“What if you come back with a lump after going out!”

At the irritated voice of the middle-aged woman with a sharp bob cut, eighteen-year-old Ji Hyun flinched and shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m old enough to pull my own weight. Just feed me and that’s enough.”

Hyun Sook, Ji Hyun’s aunt, smoothly responded to the manager’s words. Ji Hyun had blindly followed her aunt who told her to come along, but this wasn’t what she wanted. Hyun Sook, who was shocked to see her niece left alone while searching for her only blood-related brother, took Ji Hyun under her wing.

“Oh my, have you been living alone all this time? Where are your parents?”

“…I don’t know.”

Her mother had disappeared even earlier, and her father showed his true colors 2 years ago. Her father, who drank every single day, disappeared leaving only the words that he would be back soon.

And since then, Ji Hyun had been alone. She had barely survived on the rice and kimchi that the neighbors, who roughly knew her situation, brought her. But going to school was too much of a burden. She wanted to continue her studies by working part-time, but there was nowhere that would take her.

To make matters worse, the house she was living in was scheduled for redevelopment and had to be vacated soon. The landlord didn’t charge rent for the collapsing house, but wanted Ji Hyun to leave as soon as possible. Hyun Sook, who roughly grasped the situation through Ji Hyun, gritted her teeth.

“That brother of yours only shows his good-for-nothing side to the end. This won’t do. Follow me. Let’s go together.”

“What? Where…?”

As Ji Hyun hesitantly stood up, Hyun Sook stuffed the few clothes into a bag.

“Where I eat, sleep and work. A place that can take in someone like you.”

The thought that the place this aunt, whom she met for the first time in her life, was taking her to might be dangerous crossed her mind, but it didn’t matter. Ji Hyun, who had been in terrible loneliness, just wanted to hold her hand. She didn’t want to be alone anymore.

“You don’t even have a single piece of decent clothing. We’ll take these for now, but we’ll have to buy new ones soon.”

Hyun Sook’s clucking of her tongue with a gloomy face was a warm ray of light to Ji Hyun.

And she took Ji Hyun’s hand and stood in front of a magnificent mansion.

The high white walls surrounding the splendid mansion that piqued curiosity about what the inside looked like seemed to hold the will to not let anything in.

‘Could this possibly be Aunt’s house?’

Reading the thought in Ji Hyun’s gaze, who alternated between the large gate and Hyun Sook with surprised rabbit eyes, Hyun Sook smiled awkwardly.

“It would be nice if it were my house, but it’s not. It’s where I work. You know, as a live-in helper? I do that work here these days.”

Ji Hyun, not knowing what to say, just nodded her head.

“I showed you the main gate so you can find it if you get lost, but there’s a separate entrance for the servants. Let’s go that way.”

Unlike Hyun Sook who energetically led the way, Ji Hyun hesitated.

“But will I really be okay?”

Thinking that Hyun Sook might be put in a difficult position because of her, she couldn’t bring herself to go in.

“Even if Manager Kim says something, just stay still. He may talk like that, but he’s a warm-hearted man.”

As soon as they entered the entrance of the mansion, Ji Hyun faced a woman named Manager Kim. She had quite a cold impression. Ji Hyun unknowingly shrank back and swallowed her dry saliva.

‘But she said his heart is warm.’

However, contrary to Hyun Sook’s words, she, who was in a position responsible for the household affairs, did not hide her obvious discomfort at the sight of Ji Hyun.

“Hyun Sook, do you know how much rice costs these days?”

“Don’t you feel sorry for the kid? Just consider it as hiring her part-time and overlook it.”

Instead of the flustered and stammering Ji Hyun, Hyun Sook calmly retorted.

It was a somewhat brazen attitude, but there was a reason she could come out like this. Most of the servants in this house where Chairman Shin lived couldn’t last three months and left. The mansion had a peculiar, alien and cold air about it. The sight of the lady of the house throwing objects at hand when angry was almost humane in comparison. The servants were mostly treated like invisible people, which was worse than the treatment the chairman’s mistress’ dog received, so they couldn’t endure it and submitted their resignation.

Manager Kim’s sharp eyes softened somewhat at the words that Ji Hyun could work. As Hyun Sook said, finding a person was the priority.

Today, another live-in helper threw down her apron and disappeared, saying she couldn’t live like this.

“Can you really do it?”

Quick-witted Hyun Sook didn’t miss that moment.

“Of course. This kid may not look it, but she works really well and efficiently.”

And she patted Ji Hyun’s side. Ji Hyun, who had been looking around as if seeing a different world with round eyes, was startled and nodded her head.

“If you just give me something to do, I will work hard at any task.”

“How old are you?”

“Eighteen. Almost an adult.”

Hyun Sook winked and answered for Ji Hyun.

“Almost an adult, my foot…”

Trailing off, Manager Kim was wavering. She, who was in charge of managing the servants and taking care of the household chores, had a headache these days from receiving resignation letters one after another.

Manager Kim quietly looked at Ji Hyun. Her shyly lowered eyes looked quite gentle and pretty.

‘She definitely doesn’t seem like a clever one.’

The light-colored eyes and hair felt pure. With this much, she would be able to work in the mansion without any trouble.

“Hmm, then teach her well, Hyun Sook. Make sure to thoroughly inform her of the confidentiality clause.”

“Of course.”

Ji Hyun’s throat tightened. She couldn’t believe she had found a job and a place to sleep at the same time.

“Th- thank you.”

“I’ll accept your thanks after you last three months.”

After primly speaking and swiftly turning around, Manager Kim disappeared from sight. Hyun Sook cheered and grabbed Ji Hyun’s shoulders, shaking her.

“This is really great!”

“It’s all thanks to you, Aunt. I’m really grateful.”

“What thanks, I just put out the urgent fire. When you save up money here, don’t hold out and leave right away. Understand?”

Ji Hyun’s eyes widened at her answer, which was different from what she had told Manager Kim a little while ago.

“Follow me. I’ll introduce you to where you’ll be staying.”

Hyun Sook, who grabbed and led Ji Hyun’s thin wrist with only bones left, took her out of the palace-like mansion to a small annex next to it.

“The main building is where the chairman and his family reside. All the servants use the annex. The live-in helpers take turns staying in the main building on rotation. You won’t need to do that since you’re a part-timer.”

The annex, which was entered after passing a small pond, had several small rooms like a dormitory. Hyun Sook threw Ji Hyun’s luggage into one of the empty rooms and put her hands on her waist to start a serious conversation.

“The hourly wage is lower than the minimum wage. Because they provide room and board.”

Ji Hyun nodded her head. For now, she was just glad to have a place to stay.

“You heard what Manager Kim said earlier, right? Three months. It means people change frequently.”

“Why?”

Hyun Sook smiled bitterly at the innocent gaze that knew nothing.

“Because in this place, only the Shin family are considered people. The servants are treated worse than the Italian furniture in the living room. Surprisingly, this is hard to endure.”

“…I see.”

“Just do your work well without being noticed. Of course, they won’t make you do difficult tasks. There are separate cooks and cleaning helpers. And be careful of the Shin family.”

Be careful? They treat them worse than furniture, so do they insult them too?

Reading Ji Hyun’s expression, Hyun Sook lowered her voice.

“The chairman’s wife threw a water glass last month. Unfortunately, the chauffeur who was there at the time was hit directly on the head.”

Hyun Sook reenacted the event of that day, making a motion of throwing a baseball.

“How could she…”

“Chairman Shin sometimes brings actresses and has wine parties. Of course, you must never make eye contact or acknowledge them.”

Hyun Sook shook her head as if even the thought made her sick and continued.

“Chairman Shin’s eldest son, Myung Ho, is a real rascal. Once he gets drunk, he pounces on anyone regardless of gender, causing problems. If you make eye contact with him, run away immediately. Got it?”

Ji Hyun, who had been attentively listening to the requests and advice, was confused if she was hearing the plot of a makjang drama.

“The second son, Young Master Seung Ho, is relatively normal.”

“That’s a relief. At least one of them is normal.”

“Right. I bet even Chairman Shin thinks so. That’s why he told his second son to receive successor training.”

Hyun Sook’s tone when explaining Chairman Shin’s first and second sons was completely opposite.

“The Shin family is a bit intense, but the second son feels a bit colder. He’s also much smarter than his brother, so that might make him seem more normal, but…”

“Then are both of them living here?”

“They’re not seen often, but yes. Since there’s no word of them living outside, they must be living somewhere in the mansion. And there’s one thing you must never forget. That is…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Ji Hyun nodded as if she knew.

‘She must be talking about what Manager Kim emphasized several times.’

“That what happens inside the mansion is absolutely a secret, right?”

“That’s right. You’re quite smart.”

Hyun Sook smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

“There are many guests and the Shin family lives here, but since the mansion is large, there won’t be much to worry about.”

“That’s a relief.”

Ji Hyun smiled brightly with a gentle face. Those words had nothing to do with her. She thought there was no way she would run into them in this vast mansion.

No matter what, as a part-timer, she had no reason to work in the main building called the mansion, and she just had to work diligently on miscellaneous tasks. That’s what she thought.

Hyun Sook didn’t stop walking. She took Ji Hyun inside the mansion.

She said there wouldn’t be a chance to enter if not now. Everywhere inside, there were paintings worthy of being displayed in an art museum.

When they went up to the second floor of the mansion where Seung Ho and Myung Ho were said to stay, what caught her eye was a decorative case with numerous butterflies mounted. Ji Hyun unknowingly held her breath.

Butterflies with beautiful colors that made one think such species existed in Korea were neatly pinned side by side according to type.

“It’s the second young master’s hobby.”

Hyun Sook, who had been introducing the mansion, stood next to Ji Hyun.

“Seeing him still collect these things at eighteen, it seems like he’s not fully grown…”

She seemed to quite like these beautiful spoils. But Ji Hyun’s thoughts were different.

The hobby of collecting only beautiful and rare butterflies and mounting them without a single flaw was different from young boys liking insects. Looking at the lifelike butterflies that seemed like they would fly away any moment, Ji Hyun felt an inexplicable chill.

‘So this is what miscellaneous tasks are.’

Ji Hyun, who was arranging the stones in the garden under the stinging autumn sunlight, wiped the sweat flowing on her forehead with her hand.

As soon as the introduction of the mansion that was like an art museum ended, work began immediately. They said a lot of miscellaneous work had piled up due to the servants who ran away without looking back.

“The lady said the colors of the stones in the garden are all jumbled up, so she told us to arrange them.”

“Arrange them how…?”

“She likes white, so lay mostly white stones in the garden. The ones that are too dark can be picked out and put in the back yard.”

Complaining about not liking even the color of the stones, she was indeed an unusual employer.

‘A garden with only smooth white stones wouldn’t be that pretty either.’

But what could she do? She had no choice but to follow…

Having made up her mind, Ji Hyun diligently picked out stones and matched the colors as instructed. That’s when it happened.

Clatter.

A particularly white and round small stone slipped out of Ji Hyun’s hand.

“Oh?”

The stone rolled like it was alive and reached the tip of well-polished black loafers.

Ji Hyun, who had been focusing on the rolling stone, slowly raised her eyes to identify the owner of the loafers.

Long, dark navy suit pants, a well-ironed white shirt above it, a stretched neckline, and the black eyes looking down at her.

A boy who seemed to be around her age was standing there.

From the cold gaze staring at her with red lips tightly closed, Ji Hyun unknowingly felt a chill.

She could instinctively tell.

The cruel collector who gathers beautiful butterflies.

This boy in front of her eyes was none other than Shin Seung Ho, the second son of the Shin family, who was called relatively normal…

‘I thought there was no way I would run into him.’

Swallowing a sigh, Ji Hyun hoped he would quietly pass by and carefully reached out her arm toward the white stone lying at her feet.

When her hand touched the shiny, unsharpened stone, she blinked her eyes a few times in surprise at the unfamiliar sensation.

‘…Huh?’

The black loafers were firmly stepping on her hand holding the stone.

Along with the reality rushing in, she raised her head to look at the owner of the loafers as she felt the pain.

Aunt, didn’t you say the second son was relatively normal?