8 6

Taehyung

As I saw Yoongi walk out of the kitchen, I knew where the little kitten was. He gave me a sharp nod as I walked past him.

When I got to the kitchen, I was instantly transfixed by the sight in front of me. Jungkook's back was facing me and he stood beside Hae-sook. The back of his dress was stretched perfectly over his round ass.

What a view, I thought with a smirk.

Shaking my head after a few seconds, I took in a deep breath. Get yourself together.

Looking up, I saw the other two maids staring at Jungkook with bored expressions, clearly not happy with another maid joining them.

"We have a new maid," Hae-sook announced excitedly, bouncing lightly on her toes. I couldn't help but smile at her cheerfulness.

Hae-sook had been working for the estate for about thirty years, since before I was even born. She had been one of the first maids my father hired. Hae-sook had shown loyalty over the years and she quickly became our favourite maid—our mother.

"We don't need a new maid," Hye-ran said, her tone snarky.

Walking into the light so they could see me, I said, "Actually, you do."

No, they didn't.

But that didn't matter.

If I said they needed one, then none of them would question me.

Questioning me meant losing their job.

I wouldn't even think twice before kicking them out.

I had zero tolerance for people demanding answers from me.

My words were law.

I walked forward, sending the two maids a glare. They instantly cowered and bowed their heads, avoiding my gaze.

Now, that was better.

Hae-sook swivelled around, hand on her hips as she stared at me. But I wasn't looking at her. I couldn't because the little broken boy standing beside her had my full attention. His body had tensed at my voice and he moved nervously on his feet.

Jungkook slowly turned around and we instantly made eye contact, his wide doe eyes staring at me with surprise and shock. I noticed that his body trembled under my unflinching gaze.

He was definitely affected by my presence.

"Jungkook is going to work here with you. Hae-sook, you can assign his work schedule," I continued as I kept my eyes on Jungkook. He swallowed hard and squirmed nervously on the spot.

My gaze slowly made its way down his body. His dress fit him perfectly, showcasing his curves at the right places. And his legs. Damn, those legs.

As I stared at his legs, all I could think about was having them wrapped around my waist as I pounded relentlessly into him.

When I felt myself growing hard, I quickly snapped out of my thoughts, moving my eyes away.

I looked back up and saw him suck in a deep breath. Jungkook stared at me, his eyes fearful as he took a step back.

My desire for him was written all over my face. I didn't hide it. I let him see what I wanted and then shut down my expression again.

It was all part of the game - Let them see but not too much. Let them feel and then take it away.

I gave them a sharp nod and then started to back out of the kitchen. I saw Hae-sook giving me a suspicious look before turning toward

Jungkook.

I walked out.

I would give him a week to settle.

A week to get himself together.

And then I would pounce.

***

Jungkook

When Taehyung walked out of the room, I let out a sigh of relief.

Hae-sook noticed and gave me a strange look.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

I didn't know if I should laugh or fall down and cry.

No. Of course, everything was not okay.

Instead, I said, "Yes," my voice was small.

Hae-sook looked at me suspiciously but didn't push. Giving me a small smile, she turned toward

the other two maids.

"This is Hye-ran," she said, indicating the blonde, who gave me a blank stare.

I nodded in greeting.

"And this is ." The short woman with caramel skin, his black hair tied in a tight bun, waved at me with a smile. I smiled back and felt myself relax.

"Welcome," Sun-Young said softly.

At least there were two people who didn't look like they wanted to kill me.

"Now that introductions have been made, Sun-Young and Hye-ran, get back to work," Hae-sook said in a stern voice.

Both women said nothing before they walked out of the kitchen. Hae-sook grabbed my arms and gently shoved me toward the stools.

"Sit," she said. I did as I was told.

"Did you eat breakfast yet?" Hae-sook asked as she went through the refrigerator.

I shook my head but then realized that she couldn't see me.

"No. I haven't," I replied.

"I thought so." She closed the fridge, her arms full of ingredients. I reached out to help her, but she

shook her head.

Sitting back down, I waited for her next instruction.

Hae-sook made breakfast while talking animatedly the whole time. She was excited as if she hadn't had a chance to talk to someone for a long while. She talked about everything and nothing. Sometimes none of it made sense. She told me about her experience working as a maid. I also found out that I was the youngest maid here, which surprised her.

"Hmm. Taehyung never hires young maids. He says they are incompetent."

I didn't tell her how Taehyung came to hire me, she never asked, so I kept quiet. As she continued talking, I felt myself relaxing.

The tense muscles in my shoulders started to loosen and I sagged into my stool. Crossing my legs, I moved my elbows on the bar and placed my chin in my palms, watching Hae-sook talk.

Her voice soothed me and I smiled.

She was sweet, adorable and I felt comfortable around her. I don't know how long I sat there and listened to her talk but she eventually brought a plate to me. Placing it in front of me, Hae-sook smiled and nodded toward the food.

"Dig in, hon."

The plate was brimming with toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, fried potatoes and a small bowl of mixed fruits.

She watched me with a soft expression. My nose started to tingle and I felt hot tears at the back of my eyes. I sniffed and looked down at the plate of food.

Nobody had ever made me food like that.

Sure, I had maids back at my father's estate and I always had food.

But no one ever prepared it with love.

Nobody cared if I ate or not.

I simply didn't exist. I lived as a shadow.

My heart constricted and I held the fork with a shaky hand.

As I took the first bite, a tear fell down my cheek.

Quickly wiping it away with my other hand, I took a second bite.

Then a third.

With each bite, it felt like my heart would burst at any moment.

When Hae-sook gave me a gentle pat on the hand, I looked up with red-rimmed eyes. She gave me a sad smile and then nodded as if telling me that everything would be okay. Hae-sook didn't ask any questions.

She just accepted me.

She turned around and went back to filling the other plates. I looked back at the food, then stared at

the hand she had touched.

Kindness wasn't something I saw much of.

I had never experienced true kindness in my life.

My days were spent locked in my room and my nights were filled with terrors.

I didn't know what kindness was.

But with that simple action from Hae-sook, I saw kindness for the first time.

I felt it for the first time.