Mirrored Match // ATEEZ ✔

= 5 =

Once they are allowed inside they see that the interior of the house is different from the exterior; it seems to be a clashing of personalities as one area seems to be presented with one theme but as they walk further the theme then changes. It is as if the interior designer could not come up with a final decision of one theme, and the owner of the house let them run wild with their ideas, resulting in a change of view when you look to the left, and another different one when you look to the right.

As they see Madam Seo giving a subtle warning to them to not appear too nosy with something other than what relates to their job, they follow the entourage headed by Wonshik through the foyer, immediately having to climb up a few steps to get to the living room. But he brings them further inside, until there comes a thought that they might even be sealing their contract in the kitchen considering how he has yet to stop walking. They can't guess the layout of the whole house as there seems to be a surprise at every corner.

He halts in front of the door to a sunroom with glass windows that overlook the lush gardens; it looks deep and unending, giving a some sort of mysterious flavour to the otherwise sunny room. As soon as he invites his guests to take a seat, cups of piping hot tea have been served in front of them, with him briefly mentioning about having it changed to coffee if they would prefer. Only Jongho opts out from having tea, and in just a few seconds he's stirring a dash of sugar he has thrown in his drink.

"My apologies for having to ask you go through the back entrance," are his first words as he's quiet through the short journey from the main door to the sunroom. "Reporters can be sneaky, so seeing a foreign car coming into the compound can even become news the next day. As of now, the back entrance is a safe passage for those who aren't supposed to be seen here."

"No need for any apologies, Sir Bae." Madam Seo takes a sip of her tea while taking care so that her lipstick won't leave a trace. "It's a huge honour for our company to have someone like you picking us to protect your daughter. It's not everyday that you get to be invited into the most popular candidate's mansion. Let alone be tasked to become the bodyguards of his daughter."

He bellows, causing the five of them in the sunroom together with him to be slightly startled, when seemingly before he's a person who would not be swayed by Madam Seo's conversation. Not someone you would expect to laugh out loud in a room basically filled with strangers. They relax when he stops laughing, with him shaking his head in the process.

"Ah, it's just that I'm becoming too busy with the campaign that I don't get to spend that much time with my daughter, and with the rise in cases related to Reflectors, you can't blame me for being worried for my daughter's safety."

"Of course. You made the right decision in wanting to have someone to protect your daughter, now that the public's focus is shining on you even more. Say," Madam Seo leans against the red velvet chairs, "is there a reason why you ask particularly for 4 of my boys? When I showed you all the profiles of my staff, you particularly asked for them."

Seonghwa, San, Jongho and Yunho are surprised at the revelation; they didn't know that Bae Wonshik had personally picked them out. They believed that Madam Seo had tasked them for this as a last minute resort of not having any other available staff. They become even more interested in finding out the reason why, and it seems that Wonshik is more than willing to share his reasons so.

"To be pretty honest, I only picked them out because of their ages," he answers simply, almost having a full smile but keeps it at what seems like a brief one. "My daughter is 22 years old but she doesn't have that many friends; she's shy, likes to keep to herself. I thought that suddenly giving her bodyguards who are way older and distant would push her away even further. Having someone near her age would be better, and maybe that would make her more comfortable."