Meeting back with Na-Yung outside of the campus he could see her waiting by a BMW car. She was escorted by a thirty something korean man in a suit who, based on his demeanor, was a bodyguard. The slight bulge at his waist was giving the information that he needed. They were armed and seeing the way he was observing their surrounding, they were vigilant as well.
Approaching the car the eyes of the bodyguard checked him until he went back to surveying the surroundings, seemingly finding nothing wrong with Nathaniel.
"Good you are here, let's go!" Na-Yung said, getting in the car.
Following her in the car, he got the surprise to find another bodyguard on the conductor seat. He didn't know who these guys were or where they were coming from but they were better trained than the NYPD but less than military, maybe Korean police or something like that he thought. The conductor started the car once his colleague got into it and said something into his radio in Korean. Turning to Na-Yung, Nathaniel started talking.
"Did you tell your parents that I'm coming over?"
"Yes, of course. I explained how much that thesis is going to count in our grade so they understand why we wanted to get started right away."
"Good."
"Don't get happy too fast. My parents are kind of intense so be careful and try not to take what they say to heart." She warned with a grimace.
"Don't worry, I will manage." He reassured her.
Seeing that Nathaniel was confident, Na-Yung changed the subject of conversation and they began talking about college related matters. The journey was not long and twenty minutes later they were in front of huge building. It was a five stars Hotel which was situated on the other side of Central Park compared to his home. Funny was that he could see the top of this building from his rooms window.
Getting out of the car, Nathaniel could see that the sun was starting to set already and in front of the Hotel were four more guys like the two that drove them here. They were all wearing the same black cheap suits, a gun on their right hips and talkie with earpiece. The head of security were coming to talk to Na-Yung when Nathaniel suddenly turned his head to the left side, looking in the direction where they were coming from.
"Nathaniel? What's going on?" Na-Yung asked curiously.
"I don't know, I thought I saw someone following us but he seemed to disappear on the spot. That was weird." Nathaniel said in a dumbfounded tone.
Hearing what he had just said Na-Yung was surprised for a second but quickly schooled her face into a smiling one, however Nathaniel obtained what he wanted to know. He had clearly seen coldness and fear in her eyes for that split second. Of course, he did not see anything but he wanted to gather intel and put her security detail on high alert. Curious to what was going on, the head of security asked what happened to Na-Yung in Korean.
"He said that he thought he saw someone following us but that person seemed to disappear."
Looking with rapt attention to the street in question, he did not find anything unusual.
"Maybe it was nothing."
"Maybe but it could be significant. I want all teams on lookout tonight and radio checked every ten minutes." Na-Yung order coldly.
"At your order madam." He responded.
"What is going on?" Nathaniel asked because the conversation was taking place in korean.
"Oh nothing, he just said that it was probably nothing. Come on, we have work to do." She answered smiling, the coldness that was there a moment before vanishing as if it never appeared in the first place.
Getting almost dragged into the building, Nathaniel could only smile inwardly. The previous few weeks he had started to learn Korean. As of now, even if it was not up to his standard, it was enough to understand what they had talked about. He was glad that his little stratageme proved to be effective and he hoped it would make a difference when the attack was going to take place. He was not 100% sure they would attack tonight but his instincts were telling him it would and he trusted his instinct.
Coming to the twelfth floor, he could see three more of these bodyguards in front of the door. He was starting to wonder how many of them where in the hotel. This time the presence of Na-Yung did not suffice to let him pass without being searched.
"Sorry but our security is pretty strict." She said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it, maybe next time you can be the one to frisk me out." He joked teasingly, making her blush a little. The security agents around them almost did a double take when seeing her blush like that. They always thought that she was made of ice based on her usual behavior so seeing her blush was surprising to say the least.
"You wish!" She exclaimed until she saw the look of the guards and calmed herself. "But enough with the teasing, if my parents hear you talk like that with me you will be thrown out of here so fast that your feet will not touch the ground."
"Okay okay, I will behave." He said, raising his hands in a sign of surrender.
Opening the door of the suite Nathaniel immediately noticed that the demeanor of Na-Yung changed dramatically. Her open and cheerful personality turned into a sophisticate and more icy one. Each of her steps was choreographed perfectly and her bearing changed completely. It was as though she became an entire different person the moment that she entered the suite.
"Daughter." Said a cool voice in Korean.
"Mother." She answered the same way but with an inclination of her head in addition.
"I presume you are the Nathaniel my daughter can't stop talking about young man." She added in a pronounced accented english, scrutinizing him intently.
She was a forty year old woman with a dignified aura around her. Nathaniel could see that Na-Yung had inherited her black hair and grey eyes from her mother. But where the eyes of his friend were kind, those of her mother were stern. She did not look like a cold person but she seemed to be a very traditional one, anchored in past traditions. He could already determine that the most important thing for her was filial piety, dignity and reputation.
"Yes I am madam." He responded with a respectful voice, bowing his upper torso a fraction forward, his hands on his belly.
He had read a little about the correct way to talk and behave with people in Korea while learning their language. Bowing his torso with hands on his belly was the proper way to salute a superior. Na-Yungs mother was not his superior but he thought that could earn him some brownies point. Seeing the surprised look on his friend and the stare that her mother was sending him going a little softer, it seemed to be worth it.
Looking at Na-Yung, he could see that she wanted to argue about the declaration of her mother but she could not. In Korean culture, correcting their elders, especially in front of strangers was considered very ill mannered.
"Glad to see that you were properly educated by your family. You can go work in Na-Yungs room if you keep the door opened."
"Thank you Madam." Nathaniel said, bowing again, following Na-Yung into her room.
Meeting back with Na-Yung outside of the campus he could see her waiting by a BMW car. She was escorted by a thirty something korean man in a suit who, based on his demeanor, was a bodyguard. The slight bulge at his waist was giving the information that he needed. They were armed and seeing the way he was observing their surrounding, they were vigilant as well.
Approaching the car the eyes of the bodyguard checked him until he went back to surveying the surroundings, seemingly finding nothing wrong with Nathaniel.
"Good you are here, let's go!" Na-Yung said, getting in the car.
Following her in the car, he got the surprise to find another bodyguard on the conductor seat. He didn't know who these guys were or where they were coming from but they were better trained than the NYPD but less than military, maybe Korean police or something like that he thought. The conductor started the car once his colleague got into it and said something into his radio in Korean. Turning to Na-Yung, Nathaniel started talking.
"Did you tell your parents that I'm coming over?"
"Yes, of course. I explained how much that thesis is going to count in our grade so they understand why we wanted to get started right away."
"Good."
"Don't get happy too fast. My parents are kind of intense so be careful and try not to take what they say to heart." She warned with a grimace.
"Don't worry, I will manage." He reassured her.
Seeing that Nathaniel was confident, Na-Yung changed the subject of conversation and they began talking about college related matters. The journey was not long and twenty minutes later they were in front of huge building. It was a five stars Hotel which was situated on the other side of Central Park compared to his home. Funny was that he could see the top of this building from his rooms window.
Getting out of the car, Nathaniel could see that the sun was starting to set already and in front of the Hotel were four more guys like the two that drove them here. They were all wearing the same black cheap suits, a gun on their right hips and talkie with earpiece. The head of security were coming to talk to Na-Yung when Nathaniel suddenly turned his head to the left side, looking in the direction where they were coming from.
"Nathaniel? What's going on?" Na-Yung asked curiously.
"I don't know, I thought I saw someone following us but he seemed to disappear on the spot. That was weird." Nathaniel said in a dumbfounded tone.
Hearing what he had just said Na-Yung was surprised for a second but quickly schooled her face into a smiling one, however Nathaniel obtained what he wanted to know. He had clearly seen coldness and fear in her eyes for that split second. Of course, he did not see anything but he wanted to gather intel and put her security detail on high alert. Curious to what was going on, the head of security asked what happened to Na-Yung in Korean.
"He said that he thought he saw someone following us but that person seemed to disappear."
Looking with rapt attention to the street in question, he did not find anything unusual.
"Maybe it was nothing."
"Maybe but it could be significant. I want all teams on lookout tonight and radio checked every ten minutes." Na-Yung order coldly.
"At your order madam." He responded.
"What is going on?" Nathaniel asked because the conversation was taking place in korean.
"Oh nothing, he just said that it was probably nothing. Come on, we have work to do." She answered smiling, the coldness that was there a moment before vanishing as if it never appeared in the first place.
Getting almost dragged into the building, Nathaniel could only smile inwardly. The previous few weeks he had started to learn Korean. As of now, even if it was not up to his standard, it was enough to understand what they had talked about. He was glad that his little stratageme proved to be effective and he hoped it would make a difference when the attack was going to take place. He was not 100% sure they would attack tonight but his instincts were telling him it would and he trusted his instinct.
Coming to the twelfth floor, he could see three more of these bodyguards in front of the door. He was starting to wonder how many of them where in the hotel. This time the presence of Na-Yung did not suffice to let him pass without being searched.
"Sorry but our security is pretty strict." She said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it, maybe next time you can be the one to frisk me out." He joked teasingly, making her blush a little. The security agents around them almost did a double take when seeing her blush like that. They always thought that she was made of ice based on her usual behavior so seeing her blush was surprising to say the least.
"You wish!" She exclaimed until she saw the look of the guards and calmed herself. "But enough with the teasing, if my parents hear you talk like that with me you will be thrown out of here so fast that your feet will not touch the ground."
"Okay okay, I will behave." He said, raising his hands in a sign of surrender.
Opening the door of the suite Nathaniel immediately noticed that the demeanor of Na-Yung changed dramatically. Her open and cheerful personality turned into a sophisticate and more icy one. Each of her steps was choreographed perfectly and her bearing changed completely. It was as though she became an entire different person the moment that she entered the suite.
"Daughter." Said a cool voice in Korean.
"Mother." She answered the same way but with an inclination of her head in addition.
"I presume you are the Nathaniel my daughter can't stop talking about young man." She added in a pronounced accented english, scrutinizing him intently.
She was a forty year old woman with a dignified aura around her. Nathaniel could see that Na-Yung had inherited her black hair and grey eyes from her mother. But where the eyes of his friend were kind, those of her mother were stern. She did not look like a cold person but she seemed to be a very traditional one, anchored in past traditions. He could already determine that the most important thing for her was filial piety, dignity and reputation.
"Yes I am madam." He responded with a respectful voice, bowing his upper torso a fraction forward, his hands on his belly.
He had read a little about the correct way to talk and behave with people in Korea while learning their language. Bowing his torso with hands on his belly was the proper way to salute a superior. Na-Yungs mother was not his superior but he thought that could earn him some brownies point. Seeing the surprised look on his friend and the stare that her mother was sending him going a little softer, it seemed to be worth it.
Looking at Na-Yung, he could see that she wanted to argue about the declaration of her mother but she could not. In Korean culture, correcting their elders, especially in front of strangers was considered very ill mannered.
"Glad to see that you were properly educated by your family. You can go work in Na-Yungs room if you keep the door opened."
"Thank you Madam." Nathaniel said, bowing again, following Na-Yung into her room.
