Following Baek Woojin out to the veranda, I found a thick blanket laid out on the wooden bench, and steaming hot cocoa on the table—the same cocoa I had when I first came to Baek Woojin’s house.
“You didn’t seem to eat much earlier… It’s late at night, but cocoa should be fine. Please have some.”
“Ah… Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”
Maybe it was because he knew my appetite well. I thought he wasn’t interested, but thinking that Baek Woojin had been caring about me made my heart feel a little warmer. Or maybe it was because of the cocoa I was drinking right now.
“So… what you wanted to talk about…”
I sat on the bench, sipping the cocoa, and carefully broached the subject. Baek Woojin, who had sat down next to me, looked at me with serious eyes and began to speak.
“I’m thinking of hiring another person.”
“…Another person?”
“Yes, right now there’s one person who helps with childcare three days a week and one person who takes care of all the housework daily. That’s two people in total… but I think we need to hire one more person.”
“Ah…”
I was confused by this completely unexpected topic. Baek Woojin added that he thought it would be good to hire one more housekeeper to divide and share the work.
“The workload has increased compared to before. I did raise their wages… but I could see the ajummas were struggling. Actually, there’s also the fact that Kkotsu caught a cold… I was thinking it would be good for the current person to rest for a few days.”
“Ah…”
I had no idea about such circumstances. No, why hadn’t I anticipated such circumstances? With Hyeol and me suddenly becoming additional mouths to feed, the work must have increased much more…
It’s not like I had just been freeloading either. I had tried to give Baek Woojin money for living expenses, but he had firmly refused. Honestly, given my current situation, I couldn’t help it, but I was determined to repay this debt once I found a job and got a place to live, even if not right now.
But I hadn’t intended to be such a burden…
“So I’m thinking of hiring one more person.”
Baek Woojin said again, looking at me. It seemed like he was asking if I had any questions.
“Um… so… are you hiring another housekeeper this time too? Like the person who cooks meals every day…?”
“The employment terms are as follows.”
As if he had been waiting for this, Baek Woojin handed me a sheet of paper. It was a neatly printed job posting.
“First, it would be good if it’s someone who can live here. It doesn’t matter if they have a lot of luggage, and it’s fine if they have family members.”
“Live-in… and even family members…?”
My eyes widened. The house we’re living in is big and has several rooms besides the guest room, but…
“Yes, late twenties would be good. A male would be preferable. Also, an omega would be better than an alpha. I’ve never gotten along well with alphas.”
“Late twenties, male omega…”
I muttered the conditions Baek Woojin was explaining, and felt something strangely familiar about them.
“Woojin-ssi…”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“If… you haven’t found anyone yet, could I…”
“That sounds good. Let’s employ Chae Seungyeon-ssi as a housekeeper.”
“…What?”
As if he had been waiting, Baek Woojin spoke curtly and handed me another sheet of paper—when had he prepared this?
“It’s an employment contract. Please read it carefully and sign it.”
“……”
Only then did I realize I had been completely played by Baek Woojin.
I did feel like Baek Woojin had tricked me, but compared to the job information that the young master or Eunseong-ssi had presented, this was definitely a very good opportunity. So I examined the employment contract carefully without complaint.
“Uh…”
Then I rubbed my eyes and checked the contract again. No matter how different the reality I lived in was from the world in the novel, the salary seemed excessively high for a housekeeper.
“Woojin-ssi, the salary is…”
“It’s the average amount for housekeepers I’ve employed. Besides, Chae Seungyeon-ssi has family members and needs to handle room and board here, so I’ve added more for that.”
Is that usually the case…? Usually, wouldn’t you pay less if someone has family members and gets room and board…?
“I don’t know what it was like where Chae Seungyeon-ssi lived before, but here, this is a very normal salary level.”
Perhaps reading my puzzled expression, Baek Woojin said in a dignified voice.
“If you put it that way…”
When the employer said that much, there was no reason to refuse. Right now, I needed money desperately, even for Hyeol’s sake.
I picked up the pen to sign the contract right away, but hesitated.
Wait, hold on.
No matter how much Baek Woojin is someone who will become family through marriage in the future, is it really okay to keep living in the same house like this…? At this rate, what if Hyeol and Kkotsu end up becoming more like siblings rather than developing into lovers later…
I pondered for a while before putting the pen back in its place.
“Woojin-ssi, I’m sorry… if it’s not urgent, could I think about it more and tell you tomorrow?”
“……”
Perhaps expecting me to readily accept, Baek Woojin looked at me silently. I could clearly see his expression growing darker, though I had no idea what he was thinking.
“Wo… Woojin-ssi…?”
Worried, I called out to him carefully.
“Don’t even think about working with that raccoon-like guy.”
“What? Raccoon?”
At Baek Woojin’s sudden “raccoon-like guy” comment, a certain person flashed through my mind.
“Don’t tell me… the raccoon refers to Eunseong-ssi?”
“And the same goes for the Gwak family people.”
Baek Woojin didn’t even answer my question and spoke in a sharp voice. His eyes were colder than usual too—he seemed quite angry.
“Of course, I can’t stop Chae Seungyeon-ssi from meeting whoever you want to meet. Yes, I know that well. Because I have no justification for that.”
He emphasized the word “justification.”
“Yes…? That… well…”
I was flustered and didn’t know what to say or how to say it. Perhaps my reaction didn’t please him. Baek Woojin made an expression that seemed somewhat dissatisfied and also bitter. The usually composed Baek Woojin was showing the most varied expressions in just a few minutes.
“Still, whatever happens, whoever you’re meeting… please make sure to tell me. That’s better than well-intentioned lies.”
Ah…
Baek Woojin was talking about the incident when I was with Eunseong-ssi before. It seemed like we had just glossed over it at the time… but apparently he holds grudges.
I felt a bit hurt too. It wasn’t a deliberate lie—the situation just happened to turn out that way…
“Yes… I will…”
I answered in a dejected voice. Baek Woojin glanced at me and stood up from his seat.
“It’s getting cold. Let’s go inside now.”
“Ah, I… Woojin-ssi…”
I quickly grabbed the hem of his clothes as he was about to move. I had something I wanted to say too.
“I’m always grateful to Woojin-ssi, from the beginning until now…”
I was sincere. I had always felt grateful to Baek Woojin.
“……”
But Baek Woojin just stood there silently for a long while. I thought he would at least say “I see” or “It’s fine”… but with no response, I felt embarrassed. I wondered if it was something to be hated for.
“Well then…”
Just as I was about to get up from the bench with the cocoa I hadn’t finished drinking, Baek Woojin suddenly took the blanket that had been covering his knees and wrapped it around my shoulders.
“May I stay by your side a little longer?”
Then, before I could even answer, he subtly sat down next to me. Strangely, as soon as I felt his touch, warmth rushed in.
“I’m sorry for getting angry earlier…”
Baek Woojin apologized while lightly touching my fingertips that had started to grow cold.
“What role did I play in this novel?”
“What?”
“I want to know what kind of relationship Chae Seungyeon-ssi and I had.”
It was a really sudden question. I hadn’t expected Baek Woojin to ask about the original novel first. When I looked back at him in surprise, he added that if it was difficult to answer, I didn’t have to say anything.
“No, it’s not that it’s difficult…”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
