8. Can't a Contract Worker Dream of a Permanent Position?
8. Can't a Contract Worker Dream of a Permanent Position?
Housework.......
I might not have known much about it in this life, but I had plenty of experience in my last one.
I'd tagged along with my dad while he ran his cargo truck, so I'd spent more nights than I could count sleeping in the cab or out on the streets. That meant I'd gotten pretty decent at handling whatever odd jobs came my way — setting up camp gear, making do, all of it.
So the thing that really needed worrying about wasn't whether I could handle a housekeeper's duties, but the client herself.
"Right, so we've drafted up the contract. Let's just go over the details one last time... You're Vivian Platonis, the scholar affiliated with the Mage Tower, correct?"
"Y-Yeah. Just call me Vivian."
"Ah, yes. Then, Miss Vivian...."
Vivian.
That was the name of my employer, a mage receiving support from the Mage Tower.
Someone like her could snub a Foreign Worker like me without a single person batting an eye, and no one would even blink.
"...Hehe."
And yet, she showed no sign of looking down on me. If anything, she was the one shrinking back, her shoulders twitching nervously.
With that outfit, the stammering, the awkward laugh...
Honestly, at first glance, she didn't look anything like a mad scientist from the Mage Tower. She looked more like some timid noona who'd lost all her confidence after retaking her exams for the Nth time.
"W-What's your name?"
As my own tension melted away at the sight, Vivian cautiously asked in return.
Even that gesture caught me off guard, after all the rumors I'd heard about the people from the Mage Tower.
I never thought a mage from the Mage Tower — where dissecting random people was practically the norm — would actually care to ask for someone else's name. Live long enough and you really do see everything.
"Ah, yes. It's Woo Hyosung. You can call me Hyosung...."
"Pfft."
Vivian let out a chuckle before I could even finish.
She slid her hand away from her mouth, and the corners of her lips twitched into a coy smile aimed right at me.
"H-Hyo... Hyosung. That's an unusual name. Kinda funny... Pfft."
"...Haha, I get that a lot."
And usually, it pissed me off.
Back in school, my classmates always gave me crap like, "Woo Hyo-ooh~!! What the hell kind of name is that?! It's the best!" And even after coming to this world, I'd still hear the same jokes now and then.
But despite all that history, her laughter didn't really bother me.
Because I could feel it. She wasn't being malicious; she was just laughing purely because of my name.
"Well, anyway...."
After covering up my odd sense of satisfaction with a fake cough,
I immediately placed the contract — which complied with the Empire's labor laws — on the table and picked up a pen for the additional clauses I needed to write down on a separate sheet.
"First, as stated in the contract, I'll be staying here for the duration specified in these documents. While I'm staying here, I plan to tidy up as I see fit. Are there any precautions I should know about?"
"P-Precautions?"
"Ah, yes. Like things I shouldn't throw away, or areas I should be careful around when cleaning."
"Ah. Th-That kind of thing.... First off, don't throw away any documents or books left on the floor. A-And also, the furniture...."
Vivian did her best to explain it all, even with her voice trembling.
It was a bit slow, but not so much that I couldn't follow. Thanks to that, I could easily map out a cleaning schedule afterward.
Except for the very last thing she said.
"And you must not enter the basement."
Yes, that final warning alone.
It was delivered in a voice so clear and unwavering, without a single tremor.
"......Pardon?"
"The basement."
When a chill ran down my spine at that dissonance and I asked back, Vivian repeated herself, even wiping the smile clean off her face.
"Never go below the first floor. Do you understand?"
Two eyes, their presence sharply emphasized even in the dim room lit by a faint blue glow.
The moment I realized they were fixed on me, goosebumps prickled across my skin, and my breath caught in my throat.
Why had her attitude suddenly flipped? I couldn't figure out the reason, but one thing was certain.
"Ah, yes. Understood."
She was also a member of the Mage Tower, a gathering of people who lacked any sense of ethics whatsoever. And if I broke this rule, I would absolutely die.
As soon as I answered, burning that fact into my heart, her coldly hardened expression instantly softened.
"...He, hehe."
She snapped right back to her previous demeanor in the blink of an eye.
Soon, she let out an awkward laugh, stood up, and prepared to head into a room deeper inside the house.
"Th-Then... I'll be starting my research now, so p-please take good care of the cleaning, okay?"
"Yes. Leave it to me.... Ah, wait, just a moment."
As she turned to leave, I called out to her once more. She stopped in her tracks, flinched, and turned her gaze back toward me.
"W-What is it?"
She looked anxious, as if wondering what else there could possibly be.
She didn't give off any of the vibes from when she'd mentioned the basement earlier, but I decided to ask one question, just in case.
"In a bit, would it be alright if I went and brewed some coffee or something?"
"Coffee?"
"Ah, yes. To help you concentrate."
It wasn't just polite filler.
Scholars from the Mage Tower, from what I'd heard, might slaughter a person or two without a second thought if they got interrupted while concentrating.
If I approached her during work and accidentally set her off, that could very well be the end of me.
"You can even d-do that for me...?"
But contrary to all that anxiety, her eyes were practically sparkling as she even clasped both hands to her chest.
Almost like she was trying to suppress a fluttering heart.
"You'll even brew the coffee yourself? Really?"
"Ah, yes. Well, it's part of a housekeeper's job. If you hate being disturbed...."
"No, no, no, no! I love coffee!"
Vivian jolted in surprise and rushed toward me in a hurry.
Then, she grabbed my hands and, with a trembling voice, shyly whispered.
"I-It's because I like it...."
She said she liked me while looking right at me.
...No, not me. The coffee.
"Th-Then, I'll be counting on you from now on, okay?"
"Ah, yes."
After I finally managed to pull myself together, I buried my face in my hands once she'd turned around and left, my cheeks burning.
...Damn it, that was way too dangerous just now.
****
Right. Thinking that someone's kindness automatically means they're attracted to you is the hallmark of a third-rate loser.
Especially when business is involved. You have to maintain a certain level of wariness, or at the very least, some self-restraint, to stay within the boundaries.
So, while working as Vivian's housekeeper, I kept repeating three mantras in my head, nonstop.
One: She and I have a business relationship. We can be friendly with each other, but we must never entertain the thought of anything more.
Two: Remember that once the contract is over, you become strangers again. Don't try to stick around just because the pay is good; if you get tangled up with her being from the Mage Tower, you could end up in serious trouble.
And finally, three: Never, ever enter the basement. Not if you don't want that chilling atmosphere to turn into a genuine threat to your life.
"Yeah, let's just take the deposit and leave. Life's all about taking it slow and steady."
Whether it was human relationships or money.
If you go blind with greed, thinking life is a one-shot gamble, and try to handle more than you can chew, your final moment in this life will be in water so cold it freezes the flesh.
Just recalling a certain man in this world who dreamed of striking it rich overnight and gambled his life away was enough to confirm that fact....
'I finally hit 100 million.'
'Oh, wow! Did you finally save up 100 million through all your hard work? Congratulations!'
'It's debt! You sons of bitches!'
Did that indebted Foreign Worker who attempted a bungee jump without a cord from the great bridge manage to get reincarnated? Or did they hand him over to an honest person looking for him, rewarded with a set of a gold Foreign Worker and a silver Foreign Worker?
Whichever it was, that past encounter had served as a huge help in curbing my greed now.
With that point firmly in mind, I was able to approach Vivian without any hesitation, my heart completely emptied of ulterior motives.
"Miss Vivian. I've brought your coffee."
"Yeah, just leave it there."
And thankfully, she stayed glued to her desk all day, focusing only on her research. When she was in that state, the only response she gave was to my voice.
Her signature stammering and awkward smile were non-existent in those moments, and she simply scribbled away on papers filled with complex diagrams and formulas.
Obviously, I couldn't understand a word of it. So I'd just watch for a moment before heading off to do my own work.
Occasionally, I would tidy up and organize the scattered books and crumpled papers beside her, but the slight rustling didn't seem to faze her, as she stayed focused only on her own tasks.
"Miss Vivian, it's about time for a meal. Aren't you hungry?"
"Yeah, give me food."
And it was the same story when mealtime came around.
Seemingly too pressed for time to even make it to the dining table, she stayed planted in her chair. So I brought out what I'd prepared and set it in front of her.
Naturally, the meal consisted of things she could eat while working — sandwiches, salad, soup in a cup.
As I served it and waited beside her for her to eat, she glanced at the tray and then tossed out a comment while refocusing on her work.
"Feed me."
"...Pardon?"
"If I rest my hands before finishing this segment, I'll lose concentration. Feed me."
...Feed her, she says.
Was this a joke?
"Ah, yes.... I suppose I should do that."
No, she was in a state of deep focus right now.
In the first place, she wasn't the type of person who cracked jokes. And since her work was the top priority, it was entirely possible she was pushing her efficiency to the absolute limit.
So I fed her with my own hands.
Just like feeding a child....
"Munch munch."
She chewed the sandwich I'd placed in her mouth a few times and gulped it down.
Then, when I smoothly offered her the cup, she gulped down the soup like she was washing it all down before grabbing her pen again.
And then another bite of the sandwich I offered, and a mouthful of the salad with dressing....
"...Is it good?"
"Yeah."
A quiet, short answer.
At the very least, she didn't seem dissatisfied. Thinking that, I looked at the clean plate and smiled brightly.
"Haha, well, that's a relief."
Truly, someone eating well was a good sign.
There were some damn wenches back at camp who, even when I made them food, would whine that it was worse than palace cuisine and ask what kind of garbage I was feeding them. So wasn't this a genuinely positive reaction?
"Th...."
Just as I picked up the empty plate and was about to leave the room, the lips of the girl who was still sitting with her back turned to the desk began to part.
As if she were savoring the lingering scent of the sandwich and soup in her mouth, in contrast to her brusque answers from before.
"Al... always. Th-thank you. For making such good food...."
When she expressed her gratitude in such a trembling voice, I paused, frozen for a moment, before forcing a smile and leaving her with a nod.
"Ah, yes. It's nothing, really."
-Click.
The door closed, and silence filled the hallway.
Standing there alone, I mulled over her thanks before burying my face in my hands and repeating my pledge to myself.
"...Calm down. It was just a thank you."
If it's not certain, don't even develop any interest.
What I need to think about right now isn't a green light, but the Fence Rule.
***
But still, was it because, like Airi, she also fell squarely into my type of 'an older noona who listens well'?
As we spent more time together, situations ripe for misunderstanding kept cropping up, and every time, it was hard to shake off the temptation to forget this was just a business relationship.
Especially since she always walked around in such sloppy attire. It felt like if I just reached out my hand, I'd end up touching her, so holding back was an immense torture....
"Miss Vivian. It's morning. Please wake up."
Even so, I steeled my heart and went to her room early in the morning as she'd asked, planning to help her get up.
But she, having fallen asleep on the sofa instead of the bed, showed no signs of waking even after I'd drawn the curtains to let the sunlight flood in.
"Miss Vivian, if you keep sleeping like this, you won't be able to finish today's research."
Yeah, at least when it came to her research, she wouldn't get mad.
Figuring this much approach would be fine, I shook her body. She let out a groan and started pushing herself up.
"Uh, uhm...."
Her eyes were bleary and puffy. Her hair was a tangled mess from sleep, sticking out in every direction.
On top of that, her clothes weren't even properly buttoned, so her uniquely voluptuous chest was prominently emphasized.
"......Miss Vivian, are you okay?"
"Uhm, I'm fine. I'm awake."
As I swallowed hard and stared blankly at the sight, she answered in a drowsy voice and her closed eyes began to open.
Her blurry vision focused, then scattered again for a moment.
"Hehe."
But she still seemed to notice my presence.
Soon, she turned to look at me and greeted me with the sunlight at her back.
"Th-Thanks for waking me up. A good morning to you too, Mr. Housekeeper~"
"Ah, yes.... It's nothing, really."
"...Ehehe."
A faint smile gradually spread across her lips.
Faced with a pure goodwill I had never encountered since coming to this world, I could feel my hard-built restraint slowly crumbling away.
If she'd just allow it, couldn't I extend the contract and settle down by her side...?
I could feel that kind of greed quietly blooming inside me.