Ms. Han didn’t turn around this time, but I could tell from her profile that she was giving a smile that was both apologetic and grateful.
The indifferent and nonchalant attitude he had towards the man in the passenger seat, the business-like kindness he showed to the clients at the party, and the hostility he displayed towards me, an outsider.
That was all I knew of him. I thought he was a playful and affectionate boss to the Phantom staff, but I never knew he could be someone who worried about someone with an anxious voice, almost to the point of being overprotective.
But, yes. Unless he had blue blood like his eyes flowing through his veins, even someone who seemed to not give anyone more affection than necessary would become unable to be indifferent to someone precious. That’s only natural.
When we got out in the underground parking lot, the air felt stuffy. No one seemed to care about it, but I was bothered that I missed the timing to greet the CEO.
When I got out of the driver’s seat and met his eyes as he walked to the front of the car, I said in a small voice, “Hello,” and he slightly bowed his head.
Unlike Juhan hyung’s description of him as someone who ‘grilled’ me, those pale blue eyes still seemed to have no interest in me.
To him, I was just a temporary part-timer who would help out at Phantom and leave, and now I was a housekeeper at Ms. Han’s house. Unless he was a particularly friendly and sociable person, there was no need for him to put in the effort to be affable and smile at someone like that.
Kindness for the sake of courtesy, a barrage of questions disguised as sociability, were what I found uncomfortable, so there was no reason to be upset by his indifference.
As soon as we arrived home, the two of them started talking about work at the kitchen table, and I started on my own work.
I started cleaning the four rooms and two bathrooms so they could talk comfortably.
Judging from the fragments of conversation I couldn’t help but hear whenever I went in and out of the rooms, one of Phantom’s exclusive artists had a solo exhibition planned, and the CEO, who had visited the artist’s studio today to check on the progress, seemed to want to move up the exhibition schedule as much as possible.
A different kind of excitement than when he was worried about Ms. Han’s wild driving habits was evident in his voice.
If I wasn’t mistaken, the artist’s name seemed to be ‘Shushu’, and every time his low voice, slightly husky as if scratched by thorns, pronounced the sweet-sounding word ‘Shushu’, I felt a strange texture. It was like a record skipping in a specific part, or like watching him bend his large body to hug and kiss a poodle puppy.
It might sound like it didn’t suit him, but it wasn’t an unpleasant and unsightly disharmony that made me frown, but rather something unfamiliar and new that aroused my interest.
Shushu. What kind of paintings would an artist with that name paint? Of course, it wasn’t their real name, but I was curious.
“Are you really going to let him move in?”
While I was cleaning the bathroom in the living room, I stopped scrubbing the bathtub for a moment, and his voice came from beyond the tiled wall. It wasn’t clear enough to hear every syllable, but it was loud enough to roughly guess the content of the conversation.
“It’s not definite yet, but it looks like it’s going to happen. It was hard to persuade him.”
“He’s called a live-in helper, but he’s living in the same house with a complete stranger.”
“A complete stranger? He’s someone I used to teach.”
“Oh, 10 years ago?”
“Do you have to talk like that right now? I wish you’d stop.”
“How do you know what will happen and let a man live in the house with you? Even a guy who looks normal can change at any time.”
“Then we should kick out CEO Liu first. CEO Liu is also a man.”
“Am I the same as that guy? To Manager Han?”
If he wasn’t the same as me, then what was he to Ms. Han?
I understand worrying about a situation where a precious person might live in the same house with someone of the opposite sex who isn’t family. That was perhaps a natural and valid concern. But as the person who caused that concern, I couldn’t help but feel that the conversation wasn’t very pleasant.
“I know you’re worried, but I have my own thoughts? I don’t want Yeehyeon to hear this kind of talk, so let’s stop if you don’t want to see me get angry.”
He stopped there for the time being. The topic returned to the artist named Shushu. The CEO wanted to hold the exhibition as soon as possible, and Ms. Han couldn’t easily agree, saying the schedule was too tight… such conversations continued.
Because I turned the shower lever to wash off the detergent foam, I couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation.
Ms. Han hardly used the bathroom in the living room, so there wasn’t much to clean, but I felt uncomfortable going outside for some reason, so I took a little longer than usual. Thanks to that, the bathroom sparkled.
I finished cleaning the living room, kitchen, and dining room, and was about to pick up the bag I had left on the sofa when Ms. Han pushed back his chair and came towards me, as if the meeting at the table had ended.
“Yeehyeon-ah, if the moving company schedule isn’t set for next Saturday, can you help out with Phantom’s work?”
“Next Saturday is still open.”
“The exhibition you helped with the opening last time is closing that day. But the next exhibition schedule has been moved up… Our CEO over there can’t wait to open it quickly.”
It seemed that his insistence on rushing the ‘Shushu’ exhibition had won.
“I’m okay with it…”
I looked at him, who was leaning loosely against the dining table chair and drinking coffee. It was something I did without realizing it.
Ms. Han, noticing the direction of my gaze, turned to him once and put both hands on my shoulders.
“Why are you looking at CEO Liu? I’m the one who asked you.”
From over Ms. Han’s shoulder, he put down the glass he was drinking from and got up from his seat.
“Well, Manager Han is the real power at Phantom. I’ll be going.”
He picked up the summer jacket he had hung on the next seat, checked the wristwatch under his rolled-up shirt sleeves, and then took another quick sip of coffee while standing.
“Kun, give Yeehyeon a ride on your way.”
“Ah, no. It’s okay.”
He looked at me for a moment and then shifted his gaze back to Ms. Han and said.
“She says it’s okay?”
“It’s on your way. Give him a ride.”
He silently looked down at me for a moment before turning towards the front door.
“Let’s go.”
“It’s really okay. There’s a bus, too.”
“Manager Han wants you to. Let’s just do that.”
It was as if he wasn’t offering to give me a ride because he wanted to, but rather to get it over with quickly.
“He just talks like that. Don’t worry about it and just go with him.”
I gave an awkward smile to Ms. Han, who was whispering that while rubbing my shoulders a few times. Ms. Han seemed to be underestimating my discomfort with him. He put on his shoes first and waited with the front door open while I tied my Converse laces.
In the elevator, he asked me where I lived, and when I told him the name of the neighborhood along with the name of the large church that was like a landmark opposite the steep stairs leading to my house, he reacted as if he knew where it was, saying, “Um.”
“I heard you used to learn painting from Manager Han.”
That was the first thing he said after getting in the car and leaving the apartment complex.
“Yes, when I was very young.”
“How young is very young?”
“From the 4th grade of elementary school for about a year.”
While waiting for the timing to turn right to enter the main road, he asked for permission to smoke. When I nodded, he rummaged through the jacket pocket he had roughly thrown behind the armrest and took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. In the meantime, another car followed behind and honked briefly. With the cigarette in his lips, he turned the steering wheel to enter the road and took out his own lighter instead of the electric cigarette lighter installed in the vehicle to light it. Most of the smoke escaped through the half-open window.
“I heard you didn’t major in it, but don’t you paint now?”
“Yes, now…”
I knew in advance from Juhan hyung that he had asked Ms. Han about me, but I didn’t think Ms. Han would have told him everything. Ms. Han wasn’t one to easily divulge more than a certain amount about other people’s pasts, and I was in a position where I was hiding myself now.
Was he asking me questions for the sake of courtesy now? Suddenly on our third meeting? He wouldn’t be the kind of person to go to such trouble to avoid the awkwardness in this enclosed space.
While I was thinking that and giving meaningless glances at the passing scenery outside the window, he asked again with a breath exhaling the inhaled cigarette smoke.
“Manager Han offered you a live-in job, right?”
“……”
This was the main point.
“I’ll be honest.”
“……”
“Even if you had an exchange when you were young, it was only for a short time, and you’ve been living your own lives, so you’re practically strangers now, and having someone like that live in the house with you… I’m worried from my point of view.”
It’s not that he hesitated, considering my feelings about hearing this, just because he paused in the middle of his words. It was just a gap created by inhaling the cigarette.
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