyun Jun's gaze fade into a morose expression as he kept looking over her shoulder.
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“Is something the matter?” she asked, fighting the urge to turn her head back to see what made the smile on Hyun Jun's lips disappear.
Without moving his head, Hyun Jun turned his gaze back to Mia, shoulders squared and visibly tense.
“Mia, listen to me carefully,” Hyun Jun said, his voice low with suppressed urgency rather than imploring. “In the next minute or two, this place will be surrounded by a group of royal guards.”
“Mwo?”
“Outside of this establishment,” Hyun Jun continued, his eyes not leaving Mia's half panicked, half confused face, “the perimeter will be secured by the armed forces,”
“I don't understand what's going on, Ingukssi,” Mia lilted in frustration.
So Hyun Jun leaned forward to reach for her left hand on the table then rubbed her knuckles with his thumb.
“It's just protocol.”
“What protocol?”
“To ensure the safety of any member of the royal family in a public place during a state of emergency, so they can be escorted out safely."
Only then did Mia start to notice the gradually increasing rumbling of footfalls and sirens coming from a distance slowly drowning the melodious sound of the violin playing inside the restaurant.
As suspicions kicked in while her thoughts immediately wandered off to a painful memory, Mia slowly pulled her hand away from Hyun Jun's grip.
"How… how do you know all that?” she stammered, struggling to keep the lump down her throat. “Is there… a member of the royal family in this restaurant with us?"
"The chief state councilor will be approaching our table shortly,” Hyun Jun continued, ignoring her question.
“Answer my question,” Mia demanded as she attempted to stand up.
But Hyun Jun grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her back to her seat.
“I’m going to need you to remain in your seat, Mia.”
"Who are you?"
Before Hyun Jun could answer, he lifted his gaze back to the windows behind Mia, seemingly scouting the perimeter outside once again. Just as he expected, from his seat, he could see a middle aged man in a dark suit approaching the entrance of the establishment.
"People know me as Seo In Guk just like you do,” he answered dryly, keeping his eyes on the window. “It's the name I grew up with. However,” he paused, then leaned back on his seat then turned his gaze back to Mia. “I was born as Lee Hyun Jun.”
Mia went quiet for a moment, then took a deep breath and mouthed—
"Lee Hyu—"
"And as of this moment,” Hyun Jun cut her off. “I'm afraid you can no longer say my name."
