Invited to a Married Woman's House

The next morning.

I woke late and stretched, every muscle in my body screaming in protest as it lengthened. Maybe it was because anxiety had kept me tossing and turning until dawn. I felt like I'd slept a decent stretch, yet my whole body still ached.

"Ugh. Thank god it's the weekend."

Right. Today was Saturday—no work. That alone had somehow spared me the absolute worst-case scenario. If this had been a weekday, I really would have shit myself. A woman like Han Gyeowool would have stormed straight into the kindergarten without fail, then grilled me like a rat in a trap looking for any scrap of evidence.

I felt relief at that fact, and at the same time a crushing regret over yesterday's blunder. I must have underestimated that vicious woman far too much. She hadn't climbed to her position on family name and looks alone. And I'd gone and handed a predator like her a fatal clue myself.

Haa. I got way too complacent.

The one silver lining was that she was still only at the suspicion stage. No matter how sharp her intuition, it was hard to turn vague guesses into certainty. She was merely entertaining a certain possibility—she had zero hard proof.

Yeah. Since it's come to this, I might as well look on the bright side. Han Gyeowool would have caught on eventually anyway. Laying the groundwork now might actually be better.

I decided to draw up a plan for the coming storm. If that vicious woman got the wrong idea about me, my entire life could go to shit. I needed some kind of escape hatch.

"Mmm. What would work best…"

I closed my eyes and sank into deep thought. My head was already throbbing.

That afternoon.

I was killing lunch with convenience-store bread when it happened. I was browsing a community board to give my overworked brain a rest when—

—Bzzzt.

My phone, which had been sitting quietly, suddenly started vibrating like crazy. I checked the number and saw a familiar name. The bread I'd been chewing lodged right in my throat.

"W-what? This woman is calling me herself?"

It might sound ridiculous, but in all the time I'd been teaching Lia, I had never once spoken to her on the phone. True to her lofty queenly image, even her complaints arrived in the most refined way possible. She would immediately have her secretary tear into our old hag of a director. Then the thoroughly pissed-off director would summon me and tear into me in turn. That was the system.

But Han Gyeowool had stepped outside that system. She had called me directly from her personal number. This was a first. And I could guess the reason without much trouble.

It's because of yesterday's dream. She's testing me.

There was no other reason a woman that expensive would bother calling me. I swallowed hard once, then answered. My posture automatically straightened into something polite.

"Ah, yes! Lia’s mother! I received your call!"

I greeted her in my usual bright, fawning voice. After a brief silence she answered in a rather cold tone.

Apparently she wanted to talk face-to-face. I hesitated over my reply. What was the best answer here? Act too burdened and I'd look suspicious. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Agree too readily and she'd find that fishy too.

Right. Answer the way any ordinary office worker would—vaguely. The powerless subordinate carefully reading his boss's mood on a weekend.

"H-haha. Not particularly busy, no. I do have one appointment a little later, but it's nothing that important. Was there… something you needed me for?"

She fell silent again, as if gauging my reaction to my careful answer. I wanted nothing more than to open the Mind Link right then and listen to her true thoughts, but I held my breath and waited, terrified even that tiny agitation might give me away.

Her reply came soon after.

"…S-sit? At your house, ma'am?"

"…Um. That is, well… this is a bit…"

"No, no! Of course not! Would it be all right if I adjusted my schedule and called you back? The prior appointment is weighing on me a little. I'm truly sorry."

"Yes, ma'am. Understood. I'll contact you again shortly."

The moment the call ended, I collapsed into the chair and gasped for the breath I'd been holding. Pretending to be calm while clenching my teeth had nearly made my heart explode.

"Hah… hah… hah… First, the Mind Link."

From now on I would connect the Link before answering any call, no exceptions. The moment I activated it, Han Gyeowool appeared on an expensive sofa.

She crossed her legs and stroked her chin in a sexy, thoughtful gesture. After a few minutes of steadying my breathing, I called her back.

"Ah, yes. Ma'am. I pushed the appointment to next week. What time should I come by?"

"Oh, please. Don't mention it. Just call me whenever it's convenient. It really doesn't bother me at all."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you. I'll get ready and head over right away."

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠call cut off cleanly. I let out a long sigh and raked my hands through my hair. This was basically a personal invitation into the lion's den. And of course I couldn't refuse an invitation from that queen.

Haa. Fuck. I don't even know anymore. Whatever. It'll work out somehow.

I'd been thinking about nothing but this since morning; my head felt ready to split. When your mind is this cluttered, even things that should work fall apart. I decided to grow a little braver.

Yeah. A man only lives once, not twice. Am I really going to call myself a man if I piss myself over something this small?

I shook the worries off and lightened my heart. My head felt a little clearer.

She was buried in her dressing room, face deadly serious as she chose her clothes. An elegant pearl-colored off-shoulder top that left her skin visible through sheer pantyhose, and over that a black H-line skirt that followed the curve of her hips. Even that wasn't enough—she fixed her makeup, put on earrings and rings, then slipped into sandal-style slippers and clicked back out to the living room.

I sat in the back seat of the car, staring blankly at the scene. The very fact that she was dressing up like this to meet me still felt unreal. She checked her makeup again and again like a peacock trying to seduce a mate. Her daughter Lia, apparently finding this version of her mother completely unfamiliar, suddenly delivered a sharp little jab.

"Mom! You look prettier than usual today! Are you meeting someone?"

A child's eyes can be startlingly sharp at times. And Baek Lia was known even inside the kindergarten for being especially bright. Caught off guard by her daughter's surprise attack, Han Gyeowool hurriedly waved her hands and made an excuse.

"I-I just put this on for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a bit because Teacher James is coming over."

James was my English name. Lia's eyes went round; she bounced up and down with pure delight. Because she took separate French lessons, she was especially close to me.

"Wow! Teacher James is coming? Really? Why is he coming?"

Lia hopped around on the sofa like a puppy. Han Gyeowool put on a deliberately stern voice and stopped her.

"Hush. Keep jumping like that and I'll send Teacher James straight home. Is that what Mommy should do?"

Startled, Lia shook her head adorably, then threw her arms around her mother and poured on the charm. Even the great Han Gyeowool wore an infinitely warm smile in front of her daughter.

Whoa. So Han Gyeowool can smile like that too. She really looks like a completely different person.

I was grinning to myself at the heartwarming mother-daughter scene when the car suddenly stopped and Driver Yun's voice came through.

"Teacher. We've arrived at Madam's residence. Shall I open the door?"

The door opened onto a massive apartment complex. Built wide rather than tall, it was unmistakably a top-tier premium residence. Inside the high walls sat a pond and fountain, with a charming walking path running alongside them. Even the children's playground had a well-maintained ball pit.

Damn. This place really is on another level.

Compared to my tiny studio, it felt like an entirely different world. I almost doubted we were still in the same Seoul, same South Korea. Driver Yun seemed used to that reaction; he gave me a moment before guiding me.

"The interior is truly impressive as well, Teacher. Shall we head up?"

"Ah—yes. Let's go up. This is my first time somewhere like this, so I was a little overwhelmed."

"Haha. I was quite surprised the first time too. This way, please."

Under Driver Yun's kind guidance I rode the elevator to the top floor. When the doors slid open, a magnificent white front door appeared. A roughly one-hundred-pyeong penthouse belonging to the owner of Daeseong Dairy. From beyond that palace-like door stepped an elegant noblewoman.

The lioness who had summoned me into her own den.

Han Gyeowool.