The Baker's Daughter | satzu

2 | mask

T Z U Y U

"Tzuyu, I need your help over here." My mum called out, struggling to bring out a carton of bread and food.

I ran over to her and took the other side, helping her stick it into the car as we painfully closed the boot. We huffed out a breath of air and she smiled at me.

"Come on, we don't want to be late. The host is a very high classed man, we don't want to anger him. That could ruin our business."

I nodded as I got into the passenger seat of the car.

"I know. What type of party is it anyways?"

"His daughter is coming of age. Tonight's the night they're going to find a husband for her."

"Tsk. I could never live that life. I'm happy the way we are." I laughed.

"I'm glad you're happy. So am I." My mum agreed as the engine roared to life, and we began driving off.

On our way, my mum brought out a mask, and gave it to me.

It was a red masquerade mask, much like batwoman's mask, and it had black glitter jewels laced perfectly on the rims.

"It's so pretty." I stared at it in awe. "But what is it for?"

"It's a masquerade party, Tzu. Everyone is in disguise, except for the party girl." She turned to the left. "Anyways, you'll be the one to go an serve people, I'm stuck in the kitchen."

"You know I don't like talking to people." I complained.

She glared at me as we parked in the parking lot.

"Well, you'd better do it."

I sighed as I got out of the car. "Fine."

*****

"Tzuyu, you're here!" Chaeyoung ran up to me. "We need to set up the plates, before all the guests arrive, so hurry."

I nodded my head. "Who else is here?"

"Well, Momo is here, as well as Jeongyeon. I think that's all of us, right?" She asked me as we walked towards the kitchen.

"Yeah." I answered, looking up at the staircase, to see a girl in a burgundy trench coat running down. "Is that the birthday girl?" I whispered to Chaeyoung.

She nodded her head as the girl ran past us, and I was unable to catch a glimpse of her face.

"Let's hurry, she's very prestige apparently."

"Of course she is. She's high class, what else do you expect?"

"Hey, not all high class people are like that!" She stammered.

I raised my eyebrow. "Yeah, except for Dahyun. I get you two were best friends when you were little, but I never expected that you'd still be friends."

She shrugged her shoulders as we entered the kitchen, maids running around as if it were their last moments on earth.

"This is chaos." I told her.

"I know that."

*****

I was running to and fro, with a mask on my face as we proceeded to serve the guests with their food.

They paid no attention to me as I placed the food gently on their tables, and they only paid attention to the plate of food in front of them.

"Greedy pigs." I mumbled under my breath.

"They're not all greedy." I heard a man's voice say next to mine.

I turned around to see a guy in a black suit, wearing a black feathered mask, which looked a lot like mine.

"And who are you?" I blankly questioned him.

"I'm Minsoo, the birthday girl's driver and best friend."

"You look too young to be a driver."

"You look too elegant to be a maid, yet here we are." He laughed, holding his hand out. "What's your name?"

"None of your business." I brushed past him.

"Okay, none of your business, how old are you?" He followed after me.

"Old enough to go to jail if I punch you for harassing me."

"I'M NOT HARASSING YOU!" He groaned. "I just need a friend at this party. My best friend is out there dancing with random men who want her for her money."

"That's the price of being a businessman's daughter." I muttered as I grabbed more plates from the counter.

"She didn't choose to be born in that society." He answered me.

"I didn't choose to be born as a baker's daughter either, yet look at us." I sighed as he took a plate from me and handed it over to a guest. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm helping you. Be grateful." He grinned.

"Well, I don't need your help. You go help your best friend over there experience fun. She's gonna have frown lines if her face is grouchy like that all evening." I joked. "She would have more fun if she was just dressed like everyone else, she stands out too much. Her dress, her hair, her-"

"You're right." He thought to himself, interrupting whatever I was saying. "She needs some fun right now, without anyone knowing who she is. Thanks for the idea!" He laughed as he ran off.

"Hey, I thought you were going to help me!" I called out to him.

"Change of plans, none of your business!"

I laughed under my breath, knowing he still didn't know my name.

But what exactly was he doing?