Chapter 10| Mr. Grumpy

Ginny's arms folded tightly against her chest as she glared at the man standing before her.

'Look who it is, Mr. Grumpy.'

She huffed aloud, her irritation palpable. The man in question, Seung Woo, merely lowered his gaze to meet hers, his expression unreadable. His dark eyes scanned her up and down before narrowing in scrutiny.

"What are you still doing dressed in silk? Do you know how hard it was to fix you in as a maid of Seorim? You need to get to work." His words were clipped, authoritative, as if he had far more pressing matters to deal with than a woman fumbling her way through his world.

Ginny's lips curled into an unimpressed smirk. "Why, thank you for your help," she drawled, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

She exhaled slowly, pressing her fingers to her temples before shaking her head. "What am I to do?" she asked, her voice softer now, though the annoyance still lingered.

"Nothing. Your work starts tomorrow." He proclaimed it with such finality, she felt like she'd just been dismissed by a noble.

Her eyes widened. "What? What was the fuss about getting straight to work?" Frustration bubbled up within her, her hands balling into fists.

Seung Woo opened his mouth ever so slightly, hesitating as if struggling to find words. His gaze wavered for a moment before he spoke again. "It is what it is."

'What?'

"What does fu… fus… what word is that?" he asked, his head tilting slightly, suspicion flickering across his features as if this was not the first time she had used a word foreign to him.

She froze. "It's like… like… ugh, never mind." She slapped her legs in exasperation before turning away. The slip-up had been careless. She needed to be more cautious.

'I don't know anything about this place. I need to do some digging.' A mischievous smile tugged at her lips as she turned back to face him.

Straightening her posture, she crossed her arms behind her back in a practiced display of ease. "Apart from that scary man, is there any other person I should be wary of?"

Seung Woo arched a brow, the corner of his lips twitching.

"Everyone. Do you understand? But as long as you have my protection, no one will harm you."

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "How can I be sure of that?" She stepped forward, closing the distance between them. He immediately took a step back, his irritation evident in the way his jaw tightened.

"Because I said so." His voice was firm, as though that alone should be enough to convince her.

She scoffed. "I'm not convinced." Folding her arms, she watched as he turned on his heel, already making his way toward the door.

"Wait, hmm." She cleared her throat, schooling her expression into something less challenging. "As long as we are working together, we should try to get along, don't you think?" She forced a pleasant smile.

He completely ignored her and walked out, the door shutting with a quiet but deliberate finality.

Ginny let out a heavy sigh. "Great. Just great."

Her fingers fumbled with the intricate layers of her hanbok. "Ugh, how do they even wear this all day?" she muttered under her breath. The fabric, while beautiful, was restrictive and unbearably warm. She had barely begun to remove it when the door swung open once more.

Seung Woo stood in the doorway.

Ginny immediately shrank back, yanking the hanbok around herself in a panic. "Wh… what do you think you're doing?!" she sputtered, her face burning.

He turned slightly to the side, clearing his throat as if he had just remembered his manners. "I forgot to mention—work starts at the crack of dawn."

Ginny frowned. "What does that even mean?"

"When the rooster crows." He gave her one last glance before storming out again.

She blinked. "When the rooster… crows…?" A horrified realization dawned upon her. "What?!"

Her mind reeled. She had never in her life woken up that early. "You get back here, mister! This is a violation of my rights!" she protested, already chasing after him, but it was no use. Seung Woo had long legs and an unfair head start.

The hanbok tripped her up at every step, making it nearly impossible to run. She barely made it past the doorway before her feet tangled, sending her crashing face-first into the wooden floor with a dull thud.

She groaned, her forehead pressed against the cool surface. From her position, she could see Seung Woo's ugly shoes disappearing around the corner.

She exhaled sharply, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "Curses."

Her arms trembled slightly as she pushed herself up. She would have to figure out how to maneuver in this outfit if she wanted to keep up with the rest of the servants.

With a sigh, she smoothed out her hanbok, gingerly massaging her wrist, which had taken the brunt of her fall. She wasn't built for this. She was used to modern conveniences, not waking up at ungodly hours to slave away under someone's orders.

She huffed and forced herself to stand. Fine. If she had to play the role of a servant, then she would at least do it on her terms. But first—she needed to sleep.

And then, when dawn came and the rooster crowed, she would swear vengeance upon that arrogant man with the ugly shoes.

Ginny shuffled back inside, rubbing her temples. She collapsed onto the floor, stretching out, exhaustion weighing her down. "Tomorrow is going to be hell… but at least I have one night to prepare myself."

She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.

Then, she bolted upright.

"Wait… where am I supposed to sleep?!"