IDMPYU 12

12. It’s Nothing.

Jihyun, having failed to escape, stood awkwardly by the door.

“I just don’t like it.”

Seungho, standing at an angle by the door to the dressing room, glanced at her for a moment, then frowned and flicked his fingers.

“Follow me. I need to get some clothes out.”

Unlike flustered Jihyun, he seemed very skilled at ordering people around.

‘Isn’t changing clothes in front of each other really uncomfortable between people of opposite sexes?’

Jihyun questioned, but then she remembered her situation. She probably wouldn’t feel embarrassed in front of a servant she treated like a shadow.

Swallowing a sigh, Jihyun followed Seungho. After a few steps, another space appeared right before her eyes. The bright lighting and different color tone gave the room a different atmosphere from the previous one, making Jihyun look around unconsciously.

‘I’ve only seen places like this on dramas…’

The dressing room was as spacious as his bedroom. Clothes were neatly organized by season and type, and in the center of the room, watches he often wore were displayed in a cabinet.

Scanning the neatly packed dressing room full of fancy clothes, he pointed to a spot with his left hand.

“Take that out.”

On the second-floor hanger he pointed to hung a black sweatshirt. It was a problem — the hanger was too high.

Jihyun tried to get closer, stood on tiptoes, and stretched her arm hard, but the clothes were out of her reach. Seungho watched her awkward flailing and chuckled.

“If only there was a long stick or something…”

Worried he might suddenly change his mind and give her another reckless task, Jihyun quickly suggested another idea.

Without any response, Seungho stretched out his left arm. For someone tall like him, it was nothing difficult. Unlike Jihyun’s struggling efforts, he easily took down the clothes and waved them in front of her.

“What can you actually do properly?”

‘He asked me to do it because he thought I couldn’t.’

Jihyun bit her lip at his blatant jab. Otherwise, she might have said what she was really thinking.

‘Then why didn’t you just get it yourself from the start!’

Seungho, apparently amused by her flushed face, suddenly stretched out his right arm.

Confused, Jihyun looked at him in bewilderment when a thunderous command fell.

“Take it off.”

What? Take off what?

“Huh? What did you say?”

Startled, Jihyun stammered, which seemed to annoy Seungho because his eyebrows instantly rose.

“What are you thinking? You have to take off this shirt anyway if you want to change.”

“Ah…”

His words made her so nervous her lips dried up. Pulling the sleeve as instructed, the collar rose and revealed a glimpse of Seungho’s well-toned abs.

Seeing a man’s bare skin for the first time ever, Jihyun felt her face flush. What made it even more unbearable was Seungho watching her like that.

“What are you looking at?”

“I’m not looking…”

Startled, Jihyun quickly lowered her gaze, but Seungho, who clearly didn’t miss her glance, smirked mischievously.

“Now you’re even lying.”

Jihyun felt wronged.

‘Who locked the door to make me stay when I tried to leave and change comfortably?’

“Don’t tell me you really want to see everything?”

Seungho, who now only had to pull the shirt off with one arm, spoke to Jihyun who was still standing right in front of him.

“Ah!”

Flustered, Jihyun quickly turned around. The sound of clothes brushing against skin came from behind her. She didn’t want to think about it, but the brief glimpse of bare skin she’d just seen kept flashing before her eyes.

‘How can skin be that smooth? White as rice water, yet with solid muscles — this is exactly like that Northern Duke Mira praised.’

“I’m done changing.”

‘Looks like even if she can’t take it off herself, she can at least put it on.’

Jihyun turned her head with a cynical thought, only to see Seungho wearing the black sweatshirt. Seeing his white face paired perfectly with his black hair, Jihyun felt her face heat up again.

“Looks like you’re disappointed you couldn’t see everything.”

Seungho’s voice held a faint smile, unlike his usual cold tone.

“Th-That’s not true!”

“You’re sneakier than I thought.”

When he called her sneaky, Jihyun jumped in surprise. The corner of Seungho’s mouth lifted slightly as he watched her flustered and stumbling. It was clear teasing her was quite fun for him.

Knock knock knock.

At that moment, Chief Kim appeared with a knock. It was time for the private tutor who had come to the mansion. Seungho greeted the guest with his usual cold demeanor.

Why did I think we were on the same syllabus?

‘So stupid…’

Jihyun tapped her temple lightly with her pen. The expert private tutor they hired was a familiar face she had seen on TV. Famous in Gangnam for top-notch lectures, the tutor quickly introduced himself and got into the lesson.

True to his reputation, the tutor explained fluently and steadily progressed through the material, but the more Jihyun listened, the paler her face became.

She was certain she had learned second-year functions at school, but the tutor was teaching calculus problems solved by high school seniors. What was more shocking was that Seungho seemed familiar with the unfamiliar terms and concepts.

While Jihyun hesitated at the new formulas, Seungho solved the problems without hesitation. The only relief was that this difficult lesson was entirely tailored to Seungho.

The tutor occasionally made eye contact with both of them but only answered questions from Seungho. The tutor only checked Seungho’s notes and problem solving.

That was a relief. Jihyun hadn’t written anything on her notebook…

Seungho glanced at Jihyun, who held her pencil tightly but couldn’t write a thing, but said nothing more.

The other subjects’ classes that followed were no different. The English lessons focused on conversational skills, far from the exam subjects.

Between the fluent English tutor and Seungho, Jihyun could only keep her mouth tightly shut, just like the first class.

When the exhausting classes ended and the essay tutor left, Jihyun barely resisted the urge to flop onto the desk.

“Hey.”

Seungho tossed a thick bound file down in front of the drooping Jihyun.

“Read it.”

Looking through the table of contents, it was a reference book related to the lessons. After flipping through the pages, Jihyun realized the book Seungho gave her was not commercially available. She pursed her lips and stared at the book but shook her head.

“…I don’t need it.”

There was no need to take classes with Seungho this much. She could just endure it for a while. She could catch up on English, essays, and especially math, which her school hadn’t taught yet.

Above all, she didn’t want to owe Shin Seungho, who enjoyed tormenting her. Seungho’s gaze grew cold after his kindness was refused.

“It’s nothing special, just take it.”

“I think it’s better to give it to someone who actually needs it.”

“There’s no one around me who needs this kind of thing.”

Tilting his head slightly, Seungho watched her stubborn refusal.

“Looks like your silly pride won’t allow it, but in the end, you’re the one who suffers.”

Jihyun’s eyelashes trembled at his sneer, but she didn’t reply. She never accepted the book.

On a dark night, after finishing his shower, Seungho turned on his audio player for the first time in a while. The high-quality speaker played a piece by a young pianist just starting to rise in popularity.

Minwoo said the only person around him who liked classical music was his father and thought it was a cringeworthy hobby, but Seungho was different. He enjoyed the melodies, especially performances by a rising genius pianist.

He liked the wild feeling in the newly interpreted familiar pieces and the rough keyboard touch that seemed like the pianist was breaking the piano, which captivated him.

As he skillfully wrapped a new bandage after removing the wet one, the memory of what had happened earlier crept in, causing him to frown without realizing it.

“‘I don’t need it.’”

Jihyun’s sharp attitude toward him was both interesting and irritating. Her gentle eyes with pale irises grew fierce whenever she looked at him.

“Hah, so she hates everything I give her no matter what.”

Jihyun, who eagerly accepted the workbook someone else had brought her but stubbornly refused the book he gave her, was an unpleasant and annoying presence to him. He knew well how much she had looked for the workbook he had taken.

Every time he saw her anxious face over something trivial, he felt a strange indescribable feeling. Whenever that happened, he had to suppress the urge to say, “That useless trash has already been thrown away, so don’t look for it anymore.”

Thinking this, he clenched his fist. People around Seungho were desperate for his attention. Many felt undeserving even of a simple conversation or a small favor.

It was no different for servants. Except for Choi Jihyun.

Taking a deep breath, Seungho leaned his head back. His still damp hair clung coolly to his neck.

Is she anyone? No, not at all.

He asked himself the question and easily found the answer.

‘Nothing at all.’

Listening to the piano piece reaching its climax with brilliant technique, Seungho was not smiling.