CHAPTER 9

Minhee was surprised to hear that Chloe had quit. She looked down at her clasped hands for a moment, as if considering Taejun’s suggestion, then looked up.

[Yes, I can].

[Is there anything else you want to talk about?]

[Um… Can you speak Korean well?]

[Yes, I can. Why?]

[Because I thought if you wanted Rose to learn Korean, it would be nice for us to communicate in Korean at home].

Taejun has never forgotten Korean because the area of language involves symbols and memory, but Minhee’s sudden outburst in Korean was a shock to him.

Earlier, he had dismissed it as a system error and thrown it into his mental trash, but still, Minhee chose to retrieve what he had discarded, and Taejun grabbed the error again, crumpled it, and kicked it into the mental drawer, slamming it shut.

Enough of that now.

[If it’s necessary, let’s do that.]

[Well, that’s all. I’ll get up now.]

[Miss Minnie?]

[Yes?]

[How old are you?]

The unfiltered question popped out unexpectedly. He had to admit he’d never been a particularly well-mannered guy, but he had never been rude enough to ask a woman her age. He had never been curious enough about someone to ask their age.

Minhee shrugged as if accustomed and smiled slightly.

[Twenty-five. Older than you thought, right?]

[Hmm.]

More than he had thought, but she was still seven years younger than him.

[Um… Mister Baek?]

[…?]

“You did well today.”

Minhee threw a compliment that he used to hear frequently when he attended elementary school in Korea. His eyes widen slightly, and she watches him for a moment with a smile on her face as if he’s been doused in ice water, before she drops her eyes, bites her lip once, and mumbles a good night.

Taejun watched as Minhee ran out of the living room, and then slowly leaned back against the couch, the corner of his lips twitching subtly.

* * *

On Monday morning, Taejun woke up at 5:30 am, as was his long-standing habit, to check the world’s major stock market data and economic news, and issue work instructions via email. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but the sound of Rose and Minhee’s voices outside the door broke his concentration.

The EST (Eastern Standard Time) on the top of the monitor indicated 6:56 am, flashing. Taejun leaned back in his swivel chair, put his hands behind his head, wearing his signature rings, and pondered for a moment.

‘Should I go outside? I think it’s time to get ready for work anyway.’

Ignoring the fact that there was no need to go out through the hallway since there was a door connecting his study to the hallway, Taejun grabbed the handle of the door leading to the hallway.

Meanwhile, Minhee woke up to her 6:30 alarm, and as soon as she was washed and dressed herself, she woke Rose and went straight to the kitchen.

As comfortably as if it were her own home, Minhee casually took eggs from the refrigerator to make scrambled eggs. She reheated the waffles prepared by the chef the previous night and neatly arranged fruits in a transparent bowl.

Even though it wasn’t something she had to do, Minhee was used to being in charge of breakfast when she lived with Miho and it was easy enough to just heat and take out the pre-prepared food.

[Rose, ask your uncle if he wants breakfast].

Following her into the kitchen, Rose took her place at the table as Minhee set a plate in front of her.

[Yes, Miss Minnie!]

Minhee froze as she heard Rose run out of the kitchen and head down the hallway on the other side of the living room, yelling.

[Dad-! Breakfast is ready!]

Rose, who returned to the kitchen with chubby steps, had a perfectly innocent face. The way she called his uncle, just like she used to call for her dad, seemed like a habit from when her parents were alive.

Taejun, who hesitated with the doorknob in hand, also froze upon hearing Rose’s voice. Slowly, he opened the study door.

‘Is Rose calling me Dad?’

A savory and warm aroma wafted from the kitchen. In Taejun’s home, breakfast was usually skipped or kept simple with cereal. He had never experienced this kind of smell in the morning here. The scent of butter and coffee blended, stimulating his empty stomach.

Sitting on a high stool in front of the kitchen island, Rose turned to Taejun, grinned widely with her mouth full, and greeted him.

[Good morning, Santon!]

[Rose. Swallow the food in your mouth before speaking].

[Yes! Miss Minnie].

“Did she just……?”

Taejun asked in Korean, holding Minhee’s gaze and tilting his head toward Rose. Minhee shook her head slightly.

“I don’t think she meant to, I think she did it without realizing it. Have breakfast.”

“…”

Minhee casually walked over to a cupboard, pulled out a large plate, piled it with food, and held it out to him. Taejun hesitantly accepted the plate.

In a kitchen, where he himself didn’t know where anything was, it felt strange to see Minhee bustle around and place a steaming mug of coffee in his hands. Something inside him that he couldn’t scratch was tickling.

Last night, he remembered Minhee chatting with the chef for a while, giggling like an old friend as they walked around, exploring every nook and cranny of the large kitchen.

She had said that she wanted to make Rose’s breakfast while she was here because she believed that children need to eat breakfast to be in good shape throughout the day at school. Although he didn’t expect himself to be included in the morning meal, as Minhee only mentioned that she wanted to take care of Rose’s breakfast during her stay, he never thought it would involve him.

Taejun set the plate and mug down next to Rose. It was something he’d eaten before, but it tasted different. The fruit was sweet, the freshly made scrambled eggs were soft, and the warm waffles melted in his mouth. The sensation of his stomach warming up was unfamiliar.

Across from him, Minhee, who was diligently eating her breakfast, put down her fork, sipped her coffee, and observed him closely.

[Um… Mr. Baek?]

Taejun raised an eyebrow at her as if to say, ‘Speak after you’ve swallowed’, she hesitated, then bit her lip, and looked at him with determination.

[The chef told me to ask you and let you know, but do you think we could buy a pressure cooker for cooking rice? Mei-Ling said that Rose also ate Korean food sometimes, but there is no rice cooker in this house.]

No rice cooker? Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t recall having Korean food at home. Well, the chef was Italian.

[Luca Lopez, I’ll talk to my personal assistant and have him give you an extra credit card, so if you need something, you don’t have to ask, you can just buy it.]

[No, you don’t have to give me a credit card…….]

[Take it, because it’s more efficient than going through multiple steps, and whatever it is, if Rose needs something, don’t wait for me to decide, just buy it, that’s my instruction as your employer.]

[…Okay.]

Seeing Taejun’s stern expression like a strict boss, Minhee nodded.

* * *

Minhee, who had to get to school thirty minutes earlier than the children to help with school preparations, left for school first after helping Taejun prepare Rose for school, while Taejun left the house with Rose just in time for the eight o’clock bell.

The cold weather and Park Avenue scene were the same as they had been a few days earlier, but the self-doubt Taejun felt on his way to school that day was much less pronounced.

Well-slept, well-fed, bundled up in the gloves, scarf, and hat that Minhee laid out last night, and carrying her bookbag in a heap, Rose held onto Taejun’s finger and chattered incessantly.

After meeting her friend at the school gate, Rose said a quick “Bye, Santon!”  and skipped inside the school, holding her friend’s hand. 

Taejun watched Rose’s back until she was out of sight, then breathed a sigh of relief as he retraced his steps. As his breath dispersed like smoke, his firmly sealed lips loosened, revealing a subtle curve—almost visible, yet elusive. It was a clear and sunny winter morning.

After less than a week as a live-in tutor, Minhee had begun to notice a change in Rose. Rose was now focused in class, interacted well with friends, and seemed to have almost fully regained her active and independent demeanor from before.

Rose, who used to cling to Minhee all day not long ago, appeared to have recovered her lively and independent nature. Aside from occasional attachment behavior, such as checking if Minhee was sitting behind her or touching her hand, Rose seemed to be managing school life relatively stably. 

Seeing Rose away from her at recess, laughing and talking with her friends in the tree house in the classroom, Minhee felt that it was time to resume playdates and after-school activities.

Slowly, it was time to get back into the swing of things.

‘I should discuss it with Mr. Baek.’

At the thought of Taejun, Minhee’s eyes fluttered and heat rose to her cheeks.

Since living together, Minhee’s baseless fears about him had faded. However, whenever she faced his inscrutable and restrained expressions, which revealed a raw glint between the cold demeanor and stoicism, Minhee couldn’t help but feel intimidated.

Whenever he gazed at her with eyes that seemed to flicker like black flames, her face would flush, and she would scramble to straighten her hair and check the fit of her clothes, avoiding his gaze

Apart from that, Taejunn was a ‘good person’ to Rose.

‘I was secretly worried that he’d ignore the program I’d laid out for him and be overbearing or just plain indifferent.’

Taejun had followed everything she asked him to do, did whatever was required, and faithfully kept his promises. He never complained, even when asked to do something awkward or unfamiliar.

Of course, he’s awkward at everything he does, and he’s so blunt that he can’t even express himself properly, but there’s a genuineness to his demeanor towards Rose that he can’t hide.

Oh, there was one thing that Taejun refused to do.

[Santon! Stand up and repeat after me! This is the dance I learned at school today!]

Being an audience for Rose’s dance performance, Taejun applauded and gave a slight smile, throwing in a brief compliment as Minhee indicated. However, he firmly refused to join Rose in shaking hips and dancing when she asked.

Thinking back to that moment, Minhee laughed alone like a crazy person. She was lost in her laughter when the school principal gestured towards her from outside the classroom door. She felt like she knew what he was here for.