I Don’t Want to be a Villainess – Chapter 68

“……”

I fell into thought for a while.

It seemed like Shin So-hee was also tense after bringing up the topic, so she didn’t particularly interrupt my thoughts.

……It doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

No, to be blunt, even if I hire someone new, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be on my side.

Or rather, it’s more likely they’ll be someone on the chairwoman’s side.

Even Yang Hye-in, who suddenly started being nice to me, was originally on the chairwoman’s side.

It’s not just the maids, but everyone working in this mansion is on the chairwoman’s side.

They’re all people the chairwoman picked.

In the midst of all this, if Shin So-hee became my maid…

To be honest, aside from how weird it is that she suddenly wants to be my maid, it’s not a bad situation.

No, it’s not just ‘not bad’, it’s actually good.

It means I would always have someone by my side with whom I can comfortably share my opinions.

But, that doesn’t mean I can bring Shin So-hee in as my maid without thinking it through.

Money is not the issue.

I’m not just any average rich person.

I have over 200 trillion won in personal assets, and I earn trillions annually.

I was already considering spending 15 trillion won to block the chairwoman’s attacks.

Spending a few tens of millions of won a year is something I can easily afford.

Yang Hye-in’s salary was already 500 million won a year.

The issue lies elsewhere.

“So-hee.”

When I called her name, So-hee, who had been slightly lowering her head, looked up in surprise.

“…Did you tell your family?”

“…Uh…”

Seeing her hesitate, I put my hand to my forehead again.

Right, high schoolers can do part-time jobs.

There are just restrictions on the type of work they can do.

However, they still need their parents’ consent.

After all, a minor is still a minor.

Whether a minor can work as a maid is something that needs to be looked into legally, but even if it’s possible, there’s another issue that holds everything back: ‘working hours.’

Of course, working hours apply to adults too.

I don’t remember exactly how many hours, but I know that if you work over a certain amount of time in a week, even if you’re being paid, the Labor Department will issue a warning.

I think I saw that in a documentary about emergency rooms before.

And for minors, it’s even stricter.

Minors are completely prohibited from working over a certain amount of time.

Even if working as a maid is possible, So-hee, like Yang Hye-in, can’t work by my side 24 hours a day.

In fact, Yang Hye-in’s working hours were long enough that she could have filed a complaint if she wanted to.

Frankly, whether it’s legal or not is secondary.

Of course, it would be proper to tell So-hee’s parents… in this case, her father.

After all, it’s not just about working.

She wants to work as a maid in a wealthy household, living there without her parents’ consent.

That’s not the proper way to go about it.

Seeing So-hee avoiding my gaze, it seemed she had come impulsively without saying anything to her family.

…What was she thinking?

Could it be that Yang Hye-in really showed that will to these three people?

Well, I can figure that out later.

I crossed my legs on the bed and spoke.

“Bring a chair and sit here.”

When I pointed in front of me with my finger, So-hee nodded and quickly moved to bring a chair, sitting in front of me.

Her posture was quite demure, so it seemed her desire to become my maid was genuine.

Though, despite her demure pose, she was wearing a tracksuit.

“Well, fine. I’m also in favor of giving work to someone I know. Honestly, if it’s someone I’m familiar with, it makes things easier for me too.”

“Right, right.”

So-hee nodded enthusiastically in agreement with what I said.

Although she was much taller than me, watching her act like this made her seem a bit like a cute puppy.

Well, if you think about it, there’s nearly a ten-year age difference between us.

“But no matter what, I can’t just give you the job without getting your family’s approval.”

Oh, right.

She has a younger sister too.

I don’t remember her exact age, but in the game, she was still an elementary school student.

Although she didn’t appear in CGs, her lines were full of innocence.

Since her father is the only one at home, if So-hee leaves, it’ll likely create a big gap.

Someone needs to take care of her younger sister while her father works.

Leaving a young child home alone isn’t right.

“…”

At my words, So-hee lowered her head slightly.

“If you get your family’s permission, I’ll consider it again.”

When I said that, So-hee looked up.

…I expected a disappointed expression, but that wasn’t the case.

So-hee’s expression…

How should I put it?

It was closer to an ’emotional’ expression.

It was the kind of face you’d see in a movie during a touching scene, like when separated family members are reunited, or when the protagonist finds a lost dog or something like that.

I didn’t understand why she was making that kind of expression.

And in the next moment, my view was filled with her blonde hair.

“Uh?”

So-hee, who had been looking at me, suddenly lunged and hugged my neck.

“What, what are you doing? Why?”

No, thinking about it again, she had already hugged me several times before.

Mostly by pulling my face to her chest.

There was one time where I ended up faceplanting, and another time where she hugged me directly, but either way, it had happened.

But the reason I was so startled this time was…

This hug was, how do I say it, ‘normal’.

No, I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.

It just felt like that.

So-hee didn’t respond to my words and, just like when she hugged me, suddenly pulled back.

Her face, now filling my view, had a determined expression.

“Then, I’ll get permission. If I get permission, will you accept me?”

“Huh?

Uh… yeah, I guess?”

At this point, the legal issues hardly matter.

Everyone working in this mansion is technically complicit in child abuse, so what’s the point of worrying about legalities?

And well, if working hours are the issue, she can just wear a maid outfit for a few hours a day.

The rest can count as her living and eating here.

“Then I’ll go get permission!”

So-hee, looking excited for some reason, suddenly stood up from her seat.

Then she turned immediately—

And headed into the bathroom attached to my room.

Oh, right.

She could get permission from her dad over the phone.

…But, would her dad really agree to something like this?

*

“Dad!”

As soon as her father answered the phone, So-hee shouted.

[Huh? Oh, hey, sweetie, what’s up?]

Her dad responded, sounding a bit surprised at the loud greeting from his daughter.

“I…”

So-hee was about to continue but glanced at the bathroom door.

She could vaguely hear the sound of water from when Sara had showered earlier.

If she spoke too loudly, her voice might carry outside.

“I have someone I like.”

[Uh, okay… What?]

Her dad’s voice faltered, as if he had suddenly choked on something.

[W-What did you just say? Can you repeat that?]

“I said I have someone I like.”

[Wha—really? My daughter? You like someone?]

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, followed by hearty laughter.

[Oh, wow. So, who’s the person? If my daughter likes them, they must be amazing, right?]

“Yeah, they’re really amazing. And cute.”

[Well, you do have high standards. So, are you two dating?]

“Uh…no…?”

So-hee’s eyes wavered slightly as she responded.

[So you’re just in the early stages, huh? How sweet!]

Her dad’s hearty laugh echoed again through the phone.

Based on the sound of the car, it seemed like he was on his way home.

He had taken her younger sister out earlier that morning, so she was probably asleep in the back seat by now.

“Well, no, it’s not like that.”

[Hmm?]

The other end of the line went silent.

[Wait, is it a one-sided crush?]

“Uh…for now?”

[What kind of b—cough.]

Her dad seemed to hold back something impulsive, clearing his throat to calm himself.

[What kind of guy has my daughter’s heart in a twist?]

“He’s a student from another school… Oh, actually, I’m at his house right now.”

[What?]

“I had something to discuss with him.”

[…What kind of discussion?]

“Well, it’s something only the two of us could talk about…”

[Wait, wait, hold on. Daughter, hold on a minute.]

Her father interrupted her words.

Then, in a calm tone, he began summarizing what she had said so far.

[So, you like someone, but they’re a student from another school, and now you’re at his house because you had something to discuss with him, just the two of you?]

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t exactly ‘just the two of us’.

But since the other servants didn’t pay much attention to Sara’s room, it was practically true when we were inside the room.

[Daughter, where are you calling from right now?]

“Uh, me? I’m in the bathroom.”

[The bathroom, huh.]

For some reason, her dad quietly repeated the word as if mulling it over.

“Oh, right. Dad, there’s something I want to ask your permission for.”

[Okay, sweetie, go ahead.]

For some reason, his voice sounded much calmer than before.

So-hee found it a bit strange but decided to ask anyway, remembering that Sara had insisted she get permission.

In fact, it seemed like a good idea to ask now while her father was calm.

“I want to work at this person’s house.”

[…So, you want to ‘work’ at the house of the person you like.]

Huh?

No, the way he phrased it sounded a bit off.

“No, what I meant is, I want to keep working here—”

[Daughter.]

“Yeah?”

[What’s the address of that house again?]

“Huh? The address? Oh, I don’t know the exact address, but it’s where I stayed over last time.”

[…That rich friend’s house, right?]

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Although money didn’t matter much in this case, it was still true.

No matter how you looked at it, Sara was filthy rich.

“So, I want to work here and earn some money—”

[Daughter.]

“Yes?”

[Where exactly is that place again? I seem to have forgotten.]

“Oh, it’s near Matsuda Department Store, if you search for that.”

[Got it. I’ll be there soon. Stay right where you are and don’t do anything.]

Then the call abruptly ended.

…

What just happened?

For some reason, her dad sounded really angry at the end.

Did I say something wrong?

So-hee fell deep into thought.