Yu Seol Ah blankly stared at Han Seung Jun’s broad back before quickly coming to her senses and hanging her head low. She desperately bit her lower lip to hide her trembling lips.

Fortunately, Seung Jun didn’t seem to notice Seol Ah standing in the corner as he greeted Seung Ho, who was sitting in a seat visible right after coming up to the second floor. However, it was only a matter of time before he discovered her presence.

What should she say if they came face to face?

‘Hi Seung Jun, long time no see. Did you come to meet a friend? I’m currently serving your friend.’

Just thinking about it made her inadvertently laugh.

‘I’d rather bang my head against the wall and pass out.’

Seung Ho, who had been watching Seol Ah pressing herself against the wall to hide her presence, greeted Seung Jun with a relaxed smile.

“You said your name is Kim Ha Jun? I’ve heard about you often from Min Woo. Nice to meet you.”

Relieved that Seung Ho’s reaction was better than expected, Min Woo grinned and gestured for Seung Jun to come closer. Seung Jun sat on the sofa across from Seung Ho. His gaze, furrowed as if empathizing with the other’s pain, fell on the white bandage.

“Is your hand okay? I heard you got hurt badly…”

Seung Ho laughed and held up his right hand.

“This?”

His nicely curved eyes automatically shifted from Seung Jun to Seol Ah. Seol Ah, who had turned pale the moment Seung Jun appeared, couldn’t even look in their direction now.

‘Do they know each other? Or are they friends?’

It wasn’t impossible since Seung Jun had also said he attended Cheongmyeong. But it didn’t matter. The unbearably boring time had become unbearably interesting…

Deep in thought, Seung Ho tapped the sofa leg with the fingers of his uninjured left hand. It was his habit that emerged when he had fun thoughts.

‘What should I say? That I was seriously injured and in a lot of pain, or that it’s nothing.’

Either way, an answer that would make Seol Ah, who had resigned herself to being invisible, uncomfortable seemed good. Seung Ho lifted the corners of his mouth and spoke leisurely.

“It looked trivial so I thought it would heal quickly, but there’s no improvement. I might have to keep using people like this.”

“I see. I hope it heals soon.”

Seung Jun, whose polite words felt sincere, seemed well-mannered. Leaning back on the sofa and leisurely looking at Seung Jun, the corners of Seung Ho’s mouth slowly returned to their place.

‘Since a jerk like him is going to Cheongmyeong, his parents must have thrown a fit even if he didn’t say anything.’

Well, what did it matter, the observation was over now and it was time to see something truly fun.

“Oh my, I didn’t bring out drinks even with a guest in front.”

Seung Ho slowly moved his head to look at Seol Ah.

‘It’s time for you to appear.’

Startled by his words referring to her, Seol Ah looked at Seung Ho and shook her head with a pale face.

Her eyes seemed to convey a desperate plea not to make her do this of all things. Seeing those earnest eyes made the situation even more ridiculous. So ridiculous that he was now angry.

‘I guess they’re not just acquaintances.’

Seung Ho brought his long hand to his mouth as he kept wanting to burst into laughter. Bo Ra, who had been quietly observing Seung Jun next to Min Woo, clapped her hands at Seung Ho’s cue. She had also been waiting for this.

“Oh my, that’s right! How could this happen with an esteemed guest in front of us.”

Bo Ra haughtily raised her chin as if she were the owner of this house and said what Seung Ho couldn’t say with his covered mouth.

“Hey, don’t just stand there, go downstairs and bring us some drinks, will you? What prepared drinks are there in the kitchen?”

Instantly, the gazes of the three people sitting on the sofa turned to Seol Ah in unison. It was the worst situation.

“Ah…”

Seol Ah, whose eyes met Seung Jun’s, felt like all the blood was draining from her body. She wiggled her cold fingers but warmth didn’t return, and her brain, frozen from shock, couldn’t utter a single word.

She could only desperately wish to faint…

Bo Ra smiled brightly, seemingly pleased with the handsome Seung Jun, and spoke to him.

“Seung Jun, what do you like? The kitchen lady here makes really good drinks.”

“Oh, um… anything is fine.”

Although Seung Jun also looked visibly flustered, he was better off than the pale Seol Ah.

“Did you hear that? Please make us something delicious.”

Even before Bo Ra finished her request, Seol Ah turned her body, bowed her head, and hurriedly went down the stairs. The thought of wanting to disappear occupied her mind.

She moved her legs in a daze, and just as she almost reached the first floor, her vision suddenly swayed. Seol Ah barely grabbed the railing to avoid collapsing. Falling and getting hurt wasn’t the problem. She was out of breath from the surging wretchedness.

She resented her still functioning mind for not fainting and regretted working at this house for the first time. As her dizzy vision returned to its place and she was catching her breath, she heard the sound of someone hastily coming down the stairs behind her.

Seol Ah didn’t want to face anyone right now. Without even looking back to see whose footsteps they were, she hurriedly took steps forward, but then a familiar voice caught her.

“Seol Ah, wait a moment.”

The person who followed her down was Seung Jun with a stiff face.

It had already been a week since Seol Ah stopped coming to school.

One or two days made him wonder if she was sick somewhere, but as the days kept increasing, he now worried that she might not come at all. He asked the teacher together with Mi Ri, but the answer was always the same.

“I contacted Seol Ah’s guardian. Don’t worry too much. They said she won’t be able to come for a while due to family circumstances.”

So what kind of family circumstances were they that…

Seung Jun was angry at himself. He wanted to ask Seol Ah what was going on, wanted to contact her, but felt powerless not even knowing her contact information. Mi Ri also tried to gather information about Seol Ah in every way possible, but nothing came back.

It didn’t take long for the happy memories of accidentally meeting Seol Ah to turn into regrets.

He should have taken her home when they met at the cafe, shouldn’t have listened even if she refused. Then at least he could have known where she lived…

Then one day, Min Woo came to find Seung Jun. He said he dropped by before going somewhere because Seung Jun came to mind.

Kwon Min Woo and Seung Jun’s parents were close friends, so the two spent a lot of time together since they were young. When Seung Jun declared he wouldn’t go to Seomun High School, the one who was most frustrated, clutching his chest, was Min Woo.

“So where are you going?”

“I have to go visit our family’s prince who got hurt.”

The prince of the Shin family would be referring to Shin Seung Ho.

Unlike the down-to-earth Min Woo, he was the one who didn’t inspire affection with his perfectly aristocratic demeanor.

“Ah, the Duke of the North?”

When Seung Jun asked with a smirk, Min Woo widened his eyes.

“What’s that?”

“There is such a thing.”

Seung Jun was also well aware of Shin Seung Ho, whom Mi Ri kept praising as the Duke of the North.

He heard stories from Min Woo, and even his respected father often said he’d like Seung Jun to be close with him…

However, Seung Jun disliked Seung Ho, whom he had never even met in person. Could someone whose hobby was collecting butterflies and whose brother trembled in fear really be a proper human being?

Whenever Mi Ri praised Shin Seung Ho, he had to suppress the urge to say that guy was just a psychopath with a shiny face.

“Where did he get hurt? Since his body is so precious, he wouldn’t carelessly move around.”

In response to Seung Jun’s question thrown out of courtesy, Min Woo rolled up his fist, imitating a boxer.

“I don’t know for sure, but it seems like something upset him. He punched like this and broke a picture frame.”

“No way!”

Seung Jun raised his voice without realizing it. Doing self-harm like that, he really was crazy.

“It’s true! The staff auntie told me.”

Min Woo, who had good people skills, was on good terms with the servants at Seung Ho’s house as well. Therefore, what he was saying now was quite credible.

“The auntie spoke very highly of him, that crazy bastard, no, apparently Myung Ho hyung called the part-timer to his room.”

“Disgusting.”

Even Seung Jun, who didn’t mingle well with the upper class, was well aware of the rumors about the promiscuous and reckless Shin Myung Ho. Just hearing about his tastes that didn’t discriminate gender, age, or race made him frown.

“I couldn’t stop him from touching an innocent kid, so I was fidgeting anxiously, but then Seung Ho smashed a picture frame near the room with impeccable timing. End of situation. Honestly, it seems like a coincidence, but thanks to that, it turned out well.”

In any case, the conclusion was that Seung Ho became a hero who saved the weak.

“Was he hurt badly?”

“Fortunately, no tendons were severed or broken, but he injured his right hand of all things, so he needs to recover.”

‘What nonsense about recovery. Anyway, the young master of a rich family can’t do anything without servants right now.’

Seung Jun, who sneered at the funny and pathetic ending for a hero, instantly stiffened his face at Min Woo’s next words.

“Anyway, because of Seung Ho, the part-timer there can’t go to school these days since she’s taking care of him. Oh, that girl. She said she attends Cheongmyeong, so you might know her too. Her name is Ji Hyun. Choi Ji Hyun.”

“…What did you say? Say it again.”

“Huh?”

At Seung Jun’s reaction, Min Woo instantly realized he had said something wrong.

However, that wasn’t something for him to care about. Min Woo’s purpose was for Seung Jun and Seung Ho to meet. And the intended event proceeded much more easily than he thought.

Seung Jun, who wouldn’t budge an inch even with many persuasive words, followed Min Woo just by hearing the name Ji Hyun. To confirm, under the pretext of a sick visit, if his friend Ji Hyun was really at Seung Ho’s house…

The moment he saw Ji Hyun standing like a shadow, his mind went blank, but Seung Jun, quick at assessing situations, didn’t lose his dignity.

What was surprising was Shin Seung Ho, whom he directly faced. He was completely different from the weak young master in his imagination that he freely ridiculed.

Despite being the same age as Seung Jun, he had an overwhelming presence that intimidated others. That made him even more worried about Ji Hyun.

When Ji Hyun went to the kitchen after receiving the drink order, Seung Jun made an excuse about going to the bathroom and hurriedly followed her. When he got up from his seat, his eyes met Seung Ho’s, which were flashing sharp light towards him, but he didn’t care.

“Ji Hyun.”

Ji Hyun, whom he barely caught up to, desperately avoided Seung Jun’s gaze.

“…”

Thinking that his concern for Ji Hyun ended up hurting her instead, Seung Jun felt a pang in his chest.

‘What should I do to make you forgive me.’

Seung Jun, who had been swallowing dry saliva, spoke in a low and gentle voice.

“I’m sorry for coming to find you on my own. Working is never shameful. So please don’t avoid me.”

At his earnest voice, Ji Hyun slowly turned her head to look at Seung Jun. Seeing her expression stained with humiliation and wretchedness, his heart ached as if it would tear apart.

“Ha…”

Seung Ho, who had silently come down to about the middle of the stairs following the two annoying people, saw Seung Jun’s desperate face and burst into a sneer.

Ji Hyun’s face was not visible as her back was turned, but it was undoubtedly a ridiculous situation.

How long had he laughed with chuckles…

Seung Ho’s eyes, devoid of laughter, flickered with fiery anger.

“How amusing.”