Lost Identity

Chapter 5: Appearance of a Handler

Chapter 5: Appearance of a Handler

The soft click of heels echoed down the hallway.

Hana, curled up on the couch with a blanket over her legs, looked up as the front door opened-without a knock. A woman in her mid-thirties stepped inside, dressed in a sharp, white tailored suit. Her skin glowed with a clean, effortless beauty, and her hair was tied back in a glossy low ponytail. She carried no bag. No ID. Just walked in, like she belonged here.

The guards outside didn't stop her. They even saluted.

Hana sat up slowly, her eyes narrowing. "Who are you?"

The woman's red lips curved into a light smile, the kind that wasn't exactly friendly.

"I'm Cha Yeonhwa. Starting today..." She paused and tilted her head slightly, as if enjoying the confusion on Hana's face. "I'm assigned to you."

:Assigned?" Hana repeated. "Assigned to do what, exactly?"

"Think of me as... your personal handler."

Hana's eyes sharpened. "Handler?"

Yeonhwa chuckled. "That sounds harsh, doesn't it? Fine. Guardian. If it makes you feel better."

Hana stood up, fists clenched at her sides. "I don't need a guardian. I can take good care of myself."

"Oh, I never said you couldn't," Yeonhwa replied sweetly. "But after what happened on the stairs, certain people feel... more eyes wouldn't hurt."

"I don't want someone like you always watching me," Hana snapped. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Yeonhwa gave her a look that landed somewhere between amusement and pity. :Of course you can. That's why you woke up with a concussion, no memory, and a bleeding forehead."

Hana flinched. Her throat tightened.

Yeonhwa's voice softened, almost like a lullaby. "I don't make the rules, Hana. I just carry them out. I'm not your enemy."

"But you're not my friend either."

"No," Yeonhwa said, smiling. "I'm just the person assigned to take good care of a 16-year-old girl. Is that soo bad?

They stared at each other for a long second. Hana's hands trembled slightly, hidden by her sleeves.

Then Yeonhwa turned, walking past her like it was nothing. "Don't mind me," she said lightly. "You'll get used to me soon enough."

Hana gritted her teeth, staring at the spot Yeonhwa had vanished into. She hated how calm that woman was. Hated how she moved like she'd lived here longer than Hana had.

What she truly hated wasn't the innocent lady that just stepped in, it was the fact that she was being treated like a prisoner.

With a sharp sigh, she snatched the remote from the table and turned on the TV, punching the buttons like it owed her something. The screen lit up, filling the room with bright colors and soft violins. A cheesy K-drama romance was already playing-some overdramatic couple arguing in the rain.

Hana pulled the blanket tighter around her and flopped back onto the couch. She wasn't even watching, really. Her eyes were on the screen, but her mind was a storm. Every part of her buzzed with frustration, confusion, and a strange kind of fear that wore the mask of anger.

Still, the drama was working-distracting her, pulling her into someone else's mess instead of her own.

The couple on the screen finally stopped yelling. He stepped closer. She looked up with tears in her eyes. The music swelled.

They were about to kiss.

And then-

A white silhouette stepped into the frame.

Right in front of the TV.

"Excuse me ?!-" Hana shot up.

Yeonhwa stood with a mug of tea in her hand, casually sipping, blocking the screen with surgical precision. "Ugh. This drama? The female lead has zero self-respect."

Hana launched a pillow at her. "Get lost." She yelled.

Yeonhwa caught it midair with one hand, smirking. "Is this a declaration of war?"

"Move," Hana snapped. "Before I suffocate you with that smug face."

"Oh no. Violence? "At your age?" Yeonhwa gasped dramatically and tossed the pillow right back-nailing Hana in the face.

Silence.

Then:

"You did not just-"

Another pillow flew.

Then two.

Then three.

And suddenly, they were both shouting nonsense and throwing cushions like rival queens in a childish, chaotic war. The coffee table almost tipped. A vase nearly fell. Hana was laughing without realizing it, her frustration breaking through in sharp bursts of breath.

"Apologize!" Hana shouted. Hana was already on top of Yeonhwa with a smug smile, holding a pillow in her right hand.

"For what?" Yeonhwa laughed, dodging. "For saving you from watching that tragic kiss?"

"You ruined the only good moment!"

"Trust me, he cheats on her in episode seven!"

"Liar!"

The fight continued, with Hana holding and hitting Yeonhwa with the pillow. They both fought for some time.

They collapsed on opposite ends of the carpet, panting, hair messy, the living room a soft mess of feathers and fabric.

For a second, Hana forgot she was angry.

For a second, it almost felt like normal.

Then Yeonhwa glanced at her with that same sly grin. "See? You're already warming up to me."

Hana scowled and hugged a pillow to her chest. "Shut up."

After the chaos faded, the room slipped into a calm silence.

The kind that settles right before a storm of thoughts.

Hana sat curled up on the carpet, clutching the pillow to her chest like a shield. Her eyes were on the TV, but her mind was far from it. The screen played on, forgotten-just moving pictures, background noise to the rising questions in her chest.

Then, quietly, almost like she was afraid to ask-

"Do you know who my sponsor is?"

Yeonhwa turned her head slowly, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, like she'd been waiting for that question.

"Your sponsor?" she repeated, leaning back. "I don't know him yet... but I do know Chairman Lee."

Hana sat up straighter. Her grip on the pillow loosened.

"Chairman Lee?" Her voice was sharp with interest. "I saw that name in my contacts. Who is he?"

Yeonhwa noticed the flicker in Hana's eyes-the raw curiosity trying to peek through her guarded expression. She smiled, softer this time. Not playful. Not mocking. Just... warm.

"Chairman Lee is... a good guy," Yeonhwa said. "Well, mostly. Not to mention he's hot. Extremely my type, honestly-but kind of annoyingly full of himself."

Hana blinked. That wasn't the answer she expected.

"He's the CEO of Dream Entertainment," Yeonhwa added, shrugging lightly.

"Really?" Hana's eyebrows arched.

"Mmhm. The movie were you watching just now?" Yeonhwa gestured at the screen. "It was produced by the same company. Dreamed has their hands on everything-music, dramas, modeling. Chairman Lee's like the king of the media right now."

Hana tilted her head, thoughtfully. "Then why would someone like that be related to me?"

Yeonhwa paused, watching her. "Maybe because you're important."

Hana scoffed under her breath, but Yeonhwa caught the faint blush rising to her cheeks.

"Important enough to have a private bodyguard, at least," Yeonhwa teased, nudging Hana with her elbow.

"I didn't ask for one," Hana muttered.

"And yet... here I am." Yeonhwa grinned.

Hana rolled her eyes but didn't move away. She was quiet for some time, then asked, "What do you mean you don't know my sponsor yet?"

Yeonhwa leaned back and stretched. "I was hired by Chairman Lee himself. I don't know who funds your living arrangements, or what strings are being pulled in the background. All I know is-I'm supposed to protect you. Whether you like it or not."

Hana frowned. "Protect me from what?"

Yeonhwa didn't answer right away. Her smile dimmed, just slightly.

"Who knows?."

Hana let out a long, heavy sigh.

"I live in a twisted world I know nothing about," she whispered, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "This is so... suffocating."

Her eyes glistened, the tears threatening to spill. She quickly blinked back, swallowing the lump rising in her throat.

Yeonwha noticed. She leaned forward slightly, her teasing smile fading into something softer.

"Don't think too much of it, okay?" she said gently.

Hana didn't answer at first. Her gaze was distant, locked on something beyond the room. Yeonwha hesitated, then added with a hopeful lilt, "Want to go shopping?"

That pulled Hana back to the present.

She blinked, then slowly pushed herself to her feet. Her expression shifted-still clouded with confusion, but lighter now, even curious.

"Of course," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Let's go do school shopping."

She stood fully, straightening her posture with sudden determination.

This might get me in trouble... but let's see, she thought silently, eyes flickering with the first spark of mischief since her fall.

She stared down, observing herself for a moment. "I'll go bathe first," she said brightly, already heading upstairs.