The New Recruit
"So, am I allowed to stay the night today?"
"Stay the night... here?"
"I won't do anything. Don't be scared. I'm not that kind of cheap woman, you know."
After a moment of deliberation, he glanced at Jia. Jia looked at Eunbyul for a second and gave a faint nod.
"Fine. Do that. But the bed in the room is..."
"Can't I just sleep by your side, Senior?"
"...Huh?"
Jia, who had just given her permission, shot a sharp glare at Eunbyul. For a moment, she thought she’d been tricked by that vixen, but then—
"Of course, Jia-unni can join us too."
"....Ah, that’s a bit..."
"You said the problem with sleeping together was the fear of getting pounced on, right? Jia-unni has the Mirena, so she can't even... attack, and I have the Implanon. I have no intention of doing anything today. If I'm right there and Jia-unni tries something, that’s more than enough reason to get kicked out, so she wouldn't, right?"
As soon as she finished speaking, he looked back at Jia. The glare from a moment ago had vanished, and she was nodding vigorously in agreement.
"I'm fine with that. Master, I won't do anything today, I'll just sleep quietly."
"..."
"I wanted to sleep next to you. I cried every night sleeping alone in the study. It’s sad, Master."
"...Haa. Fine. I got it."
She was being extremely calculating. Eunbyul had successfully lowered Jia's guard, and in doing so, had secured the right to sleep by his side without any trouble. By the way, Jia’s tone of voice had become like a child’s. It was like a little kid throwing a tantrum at her parents.
"...You really won't report me, right?"
"Yes. Isn't it over anyway? There’s evidence left, and... you were just kind enough to let it slide, Senior. I'm sorry for causing you so much worry."
Then, Jia asked cautiously, "Are you... going to eat dinner?"
"I'm not in the mood right now."
He said, and Eunbyul added, "Unni."
"...Yes?"
"I have a favor to ask. Could you make a few of the dishes that Senior enjoys? I want to watch from the side and try them myself."
Under normal circumstances, she would have told her to get lost in a heartbeat, but ever since Eunbyul had granted her the right to sleep in the same bed, Jia had begun to see her not as a vixen, but as an angel sent from heaven to save her. That was how desperate and miserable she felt about not being able to share his bed.
"Sure, I'll do it. Come over here."
"Yes, Unni."
He sat in the living room, taking calls from various executives and working on his laptop. Meanwhile, Jia, who had started out half-suspicious and half-worried, gradually found it enjoyable to teach Eunbyul as she felt her burning thirst for knowledge. She explained things simply, and whenever Eunbyul had a question, she explained even the difficult parts multiple times without a hint of fatigue.
"Master loves brownies. When you want to make him brownies, the coffee must be a latte type."
"Ah... Brownie—latte. Does it matter if it's vanilla or caramel?"
"Yes. As long as it’s not an Americano. He said it feels like drinking water and bread together, or something like that. Anyway, that's how it is."
"Then, for example, how do I..."
Jia told her to absolutely, never use dark chocolate like the internet recipes say, or he’d take one bite and throw it all away—and Eunbyul noted it down on her phone.
"Absolutely not. Master can't eat bitter things. He doesn't even take herbal medicine unless it's the cold brew I make in the morning, so keep that in mind."
"Even herbal medicine... is out. My dad likes herbal medicine..."
"If you bring it, he won't drink it until it spoils. He'll just throw it away later. I've tried it."
"Is there any other food he dislikes?"
"...Jellyfish?"
"Ugh, I hate that too."
Then, she brought out a large block of butter.
"This is really expensive."
"I bought it. You must use Anchor butter. If you just grab anything sold at the mart, the flavor won't come alive. ...He says he eats lunch at the convenience store every day, but he has a refined palate."
She cut about two-thirds of the chocolate into chunks, mixed it with the butter, and melted it slowly in a double boiler. In the meantime, Jia told Eunbyul to crack three eggs. Eunbyul put down her phone, washed her hands, and did as she was told. While whisking, Eunbyul saw the massive amount of powder going in and asked, "I-is it okay to do that?"
"If you don't do this, he won't eat it. Absolutely not. A lot."
She poured in the sugar and vanilla extract as if she were dousing them. She instructed her to mix it again, and after a while, Jia told her to take a spoonful.
"How is it?"
"...It's sweet. Extremely. How can he eat this..."
"That's not what you're checking for here. If it's sweet, it has to be really sweet. Can you feel the sugar?"
"...How many? I can feel them. A bit of sugar granules touching my tongue..."
"Keep whisking."
While Eunbyul was sweating, Jia mixed the double-boiled chocolate and butter into the batter and showed her where the cake flour was before adding it in.
"Aren't you going to sprinkle powder or dust on it?"
"Master doesn't like things with powder on them. I'd have to make Tiramisu without the cocoa powder too."
"You... made Tiramisu for him?"
"...."
Jia fell into a brief thought. Come to think of it, she really hadn't done much for him right after they got married.
"That's right, I really changed a lot after marriage."
"....?"
"No, I did it a lot when we were dating. I have no memory of doing it after we got married. Why did I do that..."
Then, the brownies were baked warm in the oven. Jia took them to the living room and told him to have a bite.
"Coffee, ah. We don't have any."
"I'm in the middle of training, I'll make it for you in a bit."
"It's delicious. Did Eunbyul make this?"
"No, I made it this time."
"Senior, don't you think you'll die from the sweetness if you eat that? I feel like I would..."
She watched him say it was delicious anyway and that he’d enjoy it. Then, Eunbyul hesitated for a moment and asked, "I... could I try one too?"
"Sure. Go ahead. Didn't you say it tasted like you'd die?"
"That's true, but I'm still curious. I wanted to know how sweet it has to be for Senior to like it..."
He handed her one, and Eunbyul tasted it. Ah, '...It has to be sweet enough to melt your tongue,' Eunbyul realized. There was no time to just sit around. Jia thought there were many things she needed to teach her quickly. So, Jia passed on most of the recipes she knew that he liked. As she did, Eunbyul tasted some, and for others, she just listened and took notes on her phone as if she were studying, imagining them in her head. Things like how he likes his steak cooked, and what dishes to serve with fries. While she was learning those things, he said,
"....I'm full. Stop. That's enough for today."
"Yes. I understand, Master."
He felt scared, thinking he’d turn into a pig at this rate. If he didn't stop them, it felt like they’d turn his house into a buffet.
"Now, next is..."
She showed him the clothes she had organized in the master bedroom. She opened the clothing care machines one by one, showing him where the dress shirts, jackets, and suit pants were. After showing him his casual wear, sportswear, and everyday clothes, she opened the wardrobe to show him his underwear, ties, and socks. The same went for his watches and rings.
"...This is our wedding ring."
"I'm envious. Maybe I should beg him to get me a ring too."
"...."
Thinking back to the past Seo Jia who didn't even want to wear her wedding ring properly because it was a hassle, Jia felt sorry for him again as she toyed with the ring for a long time.
"Belts are here, and it’s good to wipe the watches often. Especially if you wore it today, you should wipe it down tomorrow."
"I'll do that. But Unni, have you been doing this ever since you got married?"
"...No, after we divorced. I started doing it after that. Because he likes it."
It was a statement filled with regret. So, Eunbyul looked at Jia with a poignant gaze and said, "Geez. Why did you do that then? Seriously."
"....I don't know either. Really.... Why did I do that."
After checking all the machines, Jia sat on the edge of the bed with Eunbyul and said,
"Master takes a shower as soon as he wakes up in the morning."
"A shower."
"Yes, and he doesn't eat breakfast separately. He doesn't want it. So, if we want to eat breakfast, we can just prepare it ourselves."
"Don't you eat breakfast, Unni?"
"No. I only eat when Master eats."
"Before he leaves for work in the morning, if he's sitting on the sofa watching the news or looking at his phone, you just need to bring him coffee from the cold brew maker in the kitchen. He likes it when you give it to him. He always drinks that in the morning."
"Hmm. I see."
"Unless there's something special, he leaves his briefcase right next to the sofa you see past the entryway. If he leaves it somewhere else because he had work or something, it's good to put it there before you go to sleep, or at least in the morning. He takes it with him when he leaves."
"I'll do that."
"Do you wake up early in the morning?"
This was important. Since the divorce, he had been waking up earlier than her. However,
"I'm a secretary, you know."
"...?"
"I have to wake up at 5 AM. Every day."
"Ah. I see."
Jia felt relieved. "But is this right? It's almost at the level of a maid..."
"You don't have to do all of it. I'm just doing this because I'm sorry, and I want to treat him well even now. You... you can just do a little bit at a time."
How could she think she could just do a little bit at a time, seeing that expression that evoked such pity? Then, the two of them sat there blankly for a while without a word. Eunbyul was the first to break the silence.
"Unni, you know."
"....?"
"Is it... good when you have sex with Senior?"
It was a sincere question.