Yeon-ho was excited to meet Soo-young, having good news to share with her.

To set the mood, he even stopped by a coffee shop on the way and bought two fruit juices.

Leaning against his car, he saw Soo-young in the distance, wearing jeans and a purple hoodie, waving and walking towards him.

Why does she always wear that outfit? He wondered if she’d change once she started working.

Compared to his female colleagues who dressed up and wore makeup, Soo-young’s appearance seemed even more contrasting. She would be so attractive if she just dressed up a bit, but she seemed indifferent to her appearance.

Especially since she’s doing a part-time job like housekeeping, she probably felt no need to care about her appearance.

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

He was curious about the house owner. A man can tell about another man, he thought. If he met him, he would immediately know if he was a brute or not.

But then again, with her part-time job ending soon, what was the point of meeting the house owner?

“What are you thinking about?”

Soo-young asked, noticing Yeon-ho lost in thought even as she approached.

“Uh, nothing. Hey, Soo-young. Would you like to interview at our school?”

Yeon-ho offered her the fruit juice, trying to sound casual.

“Eh? Suddenly? Why?”

“Well, one of our teachers is having surgery on her leg, so we need a substitute teacher for a year. The good thing is, her husband might be relocated to the U.S. soon, so the family might emigrate. That position might open up permanently. How about it? Sounds good, right?”

“You think they’ll hire me as a regular teacher just because there’s an opening? In a private school? I have no school connections, local connections, family connections, or money.”

“We’ll think about that when the time comes. Just give the interview a try. I think it’s a good opportunity. I talked to that teacher, and she said she wouldn’t post the vacancy until you’ve had your interview.”

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

“What time do you finish work? 4:30?”
As Soo-young asked, Yeon-ho nodded with a puzzled look.

“So, should I come after work? It’s nearby.”

Yeon-ho, noticing Soo-young lost in thought, looked at her with a ‘you can’t be serious’ expression and then suddenly exclaimed loudly.

“You’re not planning to come here for your part-time job after school, are you?”

“Yeah. Is that too tough?”

“Kim Soo-young! Did you put honey in this house or something? Why are you so fixated on this place? Do you have something going on with the house owner?”

“No, it’s not like that. It’s just… this house needs me.”

To be exact, it wasn’t the house but the house owner that needed her. However, saying that would require further explanation, so she used the pay as an excuse.

“Besides, the pay is good, right? Teachers work 8 hours for 2.5 million won, right? Here, it’s 2 million won for just two hours.”

“No, but being a teacher is more stable than a housekeeper! What are you even saying…”

“How is a temporary teacher more stable? If you don’t become a regular teacher after a year or two, you’ll have to leave anyway.”

Yeon-ho knew Soo-young was careless, but he hadn’t realized to this extent. He tried to calm his rising anger and spoke calmly.

“Soo-young. Even so, being a teacher is something to be proud of. But a housekeeper… If you tell people you’re a housekeeper at your age, they’ll laugh at you.”

“No, who works just to brag to other people? You just do it if the job suits you.”

For a moment, he thought he misheard her. So, she thinks being a housekeeper suits her?

“Kim Soo-young. So, you plan to live your life as someone else’s housekeeper?”

“Yeon-ho. Being a housekeeper is no big deal. Honestly, full-time housewives are also housekeepers, aren’t they? The only difference is it’s their own house, cleaning, doing laundry, tidying up, oh, and taking care of kids if there are any. But I just have to tidy up.”

Honestly, it felt more like babysitting than cleaning, but anyway, compared to a full-time housewife, this job was quite satisfactory.

If only the house owner were a bit kinder. But if the house owner were David, then, well, it would be tolerable.

Excited Soo-young contrasted with Yeon-ho, who thought it was a visionless conversation with a 25-year-old. He suddenly felt the fruit juices he had bought with such enthusiasm were a waste.

“Anyway, just try the interview. You never know how things will turn out. Got it?”

Yeon-ho spoke calmly, and Soo-young nodded in agreement.

As they sat in the car drinking fruit juice, Yeon-ho gave her detailed advice about the interview. But Soo-young’s mind was filled with memories of washing and drying Woo-jin’s hair.

David’s hair was silky too. There was a mishap with his pants getting wet due to the shower misdirection, but the process of washing and drying his hair was…

A kind of foreplay.

Their silence made it feel more so. And the glimpses of skin through his wet cotton pants made Soo-young’s thoughts wander.

Without the sound of the hairdryer, Woo-jin would probably have told her to breathe and boasted about his superior appearance.

Looking back, she wondered why he needed help drying his hair when it wouldn’t get wet. But she didn’t mind.

“How can someone be so perfect? It’s crazy.”

Suddenly, Soo-young murmured, causing Yeon-ho to stop talking and look at her. He had just been explaining about the vice principal.

Was she referring to the vice principal as perfect? Or the work environment?
“It seems good, right? The vice principal is a really nice person. Meticulous. As for the principal, well, you hardly ever meet them. The school is big, the cafeteria is well-managed, the students are decent. It’s not perfect, but the working environment isn’t bad.”

Suddenly, Soo-young laughed with a ‘Haah’ sound, wearing a somewhat unpleasant expression. Yeon-ho cautiously asked her.

“Why?”

“Yeon-ho, have you ever met someone who seems like they belong in a manga?”

Bewildered by her abrupt question, Yeon-ho’s eyes drifted into space for a moment.

“Well…”

“You know how in mangas, they draw hair with highlights and shadows, making it flow smoothly? Like in Final Fantasy. You know what I mean? But when you see such scenes, you think, ‘Well, it’s a manga, so it’s exaggerated. How can real hair be like that?’ But what if such hair actually exists? It’s not an exaggeration.”

Not being a manga reader, Yeon-ho was at a loss about what Soo-young was trying to say. They were talking about school, and suddenly why bring up manga characters?

As they talked about manga characters, Yeon-ho also thought of one character that always came to mind when he saw Soo-young. A character that looked like a yellow, banana-shaped creature with big, round eyes.

He couldn’t remember if that character had hair. Imagining it with flowing hair, he felt somewhat creeped out.