Burning The House Of Cards: taking revenge on my billionaire family
Chapter 33 - 32. A Servant’s Duty

Chapter 33: Chapter 32. A Servant’s Duty

Talking about that night reminded Sarah about something that had been bugging her for a long time. Turning her swivel chair in the direction of the man--who was in the middle of checking the room’s security--Sarah asked curiously.

"Hey, how come you never asked me about my regression?" she narrowed her eyes dubiously. Even at that night, he just glossed over it. "Do you really not care about it?"

Hajin looked up from the coffee table and smiled, swiping his hand below its surface. "It’s not like I don’t care, rather...I thought it was interesting," he said. "It makes me want to stay by your side even more. Isn’t it a given to side with people who know the future?"

Sarah curled her fingers to suppress her habit of fiddling with her clothes. "So, you believe me?"

"There’s no reason I shouldn’t since you mentioned my government name," Hajin shrugged and left the coffee table to inspect the potted plants for any camera or listening device. "I mean...even if you go and investigate people who know me on the street, they would only know a boy named Jin Liu."

"That’s true..."

Sarah only found his past because she found him in a photograph, and looked for his information by his face rather than his name.

"Also..." Hajin paused from digging around the pots to glance at Sarah.

"What?"

"People rarely lie when they are drunk," the grey eyes curled and twinkled, making Sarah groan inwardly for the endless memory of that night she wanted to erase. "And you don’t look like someone who would lie without any purpose."

Sarah pursed her lips. "Did you never think I got your name from Sol or Yonghwa?"

To her surprise, Hajin responded with a laugh that did not stop until he was done washing his hands. "That will be even more reasonable," he replied in the end, just a second away from Sarah throwing the cushion at him.

"Why?" Sarah clutched the cushion while squinting her eyes.

"Because the only reason you’ll have that much interest in finding out my name is either to recruit me or seduce me," the bodyguard smirked.

"Sedu--?!"

"But you did neither, rejecting me in both cases," Hajin sighed in disappointment, folding his handkerchief with a clear display of fake dismay.

Sarah’s eyes squinted even more as her lips twisted in uncontrollable annoyance. Why was that so? It was easy for her to fix her expression in front of others, but she felt like if she did it in front of Hajin, he would only mock her in response.

Of course, there was always an option of telling him to act like a proper bodyguard, but...

Sarah couldn’t bring herself to do that. While Hajin was a tool, he wasn’t just any tool. Their contractual situation, forged with twisted wishes from both of them, transcended beyond a mere master and servant relationship.

Well...as long as he didn’t cross any line...

Again, Sarah sighed inwardly. Hajin smiled joyfully at his master’s complicated gaze and gave her a wink. "I’m glad you changed your mind in the end."

Despite her flaring annoyance, Sarah also felt her heart warming up. The numb, dark place inside her chest’s cavity was tickled with a lightly scorched marshmallow; warm, sweet, just nice in general. Simply; simply because someone believed her.

Sarah still couldn’t read his mysterious intention, but at the very least, it didn’t seem to have anything to do with her regression. Hajin did not mock her for being crazy--or stupid, since her past self was very much pathetic--or use it to blackmail her into accepting him.

Still weird and suspicious, but Sarah decided she could trust the man a bit more.

Looking at the man who was walking toward her, Sarah asked curiously. "What...if I didn’t change my mind?"

"That’s what working for Yonghwa for," Hajin shrugged. "You’d need his men eventually, and I’d just ask him to send me in all of those."

"You’re weird..." Sarah muttered, quieter than usual. Perhaps because Hajin was coming to her with a sharp gaze and a charming smile.

Perhaps because those grey eyes looked like a real lake--or a harsh ravine--and they seemed like they could devour her whole and find out everything she buried inside her heart.

Why were they so pretty anyway? And so...close.

Looming over her sitting self, Hajin curled his eyes at the half-dazed master. "Did it make you think of me while you’re abroad?"

Oh, damn it.

"Go and make me dinner," Sarah snapped dryly and turned the chair around to check the ledger they salvaged from the mountain villa.

Hajin narrowed his eyes to see a bit of bright red skin sticking between burgundy curls, before bowing with a big smile. "As you wish, Master."

Haa...Sarah suddenly wondered if she was being too reckless about taking Hajin as her bodyguard. Taking a deep breath to shove away any distractions, she drowned herself in cracking the big book in front of her.

Contrary to her thought, however, Hajin’s presence did not continue to be a distraction. The sounds of footsteps around the small kitchen, the soft thud of drawers and fridge opening, and the clanking of cooking utensils; rather than disturbing her, it brought a sense of nostalgia. Especially when the smell of the food started to swirl around the room.

Sarah took a deep breath without realizing it, sinking into her chair and abandoning her habitual perfect posture. This ease, coming out subconsciously, was also habitual. It came out when she was with her mother; be it when they were still living together in the mansion, or when she visited her mother’s apartment. The busy sound in the kitchen, the smell, her waiting while busy doing homework...

The mundane sound of life was so nostalgic that it brought her an unknown sense of security.

At least, until a curious question was thrown.

"Are we going to sleep here tonight, Master?"

"Of course?" Sarah tilted her head.

It was night already, and they still had to read through the ledger and the hard disk. It would be weird to go back in the middle of the night when they could just return the next day and spark some scandals among the house staff.

Surely he knew that much? Sarah thought curiously and turned her head to look at Hajin, who was in the middle of staring at the bedroom.

Immediately, Sarah added sharply. "Don’t even think of climbing on that bed."

The grey eyes turned toward Sarah, looking all disappointed. Only for a second, however, before they curled in that familiar teasing glint. "I was just wondering about preparing your bath and change of clothes, Master."

Sarah bit her cheek in embarrassment and doubled down. "And I’m just telling you that the bedroom is off-limits."

Hajin tilted his head. "But how should I prepare your bath and clothes, then? Or wake you up tomorrow?"

"...the bed is off-limits," Sarah replied dryly.

Hajin smiled charmingly in response, and Sarah thought the case was over. "It seems like such a waste for the ’act’ you are suggesting..."

"It’s an act because it’s not real," Sarah hissed. "You should still act like a bodyguard, J."

"Ah, too bad..." Hajin sighed. "But, well...I’m just informing you that as your bodyguard, I am also open for a nightly dut--pfft!"

Sarah hissed more while throwing the cushion--finally--that Hajin received with his laughing face to appease his fuming master. Fortunately for him, the doorbell was rung and Sarah sent him to receive it with only another cushion attack.

Swiveling back on her chair, Sarah let out a long, drawn-out sigh before groaning inwardly.

Agh--Sarah felt so annoyed at how easy it was to lose her cool in front of Hajin. It wasn’t even about being flustered; she felt a surge of short annoyance that disappeared quickly and left nothing but relief, she frowned and scowled and hissed all she wanted, while also laughing and feeling all childish.

She acted like...she was free.

Like she was free to express anything she felt inside, even if she felt embarrassed afterward. Sarah had been putting on a mask her whole life; even when her grandfather was still alive, she already understood that the other children didn’t like it, and thus acted carefully to not lose her grandfather’s favor. When the old man died, it was a harsh jungle of life right away. She had to put on a mask of a proper, perfect child to maintain the executive’s favor, and put on another mask in front of her siblings to not aggravate them even more.

Even after coming back...even this show of a trashy princess enamored with men was a mask. Sure, she could finally say what was on her mind, but she had to exaggerate a lot, and flaunting her appearance or wealth was not part of her personality in the first place. Oh, how she longed to change her hair back to her natural color...

Oh, perhaps because of that? She was so used to hiding herself that she was sick of doing that. At least, in front of the man who would have to dedicate his life to her during the course of this revenge, Sarah didn’t want to act; didn’t want to hold back from expressing herself.

She sighed, again, for who knew how many times that night. And yet...it didn’t feel very bad.

Exhaling slowly, she stood up after hearing another pair of footsteps in the foyer, and saw the ’gift’ Yonghwa sent for her.

A man her age with a plain face but shrewd eyes behind a pair of spectacles. He made a gentleman bow when he saw Sarah, a lighthearted smile on his face. "Good evening, Miss Student Council President."

She almost laughed at that forgotten title. "Welcome, Austin."

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