I got up as usual today and stepped out of my room to prepare breakfast. But unlike usual, the kitchen was a bit noisy.
Hearing someone bustling about, I thought Jung Hwangyu had come down early and headed that way.
But the person there wasn’t Jung Hwangyu.
“What the—you're already up—w-who are you?”
“Oh my, what a handsome young man?”
Standing in the kitchen was a middle-aged woman I’d never seen before.
A woman with tightly permed hair and a round face.
But why was a woman I didn’t know in this kitchen?
I couldn’t hide my confusion.
Was there a character like this in the book? No—there wasn’t.
“I’ll be working here starting today. And you? Do you live here?”
“…Ah, I’m the housekeeper here. You said you’ll be working here?”
“Yeah. They told me to start today, but I wasn’t told what to do, so I figured I’d at least prepare breakfast and was looking around for things.”
“W-wait just a moment.”
Hearing that only made me more flustered.
Starting today…?
I hurriedly dug through my memories.
The first meeting between the heroine in the book and Park Gyumin.
Her entrance had been almost identical to this.
After the interview with the heroine, Jung Hwanhui simply told her when to start work and ended it there. Everything after that was handled by Park Gyumin.
And so, one day, Park Gyumin suddenly encountered Park Hana working in the kitchen, fell in love at first sight, and from then on willingly became her attendant.
I had expected that something like that would eventually happen to me as well.
…But this wasn’t the “something” I’d been expecting, was it?
I’d prepared myself mentally to meet Park Hana—not to meet a middle-aged woman.
Why was a forty-something woman with a perm here instead of Park Hana, the very embodiment of pure and fragile beauty?
If this person were Park Hana, she looked nothing like the cover or the image I remembered. No—her age didn’t even match in the first place.
Still… even so, with a faint, desperate hope, I asked carefully.
“Um, by any chance… your name isn’t Park Hana, is it?”
“Nope. I’m Kim Youngsook.”
Ah. Mrs. Kim Youngsook.
Park Hana and Kim Youngsook—not a single character was the same.
At this point, I had no choice but to admit it. Park Hana hadn’t come.
Was there ever an episode like this in the story? I tried to recall it, but no matter how much I thought, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Something was seriously wrong. I needed to confirm this.
“Um, please wait just a moment. I’ll talk to Jung Hwan—no, the boss first… and then I’ll let you know what you should do.”
“Sure, sure. Do whatever’s convenient for you. This fridge is amazing—there’s nothing it doesn’t have. I’ll just take a look around, so go ahead.”
…But why has she been speaking casually to me this whole time?
The tone rubbed me the wrong way, and I frowned slightly.
No matter the age difference, speaking casually to someone you’ve just met… And she was subtly treating me like a subordinate, too. I’d been working here longer than she had.
I was a little annoyed, but figuring out what was going on took priority, so I returned to my room.
Then I immediately grabbed my phone.
After Jung Hwangyeong’s kidnapping incident last time, I’d realized how important contacts were, so I had Jung Hwanhui’s number saved.
I needed to find out, as soon as possible, why some unfamiliar middle-aged woman had become the housekeeper so I could respond appropriately.
I desperately hoped this was all just some kind of mistake.
Beep—beep—
The call connected.
With my heart pounding, I waited for him to answer.
[“Hello.”]
A deep, steady voice that was pleasant to hear came through the line. Not only was his face handsome—his phone voice was nice, too.
I cleared my throat unnecessarily and spoke.
“Hello, sir. This is Park Gyumin, the housekeeper.”
[“Ah, Mr. Park Gyumin. Yes, what is it?”]
“Well, there’s a woman named Kim Youngsook here right now. She says she was hired as a housekeeper, so I wanted to confirm if that’s correct.”
Please say no. Please say she came by mistake.
I waited anxiously for Jung Hwanhui’s reply.
After a brief silence, he answered.
[“Yes, that’s correct. I was actually planning to call you, but I got busy and forgot. She seems to have a lot of experience, so she should do well. Please teach her what she’ll need to do from now on.”]
Damn it—it’s true!
She didn’t come by mistake—she came properly!
“But—!”
[“Yes?”]
I’d called out impulsively, but I suddenly found myself at a loss for words.
…What was I even supposed to ask?
Do you know Park Hana? Didn’t Park Hana also come for an interview? Why didn’t you hire Park Hana? Why did you hire this woman instead? Did you maybe not wear your glasses during the interview and mix people up?
There was so much I wanted to say, but asking outright felt inappropriate.
I needed to phrase it carefully so Jung Hwanhui wouldn’t become suspicious.
Especially considering that Park Hana’s true identity was that of a spy.
After taking a deep breath, I decided to ask about the interview—the thing I was most curious about.
Something must have gone very wrong during the interview. Otherwise, it made no sense for Kim Youngsook—who didn’t even exist in the book—to be here instead of Park Hana.
Hoping my tone sounded as careful as possible, I asked,
“Um, sir… did you conduct the interviews yourself?”
[“What? Yes, I did. Since this is someone we’re bringing into the house, I needed to see them personally.”]
Up to this point, it was exactly the same as the book.
“Did a lot of people apply for the interview?”
[“About three people applied.”]
Right. That made sense.
One of those three must have been the woman here now. Another would have been the tall man. And the last should have been Park Hana.
Yes. Fine. All of that is fine.
But then why make this choice?
I couldn’t tell where things had gone wrong, no matter how I thought about it. The flow seemed to have followed the original pretty closely….
Just in case, I asked another question.
“So there were quite a few interviewees. Ah—were there any other women, by any chance?”
[“There was one, but… why do you ask?”]
I knew he’d ask that.
“Well, it’s just that the person hired is a bit older. The age gap is quite large, so it’s a little uncomfortable. I wondered if someone younger might have been better…. I apologize if that was rude.”
[“There was a woman around your age, Mr. Park Gyumin, but she had no experience, so I didn’t hire her. Ms. Kim Youngsook has plenty of experience and will surely be a great help. If you’re very uncomfortable, we can hire someone else, but….”]
Then hire the heroine, you idiot male lead!
I was already shouting that internally.
But saying something like that outright, from the position of a housekeeper, would have been overstepping.
Even what I’d said just now was already crossing the line.
“…Ah, no. It’s fine. I’m sorry for saying something inappropriate. You don’t need to worry about it. I’ll explain what needs to be done to the new hire. I also need to prepare breakfast. I’ll hang up now.”
After hearing his “Yes,” I ended the call.
My head felt like it was about to explode. But breakfast came first.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I needed to take care of Jung Hwangyu and Jung Hwangyeong right away.
Steeling my chaotic thoughts, I headed back to the kitchen.
* * *
‘…He hung up.’
He usually looked so timid and barely spoke, but now that I see it, he speaks clearly enough?
Jung Hwanhui was slightly surprised by Park Gyumin’s new demeanor.
But it wasn’t the reaction he’d expected.
He’d thought he’d like it—did he not care for it? Should I have hired Park Hana instead?
Staring at the ended call, Jung Hwanhui slowly stood up.
Still, Park Hana had looked too small and weak to handle rough work.
He’d worried that assigning her tasks might ruin her health, and so had chosen Kim Youngsook, someone experienced who seemed like she could help Park Gyumin—but it seemed Park Gyumin was uncomfortable with the age gap.
Well, he’d adapt over time.
Jung Hwanhui walked over to the window and gazed blankly outside.
Though it was early, there wasn’t a trace of sleepiness in his eyes.
‘…Where on earth did you go?’
What mattered to Jung Hwanhui right now wasn’t the housekeeper issue.
His mind was filled with nothing but that man.
Kim Hanyul.
He’d tried everything to find Kim Hanyul after he disappeared, but there was too little information.
He didn’t know his face or where he lived.
All he knew was that he had a youthful voice, was short, and seemed to live in this neighborhood. That was all.
If he lived nearby, that would explain how he’d been able to bring over so much food every day to take care of his meals.
That assumption about his residence was based solely on that behavior. Of course, it might not be true—but otherwise, the search range would become far too wide.
He still hadn’t found him. And if he didn’t even live in this neighborhood….
Clinging to the last hope that Kim Hanyul might still be nearby, Jung Hwanhui mobilized himself to search for him.
He even sent gangsters throughout the area to look for Kim Hanyul.
But every short man they brought back turned out to be a dud.
It only took a brief conversation to tell.
‘…I should have found him back then, no matter what.’
He’d felt so close—within his grasp—and yet Kim Hanyul had vanished without a trace.
Did he rise into the sky or sink into the earth…?
He hadn’t even repaid his lifesaver yet….
Would he really never see him again?
Was there no better way?
Jung Hwanhui’s gaze darkened.
The emotion that settled clearly within those eyes wasn’t gratitude toward a lifesaver—but affection and obsession toward someone.
And Jung Hwanhui himself failed to realize it.