Ch#5
Surely no one saw me?
Hurrying across the garden, I anxiously scanned my surroundings. Now that I thought about it, I had done something incredibly foolish.
After resolving so firmly to keep a low profile, I had gone and gotten into a fight right from the start.
No matter how angry I was, I should have held it in.
Causing a commotion in Jeok I-geon’s front yard was practically begging to be killed.
He was an incredibly quiet person who despised noise to a pathological degree.
Even before arriving at Geonyeonggak, I had resolved to live as quietly as a corpse, but my hot temper was always the problem.
Surely he didn’t hear.
Given the distance from his quarters to the main gate, there was no way he could have heard it.
While it was true that Jeok I-geon was a monster who transcended human limits, that was a matter for the future.
Right now, he was merely nineteen—just a teenage boy.
Of course, given his monstrous talent, he was undoubtedly a formidable master even now.
So if I got caught, things would not end well for me.
Let’s endure. I have to endure.
I couldn’t let my anger ruin my life.
I had to survive. Even if this world was inside a novel, as long as I didn’t know how to go back, surviving was the only option I had.
Shin Seol-ha, don’t lose your nerve.
Just do what you always do.
Having already arrived in front of Jeok I-geon’s quarters, I caught my breath.
Once I opened this single door, my work would begin.
Senior Do-ae and her group had already dispersed to do their own tasks.
As much as I wanted to do the same, today was my first day as his personal maid. Out of courtesy, I had to at least greet him.
Though Jeok I-geon naturally wouldn’t care about someone like me, that was simply how subordinates had to behave.
“Whew. Calm dow—”
Just as I finished my deep breath and reached for the doorknob—
Without warning, the door slid open, and a broad chest filled my vision.
“I haven’t seen your face before. Are you the new personal maid?”
I was so startled I couldn’t even scream, freezing on the spot like a stone statue.
Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of fear, I couldn’t even bring myself to look up at him.
Thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump!
My heart rate skyrocketed to its peak.
“Why no answer? I wasn’t told you were mute.”
His impatient tone finally snapped me out of it.
Hurriedly taking a step back, I bowed deeply from the waist.
“Ah, hello. My name is Shin Seol-ha, and I have been assigned as the personal maid of Geonyeonggak starting today. I look forward to serving you!”
“Are you going to stay like that? I need to see your face if I’m to recognize you later.”
“O-of course!”
My throat felt parched with tension. Doing my best to control my expression, I slowly lifted my head.
…Wait, what?
This man was Jeok I-geon?
Looking at the man, I was filled with doubt.
Though I had never seen Jeok I-geon in person, I had read about him countless times in the book.
Skin as pale as though dusted with flour, a sharp nose, and a jawline so defined it could cut. His lips were blood-red, and his eyes were said to be of a dark, deep hue, as if the midnight sky itself had been poured into them.
The author often added descriptions of him being more beautiful than a woman.
But the man standing before me had copper skin, for starters.
While he was handsome, he wasn’t quite at the level where women would worship him.
Therefore, there was a high probability that this man was not Jeok I-geon.
“I am Cheon Gang. I serve as the Second Young Master’s escort.”
My deduction was correct.
I knew it. It’s not like I read the novel half-heartedly.
But wait. Who did you say you were?
“……!”
Unconsciously covering my mouth with my hand, I screamed internally.
Cheon Gang!
How could I have forgotten about him?
Though he currently played the part of an errand boy under the guise of being Jeok I-geon’s escort, in the future, he would be known as the Blood Sword Soul, the man who would make the greatest contribution to the Demonic Cult’s unification of the Murim.
As the successor of the Demonic Sword Cheon Family—one of the Six Great Demonic Families of the Demonic Cult—he was also the only person capable of calming Jeok I-geon down.
I recalled that the Leader of the Cheon Family, having recognized Jeok I-geon’s potential early on, had deliberately placed his son, Cheon Gang, as Jeok I-geon’s closest subordinate.
“You seem to know who I am.”
Finding my reaction strange, Cheon Gang furrowed his brow and looked down at me.
Ah, I’m so nervous!
I couldn’t tell him, but Cheon Gang was my favorite character.
Every time he stopped a rampaging Jeok I-geon, I couldn’t tell you how many times I had muttered a sigh of relief out loud while reading.
While he couldn’t prevent every tragedy, many lives were saved thanks to his intervention.
Even though he was a member of the Cult, I loved how he valued human life.
On top of that, he possessed a pure, unwavering devotion to only one woman.
Although they never ended up together, the things he did for his beloved used to make my forever-single heart flutter.
“I-I have heard of your esteemed name. It is an honor to meet you.”
“Are you going to make such a fuss in front of the Young Master as well?”
“…Pardon?”
“Saying things like ‘I look forward to working with you’ or ‘It’s an honor’ is strictly forbidden. He despises noise, so just do your job quietly. Do you understand?”
Though his tone was blunt, this was a warning meant for my own good.
Having watched Jeok I-geon since childhood, he must have already seen right through his master’s true nature.
My favorite character is worrying about me!
Just seeing him in the flesh was overwhelming enough, but now my heart was pounding so hard I couldn’t control it.
This was the very first happy moment since becoming Jeok I-geon’s personal maid.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
Seeing my dazed expression, a look of pity crossed Cheon Gang’s face. His eyes seemed to say, What am I going to do with this one?
To ease my favorite character’s worries, I quickly replied.
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Lastly, if there is anything you must ask the Young Master, ask me instead. It is best to avoid speaking to him directly.”
“Yes, I will do so.”
“The bedchamber is this way. The Young Master has gone out for his dawn training.”
That was the best news I had heard all day. It was the perfect opportunity to finish making the bed before Jeok I-geon returned.
After bowing to Cheon Gang, I hurried to the bedchamber.
My steps felt much lighter, buoyed by the joy of meeting my favorite character.
Jeok I-geon’s quarters were surprisingly simple. For someone who was the second son of the Heavenly Demon, the interior was quite bare.
A bed, a wardrobe, a bookshelf filled with texts, and a table for four were the only furniture.
He was a frugal psychopath, it seemed.
“Shall I start by airing out the room?”
To be honest, I actually quite enjoyed cleaning.
Even during my busy life as an office worker, I had never skipped a single day of tidying up my home.
There was no grand reason for it.
I simply felt good when my surroundings were clean and orderly.
Moving my body chased away any sluggishness and cleared my head.
The only problem was that the place where I ended up employed as a maid happened to be the Demonic Cult; otherwise, this work actually suited my aptitude quite well.
“Still, changing these bedsheets every single day is going to be a chore.”
Jeok I-geon was a germaphobe.
The reason so many women who had sneaked into his bedchamber to seduce him died without being able to utter a single word was because they had dared to lay their bodies on his bed.
He never allowed anyone but himself to use his bed.
He was so obsessed with his own bed that he even used a different space for any liaisons to produce an heir.
Wasn’t it truly ironic that I, a mere maid, was touching that very bed to tidy it up?
As if to prove Jeok I-geon’s fastidiousness, the snow-white bedding was neatly arranged.
If not for the slight trace of someone having lain there, it was so pristine it could have passed for brand new, straight from the seamstress.
Not a single strand of hair to be seen.
‘As expected, his humanity is absolute zero.’
Clicking my tongue, I folded the bedding and moved it to the laundry basket.
Then, I took out fresh bedding from the wardrobe and set it up neatly.
I didn’t forget to offer a silent prayer, hoping Jeok I-geon would find it comfortable when he lay down.
“Now, shall I choose his clothes?”
I swept the floor clean and wiped away the dust, taking care that not a single piece of furniture or ornament was out of alignment.
Jeok I-geon’s first stop after finishing his training would undoubtedly be the bathhouse.
Given his personality, he would naturally want to change into fresh clothes after bathing.
A personal maid, in modern terms, was essentially a secretary.
Not only did it involve obeying the master’s orders, but it also required anticipating his needs and preparing them in advance.
Though most of it was menial labor, if those tasks weren’t handled promptly, his daily life would become inconvenient.
And if things went wrong, my head would fly off.
Since I wanted to live, I opened the wardrobe again and carefully examined the garments.
Various types of clothing hung in neat, orderly rows.
I selected a set of light, blue-toned robes and placed them at the foot of the bed.
If my memory served me right, even after becoming the Heavenly Demon, Jeok I-geon favored blue-toned martial robes.
That was when I learned that even psychopaths have favorite colors.
What was next on the list?
Ah, I need to bring in his breakfast.
One of a personal maid’s primary duties was taking care of meals.
I was just turning toward the door, wondering what side dishes had been prepared for today, when—
Since when had he been there?
I hadn’t heard the door open at all.
With damp hair as if he had just finished bathing, Jeok I-geon stood there.
Staring intently at me.
