Vicious

2

Hoseok disappeared behind the overgrown bushes and moss-covered trees to put away Mang in the nearby stables. The front door Jimin was at, surprisingly, didn't lead into the house like he believed it would. Instead, it only opened into a long stretch of a front garden.

Jimin trudged through the forest of weeds, taking high steps to avoid crushing any hidden flowers or the risk of getting poison ivy. He followed the concrete path that was nearly invisible under all the greenery, moving towards the front gate that Hoseok had pointed out to him.

After several minutes of tripping over fallen branches and roots that sprouted high from the earth, Jimin finally made it to the tall, barred gate. Some of the metal between the bars were swirled into vine-like designs; an aesthetic to match the garden, but it was in bad needing of repainting. The rust underneath the peeling black tint was covering most of the gate.

"That took you long enough," someone barked, startling Jimin.

He peered through the rails, spotting a man around his height standing on the other side, leaning up against the brick wall the gate was embedded to. He had pale skin underneath the navy blue suit he wore. His hair combed formally around his head, his bangs curved and parted, exposing his forehead. He had small, grumpy-looking eyes and light pink lips that were turned into a disapproving frown.

"Pardon me?" Jimin asked, a little taken back that someone so small and thin had such a deep voice.

"Your adventure up here?" the man explained, arching one brow. He gestured behind Jimin, in his hand was a silver pocket watch. "It cost you six minutes when I easily take it within two. You'll have to learn speed and thoroughness if you're going to keep a job here."

"How were you aware I wanted a job?" Jimin asked, a little irritated that this stranger was being so rude to him. He didn't know if he preferred this man's bluntness over Hoseok's overbearing cheerful nature.

The stranger slipped his chained watch into his suit's pocket, patting the fabric over it lightly before jutting his chin towards Jimin's hands. "You carry one of the 'help wanted' posters Master Kim put up in the town a few weeks back. I naturally assumed it was because you wanted to fill the offered position."

Jimin chewed his lip. He had nothing else to say, but he badly wanted to bark back something in response to the man's snarkiness.

So he waved his hands over the closed gate. "Well, are you going to let me in?"

The man sighed obnoxiously, then pushed himself upright. He reached into his pants' pocket and produced a set of keys. He made his way over to the inside of the gate, grabbing the largest key on the rack and using them to draw open the squeaky gate door.

Jimin stepped in, bowing politely as he did out of instinct. The man rolled his eyes.

"Please follow me." The man turned on his heel after closing the gate's door and locking it again. His hands were tucked formally in front of himself, walking with his back straight as an arrow. Jimin did as he was told since he didn't really have any other option.

"Welcome to Kim Manor," the man said as they came to a great oak door at the center of the mansion's entrance. He slipped out another key, a red one, and drew open both doors before stepping aside and letting Jimin walk in first.

Jimin's eyes burst from his sockets as he drank in the inside. It was lathered in gold and red. Everything screamed wealth, from the spotless carpet to the crystal chandelier. He looked around himself, feeling his heart tighten in his chest. Never in his life had he dreamed of a place so... rich (there was really no other word for it.)

"My name is Min Yoongi," the man, Yoongi, continued as he closed the door and continued to lead Jimin through the rooms. "I am the head butler of this estate. You come to me for your job assignments and payments and anything else you require. You have met Jung Hoseok, who is mainly in charge of anything that anyone isn't. Please remember not to bother him much, as it is inappropriate to engage with other employees whilst they're working."

"Park Jimin," Jimin greeted, not knowing if he should or not but going for it anyway.

After weaving for a moment, the two came to a grand set of stairs. At their top, they split into two more staircases that went up higher to the third floor.

Yoongi didn't pause, moving with grace and ease through the home as if he had the map memorized. Jimin, however, was struggling to keep up as his head spun from the number of rooms he'd been through.

"Living here are Master Kim, the father of three and the head of the household," Yoongi continued talking in a bored tone, as if he'd given this speech too many times and he'd grown tired of it. "You will not talk unless he addresses you first. If he says jump, you will ask no questions and follow orders precisely. And you will not look at him; keep your eyes trained on the floor if you are in the same room as him."

The two climbed at least a hundred stairs before Yoongi finally made his way down a lengthy hallway. Jimin's thighs were burning from the climb and he was slightly winded, but he didn't say a word since Yoongi didn't seem bothered by the exercise.

Along the walls were large, framed paintings of who Jimin assumed to be family members of the household. Under each painting was a golden plate, a name and date engraved into it. After nearly three generations worth of family, Jimin found a painting with a name and date relatively close to this time period, and so he assumed it was the same "Master Kim" Yoongi just told him about.

Kim Yeontan, 1906

Master Kim, Jimin thought with a respectful nod towards the painting. Inside, was a burly man with wide shoulders and a full-grown beard and mustache that merged together and molded into his sideburns. His eyes were dark, but had a kind twinkle within them. He wore a rich suit, and his chest was puffed out with pride as he wore a very slight smile.

Next, was a painting of a woman. Kim Jiwoo, 1911 - 1952

Jimin's heart stopped. She was around the same age as Yeontan, and yet she just passed away this year. She seemed so young... Jimin wondered if she had fallen ill. He silently prayed for peace on her resting soul.

She looked so beautiful in her picture. She had a few wrinkles and dimples around her box-like smile and rounded eyes. Her nose was long and pointed, her hair pulled back into a tight bun. She wore a floral dress with frills around the bust and hips. Her light-colored eyes seemed generous.

There were three more paintings now, but Jimin's attention was brought back to Yoongi before he could get a good look at them as the other began speaking once more.

"Master Kim's late wife, Mistress Kim passed earlier this year," Yoongi said. "An accident befell, bless her, taking her life away too quickly. The only woman in the household is now laying under the dirt, leaving us just with her three sons.

"There is Master Seokjin, the eldest and most prized of our country," Yoongi continued. "Then there is Master Namjoon, who is out of the country with his father on a business trip. And finally, the young Master Taehyung, who should be doing his studies right now. You will meet with Master Seokjin, who is in charge of the household whenever his father is not in town."

Yoongi stopped in front of a large, well-sculpted door at the very end of the hallway. He rapped lightly against the door. And, at some signal that Jimin must've missed, laid his hand along the long, golden handle and drew the door open.

"Master Seokjin, I present Park Jimin. He's here about the open position as a gardener here at Kim Manor."

At the far end of the room stood a tall figure dressed in a dark green suit, with hints of soft green branches that weaved and connected together, sewn as a design against the material. The man's back was to the pair as Jimin stepped in, but he could see that this man definitely had the same broad shoulders as his father.

His hands were folded together behind him as he stared out the window behind his large desk. He flicked his head, glancing over his shoulder before turning around entirely and opening his arms in a welcoming gesture.

Jimin gasped as he drank in Seokjin's appearance. His long, handsome face. His thick, pillow lips. His eyes were just like his mothers, while he had a strong nose and jaw like his father. His skin was tanned and smooth, not a blemish to be seen along the glimmering flesh.

"Welcome!" Seokjin greeted as he moved around his desk.

His eyes twinkled gently, but the corners of his lips tilted in a smile that made Jimin's spine curl in a way he didn't understand.