The Problematic Helper (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
It didn’t matter whether I liked it or not.
Regardless of that, the habit already ingrained in his body would continue to repeat in the future.
“Have a good day.”
Do Um, who had followed Ji Wan out to the garden, came back inside and cleared away the untouched breakfast table.
Seeing Woo Seok ask about the morning that had left only wounds for her, she could picture what that cold-blooded man must have said in the car on his way to work.
“……Yes, that’s what happened.”
At her sullen reply, Woo Seok, having grasped the situation, added an unnecessary explanation.
“When he was staying at the family home in Anseo-dong, he never skipped it, but after moving out, he keeps it simple. He has very particular tastes to begin with, so it’ll be hard to match his palate. He only goes to the same Korean restaurant, drinks the same coffee, wears the same style of clothes—his preferences are extremely firm.”
In short, at the family home he ate breakfast well because it suited his taste, but after moving out, there’s no one to cater to him, so he doesn’t eat.
She had worked as a kitchen assistant in a driver’s cafeteria for a year, and when you add up her experience from fast food, Chinese, and Western restaurants, it amounted to several years.
Do Um’s pride was instantly hurt.
“Director Han, about the housekeeper who was supposed to start this afternoon.”
“Yes.”
“Please just cancel her. I’ll… do it well myself.”
A needless stubbornness rose up in her.
Compared to the man who always looked down on her as if she were beneath him, the one thing she was actually good at was cooking—at least she didn’t want to yield that.
Besides, Madam So Kyung already handled most of the chores, so all she really had to do was meals, ironing, and packing his business trip bag. She figured they wouldn’t need a housekeeper.
“Cooking is something I enjoy, and since there’s not much else for me to do, I get bored. If I can’t even do that, it’ll be too dull.”
There wasn’t even a supermarket nearby, let alone friends to talk to.
Even though she had a driver, her comings and goings were restricted to the minimum, so it wasn’t strange that a woman would say she was bored.
“Then try it once, and if it gets too hard, just let me know.”
Woo Seok, who was about to turn and leave, glanced up at the living room ceiling.
“Ah! The electrician came this morning, right?”
Around the time she was preparing breakfast, the worker had come in, and Do Um had already been startled.
It wasn’t even 7 a.m. yet, and Ji Wan hadn’t left for work either.
“I was really shocked that he came so early. To think he goes to work that early…”
“He doesn’t. Absolutely not. Who goes to work at that hour? The CEO gave him an earful. Told him to come in right away.”
She remembered the cold face of the man who had asked last night if her mouth was just for decoration.
“After the scolding came down so late last night, he had no choice but to come at dawn. Oh, I set the door to auto-lock. The CEO said to set the house password to something Madam wouldn’t forget, so… it’s Madam’s birthday, Miss Do Um—no, Madam.”
He had given her a look that said why make things so annoying when she never did anything properly, then went straight to his room and apparently yelled loud enough to keep everyone awake.
If he was going to do that anyway, he could have just said something about the inconvenience he’d endured until now.
Then she would have thanked him for caring, and it would have been good for both of them.
Anyway, he was the kind of person who couldn’t say a single kind word, Do Um pouted.
“Director Han, couldn’t you just call me comfortably, at least when it’s just us? Being called Madam is too uncomfortable.”
Sometimes Woo Seok called her “Miss Do Um” before quickly correcting himself to “Madam.”
“If I slip up in front of the Chairman, I’ll be in big trouble. My head will roll that very day. Even if it’s uncomfortable, please bear with it for just one year.”
Do Um smiled along with Woo Seok, who grinned showing his even teeth.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had smiled and talked with someone in this house.
“Ah, yes.”
The corners of her mouth that had lifted in excitement suddenly felt awkward the moment she realized that fact.
Her large, double-lidded eyes shrank beneath her long, curled lashes.
Woo Seok, watching her, quietly lowered his gaze and erased his own smile.
The difficult boss he served was that kind of person.
No matter who he was with or how long they had been together.
He was a man who could make anyone shrink in fear in an instant and leave them unable to move.
He was already worried about the woman’s future.
“We haven’t disposed of the CEO’s previous officetel. If it ever gets too hard, just say the word anytime. I’ll discreetly take the CEO there that day.”
Swallowing the words—rather than that stubborn CEO, couldn’t you just take me to the middle of the city?—Do Um smiled brightly at the half-joking sincerity.
*****
It was nearing 10 p.m.
At Woo Seok’s call saying he was leaving the office, Do Um hurried to the kitchen.
Since the Korean breakfast that morning had been harshly rejected, she planned to make pasta with the fresh seafood Madam So Kyung had bought.
She blanched tomatoes to make the sauce from scratch, properly set a full Western-style table, and stepped out onto the garden terrace.
Nervously, she kept wiping her dry hands on her pristine white apron.
Her eyes squinted at the headlights of the black sedan climbing the hill.
Woo Seok and the driver Mr. Park held their breath when they saw the woman standing there, one hand raised to shield her eyes from the bright light.
It was clearly a scene the man in the back seat would dislike.
“You properly relayed what I said this morning, right?”
As expected.
The moment the woman in the white apron appeared in front of the car that had reached the top of the hill, a cool voice came from the back seat.
It was confirmation that he had clearly told her not to do anything for him—not meals, not even turning his shoes around.
“Yes, I conveyed everything without omission.”
Ji Wan gently stroked his chin.
“And yet she’s out there waiting like that?”
Beneath the long, straight hair tightly tied back, her slender, pale neck glowed under the lights.
Her hands politely clasped in front and the long lashes that drooped whenever she looked at him made her seem like a frightened rabbit before a wild beast. It made him feel like the villain even though he had done nothing.
Since he had already chosen to play the villain, it didn’t matter whether he became one before or after doing something—but that woman who could make him feel that way with just a look was impressive in her own right.
She was too scared to even meet his eyes, yet she stubbornly did exactly what he told her not to. What kind of nerve was that?
She couldn’t even speak for fear of annoying him, yet because she had received something, she was determined to do her share?
Or was it her petty pride that even if she didn’t do it, it would thoroughly be her own choice?
His thick eyebrows furrowed with clear displeasure.
“She also turned away the housekeeper, saying she didn’t need one. She said she’d be too bored with nothing to do. Since she doesn’t know anyone around here and has nowhere to go, I thought that made sense, so I put the housekeeper on hold for now.”
Meanwhile, the car stopped in front of the main entrance, and Woo Seok hurriedly got out.
“Good evening, Madam.”
While Woo Seok, who had gotten out of the passenger seat, exchanged greetings with Do Um, Ji Wan, unable to wait any longer, opened the door himself and stepped out.
“Then please go inside, CEO. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Woo Seok bowed deeply to Ji Wan’s silent back as he walked into the house.
“You haven’t had dinner.”
He quietly whispered to Do Um.
At the hint that the man hadn’t eaten, the woman—who had been worried she would be rejected again like breakfast—beamed with joy and scurried inside.
After habitually turning around the shoes the man had left and neatly removing her own, Do Um’s small feet padded toward the kitchen.
The moment she was about to head to her room, the man stopped, turned only his head slightly, and scanned the neatly set dining table—Do Um’s hurried steps froze.
What now.
What excuse would he use to send this table away again.
Excuse? That man wasn’t the type to make excuses.
He would just openly tell her to clear it if that’s what he wanted.
Come to think of it, he didn’t like Western food either?
Then maybe next time she should try Chinese or Japanese.
Behind the neatly combed-back hair, an unhappy expression formed.
He instantly read her mood, so with her hands politely clasped, she looked exactly like someone awaiting an inevitable scolding.
“Late at night, pasta might be a bit heavy, right? I changed the menu because I thought you didn’t like Korean food much. I was thoughtless. I’ll prepare something simple instead.”
Ji Wan cut off Do Um’s hurried addition, unable to bear the short silence.
“Skip the spaghetti. Just the salad.”
The man’s low, heavy voice always sent a chill through one corner of her heart.
Even though that voice was saying to clear away the main dish she had worked hardest on and eat only the salad she had barely put effort into, her face lit up at being chosen, even if just one thing.
While Ji Wan disappeared into his room at the end of the hall,
Do Um pushed the pasta aside and added fresh fruit and nuts to the salad plate.
Compared to what she did, her excessive busyness was no different from a child desperately hoping at least one thing would please him and earn praise.
A woman who had never been told she was bad at work anywhere else had only been scolded by this man.
Good job. Thank you for your hard work.
Hearing even those words felt as hard as picking stars from the sky for Do Um.
The moment Ji Wan sat down in front of the neatly arranged salad on the silver dishware, Do Um pulled out the chair across from him and sat down without hesitation.
As if she had been desperately waiting for him to sit.
Her ears perked up, her eyes shining brightly, completely unaware of how burdensome that was for the man about to eat.
“Today, the gardener came by. We planted hydrangeas and evening primroses and all sorts of things together.”
In front of the chattering Do Um, the man silently began his meal.
“Hydrangeas look like tightly packed balls, don’t they? And the colors are so elegant and pretty. I heard that in the past, people dried hydrangea flowers and used them as a fever reducer. Isn’t that amazing?”
He clearly wasn’t eating for taste—the way he put the salad speared on his fork into his mouth held no particular emotion.
Whether he cared or not, Do Um’s mouth didn’t stop for a moment.
“Oh, I just learned this today too. Apparently, the color of hydrangeas depends on the soil’s acidity. Blue in acidic soil, pink in alkaline. Isn’t that really fascinating?”
Only then did the man lift his head and meet her eyes at the question from the woman leaning far forward.
Seeing herself fully reflected in those dark brown eyes, Do Um finally came to her senses and lowered her gaze.
No wonder—his eyes seemed more amazed by her excitedly chattering away than by hydrangeas that changed color with the soil.
“The flower language of hydrangeas is ‘sincerity.’ And evening primroses… ah!”
As if suddenly remembering, Do Um raised her hand and pointed to the bird-of-paradise plant placed in front of the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window.
“Someone named Seol sent a potted plant.”
Seol.
At that name, even the small movements the man had been making stopped completely.
“The flower language of bird-of-paradise is said to be ‘eternal permanence that never changes.'”
His cool gaze slowly moved from the plant to the woman sitting across from him.
“……Who is Seol?”
Where did that courage come from?
Finally, the question slipped out.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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