Captain Panaka, standing nearby but remaining professional, glanced at Jin-Woo curiously.
"I heard your company," Panaka said, "was only officially acknowledged by the galaxy about four months ago...And now you're ranked among the high-tier merchant groups. How did you rise so fast?"
Jin-Woo shrugged lightly.
"The Republic system..." he said simply.
"Well, it's hard to explain. Best if you visit Coruscant's lower levels someday—you'll understand better."
Padmé's eyes softened slightly.
There was a new tone of sympathy in her voice.
"Did you come from the lower slums?" she asked gently. "I'm sorry."
She hesitated, then continued, . "Can I speak to you just by your name, Jin-Woo? Like that?"
Jin-Woo gave a small amused glance.
"You're the Queen," he said casually. "You do what fits you.
Don't listen to the whole masses—you might get yourself blown up one day."
Padmé tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Jin-Woo..." she said slowly, "How lacking is our security?"
The question hung in the air like a stone thrown into a pond.
Sio Bibble quickly stepped in, smiling reassuringly.
"I think our security is just fine," Sio said firmly.
"Isn't that right, Captain?"
Captain Panaka, always stiff and professional, nodded without hesitation.
"I've double-checked every measure personally. We've fortified all known vulnerabilities."
Jin-Woo stayed silent for a moment, letting the weight of their assurances settle.
Then he spoke, calm and cutting.
"Then why," Jin-Woo said, voice almost lazy, "is Queen Amidala herself asking me—a merchant—this question... not you?"
The table fell silent. Sio Bibble and Panaka exchanged brief, uncomfortable glances.
Jin-Woo leaned back, giving Padmé chance to answer .
She met his gaze without flinching.
"My instincts tell me..." Padmé said slowly, clearly weighing every word,
"...that you are a hardened person. A very experienced one. And very likely..."
"...you could kill six Jedi if you wanted."
The statement was delivered not with fear—but with quiet, clear certainty.
Jin-Woo's lips twitched slightly into a faint smile.
"You're very sharp," he said, . "But please don't say that out loud."
"It might draw... unfortunate attention."
Inside, Jin-Woo's thoughts stirred with dry amusement.
Padmé's instincts are sharper than I expected when she's serious.
I didn't think she could even glimpse it—but she managed to guess... a very small amount.
The current me could destroy Jupiter to bits with a single punch . .
Jin-Woo leaned forward slightly .
"I could list your security problems from A to Z," he said lazily, "but that would take too long.
So, I'll simplify it."
He raised an eyebrow slightly. "Have any of you actually been in a real war?"
Captain Panaka straightened immediately. "We've participated in wargames," Panaka said firmly. "Using stun weapons, of course."
Jin-Woo exhaled quietly through his nose.
"There's your problem," he said bluntly.
"You're too peaceful. You're trained for drills... not for killing."
He sat back casually, voice flat.
"And I'm willing to bet—""You don't even have a single capital ship to your name."
Padmé, to her credit, didn't react emotionally.
She simply sighed lightly , one hand supporting her chin thoughtfully.
"This is a democracy," Padmé said, half-exasperated, half-playful.
"Not a monarchy. And it's my first day... shouldn't I take it easy and relax?"
Before Jin-Woo could respond, Sio Bibble jumped in, puffing his chest slightly.
"I have been to war, Jin-Woo," Sio said proudly. "My grandfather fought bravely for Naboo."
Panaka immediately cut in dryly.
"That's your grandfather, Governor," Panaka said. "Not you."
The two men began bickering lightly, their voices growing louder as they debated lineage and military tradition.
Exactly the kind of distraction Jin-Woo had intended.
Neither of them noticed as Jin-Woo casually tapped the edge of the table with his finger, summoning a faint swirl of nearby sand and dust particles.
The grains shifted silently in the air, twisting and weaving together until they formed words across the smooth surface of the table:
Five months from now—or less—you will be invaded.
There's nothing you can do.
You are simply in a very bad position.
Padmé's eyes caught the message instantly.
For a split second, she almost wanted to dismiss it—chalk it up as paranoia or pessimism.
But then she remembered who she was speaking to.
Someone like Jin-Woo didn't joke. Not about things like this.
She, Slowly, leaning just a bit closer so no one else could hear, Padmé whispered:
"There's something I can do... right?"
In answer, Jin-Woo casually moved his fingers against the table again.
The dust shifted once more—this time forming harsher, sharper words:
You are in a very bad position.
There is nothing you can do.
Not you. Not your army.
But... I have a step-by-step plan.
Don't write it.
Put it in your head.
Don't tell anyone.
ANYONE.
COPY ? .Your circle is getting thinner.
Padmé swallowed, nodding almost imperceptibly.
She didn't dare glance at Sio Bibble or Captain Panaka, who were still lightly arguing a few meters away.
A new set of words slowly emerged—this time written not in simple dust, but using a thin trace of shadow, sharper and harder to notice by others.
First Step:
Build a bunker inside Theed Castle.
1 kilometer deep.
Make sure everyone important can fit inside.
Food, water, electricity—enough for 20 days.
You'll know when it's time to evacuate.
Trust your instincts.
When it feels right, evacuate immediately.
Padmé memorized every word, memorize it into her mind.
Then more words formed under it.
Second Step:
Let yourself be captured.
Padmé stiffened slightly, blinking.
Huh? she thought, completely thrown.
Captured?
Before she could think too deeply about it, the shadowy words dissolved quietly, leaving no trace behind.
Jin-Woo simply leaned back again, acting as if nothing had happened.
Padmé clenched her hands lightly in her lap, thinking fast.
Then, in the most logical tone she could muster, she spoke out loud:
"Jin-Woo," she said smoothly, "I would like to hire you... as a bodyguard."
The moment the words left her mouth, Captain Panaka and Sio Bibble—who had been bickering—both snapped their heads around, glaring at Jin-Woo in silent shock.
Jin-Woo, calm as ever, tilted his head lazily.
"My earnings," Jin-Woo said flatly, "are about three million credits a month in net profit."
"You might go bankrupt trying to afford me."
Then, as if casually offering an alternative, he added:
"But... I do have merchandise you can purchase. If you're interested."
Padmé caught it instantly.
This is the third step, she realized, heart pounding slightly.
He's offering me a secret way to communicate—a device hidden within his 'merchandise'.
At another table, Jin-Woo glanced toward Morgan and Palpatine.
Palpatine, seemingly distracted, checked a small, hidden holo-communicator under the table.
His expression shifted immediately—his face turned pale.
Without another word, Senator Palpatine stood up abruptly, smoothing his robes.
He approached Padmé with quick, measured steps.
"My Queen," Palpatine said with forced calm, "I must take my leave.
Other matters require my immediate attention."
Padmé, though confused by his sudden urgency, kept her composure.
"May you be well, Senator Palpatine," she said politely.
Palpatine nodded stiffly and walked away with controlled haste, his steps growing faster as he disappeared into the palace corridors, heading toward his Naboo shuttle.
The moment he was out of sight, a calm, cold voice echoed inside Jin-Woo's mind. Offensive Bias.
"Supreme Executor," Bias reported, "Sifo-Dyas has arrived at Kamino.
He is encountering complications regarding the clone army project."
Jin-Woo simply shifted his gaze back toward Morgan.
Morgan, still seated gracefully, caught his look and gave him a small, knowing wink.
Jin-Woo smiled faintly in silent amusement.
Everything was proceeding perfectly.
Suddenly, Padmé, noticing the slight change in his expression, leaned in and said with mock suspicion:
"Jin-Woo... you smiled very suddenly. Are you on drugs?"
Jin-Woo, unfazed, answered smoothly.
"No," he said lazily.
"It's just that I gained another customer. Can't quite hide the smell of profits, you know?"
Morgan's voice flickered through Jin-Woo's mind, playful and teasing.
Bo hoooo~ Shadow Monarch can't keep his composure, she teased.
Jin-Woo ignored her and casually pulled something out from his storage.
A carefully packed set of ten pans—each one sealed and steaming slightly.
"This," Jin-Woo said, placing them neatly on the table, "is one of my homeland's foods.
It's called kimchi jjigae."
He slid them across to Padmé like a casual merchant offering a gift.
"Consider it a tastery," Jin-Woo said, smiling faintly.
"Free merchandise."
Padmé blinked, surprised by the sudden generosity.
"Are you sure you don't want to be paid?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Jin-Woo chuckled under his breath.
"Just don't forget to finish the food," he said lazily.
"And during your travels, give me a five-star review if anyone asks.
That's more than enough."
Padmé couldn't help but smile . She straightened and said with formal poise:
"Captain Panaka will escort you to your shuttle."
Panaka, however, immediately stepped forward, his voice low and serious.
"My Queen," he said urgently, "I believe there's a more pressing matter we need to discuss first."
Jin-Woo nodded casually, as if it were all part of the expected script.
"He's right," Jin-Woo said smoothly.
"You need to address that protocol issue first... right?"
Panaka froze slightly, tension flickering in his eyes.
He knows about the Maiden Protocol...
The secret plan to hide the real Queen by using a decoy...
Jin-Woo gave a small, easygoing smile.
"Don't worry, Captain," he said calmly.
"I'm not the type of character who blows the whistle on things that aren't mine to expose.
Besides, Morgan and I can find our own way just fine."
Panaka relaxed slightly, nodding respectfully.
"Much appreciated, Sir Jin-Woo," Panaka said with sincerity.
Before they could leave fully unattended, Sio Bibble stepped forward, offering a slight bow.
"Then allow me," Sio said warmly.
"I will escort you both personally, Sir Jin-Woo and Miss Morgan."
Jin-Woo simply nodded once, and Morgan, still playing her businesslike role perfectly, rose silently to follow.
As they walked along the quiet stone streets with Sio Bibble leading politely ahead,
Jin-Woo sent a silent telepathic message toward Morgan.
I'm surprised, Jin-Woo said casually through the link, that your alter ego here is so stable.
Didn't you warn me before that your alter ego is usually hot-headed?
Morgan's reply came smoothly, a quiet murmur in his mind.
Maybe I'm the real one, she said with a soft hum of amusement.
I've always been by your side, husband. Including at your World of Eternal Slumber.
Jin-Woo smirked faintly, his steps never faltering.
The real you, he answered telepathically, has spent too much time on Kamino...
Posing as the Monarch of Transfiguration... reviewing all the Zakuul Knight infants and embryos that Lama Su is building.
There was a pause, then Jin-Woo continued: I'm curious... what did you talk about with Sidious?
Morgan's voice returned lightly in his mind, full of dry humor.
I made his time worthless, she said simply.
I spun his questions round and round, like a merry-go-round... until finally he got desperate enough to open his secret telecom device.It said: 'The Sith Grand Plan is jeopardized.'
Jin-Woo's silent laughter echoed faintly in the bond between them, like a low, knowing rumble.
Without warning, the alter ego of Morgan who had been walking beside Jin-Woo quietly dissolved into the air, vanishing into the wind as if she had never been there.
At the same time, Jin-Woo casually activated Shadow Exchange, slipping through the fabric of space itself.
In an instant, both he and Morgan were gone.
Sio Bibble, who had been busy talking while glancing up at the cloudy sky, turned his head back toward them.
"Sir Jin-Woo," Sio began, "do you sell weapono—"
But the space where Jin-Woo and Morgan had been walking was now completely empty.
Gone. As if they had never existed.
Sio Bibble blinked, let out a long, exasperated sigh, and muttered under his breath:
"Always... every time... when they're done, they mysteriously disappear."
He rubbed the back of his neck and kept walking alone, half expecting another cake to fall from the sky just to mock him.