Our Country: The New Age🇰🇷

Bonus- Chapter 4: Seo Yeon

The job was pretty straightforward, despite the nature of the people and the other maids who served them. But whatever, I didn't work to make friends. And now that my epilepsy was gone I wanted to have my own money; I craved independence that I knew my brother would struggle with, especially with all that the Nam's are putting him through for my sake.
   After my shift was over I was completely exhausted. I fell asleep in the place I was supposed to wait for Hwi and he ended up carrying me home on his back. We had already said our goodbyes when we came to the Nam mansion. I walked to my room and fell onto my bed to sleep again, completely unaware that there was a bottle of perfume and a tray of multi-coloured ribbons on my table until I woke up again a few hours later. I was startled when I saw it. There was no way my brother would have bought that for me, he didn't know the things I looked at the market yet. A big smile crept up on my face, I tried to hide it but I was failing.

   I made my way to Seon-Ho's room, to ask him about it. But just as I was about to knock on his door, it flew open, and once again he walked up so close to me our noses almost touched. This time I really lost balance and almost fell onto the floor but he caught me by the waist and pulled me up. The minute I felt his touch I felt my face grow hot before I could do anything. He was looking at me again without saying anything. I suddenly felt shy and started to try to get his hand off my waist which he was holding onto really tightly, but he wouldn't let go for some reason. I was getting more flustered and when I looked back at him he was smiling at how red my face was getting. After what seemed like hours he finally let go. I managed to straighten my hair and clothes before addressing him but he beat me to it "did you want something Yeonie?" His tone had still completely changed towards me, it caught me so off guard I couldn't speak for a few moments. I was getting annoyed at the effect he still had on me after all this time and with everything going on between our families this is the very last thing I should be thinking about. "I need to ask you something, did you leave anything for me in my..." but before I could finish my sentence he just smirked at me again and walked away. I was so frustrated that I just stomped back to my room and stayed there for the rest of the night without having any dinner. But a few hours into int night I saw a shadow of a servant leaving food outside my room.

   A lot of time passed and I managed to work a few more jobs, but as the months went by Seon-Ho's behaviour to me was still new and confusing. I would get random expensive things sent to my room and long intense stares but we could never have a proper conversation as his father was always lurking around us. I was still most definitely hurt by the situation with Hui-Jee even though she never came back to the house again, but it was like he knew I was trying to keep my distance and would always do something to make sure it didn't happen. He would keep his distance from me when he first bought me here and now he was finding ways to talk to me, touch me and disturb my peace. It was so hard that I ended up crying a lot sometimes in bed. I just wanted my brother to hurry up and come take me home, but...another part of me wished to never leave Seon-Ho's side. I lived with him for god's sake. He was everywhere not just in the home...but he was starting to appear everywhere I went...and watched everything I did....and popping up out of nowhere to ask me random questions. It was a little unnerving at first since he had never actively approached me a day in his life because it was always my brother that he was after. But it was hard not to sense his loneliness and despite everything he was forced to do to myself and my brother, our bond went a far deeper than anyone could possibly imagine. It hurt me to witness him missing my brother and trying to hide it. It pained me that he watched me but was not allowed to approach me because of his father. I was lonely and suffering as well, but the men's well-being always came first since they were the ones doing all of the work.

   So, against by better judgement, I indulged him and I played the games that he clearly wanted me to play, such as feigning ignorance to his antics around me, eating the foods and drinks he sent to me without question in front of the maid he sent who was forced to watch me, he started bringing me to his room to grind his ink stone with the scent of the perfume that he had sent me lingering in the air between us. That always put a smile on his face so i didn't mind doing it. And even when he seemed to want to break the rules between the sexes by trying to directly touch me, i still went along with it to ease his mood. Who knows if there was a chance that he would willingly go easier on my brother if i played along with him? Although i could no deny that there was also a leap of joy in my heart every-time he called out for me. i tried to hide my joy, but when he commented himself that i was indeed smiling a lot more, it seemed to lighten the mood between us.