I will withhold my judgment until the handover is complete.
That being said, the duration of this ‘handover’ is not set.
In other words, it means that Yang Hye-in could potentially extend the handover period indefinitely, allowing her to stay here. Yang Hye-in’s work pattern is somewhat standardized, but she has quite a few types of tasks that require rather delicate hand skills. Of course, it’s not to the level that just anyone can’t do it.
In fact, it seems she learned more about body movements than technical skills. Elegant and calm movements befitting a master.
Usually, one would have to undergo training before becoming a maid, but Shin So-hee’s case was a little different.
Normally, they select talented individuals within the group, offer them enormous salaries, and meticulously train them as maids, but Shin So-hee went as far as crossing over the wall to work here, and the owner of this mansion, Sara, permitted her to work as a maid.
Naturally, she was clueless not only about her tasks as a maid but also about the attitude and mindset she should have as one.
Well, when it comes to ‘mindset,’ that probably doesn’t matter much. In reality, most of those working in this mansion mechanically do their jobs. In fact, if she only has a genuine desire to help Sara, one could argue she’s the perfect maid for Sara.
…Although, that ‘heart’ might be too excessive and could interfere with her work, but if that’s what Sara wants, who can say anything?
And since she deliberately showed that letter, it seems there’s no way Shin So-hee will cause any trouble—
“Ehehe.”
—Is there, though?
For once, Yang Hye-in rarely felt nervous due to someone other than the chairwoman and Sara. She felt a similar unease when she saw Sara unable to gather herself that morning.
Judging by Sara’s attitude towards her friends, she didn’t really think ‘that’ had happened, but still, it was hard to shake off the anxiety in her heart.
With Sara’s hair, still damp and not yet dried, in front of her, Shin So-hee wore a somewhat humid smile.
After the two friends returned home, there were only two people left who could enter Sara’s room, excluding Sara herself.
…And the only ones to stay in Sara’s room, excluding Sara, were just two.
“…Why are you smiling like that?”
In fact, even Sara, who allowed Shin So-hee to work here, seemed a bit anxious as she glanced back slightly and asked this.
“Oh, no, it’s nothing.”
Shin So-hee mumbled and brushed it off.
Seeing this, Yang Hye-in felt the urge to sigh but held it in and said,
“Please use the hairdryer at the lowest wind setting. We wouldn’t want to damage the lady’s hair.”
“Yes, sunbae-nim!”
Sunbae-nim.
That was always an awkward term to hear. The last time Yang Hye-in heard it was back in college. Since then, she hadn’t had a reason or a chance to hear that from anyone.
She simply went about her own business quietly.
…Thinking back, how desolate this mansion was. It was certainly not a place to raise a single child.
—But still.
“……”
Every time Shin So-hee touched Sara’s hair, Sara glanced back anxiously. Her gaze wasn’t on Shin So-hee but rather on Yang Hye-in.
…She didn’t think they had such a trustworthy relationship.
Well, at least regarding drying her hair, she could trust her. After all, Yang Hye-in had been the one who touched her beautiful hair every day.
Though, that would eventually come to an end.
“…A little slower. Keep the hairdryer a bit further away. Even at its lowest setting, daily exposure to artificial air can harm the hair.”
“Yes.”
Still, Shin So-hee took it seriously more than her visible demeanor suggested.
“……”
At first, Shin So-hee’s hands were a bit awkward, but slowly she seemed to get used to it. Cautiously parting the strands of hair, the comb flowed gently down. A soft breeze brushed past, carrying the dampness away.
“……”
For a while, Yang Hye-in silently observed.
…Thinking back, it wasn’t a job one could feel particularly proud of. Wasn’t it, quite literally, being a maid? Just getting paid more than others without significantly differing in the nature of the work.
Leading the staff? The employees working in this mansion just follow their set duties. Cleaning? The mansion is strangely vast, but they only use specific areas, and most of those areas are storage. It didn’t even feel especially difficult since she wasn’t the only one cleaning.
More than anything, Yang Hye-in herself never had great pride in her work.
…That is to say, she never did.
She thought that she was just fortunate to work under a well-behaved lady and fortunate to be receiving that pay.
She did think the chairwoman was creepy. But other than that, she felt she was no different from the others working here.
On the other hand, Shin So-hee was different.
She genuinely wanted to be here.
…She truly wants to protect Sara.
Being here is so enjoyable she can’t help but smile while touching Sara’s hair.
For her, this job was merely a means to an end. It wasn’t about the money; it was just being able to be in the closest place to Sara.
Did she say she loved her?
…Yang Hye-in took a moment to consider when she had started becoming such a person.
When had she turned a blind eye to the wrongdoing before her and just idly spent her time thinking she could do her own work?
Perhaps it was from the moment she decided to take this job just for the sake of ‘money.’
In that sense, the chairwoman really knew how to pick her people.
Had it not been for Sara, who didn’t lose herself even in such situations, she might still be living mechanically like that.
In that sense—
“Uheh.”
“Oh, sorry.”
—No, a person sneaking a back rub under the guise of touching long hair couldn’t be the ‘ideal maid.’
Yang Hye-in quietly watched Shin So-hee. Finally, Shin So-hee made a face of realization and quickly focused back on her work.
“Uh, is this good enough?”
As Shin So-hee muttered this and stepped back a pace, her glance toward Yang Hye-in seemed to seek confirmation.
Yang Hye-in approached and meticulously checked Sara’s hair from behind before saying,
“Yes, it looks good. However, please don’t take so long next time. As I said earlier, excessive exposure to artificial air isn’t very good for hair.”
“Yes, sunbae-nim!”
Should she change that way of speaking too?
But somehow, it seemed Sara wouldn’t want that.
“Alright. Then next is—”
Just as she mentioned this, the pocket of Yang Hye-in’s maid uniform let out a ding sound. Her work phone was vibrating.
“…Excuse me.”
This was definitely not a typical situation, but Yang Hye-in calmly took out her phone.
Then, with a quickened pace, she stepped out of the room while answering the call.
*
When they mentioned a guest had arrived, and she went to the front gate, it was one of the friends who had just been at the mansion.
She was still in her school uniform.
…But the atmosphere was very different.
Not only that, but her school uniform was also in a different state than before. The seam on her left shoulder and chest was torn, exposing a bit of the shirt underneath. There was gray dust on the side of her skirt as if it had been scuffed against something.
Her forehead was bleeding, possibly from bumping into something. It wasn’t much, but it definitely would have attracted the attention of those around her as she walked here.
Her knee was scraped, and her left thigh was also red and swollen as if it had been scraped against something.
Did she fall while running?
“Hide me, please.”
Lee Soo-ah said this with confidence.
“I’m being chased right now.”
“……”
Yang Hye-in momentarily lost her words and then asked,
“May I ask who is chasing you, if you don’t mind?”
“I’m being chased by my father.”
“……”
Yang Hye-in looked again at Lee Soo-ah. It certainly seemed true that she was ‘being chased.’ She looked just like someone who had been running hard and fell somewhere.
But to be chased by her ‘father’…
Wasn’t Lee Soo-ah’s family part of the Yu-won Shipping family? A family known for its good deeds. It was famous for donating more in charity each year than Yujin Electronics. They had never been caught for tax evasion, and their family was known to be cohesive.
…Well.
Even within the Yujin Group where she was working, there were such situations. One would find it hard to know what was going on within other groups from the outside.
She could sense the security guards assessing the situation. It wouldn’t have been surprising if they had found some weakness, as they merely called Yang Hye-in without saying anything else. Typically, they would have simply turned her away.
…After all, Shin So-hee had crossed over the wall, didn’t she?
If they had found a weakness in failing to stop that, it wouldn’t be odd.
“Come in for now.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Soo-ah, while saying that, showed no sign of shyness.
She looked quite different from when she was reading a will.
“……”
Yang Hye-in said nothing and simply led Lee Soo-ah inside.
*
“Soo-ah!?”
Upon seeing Soo-ah enter the room, Sara was surprised. It was no wonder; the state of Soo-ah, seen in the bright room, looked much more severe than expected.
“There’s no need to be too shocked. I just fell.”
“That’s just falling?”
Even Shin So-hee chimed in with a retort.
Yang Hye-in silently walked over and opened one of the closets lined against the wall. Inside, there was a first-aid kit that had been kept for emergencies in the back. It always contained various medicines and ointments, updated before their expiration dates, but it hadn’t been used often. It felt a bit odd that the first person to use it wasn’t the owner, Sara, but a guest.
“I’m fine, though…”
“Leave it like that and it will leave a scar.”
In response to Yang Hye-in’s words, Sara eagerly nodded. Her gaze was fixed on the flowing blood and wounds on Lee Soo-ah.
It was a reaction as if she had never anticipated it at all.
In fact, nobody in this room had expected this.
“But what on earth happened…?”
When Sara asked in a somewhat dazed voice, Lee Soo-ah looked up at her. Her eyes were slightly moist.
But while looking at Sara, Lee Soo-ah smiled.
“I ran away from home.”
However, the words that came out of her mouth were not something one would say while smiling.
