“I heard from elder brother Myung Ho.”

Min Woo’s gaze landed on a hand wrapped in white bandages as he flung open the door. It was Seung Ho’s injured hand. The room’s owner, who had been surprised by the sudden visitor, nonchalantly flipped to the next page of the book he was reading.

“Already? Elder brother Myung Ho has a looser tongue than I thought.”

It was Min Woo’s role to be astonished by Seung Ho’s attitude, as if discussing someone else’s business despite it being his own. He plopped down on the bed and ruffled his hair in irritation.

“Why are you really doing this? I thought I knew you, but I guess I don’t.”

The Shin Seung Ho that Min Woo knew would have broken someone else’s wrist if he had to, but would never hurt himself. Yet he had reached out and shattered the glass himself.

According to Myung Ho, the glass shard Seung Ho had grasped dug so deep into his flesh that it nearly severed his tendon.

“And it had to be his right hand, not the left…”

Min Woo shook his head back and forth, muttering in exasperation. Myung Ho, whom he had met after a long time, was talkative despite his large build, but provided a lot of useful information. Recalling his words, Choi Ji Hyun had been present at the scene.

Min Woo instinctively surmised that this was what had angered Seung Ho. With his keen personality, he had long noticed that Seung Ho treated Ji Hyun differently from others.

Shin Seung Ho was inherently disinterested and indifferent by nature. Min Woo was able to stay by Seung Ho’s side thanks to their cousin relationship and Min Woo’s understanding attitude towards his cold nature.

Even if Min Woo were to stop coming here from tomorrow, Seung Ho wouldn’t care.

Yet he had taken an interest in Ji Hyun. It was difficult to say that Seung Ho’s gaze indicated fondness, but in Min Woo’s view, his behavior of insulting Ji Hyun in front of others was unlike him.

Lost in various thoughts, Min Woo turned his head as he blankly stared at the ceiling. Seung Ho’s solid, broad back, still absorbed in reading, caught his eye. Unease and reassurance simultaneously rushed in at the sight of him.

‘His arrogant and haughty personality won’t change.’

It must be curiosity. Ji Hyun, who had appeared in his world that he had never seen before, would have been like an alien from another planet. The two were vastly different from the very beginning.

In contrast to Seung Ho’s sturdy life that only needed to ascend like an escalator, Ji Hyun’s life was one where she had to struggle to survive.

‘Perhaps he might be curious about a completely different life environment.’

Thinking that way, Ji Hyun somehow seemed a bit more pitiful than the injured Seung Ho.

“By the way, it’ll be inconvenient for a while since you injured your right hand. What will you do?”

“…We’ll see.”

At Min Woo’s worried words, Seung Ho looked at his own hand and smiled faintly.

‘He’s crazy.’

Ji Hyun finally reached a conclusion about Seung Ho.

A personality-disordered individual who needs to put others beneath his feet to feel satisfied, Shin Seung Ho.

From early in the morning, busy with school preparations, Manager Kim had come to see her. But the atmosphere was a bit strange. It was the first time she had seen him open and close his lips several times, looking troubled.

“Ji Hyun, what should we do?”

Something dropped with a thud in Ji Hyun’s heart as she watched Manager Kim hesitate. It must surely be bad news for her.

“Yes? Did something happen?”

“It seems you won’t be able to go to school for a while starting today…”

Ji Hyun’s eyes grew serious as she looked at Manager Kim’s mouth, who had abruptly brought up not being able to go to school without context. She had thought the absence was due to Shin Seung Ho’s injury. But it wasn’t.

“As you know, Young Master Seung Ho badly injured his right hand, right? He needs someone close by to help him diligently.”

So he was talking to Ji Hyun. Telling her not to go to school, to stay confined in the mansion and run his errands while helping him move around…

The moment Ji Hyun caught on to Manager Kim’s intentions, she felt suffocated.

“What does Young Master Seung Ho’s injury have to do with me?”

“What?”

Manager Kim was taken aback by Ji Hyun’s pointed question.

“Did the young master order this? To not go to school and stay to attend to him?”

Shin Seung Ho had more than enough personality to do so. Ji Hyun, who had been at the scene, had a vague idea of how much he was injured. It wasn’t an injury that required someone by his side to nurse him, at the very least. Realizing this, anger boiled up inside her.

‘What grudge does Shin Seung Ho have against me to make me miss school?’

As Ji Hyun reacted more intensely than expected, Manager Kim hurriedly waved both hands.

“Ah, no. Ji Hyun. This wasn’t ordered by the young master, but directly by Madam. She thought it would be better to have someone the same age take care of the young master…”

It was an order befitting Madam, who didn’t consider others’ circumstances at all. Manager Kim hastily explained the special treatment she would receive.

“It may sound a bit weird to say this, but honestly, there’s nothing bad for you. You just need to stay by the young master’s side without doing any other work. The hourly wage will be generous too.”

His words, hastily added in case Ji Hyun refused, were close to persuasion and enticement. It was terrible. To have to constantly be by his side without doing any work…

This is a punishment. A very harsh punishment.

Seung Ho was the one injured, so why should I be the one punished?

Ji Hyun, who had not yet given up on going to school, fiddled with her school bag. Manager Kim, watching her expression, gently coaxed her with his unique eloquence.

“If you’re worried about falling behind in classes, it’s okay. A tutor will come.”

Ji Hyun, who knew there was no use in refusing further, hung her head.

Her position wasn’t even considered. This decision, arbitrarily made by others, would not change. Ji Hyun looked at Manager Kim with a face that had not abandoned hope.

“Does auntie know about this?”

“Of course, she’s your guardian. When I explained it well, she was rather pleased. Is it possible for ordinary kids to study with Young Master Seung Ho?”

Normally, Hyun Sook would have charged forward with a fierce look, asking how they could make a child who should be going to school do this kind of work, but the fact that Ji Hyun could receive tutoring together with Seung Ho seemed to have persuaded her.

The spark of hope was extinguished without even being able to clash. Ji Hyun knew well what answer she had to give in this situation.

“Yes. I understand.”

It was an answer close to resignation. Only then did Manager Kim, whose tension had eased, wipe the beads of sweat on his forehead. Even for her, who had been in charge of Chairman Shin’s household affairs for a long time, it was clearly a rare and perplexing situation.

“Thank you, Ji Hyun. I’m sure Madam will be grateful too.”

Ji Hyun climbed the stairs to the second floor of the mansion, which only designated servants could access, but none of the servants stopped her. The story must have already been told in advance. Ji Hyun recalled the words of Manager Kim, who had enthusiastically persuaded her.

“The attending physician, Dr. Han, said that Young Master Seung Ho’s hand will heal quickly. So don’t be too disappointed about not being able to go to school, okay?”

Another step.

“This is a good thing for you too, you know that, right?”

A good thing for me? No way…

Another step.

“When the vacation starts soon, Young Master Seung Ho will go overseas. Until then…”

Ji Hyun, who had realized what Manager Kim’s trailing words meant, smiled bitterly.

“Serve him well.”

It was a line that sounded like it would be spoken by a personal attendant attached to the precious son of a noble family in a historical drama. Seung Ho was right. Although she was in a position where she was paid to work, this was no different from being a servant rather than a hired employee.

“You’re late.”

At the low and chilling voice that penetrated her thoughts, Ji Hyun unconsciously raised her head. He was standing at the top of the second-floor stairs.

Shin Seung Ho, who perfectly showcased the difference in status from her…

Ji Hyun could not understand despite everyone in the mansion seriously talking about Seung Ho’s injury.

Even his long legs walking ahead with wide strides, his left fingers tapping as if keeping rhythm, and his even more leisurely expression made it hard to see him as a patient.

Without saying a word to Ji Hyun, whose movements showed not even a bit of motivation, Seung Ho turned around to face her as soon as he entered his room.

His eyes, with light reflected in the cold pupils, seemed a little different from usual.

“Do you know what time it is now?”

Although it wasn’t a question about the time, Ji Hyun calmly rolled her eyes to look at the clock.

“It’s nine thirty.”

She had forgotten the time while arguing with Manager Kim. But it wasn’t as late as she had thought.

In fact, she had intended to come even later. Although she had agreed, saying she understood, she had leisurely dawdled like someone who had no intention of going to the mansion in the morning. Frustrated by Ji Hyun’s behavior, Manager Kim had grabbed her hand and brought her to the mansion.

Seung Ho lightly sighed and tapped the watch on his wrist.

“It’s too late today. From now on, come at 7 in the morning.”

“7 o’clock is too early…”

Ji Hyun trailed off, implying that she couldn’t agree. There was no need to face Shin Seung Ho early in the morning.

“What does the early hour have to do with you?”

Seung Ho, who had raised his chin with an arrogant face, crossed his arms and cut off her rebellion with a single stroke.

“I don’t care if you’re lazy, but I can’t stand being inconvenienced because of it.”

I wondered what inconveniences there would be from not being able to use his right hand as soon as he woke up.

As if reading her thoughts, Seung Ho slowly continued.

“I live more diligently than you think.”

Ji Hyun nodded her head half-heartedly.

“I’m sure you do.”

“The tutor will come at 11 o’clock. Now, what should you do?”

It felt twisted to hear him teach her as if she were a child, despite being the same age.

“Um, set up for the lesson?”

“Wrong.”

One corner of Seung Ho’s lips curled up.

“Go down to the kitchen and bring up a glass of water.”

Does he have a terminal illness if he can’t even scoop and drink water himself?

Although dissatisfaction surged up to her throat, Ji Hyun obediently went to the kitchen and brought water. Even after that, Seung Ho’s demands continued endlessly, trivial, troublesome, and even persistent.

“I haven’t had breakfast yet. Bring something I can eat simply.”

She brought snacks that he could eat simply as he said, but was rejected about three times.

Only after going up and down several times with different menus did Seung Ho accept the toast Ji Hyun held out.

“Water the flowerpots on the terrace. If the roots rot from overwatering, know that it’ll be your fault.”

“Bring thinly sliced lemon on ice and carbonated water, as quickly as possible.”

He, who could only not use his right hand, pushed all sorts of miscellaneous tasks onto Ji Hyun as if his whole body was in pain.

He even seemed to enjoy watching Ji Hyun struggle as she went back and forth between the first and second floors doing the errands he ordered.

Although she was annoyed by the childishly mean errands, Ji Hyun silently moved, knowing that following along was the best option.

The more she worked, the more certain she became that Shin Seung Ho was crazy. As she held out the carbonated water with lemon, he glanced at his watch.

“It’s about time for the teacher to come.”

It wasn’t even 11 a.m. yet, but her legs trembled. Ji Hyun, who had gone up and down the stairs countless times doing naughty errands, was exhausted.

Time, which usually passed quickly, seemed to go by so slowly. Seung Ho, who had gulped down the carbonated water, unconsciously looked down at his clothes and frowned.

“It’s dirty…”

There was no trace of dirt even if one washed their eyes and looked, but Seung Ho, seemingly unsatisfied with the clothes he was wearing, went straight into the dressing room attached to the bedroom. It was a chance for Ji Hyun to take a short break away from watchful eyes.

“Then I’ll step out for a bit while you change.”

As soon as Ji Hyun tried to hurriedly escape, Seung Ho called out to stop her.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Where are you going? You need to help me change clothes.”

“…Me?”

“Then who else is here besides you?”