CHAPTER 3
As soon as his alarm went off, Min-Jun jumped to his feet. He had difficulty falling asleep the previous night and had woken up a few times. A new experience was ahead of him, something he had never thought of doing before. And he had a hard time believing; he was actually hired.
He looked around his spotless apartment and thought to himself: This should be a piece of cake. I should stop overthinking.
He went about his morning routines briskly, before picking up his wallet, phone and keys and leaving the building taking long strides. His body bathed in the morning rays as he waited outside for the cab. He decided to take a taxi again since he didn’t know the other address.
“Are you sure we’re at the right place?” Min-Jun asked the driver after they stopped in front of a huge metal gate located in a neighborhood with luxurious houses down the street.
“Of course. You told me the address, and I drove to where you said. That will be 20 pounds.”
“How much?”
Min-Jun reached for his wallet to check the address and take out the money. He wouldn’t want to disturb the owners of the house if he was in the wrong place. But the address looked correct, so he paid the driver and hoped he had written the address down correctly.
He walked up to the gates and found the intercom. He cleared his throat and pressed the button.
He waited a moment, and when there was no answer, he pressed it again.
I really hope I got the right address.
It seemed like an eternity until he heard the voice from the intercom: “Good morning, Mr. Han. I’m opening the gate for you.”
“Good morning.” Min-Jun felt relieved when he heard Elena’s voice through the device. The door was heavy; it took him by surprise, but Min-Jun managed to open it when he pressed hard enough.
When he stepped through the gate, he looked at the spacious garden that stretched all around him in awe. He began walking slowly down the stone pathway leading to the house.
Out of habit he put his hands in his pockets before looking from side to side admiring the view.
Various plants and flowers were lined up along the path, making a colorful palette.
Trees and conifers stood tall beside the walls and in the middle of the garden was a fountain with cascading water.
It felt surreal to be in such a place; the house and the garden looked like they were from some magazine or TV advertisement, and Min-Jun thought it might all vanish any second.
As he got closer to the house, his nervousness started to surface. He noticed the woman had come out of the front door, thankfully it was Elena.
He walked up the stairs and was surprised when Elena bowed. “Good morning once again, Mr. Han. And welcome.”
Min-Jun returned the greeting with a smile and accepted her outstretched hand. “Thank you again for hiring me.”
Elena smiled back, turned, and pushed the door open. “Please, come in.”
Min-Jun entered, and his mouth hung open.
His eyes widened as he looked around. The first thing that caught his attention was that everything was shiny.
Floors looked as smooth as ice, and each piece of wooden furniture seemed as if it had been freshly polished.
The classical paintings hanging from the walls added a breath of luxury with their solid wooden frames.
When Min-Jun realized he was staring, he redirected his gaze towards the woman walking in front of him. She led him to a room which he realized must be her office.
Elena closed the door after him and offered him a seat. Min-Jun sat down on the robust and comfy chair then looked at her still thinking he was in a dream. He avoided making too much sound, or moving excessively, afraid he might wake up.
Elena seated herself on the other side, and said, “Today I’ll show you around the house and tell you in detail what we’ll be expecting from you. For now, you can read the contract and sign it. Is that okay?”
“Yeah… No problem,” Min-Jun said as he felt his hands tremble. He looked at the stack of papers Elena pushed in front of him and wondered how long it might take him to read through it all. The woman began reading, and he quickly followed through each highlighted part.
***
“Three maids, four including you, a cook and three
gardeners. The house is usually quite quiet,” Elena stated as
they exited her office. “But sometimes Mr. Wilton will
organize a party so it might be crowded. When his parents or
sister come to visit, we usually know in advance.”
Min-Jun followed her as they walked through the hallway and from one room to another.
“Mr. Wilton spends most of his time in his office during the day; you won’t be seeing him much. He is a private investigator, so he tends to get deeply immersed in his cases. He can be difficult from time to time, but he is kindhearted,” Elena added as they opened another door.
The lights automatically turned on, and Min-Jun saw that the room was small compared to other rooms in the house. Then he noticed all the cleaning supplies, two vacuum cleaners, two wooden chairs, and one hanger in the closet.
“Your colleagues will help you at the beginning. You’ll have some time to learn what needs to be done.”
When Elena closed the door, they went into the kitchen.
“You can have breakfast here. No need to rush it in the morning. Meals are provided during the day, too. And if you need a break, you can take it anytime, but on the condition that you finish your work. Properly. You’re free to join us at the table during lunch.
I usually call everyone when it’s time to eat.
We don’t mind if the staff eats with us.
Most of the time, we all take a break and hang out at the table. Are you a smoker?”
“Me? No.”
“Anything else you want to know?” Elena turned to him and leaned on the kitchen counter.
“No… Nothing comes to my mind right now.”
***
“What are your impressions of him?” Aidan asked, sipping his tea when Elena came to the back of the garden.
“The boy seems… okay? I would dare to say that he was glaringly nervous, but he didn’t seem off, or anything like that.”
“Hm…” Aidan stared at his cup and took another sip. “Did he sign the contract?”
“Yeah.”
“Keep an eye on him anyway. We can’t be too careful. People usually show their true self in three weeks at least.”
“Of course.”
“And what about the dress? I guess he didn’t complain when he accepted the job?”
“He said fine at the interview, and I didn’t bring it up after.”
Aidan’s eyes became distant, and he thought about his new male maid. The young man is beautiful. He will look good in the maid uniform, I’m sure of it. He smirked and took another sip to mask his expression.
“I was a test for him. And he accepted it. For now, he has passed. He wanted to be a maid, didn’t he? So, he shouldn’t have issues wearing a maid uniform,” Aidan said as he glanced at his watch. “I need to go.” He placed the empty cup on the table and rose to his feet.