A Generous Tip
After running a quick errand to the kitchen for some snacks at the homesick Dokgo Rin's request, I returned to find a dashing young nobleman lounging in the room. Who is that? His robes were finely made, his features striking, and his speech carried the easy authority of someone used to giving orders. The way he addressed Dokgo Rin—the youngest daughter of the house—with such casual familiarity suggested he was someone of considerable standing. I did my best to keep my expression neutral.
The young lord noticed my return and tossed me a silver coin with a smile. "Well done. Take this for your trouble."
Whoa. Jackpot. It was more money than I could have earned working several nights straight. The thought that switching jobs had been a good idea crossed my mind, and I couldn't help grinning. But across the room, Dokgo Rin's expression had turned ominous. She looked like a viper eyeing a frog, or a cat watching a mouse.
She glared pointedly at the silver in my hand, clearly displeased. Still, this single coin meant I could eat well for days, so I quietly slipped it into my pocket despite the pressure of her stare.
The two of them clearly weren't finished talking, so I stepped outside to wait. There I struck up a conversation with the maid who had accompanied the young lord.
"Hello," I said.
She stood with her hands clasped behind her back and greeted me in return. "Hello. You're the boy who saved the young lady, aren't you?"
"You know about me?"
"Of course. It would be stranger if I didn't. You're the benefactor who saved the life of the master's most beloved youngest daughter."
She went on to explain how my name had spread through the Dokgo estate. "Do you remember the maid who was with the young lady when she slipped and fell into the stream?"
I recalled the face of the maid I'd met the other day—the one who had stood frozen by the water, muttering "What do we do? What do we do?" If I hadn't happened to pass by, that maid might not be alive right now.
"After she brought the soaked young lady back to the estate in a panic, she praised you to the skies for saving her."
Hmm. At least she had a conscience. If she'd been the scheming type, she probably would have downplayed my role and claimed the credit for herself.
"That's why your name is well known among the servants. You can be proud of what you did."
The praise made me oddly embarrassed. I wasn't used to compliments, so I fidgeted, unsure where to look, when a voice called from inside the room.
"Gyeong-a! Let's head back!"
"Yes, young master!"
Gyeong-a answered at once, gave my head a quick pat, and winked. "See you around."
I touched the spot she'd patted, feeling strangely complicated about being treated like a child by someone who couldn't be more than twenty. She went back inside, then emerged with the young lord. I kept my head bowed until their presence faded completely.
……
Still, it wasn't a bad feeling.
"Chilbok, you can come in now."
"Yes, Lady Rin."
I watched her retreating figure until it disappeared, then returned to Dokgo Rin's room.
Back inside, the refreshments I'd brought earlier still sat untouched on the table. It looked like they'd only drunk tea and left the pastries alone. What a waste. I pushed the pulled-out chair back into place. Perhaps because my gaze lingered on the table, Dokgo Rin, still seated, asked, "Chilbok, do you want some?"
"No, I was just worried since you hadn't touched any."
I'd fetched the refreshments because she'd said she was hungry, yet she hadn't laid a finger on them.
"Shall I clear them away if you're not going to eat?"
As I made to tidy up, she shook her head and patted the seat beside her. "Don't. Sit and eat with me."
"Me?"
The single word carried a host of unspoken questions: Am I really allowed to share a table with you? Can I really eat your pastries? Are you sure you want me to have them? But Dokgo Rin simply nodded with a shameless expression and forced me into the chair.
"Here."
I stared blankly at the pastry she'd pressed into my hand, then popped it into my mouth, reasoning that I might never get another chance to eat something like this. "…Mm?"
It was delicious. More precisely, it tasted like wheat-flour sweets soaked in honey, but thanks to this new body, it felt incredibly good. Before I knew it, I'd finished the whole thing. Embarrassed, I started to rise, but Dokgo Rin pressed my shoulder down.
"You can have more."
She even poured me a fresh cup of tea. "This is called Dragon Well tea. It goes well with the pastries."
"…Thank you."
The pastries suited my taste more than I'd expected, so I didn't refuse and picked up a second one. To avoid repeating my earlier mistake, I nibbled at it slowly. Dokgo Rin rested her chin on her hand and watched me eat in silence. Feeling self-conscious under her gaze, I asked carefully, "Aren't you going to eat, Lady Rin?"
She gave the sort of answer mothers often do. "I'm full just watching you eat."
……
I really couldn't figure out what Dokgo Rin was thinking. It wasn't like she was feeding livestock—she was just watching me eat without touching anything herself. Still, the food was good, so I finished every last pastry, drained the tea in one long gulp, and asked outright, "Lady Rin, may I ask you something?"
"Go ahead. Ask anything."
"Why are you being so kind to me?"
She blinked, surprised by the question, then smiled brightly. "I told you before. It was love at first sight."
"Please don't joke around."
It was embarrassing to say, but at the time I'd looked like a drowned rat—white hair like an old man's, skin and bones from starvation. Anyone who fell for that sight had to have extremely unusual tastes. Especially since younger people tended to care more about appearances.
Despite my protest, Dokgo Rin only smiled quietly. She has no intention of giving me a straight answer. In the end, I gave up first. It didn't seem like she'd tell me willingly anyway.
We sat in that strange standoff until someone knocked on the door from outside. "Young lady, it's time for your meal."
Dokgo Rin rose gracefully. I hurriedly wiped the crumbs from my mouth. She looked at me with laughter in her voice. "Still room for lunch?"
I nodded confidently. "Of course."
Even like this, I was still the hungry type once I turned around.
Lunch proceeded in an unexpectedly warm atmosphere. My brain, too steeped in web novels, had half-expected tense family politics and separate meals even among relatives in a wealthy household, but reality was nothing like that. The entire family had gathered—Dokgo Jin, the head of the house whom I'd seen yesterday, his wife Tang Mi-ryeong, eldest son Dokgo Hyeok, second son Dokgo Seok, and youngest daughter Dokgo Rin. It felt no different from an ordinary household.
What surprised me slightly was realizing that the young lord who'd visited Dokgo Rin's room earlier and tipped me was none other than Dokgo Seok—the man who, in the original novel, played the biggest role in bringing down the Dokgo family. The story had described him in passing as "a playboy-like handsome man," and seeing him in person, I understood exactly what that meant.
"Then I'll see you after the meal."
Perhaps because the rest of the family was present, Dokgo Rin had reverted to her usual speech pattern. She spoke to me that way before disappearing into her room. With nothing to do until she finished eating, I decided to use the time to head to the kitchen for my own meal.
When I peeked into the kitchen, the head chef who'd prepared the refreshments earlier spotted me. "What do you need this time, kid?"
I smiled awkwardly and clutched my stomach. "I… I'm hungry. When do the servants eat?"
The chef burst out laughing. "This brat's got guts! Coming straight to the kitchen on his first day asking for food!"
"We're all just trying to make a living, aren't we?"
"Hahaha! True! You're right!"
Still chuckling, he clapped my shoulder, picked something from a tray, and held it out. "What's this?"
"Rice balls for lunch. Two per person, so don't get greedy."
He added a piece of pickled vegetable to the small tray and shooed me off. "Go on, eat."
…Well, this is fine. It was plainer than I'd hoped, but compared to the thin porridge I'd barely managed to eat just days ago, this felt like a blessing. I sat on the steps outside the kitchen and stuffed the rice ball into my mouth, thinking of the kimchi stew my mother used to make.