My Secret Billionaire Bodyguard

Stepped out

Ina noticed the pain etched on Soya’s face and the distant look in her eyes. Without a word, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, familiar candy — the kind they used to fight over as kids. She gently touched Soya’s arm, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Hey… look what I have,” Ina said softly, her voice tinged with nostalgia.

Soya blinked, her eyes falling on the candy. Her lips curled into a faint smile. “Is that…?”

Ina grinned. “The legendary strawberry candy. Do you remember how obsessed you were with this? You used to do chores for a week straight just for one piece.”

Soya chuckled, the sound light but tired. “Yeah, and Dad used to bribe me with it just to make me do my homework. God, I would've sold my soul for this candy back then.”

The van filled with a brief, sweet warmth — a momentary escape from the crushing weight of stardom. For a second, they weren’t idols or managers. Just two girls, reminiscing about simpler days.

---

Two years later

The apartment stank of neglect and rotting memories. Rein shoved the door open with his shoulder, grunting as piles of garbage bags resisted his entry.

“Jesus, Uwan… Are you trying to start your own landfill?”

Rein pushed his way inside, kicking aside empty cans and pizza boxes like he was in a warzone. He finally reached the mattress thrown on the floor, where Uwan lay curled up like a ghost of himself.

“Get up, man,” Rein said, crouching beside him. “You live like a raccoon with depression.”

Uwan groaned, pulling a blanket over his head. “I’ll clean it later… not feeling good.”

“Later?” Rein scoffed, tugging the blanket off. “You’ve been ‘not feeling good’ for two years. If dust could vote, it’d elect you King of Trash Mountain.”

Uwan slowly sat up, his hair a mess, his eyes hollow. “So what now? You gonna drag me to a rehab center for emotionally unstable ex-rich kids?”

Rein sat beside him, his voice gentler now. “No. But you can’t rot away here forever. I want you to get out. Find something to hold onto. A purpose. Hell, even a houseplant would be progress.”

Uwan stared at the ceiling. “I wanted to protect my dad… but now that woman — my stepmom — she’s doing it. So what’s left for me? I’m just extra weight.”

Rein’s jaw tightened. “Or maybe… she’s playing the long game.”

Uwan frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Rein looked away. “I’m saying… maybe it’s not about your dad. Maybe it’s about control. Inheritance. Power. Whatever it is, I want you ready if things go sideways. But you can’t do that locked in this dump.”

Uwan's fists clenched. “Even if I wanted to leave… Everyone knows who I am. Every room I walk into turns into a courtroom. I can’t face that.”

Rein smirked. “Good. Then it’s a good thing I own the damn courtroom.”

Uwan blinked. “Wait… what?”

“You’re coming to work for me,” Rein said with a grin. “No questions, no resumes. And no, not as a security guard, you sarcastic punk. I’ve got a real role for you. Something that’ll make your brain actually function again.”

Uwan blinked again. “You sure this isn’t pity hiring?”

Rein laughed. “Absolutely. It’s guilt hiring. Totally different.”

And just like that, after two years of darkness, Uwan finally stepped out of the apartment — not because the world had changed, but because someone finally gave him a reason to try.