MWM Prologue

Time flowed honestly. It was time to move on.

Soyi glanced briefly at the ticking second hand before picking up her pen again.

“You have to finish this by tomorrow.”

“What! This, by tomorrow?”

Checking the scope of today’s studies, Jigu, seated beside her, snatched the workbook with incredulous eyes.

One, two, three, four, five. The sound of pages flipping grew increasingly agitated as she counted.

“How am I supposed to finish this by tomorrow? I’d need to pull an all-nighter! Even exploiting my labor has its limits!”

The young master’s complaints, a fixture of their long companionship, continued unabated today. Soyi, unfazed, closed the workbook.

“This isn’t for me—it’s for your own good, so quit whining and do it.”

“You’re the worst!”

“I’m not thrilled to see you either. So, what’s the way out for both of us to avoid each other’s faces? Raise your score on the next mock exam. Get into a good university. Then you won’t have to see the faces you hate, and Halmeoni¹ will grant you every wish.”

Signaling the end of the tutoring session, Soyi rose from her chair. It was time to shift from the young master’s tutor to a servant of Seonamjae².

“You’re heartless! After all I’ve done for you? This is how you repay my kindness? I said you didn’t have to clean my room to lighten your load, I asked Halmeoni to raise your pay so you’d earn more, and I even promised to hire you when I become the master of Seonamjae—all of that’s canceled!”

A barrage of grievances followed, but Soyi boldly left the room.

“Hey, I’m talking to you! Where are you going?”

Click. The door shut, silencing the fifteen-year-old’s whining in an instant.

She was walking down the hallway, glancing at her watch, when her steps gradually slowed.

“Tutoring done?”

A familiar low voice brushed against her ears first. Soyi faced the man and parted her lips.

“Yes.”

The man standing tall before her was Jigu’s uncle. Dressed in a crisp shirt and tie, holding a suit jacket in one hand, he seemed to have just returned from work.

He must have finished early today.

Soyi couldn’t tear her eyes away from the man, who had appeared thirty minutes earlier than his usual return. Standing before him, she instinctively tensed.

“How’s Jigu doing these days?”

Unlike her, his demeanor, inquiring about his nephew’s studies, was always relaxed.

“He’s keeping up well.”

“That kid’s a handful, isn’t he? Spoiled rotten from being coddled all these years.”

“No, he’s improving.”

“Improving, huh.”

As if he’d overheard the earlier bickering, the man let out a soft chuckle before falling silent.

In the brief stillness, their gazes locked.

“I have something to discuss. Come to my room for a moment.”

Reading the hidden intent in his request, Soyi paused before nodding slowly.

She arrived at his room much earlier than their usual appointed time. After knocking, Soyi stepped inside and paused at the threshold.

A crisp fragrance always lingered in his spacious room.

She knew the scent well—checking every corner during cleaning, and replacing diffusers as needed. Yet, no other room carried this exact aroma.

Was it cologne? Skincare? A blend of everything? As she pondered, her senses stirred at the man’s natural scent. A sudden tingle sparked below her navel.

“What are you doing over there?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Soyi looked straight ahead. The man, slowly unfastening his wristwatch, gestured with his chin as if to ask why she hadn’t come closer.

Stepping forward, Soyi stood naturally before him.

After loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top of his shirt, he briefly lowered his gaze. A faint frown creased his brow, signaling his displeasure at her unusually weary face today.

“You must be exhausted from dealing with Jigu all day. Puberty’s making him more unpredictable.”

“I’m managing.”

“If it’s too much, say so. Don’t bottle it up.”

Soyi met his steady gaze and nodded. Then, recalling something she’d momentarily forgotten, she turned away.

She walked back to the door and locked it.

“You don’t have to lock it, you know. No one comes up here after this hour.”

He chuckled at her habitual caution, a daily ritual.

“Should I not?”

Ordinarily, she’d insist on locking it, claiming caution never hurt. But today, Soyi complied, unlocking the door. As she watched him shed his clothes piece by piece, she began unbuttoning her own blouse.

Pants, socks, and finally underwear followed until her bare body stood before him. With familiar ease, he pulled her by the waist.

Gazing quietly at her flushed face, he furrowed his brow slightly.

“Something’s off.”

“…What?”

“You’re not wearing makeup today.”

“…”

“You always wear it.”

Though Soyi offered no response, he brushed it off lightly. With a faint smile, he dismissed his curiosity and lowered his lips to her neck.

“Does it matter if you forgot?”

You’re beautiful without it.

His warm breath and languid voice drew a sigh-like moan from her lips.

Their intimacy, begun on the bed, stretched long and deep.

Pressed beneath his familiar weight, Soyi’s gaze wandered before settling on one point.

The wave that plunged to her toes and surged to her head was, as always, overwhelming.

Catching her ragged breath, Soyi let out a stifled sob.

He loved the subtle, bursting whimpers she tried to hold back. His relentless force, as if urging more, wrung tears from her.

The man who’d promised to go easy tonight was nowhere to be found as her thoughts blurred rapidly. In her hazy consciousness, a sudden question slithered in like smoke.

If the household discovered their nightly trysts, if everything came to light, could this relationship endure? The thought flickered briefly.

Then faded. At this point, such questions were irrelevant.

Clinging to her scattering senses, Soyi spoke, lest her resolve waver.

“I’m leaving this place.”

Her resolute words, replacing a moan, cooled the heated room. The man’s broad back shuddered briefly before stilling.

His face, buried in her neck, slowly drew back to meet her eyes. His darkened gaze silently demanded an explanation.

“I’m leaving.”

She repeated, but he only frowned deeper.

“Speak clearly. Leaving where?”

“Seonamjae.”

Despite her earnest reply, he looked as if she’d spoken an alien tongue.

It didn’t matter if he didn’t understand. Soyi slipped slowly from his embrace.

Even after countless intimacies, she covered herself modestly, pulling on her blouse. The act carried a distant air.

Fully dressed, socks and all, she moved to leave the bedroom.

“Who?”

His hand caught hers.

“Who told you to leave? If someone did, they should’ve told me.”

His calm question carried a sharp edge.

Soyi met his piercing gaze, searching for answers, and answered plainly.

“The Managing Director.”

His firm grip slackened for a moment.

“What does that mean?”

“You told me to leave. You’re the one who said to get out of this house.”

He let out a disbelieving scoff but stopped short.

“When did I—”

“…”

“I never said that.”

He bristled as if she were joking, but Soyi didn’t retract her words.

“You did. You just don’t remember.”

She had nothing more to say to his chilled expression.

Soyi stepped forward, quietly opening and closing the door. Her steady movements pressed onward.

As her steps carried her further from the room, the man’s past words echoed louder in her mind.

“Let’s never see each other again.”

His cold, impassive face, commanding her to leave, loomed just as vividly.