‘For Your Protection,’ He Said, ‘For My “Protection”,’ She Said

It was a brand new day, and after all the festivities the day before, Yeo Ri was ready to begin working again.

"Happy belated birthday, miss," Secretary Kwon solemnly wished as she entered the car.

"Mm. Thanks."

As he drove, Secretary Kwon's eyes kept glancing back at her through the rearview mirror.

"Miss, I—I, um..."

Yeo Ri raised her head to look at the unusually hesitant man. "What is it? Spit it out."

"I... brought a birthday gift for you," the man said. "It's in the pocket over there."

Yeo Ri immediately found the present which was conspicuously jutting out from the little slot behind the passenger seat.

Yeo Ri retrieved the white-coloured box decorated with a silver bow, inspecting it gingerly. She hadn't expected for the man to bring her a birthday present, but she accepted it anyways since he had gone out on his way to prepare it.

She carefully pried the top part of the box open, revealing a beautifully crafted hairbrush lying poshly against soft-looking silvery white satin cloth that had a similar vibe to the box. The hairbrush itself was made of a high quality polished wood, though she had no idea what kind of wood it was.

It felt sturdy as she held it in her hands. The bristles of the hairbrush were black and adequately flexible. Her initials were etched on the hilt as if to signify that she was the sole owner of this high-end hairbrush.

"Thanks, I guess?" Yeo Ri replied, unsure of what to say. It was a nice brush, surely, but she didn't know what to do with it. Her hairbrush at home was perfectly fine and didn't need to be replaced yet. Was it his way of saying that she has terrible hair?

Secretary Kwon grimaced, as if he could tell what she was thinking. "Please hold it carefully and twist the handle while applying a small pressure over the letters."

She did as he instructed, and gasped in surprise as she felt the small spot with her initials marked over it cave in slightly, as if she'd just pressed a button. She could see a small gap revealing itself from the faint line between the handle and the top of the brush.

The handle loosened from the head of the brush.

Yeo Ri carefully separated the two parts, and a small glint was reflected in her eyes.

—it was a hidden blade.

The brush had looked fairly normal, but it was actually a sheath hiding a sharp knife.

"Oh...? What's this?" A smile slowly bloomed on the girl's face.

"I thought it would be better to replace your... kitchen knife... with this. At least it will not be so conspicuous if you bring it in your bag."

"What, so you noticed?" Yeo Ri pouted. Ever since she was discharged from the hospital, Yeo Ri had secretly hid a knife in her bag. It had originally been a knife intended for gutting fish, but due to its small size she began carrying it around... for protection. It was carefully tucked within the hidden pocket of her bag, but if she wasn't paying attention she could still accidentally hurt herself with it.

Thus, Secretary Kwon had commissioned the concealed weapon for the girl. He could have just bought one of those run-of-the-mill comb knife for her, but he wanted to make sure the quality was guaranteed, and it had to be concealed as an item that one wouldn't suspect to be a weapon. If push comes to shove—like that day at the hospital parking lot—the girl could still put up a fight and surprise her attacker with it.

Yeo Ri fiddled with the contraption for a few moments before offering her gratitude properly. "Thank you. I really like it," she smiled at him with delight. It really suited her taste, and the blade itself was quite sharp and durable-looking.

"Please use it for your protection," and only for your protection, he added silently in his mind. He begged and prayed to the heavens that she would not use it for illegal things.

"Don't worry, I know." Yeo Ri beamed cheerfully at him, but he was not keen on trusting her innocent demeanour just yet, given her track record. No sane little girl would carry a kitchen knife in her bag while she went out, after all. Especially not to hospitals.

After discovering its true use, Yeo Ri could not seem to let go of the hairbrush. She leisurely brushed her hair with it, treating it as if it was a real hairbrush. Well, given its quality, it was a good hairbrush. Yeo Ri found out that she quite liked the way it smoothened her hair.

Secretary Kwon glanced at her through the rearview mirror again, and if Yeo Ri had looked up, she could easily see the peculiar and somewhat regretful look on his face, as if he was thinking, 'Oh god, what have I done?!'

His guts screamed at him then, telling him that it was a bad idea to give the psychologically unstable child a knife.