Chapter 129
“You made a good decision. I’ll send a recommendation letter. You’ll get a call from an unfamiliar number soon. You can discuss specific work hours, job details, and compensation with them.”
“Yes. Thank you for your help. Take care.”
Hyeon-woo bowed politely. As Hyeon-woo was unbuckling his seatbelt to get out, the manager exclaimed “Oh right!” and slapped her knee. Hyeon-woo turned back as she leaned out the passenger window to continue her unfinished thought.
“How forgetful of me. Your designation was beta, right?”
“What? No, I’m-”
“Why do they even ask for designation on recommendation letters these days? It’s illegal now, and with modern suppressants you can’t even tell omegas from betas. Isn’t it outdated? More importantly Hyeon-woo, you don’t have a criminal record, right?”
“What? Oh. No, I don’t have a criminal record.”
“Then that’s fine. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Hyeon-woo missed his chance to answer properly. He wondered if he should clarify now. As he was about to open his mouth to speak, the manager cut in:
“Oh, here comes the bus. Get home safely, Hyeon-woo. I wish you luck. I’ll always be cheering for you.”
Hyeon-woo was at a loss for words at her playful expression as she winked. Her firm attitude, seemingly unconcerned whether his designation was beta or omega, somehow made him feel deflated.
Not long after the manager’s white car drove off kicking up dust, the bus pulled up. As Hyeon-woo sat down and opened the window, a cool breeze ruffled his hair.
*
After quitting the logistics job, Hyeon-woo had time to take Jerome to daycare himself.
“Time to wake up, Jerome.”
Jerome, who would normally grumble and resist waking, got up without complaint at Hyeon-woo’s call, simply saying “Okay.” He had gotten used to sleeping separately and rarely woke up in the middle of the night crying for Hyeon-woo anymore.
“Did you sleep well?”
When Hyeon-woo kissed Jerome’s forehead, Jerome hugged Hyeon-woo’s waist with a refreshed face after a good night’s sleep and smiled brightly.
“Yes, did you, Daddy?”
“Daddy slept well too. I dreamed about Jerome, what about you?”
“…Jerome…”
Jerome rolled his eyes, trying to remember what he dreamed about last night, then awkwardly avoided Hyeon-woo’s gaze before.
“Jerome too.”
He told a clever lie. Hyeon-woo pretended not to notice and smiled as he lifted Jerome and came out to the living room. When he handed Jerome the warm milk he had prepared on the table, Jerome firmly grasped the cup with both hands and started sipping.
“What’s for lunch today?”
“Let’s see for today…”
Hyeon-woo checked the daycare menu posted on the refrigerator.
“Looks like they’re serving curry today, Jerome’s favorite~”
“No, Jerome only likes Daddy’s curry.”
“Really? You don’t like the daycare’s curry?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“It makes my nose go like this!”
“Is it spicy?”
Jerome nodded, covering his nose with one hand. Since they usually ate mildly seasoned food at home, outside food seemed relatively strong to him.
“Then what do you do on curry days? You don’t eat it?”
“No, I still eat it all. Jerome eats everything well. But I like Daddy’s curry better.”
“So Jerome is a great kid who bravely eats carrots he doesn’t like and spicy curry?”
“Yes. Jerome eats everything bravely.”
“That’s so great, our Jerome.”
After putting the empty cup Jerome handed him in the sink, Hyeon-woo quickly took him to the bathroom to wash up.
“How about wearing this today?”
When Hyeon-woo held out a yellow shirt and black pants, Jerome shook his head.
“Jerome wants to wear blue today.”
“Why do you want to wear blue?”
“Because! The sky is blue today!”
Following Jerome’s outstretched hand, Hyeon-woo saw a bright blue sky spread out beyond the window.
“It is a beautiful sky. Okay, let’s wear blue today.”
Thinking it was good they moved to a house with large windows, Hyeon-woo took out a blue t-shirt and jeans from Jerome’s closet.
“How about this? Do you like it?”
“Yes! I like it!”
“Okay, let’s change quickly. We’ll be late.”
They packed Jerome’s daycare bag and went outside. Though they had hurried, the daycare van was already waiting in front of the house.
“Have a good day, Jerome.”
“I’m going!”
“Daddy, kiss.”
Jerome stood on his tiptoes and gave Hyeon-woo a peck on the cheek as he bent down. Then Jerome got in the van, guided by the daycare teacher. As Hyeon-woo watched the van drive away, his pocket started vibrating. An unknown number appeared on his phone screen.
“Hello?”
“Is this Han Hyeon-woo?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I’m calling based on the recommendation from Ms. Ko Hwa-kyung. Your background check is complete, and we’d like to meet with you. Are you available today?”
It was the call the manager had mentioned a few days ago.
After ending the call, Hyeon-woo went back home and changed clothes. He contacted Kyung-ae ajumma to ask her to pick up Jerome from daycare, then headed to the meeting place he was given. The vehicle sent to pick up Hyeon-woo had already arrived. After confirming the license plate, Hyeon-woo approached and the driver got out and asked:
“Are you Han Hyeon-woo?”
“Yes.”
“Please get in. I’m Driver Yoon, and I’ll be taking you to the estate.”
Hyeon-woo sat in the passenger seat as instructed by the driver. After driving for a while along a densely wooded road heading towards Mount Neungra, the car suddenly turned onto a side path.
Not long after entering a restricted area, Hyeon-woo saw a massive barrier blocking entry in the distance. As the car approached, the barrier recognized the license plate and parted, revealing a hidden passageway.
As the car began to enter, Hyeon-woo, who had been looking bewildered, tensed up with nervousness. Sensing this, Driver Yoon reassured him in a gentle tone:
“Many people don’t know this, but the entire Mount Neungra is actually private property, even though it’s open to civilians.”
“…Private property?”
“Yes, the estate we’re heading to owns Mount Neungra. So there’s no need to be nervous. I’m not taking you anywhere dangerous.”
“…I see.”
Hyeon-woo adjusted his posture, trying to hide his uneasiness. They drove for a while along a treacherous road with steep mountains to the left. A dark, narrow forest path appeared, densely wooded with deciduous trees that blocked out even a sliver of sunlight.
Driver Yoon skillfully navigated through the maze-like underbrush with his high beams on. After being jostled on the unpaved dirt road for quite some time, the ride became much smoother as they entered a well-maintained paved road.
Soon, an entrance road appeared, lined with beautifully maintained street trees and antique-style streetlamps placed at regular intervals.
Just as Hyeon-woo thought they must be nearly there, a grand mansion revealed itself, nestled between cliffs in the distance.
“Thank you for coming all this way. Please follow me.”
After passing through thorough security checks and arriving in front of the mansion, an employee who had come out to greet them guided Hyeon-woo to the reception room.
As he entered the mansion, Hyeon-woo couldn’t help but marvel inwardly with each step. Natural light filtering through the glass ceiling brightly illuminated the interior. The central hall was surrounded by gallery-style corridors on the second and third floors, boasting an open feeling. The railings and pillars, intricately crafted with brass and gold, were beautiful enough to elicit praise wherever the eye landed.
Along the corridor made of high-quality mahogany wood, large arched windows were placed at regular intervals, draped with deep purple curtains decorated with gold thread hanging like tapestries to the floor. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, scattering particles of light in all directions and showing off their splendor. Finally, they arrived at the reception room, passing marble statues lined up at intervals.
Upon entering, a large gramophone on a side table caught Hyeon-woo’s eye first. A golden pendulum clock on the wall also drew his attention.
Everywhere he looked, Hyeon-woo was captivated by scenes and props so magnificent they seemed unreal, as if on a movie set.
It felt like he had time-slipped to somewhere in the late Joseon period during rapid modernization. This old mansion, seemingly hiding some tremendous secret, felt eerie yet mysterious.
“The head butler will be here soon. Please sit here and wait for a moment.”
Hyeon-woo obediently sat on the sofa the employee pointed to. As she said, not long after, the large wooden doors in the wall parted, and an elderly man with graying hair entered. Hyeon-woo stood up and greeted him politely, and the old butler nodded.
“Nice to meet you. I’m the head butler of this mansion. I received the recommendation letter. People recommended by Manager Ko never disappoint me.”
The butler’s meticulous and strict personality was evident in his sharply creased black trousers and vest, shirt buttoned up to the neck, and perfectly straight bowtie.
“This is an old building that quickly falls into disrepair if not maintained regularly. I heard you’ve worked in accommodation facility management for a long time?”
“…Yes.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
