CHAPTER 4

On a Sunday afternoon, Minhee, with a large travel bag, was dropped off by Miho at the entrance of an old 4-story building in the East Village, on the southeast side of Manhattan. Miho, with a facial expression similar to Minhee’s dad, when he sent her off to the university dorm, blurted out.

“Money or no money, give it a try, and if it’s too hard, just come back. They say that Wall Street bastards, instead of giving you a lot of money, only treat you well enough to keep you from dying. What’s there in life? It’s about having some debt, paying off loans, and living like that.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that. Don’t worry too much. I’ve stocked up a week’s worth of rations in the fridge, so make sure to eat well on time. Don’t stress too much about the flowery pattern!”

“…… nag. Okay, now go.”

“I’ll miss you. Mihoho, I love you! Don’t cry just because I’m not there!”

“Shut up. If anyone hears you, they’ll think you’re gone forever!”

Minhee waved her hand, looking back several times until Miho standing in front of the entrance became a small dot.

In the backseat of the taxi, Minhee looked around like a tourist as they drove from the East Village, with its quaint restaurants and cheap shops, to the Midtown filled with high-rise buildings, and further up the Upper East Side.

It’s always amazing how the landscape of Manhattan can change just a few blocks up. Arriving in front of Taejun’s apartment on a wide, neatly landscaped stretch of Park Avenue, a doorman dressed in a suit and hat, turned the heavy revolving door as if straight out of a movie.

Perhaps due to the New York building code, which prevented changes to the exterior of buildings with over 100 years of history, Minhee could never get used to the culture of relying on doormen to open the door instead of having automatic doors even in the 21st century.

[Good afternoon. Which floor, and who are you visiting?]

A gray-haired concierge in a neat uniform greeted Minhee.

[Penthouse A, Mr. Baek.]

[What is your name?]

[Uh… if you say ‘Miss Minnie,’ they’ll know.]

While the concierge made a call on the intercom, Minhee looked around the lobby of the apartment building.

It was her first time entering an apartment on Park Avenue. She couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by the heavy, ornate art deco lobby décor that looked like it had popped out of a scene from The Great Gatsby.

The middle-aged couple walking out of the elevator across from her looked like they belonged to the ‘ruling class,’ despite their modest attire. Even though they were casually dressed, the rough and uncompromising indifference of the ‘dominant class’ permeated from head to toe. The top 1% inherited wealth from their parents, received elite education, and even had excellent physical conditions.

Minhee had realized something after becoming an assistant teacher at a prestigious private girls’ school in Manhattan, dealing with the ‘ruling class’ on a daily basis.

Even in the land of the American Dream, a country known for its upward mobility, the top 1% had long maintained their own way of life.

Their league, working-class immigrants, don’t mix and are solidified from a young age, and it starts with private schools like Aster School.

‘I wonder what Baek Taejun, who lives in this penthouse, is like. Is he a relative of a Korean conglomerate I’ve heard so much about? I heard Rose’s parents were both lawyers.’

The concierge hung up the intercom and turned to Minhee, breaking her chain of thought.

[Miss Minnie, welcome, you can use the private elevator for the penthouse on the left, Penthouse A will be on the right as soon as you get off].

She stepped into the luxurious brass-decorated elevator and saw that there were only three buttons: lounge, lobby, and penthouse. After pressing Penthouse and waiting for a moment, the old elevator creaked into motion.

When she got to the penthouse floor, she saw three doors with PHA on them. While pondering seriously about which door to knock on, the door at the end of the hallway swung open. Rose, barefoot, rolled out like a ball and hugged Minhee’s waist.

[Miss Minnie!!]

Minhee hugged Rose back and straightened her waist. Rose, her hair disheveled and still in her pajamas, looked up at Minhee with a smear of chocolate on the corner of her mouth.

[Hello, Rose!]

[TJ told me Miss Minnie is coming, so I’ve been waiting for so long. Are you going to live with me now?]

[TJ? I will live here with you Rose for four months, from February to June.]

Rose bared her gap-toothed smile and jumped up and down with excitement.

[Will Rose guide Miss Minnie? Should I go in through this door?]

Rose grabbed Minhee’s hand with her sticky little hand and ran towards the open door on the opposite side. Dragged along, Minhee went inside the entry hall and into a living room the size of a sports field, with large windows overlooking Central Park and the Hudson River.

Overwhelmed by the size of the living room and the view, Minhee momentarily stood dazed, but Rose pulled her towards the corridor, shouting.

[TJ! TJ! Miss Minnie is here!]

From the direction Rose shouted, Taejun walked out, dressed in black slacks and a thin, dark gray v-neck sweater.

Perhaps it was because of his clearly visible long legs, thick chest muscles, and shoulders at right angles, or he seemed taller and more robust than Minhee remembered.

Minhee’s shoulders instinctively hunched at the sight of him, like a gladiator in armor walking out, towards her.

She was tempted to turn around and run away, but she barely managed it as she caught a glimpse of Rose’s tiny backside. As she prepared to greet her new employer with the corners of her mouth tugged upward, she caught sight of a figure following closely behind Taejun. It was a tall, slender, brown-haired beauty.

Taejun was undoubtedly an attractive man, so Minhee had expected him to be dating someone, but seeing her with her own eyes somehow made her feel oddly uneasy.

‘I guess the salary is that high because I have to teach one more person. Does she live in this house too?’

Suppressing her thoughts down, Minhee greeted them politely.

[Good evening.]

[Miss Minnie].

Taejun’s chin nodded slightly as he said Minhee’s name. Only now did the person closely following Taejun become visible. She was a beauty with tall and slender legs and a deep neckline. The woman standing next to him scanned Minhee from head to toe with blatant hostility, then snorted and shifted her sticky gaze back to Taejun.

Minhee swallowed a sigh, feeling tired for some reason. She glanced back and forth between the two of them, waiting for him to introduce her to the woman she didn’t know if she was his girlfriend or something, or what to call her. Taejun, as if reading her mind, followed Minhee’s gaze to the woman who was standing right next to him and took a step back.

[This is Rose’s weekend nanny who started working yesterday, her name is-]

[Chloe!]

The woman leaned close to his ear and whispered her name in a husky voice as if she were telling him a secret. She openly exposed her cleavage over the plunging neckline, and the sight of her stroking Taejun’s forearm and secretly smiling was too obvious.

With his furrowed brow of expression, Taejun did not mind Chloe, who stuck to him without hesitation. Minhee, watching, felt even more awkward and turned her eyes away. Taehun approached Minhee, taking Chloe’s hand off as if untangling a knot.

[Miss Minnie, your room is the second room from the left in the hallway. Unpack and come out, let’s talk about the email you sent yesterday.”

[Yes, okay, but I’d like to wash my hands before that…….]

Taehun pointed to the guest restroom by the front door. Minhee lowered her head toward Rose, who was still holding her hand tightly.

[Rose. Let’s wash our hands together. We might need to freshen up a bit. How about changing into your favorite clothes after washing them? And before dinner, let’s fold some pretty paper airplanes.]

[Okay, Miss Minnie!]

[When you wash your hands, remember to lather with soap until the little star song ends, okay?]

[Yes, Miss Minnie!]

Taejun couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched Rose wash her hands and face, singing along to Minhee’s softly whispered song without raising her voice.

Every time the weekend nanny tried to wash Rose and change her clothes in the morning, she cried and screamed uncontrollably, but now, Rose was smiling with a clean face.

[I’ll change my clothes and come out!]

Taejun watched in disbelief as Rose ran to her room.

‘Was it this easy to do?’

Taejun looked at Minhee with a mixture of wonder and suspicion. Her cheek, uncovered as she removed her fluffy coat, was tinted with a light pink color.

[Then, I’ll put my bags in the room.]

Every time Minhee moved her heavy travel bag, her jet-black hair swayed. As she passed by, a mysterious sweet fragrance wafted to Taejun, and involuntarily, he took a deep breath.

Impulsively, he gripped the handle of her suitcase and Minhee’s big gray eyes looked up at him in surprise. Perplexed by his actions, Taejun smoothly removed Minhee’s hand from the bag’s handle.

[It looked heavy].

[Ah……. thank you].

Taejun strode over and set the suitcase down inside the guest room. Just as he turned around, Minhee, who was about to enter, collided with him. Their eyes met.

The sweet scent hit his nostrils again, and Taejun inhaled with a subtle bow of his head, Minhee’s eyes widened and she held her breath as if caught in a trap.

Her eyelashes fluttered and she blinked a few times, and then both she and Taejun took a step in the same direction at the same time.

[Sorry—]

This time, they simultaneously moved in the opposite direction.

A bewildered Minhee looked up at Taejun, shoulders hunched. Taejun took a step back, placed both hands on her shoulders, and gently pulled her into the room as if she were a doll.