I Don’t Want to be a Villainess – Chapter 78

I will withhold judgment until the handover is complete.

While saying that, the period of the “handover” is not specified.

In other words, the period for the handover could be indefinitely extended, allowing Yang Hye-in to stay here.

Yang Hye-in’s work pattern was quite standardized, but the variety of tasks was rather numerous, some of which required quite delicate handwork.

Of course, it wasn’t to the point that anyone couldn’t do it.

In fact, it felt like she learned more about body movements than skills.

Elegant and composed gestures befitting the owner.

Originally, you had to be trained separately before becoming a maid, but Shin So-hee’s case was a bit different.

The usual process involved selecting a talented person within the group, offering a hefty salary, and sending them for thorough maid training, but Shin So-hee went as far as sneaking over the wall, asking to work, and Sara, the owner of this mansion, allowed it.

Naturally, she didn’t know about a maid’s duties, nor about the attitude or mindset a maid should have.

Well, “mindset” probably doesn’t matter much.

Most of the people working in this mansion just do their job mechanically.

In fact, if you only considered her genuine desire to help Sara, you could say she’s the perfect maid for Sara.

…That “heart” might go overboard and cause trouble, but if it’s what Sara wants, who could say anything?

Besides, after deliberately showing her that letter, Shin So-hee surely wouldn’t—

“Hehe.”

—Right?

It was rare, but Yang Hye-in felt anxious because of someone other than the Chairwoman or Sara.

She had felt something similar when she saw Sara in a dazed state that morning.

Judging from the way Sara treated her friends, it didn’t seem like “something” really happened, but still, it was hard to completely shake off the unease.

In front of Sara’s still-damp hair, Shin So-hee was grinning somewhat ominously.

After the two friends had returned home.

Now, only two people besides Sara herself were allowed into her room.

…And there were only two people who could stay in Sara’s room besides Sara.

“…Why are you laughing like that?”

Even Sara, who allowed Shin So-hee to work here, seemed a bit uneasy as she glanced back and asked.

“Oh, nothing, really.”

Shin So-hee deflected the question.

Watching this, Yang Hye-in suppressed the sigh rising in her throat and spoke.

“Please set the hair dryer to the lowest setting. The young lady’s hair should not be damaged.”

“Yes, senior!”

Senior.

No matter how many times she heard it, it was an awkward term.

The last time she had heard that was in university.

After that, there was no reason for anyone to call her “senior”.

She had merely done her job quietly.

…Now that she thought about it, this mansion was such a desolate place.

It was no place to raise a child.

—And yet.

“….”

Each time Shin So-hee touched Sara’s hair, Sara glanced nervously over her shoulder.

But she wasn’t looking at Shin So-hee.

She was looking at Yang Hye-in.

…To think, they weren’t that close.

Well, at least Sara might trust her when it comes to drying her hair.

After all, it was Yang Hye-in who handled her soft, fine hair every day.

That wouldn’t last forever, though.

“Slow down a bit. Keep the dryer farther away. Even at a low setting, blowing artificial air on her hair every day can have a negative impact.”

“Yes.”

Still, despite her casual demeanor, Shin So-hee took the task seriously.

“….”

At first, Shin So-hee’s hands seemed awkward, but they soon became accustomed to the motion.

Carefully parting the hair, the comb slid smoothly through, and soft air swept away the lingering moisture.

“….”

For a while, Yang Hye-in silently watched.

…When she thought about it, it wasn’t exactly a job that could bring a sense of pride.

She was, after all, a maid.

Although she was paid more than most, the level of work she did wasn’t all that different.

Supervising the staff?

The employees in this mansion did their jobs as scheduled.

Cleaning?

While the mansion was abnormally large, only a small portion of it was actually used, most of which was the storage area.

Cleaning wasn’t particularly difficult since she wasn’t doing it alone.

Most importantly, Yang Hye-in had never felt a great sense of pride in her work.

…Yes, she hadn’t.

She just considered herself lucky to work for a quiet master and earn a decent salary for it.

The Chairwoman had always given her the creeps, but that was all.

In the end, she wasn’t much different from the other workers here.

On the other hand, Shin So-hee was different.

She was here because she truly wanted to be.

She genuinely enjoyed being here.

…She sincerely wanted to protect Sara.

Being here gave her so much joy.

She even smiled unknowingly while touching Sara’s hair.

For Shin So-hee, this job was merely a means.

Money wasn’t the issue.

It was simply a way to stay close to Sara.

She had said she liked Sara.

…Yang Hye-in briefly pondered when she had become this kind of person.

When had she started turning a blind eye to injustices happening right in front of her, idly passing the time, thinking only of her own duties?

It was probably when she decided to take this job solely for the sake of money.

In that sense, the Chairwoman had chosen the perfect person for the role.

If it weren’t for Sara, who hadn’t lost herself in such circumstances, she would still be living mechanically, just like everyone else here.

In that sense—

“Ugh.”

“Oh, sorry.”

—no.

Someone who slyly caressed another’s back under the guise of handling their long hair couldn’t possibly be the “ideal maid”.

Yang Hye-in simply stared at Shin So-hee.

Realizing her slip-up, Shin So-hee made an embarrassed face and quickly refocused on her task.

“Um, is this enough?”

Shin So-hee muttered, stepping back slightly.

Her glance toward Yang Hye-in seemed to ask for confirmation.

Yang Hye-in approached Sara and carefully inspected her hair before replying, “Yes, it’s well done. But in the future, don’t spend too much time on it. As I mentioned earlier, exposing the hair to artificial air for too long isn’t good.”

“Yes, senior!”

Should she ask her to change that tone?

Somehow, she had a feeling Sara wouldn’t want that.

“Alright then, the next—”

At that moment, a buzzing sound came from the apron pocket of Yang Hye-in’s maid uniform.

It was her work phone vibrating.

“…Excuse me for a moment.”

Though the situation was unusual, Yang Hye-in calmly pulled out her phone and quickly stepped out of the room, answering the call as she walked.

When Yang Hye-in went to the front entrance after being informed of a guest, she found one of the friends who had visited the mansion earlier.

She was still in her school uniform.

…But her demeanor was vastly different.

Not only that, but her uniform was in a different state as well.

The seam at the left shoulder and chest was torn, revealing the shirt underneath.

The side of her skirt was covered in gray dust, as though she had scraped it against something.

Blood was trickling down her forehead, as if she had hit her head somewhere.

While it wasn’t much, it must have drawn the attention of passersby as she walked here.

Her knees were scraped, and her left thigh was raw and inflamed as if she had fallen.

Had she tripped while running?

“Please hide me.”

Lee Soo-ah said boldly.

“I’m being chased right now.”

“…”

Yang Hye-in was momentarily at a loss for words before asking,

“May I ask who is chasing you?”

“I’m being chased by my father.”

“…”

Yang Hye-in looked at Lee Soo-ah again.

It seemed she really was being chased.

She looked as though she had fallen while running for her life.

But… being chased by her father?

Wasn’t Lee Soo-ah’s family the one behind Lee Won Enterprises?

They were famous for their charitable works.

Their annual donations were even larger than those of Eugene Electronics.

They had never been caught evading taxes, and their family was known to be harmonious.

…Then again.

The situation within the Eugene Group, where Yang Hye-in worked, was a mess.

What was happening inside other groups was likely just as difficult to grasp from the outside.

She could sense the bodyguards’ unease.

They seemed to be at a loss, as if caught in some sort of compromising situation.

Normally, they would have dealt with this matter right away, but not this time.

…Shin So-hee had climbed over the wall, after all.

If they were being blackmailed for not stopping her, it wouldn’t be surprising.

“Come inside.”

“Thank you.”

Lee Soo-ah’s gratitude sounded anything but timid.

She looked quite different from the girl who had just been looking over her will.

“….”

Yang Hye-in silently led the way for Lee Soo-ah.

“Soo-ah!?”

Sara was shocked when she saw Soo-ah enter the room.

And understandably so.

The brightly lit room made Soo-ah’s injuries even more visible than they had been outside in the dark.

“Don’t be so surprised. I just fell.”

“That’s what you call just falling?”

Even Shin So-hee, who had been watching from the side, couldn’t help but point that out.

Without a word, Yang Hye-in walked over to one of the wardrobes lined against the wall and opened it.

Deep inside was an emergency first-aid kit.

It was always kept updated with the latest supplies before their expiration dates, but it rarely got used.

It felt strange using it on a guest instead of its intended recipient, Sara.

“I’m fine….”

“Leaving it untreated will leave a scar.”

At Yang Hye-in’s words, Sara nodded vigorously.

Her eyes were fixed on the blood trickling from Soo-ah’s forehead and her wounds.

She seemed genuinely shocked.

In fact, no one in the room had expected this to happen.

“So, what exactly happened?”

Sara asked in a somewhat dazed voice.

Soo-ah looked up at Sara with eyes that seemed slightly moist.

But Soo-ah smiled as she looked at Sara.

“I ran away from home.”

However, the words that came out of her mouth were not something to be said with a smile.