𝐄𝐗𝐈𝐋𝐄 ♕ 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐊

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗼

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad would it be—"

"Twenty."

"...Okay, I'll start again. Would you agree with me if—"

"I would disagree."

"Can I—"

"No."

Wook whined and stomped his foot as he watched his wife get ready for the day, "You're not making this work, Gaeun."

"Finally," she scoffed, trying and failing to hook her earring in place, "Now you know what it's like dealing with you. Could you help me with this, please?"

"Are you going somewhere? Why do you have to get dressed so often anyway?" Wook grumbled as he took the earring from her and tilted her head gently. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

Before she could ask what it was, the door to their room slid open. Kim Dojoo—bewildered and horrified and still clinging to the door with one hand—snapped at Wook, "You brought a girl home from the brothel!?"

Gaeun felt everything go quiet around her. Wook's face was still close to hers, frozen in the middle of fastening her earring, and she prayed that he hadn't seen the flicker of betrayal that passed over her. He inhaled deeply, stepped back, and then slowly said, "I can explain."

"Please do."

She knew very well that she had no right to feel offended. Their relationship was a lie after all. But it still hurt.

He straightened up, coughed into his fist, and explained to both the women in the room, "She's a thief—"

"Lying."

"—who stole from me—"

"Lying again."

"—so as punishment, I bought her from Chwiseonru to have her employed here."

"How is that punishment!?"

Wook mumbled something in the end that neither Madam Kim nor Gaeun, from such proximity, could hear.

They snapped in unison. "Could you repeat that?" "Speak louder!"

"She will be my personal maid!" He raised his voice, as if appalled that he was made to answer two women despite being the Master of the house. "Okay?"

Gaeun pursued her lips, thoroughly displeased. "And you didn't think of discussing it with me?" She asked.

Wook cast an unbothered look her way, "I'm the Master of this household. I don't need to discuss it with anybody. Besides, you fired a bunch of servants without telling me either. I'm just balancing out the staff." He left without seeing the stricken look on her face, but Kim Dojoo had.

The maidservant shuffled after Wook, following him to the sun room, and reprimanded him lightly. "You shouldn't have used that tone, Young Master," she tutted as he carelessly fixed his white overcoat and sat down behind the table by the window. "Lady Gaeun fired two maids when she caught them gossiping about your mother." Wook immediately stilled and looked up at her as she continued, "And the manservant—he was trying to steal and pawn off Lady Dohwa's jewelry amongst other things."

"A-ah...is that so?" He awkwardly looked away, the guilt already creeping up on his face as he cursed his mouth.

When he didn't utter another sentence, Madam Kim sighed in defeat, "I shall get you your tea."

Gaeun entered with a stoic face just as the maidservant left, ignoring the way Wook flinched. She rummaged through the chest of drawers for parchment and seated herself beside him. Wook scrambled about the table and the shelves next to them for ink and brush, and offered it to her as an apology.