XOXO, Miss Minnie || 003

[Episode 3]

[Yes…?]

[To be honest. What I need is someone who can help both Rose and me. With the loss of her parents, living in an unfamiliar home, and her uncle, who had never been a parent before now, Rose can't live like other children. A six-year-old desperately requires someone to teach her things like going to bed before midnight.]

I don't know about being a resident tutor. She had never even thought about it.

[Thinking about it…]

[Starting this Sunday afternoon and ending on June 15. The basic salary for 4 months is about $100,000.]

Tae-joon, who dropped a number bomb in a dry tone, paused for a moment to allow the amount to slowly settle in Min-hee’s mind. As Min-hee's lips parted and a silent exclamation burst out, Tae-joon continued.

[If you take another day off during the weekend and work then, you will receive an extra pay of three times your daily rate. We will promise you a $50,000 contract bonus as soon as you sign the contract, and a $50,000 success bonus at the end of June.]

[…!]

Min-hee stood absent-mindedly for a moment. It felt like a huge bundle of banknotes were fluttering down inside Min-hee's mind in slow motion. After only four months of work, she would only need a little extra money to pay off the student loans which have weighed heavily on her shoulders for years now.

'Still, it seems a bit dangerous to enter the house of an unmarried man alone as a resident tutor… Hang on, he could be married, right?'

Min-hee glanced at Tae-joon's left hand and contemplated. On the back of his hand were bumpy blue tendons sprouting like twigs, and his long fingers were covered in scars.

Min-hee noticed this when he lifted her, but his hands resembled that of a worker's. She was initially told that he was a hedge fund boss, so she was puzzled by his rough hands that only one who was experienced with manual labor would have.

There was no ring on his left hand.

‘Well, if he had been married, he would have been assisted by his wife, not me. Also, it's not like he lives alone. There will be Rose and also a Nanny. Besides, Rose’s uncle thought I was a student when he first saw me. I'm too worried for a person who doesn’t even seem like a woman to other people.’

Min-hee smiled bitterly and glanced at Tae-joon. Tae-joon was a young, successful financier and an attractive man.

'There's no way a man like this could develop anything for me. There's no way he wouldn't have a lover with that look and that spec. Alright, so I'm safe. But even so…'

[Give me some time to think.]

[Then, please contact me by tomorrow afternoon, Miss Minnie.]

Tae-joon stood up with a short nod and held out his business card to Min-hee.

* * *

After finishing her graduate classes, Min-hee returned to her small apartment situated in the Eastern Village and pestered her roommate and best friend, Mi-ho.

Mi-ho, with her light purple, partially bleached hair tied up to reveal her pierced ears, held a pen mouse and drew colorful floral patterns on a large computer monitor.

“What should I do, Mi-ho? Should I do it or not?”

“Do it.”

Mi-ho answered without as much as glancing back.

“But I’m a little scared of Rose’s uncle.”

“Why.”

When Mi-ho scratched the pen mouse against the pad, the petals on the monitor disappeared.

“He's as big as a football player and rough looking. Just looking at him makes my heart beat faster. How can I teach with such a person around? I have only taught girls under the age of ten.”

“Then don’t do it.”

“Over $200,000 in 4 months?! Wait, in Korean money, it's… 100 million! Over 200 million!”

“Then do it.”

“Mi-huoo! What should I do!”

Mi-ho sighed deeply and eventually took her eyes off the monitor and glanced at Min-hee.

“Oh, just do it. Do it! Even after paying off all your student loans, the next semester's graduate school fees still need to be returned, so you have to. You need to think about what matters here, alright?”

“Hnng… It's because you didn’t see him.”

“Phew. I'm already sick of drawing pink flowers, and you’re just gonna make it worse! Why do they keep requesting flower patterns from me, damn it! Look at this, you think these floral designs are acceptable? Fabric company sadist bastards. They must have deliberately ordered only flowers to annoy me.”

“Hey, it’s because you’re good at it. Besides, the company is famous for its original floral designs. Um, skulls, or blood-splattering fish… I know you like that kind of stuff, but there aren't that many people who want to wear clothes made with that type of print… If you’re not feeling well, want me to get you some iced coffee? Two Korean mixed coffees with ice?”

“Hurry up and bring them.”

“Yes!”

Mi-ho, who came to the United States with her professor parents, majored in textile design during university and moved out to work as a freelance fabric designer.

Mi-ho posted a notice on a Korean website 3 years ago that she was looking for a roommate. As soon as Min-hee caught sight of the notice and came to visit the apartment, Mi-ho tried chasing her away.

‘No minors!’

‘I’m twenty-two.’

'That’s bullshit no one’s gonna buy here. You obviously ran away.’

'No, I'm really twenty-two…'

Min-hee held out her driver's license with trembling lips. Then Mi-ho, who stood crookedly and contrasted the driver's license with Min-hee, answered at once.

'Pass. You can move in at any time.’

After getting to know Mi-ho as the same age, the two became close like sisters over three years. Even though their tastes and lifestyles were completely different, they matched strangely well.

She sighed deeply as she offered the iced coffee to Mi-ho.

“Do you have a picture of that man? Want me to take a look? See if he’s a contemplative rape killer or not?”

“I heard he was the president of some kind of hedge fund, you want to find photos online?”

“Wall Street bastards. He probably has a lot of money. Just search his name and he’ll pop up.”

Not surprisingly, when she searched for his name, pictures from financial news and conferences popped up.

“Wheeyu. What’s this? He’s not at all scary-looking. More like a popular idol you’d like. Who was he, like pretty King something, right?”

“How great are you when it comes to looking at men!? Pretty! Although King J is an idol, how many times have I told you that he is handsome, not pretty!”

When Mi-ho mentioned her favorite idol’s name, Min-hee shot at her. Mi-ho grinned sheepishly.

“Minmin, it’s because you can’t face people who look scary. You wanna see a picture of Marilyn Manson? You think that’s scary.”

“Mihoho, that’s because your taste is—”

“Minmin, let’s respect each other’s preferences, hm?”

Mi-ho cut off Min-hee's words, tapped Tae-joon's shoulder on the screen with her black fingernail, and enlarged his face.

“He’s tall, and his bulked-up muscles make him look rough, but his face is just too pretty. The overall line is, to say the least, smooth. The scars on his forehead, his eyes, and the fact that he seems to have gone through a lot during his childhood give him a ‘pitiful image of beauty’ for a woman.”

Mi-ho exuded a professional atmosphere and evaluated Tae-joon's impression.

“Did you know that this ascetic-looking style is very popular because it’s so sexy? Oddly enough, it raises women's favoritism. I don't know about his age, but my older sisters would be very impressed. Here, look at the lip line! Just by staring at him, he’s definitely great.”

"Hey! Stop it, will you?”

“Tsk. That being said, I think he might be a little difficult for you to handle.”

“Right? Even during the meeting this morning, I dropped my books, hit him with my heart, my face turned red, and I was agitated… Haah.”

Min-hee covered her face with her hands and shook her head.

“But he doesn’t seem like a rapist-killer.”

“…”

“You said you wanted to help Rose. You told me a while ago that her mom and dad both died at the same time.”

Mi-ho stared at Min-hee with a serious face.

"Yes, I want to help. I don’t know what it’s like.”

Min-hee nodded her head.

“Do it, then.”

“…Yeah. I actually want to.”

“You certainly do. After making all these decisions, why come to me and ask for permission? Can't you see that I'm mentally drained from drawing flower patterns?”

Mi-ho folded her eyes thinly and growled like a cat, revealing her white teeth.

“Because you're smarter than me, and I was afraid I’d be wrong. I put your favorite triple chocolate ice cream in the freezer.”

“…Oh, come on. Why are you so nice? Just don’t pay rent while you’re here.”

“Aii, how could you do that?”

“Instead, on days off, come and fill my refrigerator with sweets. While you're away, I'll live off of them and become a pig. If my condition seems to be crucial due to this flower-pattern syndrome, take care of it for me. Say okay before I change my mind.”

“Okay! I love you, Mihoho!”

Mi-ho smiled and started drawing pink petals one by one using delicate touches. Min-hee, after a while, sent an email to the address on the business card that Tae-joon handed her to accept the offer.

As soon as she sent the email, Tae-joon delivered twenty employment contracts as if he had been waiting.

‘Dad always said to read the contract and the manual carefully…'

The black letters on the white background of the monitor seemed like crawling ants. She glanced over, double-checked the amount where the numbers and dollar signs were written, and signed it.

‘But since I’ll be a tutor, shouldn’t I send a study plan?’

Min-hee typed in a simple plan using the Aster School Kindergarten study material template.

It seemed too stiff with only text, so she searched for cute pictures to put on the front and back, and emphasized the important words in different colors. She added that it would be good for him to familiarize himself with the settings in advance, so she sent it to Tae-joon along with the contract.

* * *

1. If possible, ask Rose about her daily routine for dinner together. Spending as much time as possible together is the fastest way to get to know each other.

2. Routines and Rules

― After school, before dinner, it is recommended to carry out at least one activity together.

― Time Tay for 6-year-old children

Blackwall: We recommend waking up between 6:00 and 7:00, breakfast required, dinner at 6:00, shower at 7:00, and going to bed before 8:00. Make sure Rose sleeps at least 10-11 hours.

3. Read emails and prints sent from school carefully, and pack clothes and supplies the day before. Read a book to Rose for about 10 minutes every day.

4. As the seasons change, you should check her shoes and clothes to make sure they fit and buy clothes that fit the season before they become too small for her to wear. When going to school during winter, please bring gloves, a scarf, and a hat. During the summer, please have her wear shorts under the school uniform.

5. Food should be adjusted according to the child's taste, but be sure to eat vegetables, fruits, and foods rich in protein.

6. Get regular checkups at pediatrics and dentistry once a year, receive age-required vaccines, and update health information on the school website before registering for the semester.

7. To develop social skills, let her have regular play dates with her classmates after school. About once a week is adequate.

8. Please continue to show interest and affection. What Rose, who has lost her parents, needs most now is someone who can provide stable and lasting affection.

* * *

Major stock market news from around the world was pouring nonstop from the large monitor on the wall. After reading the colorfully decorated study plan, Tae-joon leaned back into his large study chair and sighed exasperatedly.

As he washed his face dry and brushed away his runny hair, he clicked on the mail sent from Lara Rosenberg.

A list of junior, elementary, and secondary boarding schools in the eastern United States floated around the screen. Lara's writing pierced through his monitor as if she was grabbing him by the collar.

{TJ,

I can't contact you these days. What the hell is going on? I hope you've made your decision by now. Seriously, you don't intend to raise that child yourself, do you?

My father sent me to a boarding school in England when I was seven and visited only once a year, but other than that, I grew up just fine.

Europe’s too far away, so I searched for boarding schools in the east.

You know better than anyone that you can't come to love someone. Sending Rose to boarding school is best for you and that child.

Rather, if there is no one around, she will learn to survive without relying on anyone. like me. And like you. I hope you make a wise decision.

Yours,

Lala

}

Tae-joon burst into laughter as he read the part where Lara said they had grown up well. It was clear to Lara that she thought Tae-Joon didn't know, even as she relentlessly visited the rehab center assisting those with bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and drug addiction.

Tae-joon often suffered from such a headache that he at one point thought it would be better to smash his head with a brick than to endure the pain. This phenomenon occurs when the brain was overloaded by the information constantly pouring inside.

‘Did I grow up well, enduring a boring and meaningless life and barely putting up with a gun at the head?’

But not all of Lara's words were wrong.

Love, he didn't know what it felt like. No, he didn't want to know.

‘Because I have witnessed with my own eyes how desperately those intangible emotions can destroy people.’

Tae-joon thoughtlessly recalled several scenes stored in his mind. His father had left pictures of Tae-joon crying after dropping ice cream, or laughing out loud while hugging his mother with his head tilted sulkily. He placed those pictures on the refrigerator using magnets.

‘When I was young, I think I was an ordinary child who cried, laughed, sometimes rejoiced, and was sometimes sad.’

Despite having the ability to recall a lot of information during a moment, Tae-joon could not easily recall the emotions he felt during that particular moment.

At some point, even the space where his emotions were stored was eroded by the meaningless pieces of information. He slowly began to turn dull. He was now used to the empty indifference like he was observing from a far away distance.

Tae-joon knew that he had something broken down deep inside of him.

On the third Friday of every month, when he visited his brother's house for dinner, his neck always tingled. Rose would grin and cling to his older brother, who, while tickling Rose, would lift her and kiss his sister-in-law who stood next to them.

Most of the conversations during dinnertime were filled with trivial information, so he tuned out on most of them, but Tae-joon clearly recalled the memory of what his brother spoke as he gazed at Rose with unexplainable eyes.

‘Tae-joon, I love Rose more than myself. I don’t want her to grow up like this brother of yours. I’d give her everything I can and raise her to be a happy child.'

It was unfamiliar to feel stiff as if there was a thorn in the middle of the neck. There was a throbbing pain from his temple to the back of his head. He rubbed the nape of his neck at the pain that felt different from a headache and glanced at the monitor again.

He closed Lara's email and clicked on Miss Minnie’s study plan again without reason. He had already memorized the conditions flawlessly in his mind, but he skimmed through it again, pointing out every letter.

‘The new semester starts in September, so I can’t send her to boarding school now that it’s February. Like Lara said, a boarding school could raise Rose better than me. Until then, I just hope I don't ruin Rose anymore.'

Another image came to mind vividly as it overlapped with the layout of the study plan.

Red cheeks, fair and translucent skin, cherry-like lips that seemed to be coated in sticky syrup, the feeling of her soft hands, and the strangely ticklish, whispery voice grazing his ears.

The image that popped into his mind without warning hardened his lower abdomen.

‘Have I finally gone crazy?’

Tae-joon glanced down and let out a long sigh while overwhelmed with shame. He wrapped his forehead with both hands and pressed his thumb against his temple, then noticed something strange.

‘When did the headache go away?’

He felt lighter as if all the blood had stopped rushing to his head. Instead, the throbbing moved downward. Tae-joon removed his hand from his forehead and smiled.

‘It’s not bad to go crazy sometimes.’

* * *

Prev || Toc || Next