#its salaried w benefits and guaranteed hours

[17gz]

i think i might go forward w the full time position at my job. happy yet defeated.

[mintvender]

The Final Chess Piece

HaremAU!

Synopsis: As a child, he found himself buried in the warmth of his mother. When that is taken away, he desperately clings to other. But of course, Taehyung with his unique mind found himself fated to be alone; like the bright stars that together light up the sky but is forever separate by the thousands of miles between them. Amidst the darkness, however, there is a guaranteed light source in every black hole. When Taehyung found his, it is guaranteed to be a euphoric moment. 

Warnings: Profanity, child abuse, indirect kills, Angst

Word Count: 11.6k

A/n: Finally finished the first part of the ongoing serie. This is an introduction to how Taehyung has meet Y/N. Took me over a week but here we are. If you spot any errors, please simply skip it. Thank you and enjoy 🌿

Masterlist 

His first memory was of a brunette, one with very stunning and bright eyes. Their eyes were comparable with the stars above him as he found himself sobbing, unable to stop himself. The lady, as he later found out, held him weakly and she tried to swing back and forth to help him sleep. Unfortunately, he was a newborn back then so he did not understand her and continued crying; it only stopped when he heard the door slam open.

Turning his weak body to gaze at the direction of the ruckus, he found himself being stared at by a black-haired male. He looked so delicate that if a gust of wind were to pass by, the force would probably knock him over. His face, however, clearly showcases a malicious intent but quickly dissipated when the person who held him raised her voice. They then began to exchange their opinions but the conversation ended with the female raising her voice. The sudden loud roar startled him while causing the male to run out of the room.

The brunette quickly brought him closer and ushered him to quiet down. She then turned to one of the maids and silently whispered something into their ear before turning back to him. The next thing he knew was her roughed hands interacting with his, gently playing with them. He then looked up at her after hearing a soft chuckle above him.

Suddenly, another person was in his view, blocking his view of the person who held him. Instinctively, he let out little whimpers that escalated to thundering screams. Unexpectedly, the woman only offered him a forced smile before leaning down and kissing his little forehead.

“ Everything will be fine, Taehyung-ah.”

♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟

Taehyung’s next significant memory took place on his 23rd moon cycle. It was the night when the moon was at its peak in the bright night sky. The young boy had decided to slip away while his nanny was distracted to gaze at the midnight sky. As Taehyung was still young and was protected by his mother, he was not accustomed to the format of the courtyards within their property. As a result, the young boy wandered through the unfamiliar place as he tried to return to his courtyard.

Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible for the 2 year-old as he was unable to see where he was going under the pitch-dark sky. The gleaming moon was likely to be teasing him, not allowing him to use any bit of its light to find a way back. It was as if the moon wanted to forever trap him within its webs and not let him leave.

Burdened by the thought, the poor child was unable to refrain himself from breaking down, little sobs turned into loud, painful screams that seemed to go on for hours.

Taehyung was now sitting on the dirty ground, his clothes covered in mud and dirt, seemingly having a tantrum. It only increases as the moment lengthens as the poor boy wanted his mother and nanny to come and rescue him.

*****

General Kim’s main husband, Minjun, had found himself unable to sleep and had decided to go on a walk through the Lily Blossom Pavilion. Unexpedly, he had decided to by himself instead of getting guards to accompany him.

He had a lot of problems on his mind and if a servant were to ask about his well being every time they saw him grimace, he would most likely deduct their salary before kicking them out.

With that settled, he took his time to walk to the pavilion. Once he got there, he gently walked through the countless flower bushes to admire the various types of flowers.

The Lily Blossom Pavilion was created by the previous general who gifted it to her lovely main husband as a gift. It was designed to host different types of flowers from around the world which was why the temperature inside the pavilion is so different compared to the outside.

Minjun unconsciously scoffed at the thought when he compared the couple to his current wife. The current General Kim was far different from her parents. She was instead cold, and distasteful; not caring about his health at all. Granted, they married for the benefits of alliance for the family but still, she should have reserved some affections for him and not for a lowly concubine. He is, after all, the main husband who has absolute control over his wife’s harem and was the one who helped create 3 daughters. What does that whore have that he does not?

Angered by his wife’s clearly unfair treatment, he kicked the flower bush nearby. Unexpectedly, the bush let out a painful screech which surprised him so much that he tripped over his robe and landed on the rock-covered floor, scratching his pale knees in the process. He then desperately yelled out, alarming countless people.

Soon enough, everyone in the Kim household was awakened by the terrible sounds. Many quickly rushed to the pavilion finding the main husband still on the ground, yelling for help. Minjun only stopped when he saw how many people had come. He then motioned to the nearest guard to see what was behind the bush.

The said servant then unsheathed his weapon as he strategically approached the bush, separating the branches to see what was underneath. When he was finally able to see who was hiding in the bush, the result surprised him. A boy was sitting behind the bush, with an arm clasped over his other one, tears running down his swollen cheeks, looking at him with a terror-filled gaze.

The guard quickly comforted the boy before he carried the bruised boy out. This, however, caused the boy to cry louder when he saw the amount of eyes staring at him.

Embarrassed that he was scared by a boy, Minjun quickly rushed to the boy, “ HOW DARE YOU INJURE ME!” After that, he raised his hand and swinged it with most of his force.

The sudden reaction caused the guard to freeze making him unable to shield the boy from the attack. This caused the boy to receive the full force of the slap, almost causing injury to his neck.

The next time Minjun attempted to cause harm to the boy, the guard was quick to intervene, quickly shielding himself.

“ You filthy servant, who dare you block me? I’m your master, you betrayer.”

“ Main husband, should not do this. He looks like the young master.”

The comment made him stop his yells, as he tried to examine the boy after the guard had removed himself. The crying boy in front of him did somewhat looked like the young master but he had not seen him ever since his birth, that he was not so sure. Believing that it was a bluff, he continued his glare at the guard.

“ Filthy servant, you dare to say that this is the young master? Do you think that you have made a severe mistake? Guards, bring him down and give him 50 sticks to avoid future lies.”  

The guards then immediately rushed to the soon-to-be-ex guard and dragged him out of the pavilion and towards the punishment yard. Some quietly scolded him while some apologized.

After he was dragged out, Minjun turned his attention back to the rest of the servants and ushered them to leave. After they left, it was only the 7 daughters that are still present there.

“ Daughters, if this were the real young master then we should cripple him. How dare he take all of General Kim’s attention away from us? Hmph, and a boy just at that. Does the sluttiness run through the family? From your father to you? Such an interesting bloodline.”

“ Father, what if he is not the main master?” Minjun’s youngest daughter asked.

Minjun turned towards the girl, and gently patted her head, “ Sooyoung-ah, don’t worry. If he is not the young master just pretend he is and vent your anger, alright?”

The comment made her nod, and she confidently walked to word the boy. Slowly she crouched down to the boy, looked at him and grabbed the material behind his neck and lifted him up.

The boy instinctively started to struggle against the grip that was slowly choking him, yelling and kicking to attempt release.

Chuckling at his weak attempt, Sooyoung dropped his fragile body to the ground. “ You are young, but you fall like a sack of potatoes... What are you waiting for just standing there?” Sooyoung yelled back at the crowd.

Slowly, some people decided to join Sooyoung until all of them did.

Laughters and threats were heard as the girls enjoyed their time torturing the poor boy.

One of the daughters was about to kick him in the stomachs when she was stopped by an angry scream.

“ WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

The group of people turned towards the voice’s direction and was stricken with waves of anger. Immediately, they all kneeled down, scared that they might have made a terrible mistake.

“ W-w-we did nothing, general,” Minjun stuttered.

General Kim looked at him unconvinced before she glanced at the hidden figure behind all of them. She squinted her eyes as the familiar body but soon realized who it was.

Angered by their outrageous actions, she kicked Minjun out of her path and quickly went to the boy’s side. Gently cradling the boy into her chest, she looked back at the group and contorted her face in distaste. Quickly standing up, she made her way out of the pavilion not sparing them any comfort.

“ If Taehyung does not make it, then consider yourselves done. I will properly punish you when he has recovered.”

And with that, they were no longer able to see her.

*****

“ Physician Kwon, is he alright?”

“ General Kim, he suffered many deathly injuries but he is thankfully past the risky point.”

General Kim quickly nodded her head, motioning him to continue but when she saw him hesitate, she didn’t know if she truly wanted to be informed of the upcoming news.

“ sighs, my general, even though his condition is stable. I am not able to predict that he would be able to wake up or not. I’m sorry for my mediocre abilities to not be able to help the young master. “

“ …” the comment shocked the general but quickly got morph into anger. She would definitely punish them when Taehyung has recovered… if he would even wake up.

“ Thank you, physician Kwon. Hwa, escort him out.”

When the door closed, General Kim made her way to Taehyung, and slowly caressed his hair.

That was the start of her own journey of taking care of Taehyung. So when he finally opened his eyes, general Kim was by his sides.

The poor boy started crying as waves of memories rushed into his head before he lost consciousness. Holding onto his mother as best as he could, while explaining what had happened. All the general did was to hug him and comfort him as best as she could, promising to punish the people who had caused him harm.

Slowly he began to recover and by the time he turned 2, he was back to his little minx self. Taehyung, however, acted as if he had not experienced such dangerous events but everyone else did not dare to forget about it, especially Minjun.

After Taehyung had awakened, general Kim punished her 7 daughters and Minjun, disappointed that he could act in such a way in front of a child. General Kim had decided to let each of her daughters sent to a temple to retrain their behaviours, and have Minjun get hit 30 times.

Sighing as she returned back to her room from a stressful day, she quickly changed into her night outfits and gently climbed up to bed and hugged Taehyung. She played with his hair and began to calm down. Before she fell asleep, she kissed his forehead.

“ Everything will be alright, mother’s here.”

And with that, the tired women went to sleep.

♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟

“ Mother, what are you and uncle doing?” a 5-year-old taehyung asked his mother. His bambi eyes looking at the board curiously.

“ Mother is playing chess with uncle, do you want to see?”

Taehyung quickly nodded, holding his arm out wanting her to carry him.

The woman chuckled as she carried Taehyung into her lap. “ Aigoo, Taehyunggie is getting so big.”

The comment made the person opposite of them unable to refrain the laughters bubbling inside of him. When general Kim looked over at him, questionably, he let out a chuckle.

“ Is this the young master of the Kim household?”

“ What do you think?” General Kim asked as she looked at the man, wearing an annoyed face, “ Taehyung, this is Park Jinsung, he’s my right hand.”

“ Nice to meet you, I’m Taehyung.”

Jinsung smiled at how cute the boy was but was drawn back to the game as Taehyung continued to ask about it.

“ Mother, what is this?”

Before she could answer, Jinsung beat her to it, “ This is called chess.”

Taehyung tilted his head cutely, “ Chess?”

“ Yes, chess. Do you want to learn it?”

Taehyung quickly nodded and got of his mother’s lap, and quickly headed to get an apple?

The adults looked at each other confusedly, curious at what the young boy was doing but could only chuckle when Taehyung with an apple in hand.

Taehyung quickly made his way to Jinsung before bowing, offering the apple to him.

“ Master, please accept this disciple’s offering.”

General Kim then let out a snort before cracking up while Jinsung pretended to think before carefully accepting the apple.

“ Hmm… I will accept the disciple’s gift. Now come, let me show you.”

Taehyung did a quick celebration before running to Jinsung’s side.

General Kim watched the two fondly, finding how they somewhat resemble each other.

Jinsung started to explain each of the piece’s worth and from the start, he was already impressed by Taehyung’s unique thinking.

“ There are 8 pawns on one side so does that mean that older sisters and I represent each of them?” Taehyung unconsciously asked.

General Kim, however, was shocked by how he managed to know that the ones who had beaten him were his half-sisters.

Bewildered, she asked, “ Taehyung, how do you know that you have 7 older sisters?”

Taehyung, who had previously been focused on the board froze at his mother’s question. His curious expression slowly changed to one that was almost guilty, his doe eyes refused to look at hers, hands repeated grasping to further indicate his nervousness.

Seeing how uncomfortable Taehyung is, Jinsung teasingly shielded his petite body and defended him. “ Yah, Taehyung is still young, why are you bullying him?”

“ I’m his mother, I should be asking him why he lied to me.” General Kim eyed Taehyung, “ I’m waiting, Taehyung.”

Taehyung gulped hearing his mother’s calm tone, knowing that he is unable to escape her questioning this time around. Begrudgingly he lift his head and looked at her piercing eyes, and answered, “ Siwon and I were secretly playing with each other, a-and she told me about the rest of my sisters.”

“...”

Hearing his mother’s non-responsive reaction, the poor child continued to quiver in his seat on Jinsung’s lap.

“ I-I-I also sometime play with Sieun... and she would tell me stories from different books that I couldn’t read yet.”

“ …”

General Kim then looked at Jinsung before she subtly nodded her head, she then stood up and began walking out of the room.

Not knowing what was happening, Taehyung cried out for his mother.

“ Mother! Mother! Mother come back, I won’t lie to you anymore.”

Seeing how distressed Taehyung was, Jinsung tried to comfort him, “ Your mother isn’t mad at you, Taehyung. She just had some businesses to take care of.”

Taehyung's eyes then looked into Jinsung’s, searching if he was being truthful or not.

“ Really?” Jinsung nods his head, silently patting his head.

“ Mother loves you too much to leave you.”

Taehyung then turned his gaze to the floor, “ If she loves me, then why does she always prevent me from playing with my sister?”

The comment made Jinsung sighed, knowing that he would never be able to fully explain the child.

“ Your mother is trying to protect you from the outside world, Taehyung. Because you were born into this family, you will face a lot of dangers and she is trying to prevent them.”

“ Then what does my sisters have to do with this? They are not outsiders!”

“ They are not outsiders but you never know what they will ever do to you. Now, how about we get back to chess, alright?”

Taehyung begrudging nodded, not satisfied with the answer but knows that he won’t be getting any more information out of Jinsung.

*****

“ Jinsung, how was it?”

“ What do you mean?”

General Kim looked over to Jinsung, before smacking him in the head, annoyed.

“ OUCH! You didn’t have to hit me, I was just joking. Taehyung is doing great.”

“...”

“ Alright, alright, he is proceeding at an incredible speed. Understanding the logic of chess and how to play it would take one at least a few days but he managed to learn all of that within one day. He could even be compared to mine… no even I won’t be his opponent if he is nurtured correctly.”

“ …”

Seeing general Kim not utter a word, Jinsung started to agitate, not knowing what was inside her head.

“ General?”

“ Is he really that outstanding?” Jinsung nodded, reconfirming his statement.

“ That boy is becoming more like his father— stubborn yet witty, he even said that he was part of the 8 pawns along with his sisters. If this continues, I believe that he will become the queen, the most important piece to…”

Jinsung then immediately turned his head up to look at general Kim’s figure, who was standing by the spacious window, staring at the bright sunset. He was shocked that Taehyung could even get involved in such a game.

“ General, he won’t be part of it. We will do our absolute best to protect him.” Jinsung then kneeled down on his right knee, bowing to her, showing his definite loyalty.

General Kim, however, does not look at him, her face not showing any emotion.

“ How can I ever guarantee that he will always be under protection? Especially with him being a male in a matriarchal family? When he turns old enough, people would want his hand in marriage to secure ties with our house. Even you know that this is almost impossible. After all, we are only pawns who are loyal to the throne. We cannot rebel because of the oath.”

“ You are right, general but we are only pawns for the citizens. We swore an oath to protect them, not the royal family. Even though we are not able to protect Taehyung forever, it is within our abilities to protect him until he matures enough to stand his own battle.”

Jinsung’s statement made General Kim look at his bowed figure, before she chuckle.

“ I always knew that you and Jinkyu were interesting kids… good, we will train him when he is able to stand on his own. Tell Jinkyu to secretly teach him physical combats, while you teach him chess and military planning.”

Jinsung happily nodded, before doing his last bow before he stand up.

“ Yes, general.”

General Kim nodded and started to leave the room before she halted in her steps, seemingly forgetting to mention something. After a moment, she then turned around, “ Jinsung, let Siwon and Sieun play with Taehyung more openly but make sure that those three are always protected from Minjun and his daughters. “

“ Of course, general.”

Satisfied with his answer, she then turned around and left the room.

“ … you hear that, Jinkyu? You have another disciple to take care of.”

From one of the poles holding the building, a shadow jumped down meeting Jinsung in his spot. The two, surprisingly, looked very similar that if someone were to pass by, they would not be able to differentiate between the two.

“ It’s because of your stupid mouth that I have to train a brat.”

“ If you say that in front of the general, she will kill you.”

“ I’m not saying it in front of her.”

“ You don’t believe that I won’t backstab you and report to her?”

“ She won’t believe you.”

Jinsung sweatdropped at his blunt answer, somewhat understanding where he was coming from.

“ It is her command, you have to do it even if you don’t have to.”

“ Of course, she is my master after all.”

“ … there is a chance that he will be involved so make sure to train him well.”

“ I always train them well when they are in my hands but it’s hard to escape them.”

“ sighs, I know, we were a part of it after all. Two little knights for their little playground.”

“ We are still those piec—“” but just on the opposite side,” Jinsung interrupted, “ Living happily at that.”

“ Mhm”

“ Young master will become a legend.”

“ Let’s see.” The two brothers then looked at the dark sky, each with their own opinion but just about the same person.

♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟

“ I want a rematch!” an annoyed voice yelled out.

“ Admit that you lost already, fourth sister,” Taehyung teased Siwon.

Siwon then stood up from her seat and turned her head arrogantly, “ I did not lose against a brat like you! I just went easy on you since you’re still so young.”

Taehyung giggles before turning his attention towards the other girl, asking her for help.

“ Fifth sister, what do you think? Did she win or did I win.”

Sieun, however, did not dare to look at Taehyung, already knowing that he looking at her with his infamous doe eyes. Sieun sighs at the thought, silently apologizing to Siwon.

“ Fourth sister, you already know that you can’t win against him.”

Siwon then looked at her, bewildered, looking shocked that she took Taehyung’s side but they all knew that none of them could escape Taehyung's cute acts.

“ HAH! I did win!” he cheered, running over to Sieun, “ I knew you would understand me, fifth sister! You are the best!”

Sieun patted his head, and congratulated him while Siwon went back to her previous position, and demanded another round which was wholeheartedly agreed by Taehyung.

*****

From the other side of the pavilion sat both Jinsung and Jinkyu as they were supervising the general’s children.

“ How is he?”

“ What do you mean?”

“ You know what I mean.”

“ …”

“ Aishhh, how is the young master doing with his training.”

“ …”

Jinsung turned to his twin brother, annoyed, “ YAH, an—” “ He is terrible.”

Jinsung then looked over to meet Jinkyu’s eyes, trying to detect if he was saying the truth or just bluffing, “ Are you serious?”

Jinkyu holds his gaze as if to silently challenge the worth of his words, “ What do you think?”

“ sighs, I guess there is no one in this world who is good at everything. Even the young master, who is amazing with strategic planning has a weak point.”

“ The young master is the worst. He can’t even run a lap without quitting and it has been 2 years already.”

“ Don’t be harsh on him, you just need to train him to help strengthen him, he doesn’t need to master it.”

Jinkyu then turned towards Jinsung and denied his suggestion, “ When he’s under my care, he has no choice but to become a master.”

Jinsung could only sigh, deciding that it would waste his time if he were to reject the idea.

“ It’s been two years since I’ve become his master. He will sooner or later surpass me.”

“ That would never happen with me.”

Jinsung then suddenly launched towards Jinkyu, knocking him down before trying to injure him.

“ You damn brat! How dare you be so rude to your older brother? Where is your manners?”

Before Jinkyu could open his mouth to retort, they both heard footsteps coming their way. The brothers turned their head around to see that Taehyung, along with Siwon and Sieun had approached them when they heard a loud sound.

“ Are you okay, master?” Siwon hurriedly asked as she quickly ran to them, attempting to lift Jinsung off her master, “ Jinsung, get off my master!”

“ Fourth miss, what do you mean? This brat is annoying so as a brother, I should help to get rid of that nasty habit.”

“ I don’t care, get off him!”

Jinsung and Siwon continued to argue with each other until Sieun was forced to stop the two, complaining that they were behaving like children which they both denied.

“ What is this commotion?” A sudden voice asked from behind the group.

Taehyung turned around to quiver under his burning gaze while the others stopped what they were doing and properly stood up.

“ You must have misheard something, main husband.” Jinsung said.

“ You think you can lie to me, right hand?”

“ We do not dare.”

“ Hmph,” Minjun then turned his attention to Taehyung, “ Young master, I see that you have grown up very well.”

Taehyung, who was now hiding behind Siwon flinched under his gaze. Too afraid to utter a word.

“ What had caused the main husband to be in the Lily Blossom Pavilion?” Siwon asked.

The main husband then looked at Siwon, before letting out a disgusted expression.

“ Oh… isn’t this one of the backstabbers? Wait where is the other one?”

Minjun began to look around before setting his eyes on Sieun, who was wearing a very ugly expression.

“ Ah there you are. How are you both doing.”

Before Siwon can blow him up, Sieun pulled her back to prevent any physical damage.

“ We have been doing extremely well these past few years? Especially after getting beat up, we have change for the better, right fourth sister?”

Siwon immediately nodded, “ We have become better people and befriended the eight brother.”

“ So you called him eighth brother now?” Minjun amusedly asked, “ I used to remember when you guys were younger, you used to call h—”

Sieun interrupted, knowing what trap he was about to set, “— that was the past, main husband. I prefer that we should forget about the past and move on. If we compared ourselves to you, the main husband was… much worse than us.”

Seeing that Sieun managed to help the memories of such humiliating actions resurface into his conscious mind, the main husband was not very pleased.

“ Good, really good, you dare to even mock me. Fourth and fifth miss, you must remember what you have done today.” He then turned away and walked to the opposite direction of the group.

“ Whew,” the entire group except the youngest slouched their previously tense posture.

Sieun then turned around to look at Taehyung, who was still frozen in his spot. Slowly, taking his little hand and gently caressing them while waiting for him to come back.

“ Taehyung-ah, he’s gone now. It’s safe, older sister promise.”

Slowly but steadily, Taehyung began to relax until he was able to move again.

“ How about we go back now, you look exhausted,” Jinsung suggested.

Taehyung nodded as he rubs his eyes, seemingly becoming sleepier as the moment passes.

“ Jinkyu, carry him.”

Taehyung then let himself be tug onto Jinkyu’s back before the group walk back to Taehyung’s courtyard.

On the way, Siwon suddenly had an excellent idea.

“ Sieun, I should go to the market and buy something for Taehyung.”

Before Sieun could even react to Siwon’s words, Taehyung had yelled out excitedly, “ Fourth sister, are you going outside? I want to go outside! Take me with you.”

“ No you cannot.” Sieun firmly replied.

“ Wh—“ Siwon was about to ask but stopped when she saw three people glaring at her.

“ But I want to go outside. Please, please, please, fourth sister.” Taehyung asked using his infamous bambi eyes, practically begging to allow him to follow her.

“ No, young master,” Jinsung said, “ It’s too dangerous.”

Taehyung pouted, “ It won’t be if the fourth sister is by my side, right fourth sister?”

He then looked over at Siwon but she had decided to look anywhere except him. Taehyung’s irises gloomed down after seeing her reaction but went back to its previous form when he found another solution.

“ I know! Jinkyu can accompany us to prot—“ “ I will not, young master. I am too busy for that.”

The young boy huffed, frustrated with the rejection, “ Fine, if you will not let me then I guess I will have to ask mother.”

The group then returned quietly to the young master’s courtyard, the tension between them and the young master was so tense that no one wanted to utter a word, afraid that it would worsen the situation. Looks like the young master’s mother would be dealing with this matter now.

*****

Later on that night, general Kim and her three children were having a peaceful dinner before Taehyung thought that it would be a good idea to bring up his peculiar request.

“ Mother, may I go outside with my fourth sister tomorrow?”

The seemingly-innocent question made the general stop her from grabbing another piece of vegetable. Setting her pair of chopstick down, she looked over to Taehyung, confused by his sudden request.

“ You want to go outside? Why so suddenly?”

“ I heard that the markets are very fun, with many food stalls and games. OH, there are also many people that I can befriend with, too!”

“ If you want those foods, I will send someone to get them for you. There’s no need for you to go by yourself. It is true that the market is filled by many people, but if you were to get lost in them, what would you do?”

“ I won’t be there by myself! I will go with my fourth sister and Jinkyu.”

“ People know Jinkyu’s face as my left hand, if you were to go with him, they would know your identity.”

Taehyung frowned, “ He can just wear a mask.”

“ Still a no.”

“ Why, mother?”

General Kim sighs, exhausted from her audience with the emperor, “ Do you want me to say it, Taehyung?”

“ Yes,” Taehyung nodded, “ I will try my best to be able to go outside.”

“ You don’t know enough about the outside world to even grasp the most basic concept of it. How do you expect me to let you do outside.”

Not knowing what to say, Taehyung could only try to protest, “ BUT, but, I really want to go outside. Won’t you let me, mother?”

General Kim looked into Taehyung’s curious eyes, before shaking her head, sighing, “ If Jinkyu can approve that you are qualify to go outside then you will be able to go outside.”

Taehyung’s mouth then dropped, “ NO, mother, that would take forever. I am not even able to run a lap after 2 years training with him so how could I? Please, please, please, mother. I want to go outside.”

Taehyung the jumped down from his spot before waddling his way over to his mother’s spot, arms wrapped around her right bicep, begging her for permission.

“ NO,” general Kim firmly answered.

Frustrated, Taehyung released her bicep before angrily stomping his feet, “ I HATE YOU MOTHER! YOU NEVER LET ME DO ANYTHING FUN! IT’S ALWAYS STUDY AND TRAINING. I HATE YOU!”

After his rant, Taehyung then left the dining room and ran back to his room while the rest were just frozen in their spot, shocked at the young master’s words.

General Kim then sighed before standing up and left the room along with Jinsung and Jinkyu. After that, the rest began to leave until no one was left there, too stunned to even comprehend that the food was yet to be taken down to the kitchen.

*****

“ Jinsung, was I too rough with him?”

“ No, general. He was so used to you spoiling him tha I believe that denying him of one of them is necessary. Besides, going outside is too dangerous for someone as young and inexperienced as him.”

General Kim could only nod, not knowing what to say.

“ I’m afraid that I won’t be able to apologize to him.”

It was now Jinsung and Jinkyu’s turn to be confused.

“ Why is that, general?” Jinkyu asked.

General Kim stood up from her spot before walking over to the window, silently admiring the moonlight.

“ During today’s audience, his majesty had announce that every general will have to go to the south to help with the ongoing battle.”

“ WHAT!” Jinsung yelled out.

“ How could he do that? It’s too risky,” Jinkyu added.

“ I have no choice but to leave tomorrow.”

“ So soon? Is he crazy?”

“ Careful, Jinkyu. You can get your head chop off if anyone were to hear.”

“ Will you go, general?”

“ Of course, I have to after all.”

“ You don’t have to, my general.”

“ I don’t but if I were to deny it, Byungseok would also deny it. Other ministers would start to get more suspicious, it will be too much of a problem. Besides, we are just play toys. Just two little rooks that could easily be replaced by someone else.”

Jinkyu immediately denies her claims, “ General, you are wrong. Right now, you are one of the strongest pieces on the board, against the king, himself. You cannot be replace by just anyone.”    

General Kim chuckled, hearing his almost immediate response, “ You’ve mature, Jinkyu. Both of you have grown so much that if I were to not be here, I would not be able to recognize the two of you.”

“ We’ve matured because of your care. You’re our savior and we swore our absolute loyalty to you because of that.”

“ Yes, without you, we would probably be dead that night,” Jinkyu added.

General Kim shook her head, “ You both have done too much, there’s not much more to do except the last few steps and we will be done.”

“ Even when we have accomplished our goal, we will still follow you, general.”

General Kim turned around and faced them fully, observing their body language before letting out a proud smile.

“ Fine, you both better stay true to your words.”

The two nodded before kneeling down, “ We will accompany you until we are unable to. Even then, our loyalty will still be yours.”

“ Sounds like you guys are courting me,” she laughs, “ Remember what you have say today. Now go and pack up, we have a lot of things to deal with.”

The pair quickly stood up before running out of the room, getting ready for tomorrow’s trip.

“  They never really change right? Right?”

General Kim then made her way back to the table, before pouring herself a cup of tea. The tea was now lukewarm yet she still found it tasty. Setting the glass cup down, she made her way out of the room and left.

“ Taehyung-ah, mother is sorry. Mother won’t be there for you anymore. Mother hope you will be able to grow up safely and happily.”

*****

As the sun started to creep up on the horizon, Taehyung found himself unable to fall asleep. All night long, his body was constantly in discomfort and itches causing him to create some rashes along his arms. He did not know why this was happening to him until his nanny came running into his room.

“ YOUNG MASTER, YOUNG MASTER, quick get change!”

“ Nanny? Why are you yelling? It’s still early in the morning.”

As the old woman bounced around the room trying to find an appropriate attire for him to wear, she announced, “ General will be leaving soon, you must greet her before she goes.”

As the mentioned of the general, Taehyung huffed and denied to go meet her, “ If mother needs to go, then she will go. There is no need for me to go and greet her.”

The nanny stopped herself when she heard the young master’s odd words. The nanny was unable to comprehend what he means? Doesn’t he adore his mother that when she has to go to the palace for her weekly audience, he would whine and cry, begging for her not to leave?

The nanny dropped multiple articles of clothing that was previously in her hand before running over to the young master. She then proceeded to set her hand on his forehead, trying to examine if he was ill or not.

“ Young master, are you ill?”

Taehyung quickly shook his head, pulling the nanny’s desperate arms off him.

“ I am fine, great at that! I will not greet mother, end of discussion.”

The distressed nanny sighed, knowing that it was not her position to yell at him.

“ Young master, the general will be gone for a very long time. If you don’t greet her now, you will regret it.”

Yet, Taehyung only huffed and ignored her. Not knowing that his rash decision would make him regret for his entire life and even beyond that.

*****

Six months have now past since the day the general has left. Taehyung was now starting to feel the regret of now greeting her but was too prideful to say anything. He was also starting to get anxious if his mother was safe or not.

“ Fourth miss and fifth miss! I received a letter from the general’s camp!” A maid announced, running towards the group with a letter in hand.

Sieun quickly stood up and the maid immediately handed her the letter. She then hurriedly opened the letter and read its content. Unexpectedly, she dropped the slip a few moments after, her face showcased a horrified expression.

Seeing how shocked Sieun was, Siwon rooked over the role and read the slip. It says,

The battle against the Ryrgs is proceeding extremely well and we currently have the upper hand. Unfortunately, during the last battle, we had some major fatalities. 200 soldiers had died along with some commanders. Within them General Kim and her left and right hands were included. They had died trying to defend the camps and were killed by a spy that had managed to enter our camps. As one of the commanders, we were unable to save them. They all had made great contributions to the nation and will forever be honoured.

Commander Park Jaekyun

By the end of it, the group was stunned from the unexpected news.

Sieun was the first to come back and quickly commanded the maid to inform everyone in the house of the general’s passing.

Taehyung, who had not uttered a single word, was impacted the most. He was the general’s only son and was the most treasured by her but what did he do? Ignore her when she could possibly not come back.

“ MOTHER! MOTHER! Taehyung is sorry, Taehyung is sorry. I won’t disobey you again. I will not be a bad son! COME BACK, MOTHER!” He yelled out before he ran towards the door with Siwon and Sieun behind, chasing after him.

“ Taehyung!” Both of them yelled.

Taehyung, who has tears running down his cheeks by now, did not hear them as he continued to run towards whatever direction. Because of his weak physique, Siwon quickly caught up with him before capturing him into a tight embrace.

“ Taehyung, it’s alright, we are still here.”

“ Mother is gone now. It was because of me! IT WAS MY FAULT THAT S-S-SHE…”

“ NO! It was not your fault that she passed away. She died on the battlefield, Taehyung. It wasn’t your fault,” Sieun quickly intervened.

Taehyung, however, continued to cry in Siwon’s embrace, unable to comprehend Sieun’s words amidst the moment.

The two sisters did not know how to comfort the boy but before they could do such things, all Taehyung could see was red.

In front of him were his fourth and fifth sister lying on the floor, each with an arrow penetrated in their backs.

Terrified, Taehyung could only freeze in his spot on the floor. Apparently, he was knocked onto the floor when the impact on the arrow caused Siwon to release him.

“ The traitor’s daughters are here.” A familiar voice said.

Taehyung looked over to the voice to see a crowd of guards that was lead by the main husband.

“ Main husband,” he whispered out, shock.

“ Ah, young master, … no I should say Taehyung, how are you?”

Minjun’s eyes were somehow red and had a bloodlust that Taehyung had never experienced.

“ …”

Minjun then turned towards the guards before motioning them to come over. The soldiers then quickly ran over and picked up the fourth and fifth miss’ lifeless bodies.

“ Main husband, what about this little boy?”

“ You can leave him, I will deal with him on my own.”

“ Yes, main husband.”

As they were carried, Siwon managed to insult Minjun one last time.

“ You will pay for this, you whore!”

“ Of course.”

After all the guards had left, Minjun and Taehyung were the only ones left.

“ Taehyung, do you know why I despise you so much?”

Taehyung was now too terrified to even answer, unable to keep his gaze away from Minjun’s burning eyes.

“ It all started with your damn father, he was just a commoner but he managed to even capture the general’s heart. How he did it, I will never understand.”

Minjun began to walk towards Taehyung, his steps were silent yet powerful.

“ When the general and I had three daughters, I thought that she would finally look at me but no. She continued to look at that whore like he was the best thing that came into her life. I understand that we were tied because of a political reason but she could have been more courteous and showed me some face.”

Minjun’s expression surprisingly saddens when he talks about those memories.

“ I decided that I won’t harm him if the general at least shows my children some affection. That was what happened for some time until she had you! Your damn father had died during the process but she still managed to keep you. After your birth, you became her most treasured child.”

His steps were now much harsher as it landed on the ground.

“ Just like your father, you managed to woo the general and left the rest of us desperate for her affections. YOU GREEDY BRAT! YOU CAUSED ME AND MY CHILDREN TO SUFFER FROM HUMILIATION! Do you even understand how humiliating it was, you brat!”

Taehyung, still on the ground, was now crying as he continues to plead for forgiveness.

“ But now it’s all good, the general is gone now so no one will be able to protect you. My eldest will inherit the position as the head of the house and no one will be able to bully us again.”

By now, Minjun had finally reached Taehyung. He then kneeled down and took Taehyung’s face into his grasp, tilting his chin for him to look up into his eyes properly.

“ You will become our slave and serve us for the rest of your life. You will suffer humiliation and pay for what you and your father had done to us.”

“ I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Taehyung continued chanting yet Minjun was unfazed by it.

“ Welcome to your new life, Taehyung. A little queen that has been captured.”

♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟

“ You damn brat! Do something right for once!” Sooyoung yelled while continued to kick the frail body of a servant.

“ Sooyoung, you shouldn’t kick his body like that. If you managed to injure him, he would not be able to serve us.”

“ HMPH!” Sooyoung let out before walking back to her original seat.

“ Taehyung, you may leave.” Seoyoon said.

Taehyung then gently lifted his limp body up, one hand instinctively shielded his stomach before bowing to them and left.

“ Second sister, you ruined the fun. I was going to beat him up until he couldn’t even stand.”

Seoyoon scoffed, “ For what? You’re going to beat him up like 6 years ago. He could barely even work for us and had to heal for a month.”

“ Unnie, he’s older now, stronger than when he was 7.”

Seoyoon then hit Sooyoung’s head using her knuckles, “ With how much you beat the boy, it most likely will be the opposite. He’s probably a child in an old man’s crooked body.”

“ OUCH! But he just annoys me whenever he is nearby! How can I prevent myself when there is a delicious prey in front of me, literally waiting for me to conquer?”

Seoyoon sighed, and continued to drink her tea, too tired to talk back with her younger sister.

*****

As Taehyung continued to make his way back to his shared room, he began to hear the same old words from the other maids again.

“ So filthy!”

“ Was he really the young master?”

“ He deserved it! A spoiled brat should understand how we commoners live.”

At the beginning, he would constantly stand up and defend himself but that only resulted in more humiliation and even getting beat up. 4 years later, he knew better than to just speak out.

Finally arriving at his shared quarters, he unexpectedly got a surprise visitor.

“ Nanny? What are you doing here?”

Sitting on his bed was his nanny that had helped nurtured him before the incident. Taehyung ran towards her and captured her into a tight hug.

“ Oh, young master I have finally found you!” The nanny hushed out, “ Oh, young master! Why are you so thin?”

Taehyung ignored her questions and continued to hug her, “ Nanny where were you?”

At his question, the nanny only sighed and patted his head.

“ Young master, I apologized that I wasn’t there when you needed me the most. After the main husband got notified that the general had passed, he immediately sent me to another place to work. Over the years, I had tried to sneak into the main house to help you but I couldn’t. I finally managed to sneak in after so long but we need to hurry.”

Taehyung then let go of her, confused at what she was hinting.

“ What do you mean, nanny?”

“ Young master, there is a secret that the general and her right and left hand have always kept hidden. Only people that are involved in it know. When she first had you, she never wanted you to find out as it would cause you to be in danger. She knew that the moment you are announced, many eyes will constantly be on you so she was very protected by you.”

“ What do you mean, nanny?” Taehyung grasps his nanny’s hand and held them tightly, “ What was my mother involved in?”

The nanny then quickly stood up before opening the door and peeked her head out, looking to see if anyone was around. After making sure that no one was, she then proceeded to close the door and returned to her previous spot.

“ Young master, you must not tell anyone,” the nanny then leaned into Taehyung’s ear and whispered, “ We are a part of the Scarlet Phoenix organization.”

Taehyung looked at his nanny in disbelief, “ No, you must be lying. My mother has always been loyal to the nation that she won’t be a part of an organisation of another nation.”

“ No, young master you are wrong. The Scarlet Phoenix is not a rebellion group, they are much more than that. The organization has at least a branch in every country but not many know that. For example, our clan is one of the branches of Corea.”

With the added information, taehyung was even more confused, “ If we are the one of the branches of the organization, then does that mean that Seolhee is the head?”

“ No, of course not, young master. Minjun was married into our family because of a political marriage. Except for him and your father, everyone is a part of the organization here.”

“ My father wasn’t a part of it?”

“ Yes, young master. He was a commoner that the general had fallen in love with. He is also should have been name main husband.”

“ Then if it was like that, then why did Minjun…”

“ He became the main husband because of his majesty’s direct command. He was also the only one that had children with your mother except for your father.”

“ … you mean that except for the three eldest, the rest are not my sisters?”

“ Yes, young master. They are your cousins that have been brought from your mother’s side to make it easier for interacting with each other. Their ‘fathers’ are also a part of the organization and have been secretly working with them. Unfortunately, the fourth and fifth miss’ got exposed and was… disposed of.”

“ If they were part of it, why did they not tell me?”

The nanny then stroked his head, trying to comfort him.

“ I know that this is a lot of many but you were too young to be exposed to it.”

“ So I’m old enough now?”

“ No, my little master. It’s just that I am not sure if there will be any opportunities to escape in the future.”

“ Escape?”

She excitedly nodded, “ Yes escape, young master. You will be able to be free from the main husband.”

“ How?”

“ Listen to me, young master. Today next month, a group from the organization will arrive in Corea. I have already sent them a message that you will be waiting for them near the river. You just have to find a way to go there before the moon is at its peak, and they will help you.”

“ … you will not be going?” He asked, looking into his nanny’s eyes, desperately finding any trace that could tell him the opposite.

“ My little master, this nanny is too old to do that. Besides I need to be here when the time comes when one of the other miss takes the head role.”

“ I don’t understand. No… I don’t want to know. Will we ever meet again when I have to escape, nanny?”

She sighs, not knowing what to say except for a hesitant nod.

Seeing how uncertain she was, Taehyung could only stay silent, trying to absorb all the information that was given to him.

“ I understand, nanny. I will go.”

The nanny perked up at his decision, glad that he had decided to escape.

“ Young master, I’m glad that you have made this choice. There is not much time left before someone would grow suspicious of my missing presence so I will leave now.”

Taehyung nodded, not looking at her, knowing that if he were to see her leave, he would not be able to let her leave.

Before she left, the nanny looked into his eyes.

“ Young master, you must know that even if your loved ones have left you, they will always be in your heart,” she then motioned to his chest, “ When you get there, make sure to train hard and become someone outstanding, alright?”

After she said that, Taehyung could then see her figure leave the room before falling on top of his bed, exhausted of the recent events. After a few moments, he fell asleep in the same position.

*****

A month quickly passed by with Taehyung’s usual routine; wake up, work, get beat up, work, get yelled at, work, eat, and sleep.

The day before the grand escape, he got beaten up quite badly that he was unable to work properly. Of course it was by the hand Sooyoung, who had vented her anger because one of the maids had ‘accidentally’ destroyed her precious vase that was given by her lover.

Unfortunately, the maid knew that Sooyougn especially has a distinct distaste towards him so they blamed them.

“ You damn brat, you’ve done nothing helpful in this house yet you even dare to destroy my stuff?”

“Oof!” He called out on a partially sharp hit to his stomach. That would probably take a few days to heal.

The treatment continues Seoyoon had to intervene, claiming that it was enough. For him, Seoyoon was a very neutral person. He didn’t know if he should hate or like her. She was always the one to intervene when Soonyoung decided to beat her up, yet she always chose to stand by when others bully him so he doesn’t really know her true intentions with him.

“ HMPH! Because of my second sister I will let you go, if you repeat the same mistake then don’t think I will repeat mine! NOW GO!”

Taehyung hurriedly pushed himself up despite his obvious injuries and ran out the door.

“ Just another day, just another day, just another day,” he tiredly muttered.

“ Just another what?” A voice behind him asked.

“AH!”

Turning around, he was met with a pair of amber eyes looking down at him.

“ Sixth miss! Pardon me, I d—“

“ You don’t need to be that formal, come with me. Looks like you got beaten up quite a bit.”

If he didn’t know about the organization and how many people were involved in it, he would not do something so rash. But because he trust his nanny, he decided to follow Siyeon.

The two walked in silence to Siyeon’s room, not knowing how to start a conversation with each other as they have never been close.

When they arrived at her courtyard, Taehyung was invited for a cup of tea offered by the miss herself.

“ There aren’t much servants here.”

“ We prefer little to none as it becomes quite difficult to gather and plan when there might be a potential spy,” Siyeon nonchalantly answered as she brought out a medical kit from within her room.

“ You know how to disinfect wounds?”

“ Are you that surprised?”

Taehyung quickly shook his head, trying to not offend her.

“ No, of course not. I just didn’t expect you to be knowledgeable with medicinal herbs”

“ You don’t know a lot about our organization. Nanny must be in a hurry and didn’t explain it to you.”

“ Explain them to me, then.”

Siyeon chuckled, “ Such a curious child… the Scarlet Phoenix organization is infamous for its skills in a wide range of aspects. From medical to physical, financial to materialistic items, the Scarlet Phoenix is at the top of the rank. As long as their customer has a good enough currency to exchange for our service, we will literally do anything.”

Using tweezers to grab a disinfectant cotton ball, she skillfully dabbed them onto Taehyung’s minor wounds.

“ Like many other members, we are born into a family that is part of the organization. As a result, we are trained about a specific skill starting at a very young age.”

“ If you say it like that then shouldn’t I also be trained at a specific skill?”

Siyeon looked up at him, before pointing her pointer finger against his forehead.

“ Taehyung, you have been training ever since you were 5. Starting with chess, you were already training with your logical mindset. Seeing how much talent that was hidden in your tiny little body, the general must have seen that and told Jinsung to train you. He frequently notified me about your progress and I’m truly impressed with your talent.”

Met with an unexpected compliment, Taehyung could feel his cheek slowly turn crimson.

“ When you reach a certain level, you will be able to take missions.”

“ Missions? Have you ever done them?”

“ Yes, Taehyung, I have. Countless, even. I accomplished my very first mission when I was 13, just around your age. Siwon, Sieun, Sora and I became a group that very day also.”

At the mention of their names, Taehyung’s expression saddens.

“ I’m sorry, it was my fault that they are not here anymore. I’m so—”

Taehyung’s words were interrupted by a pat on the head.

“ You don’t have to apologize, they died during a mission in which they understood the risks very clearly. Instead, I should apologize to you for not being there when you needed me.”

Taehyung quickly shook his head.

“ No I understand that you didn’t have a choice.”

“ I’m happy that you can forgive me.”

Siyeon then came closer to him and gave him a hug, avoiding the bruise on his stomach.

“ Alright, now let me apply some medicine on your bruise to hopefully make tomorrow’s plan easier for you.”

“ You know about the plan?”

“ Of course, Sora and I are in charge of it after all so you won’t have to go alone.”

“ Really? You would do that?”

Siyeon happily nodded, “ Of course, just think of it as a way to compensate you for our negligence these years.”

“ Mhm.”

“ Listen to me, Taehyung.” Siyeon crouched down to look into his eyes, “ When you are dismissed from your duties tomorrow, immediately go back to your room. Make sure that no one is suspicious of your doings and start packing your belongings. Only bring things that you absolutely need, make it as light as possible. After that, quickly run to my courtyard but make sure that no one is following you. We will be waiting for you here.”

Taehyung nodded, determined to escape.

“ We will then help you go to the destination where the people from the main branch will pick you up. After that, it is up to you to train hard. Maybe in the future we would be able to meet each other again.”

Taehyung this time, however, did not reply and the two spent the rest of their time in Siyeon’s room in silence. After Siyeon finally finished disinfecting his wound, she lead him to the entrance of her courtyard and bid him goodbye.

After he left, she sighs, “ Please, let tomorrow go smoothly.”

*****

“ You are dismissed, Taehyung.” The head maid said.

Taehyung then thanked her before making his way back to his quarter and started packing.

Initially, he had very limited belongings but after he finished packing up, he barely has anything in his luggage. Before another person entered the room, he quickly exited the room after rearranging his bed to how they were before he had entered. He then secretly made his way over to Siyeon’s courtyard as promised.

When he got there, he saw both Siyeon and Sora were both present. They were sitting on the table near the entrance, drinking tea and acting like everything was normal.

The moment they saw Taehyung, the two quickly led Taehyung to Siyeon’s private quarter.

“ … wow…” Taehyung uttered out as soon as he entered Siyeon’s quarter.

There were weapons of many kinds displayed on the walls as a map was placed on the table in the centre. This was not what he expected.

“ It’s not what you expected?” Sora asked.

“ Mhm.”

“ Come, Taehyung. You can’t wear that when escaping.” Siyeon said motioning at his outfit.

Taehyung was currently wearing a servant’s clothing which was quite bright in color and will be easy to spot out. He walked over to where Siyeon was which was in front of a massive closet. Siyeon then proceeded to take out a black cloak and told him to wear it.

“ I don’t think you will be able to fit any of these so just a cloak will do.”

After getting it on, Siyeon and Sora did the same, wearing similar cloaks that hid their figure and face.

After that, the trio hurriedly ran out through the back door to avoid anyone possibly seeing them leave. They all knew that there was a time limit until someone has notify the head that one of the servants was missing. Especially if it is Taehyung, they will immediately start their search right away.

As Sora carried Taehyung on his back, his anxiety started to overwhelm at the thought of getting caught. Gripping on to her cloak tightly, he prayed that he would safely escape.

The closer they are to the river, the faster his heart beats, scared that he would be caught.

“ It will be alright, we’re almost there.” Sora whispered, feeling how fast his heart was beating.

Not knowing what to say, Taehyung could only nod.

However, the exact scenario happened to them as soon as they reached the river. A group of guards had surrounded them, their weapons unsheathe and ready to attack.

“ We were waiting for you, sixth and seven miss.” Minjun greeted from behind the guards.

“ Took you long enough.” Sooyoung said, standing with her father and sisters.

Siyeon looked at them and the guards around them, trying to prolong their time.

“ What do you want?”

“ What do I want? I want that boy… no I want to finish all of you.”

“ Why?”

“ Are you really asking me that sixth sister? You are a traitor by being a part of a rebellion organization. It is my job as a minister to help get rid of any threats.” The current head of the clan answered.

Sora smirked, “ Soonyi, you finally decided to appear. It’s been a while since we have met. Can you still beat me?”

“ Me beating you or not does not matter. What matters now is that I am a minister and head and you are neither.”

“ Really? If I remember correctly you can barely even understand politics, how did you even get that position when you were 20? I bet you are still unable to fully understand what politics truly mean.”

“ YOU Dare to mock me? I might not be smart and talented as you but my family is much more powerful than yours. Besides, mine is loyal to the Min unlike you.”

“ I don’t fucking care about those damn royals. I will never ever be loyal to a family that kills and uses dirty tricks to win a battle.”

“ Good, good, Sora. GUARDS, ARREST THEM!”

Immediately after Soonyi’s command, dozens of guards from all sides rushed towards the trio. Sora and Siyeon then unsheathe their weapons and the fight begins.

“ YAH!” A guard yells behind Sora, aiming to slash Taehyung to distract her.

“ You damn guard, don’t you dare injure that child!” the main husbands yelled out.

Fortunately Siyeon managed to spot the guard and quickly threw multiple needles towards him, killing him on the spot.

Siyeon and Sora then looked at each other before moving towards each other until Taehyung and Siyeon’s touched each other.

“ We need to lengthen the time, the moon is almost at its peak.” Siyeon whispered.

Sora nodded while Taehyung was desperately clutching Sora’s body, his face covered by the cloak and hidden in her neck.

Siyeon kicked the guard near her, opening a space for them to move forward. The two sisters continued to fight, not breaking their formation. It was until one of the guards managed to slash Someone's right arm that they broke.

“Gah!” Siyeon yelled out after the guard had managed to injure her. She was about to fall from the impact but was quickly pulled towards Sora for balance.

“ You alright?.”

Siyeon gritted her teeth and nodded as she continued to attack the guards.

“ How much longer?”

Taking a look at the moon as she managed to slash another guard’s chest, she answered, “ A little bit more. Hang on.”

“ Mhm.”

They continued for what seem like hours, each slowly getting more injuries until they were no longer able to fight any longer.

“ Do you admit defeat?” Soonyi asked as she tightly gripped Sora’s hair, tilting them to get her to meet her gaze.

“ Never!”

“ Hmm, you are so close to death’s door but still struggling. Why do you have that much motivation?”

Sora did not answer but only spit at her.

“ YOU DARE!” Soonyi yelled out as she wiped her face disgustingly, “ Fine if you really want to die, I will do you a favour. But not after killing him.”

Knowing who she was referring to, Sora let out a threatening growl.

“ Don’t you dare!”

Seeing how affected she is, Soonyi continued to tease her, “ Why can’t I? Especially when he had ruined my childhood. Because of him, mother began to disfavour me until she no longer cared about me. I was only able to become the head because of her sudden accident. Ah, how coincident, just when I wanted to be the head.”

Soonyi then walked over to Taehyung, who was now lying on the floor. Grabbing a guard’s sword, she slowly raised her arm up.

“ Soonyi! Don’t you dare! You must let him live!” her father yelled out.

Rolling her eyes, she turned around, annoyed by him interrupting her playtime.

“ Father, you have no right to control me.”

Minjun, angered by his daughter’s arrogant answer, lifted his hand and pointed at her.

“ You unfilial daughter! How dare you disobey your father!”

Soonyi, however, ignored his words and turned around.

“ Guards, the main husband is exhausted from today’s event. Escort him back and do not let him leave.”

Some guards began to approach Minjun’s direction before grabbing him and dragging him away.

“ How dare you filthy servant touch me! Seoyoon, Sooyoung! Why aren’t you helping me? HELP ME!”

The two mentioned daughters ignored him as they made their way to their eldest sister.

“ Eldest sister, continue.”

Soonyi once again lifted her arm along with the sword and let it fall with gravity.

Unexpectedly, before it can reach the boy, a powerful force penetrated her arm.

“ GAH!”

The two other sisters turned around, alarmed at whoever just attacked Soonyi.

“ Who?”

Behind the cherry blossom tree nearby then walked out a figure.

“ I didn’t know that this was a part of this escort.”

“ Me too,” another voice said as he slowly brought out multiple figures that all of them were able to recognize. It was the guards that had escorted the main husband not long ago.

“ Gosh, you guys are a mess, Windflower, Black Wolf.”

“ You are finally here, Phoenix.”

“ Of course, I’m always on time.”

“ Doesn’t hurt if you arrive a bit earlier,” Sora said.

“ Hush, let us deal with this and we’ll talk later,” Phoenix said as they turned their attention towards the crowd. Skillfully they began to skillfully finish all of them with the help of Bear.

“ YOU CAN’T KILL ME! I HAVE VALUABLE INFORMAitON tHAT CAN be USEFUL! PLEASE, DON’T KILL ME!” Seoyoon cried out as she saw Phoenix moving towards her.

“ Boring,” they said before slashing her.

“ Is that it?” Bear asked, looking around.

“ That must be it. They probably did not expect reinforcement would come and help. Such stupid people.”

“ … Phoenix, that’s the boy you need to escort.” Siyeon said pointing at Taehyung.

“ This is Taehyung? Are you sure he’s 13? He looks like a baby… nevermind, Bear, Panther, go and help them get back to their quarters. I’ll escort this little guy here,” Y/N said, “ you guys are lucky, having the chance to be escorted by the two bishops. 

Phoenix then crouched down and faced Taehyung, smiling at him to try and comfort the terrified boy.

“ Hi, Taehyung. I’m Y/N but use Phoenix for now, alright?”

Taehyung nodded. If his sisters trusted you, then he will trust you as well. Grabbing your offered hand, he stood up and patted his clothes.

“ Taehyung, your mother has told us how talented you are. We are willing to offer you a spot and help train you. After you have finish training, you will forever be part of us and never betray us, alright?”

“ My mother told you about me?”

“ Mhm, she told me very wonderful things about you.”

“ Really? But she is gone now, how can she guarantee that I am that talented?”

“ She is… was the infamous General of the Wind, I believe that she has enough nights that she can differentiate who is special and who isn’t, Taehyung.”

“ Was… my mother there a lot? The main branch I mean.”

“ Aside from her home, she probably is there the most. Just seeing you now, I can understand why your mother assigned you queen.”

“ Queen?” Taehyung asked, curious, “ What do you mean?”

“ Ah, it’s a tradition for an older family member to name our alias. Mine was given by my mother. Your mother has decided that yours will be Queen. Just like the most valuable piece in chess.”

“ Haha, that sounds like mother.”

“ Of course. Oh! Before she left last time, she gave me a letter that was meant for you.”

Taehyung looked up to gaze at Y/N’s eyes, surprised

“ Really?”

“ Mhm so let’s quickly go back and ready it, shall we?”

Taehyung excitedly nodded and pulled Y/N towards the direction of the sunrise.

♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟

“ Taehyung? Are you ready?” Y/N asked him, entering his room.

“ Mhm. I’m ready.” He said, pulling Y/N out of his room and ran down the stairs, pulling them with him.

“ You look excited.”

Taehyung then pouted, “ You know why, Y/N. Don’t act why?”

“ I know? Really? Wait let me see…” Y/N said, pretending to think.

“ Aish, how can you forget such an important day? Today is the day where I get my first mission!”

“ AHAH!” Y/N sarcastically yelled out, keen on teasing the hell out of their junior.

“ Don’t you dare, Y/N!” He said chasing them.

“ Don’t be hasty, little junior. As your senior, you need to respect me.” Y/N sassily said, pointing their finger towards Taehyung.

Taehyung rolls his eyes, “ If you are my senior, act like one. No senior would forget their junior’s first mission day.”

“ OH! You will be surprise of how many people have done that.”

Instead of answering, Taehyung only pouted, obviously sulking that he was never going to win their little competition.

Y/N then walked towards the door and offered him their hand, “ Come now, Queen. You have a busy day in front of you. Don’t want you to be late now do we?”

Taehyung then happily nodded, grabbing onto their hand, the pair made their way out of the building to their first ever mission together.

At that moment, Taehyung was unlike the past. Instead of being a pawn, he had become a knowledgeable queen who is worthy of respect, alongside him is a king then cannot be captured and will always be there for him.

Copyright © 2021 MintVender

All rights reserved. 

[cypher2]

Judge Favors USWNT in Class Certification Ruling, but U.S. Soccer Maintains Defenses in Equal Pay Case

In an important pretrial victory for the U.S. women's national team players who are suing U.S. Soccer for pay equity, U.S. District Judge Gary Klausner on Friday certified their case as a class action. In addition, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn and Carli Lloyd were officially appointed as class representatives.

In perhaps a preview of what’s to come, the federal judge also forcefully rejected legal arguments raised by U.S. Soccer while signaling that the players’ case appears to be strong.

The players proposed three classes. Here's a closer look at what they mean and what the overall ruling means in the bigger picture:

The Injunctive relief class

The first proposed class includes all USWNT players who will be on the team at whatever date the litigation ultimately ends. With potential appeals, the case could conceivably last until 2022 or 2023. While some of the current players will remain on the team at that point, others will have been replaced.

The injunctive relief class will benefit from any court order requiring U.S. Soccer to change its method of pay. This class is not about receiving monetary damages for past wrongs. It’s instead about equitable or injunctive relief, meaning an order to change rules going forward.

Back pay and punitive damages class

The second proposed class includes all USWNT players who have been members of the team at any time from Feb. 4, 2015, through the date of class certification, which is now Nov. 8, 2019. This class would receive any monetary damages ordered by the court should the players prevail in arguing that U.S. Soccer violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Title VII forbids employers from paying employees less on account of their gender. If the players prove that U.S. Soccer broke the law, players in this class would likely be owed “back pay”, meaning compensation they would have earned had U.S. Soccer complied with the law. These players would also receive any damages imposed on U.S. Soccer as a form of punishment (punitive damages).

Fair Labor Standards Act compensation class

The third proposed class includes all USWNT players who have been members of the team at any time from March 8, 2016, to the present. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a comprehensive federal law governing wages. It includes the Equal Pay Act, which is a key area of law for the players. Like Title VII, the Equal Pay Act makes it illegal for employers to discriminate employees’ pay on the basis of gender, among other demographic characteristics.

Players’ class certification arguments clearly convince the court

Judge Klausner, who earned a Bronze Star for his service as a United States Army captain in the Vietnam War and whom President George W. Bush nominated to the bench in 2002, approved all three of the proposed classes.

To reach that determination, the judge had to determine if each of the three classes met four criteria:

1. The proposed class is so numerous that joinder (joining individual claims) of all members would be impracticable.

2. There are questions of law or fact common to the proposed class.

3. The claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the proposed class.

4. The representatives would fairly and adequately protect the interest of the proposed class.

In assessing those criteria, Judge Klausner found ample reasons to support the players’ reasoning.

For instance, Judge Klausner’s written order stresses that the players “have offered evidentiary proof that they had they been paid on the same terms as [the men’s players], they would have earned more money per game and, as a result, more money per year.” In other words, the judge regards the players’ core contention—that they have been illegally paid less than men—to be based on fact and data rather than supposition or suspicion. That doesn’t mean the players have proven their case. As noted below, a jury trial would determine whether or not the law was broken. Still, Judge Klausner clearly sees the players as offering a logical argument grounded in reality.

In that same vein, the judge maintains that the players “have established a likelihood that they will again be wronged in a similar way.” This means there is a potential for repeat harm in the future: if U.S. Soccer broke the law in how they paid the players, that is likely to happen again in the future unless a court stops it.

Judge Klausner also bluntly rejects certain defenses raised by U.S. Soccer. For instance, U.S. Soccer maintains that Morgan, Rapinoe, Lloyd and Sauerbrunn have all been paid more than the highest earning U.S. men's players. Judge Klausner dismisses that possibility as irrelevant in terms of whether U.S. Soccer violated Title VII or the Equal Pay Act.

Indeed, in a sharp critique, Judge Klausner highlights that U.S. Soccer “cites no case law to support this premise.” He also underscores that other courts have “explicitly rejected this argument.” To cement the point, the judge writes that it would be an “absurd result” if women could only negate “obvious disparity” in pay by working twice as many hours.

Judge Klausner also places emphasis on the fact that the players’ alleged injuries go beyond pay. The players maintain that U.S. Soccer has treated them like second-class citizens compared to the men’s players. The women players contend they have been subjected to “unequal working conditions,” including playing on inferior and less-safe surfaces and traveling less often on chartered flights.

Judge Klausner’s order also blasts U.S. Soccer for equating conjecture with legal reasoning. Specifically, the judge takes issue with U.S. Soccer suggesting that more established players on the team might be inclined “to prioritize monetary and injunctive relief that is more favorable to them than to junior, non-contracted players.” Judge Klausner emphasizes that U.S. Soccer has offered no evidence backing up this “speculation” and that courts do “not favor denial class certification on the basis of speculative conflicts.”

Class certification is important, because it ensures that the litigation involves more plaintiffs than are currently listed in the case. The case now represents classes of former, current and future players (they can opt out of the classes and pursue their own cases against U.S. Soccer, but that is unlikely to happen). If the case proves successful at trial, class certification would likely require U.S. Soccer to pay more in monetary damages.

Morgan, Rapinoe, Lloyd and Sauerbrunn have also been designated as class representatives. This means Judge Klausner did not find their positions or backgrounds to contain any relevant conflicts of interest. As class representatives, the four will be obligated to ethically represent everyone in the three classes and also be expected to play active roles in the litigation.

This doesn't spell the end for U.S. Soccer's defense

The players defeating U.S. Soccer on the issue of class certification does not mean that the players will necessarily prevail in a trial. Judge Klausner’s focus was not on whether U.S. Soccer broke the law but rather on whether the players offered sufficiently convincing arguments for purpose of class certification. Those are two different legal considerations and could yield opposite results.

To that point, U.S. Soccer’s core defenses—which include that the players’ own union negotiated the pay policies at the heart of their complaint—remain available. It would be possible for the players to win on class certification and for U.S. Soccer to prevail in a trial. The fact that women players earn less than men counterparts does not, by itself, prove that U.S. Soccer broke the law. In a trial, U.S. Soccer would repeatedly frame pay differences as reflecting calculated and lawful choices by the respective unions for the women and men, with the former securing more guaranteed pay with less upside and the latter obtaining fewer salary guarantees and more lucrative bonuses.

Moreover, even if Judge Klausner is skeptical of some of U.S. Soccer’s defenses, it remains to be seen how jurors would react to competing arguments during a trial. In their complaint filed back in March, the players demanded a jury trial. Jurors, then, would determine whether U.S. Soccer violated the law. A trial would also feature witnesses and the presentation of evidence—the dynamic would be very different than what has occurred to date (that is, pretrial document filings and accompanying hearings).

Still, U.S. Soccer has reason to be concerned that the presiding judge appears supportive of the players’ position. This could motivate U.S. Soccer to offer more favorable settlement terms to the players. The parties have six months to negotiate before a trial starts. Chances are, they’ll strike a deal before May 5 and a trial will be averted. Until then, that date will inch closer and closer.

Michael McCann is SI’s Legal Analyst. He is also an attorney and the Director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law.

-----

Important to note, and one reason why Hope might choose not to be included in the class and continue with her own legal case against USSF (which has a trial date set for Oct 2020 - 5 months later than the uswnt case) is that she has stated several times she believes the players will choose to settle on their case rather than let it go to trial and ultimately result in a legally binding court ruling. It’s not a guarantee though - a jury trial could find that ussf has not violated the law and the players could lose - but without letting a case like this travel the full length of the court system and exhaust all outcomes - settling ultimately undermines the chance for the legal system to hold ussf accountable. If the players settle, which has always been ussf’s modus operandi since the beginning of time, then the little bit above about “ In that same vein, the judge maintains that the players “have established a likelihood that they will again be wronged in a similar way.” This means there is a potential for repeat harm in the future: if U.S. Soccer broke the law in how they paid the players, that is likely to happen again in the future unless a court stops it.“ -- will most definitely be true however without a legally binding court decision to stop ussf from doing it again. Settlement in a class action case like this will not benefit the future of women’s soccer progression in this country and will never stop ussf from discriminating against the women’s team as they have all these years. The fact that the judge in this most recent certification ruling seems to acknowledge the uswnt’s case in a favorable way and dismiss some of ussf’s arguments as having no basis in fact is a good sign. But when it really comes down to the nitty gritty ugly side of this case coming closer to the court date, as hope has warned many times in the past, ussf will employ ugly tactics and threats. They will. They have before, they already low key have in a statement about how us soccer funds and pays for the nwsl player’s salaries. And when it comes down to it, when the federation starts to threaten these players contracts, bonus pay, benefits, training and travel amenities, league pay, and ultimately NT scheduled appearances (under the table, behind closed doors, targeting the younger more vulnerable players) the players could collectively agree to settle and keep their standing not only as individuals but as a team. It is sad though, because Hope has also mentioned before that she felt the entire team bringing a case like this as a united front or threatening to strike only as a united front was the best way to actually hold ussf accountable. And in the rulings and court statements so far, this has proven true. A class status is much more powerful than any individual player case could be. It’s unfortunate that the team never decided to take it to this level while she was still on the team - the timing of it all - I personally don’t like the disjointed nature of the two separate cases or the fact the Hope feels she has to battle her own former teammates for a say in a decision making process that could ultimately affect her too, as she was a part of this team’s past and was (potentially in the eyes of a jury) discriminated against and owed damages too if a jury finds that ussf did break the law.

“I’ve always prided myself on standing up for what I believe in,” she said. “And I’ll tell you one thing right now, I don’t care if they offer me a ton of money for a settlement, I will not settle because the only way things change is by changing the course of history and there has to be a court case that actually does that.” -Hope Solo

It makes sense that the players did not want Hope included in the player’s association legal decision making before she was fired, or in the recent mediation talks with this current case. She’s a wolf, she doesn’t back down. She’s always had a loud, persistent voice in the fight for equal pay. And in the past, the team has felt her approach was too sharp edged, too aggressive. Perhaps they still do. But she’s always also been right. She was arguing with facts and numbers for years before any legal case was presented. She was emailing people within ussf for explanations, for answers, and on things that went beyond just the pay structure. She always demanded better treatment, better league conditions, better accountability. She spoke up when everyone told her to shut up, long before the fight for equality went mainstream and became a standing ground for the players to show the world how determined they are. And she still does, even now when she is ignored. 

History will tell what happens. I just hope it’s for the benefit of all women’s soccer, or we will continue to see this and future teams have to legally battle this federation for many years to come. And in the midst of all these other national team federations coming forward and offering equal pay to their players, we still see the united states federation - arguably the most powerful, lucrative, and supposedly progressive one in the world - still fighting its own players rather than doing the right thing. They’ve been doing this since the beginning, and they will continue to. Powerful conglomerates like ussf with hundreds of millions of dollars and no one to power check them don’t change their behavior unless they’re legally forced to do so.

[bloojayoolie]

America, Bad, and Dank: Government job for anyone who wants one, w/ free healthcare & childcare. .Would cost $56,000 per job despite only $32,500 reaching the worker as wages. . Would act as a de facto minimum wage of $15.62, increasing the cost of business. . The rise in wages would be offset by a rise in cost of living, meaning the intended effect would not materialize. .It would not replace the current welfare system but instead be added to it ■ Organizers of said proposal have no realistic plan to fund it, proclaiming that "Advocates of the JG should not play the how you gonna pay for it' game." OCASIO-CORTEZ'S JOBS GUARANTEE PROGRAM ESTIMATED COST: 543 Billion to 2.715 Trillion ANNUALLY WAC. Self described socialist Ocasio-Cortez ran a platform appealing to the economically distraught. A "Jobs Guarantee was one part of Ocasio-Cortez's broader suite of left-wing policy positions" [a] which suggested the government simply create a job for anyone who was seeking one [b], out of thin air, and include free Medicare-style healthcare and free childcare. [c] Supposedly this would eradicate unemployment and poverty. Back in March of 2018, The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reviewed such a plan to try and estimate the cost of implementation. They concluded, “Using January 2018 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we estimate a total annual program cost of $543 billion, or just under 3 percent of GDP.” [b] “This would result in the employment of ...9.7 million full-time equivalent positions. [b] To give a sense for how large that $543 billion figure is, note that in 2017, the trade deficit we had with China was only $375 billion, comparatively, much smaller. [d] Most striking, however, is the disparity between the wage paid to the worker and the cost to the taxpayer. The average cost per job was estimated to be $56,000 while the average annual wage would only be $32,500 + benefits. If this disparity weren't enough to dissuade you from supporting the plan, the report continues: “Since the job guarantee places a floor in the labor market, employers will likely have to offer compensation packages at least as desirable as those offered under the NIEC. (the jobs guarantee program) Thus, it is, de facto, similar to a rise in the minimum wage; in fact, the increase in total compensation under NIEC exceeds our traditional conception of the minimum wage.” [b] This is what’s most disturbing. By establishing a guaranteed job with a wage rate around $15.62 an hour, from a program that cannot be selective in its hiring process because it must – by definition – hire anyone who applies, the entire nation effectively has its minimum wage raised to $15.62 an hour. Few would seek a selective and traditional application/interview process for a $9.00 an hour entry level position – one that they may not even receive or maintain - if they could instead put forth no effort, acquire zero skills, and receive a guaranteed $15.62 an hour job plus benefits. The proponents of this dramatic policy think this to be a marvelous idea, as it would pressure firms towards offering equal or greater terms in the private sector. What they don’t contend with, however, is that many wages would have to be increased in order to maintain life-long established career hierarchies, since higher-skilled workers cannot and will not accept salaries similar to unskilled workers with little to no experience. This would inflate the cost of business, in turn inflating the retail prices of goods and services, thus inflating the cost-of-living, thereby reducing the impact of the forced rise in wages. In the end, the rise in wages would largely be nominal in nature, offset by the rise in cost of living, meaning the intended effect behind artificially raising wages would not materialize. In the process, some lower level jobs might even get priced out of existence since the technological implementation of automation may have previously been cost prohibitive but under the new circumstance instead be the cheaper alternative. Say, for example, a robotic arm could be added to an assembly line and cost the employer an average of $12 an hour to own/operate, meaning they could instead hire a human to do the job for $11 an hour. Once the human labor was forced up to $15.62 an hour, however, the robotic arm would become the cheaper alternative, despite the fact that it previously wasn’t. Thus, the human job would be eliminated. Some of you may be thinking, “well this plan might not be so bad, so long as it entirely replaces the current welfare system,” but that’s the thing, it doesn’t. Per the Levy Economic Institute’s thorough paper entitled “A Consensus Strategy For A Universal Job Guarantee Program,” under a section of the report entitled “common ground," they clearly define the following: “The social safety net should not be dismantled; no existing social services should be eliminated. Individuals should be able to continue to receive existing benefits if they do not want to work in the JG [jobs guarantee] program.” [c] It repeats this sentiment again later, saying the JG program “is not a substitute for other social and economic programs.” [c] So you see, the cost of this program wouldn't be "instead of" the cost of traditional welfare, it would be "in addition to" it. Yes, the traditional welfare programs would likely decrease in scope since fewer people would be unemployed, but there would still be a substantial cost, and that's the point. It's going to cost more than advertised above. For instance, under the Levy Economic Institute’s interpretation of the proposal, “The JG program will probably need to create 15 million new jobs—six times greater than the number of federal employees today.” This is even worse than the more conservative estimate (mentioned earlier) which would only make taxpayers pay for 10 million jobs. So would it really cost only $543 billion a year? Undoubtedly, as that’s only the estimated cost if assuming it stopped at 10 million jobs. This is no small distinction. If closer to 15 million, for instance, this means we’d be 150% the advertised $543 billion cost, or about $814 billion. But it could be worse than even that. As Mother Jones of all publications pointed out – yes, Mother Jones – “There are about 113 million full-time wage earners in America right now and roughly a quarter of them make less than $15 per hour. Add in health care benefits and you’re up to a third of the labor force making less than they would under [the JG] plan. That’s about 37 million people. Now toss in some part-time workers and some self-employed workers and we’re up to something on the order of 50 million. That’s 50 million people who would be better off with a government-guaranteed job than with the job they have now. In other words, it’s insane.” [e] Again, if $543 billion was the projected cost to create 10 million jobs, what if it actually did balloon up to 50 million jobs? At 5 times higher than initially estimated, that’s a potential cost of $2.715 trillion a year. And with people shifting out of the private sector to enter the public sector, that would leave fewer and fewer privately employed citizens to pay for the massive program. Obviously taxes would have to be significantly increased to pay for this, but as the Levy Institute insanely proclaimed, “No additional taxes will be levied.” [c] None! The formal plan literally says the words, “Advocates of the JG should not play the “how you gonna pay for it” game.” [c] Again, that’s a literal quote from their consensus report. It's not being exaggerated for dramatic effect. They simply have no realistic plan on how to finance their far-fetched social utopia, and they don't take such concerns seriously. It's no wonder that even the progressive darling Mother Jones declared this immature plan "insane." ------------------ Sources: [a] https://ift.tt/2NJdtds [b] https://ift.tt/2FDXLQF [c] https://ift.tt/2NIdj6v [d] https://ift.tt/1lOBe27 [e] https://ift.tt/2HnbaJz

[goldstonefinancialgroupil]

Employers: Lessons From the Pandemic

The blog post Employers: Lessons From the Pandemic was first seen on: goldstone Financial

We’ve learned a lot about infectious diseases this year, as well as how to adapt our lifestyles in response to a pandemic. It will be interesting to see if and how U.S. businesses adjust their operational models to account for the potential for future pandemics or other catastrophic events.

According to the employment-population ratio, nearly half of the U.S. population was out of work (which includes those no longer actively looking for work), with economists predicting 30 million jobs must be created to return the ratio to its 2000 peak.1

If your household has suffered a job loss or reduced income and you need assistance with creating a budget, or if you’re just not sure about your future retirement income and want to create an income plan, please contact us. We’re happy to evaluate your financial circumstances and provide guidance.

Work-life balance was a problem before the pandemic, but now that issue is being experienced in another context. Many employees have been able to migrate seamlessly to working from home using software to stay connected with colleagues and clients. However, with children home from school and now responsible for online learning, work-life balance can be even more difficult.

Many white-collar professionals have discovered the need for one — or two — in-home offices for spouses who are working professionals. While many are able to get their work completed independently, it is important to still be accessible to colleagues at certain points of the workday. Despite these challenges, some companies may increasingly find remote working to offer lower-cost, higher-productivity benefits if they can overcome some of the issues they currently face.2

As for working from home this year, it will be interesting to see if tax laws change before filing season next April. After all, according to a recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, more than 35% of Americans employed in May of this year were working entirely from home — up from just over 8% in February. Unfortunately, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act disallowed W-2 employees from being able to deduct home office expenses.3

A work-from-home business model could also expand the net for recruiting talented employees. After all, many top companies are located in big cities where real estate sells for a premium. This is a tough life for young adults saddled with student loan debt. With a mobile workforce that allows employees to live wherever they want, companies can offer a competitive advantage when it comes to attracting top talent. In turn, Millennials and Gen Zers can move away from big city life and buy homes in less expensive areas.4 This could potentially help them save more money and turn around the fortunes of the country’s more rural areas.

It would be nice to keep your job, move somewhere with a lower cost of living and be able to keep your salary level. However, some economists claim that’s not going to be the case moving forward. Because many businesses have lost revenues due to reduced consumerism throughout this pandemic, wages are likely to stagnate for several years. Then again, the cost of living isn’t expected to increase dramatically in the near-term either.5 By moving to a less expensive locale, employees may be able to save more money even if they don’t get a salary bump in the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, that means that any wage cuts employees received this year may not recover anytime soon. According to economists at the Federal Reserve Board, businesses initially cut wages by nearly two times as much due to the pandemic than they did during the Great Recession.6

Content prepared by Kara Stefan Communications.

1 Yung Li. CNBC. June 29, 2020. “Nearly half the U.S. population is without a job, showing how far the labor recovery has to go.” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/29/nearly-half-the-us-population-is-without-a-job-showing-how-far-the-labor-recovery-has-to-go.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2020.

2 Knowledge@Wharton. May 4, 2020. “Working from Home: Navigating the Pandemic’s New Normal.” https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/working-from-home-navigating-the-pandemics-new-normal/. Accessed Aug. 12, 2020.

3 Kelly Phillips Erb. Forbes. Aug. 12, 2020. “The Ultimate Forbes Guide to Working from Home.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2020/08/12/taxes-vpns-and-office-hours-the-ultimate-forbes-guide-to-working-from-home/#90a042442e7e. Accessed Aug. 12, 2020.

4 Parag Khanna and Kailash K. Prasad. Politico. May 13, 2020. “How Coronavirus Could Make People Move.” https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/05/13/how-coronavirus-could-upend-human-migration-251715. Accessed Aug. 12, 2020.

5 Jessica Peres. TheDenverChannel.com. June 30, 2020. “Economists say wages will stay stagnant amid pandemic.” https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national/coronavirus/economists-say-wages-will-stay-stagnant-amid-pandemic. Accessed Aug. 12, 2020.

6 Carmen Reinicke. Business Insider. June 26, 2020. “Pandemic wage cuts are roughly double what they were in the Great Recession, study shows.” https://www.businessinsider.com/wage-cuts-coronavirus-pandemic-twice-great-recession-fed-study-shows-2020-6. Accessed Aug. 12, 2020.

We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance and investment products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic financial planning strategies and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. All investments are subject to risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions. If you are unable to access any of the news articles and sources through the links provided in this text, please contact us to request a copy of the desired reference.

8/20-1306066C

[bigyack-com]

The U.S. Shut Down Its Economy. Here’s What Needs to Happen in Order to Restart.

WASHINGTON — The American economy has stopped working.We’re going to try turning it off and back on again.With confirmed cases of the coronavirus escalating rapidly, government officials have almost overnight switched off activity in large sectors of the United States. They want as few people as possible in close contact with one another in order to slow the pandemic, which may be even more widespread than official statistics suggest.The federal government has discouraged gatherings of 10 or more people. California told 40 million residents to leave the house only for absolute necessities. Bars, shopping malls, dine-in restaurants and a host of other businesses are closing across the country. Millions of people have been laid off, or are about to be.Just as there is a public health strategy driving the government orders closing businesses and limiting daily activity outside the home, there is also an economic strategy for putting large parts of the economy on ice. It requires aggressive action by the federal government, funded by what would be the most expansive borrowing the country has seen since World War II.Whether the United States looks back at those job cuts as a quick blip of prevention or a devastating spiral into an economic depression depends a lot on what Congress and President Trump do in the next few days.Here’s what economists say needs to happen.

Aim to put the ‘v’ in ‘recovery.’

The United States is already falling into a sharp economic contraction: It is producing far fewer goods and services now than it did a month or a quarter ago. That contraction will persist as long as businesses are unable to open and people are not able to work. This is not happening because of any choices those workers or businesses made; it’s a mandate from the government that has frozen a lot of economic activity.At some point — possibly when a vaccine for the virus comes to market, or possibly as soon as the rate of infection starts declining and widespread testing allows for more confidence that another surge is not imminent — governments will lift their restrictions and activity will start to thaw.Ideally, it would thaw quickly, with shops and restaurants reopening, workers rehired, factory production lines restarted and people spending money on things they didn’t need or couldn’t buy during the freeze. In that situation, the economy would grow much faster for a while than it normally does, as consumers unleash their pent-up demand.Economists call that a “V-shaped” recovery, because growth plunges and then shoots up. It’s what they’re aiming for now, but it could be hard to pull off.“What a recession from something like this should look like is a sudden stop and recovery,” said R. Glenn Hubbard, a Columbia University economist who was a top White House economist for President George W. Bush. “What could happen, though, is a doom loop.”

Extend companies a very large lifeline.

The “doom loop” that Mr. Hubbard and many other economists fear describes a situation in which an even moderately protracted shutdown of economic activity permanently kills waves of small businesses — and possibly entire industries, like airlines — that cannot survive very long without customers.A typical small business in the United States does not have enough cash on hand to cover even a month of expenses if its revenues are completely disrupted, according to research by the JPMorgan Chase Institute. In minority communities, where profit margins are often narrower, the typical cash reserve is even smaller.Economists say that means Congress needs to act boldly, and fast, to keep money flowing to business owners to ensure they can reopen when the crisis abates.There are several possible ways to try to do that.Steven Hamilton, an economist at George Washington University who has been one of the loudest public voices calling for aggressive assistance to small businesses, and Stan Veuger of the American Enterprise Institute, want banks to offer loans to cover lost revenues for small businesses — and for the federal government to forgive the loans if the companies don’t lay off workers. Mr. Hubbard and Michael R. Strain of the American Enterprise Institute have a similar proposal.Adam Ozimek, the chief economist at Upwork, and John Lettieri, the president of the Economic Innovation Group in Washington, want the government to guarantee loans with little or no interest that small businesses would pay back over a long period, regardless of whether they lay off workers. Mr. Ozimek said it would be wrong not to help companies that have already been forced into layoffs by government decisions and delays in a federal response.“When the government is this late to the party,” he said, “they shouldn’t punish small businesses who acted fast.”Economists stress that a successful program would be expensive: $1 trillion or more. Mr. Hubbard said a $300 billion loan program, as Senate Republicans proposed on Thursday, would be “woefully inadequate.”Mr. Hamilton said this week that he worried members of Congress had “not come to terms with the scale” of what was needed. “Any fiscal package less than $1.5 trillion will be inadequate,” he said, “and frankly lead to a Great Depression-level economic collapse.”

Provide big relief for workers.

Companies are only half the equation. For the shutdown/restart strategy to work, economists say, lawmakers must also keep money flowing to workers affected by the economic chill so they can continue to buy groceries, pay mortgage or rent and seek medical care if they are injured or sick.One way to do that is by helping businesses — and hopefully keeping as many people as possible on payrolls, even if they are not working. But workers who lose jobs or hours will need more direct help.Many economists, including Claudia Sahm of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and N. Gregory Mankiw and Jason Furman of Harvard University, have called on lawmakers to send checks of $1,000 or more to all Americans as quickly as possible. Both Mr. Trump and Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, have voiced support for such payments. At least a scaled-back version of that plan is likely to be included in the stimulus bill being negotiated in Congress, with payments headed to low- and middle-income families.But those payments will not be sufficient to cover costs of necessities for people who have suddenly seen their incomes shrink or vanish.For that, economists say, Congress needs an emergency safety net that would sustain income for all workers who are laid off or otherwise hurt by the effects of the virus. Ideally, the economists say, that safety net would aid the public health strategy embedded in the economic shutdowns by paying as many people as possible to stay home from work and practice social distancing.That could mean increased unemployment benefits and more generous paid sick leave fully funded by the government. It could also mean something like what the British government announced Friday: a plan to encourage businesses to keep paying workers by assuming up to 80 percent of their wage costs.“You need an unemployment system that in this moment can pivot to 100 percent reimbursement to 100 percent of people who are not at work,” said Heather Boushey, the president of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a think tank focused on inequality and growth. “And wage replacement for people who have hours cut back.”

Don’t think of this as a ‘normal’ rescue.

Americans also need to start thinking of this crisis as different from almost any economic shock before it.Concerns that have guided economists in the past, like whether policies discourage people from working, do not apply in the same way now: It is hard to discourage work in sectors that the government has ordered to shut down. The same may hold for restrictions that some lawmakers want to place on spending any government aid to business, like limiting grants to businesses that keep all their workers on salary, Mr. Lettieri and others say.Joseph S. Vavra, an economist at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, said that policymakers typically try to stimulate consumer demand during a recession and start recovery as quickly as possible. Right now, the goal is almost the opposite.“I don’t think what we’re trying to do is to get people to go out and shop,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is provide some assistance to households so they can sit and home and don’t have to go out and shop.”The better parallel here might be World War II. The government is trying to win a fight against a pandemic. That will mean spending big on the battlefront — public health efforts, like ventilators and masks — and asking personal and economic sacrifices from individuals to defeat the virus and get life back to normal again.Ben Casselman and Neil Irwin contributed reporting. Read the full article

[talabib]

How To Cut Costs And Increase Your Revenue While Maintaining High Quality Standards.

When a company cuts costs, it usually means you can expect shoddier products and worse service. If you’ve ever been on a call with a bank or telecom provider after they had implemented a round of cuts and outsourcing, you may well have spent hours on hold, only to finally speak with a service employee who has no idea how to help you.

We’re all justifiably skeptical of companies who cut costs, but decreasing expenses and streamlining operations doesn’t have to mean lower quality products or services.

Every business, regardless of its size or customer base, can cut costs in an efficient manner – a way that leads to higher revenues and, crucially, excellent service. This post will show you exactly when and where to cut costs, providing an essential introduction to efficient operations for any business.

The key to a profitable business is cutting costs, maintaining quality and maximizing profit.

What’s the best way to make maximum profits? The simplest answer is to boost revenue, which of course helps if you can make it happen. But there’s a better and more easily controlled method that’s all about managing expenses. It’s called costs leadership, and here’s how it works:

For starters, you’ll need to focus on the two main types of costs: fixed and variable.

Fixed costs are independent of the level of a company’s production, and include computers, desks, telephones and other equipment. But the term can also refer to less tangible costs, like rent or insurance. In fact, labor is often considered a fixed cost since it takes time and money to hire employees.

Variable costs are dependent on the level of production, meaning that the more you consume, the more you pay. Examples of variable costs are raw materials, packaging and storage.

Now that you know the two main types of costs, you can start learning why intelligently managing them will produce lower-cost products, and therefore higher revenues, all while maintaining the same standards of quality.

You could reduce costs by making sweeping cuts, but this will likely lower the quality of the goods or services you provide. For example, if you decide to save money by cutting your customer support team, you’re likely to be facing some very unhappy customers in the near future.

However, wisely cutting needless costs will both increase revenue and maintain quality. For instance, IKEA’s founder Ingvar Kamprad built his 235-store empire through simple cost-cutting mechanisms that left quality intact. One strategy was to sell unassembled furniture, which takes up less space and requires less time to manufacture.

But how can you intelligently cut costs? Let’s look deeper at some specific strategies to reduce expenses while maintaining quality.

Less is more: saving on space and unnecessary activities is essential to cost reduction.

When entrepreneurs found a new business, they’re often prone to overexcitement and might end up spending money they don’t have. While this mistake is a common one, it can seriously cripple a business before it even gets off the ground.

So, it’s key to understand cost management from the start, and a good place to begin is with property.

Space is a major expense and a prime target for cost trimming. To get a sense of how much space is enough, keep in mind that the standard is eleven cubic meters per worker. If you’ve got more room than this, you’re likely spending too much money on it.

Another great way to cut space costs is through hot-desking, a means to maximize workstations by eliminating individual desks and having employees use whichever one is available. For instance, Stocks, a UK company that manufactures sewing machines, has a sales team of ten people working in a space designed for six. However, the office runs smoothly because the employees spend 60 percent of their time at outside appointments.

Alright, now that you’ve maximized your space, it’s time to cut other non-essential costs, and that means outsourcing – in other words, contracting out unessential tasks to other companies.

Any activity that’s not central to your business should be tested: if it costs more for you to do it internally than externally, it should be outsourced to someone else that can do it for cheaper.

While outsourcing work that’s already being done in-house can be more complicated because capital investments have already been made, it’s essential to do it nonetheless.

Say you realize you need to outsource your advertising, but just invested in new marketing design software. Although it may be difficult, it’s important to accept your sunk costs; the money you spent on the software is already gone, but you don’t have to keep wasting money by paying advertising staff.

Rapidly turning capital into products and back into more capital is essential to a high-performing business.

Do you know what the capital cycle is? Well, it’s essential knowledge for any company owner, because every business abides by it.

Here’s how it works:

You begin with cash in hand, either your own or someone else’s. This money is then used to purchase capital assets and materials that the employees’ work transforms into finished products for sale. You pay your suppliers, are paid by your customers and hopefully have some money left over to repeat.

Why is this central to cost reduction? Because low costs require a rapid capital cycle and a focus on the old adage that time is money. For instance, the more money tied up in working capital like stock, the greater the costs going towards things like interest and storage. It’s therefore essential to limit the amount of time that you have stock in your possession.

One way to accomplish this is through a limited inventory. Take Wal-Mart, whose stock storage is two-and-a-half times less than the industry average, ensuring an efficient cycle.

But negotiations with customers and suppliers can also cut the cost of capital assets. For example, if you sell goods and services on credit, and it takes you 90 days to collect payment from a customer, you’re essentially losing out on any interest that the money would accrue. A better strategy is to set shorter payment periods while disciplining late payers with fines and threats of legal action.

On the other side of the coin, if your suppliers offer you credit, it might be tempting to take it. However, depending on the situation, it could make good business sense to pay up front in exchange for a lower total cost. And, of course, it’s essential to avoid paying late, because doing so will give you a bad name in the industry.

Using your company’s profit margin to motivate employees is as essential as maximizing the impact of non-financial incentives.

Increased productivity is a great way to cut variable costs, but that means convincing your employees to get more done – and we all know this is no easy task. Luckily there’s a great strategy for boosting productivity, and it all relies on motivating your staff through your profit margins instead of their turnover; this gets you on the same side as your workers while increasing your own profits.

In most companies, the sales team is rewarded for sales they make. This structure causes employees to fixate on cutting deals and costs are often left unchained. A better strategy is to link commissions to company profits, thereby focusing your salesforce on saving money and improving the company’s bottom line.

For instance, Atrium, a London-based lighting company, more than doubled its profits by switching to a rewards system tied to gross profit. Their salespeople stopped slashing prices, and instead of coasting on an “anything to please the client” mentality, they invested in cutting extraneous costs and improving efficiency.

But money isn’t enough. While a good salary is a major aspect of workplace satisfaction, a fat paycheck alone won’t guarantee that your employees work at optimum efficiency. In fact, job satisfaction is also the result of various cashless motivators, like the feeling of achievement you want your cost-cutting workers to feel.

But how can you accomplish this? One way is by simply taking note of the effort your employees are making. In fact, a mere “thank you” e-mail or staff dinner party following a major project can go a long way toward motivating your team without breaking the bank!

Keep financing costs low by seeking out funding competitions, contacting friends and working the banks.

Every growing business is sure to face the challenge of financing costs, and it’s essential to bring these under control before they start eating into your profits.

Financing costs – that is, the cost of raising money – arise due to interest and other fees. It’s important to identify ways to actually obtain money at little or no cost.

One strategy is to go to government agencies or certain businesses, like banks and newspapers, that might have an interest in particular business activities taking place in a specific area; this could lead them to contribute money or offer benefits to your company.

For instance, every year there are thousands of awards given out around the world to new or small businesses. The majority of these are based around a business plan like the HSBC’s Start-up Awards which grants up to £25,000.

Another approach is to ask family and friends for money. This technique is beneficial because you avoid conforming to formalized and time-consuming procedures while also being afforded more flexible terms. However, it’s essential that you explain any and all risks to such funders because the last thing you want is for a helpful friend or family member to suffer economic hardship due to your failed financial commitments.

The third and final strategy is to negotiate with banks for more favorable terms. But to do so you need both the necessary know-how and a business plan. In the end, banks are subject to the same macroeconomic factors and pressure to turn a profit as you are, so it’s wise to seek out a bank that’s in good financial condition, as they’ll be able to offer you a better rate.

One way to do so is by reading the financial section of the newspaper and keeping in mind that the interest rates tend to be from three percent to nine percent. Naturally you should be shooting for the lower end of the range and should shop around until you get there.

Cutting costs in a crisis can necessitate serious action.

If catastrophe strikes your company, cutting costs is likely the first measure you’ll take. Sometimes this can mean making difficult decisions to keep your business afloat, and we all know that extreme times can call for extreme measures.

One such strategy is trading debt for equity, because offloading debt can sometimes be worth an major chunk of your company. For instance, the luggage company Samsonite traded a whopping 60 percent of its shares to CVC Capital Partners, one of Europe’s largest private equity groups, in exchange for the payment of a debt worth nearly $175 million.

Another extreme measure is to relocate your business to a new country to save on taxes. For example, certain countries have very low business tax rates, like the Maldives with a tax rate of nine percent and the United Arab Emirates with one of 15 percent. Compare that to countries with some of the highest rates, like Italy where the business tax rate is 76 percent or India where it’s 86 percent.

But no matter what action you take in a crisis, firing your employees is never the smartest option; businesses with insecure staff fare far worse.

Why? Well, being fired is the main source of fear for any employee, affecting both their productivity and the quality of their work. In fact, firing people can even cause valuable employees to look for ways out of a company they view as a sinking ship.

However, employees are also willing to make sacrifices that save the company money, if doing so will guarantee them a job. For instance, in June 2009, British Airways convinced 6,940 employees to take voluntary unpaid leave – a move that saved the company $16.7 million as well as the long-term jobs of those workers.

And, of course, there’s the measure of last resort: cut and run. After all, failure is just a fact of business, and in the United Kingdom alone, 400,000 businesses close their doors every year! So remember, getting out of an unprofitable business, if done well, can leave you in better shape to start another.

 Some people view cost-cutting as an emergency measure, but a long-term expense-reduction strategy is actually essential to boosting the profit margins of any company. Managing your costs effectively will also help you build a business that is prepared to face any crisis or difficult situation.

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/soccer/chicago-fire-taking-huge-risk-signing-bastian-schweinsteiger/

Chicago Fire taking a huge risk by signing Bastian Schweinsteiger

Schweinsteiger will depart Manchester United and join up with the Fire immediately. It’s a flashy signing for Chicago, but probably not a smart one.

The Chicago Fire made some late breaking news on Monday night when the Chicago Tribune reported that the club had signed Bastian Schweinsteiger. An official announcement is expected this week, and Schweinsteiger will join the Fire immediately.

On its face, this sounds like a good thing. The Fire, one of the worst teams in MLS over the last decade, has picked up a World Cup and Champions League winner with serious name recognition. But when you dive into the details, his signing doesn’t look particularly wise.

He’s making a lot of money

Schweinsteiger will make $4.5 million this season, which is significant investment for the Fire. They’ve been unwilling to splash the cash around recently and ranked second-to-last in attendance in 2016. They’re not the LA Galaxy, New York City FC, Toronto FC, Seattle Sounders or Atlanta United. They’re not going to commit $20 million or more to salaries like those teams can.

For one of the league’s richer teams, signing Schweinsteiger could be a worthwhile risk. But Chicago has to spend their money more carefully, and if they’re going to sink that much into one player, they should be pretty sure he’s going to produce. They can’t be sure about anything with Schweinsteiger, for a couple of reasons.

Let’s get into them.

He hasn’t been able to stay healthy

This is the last goal Schweinsteiger scored for Germany. He looks pretty lively here, right?

Well, he’d been on the pitch for two minutes at this point. The issue with Schweinsteiger isn’t his quality — he’s unquestionably and unequivocally one of the best all-around midfielders in the history of the sport — but his ability to stay healthy. This current season is Schweinsteiger’s fourth in a row where he hasn’t been on the pitch much. He was exiled during Manchester United’s preseason because Jose Mourinho didn’t think he could be counted on all season.

The Fire are gambling that Schweinsteiger can actually start most of their games. There’s plenty of reason to believe he won’t be up to that.

He’s a strange fit

While Schweinsteiger started his career as a winger, he’s played his best soccer as a central midfielder. He was a box-to-box midfielder at his peak, then later in his career, after losing some of his physical gifts, more of a deep-lying playmaker. But slower central midfielders usually struggle in that spot in MLS, so it’s a popular prediction that Schweinsteiger will move up the pitch and play as a No. 10.

Schweinsteiger figures to be the No. 10, w/De Leeuw (when he heals up) sliding outside. Alvarez odd man out. We’ll see if it works. #cf97 https://t.co/5Vq0JAMjLI

— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) March 21, 2017

Schweinsteiger can succeed in this spot. He’s reasonably creative and technically sound. He can probably adapt his game to play more through balls, especially at MLS level where the defenses aren’t quite as difficult to pass through as they are when you’re playing for Manchester United or Bayern Munich.

But if that’s what the Fire wanted… why not just sign a true No. 10? You know, someone who’s a natural at the position, and who has a demonstrated history of creative passing from an advanced position? Schweinsteiger’s intelligent and talented enough to adapt to any position, but signing him to use him in one he hasn’t played before is strange.

Nothing the Fire brass says makes any sense

A month before the 2016 season kicked off, the Fire decided to trade attacking midfielder Harry Shipp.

While he’s not exactly a huge box office draw, Shipp grew up in Illinois and joined the Fire’s academy as a teenager. Among the few hardcore fans they do have, he was a popular player. He was also the team’s best player in 2014 and 2015. He was only 24 years old at the time.

So why ditch Shipp? Head coach Veljko Paunović said he didn’t fit the system, presumably because he’s not particularly athletic.

“We can’t say at that point we could guarantee for Harry that he was going to have the role that everybody and he expected. We had to decide obviously and make the best possible decision … I think that the first reason, the technical reason, is why we decided to do that. For the style of play and for what we are looking for in that position is something that we decided was very important.”

One year later, Shipp’s old position is about to be taken up by a player who is slower than him and who runs much less. Apparently, fitting Paunović’s system doesn’t matter that much anymore, even though he’s still the coach.

Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

The quotes that general manager Nelson Rodriguez offered up for the Tribune story are baffling too. “We’re adding someone who has won at every level, including the very highest levels, and has done so in a way that is consistent with our values,” Rodriguez told the paper. “We as a club will now be forced to hold ourselves to a higher standard, an accountability level. Previously, I think we could satisfy ourselves with what is known domestically. Now we need to rise to a standard that is set more internationally.”

This is complete nonsense. The Fire haven’t reached respectability on a domestic level since they signed Cuauhtémoc Blanco in 2007. They haven’t even reached respectability on a local level. Rodriguez is out here trying to sell us a house with spectacular interior decorating while asking us to ignore the cracked foundation.

Is Schweinsteiger a box office draw?

There are a lot of soccer fans in the Chicagoland area who have either never been to a Fire match or haven’t gone in a few years. A big-name superstar signing might attract them to a match. But then what?

Schweinsteiger isn’t flashy or an off-pitch celebrity, so he’s probably not going to hook any repeat customers unless the team around him is good enough to win games. MLS is not different from any other sport in that people show up to the games when their local team is competitive, but don’t bother when the team is bad for an extended period of time. The Fire made some good moves in the offseason, but the jury’s still out on whether they can compete for a playoff spot.

Plus, getting Toyota Park requires one heck of a trek for most potential Fire fans. It’s in the southwest suburbs, a 30 minute drive from downtown in no traffic, and about a 45 minute drive on a normal day in Chicago. For many north side residents, the drive is an hour-plus. The stadium is nowhere near a train station.

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Schweinsteiger might get a lot of people through the gates one time, but if the Fire aren’t any good? It’ll be hard to convince people who are currently casual fans to make that trip repeatedly.

Still, this could go very well!

OK, let’s say you’re a Fire or Schweinsteiger fan. You don’t want to hear any of the reasons why this deal is doomed. You don’t care about whether or not the Fire are making a sound business decision. That’s fine, I understand. Let me give you the good news.

Bastian Schweinsteiger is a very good player. He’s probably more intelligent than any player in MLS and there aren’t many players with better technique. His half-season away from playing regularly might have let him heal up. There’s no reason to believe that a healthy Schweinsteiger wouldn’t be very effective, even if he’s put into a position he’s never played before. And if he plays in front of Dax McCarty and Juninho, he can probably get away with not running very often.

But while Schweinsteiger is an excellent player who might deserve the benefit of the doubt, his employers do not. The Fire haven’t won a playoff game since 2009. The owner who signed off on the Schweinsteiger acquisition has also inked failed DPs Nery Castillo, Sherjill MacDonald, Federico Puppo, Juan Luis Anangonó and Kennedy Igboananike. They traded for DPs Gilberto, Freddie Ljungberg and Álvaro Fernández, who all struggled in a Fire shirt.

If someone else signed Schweinsteiger, it might be fair to assume that they had a plan for him and a backup plan if things didn’t work out well. There’s no reason to assume that about the Fire. This deal looks like a dumb one, and should be assumed to be dumb until exhaustively proven otherwise.

[junker-town]

Chicago Fire taking a huge risk by signing Bastian Schweinsteiger

Schweinsteiger will depart Manchester United and join up with the Fire immediately. It’s a flashy signing for Chicago, but probably not a smart one.

The Chicago Fire made some late breaking news on Monday night when the Chicago Tribune reported that the club had signed Bastian Schweinsteiger. An official announcement is expected this week, and Schweinsteiger will join the Fire immediately.

On its face, this sounds like a good thing. The Fire, one of the worst teams in MLS over the last decade, has picked up a World Cup and Champions League winner with serious name recognition. But when you dive into the details, his signing doesn’t look particularly wise.

He’s making a lot of money

Schweinsteiger will make $4.5 million this season, which is significant investment for the Fire. They’ve been unwilling to splash the cash around recently and ranked second-to-last in attendance in 2016. They’re not the LA Galaxy, New York City FC, Toronto FC, Seattle Sounders or Atlanta United. They’re not going to commit $20 million or more to salaries like those teams can.

For one of the league’s richer teams, signing Schweinsteiger could be a worthwhile risk. But Chicago has to spend their money more carefully, and if they’re going to sink that much into one player, they should be pretty sure he’s going to produce. They can’t be sure about anything with Schweinsteiger, for a couple of reasons.

Let’s get into them.

He hasn’t been able to stay healthy

This is the last goal Schweinsteiger scored for Germany. He looks pretty lively here, right?

Well, he’d been on the pitch for two minutes at this point. The issue with Schweinsteiger isn’t his quality — he’s unquestionably and unequivocally one of the best all-around midfielders in the history of the sport — but his ability to stay healthy. This current season is Schweinsteiger’s fourth in a row where he hasn’t been on the pitch much. He was exiled during Manchester United’s preseason because Jose Mourinho didn’t think he could be counted on all season.

The Fire are gambling that Schweinsteiger can actually start most of their games. There’s plenty of reason to believe he won’t be up to that.

He’s a strange fit

While Schweinsteiger started his career as a winger, he’s played his best soccer as a central midfielder. He was a box-to-box midfielder at his peak, then later in his career, after losing some of his physical gifts, more of a deep-lying playmaker. But slower central midfielders usually struggle in that spot in MLS, so it’s a popular prediction that Schweinsteiger will move up the pitch and play as a No. 10.

Schweinsteiger figures to be the No. 10, w/De Leeuw (when he heals up) sliding outside. Alvarez odd man out. We'll see if it works. #cf97 https://t.co/5Vq0JAMjLI

— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) March 21, 2017

Schweinsteiger can succeed in this spot. He’s reasonably creative and technically sound. He can probably adapt his game to play more through balls, especially at MLS level where the defenses aren’t quite as difficult to pass through as they are when you’re playing for Manchester United or Bayern Munich.

But if that’s what the Fire wanted... why not just sign a true No. 10? You know, someone who’s a natural at the position, and who has a demonstrated history of creative passing from an advanced position? Schweinsteiger’s intelligent and talented enough to adapt to any position, but signing him to use him in one he hasn’t played before is strange.

Nothing the Fire brass says makes any sense

A month before the 2016 season kicked off, the Fire decided to trade attacking midfielder Harry Shipp.

While he’s not exactly a huge box office draw, Shipp grew up in Illinois and joined the Fire’s academy as a teenager. Among the few hardcore fans they do have, he was a popular player. He was also the team’s best player in 2014 and 2015. He was only 24 years old at the time.

So why ditch Shipp? Head coach Veljko Paunović said he didn’t fit the system, presumably because he’s not particularly athletic.

“We can’t say at that point we could guarantee for Harry that he was going to have the role that everybody and he expected. We had to decide obviously and make the best possible decision ... I think that the first reason, the technical reason, is why we decided to do that. For the style of play and for what we are looking for in that position is something that we decided was very important.”

One year later, Shipp’s old position is about to be taken up by a player who is slower than him and who runs much less. Apparently, fitting Paunović’s system doesn’t matter that much anymore, even though he’s still the coach.

Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

The quotes that general manager Nelson Rodriguez offered up for the Tribune story are baffling too. “We’re adding someone who has won at every level, including the very highest levels, and has done so in a way that is consistent with our values,” Rodriguez told the paper. “We as a club will now be forced to hold ourselves to a higher standard, an accountability level. Previously, I think we could satisfy ourselves with what is known domestically. Now we need to rise to a standard that is set more internationally.”

This is complete nonsense. The Fire haven’t reached respectability on a domestic level since they signed Cuauhtémoc Blanco in 2007. They haven’t even reached respectability on a local level. Rodriguez is out here trying to sell us a house with spectacular interior decorating while asking us to ignore the cracked foundation.

Is Schweinsteiger a box office draw?

There are a lot of soccer fans in the Chicagoland area who have either never been to a Fire match or haven’t gone in a few years. A big-name superstar signing might attract them to a match. But then what?

Schweinsteiger isn’t flashy or an off-pitch celebrity, so he’s probably not going to hook any repeat customers unless the team around him is good enough to win games. MLS is not different from any other sport in that people show up to the games when their local team is competitive, but don’t bother when the team is bad for an extended period of time. The Fire made some good moves in the offseason, but the jury’s still out on whether they can compete for a playoff spot.

Plus, getting Toyota Park requires one heck of a trek for most potential Fire fans. It’s in the southwest suburbs, a 30 minute drive from downtown in no traffic, and about a 45 minute drive on a normal day in Chicago. For many north side residents, the drive is an hour-plus. The stadium is nowhere near a train station.

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Schweinsteiger might get a lot of people through the gates one time, but if the Fire aren’t any good? It’ll be hard to convince people who are currently casual fans to make that trip repeatedly.

Still, this could go very well!

OK, let’s say you’re a Fire or Schweinsteiger fan. You don’t want to hear any of the reasons why this deal is doomed. You don’t care about whether or not the Fire are making a sound business decision. That’s fine, I understand. Let me give you the good news.

Bastian Schweinsteiger is a very good player. He’s probably more intelligent than any player in MLS and there aren’t many players with better technique. His half-season away from playing regularly might have let him heal up. There’s no reason to believe that a healthy Schweinsteiger wouldn’t be very effective, even if he’s put into a position he’s never played before. And if he plays in front of Dax McCarty and Juninho, he can probably get away with not running very often.

But while Schweinsteiger is an excellent player who might deserve the benefit of the doubt, his employers do not. The Fire haven’t won a playoff game since 2009. The owner who signed off on the Schweinsteiger acquisition has also inked failed DPs Nery Castillo, Sherjill MacDonald, Federico Puppo, Juan Luis Anangonó and Kennedy Igboananike. They traded for DPs Gilberto, Freddie Ljungberg and Álvaro Fernández, who all struggled in a Fire shirt.

If someone else signed Schweinsteiger, it might be fair to assume that they had a plan for him and a backup plan if things didn’t work out well. There’s no reason to assume that about the Fire. This deal looks like a dumb one, and should be assumed to be dumb until exhaustively proven otherwise.