“Did you finally get your assignment? Which school? When do you start work?”

Yeo Reum calmly answered Mirae, who was speaking rapidly with excitement.

“The school is Gamsan High School. I start work next Monday.”

“Right away?”

“Yes.”

“That’s really great, Yeo Reum! I just saw your message now because I’ve been so busy today.”

Mirae cheered as if she was about to jump out of the phone.

“It’s the beginning of the semester, so there’ll be a lot of work, but it’s still so exciting.”

“Of course. You waited over a year after passing the teacher certification exam.”

The majestic Woarium Resort stood overlooking the night sea of Haeundae.

Yeo Reum continued her call with her friend Mirae as she walked towards the resort.

Despite the cold sea breeze of late February and the time past 9 PM, many people were still passing by.

It might have been busier because it was Saturday.

“Are your parents happy too?”

“Yes.”

“Why is your answer so lukewarm? Now their daughter has become a teacher, the best candidate for a daughter-in-law, instead of doing all sorts of part-time jobs.”

“You know? My mom and dad are only interested in each other, not me.”

“Well, your parents’ educational policy is a bit unique. They believe you should manage your own life, and they haven’t given you an allowance since elementary school, saying you should handle your own living expenses. They even take a million won every month from their semi-unemployed daughter. It’s not easy to do that to an only daughter.”

“They went on a trip by themselves again today. They used to take me everywhere before.”

“Anyway, they get along so well. Plus, your parents are completely ideal. Ah, I want to have a marriage like that too.”

“That’s somewhat true. But it’s really cheesy when you see it every day. It gives me goosebumps.”

“How did you turn out like that under such affectionate parents?”

“Like what?”

“You’re twenty-five and still don’t have a boyfriend. No, now good men will be lining up for you, right?”

“I guess so?”

“Of course!”

The two laughed loudly.

“By the way, Mirae, your Seoul accent has improved even more?”

“Right? Do I sound like a real Seoul woman now?”

“Yes.”

“Before coming to Seoul, I took standard language lessons from you and worked so hard that I hardly use dialect these days. Isn’t it completely unnoticeable?”

“That’s right.”

The two laughed loudly again.

Meanwhile, Yeo Reum, who had entered the resort, walked towards the pool villa built in the form of a separate building.

Under the streetlights of the forest path lined with large trees, there were scattered couples arm in arm.

“Ah, it’s really a shame. Wouldn’t it be nice if you got a job in Seoul too? You even graduated from a university in Seoul.”

“My dad absolutely forbids Seoul. That’s why my mom, who wanted to send me to university in Seoul, fought with him for the first time, raising their voices.”

“Your dad really seems to hate Seoul. Even though both of them are from Seoul.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeo Reum, on a day like today, we should really have a party…”

Mirae sounded truly regretful.

“Not this week, but I’ll come up soon on a day we set.”

“Do that. I’ve found an amazing restaurant. By the way, is tonight your last day doing the resort pool cleaning in the evening?”

“I already told the manager. I’ll be free on weekends now.”

“That’s great! Yeo Reum, congratulations on your school assignment, and come to Seoul soon. I’ll treat you properly.”

“Thank you.”

Mirae reluctantly ended the call with a farewell. Yeo Reum entered the villa.

“Oh, our Teacher Jung is here?”

The people who had arrived earlier welcomed Yeo Reum warmly.

There were three middle-aged women and two men from the outsourcing company exclusively responsible for pool cleaning.

Plus Yeo Reum, who only worked in the evenings as a part-timer, making a total of six people who had been working together for over a year.

“I heard you finally got your assignment? The manager mentioned it?”

Yeo Reum answered while putting on a work apron and tying her long hair into a tight ponytail.

“Yes.”

“Oh my, that’s great. Now you’re a real teacher? Teacher Jung Yeo Reum!”

They rejoiced as if it were their own good news.

“Thank you. And I won’t be able to work here anymore.”

“Of course. A school teacher has so much to do.”

They congratulated Yeo Reum on her assignment without reservation, saying it was fine.

At that moment, the manager clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“We have three jobs today, so let’s move as quickly as possible. Understood?”

“Yes!”

Everyone headed to their positions.

Yeo Reum went down to the pool with a long mop with a brush attached.

She scrubbed the drained bottom of the pool vigorously with the mop.

“What will we do without her? Yeo Reum was our endorphin.”

“Hey, don’t make people feel uncomfortable when she’s leaving for a good reason.”

The manager immediately scolded.

“It’s really a shame, isn’t it? Our Yeo Reum has such a good personality and does her work so meticulously.”

“It was strange for a teacher to be doing this kind of work in the first place. Stop talking nonsense and focus on scrubbing the floor.”

At his pointed remark, everyone moved more busily.

They diligently scrubbed the pool floor and walls with brushes, disinfected, rinsed with clean water, and then filled it with pleasantly warm water.

Of course, it was natural to wipe the surrounding area completely dry with a dry towel while the pool was filling with water.

As they had been doing this work until now, they skillfully finished cleaning the second pool and stood up when the manager’s phone rang.

His voice was serious as he spoke, probably with the front desk.

“We’ll have to clean the Baekgwan first. A sudden reservation came in,” he said as he lowered his phone.

Baekgwan was the largest and most expensive building among the villas here, with a large swimming pool in front.

“The guest is coming at 11, so let’s do this as fast and quickly as possible.”

Everyone hurriedly gathered their cleaning supplies and headed to Baekgwan.

They started cleaning skillfully, just like before.

At that moment, a woman who looked to be in her mid-20s entered the pool area.

Despite the rather chilly weather, the woman was wearing short sleeves and a skirt, suggesting she was a guest from a nearby villa.

The manager, who was wiping the floor tiles with a dry towel, blocked her way and said,

“Oh, ma’am. I think you’ve come to the wrong place.”

“What?”

“I think you’ve entered the wrong house, ma’am.”

“What the fuck are you saying?”

At her sudden curse, the people around looked at her.

Long brown wavy hair, large hoop earrings studded with cubic zirconia, and flashy nails.

The woman was glamorous.

“Never mind. Get out of my way.”

Her speech was slightly slurred, suggesting she was drunk.

“Ma’am, this place is reserved for other guests. I think you’ve come to the wrong villa.”

“What do you mean wrong? This is the right place!”

The woman carelessly took off her high heels and threw them away.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

The manager apologized while holding out her high heels that an employee had picked up.

“I can’t believe this, really.”

The woman glared at the cleaning staff for a moment before going outside.

The aunties spoke as if they found her pathetic.

“How dangerous it is to swim alone at night while drunk. She doesn’t even know that.”

As they occasionally encountered such incidents while cleaning late at night, everyone soon focused on cleaning.

Shortly after, the pool was filled with clean water.

When they brought a thermometer, it showed the appropriate temperature.

The staff members gathered their cleaning tools with satisfaction.

“Where’s next?”

Yeo Reum asked.

“You’re done.”

“What?”

“Our Teacher Jung Yeo Reum is finished up to here. We’ll quickly take care of the rest.”

“No, I should go with you.”

As Yeo Reum tried to step forward, the manager stopped her.

“Now Teacher Jung shouldn’t be doing this kind of work. And there’s not much left, so we can handle it quickly among ourselves.”

“That’s right. Teacher, just wait here nicely, and when we call, you can come out then. Let’s have a meat party today.”

“Yeah. You stay here.”

After telling her to stay put, they left without Yeo Reum.

It was their way of being considerate. So Yeo Reum decided to wait nicely with a grateful heart.

While sitting on a beach chair looking at the clean water for a moment, footsteps were heard.

“Huh?”

It was the woman from earlier.

But this time, she wasn’t alone; she came in with two women and two men who looked about the same age.

“Where did they all go? Why are you alone?”

“What’s the matter?”

Yeo Reum stood up and asked.

“What’s the matter?”

The woman, smiling pointedly, stretched her hand to the side.

One of the women who came with her handed over a wine bottle.

She turned the wine bottle upside down.

“What are you doing now!”

The red liquid poured onto the floor, and she went a step further by starting to spray the wine in all directions.

The clean white tiles that had been washed and dried quickly turned blood-red and became stained.

Yeo Reum approached the woman and shouted.

“What kind of mischief is this!”

“Don’t you know? I’m disinfecting now. It’s too unclean.”

She tried to spray wine on Yeo Reum too, but she quickly dodged.

Moreover, perhaps because the contents were all used up, she threw the bottle.

The bottle that brushed past Yeo Reum fell into the pool.

“You, what you’re doing now is a crime! You know that!”

“You’re talking about crime? You fat bitch.”

“What, fat?”

“How do you live with that body? Getting all fat with no money. Anyway, the have-nots just can’t manage themselves.”

The woman and her group laughed.

“You think you’re being clever?”

“No, I’m not done yet. You fatty. Do you know who I am? I’m from a family that would make someone like you faint if you heard.”

Looking at the woman with an expression of utmost arrogance, Yeo Reum said,

“You really have no manners. You dried-up anchovy head.”

“What did you just say?”

“Are you deaf too? I said dried-up anchovy head. And what, fatty? Is 63kg at 165cm height fat?”

“If a woman’s weight starts with 6, she’s fat. You pig.”

“Ah, you’re really pissing me off. How am I a pig? My body is adorably lovely. And you’re not in a position to say such things to me. Anchovy head.”

“You bitch, really!”

The angry woman rushed over and grabbed Yeo Reum’s hair.

“Hey, let go of this.”

“Why should I let go, you pig bitch.”

“You started it first. From now on, what I do is self-defense.”

“What?”

Yeo Reum quickly twisted her body and then relentlessly struck the woman’s back with her elbow.

While she was staggering in pain, Yeo Reum grabbed the woman’s hair with one hand.

“…Hey, you dare to grab my hair now? Do you know who I am!”

“When you pull an anchovy’s head, shit always comes out with it. You seem like that too, so I wanted to check.”

“…How dare you!”

“Did you put a rag in your mouth? Everything you say is terrible.”

Yeo Reum kicked the back of the struggling woman’s knee, making her kneel on the floor.

When she pressed down on the back of her head with force, the woman’s cheek touched the floor where wine had been carelessly sprayed, flowing like blood.

“Hey!”

The woman screamed, but Yeo Reum sat on her back.

A choking sound was heard.

The two women who had been standing dazed for a moment approached Yeo Reum and reached out their hands.

She dodged that too and struck the women’s torsos.

While they were losing balance and staggering, she grabbed their arms and slammed them down in turn.

The two women who fell straight to the floor were knocked out without even making a sound.

“…What are you standing there looking at! Crush that bitch! Quickly!”

In the meantime, the woman who had barely caught her breath shouted, pointing wildly at Yeo Reum.

“Has she really lost her mind!”

The two men immediately came over and each grabbed Yeo Reum’s shoulders.

For a moment, she couldn’t move due to the clear difference in strength.

Just then, a large hand suddenly reached in and grabbed the men’s hair in one swift motion.

Yeo Reum looked up in surprise.

The man wearing a black beach poncho had a tall height of probably over 180 cm.

“Ouch! It hurts!”

The men screamed.

Unlike his face, which was not clearly visible due to the loose poncho hood he was wearing, he was wearing flip-flop slippers that exposed his toes.

Like a fisherman pulling up a net, he pulled the men’s hair with all his might.