The President's Daughter

The Severance

The secret basement hiding underneath the disgraced prime minister's home smells of cologne, pomade, and cigarettes. The overpowering combination has clung onto the carpet and has Sang-hyun wrinkling his nose in disgust. The light emanating from the large aquarium that sits in the middle of the room bathes it in blue, sending shadows onto the walls and obscuring the faces of the people with them.

Cheol-gang sits across from him and remains unbound from the shackles that should've kept him inside a cell for a lifetime. But money and power are the currencies to freedom these days, which fortunately for him, he has an abundance of. He puts out his cigarette and starts the discussion.

"This operation must go smoothly," he starts, which effectively silences the whole room. "I'm tired of having incompetent people on my team, and I've had enough of Plan Bs. This goes exactly the way I want it to go, or it doesn't go at all. Objections?"

They plan it all out to the minute detail. Sang-hyun tries to disassociate from the fact that he knows the first family personally. He went to law school with Se-joon. He even went out with Sang-ah for a time. But as much as he'd like to exclude himself from this nightmare, he's gone in way too deep to turn back now. His name, his reputation, his life hangs in the balance. He needs this to succeed as much as everyone else in the room.

And yet he can't tune out the voice inside his head that reminds him that this is way beyond anything he's ever done. So much so that his conscience, a presence that has remained dormant for quite a while, has emerged to question his judgment.

"Attorney Choi," Cheol-gang pulls him out of his thoughts. He then realizes that he's been called several times and that everyone has turned their attention towards him. His heart pounds, and his hands sweat. "You seem distracted. Any thoughts you'd like to share with the group?"

"No," he croaks out. "My apologies for spacing out. I was up late last night."

The older man harrumphs before returning to the conversation. "Continue."

An officer of the presidential security team speaks up. He details the latest development with regards to the protection detail of the family as Sang-hyun starts to feel nauseous. "For Ms. Yoon, there's an entire team overhaul, given that her head bodyguard is indisposed," he reports and provides headshots of the new group. "These are the men assigned to her starting next week. They're all under your payroll, sir."

Cheol-gang looks so pleased as he shifts through the files that he even starts grinning. "Good," he says with an expression that makes him feel cold. "They've been waiting for a chance to be assigned to a post like this. Pretty girl under hostage? Anything can happen."

Knowing chuckles erupt from the group at the vulgar statement. His hands turn into fists under the table. It's bad enough that Seri has been in bed with that bodyguard, but to have her become some sort of plaything for these filthy bastards is where he draws the line. She's his, only his.

"I'm afraid you've lost me," he speaks up. He rubs his sweaty palms against the material of his expensive pants. "The point of this operation is to hold her hostage to get her father's attention. The only reason she's involved is because we want him to listen to our demands. This has nothing to do with her. So, can someone explain to me why we're laughing? I didn't quite catch the punchline."

Embarrassment shines through the awkward silence that follows. For a moment, Sang-hyun thinks he has the upper hand only for Cheol-gang to shatter the illusion. "I think we're all in agreement that Yoon Seri is one of the most beautiful women in the country. I may have authority, but I can't possibly control the most primal urges of those in my employment."

Amid the murmurs of agreement, the older man hammers the final nail in his coffin. "Besides, were you not once curious yourself?"

"Yeah, don't be selfish, man!"