Chapter 01

Moving

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Moving

“Should I put this here?”

“Oh, yes. Please place it over there.”

As I answered with a nod, the moving company worker responded, “Alright, got it,” and set the box down.

With this, the move was almost complete. I looked around. The room was clean and spacious. There was a large bed and a luxurious desk. It felt like I had just moved in.

Memories of my days confined to a single room flashed before my eyes. Overcoming a difficult past, today I finally moved into a clean and spacious apartment. The sense of accomplishment almost made me tear up.

“Do you really need such a big place?”

It was a friend who had come to help with the moving  asked.

We were in the same department and year, and we had become friends shortly after starting college. He was my only friend.

Even though I had said I didn’t need much help, he insisted on coming. What a good guy.

“I don’t really need it. It's convenient to have a place that's just the right size.”

“I’d feel the same. Why did you buy such a place?” 

I paused to gather my thoughts.

“It’s kind of an investment. I saved up some money and found this place at a lower price. I thought it would be good to buy it now for the future.”

“Yeah... that’s just like you.”

My friend gave a wry smile.

It was indeed typical of me.

Over the past few years, I had increased my wealth through various investments: stocks, cryptocurrencies, funds, and all kinds of financial products. I hadn’t left anything untouched.

This house was the same. Although I got it to live in, it was also an investment.

“If the place is this big, how are you going to clean it? There are four rooms, and you’ll only use one, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Even the doorknob here is loose. Is this place really okay?”

“It’s just a doorknob. It’s not like it’s essential for living. I’ll be living alone anyway.”

“Wow, your level of indifference is impressive.”

“Is it? Thanks.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

Was it an insult, then?

Well, the place wasn’t big enough to warrant such comments. But this guy knew what my old place looked like. It was a typical bachelor pad, with piles of trash and clothes everywhere, and only a small space cleared for my laptop and me to sit. Knowing my past, he was understandably worried.

But I had my plans. There was no need for concern.

“I’m thinking of getting a robot vacuum.”

“Oh, that’s impressive.”

I spoke seriously, but his expression showed he was fed up.

“Sure, you have plenty of money, so a robot vacuum could handle the cleaning. But what about laundry? Are you just going to stuff everything into the washing machine like before? And food? Instant noodles and takeout every day?”

“… How did you know?”

“Because I know you only care about making money. Pay attention to other things too. Even if you don’t care about cleaning, at least eat properly. If you work yourself to death, all that money is useless.”

“Do you think I’ll die at this age?”

“If you keep living like this, you might...”

Such grim words.

“And try to learn about people too. You’re not a bad person, but you’re so unique in your thinking that others can’t approach you.”

“It’s a hassle. I’d rather spend that time studying investments.”

“I knew you’d say that.”

Now my friend was laughing as if he felt relieved. My honest answer seemed to please him. Probably.

“If you had a girlfriend who could cook for you sometimes, that would be nice. But looking at your situation...”

Trailing off, my friend suddenly had an idea. His eyes widened. What was this?

“What are you thinking?”

“Hey, how about hiring a housekeeper?”

Such an unexpected suggestion. I tilted my head in confusion.

“A housekeeper?”

“Yeah. I don’t know much, but if you hire one, they can handle the laundry, cleaning, and cooking for you.”

“Isn’t that something you only see in dramas?”

“Do you think it’s only in dramas?”

“Really? How much does it cost?”

“I have no idea. You have a lot of money, so figure it out yourself.”

“It’s a hassle. I’d rather spend that time studying investments.”

“...”

My answer left my friend shaking his head.

◎

That evening, after everyone had left and I was alone in the spacious house, I was sitting at my desk, staring at the monitor, contemplating. A housekeeper, huh.

It was a good idea. I had plenty of money anyway. Rather than struggling with cleaning, I’d prefer to spend that time coding.

Why didn’t I think of this before? This would solve all the issues that had been giving me headaches. Hiring someone would be a good investment.

Let’s see how to go about this.

How do you hire a housekeeper? Since it’s like a part-time job, should I post on a job site? Thinking this was probably the case, I opened a job site.

After clicking the [hire part-timer] button, an information entry screen appeared. I needed to fill in the title, description, salary, and check some options.

First, I wrote “Housekeeper Needed” in the title.

How much should the salary be?

Considering the money I could make trading during the time spent cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry... I figured 500,000 won a month would be generous. With this, I wouldn’t have trouble finding someone.

I had plenty of spare rooms, so I could provide one. We could share meals. I checked the box for providing room and board.

That should do it. I clicked the confirm button, and a message appeared: ⌜You will receive a KakaoTalk message when someone applies.⌟  Now, I just had to wait for messages.

…As soon as I thought that, my phone buzzed. I checked the screen and saw a KakaoTalk message notification. Did someone already apply?

I went back to the website and clicked the [Check Applications] button. The list showed a woman named Yoo Si-eun had applied. Yoo Si-eun. It was a familiar name, though I couldn’t remember. Maybe I was just mistaken.

When I clicked to view the detailed information, I saw a long statement about why she wanted the job and her aspirations. 

Of course, that didn’t concern me. I scrolled down to find her contact information, picked up my phone, and typed a message.

[Hello. I’m the one who posted about hiring a housekeeper. I’d like to interview you tomorrow at 1 PM at this address.]

I mentioned an interview, but I was planning to hire anyone who showed up. Surely anyone would be better at household chores than me.

Besides, I didn’t have the ability to choose people. Stocks were different.

After hitting send, I quickly got a reply.

[Yes! I’ll do my best!]

I wasn’t sure what she meant by “doing her best” before even having the interview. Smiling, I tossed my phone onto the bed. 

◎

The next day, when I woke up, it was already past noon. Moving places didn’t change the person. I confirmed this obvious truth once again today.

At least I was up in time. I had told her to come for an interview at 1 PM, so she would arrive soon. It would be bad if the host was still sleeping.

As soon as I got my bearings, my stomach growled. The interview was just a formality. I had no intention of rejecting her. If possible, I hoped she could start preparing dinner tonight. Better yet, lunch if she could.

After a quick wash and a change of clothes, I heard the doorbell. With only one friend, there was no one else who would visit me. It must be the interviewee. Thinking this, I opened the door without checking who it was.

There stood a young woman.

“Hello! I’m Yoo Si-eun, here for the interview!”

She bowed deeply without even making eye contact. She seemed very polite.

“Oh, hello…”

As I returned the greeting, she lifted her head.

And then.

“Oh.”

“What?”

It was only then that I recalled my thoughts from the previous day. The familiar name, Yoo Si-eun. I didn’t know where I had seen it before, but now I remembered, albeit belatedly.

“Are you Yoo Si-eun from the Computer Science department?”

“Then, you must be Lee Hwi-min?”

Indeed.

Her long, black hair shining, her small ears peeking through, her well-defined features, and the small mole near her mouth.

It couldn’t be just a lookalike. The applicant for my housekeeper position turned out to be the most beautiful girl in our school.