“Housekeeper.”
“Housekeeper, where are you~.”
“Housekee~per~.”
Damn it….
I’d put Jung Hwangyeong in the car and sent him off, and I was in the middle of fixing Jung Hwangyu’s breakfast when a sharp waft of pheromones hit me. I shifted aside—and Jung Hwangseo appeared.
‘…Why is he looking for me?’
Being suddenly singled out by Jung Hwangseo made my skin crawl.
Ever since that day, I’d been instinctively avoiding him. It was only possible because the house was practically a palace.
Honestly, I’d thought he’d lose interest and stop on his own. Jung Hwangseo got bored easily; if he couldn’t see me, I figured he’d forget. But even by lunchtime, he was still sprawled on the living room sofa, scratching his head and calling for me. It was enough to drive anyone insane.
‘I can’t keep avoiding him forever.’
A sigh escaped me. I’d have to face him sooner or later.
If anything, dodging him like this might make me stand out more. Still, I wanted to avoid a confrontation if I could… They say the older you get, the more careful you should be with your body… haah, this is driving me crazy.
An image of Jung Hwangseo naked flashed through my mind. And my own past—beating him like a dog.
This is why you shouldn’t do things that come back to bite you. Damn it. I’m at my limit. Sneaking around like this doesn’t suit my personality anyway. Fine—let’s just face it. And if it really comes down to it, I can always beat him down again.
Just in case, I put on the white mask I’d taken earlier from the cleaning supply closet.
‘Let’s trust the book.’
There was no way Jung Hwangseo remembered that it was me. If he did, he wouldn’t be calling for me so lazily, like reading out of a textbook.
Hesitantly, I pretended to sweep the floor with a broom and approached the sofa where Jung Hwangseo was lying.
I planned to imitate the usual Park Gyumin—careful not to spark any unnecessary curiosity. Until now I hadn’t felt the need, but there was no reason to get entangled with Jung Hwangseo and make my life harder. You don’t avoid shit because you’re scared—you avoid it because it’s filthy. That was wisdom earned through life.
Imitating the old Park Gyumin wasn’t hard.
I’d read it in the book. Timid, introverted, meek… a painfully ordinary housekeeper.
“Um….”
“…Mm?”
“Y-you were looking for me?”
I spoke in a small, barely audible voice, almost a whisper. Jung Hwangseo, who’d been lying there, rolled only his eyes to look at me.
‘Ah, that pheromone scent. It’s insanely strong….’
“So you’re the housekeeper?”
The way Jung Hwangseo looked at me—as if seeing me for the first time—made me click my tongue inwardly.
He must have erased Park Gyumin the housekeeper from his mind entirely.
Thanks to that, I could finally relax. Figures. He wasn’t looking for me because of that—he probably just wanted to send me on some errand.
“Yes.”
“You’re ridiculously hard to meet. Don’t you think?”
“…S-sorry. I was cleaning….”
“Whatever. It’s nothing serious—I just wanted to ask something. About a week ago, did a pretty little thief cat happen to sneak into this house?”
“A pretty… what?”
“A pretty thief cat. You know? Or you don’t?”
…Don’t tell me that “pretty thief cat” is me?
The exact timing—a week ago—overlapped with Jung Hwangseo calling me “pretty,” and it didn’t take long to realize he was talking about me.
Ah. Good thing I put on the mask. I almost lost control of my expression. I’d thought he chalked it up to a dream—but apparently not. That must be why he’d been so busy searching for me all this time.
“I didn’t see anything. That day, I went grocery shopping and was out of the house for a long time.”
“…Is that so?”
He dragged out his reply. I nodded, while a shiver ran down my spine under the lazy way his eyes swept over me from head to toe.
‘That brat already has eyes like that.’
Eyes that looked destined to become a major figure in the gangster world when he grew up. No—actually, that gaze felt like it belonged to a different category altogether. More like a killer, maybe….
I caught myself instinctively sizing up Jung Hwangseo’s potential, then flinched when our eyes met and hurriedly lowered my head.
“No matter how much I look, it’s boring when I can’t find anything. Fine.”
With a small grunt, Jung Hwangseo stood up. Acting as if his business was finished, he sauntered toward the second floor.
I let out a sigh of relief, thinking I’d made it through—when Jung Hwangseo suddenly stopped, as if remembering something, and spoke without turning around.
“Oh, right. Sounds like hyung’s coming tomorrow.”
“Yes?”
“Just thought I’d mention it. Didn’t want our housekeeper to get scolded. Slacking off like today… I found it kind of fun, but hyung probably won’t.”
“…I’ll be more careful.”
Jung Hwangseo was warning me—indirectly.
He’d clearly pointed out my dereliction of duty, explaining that he’d looked for me several times and couldn’t find me. Even throwing in the fact that I hadn’t noticed someone coming in or out of the house.
What a picky bastard.
“Just thought I’d mention it.”
He shrugged and walked away like nothing mattered. As he got farther, his scent gradually faded too. I’d only dealt with him for a short while, but it completely drained me.
I let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the sofa.
“Ugh… the smell….”
It was intense. Too intense.
The sofa was saturated with Jung Hwangseo’s pheromones. I shuddered and stood up.
The scent itself wasn’t bad—but it felt filthy, like I’d been tightly hugged by Jung Hwangseo. The discomfort lingered.
Ah, right. He said Jung Hwanhui was coming tomorrow.
Guess Jung Hwangseo is useful sometimes. When Jung Hwanhui comes home, you really have to be on your toes. It’s also the day all four brothers gather to eat together.
I remembered from the book that whenever Jung Hwanhui came home, the family—who normally lived separately—made time to share dinner together, the one and only time they did.
I should go shopping early tomorrow morning. And be extra thorough with the cleaning. It would be my first time meeting the main male lead since entering this book, so I couldn’t help feeling tense.
The main male lead, Jung Hwanhui.
A gangster boss—cold, ruthless, with neither blood nor tears. Supposedly, he only ever smiled in front of his family.
‘Ah. He smiles in front of the heroine too.’
Confused by the feeling of love for the first time, he denies it—until the moment he realizes it is love, and then he falls endlessly for the heroine.
After that, it’s a nonstop parade of 19+ scenes. Jung Hwanhui was probably the first to be conquered. Then Jung Hwangyu. And finally Jung Hwangseo.
Though Jung Hwangseo was only half-conquered—you couldn’t say he was fully subdued.
Their bodies intertwined, sure—but no one could tell what the hell was going on in his head. He was basically a lunatic.
‘Alright. Cleaning first.’
That was my top priority right now.
Hurry. Hurry. Busy. Busy.
* * *
A dark night.
“Hhk—hhuhk.”
A man stumbled into an alley as if being chased. His entire body was drenched in blood—and as if that weren’t enough, a knife was lodged in his abdomen, blood dripping steadily onto the ground.
‘Damn it.’
Who would’ve thought the Hwayong faction would set a trap?
A large-scale battle had taken place that day between his organization, the Cheonryong faction, and their rival, the Hwayong faction. Jung Hwanhui, boss of the Cheonryong faction, had been confident he’d win.
They’d given themselves a grand name—Hwayong—but in reality, they were just a rabble scraped together from here and there.
But to think that proud Hwayong faction had joined hands with another group.
When Jung Hwanhui arrived at the rendezvous point, he clenched his teeth at the sight of enemy gangsters—numbers that looked triple his own.
There was no escape. The only way to survive was to fight with his life on the line.
In the end, he’d barely managed to get away thanks to the sacrifice of his men—but his injuries were severe.
‘I have to run….’
His legs wouldn’t move anymore. He was truly at his limit. The Hwayong faction was still chasing him, intent on killing him. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he was found and buried alive.
Even if he wanted to return to his organization, those bastards would be lying in wait. The moment he showed himself, they’d pounce.
Instinctively, his thoughts turned to his family, and he almost headed home—until the realization hit that he’d only be putting them in danger. He twisted his body sharply into a nearby alley.
But the pain was too much. He couldn’t even stand anymore. He’d lost too much blood.
Staggering, Jung Hwanhui leaned against a wall and slid down to the ground.
‘Is this it…?’
At least there was one small mercy—he’d never revealed his home to anyone.
He’d deliberately bought a place far from the organization and only visited it a few times a month, in secret. It was all to prepare for situations like this.
Even so, rival factions had discovered the house and broken in a few times—but he’d raised his younger brothers to be strong, and each time they’d gotten through it safely.
He wanted to protect them, but he couldn’t station obvious gangsters around the house either. Maintaining things as they were was the best option he had.
And more than anything, he wanted his family to live ordinary lives—not as gangsters.
That was why he’d never introduced them to the organization, keeping his distance instead.
Of course, his brothers were always clamoring to become gangsters and help him—but he’d never accept it.
This kind of painful life should end with his generation.
‘Even if I die… my family will be safe.’
Given the nature of his job—never knowing when or where he might die—he’d prepared for the future, just in case.
So that even if he died, his brothers wouldn’t struggle to make a living.
He’d thought he was ready for it all—but now that the end really seemed near, he wanted to see their faces one last time.
‘I was supposed to visit tomorrow….’
He’d even prepared a gift for the youngest, Jung Hwangyeong.
His consciousness began to fade. This really seemed to be the end.
Just then, footsteps approached from nearby.
Had the gangsters already found him?
Either way—dying by a blade, or bleeding out here—the ending was the same.
With his eyes closed, Jung Hwanhui smiled bitterly.
“…Hah. What is this now?”
But the voice that reached him was unexpected—young, flustered.
‘Not gangsters…?’
He wanted to see who it was—but there was no strength left in his body. He couldn’t even lift his head.
In the end, Jung Hwanhui couldn’t hold on any longer.
And lost consciousness.