“What do you want me to do?”

Soo Young asked with a bewildered expression.

“Wash my hair. Yesterday Jin Hyun washed it, but it wasn’t satisfactory.”

He spoke so confidently that Soo Young momentarily thought washing the homeowner’s hair must be included in a housekeeper’s duties.

However, washing hair is clearly different from household chores.

“Why? Can’t you do it? Then I’ll just wash it myself.”

Woo Jin said as he stood up from the sofa. But he didn’t forget to add:

“The doctor said if water gets into the wound, it’ll fester… Well, if it festers and needs to be amputated, so be it.”

At his words, Soo Young’s face turned ashen.

“W-what needs to be amputated?”

“My finger. If I get tetanus or something, there’s no choice but to amputate. What else can be done?”

Just as his back with protruding shoulder blades was about to disappear into the room, Soo Young shouted:

“Wait!”

The door that was about to close opened again, and his unique amber eyes curved slightly.

“What?”

“Alright, fine. I’ll wash your hair. Why did you have to injure your hand…”

At the words “mere hair,” Woo Jin’s face frowned slightly, but he ignored it and entered the room.

Soo Young followed Woo Jin into the room, looking around as if she was entering for the first time.

However, as soon as she entered the bathroom, she stopped in her tracks.

Woo Jin was casually taking off his top in front of the bathtub.

“W-why are you taking off your clothes?”

Soo Young burst out, but her involuntarily rising lips made her sound like she was laughing.

“It’ll all get wet when washing hair. Why? Do you like it that much?”

“Hey! W-when did I say I liked it…!”

“You’re laughing, aren’t you?”

“I’m not laughing!”

“Your voice gives it away. When you’re angry, when you’re happy, when you’re not thinking about anything.”

It seemed more impressive that he could distinguish that, but on the other hand, she was curious. How does it show?

“How does it show?”

“The muscles around your mouth change. When you’re angry, your mouth muscles go down, so your voice drops too. When you smile, the corners of your mouth go up, so your voice tone rises too. Just shouting doesn’t express anger. Keep that in mind.”

“What should I keep in mind?”

“When you read books aloud. Especially when voicing female characters. Read differently when they’re really angry versus pretending to be angry.”

“I’m not a professional narrator, why should I pay attention to such details…”

“You have talent.”

“What?”

At the sudden compliment, Soo Young lifted her head. Woo Jin said as he wrapped a towel around his neck:

“You have talent for narration. You have a good voice. It calms people’s hearts. That’s why it makes me sleepy when I listen.”

Makes him sleepy when listening? Is that a good thing?

“Isn’t it bad if people fall asleep while listening to books?”

“It depends on when they listen. I listen at night, so it’s good if it makes me sleepy. Thanks to you, my insomnia is gone.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Wow!”

Soo Young was genuinely impressed. It was the first time in her life she felt so useful. Strangely, being with Seol Woo Jin kept making her feel more valuable.

He was a man who raised women’s self-esteem.

When Soo Young remained silent, Woo Jin asked, holding the towel with both hands:

“Are you going to wash my hair or not?”

“Ah, I’ll wash it. But, how should I wash it?”

“I’ll lie down in the bathtub.”

“Okay.”

“You take off your clothes too.”

“What?”

Soo Young thought for a moment that she had misheard. Take off what?

“It’ll all get wet. So take them off. Don’t go searching for a dry cleaner again like last time.”

“Are you crazy? Why should I undress in front of you!”

“I can’t see anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

“You might not realize it, but it seems like you can see everything! Your gaze follows when I move.”

“That’s because the light moves.”

“The light moves?”

“Yeah. I can distinguish light and darkness.”

It was hard to imagine what it felt like to distinguish light and darkness. So how much can he see?

Woo Jin bent over in front of the bathtub. Seeing his protruding spine, Soo Young swallowed hard. Thinking she should at least take off her socks, she removed them, and Woo Jin’s gaze turned towards her feet.

“I’m not taking off my clothes. Just my socks.”

“Who said anything?”

“I thought you might misunderstand and touch me again.”

Remembering how he had touched her to check if she was undressing last time, she said something unnecessary. Unlike Soo Young, who spoke and blushed on her own, Woo Jin quietly asked:

“Do you dislike me touching you?”

It was a strange question for a man to ask a woman. However, perhaps because his situation was different from ordinary people, Soo Young answered calmly:

“You dislike me touching you. Since you asked me to wash your hair first, bear with it even if you don’t like it.”

Soo Young turned on the shower, adjusting the hot and cold water appropriately. Amidst the sound of water pouring, Woo Jin’s muttering could be heard.

“…don’t.”

“What? What did you say?”

Soo Young asked, turning off the shower again.

“…I don’t dislike it. You touching me.”

As he said this, Woo Jin’s eyes were accurately directed towards her.

Yeon Ho was excited at the thought of meeting Soo Young. It was because of the good news he had to tell her.

For the atmosphere, he stopped by a coffee shop midway and bought two fruit juices.

Leaning against the car, he saw Soo Young in the distance, wearing jeans and a purple hoodie, waving her hand as she walked towards him.

Why does she always dress like that? Will it change when she starts working?

After seeing his female teacher colleagues dressed neatly with makeup, meeting Soo Young made him feel even more of a contrast.

If she just dressed up a little, she would be quite presentable to take around, but he couldn’t understand why she was so indifferent to grooming her appearance.

Well, since she’s doing odd jobs like being a housekeeper, there’s even less reason for her to care about her appearance.

On the other hand, it was also reassuring. Dressed like that, wouldn’t the homeowner not see her as a woman?

By the way, he wanted to see what kind of man the homeowner was. Men can tell about other men, and if he met him, he would immediately know if he was a beast or not.

But then again, it’s a part-time job that will end soon anyway, so what’s the point of seeing the homeowner?

“What are you thinking about?”

Soo Young asked, seeing Yeon Ho lost in thought even as she approached.

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing. Soo Young, do you want to come for an interview at our school?”

Yeon Ho asked, trying to sound as casual as possible while handing her the fruit juice.

“Huh? Suddenly? Why?”

“Well, one of our teachers needs to have leg surgery, so we need to hire a one-year contract teacher. And the good thing about this position is that the teacher’s husband might be assigned to the United States soon, so the whole family might emigrate to America. Then that position will be vacant. So you could even become a permanent teacher. How about it? Sounds good, right?”

“Even if a position opens up, would they hire me as a permanent teacher? At a private school? I don’t have any school connections, local connections, family connections, or money.”

“We can think about that when the time comes. Just come for an interview. I think it’s a good opportunity. When I mentioned you, that teacher said they wouldn’t post the job opening to the education office until you have your interview.”

It did seem like a good opportunity. But then… when would she go to Seol Woo Jin’s house?

“What time does school end? 4:30?”

When Soo Young asked, Yeon Ho nodded with a puzzled expression.

Then should she go after finishing work? It’s close by.

Looking at Soo Young lost in thought, Yeon Ho exclaimed with a disbelieving expression:

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to come to this part-time job after school?”

“Yeah. Is it too hard?”

“Kim Soo Young! Did they smear honey on that house? Why are you so desperate to go to that house? Is there something going on between you and the homeowner?”

“It’s not like that. Just, this house needs me a bit.”

To be precise, it wasn’t the house but the homeowner who needed her, but saying that would require further explanation. So she made an excuse about the pay.

“Besides, the pay is good, right? Teachers work 8 hours and get 2.5 million won, don’t they? Here, it’s 2 million won for two hours.”

“No, but still, being a teacher is more stable than a housekeeper! How can you say that…”

“What’s stable about being a contract teacher, not a permanent one? You’ll either be fired after a year or have to quit within two years if you don’t become a permanent teacher even if the contract is extended?”

He knew Soo Young was immature, but he didn’t know she was this immature. Yeon Ho tried to suppress his rising anger and spoke calmly.

“Soo Young. Still, you can at least mention being a teacher proudly anywhere. But a housekeeper… If you tell people your age that you’re a housekeeper, they’ll all laugh at you.”

“Why would I work to brag to others? You just do a job that suits you.”

For a moment, he thought he had misheard. So now being a housekeeper suits her?

“Kim Soo Young. Are you going to live your whole life as someone else’s housekeeper?”

“Senior So. Being a housekeeper is not a big deal. Honestly, full-time housewives are all housekeepers too. The only difference is it’s their own house. Cleaning, doing laundry, tidying up the house, oh, and taking care of kids if there are any? But I just have to clean.”

Honestly, it felt more like taking care of a child than cleaning the house, but anyway, compared to being a full-time housewife, this job was quite satisfactory.

It would be perfect if the homeowner was a bit kinder. But if the homeowner was David, well, then it would be bearable.

Unlike the excited Soo Young, Yeon Ho felt like he was having a conversation without vision with someone who had just turned twenty-five. Suddenly, the fruit juice he had bought for a hefty price felt like a waste.

“Anyway, come for an interview once. You never know what might happen. Okay?”

Seeing Yeon Ho trying to speak calmly, Soo Young nodded as if she understood.

In the car, drinking fruit juice, Yeon Ho gently explained to Soo Young about things to be careful about during the interview. However, Soo Young’s mind was full of memories of washing and drying Woo Jin’s hair earlier.

David’s hair texture was like silk. Although there was an unfortunate incident where she misdirected the shower and soaked his pants, the series of actions of washing his hair and drying it with a hairdryer were…

A kind of. Foreplay.

It seemed to feel more so because neither of them spoke. Moreover, the flesh slightly visible through the wet cotton pants aroused various thoughts in Soo Young.

If it weren’t for the sound of the hairdryer, Woo Jin would probably have told her to breathe again and boasted about the superiority of his appearance.

Looking back, she thought he could probably dry his hair on his own since water doesn’t touch it, so why did he insist? But she didn’t dislike it.

“How can everything be so perfect? Are you crazy?”

Suddenly, when Soo Young muttered, Yeon Ho stopped his explanation and turned to look at her. He had just been explaining about the vice principal.

Is she saying the vice principal is perfect? Or the working environment is perfect?

“It seems good, right? The vice principal is a very nice person too. Very meticulous. As for the principal, well, you won’t have much interaction. The school is big, the cafeteria is well-equipped, and the students are decent. It’s not perfect, but the working environment isn’t bad.”

Suddenly, Soo Young laughed, “Ha.” With a somewhat unpleasant expression, Yeon Ho cautiously asked.

“Why?”

“Senior So. Have you ever met someone who seems like they came out of a manga?”

At her sudden question, Yeon Ho’s eyes momentarily turned to the void.

“Well…”

“In manga, when they draw hair, they use shading to make it look like it’s flowing, right? Just look at Final *antasy. You know? But when you see such scenes, you think it’s like that because it’s a manga, how can real human hair be like that? But what if such hair actually exists? It’s not an exaggeration.”

Yeon Ho, who doesn’t read manga, couldn’t understand what Soo Young was talking about. They were talking about school, and suddenly she’s talking about manga characters?

Speaking of manga characters, Yeon Ho did think of a character. A character that came to mind whenever he saw Soo Young. Yellow and banana-shaped, with big round eyes.

That character didn’t have hair, though. Imagining flowing hair on it made him feel creepy.