Falling Blossoms COMPLETED!

Chapter Thirteen

A few months had passed since everything happened with Starship. The guys were all doing okay now, but now Super Junior was facing super drama. While we were in Japan, Kyuhyun returned from his conscription and rumors started to spread about a Super Junior comeback with the remaining members of the group, now that everyone had completed their conscriptions. Once those rumors started, the E.L.F.s, in all their glory, started protesting.

Some didn't want Kangin back because he'd gotten a second D.U.I. when I had was touring with Big Bang. Others didn't want Sungmin back for the way everything had been handled when he got engaged and married. Than there were those who didn't want Siwon to participate because a woman who had been bit when his dog was off its leash died from her injuries. On top of it, the dog was a known biter. And in the middle of it all... was Heechul, who couldn't keep his mouth closed if you paid him to, antagonizing the public.

"Have you talked to Heechul in the last few days?" Hyunseong asked me one day in the summer.

"No, why?"

"There are antis making threats against Super Junior, Hea," he told me. "And you know Heechul tends to draw ire."

I nodded at him, knowing he was right. A few days later, I got a phone call. It was Mr. Lee. After telling Hyunseong I was going out for a bit, I went to SM to see him.

"Thanks for coming, Hea."

"No problem, Mr. Lee," I replied. "But I don't know why you called and asked me to come in."

"I wanted to know if you'd take a special assignment for me."

"What kind of assignment?"

"I need someone to guard a member of Super Junior. Someone who can keep a clear head in a chaotic situation."

"Who is it?"

"Kim Heechul," he said and I realized he never found out that Heechul was my brother. "I know that you work for G-Dragon and are his personal bodyguard now, but he's on conscription for at least another two months. Hopefully, the situation will have been resolved by then. So, will you do this?"

"I need to think about this, Mr. Lee," I told him. "A lot has changed since 2011. I'm married and I have kids. Not to mention, I need to run this by Jiyong when he checks in with me tomorrow night. I don't know if he'll want me to take another job. He may not be here, but he's still paying me."

He sighed.

"Alright, Hea. I understand. Just please, get back to me as soon as you can."

"I will."

I left his office and got out of the building unseen by everyone except Johnny from NCT 127, the once scrawny trainee, who was now a grown man and debuted idol. He saw me when I was almost out of the building.

"Where's the fire, Noona?" he asked me with a smile.

"I'm trying to keep too many people from seeing me today, Johnny. I don't want people to know I was here," I told him. "Please, don't tell people you saw me today."

"What's wrong?"

"I just need to figure out what's right in a situation I was presented with. Either outcome can be bad, so I'm trying to figure out what to do. But you know I'll be fine," I said to him and managed a smile.

I walked away from Johnny, making my way down to the Han River to think.

The following evening, Hyunseong and I both talked to Jiyong before I told Hyunseong I needed to discuss work with Jiyong and took the computer into our bedroom and shut the door. Jiyong looked worried.