13. Gravitational Pull
Perhaps because he'd successfully talked Miley into coming along, David wore a slightly more relaxed expression as he bantered lightly.
"What would you like for dinner?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Hmm, well. How about sushi?"
Miley responded to David's suggestion with obvious annoyance.
"As long as it's a quiet place, I don't care what we eat. I'll need digestive aids afterward anyway."
A blatant curse implying she'd get indigestion eating with him.
But David just shrugged it off impassively.
"Sushi it is, then."
Miley's eyes widened at the quick decision.
"Why?"
"Because I like it."
"CEO Kim does look like the type who'd enjoy free meals."
Ignoring her jab, David pulled out his smartphone and booked a table for two at a renowned sushi spot he'd recently discovered.
A reservation confirmation soon popped up on the screen.
Seeing it, David felt a faint pang of regret.
Places like this were meant to be savored leisurely on joyful occasions, but with her as company, he'd probably need those digestive aids himself.
Tsk. What a shame.
As a gourmet who never revisited a favorite spot within a month, David Kim found it truly regrettable to burn through such a gem on a day like this.
But he was in no position to complain. No helping it. Besides, if not today for entertaining, then when?
I'll just think of it as wining and dining a client and make the sacrifice.
David settled on that internally and glanced at Miley, who still looked displeased.
"Reservation's set. We'll take my car."
"Hearing that makes me want to call a taxi. Can't we just go separately in different cars?"
"Don't be stubborn over nothing."
Dismissing her with that, David Kim led the sulky Miley down to the apartment's underground parking garage.
Instead of dragging his driver away from a happy evening at home for overtime, David took the wheel himself and eased the car out smoothly.
Crossing Seongsu Bridge after leaving the garage, the brilliant, glittering nightscape of Seoul flashed by around them.
David kept his eyes forward but stole a glance in the rearview mirror. There sat Miley, her long legs crossed like a model's, gazing out the window.
"...It's a bit late to say this now that we're underway, but what on earth possessed you to sit in the back?"
"Problem?"
"I'm not your subordinate."
Despite his perfectly reasonable point, Miley just snorted derisively.
"No reason I can't sit here."
What the hell?
The old David would have snapped back or ignored her attitude the moment she picked a fight.
But now, he'd dimly grasped the cheat code for taming this haughty housekeeper.
David murmured in a sly tone.
"Hmm, is that so? Honestly, though, the only one qualified for that seat is our Chairwoman. Guess the butler sees it differently?"
Miley's composure cracked.
"...Pull over to the shoulder. Now."
Gotcha.
David smiled, pleased his ploy had worked. Maybe he could use this tactic to rein in her wild side from now on. Things were looking hopeful.
Screech—
The moment David pulled onto the shoulder, Miley bolted out of the back seat, flung open the passenger door, and scrambled in.
As the car started moving again, her face twisted in horror.
"God. This seat reeks even worse."
"Sorry about that. I use an e-cigarette, so it might smell a bit."
David tilted his head curiously.
"But the back seat would've smelled the same."
"I'm not talking about the e-cigarette."
Only then did David recall what she called him. He sniffed his suit just in case, but detected nothing unusual.
"You smell like an orc—makes me want to puke. Show some restraint."
Harsh words. Orc?
"...You mean that monster from The Lord of the Rings?"
Older book than he'd expected her to know.
Miley made a cryptic remark.
"Who knows. The color's a bit off, though."
With that, she turned back to the window. David focused on driving while sneaking glances at her.
She really is something.
Truth be told, Miley was perfection incarnate.
Her looks could land her in modeling tomorrow without batting an eye; her intellect had gotten her through a Grande École. Her personal wealth wasn't shabby, and neither was her family background.
So why, with all those overwhelming specs, did she insist on playing butler?
Not that he looked down on the profession, but it was still serving others at the end of the day.
Even if Seongwon offered a hefty salary for a butler—generous by those standards—someone of Miley's caliber had no need to play second fiddle.
And she didn't just butler; she managed Seongwon's entire life. Seongwon's domestic skills were catastrophically abysmal.
It couldn't just be because they clicked well.
Not just that.
That phrase fell short.
They know each other too damn well.
Like they'd built trust over lifetimes.
Impossible, of course.
Their first meeting was that interview day. As far as he knew, no prior connection. Unless past-life bonds were real.
But Miley's attitude toward Seongwon, her speech, those odd mannerisms now and then—they didn't feel like mere employer-employee.
More like... liege and vassal.
Her loyalty had surpassed mere devotion.
She poured her all into it, as if staking her life.
Why go that far?
David had his reasons.
Working under Seongwon let him live a second life, wielding sums dwarfing his hedge fund or private banking days—funds he could swing at will.
But what had Miley McKee gotten?
Anything worth that level of commitment?
After mulling it over, David spoke cautiously.
"Ms. McKee."
"What? Suddenly calling me by name feels a bit..."
"Mind if I ask you something?"
Sensing the gravity in his voice, Miley—who'd been about to snap back—slowly closed her mouth.
David chose his words with care. This wasn't the topic he'd planned to broach with her today.
But somehow...
It felt essential to ask now.
"Why are you so devoted?"
"..."
Miley fell silent for a long stretch.
David slowly opened up.
"Truth is, the Chairwoman chewed me out today. I pulled something so presumptuous I couldn't even defend it."
Saying it aloud left a bitter taste.
Looking back, he'd never have uttered those words if he'd truly grasped Seongwon's mindset.
Not that I'm one to talk.
David chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"To put it simply, I crossed the median and drove against traffic. Didn't hit anyone, but I broke the rules."
"Hmm."
"Any other ultra-rich would've fired me on the spot. Might've even trashed my career out of spite."
Miley's eyes widened slightly.
"Really?"
"Obviously. Their egos dwarf their fortunes."
No exaggeration.
David had seen firsthand how monstrously wealthy people could turn ugly, repulsive, even cruel when unchecked.
Especially toward underlings like him.
"But the Chairwoman gave me a second chance."
Just like with Vice Manager Cha.
No—Cha's slip-up wasn't as grave, so her mercy toward David weighed even heavier.
"Honestly, I still don't get her mindset. No clue why she'd give me another shot."
Not that I should complain, having benefited.
Silence settled in the car.
A moment later.
Miley's voice broke the quiet.
"The advice I can offer... is that Master is like the sun. Not sure if that's proper advice, though."
"...A metaphor? Something about shining brightly?"
"That's a given."
Miley shook her head, frowning briefly.
"What I mean is gravity. Like how the sun holds stars in orbit, Master has this... pull, this charm that draws people in and keeps them."
"Unique metaphor. Draws them like gravity..."
"You still don't get it. It's not just drawing them in."
Miley murmured slowly, with firm conviction.
"Do you think those stars, once caught in the sun's grasp, can ever escape its orbit?"
"..."
"That's what I mean."
The light turned red, and the car slowed to a stop.
In the dim car interior, lit only by fleeting glimpses of the city lights piercing the skyscrapers...
David slowly turned his head.
His face mixed bafflement and amusement as he muttered.
"Looks like I'm caught in it too."
Seongwon had proven herself.
Worthy of David Kim's loyalty.
So he'd bet everything on her.
But then.
"So why are you so devoted?"
Miley answered simply.
"You already know, don't you?"
David finally let out a snort of laughter.
"Yeah."
The light changed, and the car surged forward.
With more vigor than before.