Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The bet was just a stupid joke between friends at first. Jimin-a model known for her stunning looks-was supposed to build a fake identity and disappear from the public for some time. Why? Well... It was a long story.

As already mentioned, Jimin was working as a model, having photoshoots left and right for magazine covers, doing runway shows, and much more. She was signed under Prada specifically, but she still worked multiple times for other fashion brands

Jimin was friends with a woman named Ning Yizhuo who had a lot of influential power. Not on social media, but among wealthy families. Well, Jimin's whole circle of friends in general were filthy rich, but that's beside the point.

The challenge was simple. Yizhuo told Jimin to reach a certain amount of interactions with famous celebs and hook them up with whatever sketchy shit Yizhuo was selling this time. Jimin was used to it, being treated like some type of mascot for Yizhuo's drug business. At least that's what she assumed was going on, Yizhuo was acting way too suspicious.

But Jimin didn't succeed. She failed, missing only about one person. The frustration she felt was unbearable when she found out she only had one point deduction. And oh, Jimin knew really well what was coming. Yizhuo didn't play when it came to punishing the loser.

"Oh my God! I know! You know how I really hate the Kim family with my entire being?" Yizhuo shifted forward on her seat, earning a snort from Aeri sitting next to her. The trio was at a café, sitting at a booth as they discussed how to torture Jimin this time.

"Why the hell do you even hate them so much?" Jimin huffed, her finger nervously tracing the rim of her cup.

"That's besides the point, okay? Anyways-" Yizhuo continued, holding back a snicker "it'd be really funny if I somehow forced you to stay there for some time and wreck Kim Minjeong's marriage"

Aeri, swallowing down her croissant, raised an eyebrow "Wow, you really have no limits when it comes to your hate for them. And how would you suggest Jimin does that??"

Yizhuo perked up happily "I'm glad you asked! I've always wanted to do this~~"

"I already know this is gonna be some bullshit.." Jimin muttered under her breath, bringing the cup up to her lips

"Okay, so-what if, hear me out, we sent Jimin under a new identity as a housekeeper and make her wreck Minjeong's marriage by blatantly cheating on the husband, just to cause drama for and ruin their reputation as a family so the Kims finally step off the throne."

Silence.

Pure silence.

That is, until Aeri burst out into a fit of laughter, covering her face as Yizhuo smacked her shoulder and scolded her, telling the woman not to laugh.

Jimin, on the other hand, just looked horrified at Yizhuo's idea. Why did she agree to this? Jimin herself had no idea, she should've just stayed out of Yizhuo's business, because she knew Yizhuo would force her into it (the younger girl made Jimin sign an actual contract for it).

"You can't be serious.. right?"

Yizhuo smirked and turned back to Jimin, tilting her head "what? You said you'd do anything"

"Yeah but that's just absurd! Besides, wouldn't they recognize me? My face is literally on so many magazines-"

"That's the thing, you'd think they know about celebrities, but they don't. They barely have any electronics at their house. It's mostly because of Kim Minjeong's parents, they're forcing them to stay old-fashioned for the most part"

Jimin huffed and looked down at her cup for a moment "okay, well... Isn't that just immoral? They literally have 2 kids, and I don't wanna be a homewrecker."

Yizhuo hummed, but Aeri spoke before she could "since when has Yizhuo ever cared about morals when doing something?"

"HEY-"

"Don't yell at me! You know it's true." Aeri huffed

"Guys, please, shut up. There's just absolutely no way I'm doing this..." Jimin spoke up, her gaze flickering from Aeri to Yizhuo then back to Aeri and so on.

Yizhuo gasped dramatically "So you're breaking the contract? I'm calling my lawyer–"

"Okay okay! Fine, I'll... I'll do it. I guess..."

A grin crept onto Yizhuo's lips and she nodded "That's what I thought."

Aeri, being the only sane one here (was what she called herself but that wasn't really true), just shook her head and took a sip of her coffee.

This was certainly gonna be interesting.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

"I believe we're ready to sign this employment contract then?" The low voice of Mr. Kim echoed in the upstairs office. Aeri (who Yizhuo sent to employ Jimin under a fake identity since Aeri was more welcome there) had interrupted the man in his work, arriving unannounced with a "new potential worker". The man didn't seem as if he recognized Jimin at all, which was good. No suspicion meant that this whole thing will become easier for Jimin.

"That'd be great. The sooner the transfer happens the less Karina will have to sit around at my place."

Right. That. Jimin's new name was "Karina Yoo". Karina came from her baptismal name and Yoo, a different way to write Jimin's real surname (Yu). Not to mention, the whole background story Aeri made up (or like recited, since Yizhuo literally wrote a whole script for Aeri). "Karina" first was a maid at Aeri's house, but since Aeri didn't need that many names, she just so happened to decide to transfer her best maid to one of her close friends' house, The Kim family.

Jimin-or should I say Karina-didn't really listen to the conversation that much, she just took in her surroundings while fidgeting with her fingers since she wasn't so sure about this whole thing. She wasn't familiar with the Kim's, and being sent on some stupid mission by Yizhuo didn't relieve her at all, obviously. Why would Yizhuo even think of this whole thing in the first place??

"Alright then, let me see.." Mr. Kim opened a drawer and fished a piece of paper out, an employment contract just ready by his side. He filled a few of the gaps, then slid the paper to the other end of the desk so Jimin could sign it, which she did as quickly as possible.

"Great, would you mind leading her to the staff housing so our head maid can settle her in?"

"Of course, I'll do that"

The pair of women left the office, quietly walking through the manor house with sounds of laughing from what seemed to be children echoing through the walls occasionally. It did seem heartwarming from this perspective and Jimin wondered if it'd also be like this as she worked.

When she and Aeri finally stepped foot onto the land and walked along the path to get to the employee accommodation, Aeri spoke up with a glance at Jimin "So, I guess you know what to do by now, huh? Play your part well and don't let them find out about the truth, got it? Oh, and you probably won't have any connection here on your phone, but I'll visit regularly until you finish your job."

"God, how the fuck did I end up here..."

Aeri laughed at the absurdity, but it's not like she could do anything about it. Yizhuo loved playing with her power and she was whipped for the woman, so... it's not like Aeri would be the one to stop her anytime soon.

"They better fall for this plan by next month. I swear if I'm gonna be stuck here for god knows how long-"

"It's fine, I'm pretty sure most of the housekeepers here slack off a lot anyways. If not they just hang out with the children because the kids are really really clingy and energetic."

Jimin only responded with a sigh, nodding along to whatever Aeri said because she wasn't listening anymore at this point, too busy contemplating if she should just grab her bags and run away. But it's not like there was anywhere she could run, she had no idea where the hell this manor was located anyways. The area was very very unfamiliar to her.

Soon enough, Jimin got to know the employees-at least, the ones she'll be working with for the next few weeks. There was the head maid, Jeongyeon, who has been working the longest out of all employees at the Kim manor. Then there was Sakura, also one of the housekeepers who have been working here for a longer time. Haewon, a maid who has joined just a year ago, who seemingly had way too much energy and chaotic-ness considering the place she's in. And then, lastly, a butler, Felix, who Jimin found out was surprisingly the "best worker" out of the group even if he was a newcomer, just like Jimin. There was also Yujin, who Jimin didn't know much about yet.

Their division was specifically for cleaning the house, though they were also responsible for following spontaneous orders given to them by the family, since they weren't gonna clean the manor house 24/7. It usually worked just fine when it was still only 5 of them, so with Jimin here too it shouldn't make much of a difference.

"Well, I think you can assume this is where you'll be staying. The sheets get changed every week by an assigned person so you don't need to worry about that. Your uniform should be in the closet already. As for your working hours and tasks; you start work at 6 in the morning and wait for me here in the lobby." Jeongyeon said, making sure to give Jimin all the important details about her workday and so on.

Jimin nodded, her mind already getting flooded with schedules and rules that Jeongyeon kept informing her about it. It was like a never ending list at this point. There were many things Jimin should and shouldn't do: "Don't speak unless spoken to" , "Your hair has to be tied up every day" , "always finish your tasks in detail" , "never leave the manor unless the day is finished" and so much more.

"There isn't much left to do today, but please still go change into your uniform. I'll give you a tour of the manor after you're done"

"Yeah, alright.."

The uniform wasn't really anything special, just the same thing every other housekeeper wore-a charcoal polo shirt with white touches at the collar and charcoal slacks. Surprisingly, there were no complications for Jimin as she wore the uniform, as it fit almost perfectly. Actually, it was just loose enough for her to be comfortable in.

Once she tied her hair up and stepped out, Jeongyeon nodded and started walking, assuming the woman would follow her (which Jimin did). There was no talking between them, as Jimin assumed, since it'd be "unprofessional" for them to get to know each other, at least during this time of the day.

The manor house was way bigger than Jimin thought it was. Sure, it did look big from the outside, but it looked way more spacious inside. Or maybe it was just an illusion in Jimin's head. Still, how the hell does a family of four need this much space?

They passed by each room: dining hall, kitchen, living room, the hallway, entertainment room, basement. God, they weren't even halfway through. On the way they also passed by the two children of the Kim family: Haerin (5) and Hyein (4). And oh my goodness Jimin had to hold back a squeal at those adorable faces because that would probably get her fired on the spot. Instead, she just opted on giving the two girls a smile, who eagerly waved at her from the floor of their playroom.

"I guess we can introduce you to the girls while we're here" Jeongyeon hummed and led Jimin into the room. Jimin's gaze was focused solely on the two children, nothing else. Jimin herself knew that she had only one weakness-her soft spot for children.

Haerin seemed pretty reserved and shy, the total opposite of Hyein who instantly ran closer and held out her hand to Jimin "Hi! I'm Hyein!"

Jimin almost melted on the spot, but she quickly stayed professional and gently shook the small girl's hand. Then, a voice ripped Jimin out of her daze. The sound was coming from the left side of the room, and there she was: Kim Minjeong.

Jimin always thought she was straight. She couldn't imagine being into women at all, much less devoting her life to bring with a woman. She just didn't feel the connection with women.

But honestly, nothing could have prepared Jimin for this moment. She's heard only negative whispers between families about Minjeong, but seeing her in person? It's like all of those rumors instantly shut down in Jimin's brain. Minjeong was... Beautiful.

No, not beautiful. She was breathtaking. Jimin almost thought she was an angel sent from heaven but that'd be gone too far. Besides, her point stands: Minjeong is extremely attractive and the woman's looks instantly made Jimin question herself. She might've gone into a sexuality crisis right then and there.

"Hyein-ah, go say hi to the new maid" God her voice was so soft and attractive. Maybe wrecking Minjeong's marriage didn't sound that bad anymore. hold on what—

The daughter did as Minjeong told her, and the woman only laughed at how shy Hyein got around new people. But, finally, Minjeong stood up and approached Jeongyeon and Jimin. She tilted her head to the side slightly "I'm sure you know who I am already. It's nice to meet you" Still, Minjeong held out her hand.

Jimin quickly nodded and accepted the handshake, bowing a full 90 degrees after she was done "Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Karina, Karina Yoo"

Minjeong, again, laughed when Jimin bowed that far down and shook her head "You don't need to do all that, I'm not that strict as you'd expect."

Quickly the woman straightened up again and cleared her throat in embarrassment "Right, I won't do that anymore."

Minjeong's eyes only revealed amusement due to the laughter escaping her lips. Seeing the woman's smile, Jimin thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay here for some time. Jimin was... whipped. Yeah, there was no other way to describe Jimin's feelings and behavior. Thankfully it could just be played off as an overly kind maid instead of a simping idiot.

"I'm hoping you guys will take good care of her? Don't scare her off like the last time" Minjeong turned to Jeongyeon, who nodded in response without replying much. After a few seconds, Minjeong dismissed the two and Jeongyeon led Jimin further through the manor house. 

There was absolutely no way Jimin was gonna survive here for too long and she knew it.

Jimin decided to distract herself instead of dwelling over the fact that she was here undercover. It was still so freaking absurd to her...

"Can I ask something?"

Jeongyeon paused for a second but nodded.

"How does my freedom work around here? I mean, I know I'm gonna be working most of the day, but do I really just stay here all day every day?"

"Yeah, why? Did Miss Uchinaga do it differently?"

"Uh—" Jimi paused but quickly nodded after thinking of an answer "Yeah, she did. But I'm not complaining! I'm honored to be accepted here!"

Jeongyeon smiled a little, amused at Jimin's whole act and the way she seemingly carried herself "Don't feel so pressured to fit the standards around here. I can assure you you won't get scolded for anything, unless you hurt the daughters. Only then will hell break loose. Mrs. Kim is really protective of her children.."

⊹ ࣪ ˖

The next few days went as expected. It was nothing special, Jimin just completing everyday tasks a housekeeper usually would. She was assigned to clean the second floor alongside her boss, Jeongyeon. She didn't get led through it like a newbie, hence the made-up story Aeri told Mr. Kim that stated that Jimin was very well experienced. Totally didn't just put so much unnecessary pressure on her.

She moved from room to room carefully, quietly, checking multiple times to make sure that everything was spotless and in its right place (at least as far as Jimin knew). As she did her work she couldn't help but keep admiring the place. It screamed luxury on a level Jimin never stepped foot in. If Jimin was rich beforehand, then this makes her look like the exact opposite. Just how much money did the Kims have...?

For the first time since Jimin started working, she felt a presence behind her that definitely wasn't one of her coworkers. It was a presence much smaller: Haerin. The small girl tugged on Jimin's shirt, making Jimin's heart melt on the spot. Jimin smiled and tilted her head.

"Is there anything you need, miss Haerin?" 

The little girl nodded in response, taking a second before she answered "My mommy wants to see you."

"Ah... I see. I'll go to her then."

"Follow me miss Karina."

The walk to the second floor master bedroom was nerve wracking to say the least. Jimin had absolutely no idea what Minjeong would want from her, especially this early into her job. Besides, Jimin also wasn't used to getting ordered around or just being a servant in general. That's probably what added to her nervousness, along with the secret she had to keep hidden.

Even now, just walking along the long corridors of the house, it all dawned onto Jimin. The realization of Minjeong's power hit her spontaneously, but she understood what Yizhuo and Aeri told her all this time. Even the aura of the air around Jimin felt different as they approached where Kim Minjeong was waiting.

Jimin didn't really perceive Kim Minjeong as strict or rude. Just a few days ago she saw the woman openly laughing with her daughters. Not to mention the smile she gave Jimin when they first met, and those kind words that replayed in Jimin's mind every night when she was laying in bed. God damn it this really wasn't supposed to go like this...

Haerin then pointed at a door without saying a word, so Jimin figured this was where Minjeong was waiting. The young girl just left Jimin after. Well, here goes nothing...

Jimin knocked on the door first, waiting until she heard the somewhat familiar voice granting her permission to enter "Come in"

The bedroom was far simpler than Jimin expected. A king sized bed against a wall with a bedside table with a small lamp, fancy drawers with plants on them, a walk-in closet and and ensuite bathroom, along with a few other pieces of furniture in the room like a TV hanging on the wall in front of the bed. The type of bedroom most rich people had. If Jimin was being honest she probably just expected too much, not being used to the luxurious environment.

Minjeong was lounging on a chaise in the room, reading a thick book until Jimin entered, looking up at the maid. Minjeong gave Jimin that infuriatingly sweet smile, closing the book and sitting up. "There you are."

"What can I do for you, Mrs. Kim?" Jimin folded her hands in front of herself.

Minjeong chuckled softly and gestured for Jimin to sit down next to her. "You don't need to be so formal with me. I don't like feeling like some leader. Just call me Minjeong."

"O-Oh.. Yeah, alright, Minjeong." Jimin tested it out as she sat, and goodness gracious it felt so weird. Maybe because the proximity was making her nervous.

"So... You're Karina, right?"

Jimin perked up at her fake name and nodded, trying her best to not seem suspicious "Yeah, that's right."

"I've never heard it before. Are your parents foreigners? You don't look foreign though.." Minjeong hummed, her eyes scanning Jimin from head to toe. Jimin hoped this would just end finally.

"Uh, well..." Jimin paused, quickly trying to think of a lie "My parents just really like foreign names...?"

Minjeong giggled again, leaning back against the pillow on the chaise "You sound unsure. Have you never asked your parents about your name?"

"No I haven't" Jimin shot out almost instantly, her body still tense under Minjeong's gaze.

"Why are you so nervous, Karina? I won't bite"

"I-I know that—"

Minjeong was now fully laughing, obviously entertained by Jimin's state of uncalm. It did make Jimin feel quite intimidated, even if she knew she didn't have to be.

"Oh, Karina, you're really funny. I might just have to keep you here longer."

Jimin literally blushed and she wished she could've just buried herself 6 feet underground instead of sitting here, right in front of Minjeong. It was her top priority to hide her face from Minjeong now.

"Hey... Look at me, Karina. Don't hide that pretty face from me."

Now that did it. Jimin's brain went into overload and she couldn't get a single word out, but she still forced herself to look up at Minjeong.

"There we go, you're doing good." Minjeong smirked and took a hold of Jimin's chin, tilting her face so she could see it more clearly.

"Isn't this a little inappropriate...?" Jimin stammered out, eyes avoiding Minjeong's face yet again.

"Maybe it is... So? If you're uncomfortable with this just tell me to back off."

"I just have no idea what you're doing and what you're planning to do."

Minjeong hummed and pulled back again, letting go of Jimin "Isn't it obvious? I don't beat around the bush and I certainly don't take my time. I think you're sexy, Karina."

"Oh wow, you really are straightforward.."

Minjeong continued, ignoring Jimin's comment "And I know you might think this is inappropriate because you're my maid, but I don't give a fuck about our roles here. So you either play along or you leave and we pretend this never happened. Your choice."

Jimin quickly shook her head, scooting closer "No– I-I don't want to leave."

"Then why are you so unsure?"

"I'm still new around here so I don't want to mess anything up..."

"Just relax" Minjeong let out a small chuckle again.

Before Jimin could even process it, she was being lifted and set onto Minjeong's lap, having to grip the woman's shoulders so she didn't lose any balance. Minjeong gently held Jimin's waist, feeling the soft curves up.

"So tell me, have you ever been with an older woman?"

"I've... No, I've never been with a woman in general."

"Oh so you're inexperienced? That's cute"

Jimin instantly got defensive and shook her head "No that's not– I'm experienced, just not... I've just never done this with a woman before."

"You do realize that's basically the same thing?"

"Yes.." A blush painted Jimin's cheeks a soft pink.

"Exactly. So don't go around saying you're experienced, dear." Minjeong teased but little did she know how much that affected Jimin.

Silence fell upon them for multiple seconds, intensifying the uneasy feeling in Jimin. God, she really shouldn't be feeling like this. 

Before she could continue dwelling upon it, their lips finally sealed, Minjeong's lips embracing Jimin's in a passionate kiss. It took Jimin a few seconds to kiss back, tilting her head to the side lightly and digging her nails into Minjeong's shoulders. At that, the older woman groaned quietly against Jimin's lips.

Jimin pushed herself closer against Minjeong, her kisses getting more and more heated. She felt Minjeong's hand slipping down from her waist, attaching itself to her ass instead and kneading the flesh softly until it elicited a moan from Jimin's lips.

"You sound as beautiful as you are.." Minjeong whispered between kisses, further during Jimin's need for the woman. 

Jimin couldn't find the time to respond as she licked between Minjeong's lips, trying to find her way inside with her tongue. Minjeong granted her access instantly, tilting her head to the side to deepen their kiss.

It was as intoxicating as Jimin had imagined. Minjeong's lips were soft, plump, fitting perfectly against Jimin's. Everything going on around Jimin was a blur to her now.

Minjeong's hand, after minutes of teasing Jimin's rear, finally slipped under the woman's black slacks, caressing the soft skin under it and slowly but surely maneuvering to the front instead.

Jimin let out a gasp as she felt the other's fingers rubbing her clit teasingly over the fabric of her panties. God, Minjeong really wasn't one to waste time. They haven't even been kissing for that long. and Minjeong's already touching Jimin.

Jimin moaned into Minjeong's mouth, her hips automatically grinding against the woman's hand, seeking more friction.

"Minjeong..." Jimin whined quietly, wanting—no, needing the older woman to touch her pussy already.

"What is it, baby?" Minjeong cooed, her fingers impatiently pushing their way past Jimin's underwear and delving under it. She just wanted to see Jimin fall apart already.

"F-fuck, that's... Feels good.."

The fingers in Jimin's underwear were cold, contrasting the heat radiating off of Jimin's cunt. The coolness sent a shiver down Jimin's spine and she gripped Minjeong's shoulders tighter. And when fingertips brushed against her clit directly, Jimin let out a somewhat louder moan. Not too loud but just a small raise in volume.

"You like getting touched like this? Is this what you wanted? I bet you signed that contract knowing damn well you're only here to see me" God, Minjeong's words and voice made Jimin more and more hornier by the second. She had to shut her eyes tightly to not come on the spot.

Jimin nodded quickly, not even bothering to lie. It was too hard to lie when her focus was on the fingers circling Jimin's clit in small, tight circles.

Suddenly the pressure on her clit stopped, causing Jimin's eyes to snap open and stare straight at Minjeong, her breathing a bit heavier now

"W-why? Why did you stop??"

"I guess you don't know the rules... When talked to, you maintain eye contact, and you reply. Or did Jeongyeon not tell you all the rules?"

"I—" Jimin cleared her throat "She did, I just... I blacked out and forgot."

"Now keep your eyes on me. Got it?"

"Yes Minjeong..."

Minjeong started circling Jimin's clit yet again, spreading the wetness across Jimin's cunt when she rubbed her whole hand against her pussy. Jimin tried her best not to shut her eyes in pleasure again, looking right into Minjeong's eyes as instructed.

"Shit... You're so fucking wet.." Minjeong breathed out and pulled her hand out of Jimin's slacks, causing Jimin's hips to stutter forward and seek friction again. But Minjeong pulled the fabric and her underwear down instead, the cool air in the room instantly hitting against Jimin's warm pussy.

"M-Minjeong, don't tease me please..."

"I'm not, you're just impatient"

With a groan, Minjeong's middle finger found Jimin's wet entrance, rubbing slowly and gently over it. It pulled another moan out of Jimin, but she didn't dare to look down, instead only grinding down on the finger against her cunt.

"I-Inside– please.." Jimin pleaded, the need to get fingered by Minjeong clouding her mind.

"Inside it is then" Minjeong agreed, slowly but surely easing her finger into Jimin's tight cunt. 

Minjeong was.. surprisingly gentle with it, like she genuinely didn't want to hurt Jimin even with lust being the main thing she was feeling. But as appreciative as Jimin was for it, she needed the woman to be rougher.

"You don't need to be that gentle..."

As quickly as Jimin said it, she interrupted herself by moaning out as Minjeong hit just the right spot with her middle finger. The length of the woman's finger was literally perfect.

Minjeong didn't respond verbally this time, just started thrusting her finger in and out faster, hitting the same sensitive spot over and over. Jimin let out a whine, her walls squeezing Minjeong's single digit.

If it wasn't this tight Minjeong would've started with two fingers from the get go, but for some reason the woman on her lap was tighter than expected. It even became hard for Minjeong to push her finger in and out when the walls tightened, so she instead relied on rubbing Jimin's spot instead.

"You're too tight for me to do this properly.. fuck" Minjeong laughed, watching Jimin's face turn red in embarrassment

"Ugh, sh-shut up..." Jimin grumbled and leaned in again to lock lips. If it was supposed to distract Minjeong then Jimin definitely succeeded, because the woman kissed back passionately and continued her ministrations on Jimin's pussy.

By now Jimin's hole released enough natural lubricant that Minjeong could easily slide in a second finger. A gasp slipped Jimin's lips and she muffled a moan by biting Minjeong's bottom lip lightly and quickly soothing it with her tongue.

Minjeong quickened her pace once more, her fingers relentlessly rubbing that sweet spot she just managed to reach. Jimin would be lying if she said it didn't feel amazing.

"I'm close..." Jimin whined against Minjeong's lips, her thighs trembling as she desperately held on to her last bit of control.

"Yeah? You gonna cum on my fingers? That's all it takes?" Minjeong teased, her fingers going at a pace that really made her arm start to tire out but she kept going for the sake of Jimin's impending orgasm.

Yeah, that really was all it takes to make Jimin cum. The situation itself turned her on more than it should've. Adding how gorgeous Minjeong was, her sexy hands, her skills in pleasuring a woman, that made Jimin just lose control.

Her walls clenched and suddenly she— opened her eyes...? Wait, hold on, why was Jimin back in her dorm room?

Jimin quickly sat up, her hair a mess and her face undeniably flushed as she stared into the mirror in front of her bed. She rubbed her eyes harshly as if that'll solve her questions. But no, it didn't. Jimin was still in her bed.

The clock hanging high on the wall read exactly 5AM. Jimin seriously just had a wet dream about the woman she lusted after. And worst of all it felt so, so real. She could literally feel her thighs lightly trembling.

This was horrible—it was only her 4th day working! She shouldn't be this horny already! God, she must be ovulating or something...

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

socials:

@Apocalypsesaveu on Twitter

tuaisluver (~Icey~) on tumblr

Chapter Text

warning: not proofread. sorry in advance for any grammar mistakes/errors

After her dream Jimin couldn't concentrate on anything at all. It was pretty distracting, obviously. No one functioned normally after having a wet dream that felt that... Real. 

Nonetheless, for the sake of not getting fired, Jimin tried to direct her focus on cleaning and cleaning only. After all, as friendly as her boss was, she heard from a worker from another division that Jeongyeon could get really scary when serious. She was definitely not trying to find that out herself!

Speaking of, Jimin finally befriended someone in this boring place! They became closer since Jimin often had to help take care of Hyein and Haerin just to get to know the Kim family closer, and Jimin found out the two kids each had their own maid assigned to look after them since both Mr. Kim and MInjeong were extremely busy with paperwork often. The two maids were Ryujin and Yeji, at least that's what they told Jimin.

Today was another lucky day where Jimin was allowed to help Ryujin and Yeji. She was obviously mostly excited to be allowed to take care of the two cuties, but being able to socialize during it was also relieving to Jimin.

As Jimin finished cleaning she headed downstairs to the 1st floor, knowing the kids were playing with Ryujin and Yeji in the living room while also watching some kids show at the same time. And just as she assumed, the kids were playing with their dolls alongside Ryujin and Yeji.

Her footsteps echoed through the hall, so the two kids quieted down just a little bit. Yes, they were still a bit shy around Jimin, since, well, it took some time before they could get comfortable.

She was met by the heartwarming sight of the girls bonding, so she approached and sat down on the floor together with them, just next to Ryujin and Yeji instead so Haerin and Hyein didn't feel too intimidated.

Ryujin glanced at Jimin and raised an eyebrow "Hey, you good? You're late today"

"Oh, uh.." Jimin continued "Yeah, my alarm just didn't go off today and I started my work on the second floor a bit late, that's all. Don't worry about me!"

Yeji nodded "Understandable. Seriously, the clocks at the staff housing don't work, they show the wrong time and they ring late."

"Ohh, so it's not just a me problem?" Jimin masked. Wow, a lucky guess coming from Jimin. Really lucky, actually, considering it was a complete lie and she knew the real reason why she lost track of time.

"Yeah, no, not just you." Yeji confirmed before turning back to Haerin and Hyein, resuming the doll roleplay they've been having again.

Jimin, softening up when she looked back at the kids, playfully pouted and looked around "Heyy, where's a doll for me? I don't get to join in on the fun?"

Haerin instantly spoke up with a shake of her head "Nope! No doll for miss Karina. You can watch."

Jimin melted on the spot, these kids were so cute even if she was getting rejected to their roleplay. She let out a quite laugh and nodded "Okay, then I'll just watch."

The girls started playing again, while Jimin watched the other four while occasionally throwing in a friendly comment on a situation since she adored how cute all of this was. Seriously, she might just have to steal the Kim family's daughters at this point (as a joke of course).

The atmosphere soon shifted when Mr. Kim entered the living room, surprising all 3 maids sitting with Haerin and Hyein. The daughters, on the other hand, didn't notice their father entering the room and continued playing.

Yeji quickly got up and passed her doll to Jimin, walking over to Mr. Kim. The man rarely ever entered any room other than the office, dining room or his bedroom. Besides, he was barely home anyways. Most of his time was spent at Kim Industries, finishing endless paperwork.

The pair walked out to discuss the mystery that Jimin's nosey self really really wanted to know, but she just turned to Haerin and Hyein, smiling at the two "Now I can play too~" She teased the girls.

The two looked at each other before looking at Jimin again, then Hyein grinned "We don't wanna play anymore!"

"Oh come on how is this fair!" Jimin protested, desperate to play with the two girls at least once, but it really seemed like they either just kept teasing her on purpose or they just really didn't want to play with Jimin (but let's be honest here, it's obviously option number 1).

Ryujin laughed behind her palm, not even bothering to help Jimin out.

"Can we play Hide and Seek?" Haerin spoke up, looking hopeful.

Ryujin nodded "Yeah, sure. Just stay on the 1st floor and inside."

"But why not 2nd floor too?!"

Jimin nudged Ryujin, being on the kids' side since she was utterly whipped for their cuteness, so Ryujin only sighed and held back a smile "Alright then. 1st and 2nd floor. But no 3rd floor! Your daddy is busy talking with miss Yeji so we shouldn't disturb them, alright?"

"Okay!" Both girls nodded and instantly scurried up "We wanna hide first! Miss Ryujin can also hide! Miss Karina, you count to 60 here with your eyes and ears closed!"

"Got it, I'll be counting then. Don't make it too easy for me~" Jimin teased, knowing damn well she'll spend an eternity searching for the trio since she was still very unfamiliar with the surroundings, especially their secret hiding spots.

And yes, that's exactly what happened. At first Jimin could still hear some movement around the house, but when she got to 30, it got quiet again. She really had to rely on her luck.

"60! Ready or not, here I come!"

First was definitely the first floor. It'd make sense to look around here and then move to the 2nd floor after that. Jimin already knew this would take way too long, considering the size of the house.

Jimin searched, thoroughly. Living room (just in case), formal parlor, keeping room, kitchen, pantry, dining room, bathroom, the hallways. No sign of any of the trio for now, only other housekeepers Jimin didn't get to know yet.

She even stumbled across Haewon and asked her if she saw Ryujin, Hyein or Haerin—only for Haewon to call her a cheater and tell her she knows they're playing hide and seek (could she blame Jimin though?).

All Jimin got out of Haewon was two cryptic hints: "1st floor means any 'room' on the ground." And "the wood here is shallow."

They weren't bad hints at all. They just weren't useful for finding the people she was searching for.

The 2nd hint surely meant that there were hidden compartments in some furniture where the small girls could hide. The 1st hint though? Nothing came to mind. Yeah, obviously, 1st floor rooms were the one on the ground.

But then, Jimin realized, any "room". Technically speaking, the outside was a room as well. Did the girls cheat and hide in the garden once? If that was so, that meant Jimin had one more place to check before she went upstairs.

With a newfound confidence, she strode towards the backdoor, expecting to find exactly who she was looking for.

Except she didn't. Instead she found the woman she hasn't dared to face ever since her dream last night, Kim Minjeong.

But this time it was different. Instead of the composed woman Jimin was used to, she saw Minjeong blankly staring out into the depths of the grass field and trees standing in the backyard. Not to mention how much less elegant Minjeong now looks than before, smoke curling from a cigarette between her lips, alongside a cup of whiskey on the table next to her chair.

Jimin paused at the door, her step lingering in front of her as she just... observed, before turning to the door again to pretend she didn't see anything anymore like the professional housekeeper she was. After all, Minjeong was literally the reason she was working here. Oh yeah and part of Jimin's mission or whatever.

Though, before she could follow through with her plan and leave, Minjeong glanced over her shoulder "You know I can hear you, right?"

Jimin basically jumped from surprise and cleared her throat "Oh, uhm, my bad. I just didn't know you were here, Mrs. Kim. Figured I'd just leave you alone instead of saying anything... Besides I have other things to do!"

"Don't be so shocked. Is it rare to smoke or something?"

"No no no! Not at all! I just thought—"

"Thought someone like me wouldn't be the type to smoke? What, is there a rule that says I can't smoke and drink?"

"It's not what I—"

"It's clearly what you thought, Karina. It's easy to read your face."

"Mrs. Kim!! Do you really think I'm that rude? You're taking what I said out of context. How much did you drink??" Jimin finally finished a sentence. God, she must've drank way too much. Minjeong wasn't usually this impolite.

Minjeong stayed silent and looked away, staring into the nature again. She just took a drag from her cigarette and let the smoke enter her lungs, before finally saying something.

"Don't raise your voice at me, Karina.."

"I apologize. But you seem to be very intoxicated, Mrs. Kim. Let's get you inside."

A scoff left Minjeong and she nodded dismissively, stubbing her cigarette out. With one last sip of her whiskey (finishing her glass), she stood and walked inside while Jimin hovered around her, making sure she didn't fall or anything. This version of Minjeong was... strange. Very strange.

Yujin spotted Jimin and Minjeong coming inside, so she quickly took over and led Minjeong away, while Jimin was now left wondering what was up with Minjeong (and with an unfinished game of hide and seek).

Instead of dwelling upon the matter, Jimin thought it'd be smarter to just ignore it and go upstairs to find Ryujin, Haerin and Hyein to distract herself. Everyone had their bad days, maybe today was just one of those for Minjeong.

With a sigh, Jimin got moving and looked for the trio which was currently hiding somewhere on the 2nd floor (probably).

Jimin was surprised when she almost instantly found the trio. Why? Because Ryujin probably made the two girls laugh and she found them hiding in the home library.

The girls demanded to stop playing hide and seek at the same moment, saying "Miss Karina takes too long!!" and whining. Ryujin and Jimin only shared a laugh at the cuteness.

Surprisingly, even though it was just 3pm, Haerin and Hyein fell asleep. Jimin didn't know how, but she assumed they were probably running around the whole day (she could hear tiny footsteps echoing through the walls when she was cleaning this morning).

Ryujin picked Haerin up and Jimin picked Hyein up, both women walking to the children's bedroom upstairs to tuck them into bed and make sure they're comfortable.

Then it was break time for her and Ryujin. They made their way out to the gazebo, their usual spot since it had a beautiful view and no one else ever sat there.

Not even a minute after they sat down, Yeji came into view, walking towards them and then also settling in next to Ryujin.

"You're back. What was that with Mr. Kim about?" Ryujin raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her seat.

Yeji sent a wary gaze at Jimin and then looked back at Ryujin, hesitating. Jimin noticed obviously, as well as Ryujin, but Yeji still spilled whatever happened anyways.

"Well.. It's not like we should keep anything from Karina anyways. She'll know eventually."

Yeji then continued: "Mr. Kim, uh... he was talking about wanting to divorce again. He's asking us to maybe go outside tomorrow with Haerin and Hyein so he can discuss with Minjeong again."

Jimin's eyes widened and she shook her head "Hold on, what? Divorce? Why, How, When??"

"It's been a thing for a long time recently. Their marriage is really complicated. I'm sure you know this marriage is arranged and all, families that live like this are rarely families that have parents who love each other."

Ryujin nodded along "Yeah, but for them it's kind of both love and hate. They, well, at least used to love each other, platonically. It's hard to explain and we don't know just how much we can reveal while you're still new here."

"So... why are they suddenly trying to divorce?"

"Mr. Kim is trying to," Yeji corrected "Mrs. Kim still wants to stay married as long as Haerin and Hyein live here. She wants them to have a good childhood. And it's also for the company. If Mrs. Kim's parents see them divorcing then hell is gonna break loose."

"Oh God... that's..."

"Awful?" Ryujin finished Jimin's sentence "Because it is. We're all on Mrs. Kim's side by the way, so we hope you'll be as well."

"I think so... It seems to be taking a toll on her."

"It is" Yeji sighed and grabbed a bottle of water from her bag to take a sip "Mrs. Kim has been so melancholic lately. And the bittersweet gaze she has when she's with her children? God I swear I was about to cry. I know she fears losing custody to Mr. Kim"

Ryujin suddenly turned to Jimin "Wait, what do you mean you see the toll it's taking on her? What did you see?"

"Oh, well... When we were playing hide and seek, I vaguely checked outside and saw Mrs. Kim sitting alone, day drinking and smoking while just... staring. I don't know at what, probably just the trees."

Yeji and Ryujin looked at each other, knowing it's a sensitive topic around here.

"Yeah, she started a year ago when Mr. Kim started all of... this."

"A year already? Gosh, that's... that's kinda depressing."

Ryujin nodded, but patted Jimin's shoulder "You started working at one of the worst times, but don't let it affect you, Karina, 'kay? We're supposed to take care of them."

"Yeah, that's true. I guess working here includes being a therapist." Jimin joked, surprisingly pulling a laugh out of both Ryujin and Yeji, even with the topic.

And maybe that would be summing up her time here in the future. Sure she was here because of Yizhuo and had a task to finish, but Jimin was sure the main thing she'd be dealing with was watching the family push and pull a divorce,

Right, speaking of the devil. Aeri came by at 6pm. Jimin left her tasks and went to the reception room, where Aeri was sitting on one of the sofas and reading through one of the books that previously laid on the table.

"Aeri. You're here already? It's only been a week."

Aeri nodded and gestured for Jimin to sit with her "I know. Didn't want to visit already either. But Yizhuo—"

"But Yizhuo wanted to know what's going on and sent you already any you're a simp and can't deny her anything." Jimin finished the sentence for Aeri, knowing that's exactly what Aeri was gonna say.

"Basically, yeah."

Jimin sighed and sat down next to Aeri, crossing one leg over the other "So, what does she wanna know?"

"Just... anything relevant. Anything you found out recently?"

Jimin took a moment to think about her answer. Because yes, she did in fact find out a lot. Especially today.

"Well... There is one thing."

"Go on" Aeri raised an eyebrow

"Their marriage is already in shambles. Minjeong's husband wants to file a divorce, but Minjeong is protesting because of the children and because of her parents. It's...  a mess, really."

"Seriously? So if you just egg them on you could get them to divorce easily, right?"

"I..." Jimin paused, thinking about the state of Minjeong she had witnessed. She felt genuinely bad for the woman. She couldn't make it worse right?

It was probably what Yizhuo wanted. For Minjeong to have her ego lowered. Wait, what ego was there to begin with? Now that Jimin thought about it Minjeong was the nicest woman ever. Or maybe it was just an illusion?

But even with Yizhuo's demands, Jimin didn't think she wanted to wreck the marriage. Maybe she'd just wait this one out.

"I could egg them on."

"But?"

"But, uh... It's impossible to do it that fast!" Jimin covered, not wanting Aeri to know about her genuine worry for Minjeong just yet "Think about it. I should gain their trust first before I do anything reckless."

Aeri hummed "You're right. Smart, taking things slow."

"Yeah..."

"By the way, how's the media reacting to my sudden disappearance?" Jimin questioned, unable to hide her own curiosity about the social world.

"Eh. It's mixed. Your company covered it by saying you're on a hiatus for health reasons. We stole your phone and handled it as 'Yu Jimin' so no one would file missing person reports to the police."

"You are all... insane. Remind me how I'm friends with you guys?"

"You love us~!" Aeri teased, pushing Jimin's shoulder lightly "Besides, it's just some unresolved conflict that Yizhuo and Minjeong have. That's why you're here. Be grateful we're caring enough to act as you and not completely ruin your career!"

"Yeah yeah, thanks a lot." Jimin huffed sarcastically. That was probably the bare minimum Aeri and Yizhuo could do. God, she wanted to get out of here.

"What about your coworkers? Anyone recognize you yet?"

"Nah. I don't think they care about random models and celebrities overall. The housekeepers seem to enjoy their jobs. At least the ones I've met, y'know?"

Another moment of silence. Nothing awkward, just... nothing to be said between them. There was a lot to catch up on, sure, but the important part was over and neither of them could think clearly at the moment.

"Well, then... I'll go now. Expect me back here in a month. Unless Yizhuo forces me back earlier. Good luck, Jimin"

"Yeah, thanks... Bye."

⊹ ࣪ ˖

The next day was even stranger than the day before. The atmosphere was quite a bit more tense, only getting worse by the minute.

At first Jimin just... did her tasks. First clean the second floor then go down to take care of Hyein and Haerin with the two other maids. But schedules got changed abruptly last night, so Jimin had no idea who would be with her this time. It wasn't clear if it'd be Yeji and Ryujin or someone else.

Back to the topic at hand. Jimin did remember Yeji saying Mr. Kim wanted to speak with Minjeong about a divorce again, and that she'd have to go outside with the children to distract them in case a disaster happens.

Now Jimin wondered just how bad it could get between Mr. Kim and Kim Minjeong, if Mr. Kim was already warning the housekeepers. Did anything happen before Jimin arrived here, that he had to warn everyone?

With enough dwelling, Jimin ended up back with the two cute girls getting ready to go out into the garden, alone this time. She was just taking care of them while the other two housekeepers were hopefully on their way soon.

Haerin and Hyein kept changing their mind on what they wanted to wear, so Jimin just decided for them: she dressed Haerin in a white dress with pink roses and Hyein in a black dress with sunflowers. Both dresses also had cute bows that matched the colors and Jimin couldn't help but internally squeal.

The two girls had grown closer to Jimin in comparison to when she first started working and Jimin couldn't wait for the future when they'll fully start trusting her!

That aside, Jimin walked downstairs, holding both girls' hands and leading them down carefully. And not much later the girls were bouncing towards the backyard. Jimin just laughed and acted along with it.

The three passed by Minjeong on the way, who was sitting in the living room, waiting, absolutely still. She looked really tired. Probably from the hangover?

The girls latched themselves onto their mother and hugged her, making Minjeong smile warmly and hug both of them back. But after a few seconds already, Minjeong pulled back and lightly ruffled their hair, telling them to go back to Jimin because she had to talk with their father.

Haerin and Hyein nodded obediently and followed Jimin outside already, walking along the path that led them to the garden.

The sky was blue, no clouds were in sight, and the sun was shining brightly, the perfect weather to look at the beautiful flowers. Apparently, the garden was taken care of all by Minjeong herself, instead of by gardeners. That would explain who the girls got the love for flowers from...

At first Jimin saw a theme. A lot of flowers were lavender. Definitely the majority of them. But there were other colors too. It seemed Minjeong liked the color?

Haerin and Hyein picked some of the flowers they found especially pretty—a soft pink peony, a lavender chrysanthemum, a peach dahlia, and more. The girls definitely had taste.

Soon enough, two familiar figures approached. Haewon and Yujin arrived, Haerin and Hyein instantly cheering and waving at the two women.

Jimin raised an eyebrow "You guys got assigned to babysitting this time?"

"Yeah. Surprise surprise" Yujin let out a short laugh, crouching down to the two children's heights.

Haewon shrugged "They just told us to go. I'm assuming it's because we work closest to where Mrs. and Mr.'s, uh... conversation will happen. I'd assume they don't want us to suffer either."

"It gets that bad?" Jimin winced, her expression genuinely turning into concern.

"Yeah, unfortunately... it does." Haewon sighed and looked at the flowers, gently tracing the soft petals.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this, huh?" Jimin piped up, also looking at the flowers.

Yujin nodded, distracting the two daughters "Yeah, not with these cuties here."

Jimin smiled, watching the girls eagerly talk to Yujin about their flowers.

"I've noticed a lot of flowers are lavender. Is it, like, Mrs. Kim's favorite color?" Jimin questioned, looking back at Haewon and Yujin.

Haewon, ever the quick one, shook her head "Nope. They do have meaning. For one, the color itself means tranquility, femininity and elegance. Basically the literal description of Mrs. Kim. And the other meaning..."

"Based off of what you said earlier, I'm sure someone already told you about how the marriage is going?"

Jimin nodded, curious as to where Haewon was going with this.

"Well, I'm just gonna be straightforward then. Yes, the marriage is arranged, but... Mr. and Mrs. Kim pretty much turned it into a lavender marriage at one point."

"... Wait what?"

Haewon laughed, nodding "I know it's strange. But Mr. Kim loves another woman and Mrs. Kim... let's just say she's failing to find a woman to love in her situation."

"So they're both homosexual?"

"Yeah, pretty much. That's also why Mr. Kim wants to divorce. To have freedom. Instead he's stuck here, having to play pretend that he loves a woman he only sees as a sister at most. But their friendship has been getting ruined by the constant fights, unfortunately."

Jimin fell silent, now observing the flowers with a deeper expression. So they did have meaning, and a very very important one at that. Jimin really couldn't understand how anyone would force their children to live like this. Were Minjeong's parents really that cruel?

"But that's unfair to Mrs. Kim, is it not? She doesn't have a lover, she doesn't even own this house, nothing was her decision. She just wants to protect her children."

"Yeah... Yeah it's unfair. But we've always noticed that Mr. Kim is a bit... arrogant. He was also the one who just suddenly started dating a man without even telling Mrs. Kim. It's not like they loved each other, but it's still a betrayal to Mrs. Kim."

Interrupting their conversation, a particularly loud yell came from the manor house (just how loud could the couple get?).

All five of them looked towards the house. Haerin and Hyein frowned, while Yujin, Haewon and Jimin looked at each other.

"Yujin, stay here with Haerin and Hyein." Haewon told, getting up and gesturing for Jimin to follow. Sigh. Things were getting out of hand inside there, weren't they.

Haewon and Jimin quickly arrived inside, already having their ears blasted off as they heard the voices of Mr. Kim and Minjeong in the living room. Haewon gave Jimin a glance, as if saying 'we got this, I have done this way too many times before' and oddly enough Jimin would believe that.

The living room door opened, and both figures inside paused, staring at Haewon and Jimin. Mr. Kim huffed and grumbled something under his breath, sitting back down on the couch to look at his papers.

Meanwhile, Minjeong just rubbed her temples and shut her eyes as if she was already getting a headache from everything. It was... very very awkward for Jimin, but she followed Haewon's guide anyways.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kim—"

"Don't call us that." Mr. Kim interrupted.

Haewon sighed and restarted "Sir, ma'am, please take a deep breath and calm down."

"Calm down?! How am I supposed to calm down when this asshole is trying to ruin my daughters' childhoods?!"

"You're ruining them the same amount by yelling so loudly and making Haerin and Hyein hear everything!!"

Minjeong quickly quieted down at that. She knew Haewon was right and it'd be embarrassing to argue against it.

"How about you two just... continue living your lives, separately, avoiding all contact. It's possible." Haewon gestured at Mr. Kim "You can meet with your boyfriend more often, maybe even spend some days at his place instead."

"And you, uhm... You could go back to your old hobbies, Mrs. Kim! Remember? They bring you peace, you said it yourself."

Silence fell over the room for a few seconds, the tension slowly but surely sinking to a minimum as the couple thought it over. Eventually, Minjeong nodded "I think that's a good idea. And let's separate the bedroom already, please. Officially. I hate sleeping on the chaise. It makes my back ache."

"Yeah obviously because it's not meant for sleeping dumba—"

"Can you stop your sarcastic comments?! You're a grown man for goodness sake."

Jimin and Haewon just looked at each other again and Haewon reassured Jimin "They're always like this."

"Oh god"

"I know"

"Well then! I'm sure you two can figure your schedules out on how to avoid each other. If there's anything we can help with, come get us." Haewon announced, before gesturing Jimin to follow her out.

"Actually, wait." Minjeong suddenly spoke up. Both maids turned back, looking right at Minjeong with a confused look.

"You." Minjeong looked at Jimin "You used to be Uchinaga's maid, right?"

"Uh... yeah. Yes, I used to be Miss Uchinaga's maid."

"Aeri always bragged to me how her maids always did archery with her. Surely you know how to wield a bow and arrow as well?"

Jimin swallowed thickly, finding no excuse out so she just nodded "Yeah... Yeah I can" (which was true because she once hung out at Aeri's house to shoot archery so she wasn't that doomed).

"That's great then. I've wanted to pick up a new hobby. Meet me outside tomorrow after you're done cleaning the second floor."

Unable to say anything else, Jimin just nodded again and left the living room with Haewon quickly, her hands lightly trembling.

Haewon didn't seem to pay her any attention when they walked back towards the outside area. Instead she just started conversing with Jimin as if nothing happened. And maybe that's when Jimin really understood what it means to work here. It wasn't just a simple "clean this and that", but work around constant conflict.

But most importantly, Jimin understood something she'd always assume wrong. She thought a life like this would be full of freedom, considering the financial status. But no, it was quite the opposite. It was all just a stereotype. Because truly, every member of the Kim family seemed to have some kind of problem living here.

Just what was waiting for Jimin?

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

(not proofread 😭)

.

.

"Your position still isn't right, Mrs. Kim..." Jimin sighed as she reluctantly reached forward to fix Minjeong's position for the nth time today

"If you keep gripping the bow, your body might get badly hurt." Jimin told, pushing down any fluttering feelings as she coaxed Minjeong's fingers to release the bow, curling them by the side instead.

"I'm just quite afraid to drop the bow... I wouldn't want it to break" Minjeong sighed, relaxing her body and trusting Jimin's instructions.

"It won't drop. Just curling your fingers on the side here and keeping your thumb on the other side will keep it up."

Jimin observed Minjeong's hand, now satisfied with the angle and positioning of her fingers.

With Jimin's signal, Minjeong slid the thin wood of her arrow into the bow's slit, pulling it back against the string with two delicate fingers. She glanced at Jimin again, unsure if she should aim and shoot now or if there was something she was doing wrong again.

A chuckle left Jimin but she gestured for Minjeong to go ahead. With the light atmosphere, Minjeong smiled and looked forward, back at the targets. She breathed in and let go of the arrow, letting it glide through the air. 

The arrow pierced into the inner blue ring (6 points) and Jimin hummed "Not bad!"

"Not bad?" Minjeong questioned, a playful smirk gracing her lips "You mean: Not bad, for a beginner, right?"

Jimin, surprised, immediately shook her head, thinking Minjeong might actually get upset by that

"Not at all! Even masters don't always hit bullseye."

An amused laugh left Minjeong "Relax, Karina. I'm only messing with you. Besides, I'm not in the mood to get angry today anyways."

"That's... very good to hear." Jimin nodded, relieved. 

Then, Minjeong turned to her and passed her the bow. Jimin accepted it, inserting the arrow and focusing on her aim. When she let go and looked where the arrow landed, she was surprised to see it ended up all the way up on the white outer ring. 1 point. Hell, it almost didn't land on the target at all.

Jimin didn't know how else to react but laugh, along with Minjeong who couldn't hold it anymore. The irony was amusing. 

"That's what I meant earlier." 

Minjeong turned to Jimin "Yeah, I can see that" 

Jimin didn't even find it in herself to react badly at what Minjeong said, as sarcastic as the sentence was. Honestly, she knew Minjeong wasn't being aggressive right now. In fact, she seemed to be having a lot of fun. That was exactly today's goal after the stressful days before.

"Don't laugh too soon, Mrs. Kim. I am still 5 points in front of you and we both only have 3 shots left." 

"Well I'm confident I can beat you, Karina." Minjeong stated as she took the bow once again. Jimin just raised a brow skeptically at the newfound courage Minjeong had, but she stayed quiet and watched.

Minjeong's hold on the bow was right this time, including her overall position. And when the arrow pierced the target, both pairs of eyes widened. Minjeong's arrow landed right on the cross in the middle. That was 10 points and an undeniable bullseye. Jimin actually didn't know what to say when she saw it.

"Seems like confidence is key~" Minjeong teased Jimin, who could only nod in response and mutter a quiet "Yeah..."

"Well now I seriously have to zero in on aiming, don't I?"

"Or you would let your mistress—your student, in this case—win. Sounds good, doesn't it?"

"I... no comment, Mrs. Kim."

Without another word between them, Jimin took a hold of the bow and arrow, holding her breath and really taking her time to aim. Nerves filled her body, since she really wanted to prove she was good to Minjeong, even if she wasn't that experienced. 

Just before Jimin took the bow a few seconds ago, she calculated that she had to get at least 6 points to get in the lead again, and with the wind blowing she aimed slightly off-center.

Then she shot the arrow.

9 points! She was back in the lead by 4 points which didn't seem like a lot at first, but it was more than it seemed.

Minjeong sighed and playfully rolled her eyes "Alright alright, I get it, you're good and you won't let me win. That's gonna be fun then."

"It's not— well—... I'll just shut up for now."

The next two rounds, Minjeong "mysteriously" got higher points than Jimin. Each time Minjeong took a shot, Jimin made sure her shot was lower by a few points. Maybe she just should let Minjeong have this, right? She totally wasn't letting Minjeong win because she couldn't bare the thought of the woman being saddened by the loss, totally not.

When Minjeong did end up winning, she genuinely smiled and it warmed Jimin's heart to see Minjeong like this, especially after the days before.

"I never thought it'd feel so good to win on my first try" Minjeong teased Jimin, making the latter just awkwardly chuckle and rub the back of her neck.

"Well... Want to have another match? Or is this enough for your first time?"

"Let's end this here. I wanna teach you an old hobby too."

Jimin raised her brow at that, immediately suspicious at Minjeong's tone. Either Minjeong was lying and she was still good at whatever they were gonna do, or she just wanted to sound ambiguous for fun.

"Alright then. I'll put everything away and then we can start."

"No no, don't worry Karina. Leave it here, someone else can take care of it."

"Oh... Yeah, you're right. Let's go then."

With that both of the women started walking down a path leading away from the manor house. Jimin just kept quiet and observed the buildings and nature around them, taking note of the layout of everything just in case.

From the looks of it, this "old hobby" Minjeong had was horse riding. Or, equestrianism. Which one wasn't clear yet, but it definitely had something to do with horses, considering the stable and arena they entered.

"I really haven't ridden a horse in such a long time..." Minjeong sighed, stopping in front of a stable. "All the bullshit from my husband" Minjeong spat with disgust "made me forget about my love for horses."

"So this is your main thing?"

"Yeah." Minjeong confirmed "I used to ride horses and train them most of the time. I also did a lot of other stuff. But then my daughters came into the world and I had to take a break. I started again after my body recovered but then I took another, longer break."

"That's really unfortunate. I know how it feels to take a break from things you love." Jimin empathized, reluctantly reaching forward and placing her hand on Minjeong's shoulder.

Minjeong smiled softly at the touch and looked at Jimin "Because of your job?"

"Yes... Because of my job." Jimin hesitated, knowing this topic was really really sensitive if she revealed the wrong thing. "I used to have a black belt in Taekwondo."

"Seriously? And you work as a maid? Shouldn't you be my bodyguard instead??" Minjeong joked, pulling a laugh out of Jimin.

The latter just shook her head and looked into the stable, finally. The horse she spotted inside? Absolutely ethereal.

It was a fully black horse, its mane long and silky. The tail, too, was long and silky. Its hooves also had a coverage of hair, creating a somewhat fluffy look.

Just as Jimin was gonna speak up, the horse got up and walked towards Minjeong, recognizing her quickly. Minjeong still carried a smile on her lips, reaching forward to pet the horse on its forehead.

"Hey... missed me?" The horse, surprisingly, responded with a loud huff and pushed Minjeong's hand away.

Minjeong chuckled "I know I know, don't be so grumpy. I had things to take care of."

"...Wow. Just wow. It's so gorgeous." Jimin finally breathed, her jaw still slack.

Minjeong cast a glance at Jimin before opening the stall door. "Right? She's a Friesian. I got her when I was 8."

"So... how many years has it been now?" Jimin laughed nervously at her own 'joke' (it was lame).

"Oh, at least two decades. She grew up with me."

"So you got her when she was a foal?"

"I was there when she was born. It's the daughter of my father's horse."

Jimin raised her eyebrows in surprise, now only watching as Minjeong crouched in front of the laying horse and coaxed the horse to get up and warm up to Minjeong again.

"Come on... don't you miss me too?"

After a few more seconds of the stubborn animal refusing to pay attention to Minjeong, it finally slowly got up and let Minjeong lead her out.

"What's her name, if I may ask?"

"Celeste."

Jimin hummed and followed Minjeong and 'Celeste', trailing behind them. But not for long, since Minjeong looked back and gestured for Jimin to come closer "Don't walk behind her, she might kick you."

Jimin let out an embarrassed "Oh" and quickly positioned herself next to Minjeong so the horse wouldn't hurt her or anything like that.

They stopped and arrived at the area where the equipment got stored. Jimin just stared at the wall. There was a ton of equipment hanging.

While Minjeong got to work and started dressing the horse, Jimin spoke up again "Do you really need that many saddles and bridles and so on?"

"Yeah, I'm not the only one who does horse riding here."

"Oh... really?"

Minjeong nodded "Who do you think took care of all these horses then while I wasn't here?"

"I don't know, just assumed one of the staff had to take care of them."

"Well, now you know. I'm definitely not the only one."

"So other people come here to the estate every once in a while to ride the horses?"

"Yes and no. There's some that live close to here, but there's also a few others that live here on the estate too. You know, figured I could invite some people to live in the unoccupied houses. I don't know what to do with this much land other than fill it so it's not lonely."

Jimin froze and tilted her head "There's more people than just your family?"

"Yup" Minjeong confirmed, giving Celeste an apple to eat before putting the bridle on.

"Like, other family members?"

"Nope, I let my friends live in the remaining few houses. They couldn't find any good houses so I let them live on the estate. I'm sure you saw the colonial style buildings around already. They live there."

Jimin really seemed taken aback this time. She didn't expect someone as rich as Minjeong to be as considering. I mean, sure, the houses had no other use to Minjeong, but it was still oddly endearing to Jimin.

"That's really admirable." Jimin noted, following Minjeong when she started walking towards the arena.

Minjeong just smiled slightly and continued walking. When the two (three) of them stood in the sand in the middle of the arena, Minjeong turned to Jimin.

"So. I'm assuming you've never been on a horse before?"

Jimin shook her head.

"Figured. Here, put this on. Celeste probably won't throw you off but it's better to be safe than sorry." Minjeong passed Jimin a helmet, which the latter put on without a second thought.

"Are you really gonna teach me how to ride a horse?..."

"Yes. You're not a maid today, you're my companion today. Unless you'd rather leave me alone and go clean?"

Jimin quickly shook her head, which Minjeong just laughed at. Not at Jimin, but the way the woman was nervous to make Minjeong upset.

"Put your foot here," Minjeong pointed at the stirrup "and sling your other leg over to the other side."

Jimin nodded and did as Minjeong told her to. It took a few tries until she got up, but not too many. Jimin nervously held onto the reins without really knowing what she was doing, just holding them in hopes that's what she was supposed to do.

Minjeong reached forward and readjusted the reins in Jimin's hands, wrapping the reins around Jimin's first three fingers and adjusting Jimin's fist. When she was satisfied she nodded and stepped back.

"Alright, now keep your back straight and head up. I'll lead you around first. Just keep your balance."

Jimin nodded and straightened her posture, thinking it was easy enough. Oh boy was she wrong. The horse was only walking and she could already feel herself exerting to keep her balance.

Minjeong glanced over her shoulder to make sure Jimin was doing fine, watching over her.

"Wanna try out trot?" Minjeong questioned, smirking. She was totally up to something.

"What?? No, not yet, I just star—"

Before Jimin could even finish her sentence, Minjeong pressed into the horse's torso and Celeste switched to trot.

Jimin yelped at the sudden increase in speed and held on tighter, as if that'll help her body from being lightly flung around on top of Celeste.

Minjeong cackled and watched Jimin panic. She was confident nothing would happen. Celeste was a good horse, she was experienced. Even as a kid Minjeong never fell off. You'd have to have a crazy amount of skill to fall off of Celeste...!

Well, after a few more meters, Jimin literally did the impossible, slipping from Celeste's back. So it was possible, Minjeong just had a natural talent that prevented her from falling from horses.

A scream left Jimin as she tumbled into the sand right onto her left side, while Celeste went into panic mode and started wildly galloping away. Minjeong's eyes widened and she instantly ran over to Jimin who was on the floor. Celeste was a worry for later. She couldn't run out, the arena was closed, and she'd stop galloping on her own.

Minjeong kneeled down next to Jimin and supported her body to sit up, checking for any obvious injuries "Karina?! Are you okay?? Can you hear me??"

Jimin nodded weakly and coughed, brushing sand off her body "Yeah.. Yeah, I can hear you."

"I am so sorry! Usually Celeste never lets anyone drop off at all.."

"Maybe because the others know what they're doing on top of a horse?"

Minjeong sighed and nodded "You're right, I apologize. Is your body okay though?"

Jimin looked at her arm "Well, my lower arm is hurting like hell."

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. Let me check for injuries." Minjeong quickly moved her hands to Jimin's arm, checking if there was anything abnormal about it.

Quickly Minjeong could tell that everything was fine, and that Jimin's arm only hurt from the impact of the fall. Well, it was understandable why it hurt. Falling from a horse isn't really ideal at all.

"It doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with it. Do you want to go rest in your room? I'll tell the others you're allowed to."

Jimin shook her head "No no, it's alright. We can keep going."

"I don't believe you..."

Minjeong sighed, eyeing Jimin for a solid few seconds before she stood up and helped Jimin up with her.

"Celeste, stop!" Minjeong ordered, making the horse fully stop her wild gallop.

"Alright. This time, we're riding together. I want you to experience how fun it can be. Come on!" Minjeong said, mounting the horse and then helping Jimin up too. Jimin still seemed to be quite unsure about this but didn't want to go against Minjeong. Maybe the woman was right?

When she was sitting behind Minjeong, she awkwardly kept her hands on the horse. That is, until Minjeong spoke up and forced Jimin to hold onto her waist.

"Don't be afraid to hold onto me. You'll have to hold tightly to not fall again." Minjeong chuckled.

"Just not used to it." Jimin also laughed, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Minjeong's riding was very good, Jimin could tell that she was way better than Jimin previously. Obviously.

They made their way out the arena and out of the stables, the horse making its way along a path in trot. Jimin really, seriously couldn't focus on anything but the way her body jutted against Minjeong's every step Celeste took. No one could really blame her, huh?

Minjeong didn't seem to even care at all. She looked calm as hell, unaffected by their closeness. Or maybe she was just focused on the horse.

"I'll show you around the estate. It's useful for you... And I'll show you a few of my favorite spots, but don't tell anyone about them, got it?" Minjeong teased, feeling Jimin nod behind her.

Seriously, if the friction between their bodies wouldn't stop, Jimin swore she'd combust on the spot. It felt so inappropriate but also so... intimate? Especially because Minjeong wasn't bothered. As if this was normal for them.

Jimin thanked the gods above Minjeong couldn't hear her thoughts.

As they continued riding, Minjeong stayed truthful to her word and started explaining what the different buildings around were, who lived where, and so on. Jimin really tried to focus but she couldn't at all. Why was she doing this again? She could've just said no...

No one could explain the disaster in her head when Minjeong sped them up into a canter. Yeah there was no way Jimin would survive this. Her face fully heated up now, and her heartbeat accelerated so fast she was sure it'd count as cardiac arrest by now.

"Uh, Mrs. Kim... Can we take a small break?" Jimin spoke, her voice somewhat weak. Minjeong just hummed and stopped near a beautiful spot at the lake. The two got off Celeste and Minjeong sat in the grass right at the lake, gesturing for Jimin to do the same.

The two women sat in silence, but a move from Celeste surprised them when the horse laid down next to them and laid her head in Minjeong's lap.

Minjeong let out a quiet "aww" and stroked the horse's head, her touch light. Jimin watched, entranced by the sight of Minjeong's bond to the horse.

"She feels really comfortable with you, doesn't she?"

Minjeong looked up and nodded "Yeah. I just have that charm. Works on people too." She laughed.

Jimin couldn't help but crack a smile along with Minjeong's laugh. It's true. She made everyone around her feel comfortable around her quite quickly. Whether it was just the aura surrounding her, or something else, it wasn't surprising most employees enjoyed working for her.

"Yeah. You do, actually. I couldn't help but notice how much everyone around here likes you."

Minjeong hummed and looked down at Celeste in her lap, tracing shapes on the horse's cheek.

"What about you? Do you like me too, like everyone else?"

"I mean..." Jimin cleared her throat, resisting the blush about to appear on her face "it's hard to dislike you...?"

"Oh come on! Answer properly, yes or no" Minjeong lightly nudged Jimin's side.

"Fine! I do like you. You're not bad company."

"Well I enjoy your presence too, Karina." Minjeong's tone turned earnest, her voice lowering just a bit "You also have a charm. Something about you just... meets my interests. I can't help but want to get to know you better."

Whether that 'something' about Jimin was the secret that Minjeong could sense, or just a random pull Minjeong felt towards Jimin, it still sent a shiver down the woman's spine. The fact that those words left Minjeong's mouth, in that tone.

"That's... Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was one" Minjeong confirmed.

They were silent for a short while again, before Minjeong let curiosity take over "If I may ask... what was it like working for Aeri? She has said so many good things about you. At first I thought you were her friend or something!" The woman laughed, oblivious to how spot-on she was.

"She's always friends with the pretty ones. I've noticed every time I visited her." Minjeong added, observing Jimin.

"The what now—"

"The pretty ones! You're pretty, Aeri always befriends anyone and everyone who's pretty."

"Oh wow." Jimin breathed out, hiding the blush on her face by turning her face away slightly "Yeah, uh, we were friends. Just casual though, nothing tight-knit."

"I thought so. Otherwise it'd sound like she had a crush on you and that'd be weird because she already—" Minjeong paused and glanced at Jimin, before changing her sentence "Never mind, I shouldn't say anything."

"Ah, Secret? Yeah it's alright, you don't need to tell me." Because I already know, was what Jimin would say if she wasn't pretending to be someone else.

"Anyways! I've been meaning to say something else the entire time."

Jimin gestured for Minjeong to go on, listening to her next words.

"I wanted to say that.. I really appreciate that you agreed to all of this, Karina. It was really fun, I had a great time. And also, I need to apologize for the day before yesterday when I got drunk and you had to find me in that state... Sorry, really, I didn't mean to be so rude." Minjeong, sheepish, explained. She knew it wasn't really an excuse though.

Jimin shook her head quickly "Don't apologize, Mrs. Kim! I understand. And also, you don't need to thank me for this. I enjoyed it just as much as you did."

"Well... I'm glad. I wouldn't want to be the only one." Minjeong looked directly at Jimin "Would you mind accompanying me again next time?"

"Of course I wouldn't mind! I'd love to. Just tell me whenever you need me again!" Jimin reassured just so Minjeong didn't get the wrong thought. Seemingly it worked, based off of the smile on Minjeong's face when Jimin looked at Minjeong too.

"Alright then, that's settled. Should we head back? The sun's setting and riding in the dark isn't fun."

"Of course, lead the way."

They got up and Minjeong patted Celeste comfortingly, straddling the Friesian. Jimin followed, only then realizing she had to go through the hellish process again.

.

.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

Another day, another boring work schedule. Jimin's schedule after last Wednesday went back to normal, the usual house cleaning she had to do. Not that Minjeong didn't want her to accompany her with some hobbies again. Minjeong just said she doesn't want to do her hobbies everyday and Jimin respects that. It's good to rest, right?

It was completely fine to take a few breaks not to get burnout too quickly. Besides, Minjeong also wanted to revive her social life a bit more. Sakura and Felix got assigned with planning some social events for Minjeong with old friends (yes Jimin eavesdropped on them but no one needs to know that info).

And that's why today Minjeong's friends wanted to come visit after a long time. The housekeepers were working hard to make sure the place looked clean, Minjeong's lady's maid (a nice woman named Chaewon) made sure to dress Minjeong properly again, cooks were preparing their best foods and Hyein and Haerin were bouncing around in excitement to see their "aunties" again.

Jimin was just part of the ordinary housekeepers who were trying their hardest to clean. Half of them—including Jimin—totally weren't being nosy. No, because it's extremely unrealistic that Jimin would be trying to take a peek into the master bedroom to sneak a glance of Minjeong. Right? Jokes on Jimin, the door was obviously not open to other eyes.

Whatever. Jimin survived a few days without seeing Minjeong, she could survive today too. Spending time with Haerin and Hyein was fun too! Which, she had been quickly ushered to by Jeongyeon because Ryujin had other duties and Yeji was sick and resting to heal quickly.

And so, Jimin was alone with the pair of gremlins again. The girls were looking through all of their toys to find the absolute perfect ones to play with, and Jimin only kneeled next to them, collecting the toys they put to the side. She couldn't let the girls throw them just anywhere! Otherwise they could trip over the toys and it would be an absolute pain to clean up.

"Barbie!"

"No, Monster High dolls!"

"I'm older, so you have to listen to me!" Haerin argued, making Hyein huff and cross her arms.

Jimin just sighed and intervened "Girls, how about we take a few Barbie dolls and a few Monster High dolls?"

The girls were silent at first, but then nodded and loaded up Jimin's arms with even more toys. It was like holding a whole mountain in her arms.

"Alright alright, that's enough toys. I'm sure your aunties will be thrilled to play with all of these toys..." Jimin sighed once again.

Haerin and Hyein only giggled, with Hyein speaking "Yes! It'll be a party! With me, Haerin, you, mama, auntie Wony and auntie Jen, and also miss Chaewon and miss Ryujin! And maybe daddy will come back and play with us too! And then we can ask mama if she can invite our friends too and then it'll be a real party!"

Jimin smiled and ruffled both of the girls' hair "I'm sure that'll happen. Everyone will love playing with you girls."

"Yes they will!" Haerin nodded contently and then pulled Hyein out of the room, with Jimin just trailing behind them and trying not to drop anything.

The girls sat on the floor in the living room, the perfect place to wait for guests and also play.

Firs things first: Legos, unfortunately. Not that Jimin disliked them! She loved them actually, but the two daughters were very, very chaotic and messy when it came to building with the blocks. She has heard many stories already. Would she want to experience it in person? No, but here she is.

"Why there?? You have to put that here not there!" "I don't care! It looks prettier like this!" "No! It's so ugly!" "It's beautiful!" "It's not!"

"Girls!" A voice that wasn't Jimins vibrated from the hallway. And there she stood, the mistress, here to save Jimin from the two gremlins.

The two daughters instantly went quiet when they heard their mother's voice. After all, she was the boss around, wasn't she?

It's like Minjeong sensed Jimin's distress all the way from the living room to the second floor.

"What are you arguing for this time? Can't you two play in peace for once?"

Hyein and Haerin instantly looked sheepish. Getting scolded their mother was seemingly their only weakness.

"Thank god you're here Mrs. Kim—"

Jimin cut herself off once she took a look at the woman approaching. Usually Minjeong just wore a loose sweater, loose pants. Her hair wouldn't be styled either often. She just didn't feel like it if she wasn't leaving the house anyways.

But now? Now she was all dressed up, the second she knew she had guests coming.

Minjeong was wearing the typical "old money" type of outfit. She had a white-blue striped blouse, tight at the waist and lightly flared at her wrists (yes Jimin was freaking out at a glimpse of Minjeong's waist, even if it was clothed). Along with that she wore loose slacks, light beige in color. Simple but the fact that Minjeong looked so... proper, made Jimin's cheeks heat up.

When Minjeong raised an eyebrow in amusement, Jimin snapped out of it "Uh, the girls are fighting over the Lego pieces. They– they just have mixed opinions on what looks better."

"Ah, as always" Minjeong let out a short laugh and walked up to her daughters, kneeling down to grab the piece they were previously building.

"Usually when they do this I just take over and build it properly. Otherwise they will... Well, you just saw what happens."

"So you're telling me that happens every single time?"

"Oh fur sure it does." Minjeong sighed, flipping through the instructions like she was already used to this. Well she was—

"That's rough" Jimin offered a friendly laugh, watching Minjeong with amazement at how easily she was building the Lego piece.

Minjeong just hummed in response, focusing in building, while Haerin and Hyein scooted closer to their mother.

"Mommyyyyy..." Hyein whined suddenly and continued "Can you play with us now? Miss Karina is bad at it."

Jimin feigned offense and gasped "How dare you! It's not my fault you gremlins keep arguing over the Legos."

Both Haerin and Hyein stuck their tongues out, causing both of their cheeks to get pinched by Minjeong "Behave around Karina, you two."

"Don't wanna." Hyein shrugged, grabbing the Legos and messily putting it onto the build.

"And why not?" Minjeong questioned the girl.

"Because it's funny!"

Minjeong sighed and resisted a smile "Girls. I better not see you bullying Karina again, okay? I forbid you to."

"But whyyyy" Haerin tugged on her mother's sleeve. Jimin just sat in silence, watching the amusing scene happening in front of her.

"Because I don't want to see my kids bullying one of the kindest people around."

"You don't call anyone else kind, why does miss Karina get special treatment?"

"She isn't getting special treatment, what I say goes for everyone you know."

Haerin squinted at Minjeong, then at Jimin "Mama, do you like Miss Karina?"

Minjeong paused—Jimin too—and both women seemed very surprised by the suddenness, even if it was just a normal question (but both of them knew Haerin didn't mean it in the "normal" way).

But Minjeong decided to respond with a nod "Yeah. I do like Karina. She's pleasant to be around. Why?"

"Just wanna know." Haerin turned to Hyein and "helped" out with the Legos.

Jimin quickly reached in to intervene and made sure the two sisters don't argue again.

But Minjeong just watched the scene quietly, as if there was something else she wanted to say but held back. Jimin didn't question her, just pretended she didn't notice.

"I... I'll go now. Wonyoung said she'll be here with Yunjin soon." Minjeong informed and stood up, her daughters completely focused on building Legos instead of listening to what she said. Jimin looked up, sharing a glance with Minjeong. But Minjeong swiftly looked away and walked away again, leaving Jimin alone with the two girls once again.

Instead of thinking about the moment, Jimin helped Haerin and Hyein further. 

The girls were very eager to continue their piece after the short visit from their mother. That's what it was always like. Every time they were close to their mother the two girls got excited and joyful again. That's just the effect good mother's have on their children, isn't it?

The girls finished building and instantly went for the next toy. A puzzle piece. Seemed like they really wanted to train their mind today, or something. Usually they'd just play with dolls or something similar.

Not like Jimin minded though. She was a master at puzzles (No she wasn't).

The atmosphere turned light again, along with the sung shining in through the curtains. The living room finally looked like a safe space (and was) after many tiring days.

"We're doing the Elsa puzzle!." Hyein exclaimed, which, of course, was immediately opposed by her sister "Noooo! I wanna do the Minnie Mouse puzzle!"

"My, aren't you two adorable when arguing?" Another new voice that wasn't Jimins rang from the door, once again. This time when Jimin looked up, she couldn't tell who it was. It was only one woman.

Surely it was one of the two guests, but if it was Wonyoung or Yunjin? Jimin had no idea.

"Auntiee!!" Haerin jumped up and run to the woman to hug her legs. 

Another thing Jimin could see was the woman's silky, faded ginger hair. Damn–

Not to mention how fancy the woman was. Well, who wasn't fancy who lived here?

"Hi there cutie! You've grown so much since the last time I saw you!" The woman picked Haerin up, making the girl giggle. Hyein looked up at them and just wiggled around excitedly from her spot on the floor.

"You too! Oh my God you two are just adorable! You still look like little babies." The woman added and sat down on the couch near Hyein and Jimin.

Finally, the woman acknowledged Jimin after making the girls giggle enough. She offered a polite smile and reached her hand out.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Yunjin, one of Minjeong's friends. You must be one of the new maids I heard about."

"Oh, yeah, that's me. I'm Karina." Jimin reached out to shake the hand, trying her best to ignore the woman's lingering touch and gaze.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

"Did you take care of the chaos downstairs?" Chaewon observed Minjeong walk back inside the master bedroom to sit down in front of the mirror, nodding.

"Yes, I did. Hyein and Haerin were just arguing over the Legos again." Minjeong sighed with a fond smile on her lips.

Chaewon also smiled a little, reaching for the hair straightener and plugging it in.

The two women have been through this routine many times before: Chaewon, as the lady's maid, helped Minjeong get ready before any type of small event, even ones like meeting with close friends.

Chaewon got to work quickly, applying protectant to the mistress's hair and using the equipment to style the silky ginger hair. Minjeong, having exceptionally great ears for her age, listened and heard commotion downstairs again.

"Was that the front door opening?"

"Yeah, could be. Yunjin and Wonyoung should arrive now."

"Poor Karina. Having to deal with those two idiots."

Chaewon didn't hold back her laughter "I know, right? Knowing Wonyoung and Yunjin, they're definitely up to no good if they're left alone with someone new. Remember last time when Yujin started working here?"

"Don't remind me." Minjeong noted at the specific memory.

"I seriously, genuinely thought Wonyoung was gonna steal my employee." Minjeong added.

"Oh she's still on that mission. I would know, don't ask why and where I know that from."

.

"Are you hiding something from me, Chaewon?..."

Chaewon quickly shook her head (what a liar).

"I know you're not telling the truth. You guys all get the chance to gossip about everything and anything when I'm not around."

"Well..."

"See? I knew it." Minjeong lightheartedly accused, looking into Chaewon's eyes through the mirror.

"It's natural though, isn't it?"

"Touché."

Minjeong paused and continued "Then would you mind filling me in on the recent hot topics?"

"Recent topics are... Well for one, the whole thing with your husband—"

"Oh don't even mention Daeseong anymore. I was already starting to forget that douchebag."

"Right... Other topics areee..." Chaewon thought, though still focused on Minjeong's hair "Karina has been mentioned a lot when she isn't around."

Now that piqued Minjeong's interest. Well, Karina herself interested Minjeong too. Something about her just seemed to stand out, in Minjeong's view.

"What are they saying about her?"

"Well, first of all, they're talking a lot about her looks. Which I do understand, she's breathtaking."

A small spark of irritation flared in Minejong's body once she heard how carelessly Chaewon said that. But it was nothing to dwell upon. It was true, of course.

"And what else?"

"Second of all, everyone talks about how... well, how you just decided to let her accompany you last Wednesday. It surprised everyone. Usually you take me along with you."

Minjeong scoffed "Oh come on! Am I not allowed to make new friends?"

"Friends?"

"Oh, right." Minjeong cleared her throat "I meant, companions."

"How about we just drop this topic for now and go downstairs? Your hair is done and we shouldn't leave guests waiting."

"Yeah, you're right." With a nod, Minjeong stood up and made her way to the 1st floor living room together with Chaewon. 

Already from the hallway could she hear the sounds of her children laughing and adults conversing. This was gonna be interesting.

When Minjeong made her way through the doorway the sight almost appalled her (keyword: almost). Not because of Jimin, not because of her daughters, not because of just anyone themselves. But, because...

Yunjin was flirting with Jimin...? Not boldly, but the conversation contained some type of spark for sure. Well, at least from Yunjin's side. 

While Minjeong was used to Yunjin being flirty, she never expected her to flirt with Jimin. Especially in front of Haerin and Hyein. And besides, Minjeong knew Yunjin's type, and it wasn't Jimin at all.

For a few good seconds she really just stood there and watched how Yunjin exaggerated her laughs and her movements, how overly friendly the woman was.

That was, until Chaewon cleared her throat behind Minjeong and Yunjin and Jimin looked towards Minjeong.

"Heyy, Minjeongie! I missed you so much." Yunjin got up to hug her friend, but Minjeong only stiffly leaned into the hug.

Once Yunjin pulled away, Minjeong looked around once more "Wonyoung isn't here yet?"

"Unfortunately not. She has to take care of something else first but she'll come around soon!"

"Oh, and also, you didn't tell me how likeable your new maid is! She's—"

"Just 'likeable'? You looked like you were enjoying yourself a lot." 

Yunjin didn't seem troubled by Minjeong's tone at all and shrugged "I was, still am."

But Minjeong being Minjeong realized she was maybe showing a bit too much emotion at the moment and toned her frustration with Yunjin down. She didn't want Jimin to feel uncomfortable around the guests, that's it. After all, who likes getting flirted with at the first meet?

"I see. Let's sit then." Minjeong stepped to the couch and sat down, giving Yunjin a pointed look. Chaewon also followed and sat next to Minjeong and Yunjin.

Meanwhile, Jimin was still busy with Haerin and Hyein. For once Minjeong actually watched Jimin play with her daughters, and she couldn't lie that the sight was utterly adorable to her. Jimin definitely had a good sense for playing with children.

Before she could furthermore think about it, Yunjin distracted her by starting a conversation. Right, that's why she was here in the first place. To talk and have some fun, let loose instead of build up more pent up frustration.

They talked for a good few minutes, enjoying tea and sweet delicacies prepared by staff. But it didn't take long for the front door opening and shutting to echo through the walls again (how were they even getting in...).

This time it was Wonyoung, who seemed to be a few steps further excited than Minjeong and Yunjin. Eh, not really anything that caught anyone's attention, the girl was always naturally cheerful when she was with Yunjin and Minjeong.

While the group animatedly engaged in a conversation, Jimin got distracted from playing and watched them just for a few seconds. Well, she wasn't particularly distracted, per se, she was just stealing many, many glances at Minjeong.

And as harmless as that seemed, it was Jimin's biggest mistake. Because the two gremlins playing with her noticed it—

"Miss Karina, why are you staring at mommy?" Haerin's query instantly made Jimin's ears flush and snap out of her trance.

"It's nothing! I- Well, I just– y-y'know..."

"Noooo, we don't know!" Hyein also entered the talk, sensing she could have fun teasing Jimin.

"I don't— look, I wasn't looking at your mom for any reason."

"So you were staring because she's pretty?" Haerin giggled, already enjoying to tease Jimin.

Jimin's face went completely red "That's not what I said you little—"

"You're blushing! That means it's true!" Both of the sisters accused, with Hyein poking Jimin's cheek.

"It is not." Jimin tried to stay calm this time, in hopes it would sound more convincing than if she sounded like she was losing her shit.

Did it work?

.

.

Absolutely not.

Haerin and Hyein now openly laughed. God, how were two children bullying a fully grown adult?

"Stop laughing!!"

"It's funny!" Hyein exclaimed.

The toys were now fully forgotten. The attention between the three of them was on Jimin. Well, for the sisters it was on embarrassing Jimin, but for Jimin, her focus was on avoiding continuing this conversation at all costs.

"Look, it's not what it looks like."

"Miss Karina has a crush!!" Haerin teased, sticking her tongue out at Jimin.

As embarrassed and horrified Jimin was, she couldn't help but smile. Playing with these two and having talks like this, it was all somehow relaxing to Jimin.

Maybe because her past job was the epitome of stress, right? I mean, sure, being a maid isn't the easiest thing ever either, but in this particular household, it felt more like hanging out with friends than strictly completing duties.

"Just don't tell her, okay?" Jimin shushed the two girls, gesturing for them to keep it down by putting her index finger in front of her lips.

"Our mouths are shut!" Hyein nodded, while Haerin giggled "We won't! But does that mean we can tell daddy—"

"No no no no no!! Don't tell him." Jimin feigned dread. The whole situation with Minjeong's husband wasn't revealed to the two girls, so they had no idea their father wouldn't care. But Jimin couldn't break their hearts like that so she just played along for now.

"Fineee, we won't tell daddy" 

"Phew..."

"But we will tell—"

"Stoppp! Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"sigh, okay Miss Karina!" Both girls agreed for once again.

Instead of embarrassing herself further, Jimin distracted the two girls by pulling out the drawing papers and crayons. 

Haerin and Hyein loved to express themselves with colors and different types of pictures.

The girls instantly reached for different types of crayons and started today's artistic journey. Hyein was drawing a landscape with candy-people and rainbows while Haerin...

No. 

God no.

Just no.

Was Jimin going to get a break today? Probably not. Probably never. Haerin drew the tiny version of the manor house, with each family member scattered somewhere on the picture, but she already made sure to deliberately place Jimin near Minjeong and drew her with heart eyes around the mistress.

Jimin quietly cleared her throat and Haerin just giggled wildly. Hyein peeked over at Haerin's drawing and also laughed.

These girls were seriously dedicated on bullying Jimin.

"Stop that you rascals, anyone could see that at any moment"

"But it's fun Miss Karina!" Haerin protested and went back to her drawing, adding more 'important' details.

Jimin only watched and looked around. Minjeong seemed distracted enough by Wonyoung and Yunjin (and Chaewon). 

And when she took a closer look she noticed Wonyoung really leaning in to touch Minjeong more than necessary.

Were Minjeong's friends just naturally flirty or was there something going on?? First Yunjin flirts with her and now she sees Wonyoung basically doing the same but with Minjeong.

It was pretty vexing, observing how her friends acted today.

Or maybe Jimin was overreacting and she was just jealous.

Because that's exactly what appeared on Haerin's drawing in the next few minutes.

The provocation just kept going. Now, next to Minjeong and Jimin, there was a figure that was definitely supposed to resemble Wonyoung, and another one next to Jimin resembling Yunjin.

In messy letters, the word "jelly" was written over Jimin's head. This kid was so tiring—

But what made it worse was that Jimin herself felt the urge to laugh, and she just couldn't hold it back.

Now all three of them were laughing together, sharing a heartwarming moment.

Until, of course, Yunjins attention directed towards the two kids again, calling out and asking what they were up to.

Hyein happily shouted "We're drawing!"

Yunjin instantly cooed (she had a weakness and thought everything they did was adorable) while Wonyoung and Minjeong smiled at the girls' excitement.

"Wanna show us?" Minjeong prompted, knowing her daughters usually needed a light nudge first before showing their masterpieces.

"Yes~!" Haerin instantly bolted up and towards her mom, leaning against Minjeong's knees and placing the piece of paper in her lap. 

Haerin may have been thrilled to tease Jimin like this, but the woman was terrified the moment she realized Minjeong will see the scene and could possibly put two and two together.

She wouldn't though, righttttt? It's just a child, why would she take the drawing seriously and try to find meaning? Kids always cause trouble to have fun, right?

For Jimin's sanity, let's just say 'yes'.

Hyein waited next to Haerin to show her drawing, but watched the scene smugly.

Minjeong paused when she saw the drawing, but quickly played it off and ruffled Haerin's hair. "It looks really good, princess, it's so adorable!"

Haerin giggled and squealed, pulling away from Minjeong since the girl disliked getting her hair ruffled.

Jimin just sat stiffly on the floor still, seeing the trio of women on the couch glancing at her one by one. Well this was great—

Hyein showed the women her drawing too, getting the same amount of compliments as Haerin and also looking really, really joyful.

Then, Hyein spoke once more before going away "Aunties, mommy, Miss Chaewon, can you come play dolls with us nowwww?" The girl dragged out, giving them puppy eyes.

"Who could say no to that?" Yunjin cooed and moved from the couch to sit down with Haerin, Hyein and Jimin.

Minjeong, Chaewon and Wonyoung just followed, because why would they even say no to the three girls? They were the absolute cutest when they played dolls.

Haerin grabbed the 7 dolls from earlier and handed them out to each person. 

Jimin was quiet until she noticed she got a Ken doll. Where did the girls even get that? Jimin couldn't remember them picking the doll back in their play room.

"Why do I get a Ken doll and you all get girl dolls?"

Hyein snickered "Because! We also have Barbie and Barbie always needs Ken with her too!"

Jimin should've expected it.

Because when she took a closer look, Minjeong had the Barbie doll. Yes, of course, it was so obvious that that was gonna happen, yet Jimin still didn't fully see it coming.

She looked up once at Minjeong but shot her gaze away the moment she noticed Minjeong was already staring at her.

God, this couldn't go any worse today, right??

⊹ ࣪ ˖

"Should I hang the drawings up somewhere?" Minjeong turned to look at Chaewon from her position at the stove.

Minjeong and the lady's maid were in the kitchen alone after playing with the daughter's and Wonyoung and Yunjin left.

Minjeong said she wanted to cook something for Hyein and Haerin again after a long time of not doing so anymore. Usually the chefs would do that.

"If you want to? I mean, I often see mothers hang drawings up on the fridge, right?"

"Yeah, I just don't know what Daeseong would think when he sees Haerin's drawing." Minjeong laughed and then continued "I mean, I know he doesn't give a fuck about me, but still, the scene Haerin drew is pretty 'interesting', don't you think?"

"Now that you say it, yeah, what was that drawing even supposed to mean?"

Minjeong just hummed while stirring the pot, before speaking again "If anything, it probably means Karina's in love with me, doesn't it?"

The two were silent for a few seconds before both bursting out laughing.

"Man, kids have some wild imagination." Chaewon wiped tears of laughter from her under-eyes.

"Right?? Where would she even get that idea from? Does she think that's what's happening because I'm taking Karina along with me often?"

"Gosh, kids are hilarious.. You should hang it up for the hell of it."

"I should" Minjeong agreed while adding some ingredients into the frying pan.

"I also should question Haerin about this some day. It'd be hilarious to hear her explain her little thoughts" Minjeong added, a fond smirk on her lips.

"Yes, you should, I need to hear it too."

This was certainly an interesting day for all parties

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

The sunlight of the day shined across the whole estate. Today was a sunny and nice day, perfect to relax and maybe even go outside.

Minjeong has planned the day prior to take part in activities outside, along with Chaewon to accompany her.

The mistress was still resting in bed 'til now, quite a bit late considering her plans.

But then–

"Mrs. Kim?" A knock echoed off the bedroom door, making Minjeong stir and shift in the empty king sized bed, the cold sheets rubbing her skin uncomfortably.

"Hold on." Minjeong answered with a slight rasp in her voice. She sat up and reached for her glasses, settling them on her nose. Now that she could see she properly readjusted her robe, covering anything that threatened to show.

"Alright, come in!" Minjeong spoke a bit louder the second time and sat up against the plush pillows.

To Minjeong's surprise, it was Jeongyeon. She'd assume it was Chaewon at first but seemingly not.

"Jeongyeon?"

"Good.. morning, Mrs. Kim. I came in to let you know Chaewon is sick, unfortunately, so she won't be here for a few days to not infect you. And, uh, it's a bit late because she didn't let us know earlier.

Minjeong looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was 2:32 p.m. Indeed quite late.

"I assumed she'd come wake me up today so I didn't set an alarm." Minjeong sighed and moved to get up fully.

"Yes, she told us so, but luckily your schedules aren't until later."

"True.." Minjeong acknowledged 

"So, that being said, I'll take over Chaewon's duties by defaul—"

"Scratch that, I wouldn't want to swarm you with more work. You're way too responsible already."

"Oh... Then who do you want me to send up here?"

Minjeong let a sly smile creep onto her face and shared a look with Jeongyeon.

Nothing had to be said for Jeongyeon to understand what she meant. Jeongyeon basically had a "Minjeong's thoughts" radar implemented in her brain.

"Got it."

"You can't blame me, you know? The newbie needs to show she can withstand the work ethic around here. Aeri goes too easy on her employees and now she's working here, so..."

"Right. You're just proving she can work here." Jeongyeon didn't seem convinced but left the room anyways.

Minjeong chuckled to herself and nestled comfortably in the chaise while waiting.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

"Okay, okay! I get it! She hung it up." Jimin searched for an excuse "But it's a drawing by a 5-year-old! It means nothing!"

Ryujin and Yeji were cackling, both thinking Haerin's drawing was absolutely hilarious.

"Wow... just wow. A lot happens whenever we're not around. Maybe we should leave you alone more often." Yeji suggested but Jimin instantly looked horrified at that.

"Please don't."

Ryujin patted her shoulder "I mean we won't, we can't, but we absolutely would if we could."

"Gee, thanks, you guys are really supportive friends." Jimin huffed, feigning offense in hopes that it would distract herself from the embarrassment.

But no,

it didn't.

Ryujin cackled again, unable to hold her laughter back as much as she tried to. "You can't blame us! Usually they just draw creative, colorful stuff. Like Hyein's drawing over there! But suddenly Haerin makes this masterpiece!"

"Right? I've never seen her draw something so thought-provoking. Are you sure you didn't act weird around Mrs. Kim and Haerin saw?"

"Well— that's not– it's not important. Nothing like this happened!" Jimin defended. I mean, hey, Yeji and Ryujin weren't around, they really didn't have proof if Jimin was lying or telling the truth.

"Karina... are you sure you—"

"Karina, Mrs. Kim called for you." Jeongyeon, the head maid, suddenly appeared next to the trio, waiting expectantly.

"Oh! Jeongyeon, uhm, yeah, I'll make my way to her then." Jimin quickly excused herself and walked out of the kitchen, into the lengthy hallway.

"She's in her bedroom."

"Figured." Jimin breathed as she walked away and navigated through the familiar environment. Thankfully she finally managed to remember the mansion's floorplan for the 1st and 2nd floor. The 3rd floor was still pretty hard for her to remember, since she didn't work there as often.

But she did not expect to see the woman in barley any clothes sitting on a chaise lounge just waiting for her, looking barely awake. On a second thought Jimin hasn't seen her all day. Did she just wake up—

And that damn silk robe was impossible to ignore. Especially with the way it rode up her legs because of the position she was sitting in. Was that on purpose or was Jimin just overthinking things??

"Karina," Minjeong smiled softly "there you are."

"Mrs. Kim... You called for me?" Jimin managed to get out, averting her gaze from wandering to places it shouldn't. It was hard, and tempting, but Jimin wasn't like that at all.

"Yes, indeed I did."

"What do you need me for?" Jimin questioned, since she usually wasn't the one who got called without a notice beforehand.

"Well, Chaewon is sick, apparently. So I want you to substitute for her." Minjeong answered, looking more concerned with her nails, before she glanced back up "Only if you want to of course."

"Oh, well, I don't think I have a choice being the newbie maid and all." Jimin tried to laugh it off nervously only to find Minjeong smiling at her yet again which was somehow more intimidating in the moment than if Minjeong kept a straight face. 'Why am I so scared again??' Jimin thought, knowing she had no reason to be scared based off of past experiences.

"Very well then. This will be a new learning experience for you, I suppose."

"Yeah... Learning experience."

Minjeong didn't pay much attention to Jimin's distress, getting up and sauntering over to her walk-in closet "Follow me, Karina."

The closet didn't turn out to really be as spacious as it looked like from the outside. Still big enough to fit thousands of dollars worth of clothes though.

Minjeong hummed to herself and looked through her clothes, Jimin only standing a few feet behind her until Minjeong turned and raised an eyebrow "Why are you just standing there? Come closer and help me, I don't bite."

"You're right, my apologies." Jimin cleared her throat and came closer, also searching the racks of clothing. And damn, there were a lot of clothes Jimin had never seen Minjeong even wear before. Unsurprisingly though, those clothing pieces were the fancier ones that Minjeong wouldn't wear because come on, who wears fancy dresses just casually, at home?

"What do you feel like wearing today, Mrs. Kim?" Jimin questioned instantly, unsure what to look for in this big closet.

"Well, two of my friends heard I'm going back to my old lifestyle, so they called and asked to go golfing. Now that I'm thinking about it I should just wear the usual Ralph Lauren clothing."

Jimin nodded and looked around, searching for the clothing pieces "And.. it's not too late for that yet? It's like 3pm soon enough."

"Don't worry, I scheduled with them for 3:30pm so we have time."

"I see.." Jimin turned and held up the multiple shirts, skirts and pants she could find that were from Ralph Lauren. Minjeong just chuckled and grabbed the navy blue polo shirt and white skirt. 

"You don't need to stuff all of those into your arms, you know? I can help you."

"No no no, I got this, it's not even that much." Jimin quickly excused and turned back to the rack where the clothing was previously hanging a few minutes ago and very obviously struggling to hang the individual pieces up.

Minjeong reached forward from her spot behind Jimin to take a few hangers out of Jimin's hand, her arm brushing against Jimin's waist. Nothing big but Jimin instantly noticed the quick brush of contact. Her red cheeks said everything about how she felt about this situation, but her mouth stayed shut and she tried her best not to make any unnecessary noise.

"Seriously, It's fine, Mrs. Kim" Jimin tried to argue, slowly turning to look back at Minjeong—only to get surprised again, this time by how close Minjeong was standing. Barely 15cm remained between their bodies.

Now, this wasn't on accident at all. Minjeong was merely testing a theory she had ever since yesterday afternoon. She was a nosy woman and had nothing to do all day, of course she'd go ahead and just find entertainment in anything she could. 

That being said, Minjeong kept her expression the same and leaned in a bit closer, covering it only as leaning her hand against the shelf behind Jimin.

Jimin swallowed thickly, her eyes flicking all over Minjeong's face. Though, she decided the clothing in her hands was way more interesting than looking at Minjeong's face. I mean, could she be blamed? The woman was basically caging her in! Almost.

But god, maybe it wasn't a good idea to look down at her hands because that way she got a peek at Minjeong's abdomen and Jimin was not okay after seeing that much skin.

"Karina," Minjeong spoke, her voice lower than usual "you don't need to treat me this carefully. And you mustn't overdo anything and overwork yourself. I think I'll be fine holding a few pieces of clothing."

Jimin nodded quickly, still avoiding Minjeong's gaze. Goddammit was this woman trying to kill Jimin?

Minjeong hummed and didn't move for a few more seconds, observing the young woman in front of her. Minjeong definitely got the reaction she wanted but now she wasn't sure if she was just being intimidating or if Jimin actually—

"WASSUP DORK WE'RE BACK"

Minjeong hurriedly pushed away from the shelf to put distance between her and Jimin, her wide eyes meeting Aeri and Yizhuo in the doorway.

Jimin also widened her eyes but for a whole different reason. She definitely didn't expect these "friends" Minjeong would be going to golf with were Aeri and Yizhuo. Especially Yizhuo—Jimin did not remember them liking each other. Or maybe it was just a playful thing.

Before Jimin could really process anything, Aeri and Yizhuo snorted, pretending they didn't know who Jimin was and just started a conversation with Minjeong.

"Did we walk in on something or...?" Yizhuo started, the smirk already forming on her face.

"No, it's— it's nothing, I was just explaining something." Minjeong felt sheepish, pulling the robe around herself tighter now as her friends stood in front of her. How did they even get past security??

Jimin was still very much out of it and stared at Minjeong and then at Aeri and Yizhuo and then back at Minjeong, specifically her waist.

"Right, right. Your secret's safe with us, we won't tell Daeseong." Aeri snickered and Minjeong instantly reached forward to pull on Aeri's ear "You little—"

"Oww! Let go– Seriously! OUCH—"

"Alright both of you calm down! We're not here to cause chaos." Yizhuo separated Aeri and Minjeong. Somehow, she was the peacemaker this time. Weird.

"Yeah yeah. We'll wait outside while you get dressed." Aeri sighed and left the closet that easily, leaving Jimin still standing frozen and Minjeong not composed like always for once.

"That was, uhm, great. That went really great." Minjeong turned back and paused when Jimin was staring right at her. God, maybe she shouldn't have messed around like that, if this was where it got her.

"I'll get changed, you can wait outside with Aeri and Yizhuo."

"Yes Mrs. Kim..." Jimin mumbled and quickly stumbled out, shutting the door behind her with almost too much force.

Well, great, now she was left standing alone in front of the two hell spawns themselves. Actually, no, they were worse. The devils themselves.

"Well, well, would you look at that. Seems you're really enjoying yourself around here, Jimin~" Yizhuo laughed, with Aeri joining in beside her.

Jimin rolled her eyes "Number one, that's not my name around here. Number two, nothing happened in there. I'm not making any progress regarding the... ehem, situation. Now would you two shut up? We can't talk about this here."

"So boring..." Yizhuo pouted and plopped down on one of the chairs, resting her chin in her hand "Say, you do know you look like a smitten kitten around her? At least just now. Don't tell me you actually—"

"No! I'm not... into her. I was just shocked because she was so close out of nowhere. I'm pretty sure you saw how close she got in there."

Aeri leaned her hip against the table near Yizhuo, crossing her arms suspiciously "Righttt... Well, I suppose as long as you accomplish your first, primary goal then you can live happily ever after with her here, or whatever."

"I'm not even gonna comment on that." 

Yizhuo decided to keep going, her lips still curled "I thought you were straight for my entire life, you know."

"I am!"

"Right. You're straight with exceptions, am I right?" Aeri's question was more of a statement, honestly. She didn't need confirmation or denial because she couldn't get convinced by Jimin anyways. Stubborn woman.

Finally, Minjeong walked back out of the closet, interrupting their conversation and now dressed and ready to go out and drive to the country club. She looked way more composed than before, seemingly having gathered her thoughts and thrown them aside for now.

Minjeong noticed Jimin's uncomfortable state, knowing she accidentally helped Jimin avoid a conversation she didn't want. Though, the mistress didn't say anything.

"Ready?"

"Hmm, nah, I'm hungry. You got any snacks we can steal from the kitchen pantry?" Yizhuo quickly protested, which Minjeong just tilted her head in confusion to.

"But there's food at the country club...?"

"Yeah but I don't like eating near those other folks. They all stare at me like I'm walking in butt-naked."

"Oh... Uh, yeah, understandable. C'mon." Minjeong started walking and leading them all to the kitchen. Though, Yizhuo stayed a bit further back with Jimin while Minjeong walked with Aeri.

Yizhuo, always wanting to know everything, slung her arm around Jimin's shoulder "Soo, lady's maid too, huh? Seems you two will be getting really cozy soon enough."

"What? No no, I'm just a standard housemaid. I'm stepping in for the lady's maid because she's sick."

"Awhh, it would've been more fun if you actually were." Yizhuo pouted.

"Pfft, right, me? The newbie as a lady's maid? You've got to be kidding me."

"Right, I forgot this family is picky."

"Besides, what's this with you suddenly showing up here?? I thought you didn't like Minjeong??"

"It's complicated! I mean, it's not like I have anything personal against her. She's a nice person. There's just a few complications because of her husband and their overall position in South Korea."

"Uh huh... Alright then, whatever you say."

"I mean it! I respect Minjeong, I really do. Her husband is just a douchebag."

"I... Yeah, I noticed that. Minjeong's way nicer so I was confused because of your hatred."

"It's not even hatred! Just competition."

The four continued walking casually, Yizhuo and Aeri asking Minjeong random questions to fill the silence as they walked.

While they were here a couple of times before, the place has changed and they were still curious about many things. Like that one random painting on the wall that looked really expensive and medieval, except there was so obviously a Shrek figure in the background but Minjeong always denied it and said it was some mythical creature from back then.

When they did arrive though, Yizhuo instantly charged towards the fridge. And, paused when she saw the drawing hung up on it. She would've said something if it weren't for the fact that she already tortured Jimin enough for today. Probably.

"Seriously? You don't have Fanta??"

"No, most people here drink water."

"Woww, so that's why your husband spends so much time at the office. Stealing the coffee and drinks out of the vending machine, huh?"

"That's not—"

"Oh my god you at least have Sprite!"

Yizhuo quickly grabbed the bottle and put it in her bag, then moved on to the pantry by herself. Aeri just watched fondly as the three woman waited for Yizhuo.

"I don't know how you survive with her. Or is she just exceptionally nice to you and you only?" Minjeong rubbed her temples at the thought.

"Actually, yeah, she isn't that rude. Or maybe I'm just desensitized to it already after so many years."

"Lucky you. I think."

.

.

It took a few more minutes before the four women finally sat in Aeri's car, due to, well, Yizhuo's "absolutely necessary" complications.

Aeri drove (thank god, not Yizhuo), Yizhuo sat in the passenger seat, while Jimin and Minjeong got to enjoy the backseat. Well, enjoy was an overstatement. Aeri's car was new, so Aeri wasn't really used to driving it, and, well... You know how that goes.

Aeri barely had the car in control though, as relieved Minjeong was that Yizhuo wasn't driving. Jimin was holding on for dear life. Actually, both her and Minjeong were sure the woman driving would cause at least one minor accident. Even Yizhuo looked stressed in the front.

But due to some type of miracle, there were no accidents! Yay, the four lived another day. Although, on a second note, Aeri's parking was absolutely horrible and she took up two parking spaces. 

The normal person, reasonably, would get in the car again and reposition the car. Obviously Aeri wasn't normal though, so that was an issue for another day.

It wasn't Jimin's first time seeing the country club the three women were part of. There were a few times where she got dragged along with Aeri and Yizhuo to come and play golf, and honestly she didn't have another choice around those two.

And there it was again. That huge, beautiful golf field. It was definitely a sight, and Jimin could tell this was the more expensive type of grass. Did it get renewed since the last time she was here?

"Alright, we should just start, shouldn't we?" Aeri announced and removed her bag from her shoulder, giving everyone their respective golf club. Including Jimin.

"Huh? I'm also playing?? I thought I was just here because of Mrs. Kim—"

"Nah, you're also playing. It's more fun with more people." Yizhuo interrupted. Minjeong only smiled encouragingly.

"Uh, alright then. I'll try."

"It's alright, everyone starts somewhere. And we won't judge if you mess up" Minjeong reassured, patting Jimin's shoulder lightly.

After Aeri got everything ready, they decided to go for stroke play. Each of them would have their own ball, and the person with the lowest hits to the cup would win.

They didn't have a specific order of who went first. So, Aeri took the chance and started first. It landed far and just barely missed the water. Improvement form the last time. Jimin remembered the times where Aeri's ball would always go into the water.

Next was Yizhuo. Honestly this woman always sucked at golf and didn't show any signs of improvement, at all. Her ball barely made it 5m in front of them and it landed in sand.

Minjeong and Aeri both tried to hide their laugh but still got a slap on their arms from Yizhuo anyways.

Then, Minjeong. Her shot was flawless, and it landed further than Aeri's, actually quite close to the cup. Well, it's not like the first course was very long anyways. It was something beginner-friendly at first.

Then came Jimin who was very, very unsure of her golf skills. How many months has it been? Maybe it has even been years?

Minjeong could already tell by the way she held her club that she didn't know what she was doing.

"Karina, you're not holding it properly. Here, let me help you." Minjeong stepped forward and held Jimin's hands to readjust Jimin's fingers and overall grip on the club.

Aeri and Yizhuo scoffed instantly "Minjeong! This isn't a team-based game! Let her do it wrong and lose."

Minjeong just laughed "She looks like a lost puppy. You don't seriously expect me to leave her all helpless, right?"

Jimin blushed and focused on the help instead of Minjeong's words, before hitting the golf ball.

It landed right next to Yizhuo's. Not bad for a beginner.

"You did it! Wasn't that hard, right?" Minjeong praised the maid next to her, earning a stiff nod and turn away for the water bottle. 

Aeri smirked and just went forward to make the next shot instead of teasing Jimin. She wouldn't do that in front of Minjeong. Well, at least not for now.

Yizhuo passed Jimin the water bottle, a knowing look on her face. Aeri and Yizhuo so knew what was going on here. Anyone could tell. Minjeong could probably tell too, she just wasn't being so forward about it. Well—except for this morning, but that was irrelevant for now.

Multiple shots later, Jimin announced she was going to the restroom for a second. Minjeong perked up and told her she'd lead her there, since "She could get lost". While that was true, Aeri and Yizhuo had their doubts that that's why Minjeong was going with Jimin.

Obviously Jimin didn't mind that Minjeong was helping her out. To be fair, the field was huge and Jimin had a horrible sense of direction, especially in new places. 

Minjeong gave Jimin her space to do whatever business she had to and waited until Jimin stepped back out. Once Jimin did, Minjeong took her chance.

The maid was minding her business, washing her hands, when she felt a slender hand resting on her waist out of nowhere. That hand belonged to none other than Minjeong. 

Jimin looked up and to her side, where Minjeong stood and watched Jimin.

"You know, Karina, I'm quite curious. Why are you always so uneasy around me?"

"Oh, I am?" Jimin laughed nervously "It's just intimidation, uh... you know, I'm new around here and, well—"

"Is that really all?" Minjeong's other hand also found Jimin's waist, and suddenly she found her body being turned to face Minjeong's. Jimin was sure Minjeong could hear her heart accelerating.

The silence was tense. God, it was almost unbearable. But quickly enough Minjeong cracked and laughed, letting go of Jimin.

"I'm sorry Karina! It's just, I found my daughter's drawing hilarious and I just needed to test something out but all I'm doing is scaring you off! Obviously there's nothing going on with you, it's just a child's drawing"

Jimin couldn't believe what she was hearing. So after all of that, Minjeong's conclusion was that Jimin didn't feel anything for her? Was this woman that naïve?

"Uh, yeah, no no, Haerin's just... creative."

Minjeong still seemed to be laughing "Yes, sorry sorry, I'll stop the teasing."

Jimin nodded and followed Minjeong once they started walking back to where the other two were previously waiting. Was it normal that Jimin felt kinda disappointed when Minjeong told her she'll stop the teasing?

⊹ ࣪ ˖

"Today was so tiring..." Jimin groaned, dropping her body onto the bed. She went absolutely limp the second she made contact with the mattress. Her eyes took a rest too, closed.

"Righttt, I bet. It was so tiring to spend all day around the woman I'm in love with." Ryujin deadpanned. The two were currently in Jimin's dorm room, now that the day was ending and their work list was done.

Jimin opened one eye to peek up at Ryujin who was sitting up right next to her body.

"Yes it was tiring! They forced me to play golf and Minjeong keeps doing weird things because of that drawing. Haerin has given me a curse, I swear..."

Ryujin laughed and leaned against the wall "Oh, honey, this is just the beginning. Just you wait until some time passes. Those girls always have one victim to bully out of the housekeepers working here. Most unlucky people quit because of them."

"Well I'm not quitting..." Jimin admitted. Because of the 'mission' she was on and... okay, maybe she was really enjoying the break from her actual job and working as a housekeeper at the Kim manor was kind of fun. Minus the two daughters, sometimes.

"Hell no, you're not quitting. Your contract says you need to work at least half a year first. And since it's July, you'll have to be working until the new year or so. Depends."

"You're right, but it's not like I'd just quit without a bigger reason anyways. C'mon, the daughters aren't that bad. It's not a reason to quit."

"Right? What's the worst that can happen?"

Jimin went silent for a few seconds.

"Well," Jimin breathed out "the worst that can happen is that Mrs. Kim finds out about... y-you know"

Ryujin noticed the opportunity to tease Jimin and instantly took it "Ohh, what's that? Are you admitting something~?"

"I just can't convince you nor Yeji! You guys don't believe my lies so easily. And... maybe I've just accepted that I like Mrs. Kim more than I should."

"Wow, there we go! Wasn't that hard now, was it?"

"No..." Jimin smiled and shifted on the bed.

For another moment it was silent between them, the only noise coming from the clock on Jimin's nightstand.

The moon was finally fully visible outside, hovering over the estate. And it was a full moon, too.

Every time Jimin saw the full moon on the estate, she felt it giving off a certain aura onto the land and people. It was more light and it made everything more intimate each time.

What she noticed the few times a full moon appeared while working for the Kim family, was that those days always had something special about them. Each time, someone spilled a big secret she wasn't supposed to know, but... she guessed the full moon's energy just might be so present in the conversations she had those times. Today wasn't any different. This time it was her secret being revealed to a few people instead.

"Are you... you know, planning anything? Like, do you see yourself with Mrs. Kim someday? Not anything serious but just a short-term secret or something?" Ryujin asked, the mood turning a bit more serious now.

Jimin raised an eyebrow at the sudden question and chuckled "Wow, okay, that's..."

"I don't know, honestly. She's a woman with standards that I'm not sure I live up to. Also I'm pretty young. Not sure if she'd be into that."

Jimin, still, continued "And also, I've heard people say she hasn't had any flings or anything ever since the marriage with Mr. Kim. She loves quality time with her children and friends more than whatever I would ever want."

"—just imagine, I don't seem like the type to suddenly break the cycle."

Ryujin quickly flicked Jimin's forehead, making the woman stop and realize she was rambling.

Ryujin shook the other's shoulder once, twice, while speaking "Karina, you're too deep in your feelings already, aren't you?"

Jimin groaned and dragged her hands over her face "I don't know, Ryujin. Feelings are hard. It might even just be admiration."

"Admiration doesn't sound like the speech you just gave me."

"..." Jimin looked away and found a spot on the wall that was way more interesting apparently.

Ryujin noticed Jimin's action immediately and decided to actually comfort Jimin for once.

"You know... Mrs. Kim hasn't had any romantic action, because she's isolated from the chance to have any of that. Her friends all have partners and she doesn't have the freedom to just go out into the city and meet new people. She has too much responsibility around here, even if it doesn't seem like it"

"So what I'm saying is," Ryujin saw Jimin turn her head and listen "you have a chance. A big one. If you just find out how to show Mrs. Kim that you're serious, you might achieve the goal."

"You're serious?" Jimin's eyes looked filled with hope out of nowhere. Seems like Ryujin succeeded with her plan to cheer Jimin up.

"Yes, I'm serious. But we'll think about that another time. It's getting late and we both need sleep." Ryujin stood up and stretched her arms above her head "Good night, Karina."

"Yeah... Good night Ryujin!"

Jimin lied there for a good few minutes, staring up at the ceiling. Was Ryujin telling the truth? Did she actually have a chance?

Jimin wasn't even sure if she'd take the chance if she got it. It was scary... She knew she had to, for many different purposes, but it was still such a daunting thought.

Maybe, Jimin should just shut off her mind and go to sleep. Yes, that's right. Sleep would surely calm her brain down. Besides, she'd forget about this conversation by next week.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

Multiple weeks have passed since the day Ryujin and Yeji found out about Jimin's feelings for Minjeong, and the things that happened on that particular day. 

Chaewon was healthy again and Jimin went back to working mostly with Haerin and Hyein. Just the normal schedule she had.

There was no progress considering the crushing situation. Minjeong didn't do anything weird around Jimin anymore, Haerin and Hyein kept their promise and didn't tell anyone and the situation quickly got forgotten.

Jimin was still conflicted about her feelings, about what she should do. It was too much to think about. But nonetheless, Jimin knew she had to do something soon. She was already here for a month and she barely progressed.

It was hard. Maybe too hard. Jimin wasn't one to be straightforward and risky, especially when it came to something this intimate. It's not like she could just tell Minjeong "Hey, I like you, divorce your husband please."

No, not at all. She'd genuinely get her ass beaten if she'd do that.

If Jimin was being honest, she knew that deep down in her heart she just kept getting distracted from the mission. She, well, liked spending time with everyone here.

But there was no denying how heavy her heart got every day, knowing she can't tell Minjeong anything, and that the older woman was "isolated", as Ryujin told her a few nights before. Even if Jimin allegedly had a chance at something with Minjeong, Jimin just couldn't say anything about it. No, not now.

But enough with that, because Jimin instantly snapped out of her thoughts when Yeji and Ryujin suddenly barged into her room while she was putting her hair up.

"YOU, COME WITH US, NOW" Ryujin grabbed Jimin by the arm and dragged her out, following Yeji's lead.

"PICK UP THE PACE!!"

"I'M TRYING!!"

"WHERE ARE YOU DRAGGING ME?!" Jimin interrupted, helplessly stumbling along with the other two.

But, to no avail, Ryujin didn't give her much information "SOMEWHERE"

"WHY ARE WE YELLING??"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

While the two continued yelling back and forth, Yeji tried her best to concentrate and actually focus on where she's walking while leading the other two. God, those two were a pain in the ass to deal with right now— 

Surely, no one around heard or noticed Jimin's yelling.

The two women were leading Jimin somewhere that definitely wasn't the Kim manor. That much, Jimin could tell, because they took a different path that went the opposite way.

"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING??"

"JUST TRUST YEJI, OKAY??"

"I HAVE A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS—"

⊹ ࣪ ˖

"God, I can already hear their screams."

"Right?? They were told to be quiet so many times. God, we should stop trusting the—"

"HEAR YE, HEAR YE, WE HAVE HER!" Ryujin, outside, yelled at the window where Joohyun and Seulgi were standing, visible from outside.

You see, Joohyun and Seulgi have a long history with the Kim family. The married couple owned the land before Minjeong's parents came around and bought if for her and Daeseong. Though... as already mentioned many times, Minjeong is a sweet soul and she didn't want to kick the couple out.

Besides, she befriended both of them very well very quickly. So, as they were also her friends now, she had one more reason to let them stay in one of the extra houses she owned.

Also, both of the older women were like the peacemakers around here. Every time there was a problem that kept growing (or one that no one knew what to do about), someone would come around to either Joohyun or Seulgi for help.

And, well, the same thing was happening now. Ryujin and Yeji were seeking the couple to...

Seulgi sighed and walked towards their front door "I'll go open the door..."

"MRS. KANG—"

"SHHHHH, WE'VE TOLD YOU TO STOP SCREAMING EVERY TIME YOU ARRIVE, WE HAVE EARS"

Ryujin cleared her throat after Yeji elbowed her as if saying 'I told you'

"My bad." Ryujin apologized and then shoved Jimin in front of herself "So! This is the infamous Karina we have told you about."

Jimin just glanced back at Ryujin and Yeji, and then at the unknown woman in front of her "Uh..."

"It's nice to meet you, Karina. I'm Kang Seulgi. But let's continue inside."

"Y-Yeah, it's nice to meet you too" Jimin stuttered and hesitantly followed Seulgi after Ryujin gave her a push.

"Why are we here??" Jimin whisper-yelled at Ryujin and Yeji.

Though, both of them only brushed her off. "You'll see", is what Yeji told her.

Once they were inside, the three maids and the couple settled on the couches in the living room. Yeji, Ryujin and Jimin sat on one, while Joohyun and Seulgi sat across from them.

"Let's get straight to the point," Joohyun started, looking Jimin straight into the eye "is it true?"

"Is what true...?" Jimin asked reluctantly. The stares from the two women were definitely not helping.

"Your two friends here told us you're in love with Minjeong."

"Wait, what?! Why would you guys—"

Ryujin interrupted before Jimin could freak out more "We told them because they'll help! Please we just want to help your lesbian ass... and Mrs. Kim's."

"I'm not even—"

"Shush," Ryujin interrupted her again "you need the help. I can't keep watching you mope around because you're bottling up all of your feelings."

Seulgi raised an eyebrow in amusement "And how long has this been going on?"

Everyone pointed their gazes at Jimin, and she panicked but still managed to answer "S-Since I came here, so... like, 1 month and a few weeks..."

"Aww, love at first sight." Seulgi answered and Jimin seriously couldn't tell if the woman's tone was sarcastic and mocking or if she really meant it. Though, the smile on the woman's face erased Jimin's worries.

"Well... Before we start planning anything, you should know that Minjeong is really, really sensitive on the inside." Seulgi added, softening up slightly "She might seem like this mighty, confident and independent woman, but there's much more to her than what it seems."

"I... I know it won't be easy. But I'll try my best."

"You're determined. Good. It won't be easy to gain her genuine interest though."

Yeji and Ryujin both looked at each other and held back a laugh.

Joohyun noticed and instantly questioned the two women "What's funny?"

"Well... how do I put this." Yeji pondered "Mrs. Kim is already showing special treatment towards Karina."

"Oh..." Both Seulgi and Joohyun looked at each other "This might be easier than we thought then." Joohyun smirked as she looked back at Jimin.

Seulgi then led the conversation back on track "So, since Minjeong allegedly seems to be treating you somewhat differently, you might have a chance."

"Actually, scratch what she said." Joohyun interrupted her wife "You do have a chance. A very high one at that. Not only has Minjeong been unsatisfied with her dating life for over a decade, but she's being pulled towards you."

"You think so?" Jimin's eyes lit up with hope. Aw, how adorable.

"How old are you?"

"Uh, 26."

Seulgi looked at Joohyun again and they shared a look, mumbling something under their breaths.

"How old is Minjeong again??' "I don't know, 30-something?" "You think she's into younger girls??"

"You know we can hear you... right?" Ryujin deadpanned as the couple snapped their head back into their direction.

"Ehem, our bad." Joohyun excused "Just, what, Minjeong is 35? 33? And we're unsure if she's into a bigger-than-average age gap. I mean, I only remember Minjeong dating girls 2 or 3 years younger."

"Wait wait wait, hold on, she's in her mid-30s?? She does not look that old." Jimin scratched the back of her neck, now a bit awkward at finding out Minjeong's age. She thought Minjeong was still in her 20s...

Seulgi couldn't help but laugh "Oh, kid, what did you think? No 20 year old is already in their mid-life crisis."

"Y-Yeah, you're right..." Jimin laughed sheepishly and shut up again. Maybe she shouldn't say just anything.

"Back to the topic," Joohyun redirected "we should try to think of something—anything—to get Minjeong's attention on Karina. Because seriously, I can't stand seeing Minjeong so... discontent anymore."

"Anything?" Ryujin suddenly piped up into the conversation once again

"Oh God..." Yeji and Joohyun collectively groaned.

"What?? You said anything!"

"Just spit it out." Joohyun prompted, already mentally preparing for a bunch of BS.

"Well I heard Jackson Wang's hosting soon—"

"NO, we are NOT sending Minjeong and Karina to one of his parties."

"Fine! But it's bound to happen one day!"

.

.

Speaking of Jackson Wang,

Minjeong had heard the same thing from Yunjin on short notice, as she was flipping through pages in a book in the living room.

"Jackson? Didn't he host recently already?" Minjeong questioned, lowering her glasses to look at Yunjin who was standing in front of her and begging the woman to come along to the party.

"Okay, well, you didn't go since forever! Plus, you'd promise to finally start socializing again. And hey, you never know, maybe you'll find a woman you like there. You know." Yunjin wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, earning a light smack from Minjeong.

"OUCH! Okay okay, fine, I'll be the bigger person and ask Jackson for you—"

Another loud THUNK coming from the sound of MInjeong hitting her book against Yunjin the second time.

"Why do you automatically assume I'm interested in hooking up with some women at a party as if I'm 18 without responsibilities and a reputation again?"

Minjeong continued, her arguments quite strong "And I don't think I'm the targeted individual for such a party. He's a celeb that I only know because of You, Wonyoung, Aeri and Yizhuo. No doubt he collected even more party-eager celebs to invite that I never in a hundred years fit in with."

"Minjeongie... Come on! You promised. You pinky-promised."

"Yunjin... We're not 5 anymore."

"Okay?? Still though, you promised to come with me next time, and next time is tonight. So get your ass up we're dolling you up, right now!"

"I suppose..." Minjeong grumbled and got up, walking upstairs to her bedroom with Yunjin.

Yunjin instantly got to work, looking through all of Minjeong's dresses, accessories, etc.

Minjeong wasn't all that enthusiastic about any of this, so she just watched with her arms crossed, leaning against the foot of her bed. Why was Yunjin so excited to go get wasted for no reason around dozens of strangers?

Quickly, Yunjin started complaining at the sheer amount of never worn dresses Minjeong had collecting dust in her closet. But, she quickly found her favorite few and held them up against Minjeong's body.

There were three dresses:

1. A spaghetti sleeved black dress with a lace cut. Subtle gold designs ran across the entirety of the dress.

2. A burgundy, silk, sleeveless dress with minimalistic details. It had a piece of cloth wrapped around the hips, running down the leg on one side.

3. A navy blue halterneck (?) dress that teased quite the amount of cleavage. The skirt piece to it ended mid-thigh and the dress sparkled lightly.

If Minjeong was being honest... She'd prefer option number 1. It was comfortable and nothing too extravagant. But Yunjin wasn't the one to dress simply or modestly. Of course, she made Minjeong wear the 3rd dress.

When Minjeong put it on and came into Yunjin's view, the woman's friend audibly gasped (in a positive way).

"Since when can you get this sexy?! I thought you—"

"Okay okay! Don't overdo it!" Minjeong stopped her. Honestly she was just embarrassed but Yunjin didn't need to know that...

Yunjin focused again and gave Minjeong a few accessories, like a gold necklace that dipped down just above her chest, an old bracelet covered with diamonds, and gypsy hoop earrings.

Now, the last step: hair and makeup. Yunjin was like a professional when doing Minjeong's hair and makeup. Every time she did the woman's hair and/or makeup, it's like Minjeong's aura turned entirely different. From the calm, gentle woman she was, she turned into something more... intimidating? More seductive, you could say.

As much as Minjeong disliked the feeling of something being on her face constantly, she knew Yunjin wouldn't let her go to a party without it.

"Keep your head still!"

"My nose itches!"

"So difficult.." Yunjin grumbled.

And just like that, just a few minutes later, Minjeong turned into a whole new person. Okay, well, not entirely. She was still Minjeong, but you know what I mean!

Minjeong looked into the mirror and kept her face as still as possible. She would rather die than admit Yunjin did an amazing job.

"It's nice."

"JUST NICE?! It's my greatest artwork!"

"Alright, you know what, forget it. Come on, we're gonna run late.." Yunjin grabbed Minjeong's wrist and dragged her through the halls, down until they both stood outside.

Yunjin unlocked her 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder and got in with Minjeong. The two were pretty silent for the ride, only the occasional comment about the upcoming party and some memories from past attendances.

.

.

And then, there it was. The hillside, modern mansion Jackson Wang owned. Minjeong already saw a few people on the pool terrain, and the music coming from the mansion was audible even from dozens of meters away. It was just another incoming headache for Minjeong. Thank god they had alcohol there.

Yunjin parked (horribly) and got out, interlinking her arm with Minjeong's.

"Alright. We're staying together for the first half of the party, and after that, your ass is gonna get yourself out there and socialize, got it?"

"Hell no. I'm clinging to you like glue. You're not leaving me alone in a room full of egoistical celebrities who think they're the shit."

"Fine, I'm not that mean." Yunjin sighed dramatically.

Yunjin rang the doorbell and the two waited—not for long though, because after just 5 seconds the door flew open and they both got greeted by Minatozaki Sana, a popular Japanese actress that managed to grow globally.

"Yunjin! You're late, what's up with that? You're usually here super early."

"Well, I was convincing this one over here to come along" Yunjin looked at Minjeong and elbowed her in the side.

Sana only giggled and let the pair in, giving them their space to settle in.

And what better place was there than the bar? Yunjin instantly forced Minjeong to sit with her, ordering martinis for both of them.

"I don't even get to choose my own drink?" Minjeong mused, taking a sip once the bartender made the cocktails in basically lightning speed—which was to expect at Jackson's parties.

"Nope. You're stuck with my horrible decisions tonight, hun~"

Minjeong rolled her eyes, hiding the grin on her face behind her glass.

"So... there anything extraordinary at these parties nowadays? Or just the same ol' thing?"

"Well there's hotter people incoming every time." Yunjin sent Minjeong a smug look "The offer still stands, you know. You don't even have to say a word. Anyone here is at their knees for a woman like you."

"Yunjin," Minjeong warned, setting her glass down momentarily "were my words not clear enough? Do I seriously need to repeat myself?"

"No no!" Yunjin instantly scooted away a few centimeters "It's fine, I get it. You're an older woman now, you're not into hookups and... stuff..."

"Excuse you? I'm 35, don't exaggerate my age. And it's just not easy to let my guard down after this many years. I have got a serious reputation to maintain. Unlike someone."

"Are you saying I sleep with others a lot—"

"You do! I mean, okay, not a lot, but noticeably more than I do."

"Hm... Thin ice, Minjeong."

"Right."

The two women continued drinking, gradually easing into a more relaxed state. It looked good on them, especially on Minjeong. It has been extremely long since the last time Minjeong looked both genuinely relaxed and like she was enjoying herself. But to her, it still felt like something specific was missing, she just couldn't tell what it was.

Guests passed by them, greeted them and invited them to the dance floor or pool multiple times. The two women didn't have any swimwear, so they just opted to move to the dance floor with their (3rd? 4th?) drinks and move subtly to the loud beat of music.

It was clear both of them were already drunk, after downing drinks without break. Especially Minjeong, she has always been a lightweight, as much as she hated admitting that fact.

The women laughed loudly and carelessly, holding onto each other in the midst of the crowd and dancing with more enthusiasm.

Soon, their exhaustion was all the way up so they settled back down at the bar and got more drinks, this time beer to not get too wasted (it was probably too late already, wasn't it?)

The old Minjeong was finally back, even if just for the night. The one who Yunjin first met. Not the composed woman she was today.

And who would've guessed—amongst their loud laughter and cheerful conversations, another presence slid in beside them. It was Jackson Wang himself, looking for the next individual to talk to. And that just so happened to be both Yunjin and Minjeong now.

"Am I seeing correctly? Minjeong's attending my party since years of not coming to any of them??"

Yunjin snickered and nodded proudly "Mhmm~ I got 'er to- hic- come with me~"

"It's been so longgg... I felt bad..." Minjeong whined, absolutely out of it as she rested her upper body on the bar counter (but still not letting go of her beer).

Jackson laughed out loud, patting Minjeong on the back "You felt so bad that you came here to get wasted and forget everything?"

"Nuhh uhhh! I won't... I'm nottt even that drunK." Minjeong slurred her words, opening only one eye to peer up at Jackson.

"Well, I guess I lost a few of my usual attendees in return for you coming back."

Yunjin perked up in shock "Who would- hic- stop comin' to your party??"

"Well, I lost the privilege of having a few... Suppliers."

"Who??"

"Ning Yizhuo and Aeri Uchinaga stopped coming around to my parties lately. I don't know, I think it's because that one model friend of theirs suddenly disappeared. Yu something... I think it was Yu Jimin? The one who's suddenly gone and no one knows where she is."

Oh.

Oh.

If Jimin were here absolute hell would break loose. Thank god she took the safe route and stayed at the Kim manor. Besides! Minjeong and Yunjin were clueless about the situation and they were... definitely wasted by now. It's not like logical thinking was an option for them anymore.

"Hmmmm? A model disappeared? Is she prettyyyy~?" Minjeong giggled and pushed herself up to sit upright.

Jackson shrugged, vaguely answering "Well Yu Jimin definitely wasn't a bad sight. I'm pretty sure a lot of people showed up because they thought they had a chance with her around here."

"Can I see? Pleaseeuuhhh? Pretty please? With cherries on top and sprinkles and—"

"Alright alright! Chill, I'll show you." Jackson pulled his phone out and typed something into it, before showing the two a google image page of Yu Jimin.

Uh oh?

Or maybe not.

Minjeong giggled and smacked Jackson's shoulder "That's not a modelll! That's one of my maids you idiotttt~"

"Yeahh, that's- hic- one of her pretty maids... 'saw her..." Yunjin agreed in a mumble.

"What?? Pfft, you two are way too out of it. That's Yu Jimin we're talking about, not one of your housekeepers. It wouldn't make sense for Yu Jimin to go work as a maid at your house for no reason."

"Liarrr... It's photoshop or AI or whateverrr~ How'd y'get such pretty photos of Karinaaaa~?" Minjeong questioned. Thankfully she was way too wasted to think critically and remember this moment the day after. Or else Jimin would genuinely get her ass whooped.

"Uh huh... I'll call your house phone to get your chauffeurs to pick you guys up and get Yunjin's car transported back. I don't think you two should drink anything else."

"Noooo! I'm having s'much fun again... Don't wanna go..." Minjeong whined again and clung onto the countertop.

Yunjin grabbed Minjeong's arm and tried to stand (which was hard because their legs were shaking like leaves).

"Mmmaybe he's rightt- hic-" Yunjin slurred and started taking tiny steps towards the front door, her arm around Minjeong's shoulders.

Jackson made sure to dial the Kim estate's main number that reaches security/reception and request for two chauffeurs to transport all private vehicles back to their designated place.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

"Is that Mrs. Kim?"

"Might be."

"Karina, would you go check?" Ryujin asked Jimin, as planned.

See, while Minjeong was busy with the party, the five women—Seulgi, Joohyun, Yeji, Ryujin and Jimin—kept on planning how they could push Minjeong and Jimin in the right way.

For now, the only thing they could do is maximize the time Jimin and Minjeong spent together by letting Jimin take care of most favors from Minjeong.

"Uh... Yeah, I'll go do that." Jimin answered and turned to walk towards the front door. 

"Oh, and Karina," Yeji stopped Jimin from leaving just yet "drunk Mrs. Kim is a very intense Mrs. Kim. But don't be a scared cat. She won't do much."

"That is not reassuring."

Each step Jimin took made her mind race with more and more thoughts. What would Minjeong be like this time? Would she be giddy-drunk? Or would she be snappy and frustrated like last time?

She'd be the giddy type this time, right? It only made sense this way. She was coming back from a party where she got to let go of her worries and be herself again, just for a little. What could ruin her mood?

The car stopped right in front of Jimin as she arrived at the driveway. The chauffeur stepped out of the car to open the backseat door, and there she was.

Minjeong, looking way sexier than Jimin anticipated. And drunk, the red cheeks and ears said everything that needed to be said.

Minjeong's eyes landed on Jimin and she started giggling, stepping out of the vehicle and grabbing into Jimin so she wouldn't fall over.

"Karina... You came for meee~?"

"I... Yes, I did. I'm here to lead you to your room and help you get settled in bed."

"Mhhh... But I don't wanna... Do we have s'more alcoholll?"

"No, I wouldn't even let you have more. You're... wasted." Jimin sighed and started walking the woman towards the entrance of the mansion, grabbing Minjeong's arm and slinging it around her neck to remove some of the weight of Minjeong's body, while wrapping her other arm around Minjeong's waist to keep the woman up.

Minjeong giggled and stumbled along with Jimin, though the slow pace did help quite a bit with the steadiness of her steps "You're so strong Karina...~"

"It's— You're not really heavy, Mrs. Kim."

"Showing off your strength~? I like that." Minjeong hummed and leaned her head on Jimin's shoulder. Whether she was too drunk to hold her head up or she just did it because she wants to was uncertain.

Jimin stayed silent and helped Minjeong take the steps up the small stairs to the front door. It was a bit hard to unlock the door and get both of them in with only one arm available, but Jimin got through it easily anyways.

The moment they stepped in, Jimin could feel the stares on her and Minjeong from the other maids around. It was probably just because Minjeong was wasted and giggly after a long, long time, but it made Jimin feel called out anyways. Like they were staring at her helping Minjeong out.

Now, the worst part. The grand staircase. Minjeong pouted at it, feeling too lazy from just looking at the staircase.

"Can you carry me up?"

"W-What?? No! I mean— I'm just not that strong..."

"Hmph.."

"Okay... Just, slowly, Mrs. Kim," Jimin sighed and moved up the stairs with the mistress at a glacial pace.

Minjeong groaned quietly, trying her best to move up properly but her body was barely cooperating.

After much dedication, the pair made it to the top. Jimin felt extremely proud of herself for making it up without any accidents.

Minjeong started pulling Jimin a bit as she picked the pace up and navigated to her bedroom.

"Slowly, Mrs. Kim! I don't want you to fall."

"Pfft! Won't happen... m'good at walking" The woman laughed drunkenly, even though it really wasn't funny. Well, that's what alcohol did, eh?

And then, they arrived safe and sound in Minjeong's bedroom. Jimin led the woman towards the bed and let her sit or lay down—whatever Minjeong felt like.

But after setting Minjeong down, the mistress just... stared. Right at Jimin, grinning widely. Jimin didn't move because she was too busy being confused.

"What...?"

"Nothing!"

"Are you sure? You're staring. You know you can just ask me if—" ...blah blah blah, Minjeong wasn't even paying attention at this point. Those were too many words! It was making her head hurt.

Minjeong reached up and gripped both of Jimin's cheeks to pull her down and land a really, really sloppy kiss on the maid's lips.

Minjeong wasn't even paying attention to what she was doing, honestly. She just wanted to make Jimin stop talking. And maybe she just wanted to kiss her maid for no apparent reason.

On the other hand, Jimin was panicking the instant Minjeong decided to kiss her. Does she pull away? Kiss back?

Honestly... Minjeong's lips were making it hard for Jimin to think at the moment. Her lips were just as soft and plump as they looked, making Jimin absolutely melt. But...

Suddenly, Jimin snapped out of it and started resisting, pushing against Minjeong's shoulders.

The woman whined and groaned quietly, pulling just as strong as Jimin to keep their lips connected.

Though, in the end, Jimin was stronger so she separated their mouths successfully and stood straight again. The push was a bit harsh on Minjeong's body, making the woman fall back onto the mattress. Jimin just stared for a moment, speechless at the whole situation.

But just as soon, she had to reach down and stop Minjeong from bunching up her own skirt above her waist (did the woman seriously think Jimin was gonna agree to this??).

"Stop that, I'm not— We're not—"

Minjeong let go of her skirt and dug her fingers into the fabric of Jimin's shirt instead, pulling her closer again "...wanna kiss s'more..."

"N-No! You're drunk, you don't know what you're doing, Mrs. Kim."

"I do know! I reallyyy wanna kiss your pretty lips 'n' hug. m'needy..."

"Nope! You don't, we shouldn't do that anymore."

"Then let me do it when I'm not drunk!!"

Jimin cleared her throat and straightened up again, making sure to move away from Minjeong.

"You won't remember this anymore when you're sober."

"I will!"

"I really don't think so..." Jimin walked towards the closet and disappeared into it, leaving a pouting Minjeong laying on the king-sized bed.

Minjeong just sighed and splayed her body across the bed, her fingers fidgeting with the comforter on her bed.

After not even a minute, Jimin reappeared, now with Minjeong's usual silk robe in her hands.

They stayed silent, Jimin (hesitantly) helping Minjeong take the makeup off and undress everything that was appropriate to do in front of a maid.

While Minjeong sat there doing nothing like a toddler as Jimin untied the dress Minjeong was previously wearing, the woman spoke again:

"If I remember... can I kiss you again?" Minjeong tilted her head to look back at Jimin.

Jimin paused, the tips of her ears turning into a bright red.

"Fine... I'm only agreeing to this because I doubt you'll remember anything."

"So if I do I can kiss you~? No explanation~?" Minjeong giggled and leaned into Jimin's body dramatically.

"If you keep doing this I'll take my words back!"

Minjeong quickly scurried to sit up properly. Obviously, drunk Minjeong didn't want to miss the chance.

"Hehe..."

⊹ ࣪ ˖

"MOMMYYY! WAKE UPPPP!!!!"

Minjeong woke up with one of the worst headaches ever, only to see both of her daughters jumping on her bed and screaming for the woman to wake up.

Minjeong just sighed. The hangover was killing her but she couldn't help but smile to see her daughters so energetic in the morning.

"I'm awake..." Minjeong murmured and sat up slowly, pulling both of her daughters into a tight hug "Didn't I tell you two gremlins to stop waking me up like this?"

"Yes." Hyein instantly answered "But we miss you. You gone yesterday!"

"Yes yes, I'm sorry darling. Mommy was only hanging out with a few friends."

Haerin then pulled on Minjeong's sleeve "And we have a big question!"

"Yeah, go ahead sweetie."

"What did you do to Miss Karina?!"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"We saw Miss Karina leave your room yesterday! At night! And she was running and covering her mouth! GASP DID YOU PUNCH HER MOMMY?!?!?!"

Hyein perked up too "SHE DIDD! MISS KARINA WAS HIDING A BRUISE DEFINITELY!!"

"What?? That's nonsense!" Minjeong quickly defended and calmed her daughters down "Her tooth just ached.."

Truthfully... Minjeong did forget what happened last night. And she was just as curious as her daughters as to what happened last night, that Jimin acted the way she allegedly did.

"Hmm.. okay! We believe mommy!" Haerin nodded and cuddled up to her mother's side, as well as Hyein.

"And maybe you should just ask Karina herself if you really want to know what happened."

"Okayy... we will."

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

"Did you hear that-" "I literally saw it!" "You're right but—"

"SHHH— Guys she's coming over here—"

"Right! I was just doing the dishes—"

Currently, it is there to witness that Seulgi, Joohyun and Yeji were conversing in the kitchen about a few important matters.

Joohyun and Seulgi said they'll come visit Minjeong a bit more often, using the excuse that they wanted to help take care of Minjeong's daughters or socialize with others, since most housekeepers weren't all that busy the day around.

Obviously, that was not the case with the three women in the moment, as their panic instantly showed on their faces once they heard and saw Minjeong approaching the kitchen.

The mistress was very very obviously still hungover from the last night, since she was barely lifting her feet while walking, her face was paler than usual and she just seemed to not have the energy based off of her facial expression and the way she carried herself.

Minjeong's eyes lit up just slightly at seeing Seulgi and Joohyun here. It's been a long time and honestly, she just missed them both.

But she didn't fail to notice the tense/awkward atmosphere. And being grumpy hungover Minjeong, she didn't hesitate to speak up on it.

"What's going on with you guys?"

Seulgi quickly spoke up "Us? We're just having a conversation, what about it?"

"Obviously not, I heard hushed whispers. Keeping secrets?" Minjeong mused and started preparing everything she had to for her morning coffee.

Joohyun just sighed, knowing Minjeong won't fall for their bullshit. But how do they break it to Minjeong?

"Well you probably know it already. We think."

"Just get to the point."

"How much did you have to drink last night Minjeong?"

Minjeong paused and turned to look at the couple, leaning against the counter behind her "Why are you asking...? Did I do anything weird?"

"So you don't remember anything." Seulgi stated, starting to feel a bit hesitant about telling Minjeong about the whole thing. "Well... The loneliness really got to you this time, I'll put it like that."

"Oh God, don't tell me I got all emotional and grumpy again?"

"Actually quite the opposite."

Joohyun wasn't really able to hold it in for much longer, so she got closer to Minjeong and whispered the following words: "You kissed Karina last night and it wasn't just a quick peck."

Ah, so it didn't matter if Minjeong forgot everything about last night. The woman got informed on her actions quite quickly.

When Joohyun pulled away, she observed Minjeong's expression for a moment. Honestly? She could not tell what the hell was going on in Minjeong's mind.

"I... wow, I did? Like, fully on the lips and all? No hesitation?"

"Why are you so calm about this?? And yes to all of those questions."

"I just really don't want to freak out about this, because this is totally fine, right? Just... a drunk accident. It's just a kiss... It's really nothing big. Karina doesn't mind, right??"

The other three were silent. Yeji even started scrubbing the plates in the sink with more fervor.

"Right??"

"Minjeong..." Seulgi sighed—not disappointed, just worried (about Jimin).

"Do you want me to be honest?"

Minjeong nodded, biting her lip nervously. Something she really didn't do often.

Seulgi then continued "I really don't think she minds. She's just been freaking out all morning and refusing to leave her room. You really must've said something weird and she's not taking it well."

"Remind me to never drink again." Minjeong turned around to busy herself with her coffee instead of facing the others and showing that she was starting to blush.

Joohyun then settled on one of the bar stools at the kitchen island "It's weird you know, you usually don't just kiss anyone—"

"Don't even start with that. I wasn't thinking critically and I guess I just...have a lot of lust pent up in myself that I decided to show to a conventionally attractive woman. You can't blame me!"

Seulgi snorted "We know you've been sex-less the last decade at least, and that's exactly what makes it weird! You're not the type to just go and kiss any woman you see."

"Okay okay! I get it! Stop.. shoving it in my face. It's too early for me to figure shit out. I'll talk to Karina once I get the chance."

Yeji, then, from the side, coughed and muttered into her hand "Looked like you had everything figured out last night—"

Minjeong snapped her head towards Yeji "What was that??"

"Nothing! Just talking to myself, y-you know!"

Minjeong finally laughed for the first time this morning and the others' moods also became a bit lighter.

"I really went too far with the drinks yesterday" Minjeong hummed to herself.

"Mrs. Kang, Yeji, have you guys seen—"

There she was, the devil herself (Jimin), standing now frozen in the doorway once she noticed Minjeong was there among the three other women.

"—Ryujin...?"

Minjeong watched Jimin intently as she took a sip of her coffee. She could tell that Jimin was a bit tense because of her very presence in the room.

"I have," Minjeong answered and pushed off of the counter "but she's in one of the rooms you haven't seen yet before. Let me show you the way."

Now that, ladies and gentlemen, was the worst excuse to ever exist. Jimin has already seen each room of the mansion (except for the 3rd floor but no one ever goes there), so this was most definitely just Minjeong's excuse to be alone and explain her behaviour.

"O-Oh! You, uhm, well- I think— it's okay, I'll find her myself." Jimin quickly backed out of the kitchen and took rushed steps away. Minjeong sighed and followed the path Jimin took, leaving her coffee behind and accelerating her steps so she could actually get to Jimin in short enough time.

"Karina, wait," Minjeong called after the maid who was already reaching the foyer "wait!! We need to talk, Karina."

Jimin pretended not to hear Minjeong and made her way up the stairs, also going a bit faster.

But it was to no use, Minjeong caught her wrist anyways and pulled her to a stop.

Now, they were face to face. Jimin felt her heart beat so hard she truthfully felt a bit embarrassed.

"Um," Jimin cleared her throat and forced a stiff smile "Mrs. Kim."

"Karina." Minjeong echoed, letting go of Jimin's hand "We should talk, sort things out."

"Oh, uhh... about what?" Jimin asked, playing dumb even though she knew damn well what Minjeong was talking about.

Minjeong narrowed her eyes. Was this girl being for real?

"Last night. You should remember, right? You know, I'm pretty sure I was the drunk one, not you so.."

"Oh, right!" Jimin laughed awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with Minjeong "Last night, uhm, what about last night?"

"I should apologize for last night." Minjeong answered, not one to beat around the bush.

"Why??" Jimin finally looked up, genuinely asking. Not that she minded what happened last night, but Minjeong didn't know because how was she supposed to read Jimin's mind, am I right?

"The other three downstairs told me I kissed you last night without your consent...?"

"Oh, uh, right, it's fine! Don't worry about it, I don't mind at all—"

"You don't?" Minjeong interrupted, a playful grin starting to form on a face "Is that supposed to mean something, Karina?"

"No!" Jimin instantly answered, going into panic mode. "I just- I just don't want you to feel bad, you were drunk and not in control so—"

"Karina..." Minjeong stopped Jimin from rambling and stepped closer, her voice going a bit lower "Can I have the truth, please?"

"I— you— well—"

And just like that, Jimin got interrupted by a kiss from the mistress yet again. But this time Minjeong was sober, aware, and less forceful.

The kiss wasn't harsh and sloppy. It was gentle, as if Minjeong was only testing the waters. Almost just a light brush of lips.

Minjeong's lips were soft. So, so soft, that Jimin forgot she was kissing the mistress. Right there, right now.

Minjeong's hands settled on the maid's slender waist, unexpected but oddly grounding to Jimin.

It started dawning onto Minjeong just now, what she was doing. Kissing Jimin, out of the blue, no warning or anything.

It didn't take long for Jimin to snap out of her daze and kiss Minjeong back, resting her hands on Minjeong's firm shoulders. God, she could get addicted to Minjeong's lips.

Minjeong decided to double down on her efforts, deepening the kiss and putting more passion into it. It felt like she was showing Jimin just how much she meant this. The kiss.

Her hands started wandering—up and down Jimin's waist at first to experiment and see what's best and what Jimin is comfortable with, and then they wandered around and looped around Jimin's sides.

A quiet noise left Jimin's lips as she felt Minjeong become more eager and willing to keep going. This surely had to be another dream, right??

Their lips stayed locked for longer than either had anticipated, right there on the second floor foyer. If anyone came in through the front door right now, they would have a hell of a view: the mistress engaging in a kiss with one of her maids.

And that really seemed to be a jinx. Oops?

The sound of the front door getting unlocked echoed through the mansion's entrance, so Minjeong quickly pulled away and let go of Jimin.

"I-I— Uhm, sorry I shouldn't've— y-you know what? I'll just go." Minjeong cleared her throat and turned around to move away.

Jimin was blushing, red as a tomato. Somehow Minjeong was a tiny bit calm about the whole situation though, clearing her throat and quickly disappearing out of Jimin's sight to move down the stairs. 

Shit, did Minjeong just make it even more awkward between them?

Now Minjeong started regretting the whole thing. Why did she kiss her for no reason?? They weren't even on those grounds regarding their relationship. They were just maid and mistress for fuck's sake—

Jimin was too out of it to process the whole situation, but her legs moved on autopilot to start looking for Ryujin again, just to clear her head from the situation.

Meanwhile, when Minjeong reached the downstairs, the front door opened to reveal Daeseong. He was back, after days of not being in the mansion because he was enjoying time with his lover.

He didn't look all too pleased once he came in, his expression grim with frustration evident in the way his brows were furrowed.

Minjeong turned and raised her brows in surprise "Daeseong." She stated.

"Minjeong..." He muttered and shook his head while muttering something under his breath, taking his shoes off.

The man seemed really tired out after whatever it was that happened to him. His presence wasn't unappreciated, but it did annoy Minjeong just slightly that he showed up without letting anyone know first.

"What's going on? Didn't expect you to show up looking all..." Minjeong trailed off, the way she looked him up and down said everything.

"What isn't going on! My week has been horrible!"

"Wanna talk about it...?" Minjeong offered. Yes, they didn't leave off on the best note, but that didn't mean Minjeong was gonna be an asshole. She was a grown adult.

"I just..." Daeseong huffed "the company is under hellfire, no one's doing anything correctly and Seojun broke things off with me."

"Seojun?" Minjeong questioned, then realized: "Oh, right, your boyfriend."

But, she quickly changed her tone to try (keyword: try) and sympathize with Daeseong "That really does sound rough... I wish I could get it but oh well, it's not like I really have a job. Are you staying here again?"

"You know I don't like living alone. Yes, I'm staying here again for a while."

"Ah... Well, as long as you just leave me alone and don't start any fights with me I don't mind."

"I don't have the energy to do that, honestly. The housekeepers will somehow figure out how to keep us out of each other's way."

Minjeong snorted and moved to walk back towards the kitchen—then paused before she entered the hallway and looked back at Daeseong "Oh, and the master bedroom's mine now, I moved all of your stuff. You can... I don't know, sleep in one of the guest bedrooms or something"

"Great..." Daeseong sighed in disappointment and added with sarcasm: "Those extremely comfy beds."

⊹ ࣪ ˖  

The next few days went by surprisingly... peaceful. No yelling, no arguing, just a tired out Daeseong who needed a break from his company and a relaxed Minjeong who was living the life. Kind of.

The inner turmoil inside of her only worsened when she realized just how much worse she made it for herself once she kissed Jimin for that second time.

If only Daeseong hadn't interrupted the moment, all of this would've went differently. Curse that man's timing!

Meanwhile, Seulgi, Joohyun, Ryujin and Yeji continued helping Jimin plan stuff to get closer to Minjeong. Jimin didn't even tell them that Minjeong kissed her a second time, it was basically their secret. For now.

But things between Jimin and Minjeong got harder now with Daeseong around. Sure, there was nothing Daeseong could do if Minjeong was fooling around with one of the maids, but everyone could agree they didn't want Daeseong to know about... all of this.

The man was already dramatic enough on his own. If he knew about everything going on... Oh God.

Currently, Minjeong was having her downtime, smoking a cigarette outside together with Wonyoung, who surprisingly wasn't trying to convince her to come to another party this time.

"Hey, Wony..." Minjeong spoke up. That tone already made it obvious to Wonyoung where Minjeong was going with this. 

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that I... well... How do I put this..." Minjeong tapped the armrests of her chair nervously, unable to find the right words.

Wonyoung only smiled reassuringly and encouraged Minjeong. It wasn't every day where she saw the Kim Minjeong beat around the bush like this.

"Take your time."

"Uhm..." Minjeong chuckled awkwardly. She was letting everything affect her badly, that much was obvious "Do you think there's still hope for me, romantically?"

"Wow." Wonyoung mused, lowering her cigarette "I never thought the day would come where you're finally trying to free yourself from whatever this is. With Daeseong, I mean."

"Well, uh... You know, people change. Maybe I'm tired of wasting my time. I mean, I love my daughters and my friends but... maybe I should look for something more intimate." Minjeong answered, trying to play it all off.

She knew damn well there was more to it than just her midlife-crisis. Jimin's kiss did something to her.

Minjeong distracted herself from those thoughts by taking a drag from her cigarette, hoping Wonyoung will buy her words.

And she did.

Wonyoung hummed and leaned back into her own chair "You should. Love suits you. You were way happier back in college with..." Wonyoung trailed off, but Minjeong knew who she was hinting at.

A bittersweet smile painted Minjeong's lips, as the woman nodded "I remember."

Wonyoung then focused on Minjeong's initial question "But, I personally think you do have a chance. I mean, it's hard, you can't just date the first stranger you meet, but... surely there's someone out there you can meet without ruining everything."

"Okay, yeah, but... like, theoretically, do you think people would want to date an almost middle-aged woman with kids? It feels like dating is only for younger people."

"Pfft, nonsense! Who cares? You're hot, you're responsible, many people are into that, Minjeongie."

But is Jimin into that? Maybe that kiss was just in the heat of the moment. Maybe Jimin isn't even interested in the way Minjeong is hoping she is.

"Yeah... you're right..." Minjeong smiled slightly and went back to smoking her cigarette in silence.

But Wonyoung didn't. She stared for a couple of extra seconds, seeing that Minjeong looked like she wanted to say something else.

Wonyoung sighed and elbowed Minjeong lightly "There's more to it than you're telling me. C'mon, spill."

"I just... I don't know, can I trust you won't freak out?"

Wonyoung grinned "Well I can't promise that. But isn't that a positive thing?? I'm just happy for you!"

Minjeong laughed at Wonyoung's words. God, she really appreciated this woman.

"I know, I get it. I guess you can't really help it."

"So, tell me, what else is on your mind? Is it about... a potential future lover~?"

"Uh... emphasis on potential. But yeah, there is. I'm just unsure about what's going on and all."

Wonyoung squealed and reached over to shake Minjeong by her arm, being WAY too excited for Minjeong.

"Oh my God I never thought I'd see this day! Minjeong you're in love!!"

"SHHH, Don't scream! I don't want everyone to know!"

Wonyoung snickered and quieted down, nodding "Right! My bad, I just love that you're in love, if that makes sense."

"I'd love to say it doesn't but it somehow does."

"That's besides the point! Tell me, who is she? Or he? Wait, you're still lesbian right? Please don't tell me my favorite queer friend is—"

"It's a she."

Wonyoung seemed oddly relieved at that. But, still, she was relentless about knowing who Minjeong has developed feelings for. Or, well, whatever it is that Minjeong feels for Jimin.

"Soo.. can I know who it is, or are you gonna go all shy if you tell me?"

"I'm not gonna go shy! I just don't want you to know because then you'll go around trying to play cupid."

"I hate that you're right."

"We've been close since middle school, what do you expect?"

"Anyways! Please, can I at least know if it's someone new or someone in your circle? Wait, she's not taken, right??"

"I wouldn't think she has a lover considering the situation. And she's..." Minjeong can't say she's new. That's not entirely the truth. But Jimin isn't in her close circle either. But if she says that Wonyoung will definitely know who it is.

"We've talked a few times" Minjeong settled, watching Wonyoung start thinking wayyy too hard about potential suspects.

"And I know her?"

"I sure hope so. Otherwise I'd have to sent you to the doctor for dementia."

"Hey!" Wonyoung slapped Minjeong's shoulder and the latter laughed "I didn't say I will!"

"Okay okay, thanks for the information. I will now spend my next three days trying to guess who it is even though you won't tell me if I'm right."

Minjeong snorted "I would love to see you try."

"Do you doubt my guessing skills? Minjeong, I used to be a master at Guess Who."

"Yeah, used to."

Wonyoung huffed and sat back in her seat again, taking a drag of her cigarette as if that'll help her figure out who Minjeong's love interest is.

But she gave up (for now) and resumed her small talk.

Minjeong was only relieved once Wonyoung stopped asking her never-ending questions about her love life. Was it really that interesting to Wonyoung?

Minutes later, Wonyoung finally decided to go back to her house and let Minjeong have some alone time. Well, not really, since Minjeong was never alone on the estate but you get what's implied.

Minjeong went back inside, her shoulders a bit later now after she got the chance to talk with Wonyoung about her problems.

But it didn't fully remove the weight. Minjeong still needed to talk to Jimin soon. How? Good question, next question. It was hard. Minjeong didn't do feelings. Well she did, but she wasn't the type to actually pursue love.

For years she told herself that family and friends were enough. She had Haerin and Hyein to take care of and spend time with. But that step she took a few days ago crossed the line.

There was definitely something there for Jimin. Otherwise Minjeong wouldn't have kissed the woman so blindly. But what were the chances it'd be anything.

Yeah, love matters really weren't Minjeong's thing. She only had to deal with this once before in her life, years ago while she was young. So since she didn't have experience with this... well, how was she supposed to make anything out of this?

Jimin also wouldn't just come up to Minjeong and talk about the things that happened. No, Jimin was scared shitless of Minjeong after what happened. So if Minjeong wanted to repair whatever this is, she'd have to be the bigger person.

But that could wait. Minjeong wasn't one to rush things. First she had to figure out her own feelings.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

Jimin's day, however, wasn't going as peaceful as Minjeong's. For once, she was actually busy with her job.

She just barely managed to clean her part of the second floor before she had to help Haewon out and then she got pulled to the side by Seulgi (since when was she here—).

"Karina, emergency meeting. I just found out Minjeong's plans next Saturday."

"Uh... Is it anything important?"

"She's inviting guests over for a pool party. It is literally your chance to get some progress between you and her. Pool party means Minjeong is gonna go easy on her workers and let you have a day off. A day off means more socializing and more socializing means... I'm sure you know what I'm saying."

"Oh, right! Talking with Minjeong. Yay." Jimin cleared her throat. She totally forgot no one knew things between her and Minjeong were still pretty awkward.

"Oh come on! Don't let your nerves get to you. I'm sure you'll do great. You know, I'll be there with Joohyun, Ryujin and Yeji will be there, and more people. Don't let your chances go to waste, alright?"

"I just... It's still a bit awkward between me and Mrs. Kim. She's been distancing herself a little and so have I." JImin admitted—not too much but just enough to make Seulgi understand the situation between her and Minjeong.

"I thought you guys sorted things out after Minjeong kissed you while drunk?"

"Kind of? I mean she apologized but it's not... Easy to return to normal again. You know?"

"Yeah... Alright... I get it, but still, you can try to get closer to her on Saturday, right?" 

"I'll try..."

"Good! I'll leave you to mentally prepare then."

Mentally prepare? JImin had to absolutely make sure she stayed away from Minjeong on Saturday. A pool party would not do good for JImin's poor heart. She wasn't prepared to see Minjeong in swimwear.

And she also realized she just had to stay away from people in general. The fact that no one around here at the manor recognized her from social media was a miracle already. And who knows who else Minjeong will invite It might or might not be where JImin gets caught and messes the whole thing up. The reason why she was actually here. 

Ryujin then appeared from around the corner, smirking devilishly.

"So... Pool party, huh? I bet you'll enjoy seeing Mrs. Kim in a swimsuit. Better yet, a bikini?" Ryujin wolf-whistled.

Jimin hit Ryujin's shoulder to shut the woman up "Shut up! I'm not coming along. I'll just use my time to rest that day."

"What?? You've got to be insane if you think you're not coming too."

"Well I don't have swimwear with me and I don't wanna go sit around in my street clothes..." Jimin paused and eyed Ryujin "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Karina, you know... I figured it'd be useful to have an extra swimsuit with me just in case."

"Oh come on, there's no way- I just- just no, I don't—"

"At least come for a few minutes! We work our asses off most of the time and we never have time to enjoy ourselves how we want to. Don't you think we deserve it? Especially when Minjeong is being so nice and giving us the choice to come!"

"Okay! Okay, fine, I'll go. I can't promise I'll be there for long but I'll hang around with you guys for a few minutes."

Ryujin cheered and hugged Jimin tightly as if Jimin coming along was a mind-blowing thing.

"You're not gonna be bored, I promise ya!"

"Yeah, I believe you..."

"Miss Karina is gonna play with us in the pool!" One of two tiny voices rang from behind them.

Both women turned to see Haerin and Hyein charging at them at full speed with their magic wands in their hands.

"Please don't aim that at us—"

"OW- UGH, STOP HITTING ME!!"

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

Agreeing to showing up at the pool party Minjeong was hosting was a terrible idea and Jimin could already feel this will somehow go wrong.

Whether it was another awkward interaction or someone noticing how similar she looked to "Yu Jimin", something was bound to happen. Just... no one around her knew so she couldn't really tell them about her dilemma.

Maybe she should just call in sick?

Nah, too late. She was already awake at 8, making her way to Ryujin's room as they agreed to meet there a few hours before the pool party officially started.

She could turn back though... The thought was definitely there, but Ryujin would kill Jimin if she backed out now.

Once, twice, Jimin knocked on Ryujin's door, until the door swung open, revealing a disheveled Ryujin.

"Why are you here already?? It's way too early."

"You told me to come earlier!"

"Yeah, uh, right! Swimsuit. Hold on." Ryujin disappeared back into her room.

Jimin heard the woman rummaging around inside, throwing clothes aside until she reappeared in the doorway, holding the promised swimwear she wanted to lend Jimin.

It was a two-piece set. The base color was black, with a teal vector flower design running over one side of the bikini top. The bottoms were shorts, ending mid-thigh, that also had the same type of design, along with two teal strings.

"Wow, damn. Not bad. I didn't expect it to look decent."

"It's my leftover one. Figured I shouldn't just throw it away."

"Do you really think it'll fit though?"

"Ehh, it's fineee! If not we'll figured something out. Besides, I'm sure no one will mind the view— OW- WHY AM I ALWAYS THE ONE GETTING HIT??"

"You are a sick pervert! I'm gonna go now. You can come to my room when you're done getting ready to go to the mansion's backyard. Or not. I'll be there sooner or later."

"Yeah... See you later!" Ryujin called after Jimin, watching the woman walk away before rubbing the top of her head. "She really hits hard.."

Getting ready really didn't take long. Jimin just tied her hair into a loose bun sitting low—nothing too fancy but comfortable—and put the swimwear on which fit just barely on her. Adding to that, she wore a simple black tank top on top of her swimwear. It was just more comfortable for now.

Other important things were sunscreen (which she already applied) and a pair of sunglasses just in case. But really, there was nothing else she needed to bring. Only herself (haha ;-;)

That wasn't the hard part though. The hard part was bracing herself to see Minjeong again. For the past few days, she had been avoiding Minjeong as much as possible which was fairly easy. Jimin didn't have to hover around Minjeong 24/7. Minjeong also just... stopped requesting to see her for the time being. It was obvious both parties didn't know what to think of the kiss(es) they shared.

Jimin sighed to herself as she plopped down onto her bed and bent down to properly adjust her sandals. The day was gonna be way too tiring...

Especially considering she was already a bit late. Wait, no, not really late. There wasn't a set time for her arrival. The guests were already gathered, that's all there was to it. If Jimin wanted to, she could arrive at the very last hour. But no, she didn't know what to do to fill the time.

So, with that, Jimin stood up and left her room, making her way towards where most of the noise was coming from. Well, she knew where it was. The paths were already familiar to her after 2 months of working here.

And Lo and behold, there were quite a few more people than Jimin first expected. She recognized the usual people: Yunjin, Seulgi, Joohyun, Ryujin, Yeji, the two daughters and so on. But besides the people she already knew there were definitely way more new faces than she first anticipated.

Though, it wasn't as much of a problem since Jimin quickly spotted Ryujin and Yeji talking in the distance, sitting on lounge chairs by the pool.

Jimin approached the couple and sat down next to them, getting startled when Ryujin loudly exclaimed "THERE SHE FINALLY IS"

Luckily, it wasn't loud enough to turn heads.

Jimin huffed and hit Ryujin's shoulder lightly "Stop yelling so much, please."

"Nah."

Yeji just laughed "So, how're you doing today? Think you can survive today?"

"No, actually. I'm not ready. If I could I would have stayed inside today. But then you guys showed up."

"Don't be like that! C'mon, let's go get you a drink. You need to loosen up." Ryujin pulled Jimin up and towards the bar. Yeji shrugged and followed them both.

"You're acting as if there's any alcohol in the drinks." Yeji mused, though nothing would stop Ryujin from overexaggerating these things.

"Technically it does have alcohol! Like, spiritually there's alcohol in there"

Jimin snorted and picked out a drink for herself from the bar. There was no bartender, so Jimin assumed everyone could just take whatever they wanted to drink. Or it was the job of the housekeepers to bring drinks (AKA, their responsibility) but since no one was asking them they wouldn't worry about that for now.

"So... is this just the normal social gathering? Like, people are actually socializing and having fun and all?"

"What's with the suspicion, Karina?" Yeji patted the woman's shoulder.

"Just making sure there's nothing else going on I don't know of. Who knows, you guys might be planning something as we speak."

"Nope," Ryujin reassured Jimin "just enjoy yourself and relax for once. If you want to, make a move on the woman herself."

"Right, Mrs. Kim." Jimin cleared her throat then looked back towards the area of the large pool.

"Speaking of, is she even here yet? I haven't seen her among the crowd of people."

Yeji nodded "She's here for sure. We haven't seen here either, but she's hosting so it'd only make sense that she's around."

"Of course you're asking about Mrs. Kim." Ryujin teased as the three of them wandered back to sit down again.

Jimin rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink "I'm just curious, okay? Nothing else."

Then, Haerin and Hyein appeared to interrupt them. The girls were both giggling as they saw the three maids who took care of them most of the time.

Hyein took the chance and sat on Jimin's lap, while Haerin plopped down beside Yeji.

"Miss Karina! Come play with us! Pleaseeee!"

"Why only me??" Jimin laughed at the girls' eagerness

"Because Miss Ryujin and Miss Yeji played with us last year" Haerin spoke up from the side, watching how Jimin rolled her eyes playfully.

"Well... what do you want to play?"

"Can you help us swim??" Hyein asked with hopeful eyes.

"Aw.. I'm sorry, I can't swim either." A lie since she was actually a great swimmer (Aeri and Yizhuo could confirm because Jimin always boasted about her swimming skills), but, she just knew she'd get bullied by the two girls so it's best to avoid that.

"What??" Hyein pouted but just nodded and leaned into Jimin, letting herself be hugged instead. "Mommy said all adults know how to swim..."

Yeji seemed amused by the whole ordeal and decided to distract the two little girls "Are you two enjoying yourselves so far?"

"Yes!" Hyein perked up again.

Haerin nodded together with her sister "Mommy played with us in the pool! And, and she gave us float-things so we didn't drown."

"They're called floaties, not float-things" Ryujin corrected affectionately, watching Haerin nod and mumble a quiet 'okay'.

"Oh oh, and daddy played with us too after that!" Hyein exclaimed, cheerful whenever Daeseong decided to spend time with them again. He was quite... absent, most of the time.

"He did? You two are very lucky girls." Jimin cooed and stroked Hyein's soft hair.

"Yes!" Hyein replied eagerly then giggled and pointed in a direction by the pool, then started waving "Lookkk! There's mommy!"

All three maids looked in the direction Hyein pointed, and there she was. Minjeong, casually sitting on the pool edge together with Yunjin and Wonyoung sitting on her left and right. Instead of entering the pool they were just dipping their feet in, for now.

Jimin choked on her own saliva at the sight. Fuck no, she can't survive the day like this.

Minjeong wasn't even wearing anything crazy: a few accessories (jewelry) and a swimsuit. It was just a two-piece swimsuit, the top a bikini tied at the front and the bottoms a cute skirt. The base color was a light brown and it was adorned with yellow/orange flower prints.

Jimin was absolutely weak for Minjeong and she swore she'd need medical assistance by the end of the day. Hold on, along with that perfect waist. Minjeong had abs?!

Oh hell no.

Ryujin quickly started patting Jimin's back so the woman doesn't actually choke. It was safe to say Jimin was moved by Minjeong's appearance, especially today. Maybe she should've seriously stayed home.

Minjeong noticed Hyein and Haerin waving from across the pool and smiled, waving back at her daughters. But her gaze did flick up once or twice, also noticing Jimin from afar. Thankfully none of the maids could tell that Minjeong was smirking once she saw just how much she affected Jimin.

Once Jimin calmed down the interaction seemed to be over already. Hyein was sitting still in her lap again and Jimin was left to suffer with the sight of Minjeong right across of them. Please move please move please move—

How unforutnate, it didn't seem like Minjeong or her friends were planning to move away anytime soon.

"Hey, you guys, I'm gonna disappear for a sec." Jimin excused and lifted Hyein off of her lap, setting the girl down on the lounge chair.

"Yeah, sure, we'll stay here." Ryujin and Yeji continued talking, thankfully not bothering Jimin with any extra questions.

And so, Jimin was off to the bathroom and left with her own thoughts. She needed a distraction so bad, if only—

"JIMIN??" Jimin snapped out of her trance once she noticed someone right behind her.

An unexpected face, but a very familiar one.

It was Han Sua, one of her celebrity friends who was an actress. Only problem was that Sua had no idea about the... "plan".

Jimin quickly put her hand over Sua's mouth in panic and looked around. Once the coast was clear Jimin backed off and cleared her throat "Uh... Yes, hi, hah, long time no see..."

"What are you doing here girl?? Weren't you on hiatus? Speaking of, why aren't you answering my texts! I thought we—"

"It's complicated!" Jimin interrupted, putting her hands on the woman's shoulders.

"I can't explain everything right now, but you can ask Yizhuo. She'll tell you what's going on. But please don't tell anyone you saw me. And call me by 'Karina' around here, I'm... kind of undercover. It's a long story okay?"

Sua just laughed and shook her head in disbelief "Why am I not surprised? You're always going around doing crazy things."

"I didn't have a choice.."

"So that's why you're Minjeong's maid? You got forced?"

"Yesn't. Just ask Yizhuo to explain everything. And don't you dare expose me."

Sua nodded "yeah, sure" and she couldn't help but laugh once more, starting to walk towards the door leading to the outside again, now with Jimin next to her.

"Still though, what's up with the ghosting? I had to text your manager to find out about the alleged hiatus."

"I don't really have my phone. I mean, I do, but I'm too scared to use it here. You never know what can expose me."

"True..." Sua hummed and they finally made it outside again "Wanna come talk with us for a bit? I was actually with Aeri and Yizhuo just now. They know, right?"

"Yup, the only ones along with you now. But sure, I'll come. It's fine, I don't think it's suspicious if I'm out socializing with guests, right?"

"Yeah it's fineee~"

And so, that's how Jimin met Aeri and Yizhuo on the estate grounds, by accident, again.

The two were surprised when Sua brought Jimin over "Look who I found!"

"You're saying that as if I'm some rare Pokemon."

"You are nowadays." Yizhuo snorted, taking a sip of her cola.

Aeri just laughed quietly and nodded along "Right? It's almost like no one knows where you are."

"Almost" Yizhuo emphasized, smirking in amusement.

"So, how's life been treating ya around here? Anything new?"

Jimin paused for a quick second. Does she trust her closest friends? She should. It's harmless. But she doesn't really say anything, only shrugging.

Jimin brushed it off, only saying something and that it's 'going fine' but she knew 100% things weren't going fine. Great, now she had Minjeong in her thoughts again and kept stealing glances from her new spot.

The other three didn't really notice anything off about Jimin. They kept joking around and laughing together, like they often used to back a few months ago.

Jimin's eyes just really, really couldn't leave Minjeong. That was the problem right now.

Aeri noticed and cackled, jokingly mimicking Jimin and making kissy faces which really riled Jimin up to no end. 

Sua and Yizhuo only watched Aeri's and Jimin's insanity. It was definitely entertaining!

And it surely was entertaining to Minjeong and her friends too, watching from the other side of the pool.

❅❆❅

"I just can't stand how effortlessly she got over it. Like... Like she forgot what happened." Minjeong complained to Yunjin and Wonyoung, all three of them watching the small group across of them.

"Minjeong, she's been staring at you whenever you looked away. She definitely didn't forget. If only she seems more obviously attracted than the days before." Wonyoung noted, because it was the truth. Jimin was making her attraction pretty obvious.

"Right??" Yunjin agreed "She's literally eye-fucking you."

Minjeong bit her lip to suppress her blush after Yunjin's statement.

Minjeong finally had the guts to tell her two closest friends about her hopeless infatuation. Well, to be specific, she told them she felt something for Jimin, whatever the feeling was. Love, lust, admiration. Something.

Wonyoung and Yunjin took the information well. They already knew Minjeong's situation and the whole arranged marriage with Daeseong, they've been there for Minjeong from the start.

Still though, even with their support, with their constant reassurance, Minjeong couldn't help but doubt that Jimin reciprocated the undeniable attraction.

Why would she be flirting with Aeri then??

That was supposed to be a thought. But it wasn't. Minjeong blurted it out before she could stop herself.

"You can't seriously think that's flirting" Yunjin deadpanned, pointing out the barrier between Aeri and Jimin that kept them at just a friendly relationship.

Wonyoung sided with Yunjin, adding to their argument "Aeri wouldn't cheat on Yizhuo right in front of her eyes anyways. Like, her girlfriend's right there. I'm sure Yizhuo would stop them if they were doing serious flirting." 

Minjeong huffed, her eyebrows furrowing in frustration "Yeah, but—"

"You're just jealous and it's blinding you in the worst way." Wonyoung pointed out and suddenly Minjeong went silent, her ear tips red.

Yunjin laughed out loud, covering her mouth and turning away just so she wasn't shoving more embarrassment up Minjeong's ass.

"Okay fine! I'm jealous, yeah. I can't be blamed though! She literally kissed me without any signs of protest and now she's ignoring me!"

"Have you tried communicating? Maybe apologize or something? And maybe stop kissing people when you can't figure your feelings out?" Yunjin advised between laughs, wiping her tears of laughter.

"I... I'll talk to her later. And I do not kiss her every time I'm confused about my feelings!" Minjeong defended which only made both Wonyoung and Yunjin give her the look.

"Mhm. We'll see that today when you talk to her properly. Right?" Wonyoung hummed expectantly.

"Yeah, I'll talk to her properly."

Wonyoung then continued, just to make sure "And you won't... go and mess everything up again? Like, kissing her for no reason again? Maybe she wants to go slow with things once you two establish something. Something real and intimate."

"No, I won't mess up this time. I hope. I'll, uh, communicate about my feelings. Right."

"You don't really sound convincing" Wonyoung snorted and elbowed Minjeong

"I do sound convincing!"

"Sureeee" Yunjin laughed, causing all three of them to erupt into laughter.

Minjeong enjoyed this atmosphere they had. It made her realize she was stressing herself for absolutely no reason at all.

Now, she spent her time watching Jimin closely. Was what Yunjin said earlier really true? Was Jimin staring at her that much?

Minjeong saw Jimin glance her way a few times but instantly find something more interesting to look at instead of Minjeong.

It did make Minjeong a bit irritated. It's like whoever was up there controlling the earth made sure Minjeong kept getting vexed by Jimin.

The obvious attraction between them didn't fly by Minjeong's head. She knew it was there but it just... wasn't satisfying when Jimin avoided her.

Also, Minjeong noticed that annoying tank top over Jimin's bikini. Call her a pervert but Minjeong thought she deserved to see the sight without that frustrating fabric covering everything.

"Can't she just go into the pool already??"

"Huh? What's that?" Wonyoung and Yunjin both seemed surprised at Minjeong's sudden grumble. Only then Minjeong realized she said that out loud.

Minjeong's face turned red "That wasn't supposed to leave my mouth."

Yunjin laughed loudly this time and leaned against Minjeong. Most people didn't pay attention, but Jimin finally did. Minjeong quickly tried to catch her eyes but no, Jimin looked away again.

"You're thirsting over her too, how adorable!" Yunjin managed to get out, wiping her eyes once more.

"Shut up! I have the right to do what I want."

"And you still won't go over and talk to her—"

"SHUSH"

❅❆❅

Jimin found herself only sitting on one of the steps in the pool. The water went up to her knees, but she was only sitting there because Aeri and Yizhuo decided to get in and do whatever couples did together, while Jimin got left with Sua... and some rich dude named Jeno who decided to join them. Jimin could tell this wasn't gonna go well already, he's been eyeing her all day already.

Sua was talking to him and actually enjoying the conversation, while Jimin only half-assed her responses and basically didn't pay attention. Not that she was rude for no reason. There was a reason (she was only interested in Minjeong).

Though, of course, Sua just had to leave Jimin alone because she apparently had to get going and go home. Jimin dreaded what would come next. But she wouldn't keep Sua here forever.

Then, silence between Jimin and Jeno. Only sitting next to each other with way too much space between them and the sound of distant conversations from others.

"So... I never really caught your name. I should know who this beautiful woman is that I'm talking to."

OH MY GOOOO—

"It's Karina. You're Jeno, right?" Jimin tried not to be too mean now that she was alone with him.

"Yeah, that's right." Jeno smiled at Jimin and scooted a little closer.

"I haven't seen you around before during Minjeong's little parties. You one of her new friends? I really need to ask her how she always finds the attractive women" Jeno laughed but Jimin really could've died right there. Could he be any more cringe??

"I'm not really that much of her friend, I just work here as a maid."

"Awh, that sucks, I was hoping we could've hung out together another time, just us."

"Are you asking for a date?"

"Would you say yes?"

"I don't know, Jeno. We don't really know each other yet. Plus, I have a busy schedule"

Jeno sighed but nodded "I understand. But I don't think I'm giving up on you just yet. I think we'll definitely see each other again at another one of these social gatherings."

"Do you get invited often?" Jimin raised her eyebrow

"I do actually. I'm close friends with Daeseong and since Minjeong's his wife I got to be friends with her too."

"Uh huh... interesting." Jimin replied. She did say interesting, but it was definitely quite the opposite for her.

"Say, how old are you?" Jeno questioned, leaning his arm behind Jimin. He was wayy too close now, his arm was almost around Jimin's back.

"I'm 26" Jimin tried to lean away from Jeno but it wasn't really working.

"Oh really? Me too! When's your birthday? Mine's April 23rd."

"Mine's on April 11th so... I'm older."

Jeno seemed even more interested at that, but Jimin quickly shut down anything he wanted to say "You know, Jeno, I'm not really feeling the chemistry between us. I don't think this is gonna work."

"Awh, come on, don't be like that! I'm sure that'll change when we get closer." Jeno then dared to touch Jimin's waist. Jimin froze and was about to say something when suddenly:

"She said no." A voice from behind them both spoke, and Jimin looked back to see that it was... Jang Wonyoung? A real life saver for sure.

Jeno huffed and backed off. Jimin looked very very grateful for Wonyoung's interruption.

"What're you waiting for, Karina? C'mon, let's go get some drinks!" Wonyoung prompted and held out her hand. An opportunity to escape!

Jimin grabbed her hand and quickly got out of the pool, following Wonyoung to the drinks bar.

"Oh my God, thank you so mu—"

"No no, don't thank me. I've encountered this exact situation many times. His first target was Minjeong so I'm experienced."

"Still, I'm grateful for it. I didn't know how to leave the situation."

Wonyoung chuckled and nodded, grabbing herself a drink "Do you want anything?"

"Oh, Fanta's fine."

Wonyoung nodded and passed Jimin a bottle. They were gonna return into a casual conversation again, but then Minjeong showed up behind them this time.

"Was Jeno flirting again?" Minjeong rasped. She was definitely mad at something and whatever it was, Jimin wanted it to keep making Minjeong angry because why was she so hot when she was mad??

Jimin snapped out of her thoughts when Wonyoung looked at her. Jimin nodded "Yeah... He was flirting."

Minjeong's fists clenched a little but she didn't make her anger obvious. "I'll cut ties with him already. He'll never stop."

Minjeong cleared her throat a little awkwardly when she felt Jimin staring her down again. Yes, she wanted this and she has been doing everything in her power to make Jimin stare at her. But it was still an unfamiliar feeling when it happened up close.

Jimin really couldn't rip her eyes away this time. Minjeong's body was damp with the pool water, the tips of her hair a little wet (wet just like Jimin... haha...).

Jimin really really wanted to lick those droplets of water off of those abs—wait what—

"U-Uhm, Mrs. Kim, I was wonderi—...never mind" Jimin mumbled as Minjeong was already leaving with Wonyoung. Her voice was so weak around Minjeong lately and so were her knees.

She felt the urge to follow Minjeong like a lost puppy to talk seriously, finally, but her confidence died down since, well, Minjeong already disappeared just like that.

"I'm so down bad..." Jimin mumbled to herself. And of course someone appeared beside her again! Oh my lord why would no one leave this woman alone??

This time it was Yunjin. Wow, Jimin really was socializing with everyone today.

Yunjin wrapped her arm around Jimin's shoulders and watched Minjeong and Wonyoung walk away.

"So, you're the simping maid everyone keeps talking about. I was wondering when I'd get to talk to you one on one! Hope I'm not bothering ya?"

"Not really. It's fine, I've already prepared for this much social interaction anyways."

"Good! Because I'm here to play cupid even though I'm horrible at it!"

"Oh no no, it's fine! You don't need to take care of my love matters, we barely even—"

"Shush, hopeless romantic. The pro is talking."

Jimin cleared her throat and let Yunjin talk.

"You know what you're gonna do?"

"What?"

"In a second, when Minjeong is sitting at the pool again, you will go sit only a few meters away from her, and you will sit there and put on your best seductress act until she moves and finally talks to you."

"And take this off too." Yunjin gestured at the tank top.

What a horrible plan.

Jimin only laughed and shook her head "That's not gonna work. She's been avoiding me for a week now."

"Wait what. I heard you're the avoidant one??"

"Maybe we both are...?"

Yunjin sighed and shook her head "All of you are hopeless... Alright, then, later, when the sun is setting and everyone is gone, I will force you and Minjeong to talk whatever is going on out, alone, in peace. Then there's gonna be absolutely no one who can interrupt you!"

"Are you sure that will work?"

"Nope."

So, the waiting game is on. Jimin really hoped the time would go by faster. She really really wanted to talk it out with Minjeong, finally.

Haerin and Hyein also got led inside by Daeseong, since they were tired and bored, so the alcoholic beverages finally appeared at the bar and people were loosening up more, having more fun and talking more and more.

Jimin didn't drink much. Only one bottle of beer together with Ryujin and Yeji, then she went back to watching Minjeong who was sitting across of her again.

Minjeong didn't have any alcohol, only the normal drinks. Seems like she didn't want a repeat of what happened at Jackson Wang's party.

The wait was getting so tiring. Jimin was just sitting there, zoning out and waiting and waiting and waiting and...

Until, she finally saw the first batch of people leaving. Yes! Now only the next few groups, and next and so on.

Finally! 

In a few more minutes, the party wrapped up. The only people left were Minjeong herself, Yunjin, Wonyoung, Seulgi, Joohyun, a few more people living at the estate that Jimin didn't recognize and a few of the housekeepers.

Yunjin and Wonyoung were keeping Minjeong busy while the others were still talking and cleaning the bar up. They were doing a really good job at distracting the mistress because she wasn't really itching to move inside.

The cleaning finished and the rest of the housekeepers left. Not Jimin though. She "got pulled into a quick conversation" by Seulgi and Joohyun to keep her behind, but soon she noticed Yunjin and Wonyoung were gone and Seulgi and Joohyun started leaving too.

And once she looked to the side, there was the woman Jimin hasn't talked to in days, staring right at her, unsure if she should make the move. But she didn't. For once, Jimin approached Minjeong with a small blush dusting her cheeks.

"Mrs. Kim..."

"Considering the situation you don't need to keep calling me by my surname" Minjeong tried to lighten the mood, laughing softly. Jimin also chuckled, awkwardly, but nonetheless it was a laugh!

"Minjeong...?" Jimin tested the name out on her tongue "It... It feels weird calling you by your first name."

"It's fine, you don't need to."

"No no, I wanna try if you tell me to."

"Just don't let the others catch you doing it." Minjeong warned playfully, which Jimin quickly shook her head to.

Great, a conversation was forming! Now, if only they just... addressed the elephant in the room—

"You know, I should apologize." Minjeong started, being the braver of the two. Jimin thanked the lord her awkward ass didn't need to start the uncomfortable topic.

"For last week...?"

"Yeah, that. I shouldn't have just kissed you like that. God, I didn't even ask for consent or anything like that I just kissed you."

"It's fine, I'm not offended you did that or anything" actually, I'm pretty honored, Jimin would absolutely love to say, but that wasn't appropriate right now.

"I'm really glad you aren't, for a second there I thought you were. It got pretty awkward the past week and I didn't know if it was because you were mad or..."

"I wasn't, really. Don't worry about it!"

Minjeong only smiled a little and nodded "Still, I don't know what got into me. I wanted to talk it out but I ended up kissing you... again." Minjeong laughed at herself but took notice of how Jimin's gaze fluttered down to her lips for just a second.

Jimin also laughed along, brushing Minjeong's worry off "Hey, mistakes happen. I get it."

Minjeong nodded and gestured over to the pool after a moment of silence "C'mon, let's go sit down and talk a bit more. I've barely gotten to know you, and I don't want you to feel like I'm some, I don't know, strict mistress."

"I already know that, but sure! I'd love to talk a bit."

Minjeong led them both over to sit at the edge of the pool, not dipping their feet in, just sitting there and watching the beautiful sight of the evening sky above the land.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself today? It wasn't really anything special, but, I figured you guys also needed a day off for once."

"Yeah, I did enjoy myself. It was nice to bask in the sun and all."

"You know, I didn't really see you entering the pool even once. Not the pool type of person?"

Jimin shook her head a little "No, not really. When I first heard there's a pool party happening I considered not going, because I knew I wouldn't go into the water in the first place."

"But you're wearing such a pretty bikini under your top? Did you wear it just for the occasion?" Minjeong bit her lip when Jimin looked away, taking the chance to take a closer look at Jimin up close.

"Oh, just... Ryujin lent it to me, said I should wear it. I didn't really feel comfortable exposing that much skin if I wasn't gonna swim though so I wore the tank top over it and all." Jimin cleared her throat, a blush already appearing on her cheeks.

"Ah, I see... Any reason you didn't wanna swim?"

"Just didn't feel like getting in, that's all."

"Oh come onnn," Minjeong coaxed "the water's nice, especially since it's hot today. Won't you come in at least now?"

"Are you gonna force me to?" Jimin raised an eyebrow at the older woman.

Minjeong narrowed her eyes and mumbled an unconvincing "Noooo..."

Jimin just laughed and reached down to start peeling off her tank top. Seems like Minjeong's plan worked!

Minjeong covered the fact she was staring at Jimin's torso the whole time by moving to the edge of the pool and slowly lowering herself into it, but her eyes didn't give up.

She just couldn't look away. Jimin's abdomen looked delicious. Not in a weird way. In a very sexual way, instead. The scenarios going through Minjeong's head were proof.

Minjeong could already imagine trailing her lips down that patch of skin-

Jimin followed Minjeong into the pool and shivered at the temperature of the water. It was almost freezing!

"Why's it so cold??"

"Don't be a baby! It's fine, you'll get used to it."

Jimin nodded but she still seemed unconvinced by Minjeong's words.

"It's relaxing, right?"

"I'm freezing my legs off—"

Minjeong laughed and splashed Jimin in the face "You're exaggerating!"

"HEY—" Jimin splashed Minjeong back, but the latter was fast enough to move out of the way and avoid the water coming at her.

"Get back here!" 

And so, their mini-chase started. Jimin tried splashing Minjeong again and again, while Minjeong took that as a sign to fight back and stop "running" away.

"Stop splashing me!"

"You started it!"

"I command you to stop!"

"Nope, never!"

Jimin started splashing harder and harder, so much that she started to lose her footing and fell backwards under the water.

Minjeong laughed out loud but swam closer anyways to help Jimin ground herself again.

Minjeong wrapped her arms around Jimin's waist to get her out of the deeper part of the pool.

"Are you okay?" Minjeong asked, her hands lingering on Jimin's waist as the woman stood after regaining her composure. Now, they could properly stand and the water was only up to their thighs.

Jimin nodded to brush the woman's concern off "Yeah, I'm alright. Just a little startled."

Minjeong hummed and stayed close for a second longer than she should've. God, did Jimin always look this kissable?

"Mrs. Ki— I-I mean, Minjeong...?" Jimin asked, the hands on her waist starting to make her quite a bit nervous.

"Mhm?"

"Are you gonna let go, or...?"

"Oh! Right, haha, sorry, I didn't mean to hold on for that long." Minjeong finally removed her hands, straightening up.

"Maybe I should be the one asking if you're okay." Jimin joked, watching the way Minjeong shifted, now nervously.

"I just..." alright, Minjeong, communicate about your feelings, it's fine! "I just really keep wanting to kiss you again." NOOOOOO NOT LIKE THAT—

Jimin was definitely stunned, her eyes wide. In fact, she froze for a few seconds, this time not because of the temperature of the pool water.

"Y-You do?" 

"Yeah..."

Jimin reached out and pulled Minjeong in by the back of her head, pressing a short but addicting kiss to Minjeong's lips.

After a few seconds, Jimin pulled back "How was th- mh!"

A quiet squeak left her lips when Minjeong pulled her in properly to kiss again. She reached out hesitantly and wrapped her arms around Minjeong's neck.

Was this it? Were they finally gonna realize what they both desperately want?

Minjeong parted for just a second to reposition her head and kissed Jimin again to kiss her deeper, the way she had been craving all this time.

Jimin pressed herself closer, wanting—no, needing—to feel Minjeong's body closer.

Minjeong responded by reaching down to hold onto Jimin's butt, having no shame in her actions at all. At least, not in the moment.

The couple completely erased the world around them with their lips locked. Only important thing right now was to feel each other, to fulfill their desires that were bothering them for God knows how long.

Both of them started to move and maneuver their way to the side of the pool. It seems like Minjeong noticed the signals and lifted Jimin up so she could sit on the edge comfortably while they kissed.

Minjeong could only think of how long she has been deprived of another woman's touch like this. It's like Jimin was a blessing in disguise, Minjeong's chance to relive what it felt like to be desired by another.

They soon got more and more intimate, Minjeong's tongue prying open Jimin's lips and holy mother of fuck, Jimin let out the most addicting sound Minjeong has heard in a while.

To spice things up a little and not make it boring, Minjeong alternated between Jimin's mouth and neck, scattering them everywhere. From Jimin's throat, to the crook of her neck and more. Minjeong especially stayed attached to the spot right under Jimin's ear, teasing it with flicks of her tongue too. Because, that spot made Jimin let out those adorable moans more often.

No no no, this couldn't be real, this had to be another wet dream Jimin was living in.

But it was real. That's the thing that made Jimin kind of scared to stop and live through what happens next.

Minjeong let out a moan of her own, moving back up to Jimin's lips. The kiss wasn't just a simple dance of lips and tongue anymore. Minjeong kissed Jimin in a way that showed Jimin just how much Minjeong has been wanting this moment.

The press of their bodies against each other distracted them from everything else around them. God, pool be damned, they had more important stuff to do.

Both of them were getting reallyyy heated real quick. Minjeong's legs even got a bit cold in the water again, due to her body heat quickly going up.

Jimin's moans and cute noises weren't helping Minjeong's situation at all. They were only spurring her on more, kissing with more desperation.

"M-Minjeong— you—" Jimin whimpered between kisses, confusing Minjeong a little.

That's when she realized exactly what she was doing. With a quick, distracted peek downwards, she seemed to realize exactly where she was pressing her leg between Jimin's thighs. Her thoughts spiraled immediately.

'Oh God I'm not built for this—'

Minjeong's nervousness got the best of her and she pulled away, suddenly getting all self-conscious and shy after realizing what was going on that made Jimin so, ehem, vocal "I— uh,"

Minjeong put space between both of their bodies "Sorry, wow, that- I really have to stop kissing you, I shouldn't keep doing that—"

"You know what, I'll just shut up, sorry. I'm gonna head back inside."

"Minjeong wait—" Jimin's protest was weak over the sight of seeing Minjeong quickly rush to leave after literally making out with Jimin.

This push and pull seriously had to stop! It wasn't fair to either of the two. Especially now, since there's no way Jimin will be able to forget the feeling of Minjeong's lips, Minjeong's tongue, her body pressing against every right spot that made Jimin so weak.

Jimin just decided she should go back to her room and settle down, try her best to appear normal and all. Maybe it'd help her forget what just happened.

But right as she got up and walked away from the pool, she heard a few whispers before she was suddenly getting attacked by two water guns—

—being yielded by Haerin and Hyein...

"ATTACK HER! SHE WAS KISSING OUR MOMMY!" Haerin yelled, making sure to get Jimin in the face

Hyein, on the other hand was completely missing 90% of the time and only once hit Jimin's torso.

"S-Stop! Hold on what—?!"

"WE WILL ONLY STOP IF YOU EXPLAIN YOURSELF!" Haerin, again, yelled. So this was serious to them...

"Stop shooting me so I can talk!"

"FINE"

The streams of water stopped, surprisingly. Jimin sighed in relief and held her hands up in defense "S-So, you saw all that just now...?"

"Yes..." Haerin and Hyein both stared at her, eyes narrowed and filled with suspicion.

"Uhm... You know! It was just, uh..."

"You were kissing mommy! That's not allowed! Mommy is ours not yours!"

"Wh- guys, that's not the same for me and for you both."

"You steal her attention!" Hyein pouted at Jimin

Haerin nodded in agreement and continued "Are you dating our mommy?!"

"I'm not!"

"THEN WHY WERE YOU TWO KISSING!!"

"Uhhh, we're figuring things out! Yup, that's all!"

Hyein whined "But you already gave her cooties..."

"Okay, look, you guys will know what's happening once things are figured out, for now, I will give you two candy tomorrow if you don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Candy!" Both girls instantly cheered and nodded, running back inside the house.

Jimin let out a breath of relief and left quickly, not wanting to catch any more unwanted attention.

"I'm never gonna survive this family..."

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

Days passed after the pool party on Saturday. Jimin, again, hasn't told absolutely anyone about the happenings that evening after everyone left. She didn't need to tell them, right?

Even if they wanted to help, Jimin could figure some stuff out on her own. Besides, she bet Minjeong would go back to normal around her, as if nothing ever happened. As if all that sexual tension just didn't ever exist.

It hurt, a little. Was Minjeong not attracted to Jimin? But then why was she all up in her space, kissing her? It wasn't an accident, definitely not. So what made Minjeong back off so suddenly??

And now, here they were, both in Minjeong's bedroom. 

Minjeong caught a cold after Saturday. No one had an idea where she got it from, because everyone she invited was completely healthy, but she was sick anyways so that's that.

Jimin brought in a tray with chicken broth, made by the trusty chefs Minjeong hired for the family. Also, she brought in Minjeong's medicine and the thermometer, since Minjeong's temperature hasn't been checked at all today.

Minjeong seemed really tired and heavily affected by the cold. Usually she'd be up and about by 9am, but now it was 11am and Minjeong was still in bed, looking absolutely tired out.

Jimin offered a friendly smile and set the tray down on a nearby table "It's just food and medication, don't worry."

"Thanks for bringing it in again Karina..." Minjeong smiled back a little, her voice way more hoarse than the day before.

First Jimin grabbed the oral thermometer and approached Minjeong. The older woman knew what to do and opened her mouth, letting Jimin position the thermometer without any resistance.

"Keep that there please, you know the drill." Jimin turned and unpacked Minjeong's medicine. It was just the standard cough syrup, though Jimin still read the package insert just to make sure she poured the right amount into the small cup, so it's already prepared for Minjeong to drink after she finished her food.

"38.2°C" Minjeong said as Jimin was distracted, having removed the thermometer after about 20 seconds.

"Do you want me to bring you an ice pack for your fever?"

"No it's okay."

Jimin nodded and took the bowl of soup and spoon, bringing it over to Minjeong. Though, Minjeong didn't move to sit up.

"I don't wanna eat.."

"Mrs. Kim, you have to. Or else you won't get healthy quickly and you'll be stuck like this for longer than a week. Unless that's what you want?"

"Not really..." Minjeong mumbled and sat up just a little bit. "But I'm just no hun—"

Jimin silenced Minjeong by bringing a spoon of the broth to Minjeong's mouth and sticking it in, somehow. Minjeong blushed and let Jimin feed her. She felt like a child all over again, after a long time.

"It's tasty, right?"

"Mhm.." Minjeong responded, while realizing that maybe, just maybe, she didn't mind being taken care of like this for once. It was always her worrying her ass off about others. But now it was the exact opposite and honestly she loved it.

"Are you gonna eat by yourself or am I your personal feeder?"

"I like option number tw—mphh—" Jimin shushed Minjeong by stuffing another spoon into her mouth.

"Shh, eat, child." Jimin laughed at her own joke and Minjeong only rolled her eyes playfully.

"I'm older than you!"

"Doesn't mean you don't need to eat something."

Minjeong gave up quickly. There was no arguing when it came to Jimin now that Minjeong was sick. Thankfully. Otherwise Minjeong would not be taking care of herself properly.

After more and more spoons, Minjeong finally finished the whole broth. Damn, that disappeared quickly, Minjeong thought.

Jimin got up and put the bowl away. Now came the worse part. That bitter, herbal cough syrup that tasted more like grass than grass itself did.

"Do we not have any other medication??" Minjeong complained, staring at the small cup in Jimin's hand.

"No, unfortunately we don't. Drink up."

Minjeong was really, really whiney when she was sick, that much Jimin could tell after only two days of Minjeong's cold.

It's not like Jimin minded that... it was cute, seeing such a proper woman letting everything be done for her. The only uncomfortable part was knowing that Jimin could also get sick by being near Minjeong.

She didn't care too much though. Minjeong's health was Jimin's priority.

"Maybe I shouldn't've hosted a pool party... Wouldn't have gotten sick..." Minjeong grumbled, throwing her head back together with the cough syrup to drink it down as fast as possible. It was way too bitter! The first time she drank it she thought someone dumped licorice into a blender and put it into the syrup.

Ah, pool party, right... Jimin casted her gaze downwards and felt the heat creeping up her cheeks. Everything that happened was still stuck in her head. She remembered everything so vividly yet the memory seemed so distant. Maybe it was because of Minjeong's actions right after that made everything about it feel so strange.

Minjeong noticed Jimin's reaction and blushed too. Well, it wasn't really visible on her face. Her face was already red from the fever. She wouldn't dare speak about it for a second time, though. What happened on that day stayed undiscussed, for better or for worse.

"I... uhm, I'll get going now, Mrs. Kim."

"How much work do you have?" Minjeong stopped Jimin from leaving for just a bit longer.

"Oh... not much. I'm just gonna go clean your daughter's rooms and I'm done until further requests come from anyone."

'Then... Can you come back here after that? I would like some company. O-Or just anyone is fine, you don't need to come here."

Jimin paused, biting her lip. For a second she hesitated. The last few times she was left alone with Minjeong for a minute too long things always went wrong. Although... Maybe Jimin should just give it another chance? Also, Minjeong is sick and tired. It's not really ideal for her situation to try too hard to initiate anything again.

But on the other hand...

"I'll let someone know you're in need of company." 

Minjeong only sighed quietly and nodded. It wasn't like she didn't expect this. It was very clear to her Jimin wouldn't be the most comfortable. But it didn't mean she wasn't pretty disappointed by it...

All the daydreaming that's been happening on her side was showing her a possibility that Jimin maybe would've wanted to stay and they'd finally clear everything up and talk about what they were feeling. But those day dreams were accustomed to her preference. They weren't realistic, obviously.

She just wished that quiet, peaceful day spent with Jimin she's been dreaming of over and over every night would come true. Maybe one day, but definitely not today. For now... she just had to hope, right?

If only Minjeong would've just had the balls that day and fessed up about her feelings, maybe then she wouldn't be laying here, in bed with her small frown because she knew she messed up, badly.

In the middle of wiping her nose for the nth time with a tissue, she heard banging on her window. How the hell—

Minjeong didn't think Yunjin was this crazy. She probably shouldn't have doubted the woman though. BECAUSE WHY THE HELL IS SHE ON MINJEONG'S BALCONY OUT OF NOWEHRE??

After a few seconds of struggling to get her tired body out of bed, Minjeong opened the balcony door and stared at Yunjin in bewilderment.

"You have 10 seconds to explain how and why you're here."

"Wait! No don't do that please I really really wanted to visit you because I have nothing to do and I'm bored and I'm not supposed to be here on Wednesdays without letting security know first so I climbed up here using the ladder from the shed—"

"And what is stopping me from shutting this door right in your face?"

"Because you love me?"

Minjeong snorted and let Yunjin in, even if her appearance was quite the surprise. Oh well, this wasn't the first time Yunjin proved to everyone that she was insane.

The woman didn't waste any time, laying herself back down in bed because she was too lazy and too tired to stand.

"So why are you here again?" Minjeong questioned, reaching for another tissue to clear her nose.

"Because I'm bored. And you never told me nor Wony what happened after we all left the party!"

"I got sick, that's what happened." Minjeong snorted, her voice full of sarcasm, already sick of being sick.

"Oh come on, everyone knows something happened. I walked by your pretty lil' maid and I saw a tiny red spot right on her neck~"

Minjeong's eyes bulged as she choked on her spit. She left a mark? Just how sensitive was Jimin's skin that even simple kisses left something on her neck?

Better yet, how didn't she see anything on Jimin's neck earlier?

"I— well go ask her about it then! That wasn't me."

"Psh, boring. She'll go all red and black out if I ask her. Besides, she's not you, teasing you is way more fun because I never get to do it."

"You... You're acting as if I don't have anything to tease you about either. Can't you just let me rest? I'm sick."

"That's the thing, Minjeongie. I can't!"

Minjeong only rolled her eyes and sat up to look at Yunjin properly.

"Yunjin, get out of here, seriously. I don't know, go flirt with my lady's maid for all I care."

"I do not—"

"You do."

Yunjin slumped in defeat and walked out of Minjeong's room. This time through the door, like a normal person. Not through the balcony...

And just as Minjeong assumed Yunjin would, the woman looked specifically for Chaewon.

BUT,

not to flirt with Chaewon this time. Instead, she was here to get Chaewon involved with her little game of cupid. Without revealing too much obviously!

"Chaewon-ssi!~" Yunjin called once she saw the woman in one of the hallways, carrying two bags filled with something Yunjin couldn't recognize.

Chaewon didn't turn around. She even sped up her steps and pretended not to hear Yunjin.

"Heyyy! Don't ignore me! I'm not gonna try to get in your pants this time I swear!"

"Really?" Chaewon turned instantly with genuine surprise. That was her first mistake: trusting Yunjin.

"Yes, really. I just have a smallll, teeny tiny favor."

"You don't sound reassuring."

Yunjin huffed "Why does everyone hate me around here?"

"Why do you keep showing up unannounced flirting your ass off?"

Yunjin narrowed her eyes at Chaewon "Why do you have a point that actually makes sense?"

"Okay stop beating around the bush!" Chaewon raised her eyebrow expectantly, waiting for Yunjin to spill whatever was on her mind. The foot tapping coming from Chaewon made Yunjin clear her throat and nod.

"Right. I'm gonna need you to quit your job."

It was definitely blunt. Yunjin really just dropped a huge bombshell on Chaewon and called it a small favor.

While Chaewon did consider it for a second, she had to make sure she heard Yunjin correctly first.

"What??"

Yunjin gulped, knowing she had motives for this sudden decision that she couldn't really just tell Chaewon. So, instead, she stuck to shitty excuses.

"Oh come on just imagine it! I could give you everything you want!"

"So you're just trying to bribe me to live with you?"

"Yes."

Chaewon sighed and set the bags down (her arms were hurting already), taking a moment before looking up at Yunjin, seriously this time.

"I can't just... quit. I like being here and I can't just... leave everyone I know here."

"You don't have to leave completely. I literally live right—"

"—right next to no one, you're at least a kilometer away from Mrs. Kim's house."

"Yes, but you're not getting it. You could still visit here, you could have freedom, we wouldn't have to hide us anymore and.. and, uhm, you remember when you used to say your dream was to sing on stage and make music for people who could relate??" Yunjin's pace was quick with her words, showing that even if there was another reason she did wish she and Chaewon could live freely.

Yunjin then continued "I could make all of it happen for you, Chaewon. Just say the word and I'll reach out to anyone—everyone I know!"

Chaewon sighed and avoided Yunjin's gaze, feeling a bit more nervous now.

Truly, she didn't know what to say. She loved her current job, and imagining the things Yunjin said was... scary. She never saw her future like that and she felt like it was a bit too late...

"I don't think we should rush things that fast. I'm sorry, Yunjin."

"It's fine!" Yunjin blurted out. It's not like she didn't expect to get rejected, she was just running out of valid arguments.

"Then, what about stepping down from lady's maid and just.. being a normal maid? You know, then you'd—"

"Cut the crap, Yunjin. There's more to it than just us. What is it? Or do I have to force it out of you?"

Yunjin quickly shook her head, gulping once she heard Chaewon's 'no bullshit' tone.

"Just, uhhh... You know I thrive for being a matchmaker?"

"Yes?"

"And you know what everyone says about Karina?"

"Yes?"

"Well I'm doing this thing where I'm trying to push Karina and Minjeong together as much as possible so they could get closer and maybe form a potential relationship and to do that I need Karina to be around Minjeong 24/7, AKA, to be her lady's maid instead."

"Couldn't you just have said that...?"

"No..."

Chaewon sighed and placed her hands on her hips, staying silent for a moment.

Sure, there were some things in her favor if she decided to go back to being just a normal maid. But still, Chaewon hesitated.

"I..." Chaewon paused "I'll think about it."

Yunjin pumped her fist in the air in victory.

"BOOYAHHH!"

❅❆❅

Jimin, meanwhile, got surprised by a spontaneous visit from Aeri, the excuse being: "We didn't talk business on Saturday."

Though, it would have been better if Aeri would've let Jimin know first, or just anyone in the household in general. You know, just another checkup on the maid she transferred to Minjeong, totally normal visit.

Speaking of normal visit—Aeri was not expecting Haerin and Hyein to be attached to both of Jimin's legs, refusing to let go. The girls have gotten hyper around Jimin ever since they witnessed their mommy kissing the maid. They were either clinging to her legs or forcing Jimin to play with them.

Aeri tried—she really did—not to laugh. It was just amusing to see Jimin being forced to sit on the floor, back against an armchair as two tiny girls were smearing their mother's makeup in her face.

They were so happy about their artwork, even if it was looking horrible.

"Wow... that looks..." Aeri held back a snort, hiding her grin behind her hand.

"MISS KARINA LOOKS AMAZING!" Hyein squealed and jumped onto Jimin's lap, hugging the woman.

"YESSS!" Haerin followed, also hugging a tired out Jimin.

Jimin just made an unidentified noise and wrapped her arms around both of the girls.

"We need to paint Auntie Aeri next.." Jimin heard Hyein whisper to Haerin, just quiet enough for Aeri not to catch it.

"So! Ji— I mean— Karina! How's it going with..." Aeri trailed off, very obviously hinting at Minjeong.

Haerin and Hyein weren't dumb. They knew everything that was going on.

Haerin turned her body slightly to look at Aeri "Miss Karina and mommy were kissing—"

"A kitty!" Jimin piped up. Her reflexes were crazy. Well, that was to be expected after years of dealing with Yizhuo's loose mouth. "We found a cute kitten roaming the estate after everyone left, and we couldn't help ourselves. It was a very adorable cat."

Aeri's eyes widened in surprise. The good kind, definitely, but either way even she didn't expect to hear what Haerin just revealed.

"Rightt... you were kissing a cat." Aeri was on the verge of laughing again.

"Is that right, Haerin?"

"NOOO! Mommy kissed Miss Karina in the pool!"

Aeri finally let herself laugh, hearing Jimin's groan of embarrassment. That was not supposed to get exposed so quickly. Especially since Jimin already bribed Haerin and Hyein with candy!

"That's, uhm..." Jimin muttered, unable to find any kind of excuse. What was she supposed to say? Minjeong had her damn tongue down her throat, the kids saw what they saw.

"And how was that for you, Karina?" Aeri teased, watching her friend avoid everyone's eyes "Did you like it? Was Minjeong a good kisser? Did you do anything else??"

"No! I, uh, well—" Jimin cleared her throat and shook her head "We just kissed, okay??"

Perhaps a little more than just a tiny kiss but Aeri didn't have to know the details.

"Does that mean you two are...?" Aeri coaxed, crossing her arms expectantly and leaning back against the soft cushions of the sofa.

"It's nothing like that. She doesn't want that...? I think...? God, I don't even know what we are" Jimin sobbed—not actually, just an overdramatic act.

Haerin shrugged "I wouldn't mind if Miss Karina becomes mommy number two but only if mommy give us more attention!"

Hyein nodded vigorously, along with Haerin's words "Yes! And mommy Rina can give us attention too! And candy!"

"Woah woah woah, pause, don't call me that, I'm not ready for that yet." Jimin tried to calm the girls down. Surprisingly they listened and gave her the innocent puppy-eyed look. All that innocence on their faces and Jimin knew damn well they wouldn't listen anyways.

"Why not? I mean, it comes with dating Minjeong, you know?" Aeri's smug expression was so annoying to Jimin. If only she wasn't completely powerless in this situation...

"Once again, we're not dating. It's complicated."

"Oh, I have time. And I bet Haerin and Hyein also wanna hear about it."

Haerin and Hyein did look up at Jimin expectantly. Jimin just sighed and shook her head "Not happening. I already let these gremlins put Mrs. Kim's makeup all over my face. And I don't really want double-scolding once she's not sick anymore." Jimin shuddered at the mere thought of it. 

No, Minjeong wasn't strict or mean. At least, Jimin has yet to witness it. But surely, if her kids found out more about the situation, she wouldn't react well. Plus, she let the kids "borrow" Minjeong's makeup without permission first. So no, Jimin couldn't risk more trouble.

"It's not like Minjeong would scold you anyways now that you two—"

"Shut it!"

❅❆❅

It was probably past midnight already. The mansion was quiet as hell, not a single soul was up except for Minjeong.

Minjeong really just could not sleep. She has been shifting around in her bed for hours already, coughing her lungs out, trying different positions, counting sheep, trying to fully shut off her brain. But it just wouldn't stop. Her thoughts kept going and going and going.

Thoughts about everything, really. This was a schedule Minjeong was used to. She couldn't remember the last time she fell asleep in peace. 

She should've seen a doctor for her insomnia the second it wasn't going away for a longer time period, but she didn't. Mainly because she didn't expect the doctor to tell her anything useful.

"Have you tried not smoking?" "It's normal for older women." "Are you on your period?"

That was the sad truth about medical treatment for women. Most doctor's Minjeong has been to in her whole life have dismissed her without a care and told her it's just a part of being a woman.

Enough with that, though. Minjeong shifted and got up, weakly, but she still got up. Her steps were slow and light, travelling towards the kitchen downstairs.

She did this regularly. If she couldn't sleep she'd go and make herself some tea and aimlessly look through the medicine cabinet for sleeping pills that were never there in the first place. 

No one knew about her insomnia. She didn't want others to worry for her, it felt... weird.

And then Minjeong paused in the doorway. 

Jimin was in the kitchen, checking the medicine cabinet. What for?

"What're you doing?" Minjeong asked hoarsely, approaching Jimin.

The maid got startled and turned to Minjeong, clearing her throat and keeping her voice down.

"I had a vivid nightmare. You had no medicine and got badly sick. So after I woke up I panicked and came here to make sure the medicine was still here to calm myself."

Minjeong's gaze softened as she looked at the medicine bottle Jimin was holding. Yep, that was literally Minjeong's cough medicine.

"My bad. I just didn't expect you here. It's not like any of the housekeepers are usually awake at this hour." Minjeong attempted to joke, but it fell flat. Jimin only seemed to get a bit worried.

"Then, if I may ask, why are you awake, Mrs. Kim?"

"Oh, nothing, I just woke up randomly and started craving tea." Minjeong lied smoothly. Came from years of experience, eh?

"I could make that for you. You should go and rest, Mrs. Kim. You're sick."

"And you? It's fine for you to be awake and do stuff for me now, because you're not sick?"

"No, but I'd rather have you letting your body rest."

Minjeong chuckled and shook her head. It felt kind of endearing that Jimin was offering to take care of Minjeong without being asked.

"I'm fine, Karina. You're pretty much off-shift now anyways. Go sleep."

"No. Just because I'm off-shift doesn't mean I'll let you strain yourself. You go to sleep, Mrs. Kim."

Minjeong watched Jimin for a moment. This woman was stubborn... In a good way, but stubborn nonetheless.

"Alright then. Have it your way. Black tea, no sugar added. I'll be waiting."

Jimin quickly got to work. She got the kettle ready, put it on the stove, grabbed the tea and waited for the water to boil.

It wasn't anything hard to do, it wouldn't have harmed Minjeong. Jimin just wanted Minjeong to know that she doesn't have to do everything by herself, even if Jimin currently wasn't on maid duty.

A few minutes later Jimin entered Minjeong's bedroom, seeing the woman sit upright on the bed, distracting her mind with a book in her lap.

"Your tea, Mrs. Kim." 

"Just put it on the nightstand, please?"

Jimin nodded and did as Minjeong asked, setting the cup down next to the lamp.

Minjeong watched closely, having more on her mind. Should she stop Jimin? No, right? Jimin probably wanted to go back to sleep. It was 1:57am.

Yet, Minjeong's chest felt too heavy, so she spoke anyways.

"Karina, hold on,"

Jimin paused and turned around, facing Minjeong. She didn't say anything, just waited for Minjeong to speak.

"Do you, uhm... mind staying here? Just for a little bit? I can't fall asleep so easily lately." For months, actually, but Jimin didn't need to know that.

"I don't mind! I can stay and talk for a little bit if that's what you need."

"No, uh, well... I want you to stay beside me while I try to fall asleep. I fall asleep better when I'm not alone."

Jimin just nodded, sitting down next to Minjeong on the bed without a word of protest.

Minjeong was a little surprised, but she didn't complain. The woman just drank her tea and put the book away, getting ready for sleep once again.

Jimin didn't say much, just watching over Minjeong. She didn't know what to say. It was a bit awkward since she was just sitting there. But Jimin was too tired to care.

Minjeong turned to the side, her back facing Jimin to hide her face (which was slowly heating up).

"Good night, Mrs. Kim, sleep well"

"Thank you, good night.."

Both of them stayed like that for a few minutes, silent. Minjeong did start feeling a bit more tired than usual, for some reason. I guess another presence with her really helped.

Jimin fiddled with her fingers, looking over at Minjeong from time to time to make sure everything's fine.

Then, she heard Minjeong mumbling something.

"Rina.."

"Huh?" Jimin perked up at the nickname, staring straight at Minjeong's back. Unfortunately, the woman was unmoving.

"Rina..." Minjeong repeated, still mumbled and barely audible.

Jimin leaned a bit closer to Minjeong "Yeah? What is it?"

"Love you... Karina..." 

Jimin froze, her eyes wide. Did Minjeong just...?

Ah, nope, she was sleep talking. Jimin could see Minjeong's closed eyes through the reflection of the mirror.

Still quite shocking, but it probably meant nothing if Minjeong was sleeping, right? 

Jimin just sighed and settled next to Minjeong again. Sure, the woman was sleeping, but Jimin wanted to make sure that nothing would happen.

And so, Jimin sat there, and waited, looking around the room and observing everything to cure her boredom while occasionally hearing another mumble coming from Minjeong.

Before she could stop herself, Jimin was falling asleep too, right there, beside Minjeong. Well, no one could blame her. It was way too late already and Jimin had nothing to do.

All that was left going on was the full moon shining down on the estate, moving slowly as the night passed.

.

.

.

The morning was way too peaceful for Minjeong's liking. She woke up before her alarm, and no one was knocking on her door to awake her.

It took a good few seconds for Minjeong to realize the pressure on her back. What??

The woman turned her head and felt her heart skipped a beat. Jimin, face pressed between Minjeong's shoulder blades, her hands avoiding Minjeong's body as if too shy to touch the mistress.

Ah, right... Jimin had spent the night making sure Minjeong slept (well). Minjeong felt her heart melting, smiling to herself as she settled back into her former position. She'd let it slide. It felt comforting anyways.

But the movement seemed to startle Jimin, making her blink groggily and let out a small yawn. 

One or two seconds passed before absolute hell broke loose in Jimin's mind. The maid jolted up, startled, blushing, scooting away.

Minjeong turned slightly, her smile wiped off her face (only because she didn't want to show Jimin her soft side).

"Good morning, Karina."

"Uhm- M-Morning, Mrs. Kim."

"I'm just gonna go!" Jimin quickly got up and bolted out of the bedroom. It didn't help that Jimin was late for work. Kind of?

Minjeong finally laughed, but then she started coughing because apparently the virus in her body hated her and laughing made her cough.

"Shitty cold.." Minjeong muttered, sitting up to reach for her water bottle on the nightstand.

"MOMMY!!" Hyein burst into the room out of nowhere, making Minjeong almost choke on her water.

"What??"

"Why were you cuddling with Miss Karina and didn't invite me and Haerin?!"

Minjeong's face heated up. Damn it! Why did they have to be so sneaky? "I wasn't even—"

"YOU WERE!" Haerin appeared beside her and they both charged towards their mother to attack her (correction: tackle her for hugs).

"Okay okay I won't do it again you rascals!"

.

She totally will.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

Jimin hated that Minjeong was so popular amongst other women.

This disliking started over the past week. Minjeong was finally healthy again and she was a lot more eager to spend time with her friends than before.

Also, it wasn't only her friends.

This week was Haerin's first week of school. Surprisingly, Minjeong and Daeseong decided not to homeschool Haerin. They even sent her to a public school instead of a private one.

And with that, Haerin quickly started making friends. She got home very happy and talked so much about a particular girl she got close with. "Danielle", was it?

Minjeong apparently saw an opportunity to find new friends in that.

A play date between Haerin and Danielle meant Minjeong could maybe befriend the parents of Danielle.

And just like that, Jimin and Yeji were watching Minjeong talk with the mom of Danielle in the living room as Haerin, Danielle and Hyein too ran around the whole room.

The two maids were just pretending to be talking about their schedule while really, they were only observing the unfamiliar person, oddly suspicious.

"Mrs. Kim never tries to make friends with new people this easily.." Yeji mumbled, her eyes narrowed.

"Right? It's pretty questionable. She seemed content with Wonyoung and Yunjin being her close friends."

Both women quieted down again. But when they saw Minjeong leaning in infuriatingly close, laughing, brushing her hand against the woman's shoulder, Jimin's blood started to boil.

Yeji patted the other on her back, as if it would calm Jimin down. 

"There there, pup, I'm sure she won't steal your woman."

"Excuse me—??" Jimin scoffed at the nickname, feigning offense.

"What? You're radiating with jealousy right now. Everyone knows you secretly wish that was you right there."

Ugh, why was Yeji always so smart?

Jimin just huffed and crossed her arms, refusing to look at the scene in the living room.

Minjeong, meanwhile, had absolutely no idea how closely she was being watched right now.

She was just enjoying her time making a new friend! Nothing more, nothing less.

She has learned multiple things about Danielle's mom already: Her name is Kazuha, she's a single mother, she comes from Japan, and she works as a lawyer. Quite impressive!

Minjeong has shared a few things about herself too. Not too much, obviously. She didn't want Kazuha to know everything right on the first meet.

Kazuha was actually quite charming, if Minjeong was being honest.

"You know, sending Dani to school, I was so scared she wouldn't find friends. I'm so glad she and Haerin are getting along."

"Right? Me too, I was pretty hesitant about it. I was even considering homeschooling my kids, but in the end I knew it'd be better if they could socialize outside of the family and all."

"God, they're so cute together." Kazuha chuckled, watching the three kids now competing in a drawing competition.

"You know, it's out of the blue, but I'm kind of curious." Kazuha started, eyeing Minjeong's expression.

"What's up?"

"You have a husband, right?"

Minjeong raised an eyebrow but she nodded anyways "Uh, yeah, I do. He's just... busy. He owns a company and he'd rather die than give up on it."

"Ah, I see. Figured. You said you were a stay at home mom and there is no way a stay at home mom could afford such a huge house by herself." 

"My family passed wealth down for generations, actually."

"I can tell." Kazuha paused, before realizing how she sounded "In a good way!"

Both women laughed, Minjeong reassuring Kazuha she wasn't offended.

"Yeji, you don't understand. I have to do something about this! They're basically flirting in the middle of the living room!" Jimin almost whined. She couldn't stand Minjeong getting all friendly with a stranger.

Yeji rolled her eyes "Karina, calm down, she's not gonna—"

Yeji paused when Kazuha leaned in to whisper something to Minjeong, while Minjeong laughed all giddy. Her smile was wider than ever.

"—steal Minjeong from you...?" Yeji finished, now unsure herself.

Okay, this was getting weird. Did Jimin mean nothing now? Were all those shared moments she and Minjeong had forgotten already?

"Oh this means war."

Jimin strode with confidence into the living room, interrupting the women from their moment with an innocent, oblivious look on her face. Just the standard maid look!

"Mrs. Kim, Mrs. ...?"

"It's Miss Nakamura." Kazuha informed, offering a smile that wasn't as wide when talking with Minjeong.

Jimin didn't comment on that but she did make a mental note for herself.

"Right! Mrs. Kim, Miss Nakamura, can I get you anything? Drinks, food, anything?"

"I'm not really hungry. But I'd appreciate some tea." Kazuha spoke.

"Yeah, me too. Could you get some for us, Karina?" Minjeong looked up at Jimin and oh God Jimin felt her knees go weak. 

But she quickly snapped out of it. Not in front of the guest! She couldn't appear weak in front of Kazuha. It was supposed to be the other way around! Minjeong, show your interest in Jimin, God damnit!, Yeji thought from her place as if the message will magically reach Minjeong.

"Of course, right away. What kind of tea?"

"The usual for me, Karina."

"For me green tea, if you have it."

Jimin nodded and moved to the kitchen, Yeji tagging along with her.

Jimin was silent, her head racing with thoughts. What could she do??

"That maid is so gorgeous, wow. I feel like I've seen her somewhere."

"I know, right? She's... God, she's stunning." Minjeong muttered, starting to feel a bit embarrassed so she covered it with a chuckle "I've never really admitted it out loud."

Kazuha noticed Minjeong's embarrassment even if it was subtle. Then, things started... clicking with one another. Ah, I think I get it now.

"You're blushing," Kazuha commented, hiding a small smirk.

"Oh? I am? It's just a little warm in here, you know? It's August, temperature is higher than ever."

"That can't be it, Minjeong-ssi." Kazuha countered "It's only 20°C and you're wearing quite the thin clothes."

Minjeong swallowed thickly, biting her lip. Did Kazuha...

"Are you, perhaps, interested in one of your maids?"

"Kazuha I beg you not to tell anyone—!"

"Woah, hey hey, calm down, who am I supposed to tell? It's none of my business so I wouldn't even dare to interfere."

Minjeong exhaled in relief and nodded "You're right. I just know a few people who would instantly run to anyone just to tell them about the situation."

"Nah, I wouldn't do that." Kazuha reassured, leaning back into the pillow "Maybe I should back off a bit, actually. She seemed pretty irritated when she came over here."

"Who??"

"Your maid. Didn't you see the frustration in her face?"

Minjeong thought back, trying to remember what Jimin's face looked like, but she shook her head "Not really... How did you know?"

"That's my specialty. Being a lawyer all these years makes it pretty easy to see frustration on people's faces since I see them pretty often."

"So you're saying she was bothered because you were getting close to me?"

"Very obviously, yes."

"I'm sure it could've been anything else."

Kazuha laughed, shrugging and scooting back closer to Minjeong "Whatever floats your boat."

Jimin, with her tight ass smile, arrived back with a tray with two cups on it. She set it down on the table, muttering a quiet "you're welcome" once Minjeong thanked her.

She really couldn't be more annoyed by Kazuha right now—

"Mommy Karina! Rate our drawings!"

Hold on, what?!

Haerin did not just say that in front of everyone?? That smug little—

Jimin cleared her throat and approached the three awaiting girls "Please, Haerin, don't call me that. I'm not your mother."

Minjeong was staring wide-eyed at the scene. 

So was Yeji.

And so was Kazuha.

Thank God no one else was around. Or else Jimin might've actually passed out.

"Did she just call Karina mommy..?" Kazuha asked in bewilderment.

Minjeong didn't feel any different. Her jaw went slack and she just stared, no words said.

"I don't—" Minjwong stammered "We— I—"

"I don't know where she got that from, because we aren't even a thing."

"Well maybe your kids can sense she's the right one." Kazuha joked, earning a playful glare from Minjeong.

"I need to know why the hell they're doing that." Minjeong muttered.

❅

The same thing was happening just a few days later.

This time, it wasn't Kazuha, but the overly friendly neighbor, Im Nayeon.

Now, the thing is, Nayeon lives only down the street, on an estate smaller than MInjeong's but the woman still has a high status.

Ryujin warned Jimin about Nayeon multiple times before, because when the woman comes visit Minjeong for a small chat, she ends up coddling the hell out of Minjeong.

And so, Jimin got to have the sight shoved right into her face.

The maid was only taking care of Hyein outside, since Hyein wanted to go into the garden again.

Unfortunately for Jimin, Minjeong was sitting with Nayeon just a few meters away from the garden.

Nayeon seemed to be getting real comfortable with Minjeong in short time, unnecessarily touching Minjeong's arm, patting her thigh, pinching Minjeong's cheek as if she were a toddler.

Jimin told herself to just look away and focus on Hyein. She should've, but she just couldn't. Seeing Minjeong so close to another woman sent Jimin seething. Especially since Minjeong seemed to enjoy it!

Nayeon even reached over to twirl a strand of Minjeong's hair casually, as if that was platonic and all (it was, Jimin just needed an excuse for her jealousy).

"Your hair is really soft, Minjeongie. How do you keep it like this even after bleach and dye?"

Minjeong smiled a little "I don't even do that much. It's just a shampoo and conditioner I use that fixes my hair really well."

"And here I was starting to think you're wearing wigs." Nayeon joked, earning a laugh from Minjeong.

"Not really, I'd be too lazy to do that."

"I bet it'd suit you though. You look good in anything."

Minjeong brushed the compliment off "Don't flatter me."

The two women sat in silence for a few seconds, enjoying their coffee.

But Nayeon quickly noticed something.

"Why do I feel like she's trying to murder me with her eyes?"

Minjeong perked up in surprise "Who??"

"That girl over there." Nayeon gestured towards Jimin and Hyein without making it obvious.

"Oh, that's Karina, one of my maids."

"Yeah that's nice and all but I feel like she's offended by my presence alone. She's radiating pure hatred right now."

Minjeong glanced at Jimin and noticed exactly what Nayeon meant. That tight smile once again, eyes that don't want to leave the scene, her being completely unfocused on her actual job.

"Ah, it's... Complicated. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again if you're uncomfortable."

"Oh no no, it's alright. It's just kind of surprising. Are you two a thing or something?"

"Not really...? No, we're not."

Nayeon instantly smiled smugly "Oho~? Tell me about it~"

Minjeong blushed and shook her head, laughing in embarrassment "It's nothing, really."

"Mhm, that means there's totally something going on. Why would she be jealous if not?"

Hyein gasped quietly, also watching Nayeon and Minjeong from their spot "Mommy's blushing??"

"She is?" Jimin asked, looking to check. Yep, it was true. Minjeong's cheeks were redder than Jimin has ever gotten them (that she knew of).

Oh, if only Jimin knew it actually was her fault.

"B-But I thought mommy liked you!" Hyein whined and pouted, turning to look up at Jimin with her puppy eyes.

"I don't know if she did or not, I'm just surprised she's getting that red around Miss Im out of all people..."

Hyein's lip started to tremble as if her hopes and dreams got shattered "But I don't want mommy number two to be Miss Im!" The little girl whined.

Jimin just sighed and hugged Hyein "Heyy, hey, calm down, we don't know anything yet."

"I'm still gonna call you mommy though."

"You are... impossible." Jimin breathed, chuckling softly.

❆

The thing is, this wasn't only happening between Minjeong and other wealthy, single women.

Jimin's jealousy would also recently spark whenever Chaewon interacted with Minjeong.

The both of them spent a lot of time together daily, since Chaewon was the lady's maid.

It made Jimin's mind go into a spiral. What were they doing together? How close were they? Did Jimin still have a chance?

This anxiousness probably came from the multiple times Minjeong indirectly rejected her, instead of talking things out.

Jimin knew she was overreacting. I mean, Minjeong wouldn't play with Jimin like that, right?

Still, seeing anyone get close to Minjeong lately sent her system into panic mode.

"Is this alright, Mrs. Kim?" Chaewon asked, her fingers working Minjeong's sore shoulders.

Minjeong asked Chaewon if she would be comfortable giving her a massage, just to loosen up the muscles. She wasn't sure who else would even have the time to do it.

Chaewon agreed—what else was there for her to do except listen to the mistress's requests?

"That's just right. Thanks again, Chaewon." Minjeong sighed, her head tipping forward lightly as she let herself relax.

"No need to thank me, Mrs. Kim." Chaewon assured as her skilled fingers continued moving along Minjeong's shoulders

Jimin, of course, just had to be around when that was happening.

The maid was bringing over the landline phone, as the house received a call directed to Minjeong.

Jimin knocked and entered a few seconds after, pausing at the sight.

"Am I interrupting?"

Minjeong shook her head, while Chaewon stayed focused.

"Miss Nakamura is calling." Jimin passed the phone to Minjeong.

"Thank you, I'll bring it back later."

"Yeah..."

It was safe to say that Chaewon was around Minjeong more than usual lately.

Whenever Jimin looked for the lady, the lady's maid was always with her.

Sure, Jimin understood it was just Chaewon's job. But seeing them walk around the house always together and enjoying each other's presence sent Jimin into overthinking mode again and again.

The smiles between them, the looks, the closeness when Chaewon helped Minjeong dress, when Chaewon did Minjeong's makeup, her hair, accompanied her everywhere. All of it weighed on Jimin's shoulders.

Though, Jimin didn't dare to speak up about it. Her relationship with Minjeong wasn't anything serious just yet. It was complicated. More like a situationship than anything. 

Jimin and Minjeong weren't more than friends but they weren't less than friends either. Maybe Jimin should just give up on giving their relationship a title?

Minjeong already made it clear enough that Jimin wasn't her romantic interest. Maybe, just maybe, Jimin was letting all these interactions with other women provoke her a bit too much.

That was it. She was just letting it get to her too much.

But her heart just felt way too heavy with everything going on. 

Ryujin was a witness of it. No surprise with that, Ryujin was closest to Jimin around.

Jimin was on a short break, finding a quiet place outside for her to sit alone. The gazebo was perfect, since not one person came here usually. The only time Jimin remembered seeing anyone here was during her first week when she, Ryujin and Yeji were having a conversation.

For once, it was silent, with not one soul around. Exactly what Jimin needed.

Her thoughts were never ending. Especially about her purpose of being here.

Should she just give up and go back to her normal life? It almost didn't make sense to keep going, if Minjeong was gonna continue playing with her feelings this way.

Even if Jimin was overreacting, she didn't deserve any of this from Minjeong.

Without even noticing it, a stray tear rolled down Jimin's cheek. Her feelings were genuine, it was quite visible now.

Jimin was definitely in her own world now, a few more tears spilling. She wasn't full on crying just yet. The tears that left her eyes were just singular ones that came out after almost a month of suppressing every negative emotion within her.

It was unknown to Jimin that Ryujin was currently approaching the gazebo. The maid was searching for Jimin for about ten minutes now, not expecting to find said woman sitting by herself.

"Karina?" Ryujin asked once she was a bit closer, moving to sit next to Jimin.

Jimin quickly wiped her wet cheeks and looked up, smiling as if nothing was going on.

"Ryujin, hi, what's up?"

"What're you doing here?" 

"Oh, nothing, just... taking a breather."

Ryujin sighed and reached out to hug Jimin, lightly rubbing Jimin's back.

"You were crying, I'm not blind. I'm here if you want to talk."

Jimin melted in Ryujin's arms, closing her eyes and burying her face in her friend's shoulder. 

The hug only made Jimin more emotional, causing her to start crying softly.

"I'm just... this whole thing with Mrs. Kim, it's never gonna work..." Jimin mumbled against Ryujin's shoulder.

"What?? Don't say all that nonsense! Of course it's gonna work. One way or another."

Jimin shook her head, staying stubborn.

"I-It won't" Jimin protested, her voice starting to get a bit more wobbly

"And why is that?" Ryujin tightened her arms a bit to reassure Jimin that she was still with her even if she wasn't on her side.

"I f-feel like she already rejected m-me.."

"Because...?"

"I-I haven't been truthful to you guys b-but... uhm... th-there were a few moments where Mrs. Kim kissed me." Jimin admitted, her face turning red momentarily

"What?!" Ryujin pulled back to look at Jimin.

"But she pulled away every time and apologized, saying she won't do it again, and now she keeps flirting with other women! I don't know how I'm supposed to f-feel!" Jimin's crying got heavier as she sought for Ryujin's shoulder again.

"Oh my God that hopeless woman—" Ryujin muttered but her focus quickly shifted to Jimin and to calm her friend down instead.

Ryujin remained silent, only keeping Jimin in her arms and gently stroking Jimin's hair in a soothing gesture.

The comfort was very much needed. Jimin wasn't used to situations like these. Her romantic life almost never bothered her before. She always told herself she "didn't do feelings".

If you asked Aeri or Yizhuo how often Jimin has dated with serious feelings they'd ask "Jimin, serious?" and laugh in your face.

It definitely took some time to get Jimin calm again, but soon Jimin's sobs quieted down and she pulled away with a frown on her lips.

"It's not your fault, alright, Karina? Minjeong's a bit slow when it comes to this type of stuff. But the sole fact the she even kissed you at all says a lot." Ryujin assured, very confident in that fact.

"Ryujin I can't take it much longer..." Jimin complained, leaning her head on Ryujin's shoulder.

"Don't be like that! Of course you can. If not I'll force you to."

"You're such a great friend." Jimin snorted and broke out into a laugh.

❅

It seemed like Minjeong was just an attraction magnet to gorgeous single women and nothing could be changed about that. Or, well, that's what Jimin thought, based off of everything she has witnessed.

This time it happened while Minjeong and Wonyoung were out hanging out, both tending to their own horses.

Both women were alone in the stables, talking and laughing together. Just the normal hangout between two close friends.

Minjeong and Wonyoung were both cleaning their horses thoroughly. Wonyoung was brushing her horse's fur and Minjeong was cleaning her own horse's hooves.

"You know, I missed going on a ride with you. You missed out on a lot." Wonyoung commented, her expression turning somewhat solemn yet nostalgic.

"Like what? You won a trophy or something?" Minjeong joked, knowing damn well the two never enter competitions for equestrianism.

But Wonyoung's silence made her look up in surprise "Don't tell me...?"

"Would you believe me if I said I did?"

"Oh my gosh, congratulations, Wony! I never thought you'd actually enter a competition."

"Well, I'm damn good at it, why not put it to use?" Wonyoung smirked proudly, making Minjeong laugh lightheartedly.

"You're right, you've always been our star rider here."

The two fell into silence again, focusing on their horses once more. Minjeong finished Celeste's hooves, moving on and also brushing her horse's fur.

It was peaceful for just this moment.

Of course there was something to break the peacefulness though!

"You know..." Wonyoung spoke up, now feeling smug "I just remembered to ask. How's it been going with Karina?"

"Why do you always have to direct the conversation to this topic?" Minjeong groaned, her cheeks turning a shade of pink.

"Because I love to stick my nose into your business."

Minjeong sighed and shook her head in disbelief "I hate all of you."

Wonyoung ignored Minjeong's comment and urged Minjeong again "So? Anything new? Spill."

"I messed up again, kind of..?"

Wonyoung stared blankly at Minjeong for a few seconds. Then: "You kissed her again because you don't know how to talk about your feelings?"

"Maybe a bit more than just a simple kiss...?" Minjeong revealed, already knowing she's gonna get scolded.

"You are an idiot, Minjeong."

"It was just so tempting! Her lips are a curse. Besides! It's not awkward between us. We're not avoiding each other, it's only a bit tense."

"Why did you pull away this time?" Wonyoung questioned. There had to be a good reason or else Wonyoung would actually lose it.

"I was, uhm, pressing my leg against her by accident and I got flustered so I chickened out."

"Pressing your leg against her? What do you mean?"

Minjeong's face couldn't become even more red than it already was. This supposed mature woman was completely bashful talking about intimacy. Well, only because she wasn't that used to it yet. Especially when it comes to Jimin.

"Y-You know, pressing my leg a-against her, uhm—"

"—cunt?"

"Don't put it like that!" Minjeong whined, hiding her face against her horse's fur.

"Minjeong... You are in your mid-30s and you're pulling away from a make out session because your leg was pushing against a woman's private place?"

"Yes I am!"

"You are such a prude, oh my God." Wonyoung facepalmed, getting frustrated by her friend's actions.

Usually Wonyoung was patient when it came to Minjeong. But lately Wonyoung was starting to lose that calm. She just wanted Minjeong to grow balls already and ask Jimin to be her girlfriend, because that's obviously what both parties wanted!

But no! That wasn't happening anytime soon because Minjeong was a dumbass and so was Jimin. If only something finally pushed them together...

"Do you need me to drag you towards her and force the confession out of you?" Wonyoung mocked since Minjeong just wasn't saying anything. 

"N-No! I'll do it myself once I am ready... I think..." Minjeong muttered, awkwardly scratching the back of her neck.

"At this pace you won't ever be ready! Minjeong, you don't have time forever! Karina is a breathtaking woman, who knows, maybe someone might steal her from you if you don't hurry up."

"That's just... absurd. You don't know what you're saying." Minjeong huffed in frustration, obviously being the less rational one out of the two currently.

"Whatever floats your boat."

The pair just focused on their respective horses. Maybe the silence would help them cool down the momentary tension.

In the distance, Jimin was carrying over boxes to the stable.

Originally, Felix was supposed to carry the boxes to the stable, but he was too busy with a different task and Jeongyeon told Jimin to take over, so she did.

The boxes had brand new horse equipment, ordered to have custom designs that Minjeong has requested.

Jimin thankfully already knew where the stables were and where she needed to deliver the boxes, so no one had to come along with her.

Wonyoung saw Jimin approaching from far away already, the maid just barely being visible through the stable's main entrance.

An idea struck her and she could only smirk to herself for a short time before calling Minjeong over.

Minjeong, oblivious to Wonyoung's mischievous ulterior motive, came closer to Minjeong with a questioning look.

Hands on Minjeong's head, Wonyoung pulled Minjeong in and brushed her lips against Minjeong's. Well, a bit harsher than that but still the same concept.

Minjeong froze, eyebrows furrowing. She tried to pull away but Wonyoung kept her there for a few more seconds.

It was too late anyways.

The moment Jimin saw the scene she froze and let the boxes drop out of her hands, eliciting an audible THUMP.

Wonyoung finally let Minjeong pull away once she heard the noise.

Minjeong was wide-eyed and looked to the side, seeing Jimin standing there and staring at them in shock.

After a moment, she cleared her throat "I-, uhm, wow, I'm so sorry for interrupting!"

Jimin quickly mumbled that out and turned around, rushing away on quick feet.

Minjeong was torn between running after Jimin and scolding Wonyoung.

"Okay what the FUCK was that!?"

"I kissed you in front of Karina, that's what. Now if your dumbass doesn't go after her and confess I'm actually gonna beat your ass—"

Minjeong seemed to realize that Karina had absolutely no idea that Wonyoung forced her into that kiss, and the first thing her brain told her was to bolt after the maid.

And so, Wonyoung watched as Minjeong ran faster than ever, chasing Jimin before it was too late. On the way Minjeong was definitely planning her next schemes to get back at Wonyoung but that wasn't important. Not now, when she had her "It's now or never" moment.

"Karina!" Minjeong yelled, already spotting Jimin in the distance.

"Karina wait! Please!" Minjeong's voice couldn't really get any louder. Usually she never raised her voice but... the desperation to make Jimin understand changed her. I mean, this was her only chance to have someone—anyone—to love that's not inherently her family.

Jimin seemed to hear Minjeong after the few futile attempts, stopping and turning around. Her expression already said everything. It was gonna be hard to explain this.

Or, Minjeong could just fess up for once.

"Karina, I..." Minjeong breathed heavily, her breathing uneven from the spontaneous sprint she did.

"It's alright, Mrs. Kim, you don't need to explain anything. I understand, I'll keep my mouth shut."

"No! No, stop it, that's not at all what was happening. It wasn't my choice to kiss Wonyoung, she pulled me in, alright?? She has a stupid plan to..." Minjeong trailed off as she noticed Jimin's watery eyes.

"Mrs. Kim, you don't have to make excuses for anything, it's not my business who you kiss or—"

"The only person I want to kiss is you!" Minjeong blurted it out before she could hold herself back.

Jimin paused, taken aback by how Minjeong suddenly interrupted Jimin.

"What...?"

"I'm bad with my words, I'm bad with explaining my feelings, so bear with me, please." Minjeong begged and took Jimin's hand, holding it tightly in both of hers.

"O-Okay, I'll..." Jimin stuttered nervously. Her heat was going absolutely wild right now.

"I need to apologize. No, not because I kissed you those few times, but because I'm an idiot and I kept chickening out because I didn't know what I want."

"I'm sorry because you don't deserve to be treated the way I treated you. I was just... It was a dumbassery, I know that now. Because truthfully I..."

Minjeong's cheeks were red again. God, Jimin was gonna be the death of her one of these days.

"I didn't know what I wanted back then. And, I didn't know what all of these overwhelming feelings were. It was hard to figure things out, especially because I kept actively messing up and I didn't know what any of this was. But now I, uhm.."

Minjeong made eye contact with Jimin, which was the worst decision ever. Her hands got all clammy, her heart did this stupid stutter thing and she got stuck on her own words.

"You what...?" Jimin prompted without breaking eye contact either.

Minjeong cleared her throat. God, this confession was the messiest thing ever but she needed to get it over with and admit the truth.

"I-I know what I want and I... I love you. I know I do. I'm certain this time and I don't want to mess anything up anymore. And if I do I want you to.. you know, to be there with me instead of us both running away from our feelings."

Jimin did not catch anything Minjeong said after that "I love you" left Minjeong's lips. Actually, Jimin was actively dissociating.

Minjeong stared at Jimin and tried to gauge whatever she was gonna say based off of her expression.

But nothing came.

"K-Karina? Hello?"

"I— I love you too." Jimin stammered, snapping back to reality after hearing her name.

"You do?!"

"Yes! Why else would you think I'd be running away teary-eyed after seeing you kiss someone else??"

Minjeong laughed awkwardly and averted her gaze "I don't know! Maybe it could've been the wind or allergies or something."

"Well it wasn't and I'm still confused what all of that was about."

"I swear on my life Wonyoung is just insane and kissed me because she wanted me to admit my feelings already. I did not want that. If I had the time I'd have thrown up after that. Kissing friends is not my thing."

Jimin cleared her throat, now just as awkward as Minjeong, with a blush on her cheeks. Now the two of them looked like two awkward teens in love instead of matured adults.

"S-So... Will you be my girlfriend?" Minjeong asked the question! Finally! No more beating around the bush, the moment everyone has been waiting for was finally happening.

"Yes" Jimin instantly answered, barely letting Minjeong's words ride out. "I would love to, I... have been waiting a while to hear that."

Minjeong couldn't help herself anymore.

She leaned in and kissed Jimin, sealing the start of their relationship. But this time, there was absolutely zero backing out. No more awkward apology after the kiss and avoiding their feelings.

Jimin was confident when kissing Minjeong back. Now they established the foundation, so nothing could go wrong with this. No, Jimin wouldn't let it go wrong after she almost passed out during Minjeong's whole confession.

In the distance, Wonyoung at the stables:

"THE LORD HAS HEARD MY PRAYERS, YES!!" rang out of Wonyoung. The fact that she was yelling at all was surprising. Usually, her voice was on the quieter side.

Her yell got met with a loud neigh and huff from her own horse, as if her horse was saying "Keep it down, would you??"

"Was that Wonyoung?" Jimin broke off the kiss, unable to hold her laughter back.

Minjeong also started laughing "Unfortunately."

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

Jimin has been all giddy and nervous for the past week. Obviously it was because she was finally dating Minjeong—but guess who once again didn't get to know anything.

That's right! Ryujin and Yeji did not know shit about what happened. Of course, Jimin didn't want to rush and tell them. But if they knew she was keeping it secret? Oh, Jimin would get her ass beat.

Ryujin and Yeji were probably already in the process of making a plan. I mean, Jimin was smiling all day, every day! That's not at all normal behavior. Who in the world smiles so widely even while cleaning the damn toilet??

As soon as they got the chance, Ryujin and Yeji decided to corner Jimin and interrogate her. It was time to close this case of what was going on with Jimin!

"1... 2... 3..."

"KARINA YOO YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!"

"NO YOU DUMBASS WE'RE NOT KIDS, WE'RE NOT ROLEPLAYING!"

"YOU TOLD ME WE'RE INTERROGATING HER??"

Yeji groaned and rubbed her temples. Of course Ryujin took it way too seriously.

"What....?" 

Jimin was puzzled as hell. She was standing still and staring right at the duo in front of her, carrying two pots of plants that Minjeong bought and wanted to be placed upstairs, near the entrance of Daeseong's office (she hated how out of place the office looked).

Yeji directed her attention to Jimin now, pointing an accusing finger right at her.

"You're hiding something."

"What do you mean??" Jimin seemed seriously confused. It's like she completely forgot that no one knew about her relationship with Minjeong.

"You've been so... giddy all week." Ryujin commented, crossing her arms "Like, a serious case of giddy. I've heard you giggling, getting ready at 5 in the morning. Who's that happy that early in the morning??"

"Oh!" Jimin blushed a little and averted her gaze "I guess I'm just happier for no reason then."

Jimin quickly continued before the other two could argue "Hold on, are you telling me you want me to be all gloomy again?!"

It was a dumb accusation, and Jimin only said it because she didn't know how else to distract Ryujin and Yeji.

"N-No!" Yeji defended instantly. Did Jimin go crazy? Of course they didn't want her to be sad again!

"Then, shush, let me be happy."

Ryujin pouted and leaned into Jimin's side "But why? What happened?"

"Nothing, alright? Now, I've got chores to do, so if you would let me—"

"Karina?" Jeongyeon appeared in the doorway, because of course she did. She was everywhere, always ready to interrupt the moment.

"Yes..?" Jimin paused, so did Yeji and Ryujin, who only stood there as if they got caught doing something bad.

"Mrs. Kim wants you in her room." Jeongyeon informed, eyes flickering to Ryujin and Yeji for a second before going back to Jimin.

"Oh, okay, I'll be there shortly."

When Jeongyeon left, Jimin gave both Ryujin and Yeji each one pot "They're supposed to go in front of the office. See you guys around."

"You can't just leave like that—"

Ryujin rolled her eyes and started moving towards the home office "Of course Mrs. Kim is her priority."

Now Jimin's heart was going crazy again. It really didn't feel real, at all. She was Minjeong's girlfriend? How? She couldn't process it at all.

But the nervousness was there, every time she was around Minjeong. Her hands would started sweating, cheeks heated up, she couldn't get her words out normally. God, her feelings felt more intense now that the relationship was.. real, official.

Her knuckles made contact with Minjeong's door thrice, like always, knocking that pattern she always did. Minjeong had noticed this cute habit of Jimin now that she paid more attention to it. Each time Minjeong had to suppress a giggle.

Minjeong opened the door and smiled, pulling Jimin in impatiently, then closing the door quickly.

Jimin stumbled inside from the sudden force. She scanned the room with her eyes but everything seemed to be normal.

Everything except Minjeong's clothes. Or lack thereof.

Just a loose T-shirt and panties.

Minjeong was quite comfortable around Jimin already, it seemed.

And Jimin was supposed to act normal? Wow.

Jimin somehow managed to push her attention away from the revealing state of Minjeong and got to the point.

"Mrs. Kim, you needed me?"

Minjeong pulled Jimin along and sat down on the edge of her bed together with Jimin, then: "It's Minjeong, not Mrs. Kim."

"And yes, there was something I wanted to... request, if that's what you can call it."

Jimin hummed, but her eyebrow raised just a bit. 

"This week has been full of boring events, hasn't it?" Minjeong watched Jimin closely, reaching forward to brush a few loose hair strands out of Jimin's face.

Even that made Jimin enter some sort of state of shock. She cleared her throat and nodded "Yeah, nothing's been happening, that's true."

Minjeong suppressed a grin and settled back once again, deciding not to tease poor old Jimin too much.

"What do you think of a date?"

"With me??"

"No, a date with the neighbor's dog." Minjeong's tone was full of sarcasm, then she just poked Jimin's nose "Of course with you!"

Jimin smiled a little and covered her embarrassment with a laugh "Sure... But where..? And when? We can't do much without looking suspicious."

"Of course we can."

"And how?"

"Hyein begged me to take her and Haerin to the Aquarium. I know, it's not the best date, but... We're still spending time together, and for now it's the only excuse for us to go somewhere else alone. Kind of."

"So you're just gonna drag me with you? What're you gonna say? 'I'm dragging Karina with me to help with the kids'?"

"Exactly." Minjeong finally grinned, knowing her plan was horrible. But the thought counts, am I right?

"Mrs. Kim, you can't just—"

"It's still Minjeong. When will you get it?" Minjeong feigned annoyance. Not that she minded. It was cute to see Jimin still so formal with her, but deep inside she wanted to hear her name leave Jimin's plump lips more often. Not "Mrs. Kim". Just MInjeong.

"It feels weird to call you by your first name!"

"You can't call your lover by her surname constantly! I'm not even asking for pet names yet, just... Minjeong. Say it with me: Min-Jeong."

"I don't need help saying your name.." Jimin looked to the side, knowing damn well she was lying right in Minjeong's face. She was just too used to being formal around here.

"Then say it." Minjeong held onto Jimin's upper arm, tugging lightly as she leaned in closer.

Jimin's eyes drifted back to Minjeong. Unfortunately, they landed right where they shouldn't.

Jimin swallowed thickly as she caught sight of Minjeong's cleavage through the gap but she quickly snapped her eyes back up.

"M-Minjeong."

"Say it properly."

"Minjeong."

Minjeong smiled in satisfaction and nodded, staying close to Jimin "There we go. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"No..."

"What's up with you today? You're so... timid" Minjeong noted and moved to wrap her arms right around Jimin, from the side, leaning her head on Jimin's shoulder.

"And you're very touchy today." Jimin managed to say stiffly, as if her airways were suddenly restricted. 

Minjeong let out a breath that almost sounded like a giggle. As if Jimin could stop her from physical touch, hah!

"You don't like it?"

Minjeong knew exactly what she was doing. The unnecessary touches, the way her voice was quieter than usual, and as mentioned earlier—her outfit.

Worst of all, she was doing everything correctly. Every. Single. Action. It was controlled in a way to drive Jimin insane.

Why?

Because it was fun.

Because Minjeong was bored.

Because Minjeong was needy when it came to physical affection.

"That's not what I said! Don't put words in my mouth."

"So you like it, yeah?"

"Uhm..."

Minjeong leaned in to brush her lips against Jimin's ear and whispered: "Come on, say 'I like it, Minjeong.'."

"I have a feeling you're making me say that for inappropriate matters." Jimin turned her head to the side to lock eyes with Minjeong.

"Are you gonna make me beg to hear you say it?"

Jimin sighed and shook her head, breaking the eye contact.

"I like it, Minjeong."

Minjeong grinned widely and brushed her lips against Jimin's, melting into a kiss which always left her addicted. Whether it was just Jimin's lips, or the fact that she hasn't kissed a woman in way too long, wasn't certain. But fuck, out of all of the women Minjeong has ever kissed, Jimin seemed to have a lingering effect on her. A craving that never got satiated.

Jimin responded and held onto Minjeong's firm shoulders, her fingers creeping up to play with the short hairs on Minjeong's nape. It was fair to say that Jimin finally got somewhat used to Minjeong's kisses. Well, they still made a shiver run through her body, but she didn't feel her body lock up like before.

Minjeong pulled Jimin closer by the waist, seeking closeness and friction from Jimin. Their torsos pressed together and Minjeong let out a quiet breath that sounded like a moan. Jimin faltered but quickly reacted again once Minjeong's tongue started licking her bottom lip.

Jimin parted her lips and gave Minjeong's tongue access to her mouth, no questions asked. As inappropriate as it was to make out at 10 in the morning, Minjeong didn't give a fuck. Impatience was a bad habit, sure, but Minjeong couldn't help it now that she had a hot ass girlfriend.

Well, at least her impatience didn't ruin the kiss. It wasn't rushed, it was slow and exactly how both women preferred it to be. Sloppiness wasn't their type of thing.

Minjeong's tongue was completely dominating Jimin's. It's not like Jimin would try to fight back anyways, but that extra push Minjeong was giving to show she wanted to take charge was doing things to Jimin she couldn't explain in words.

The two parted momentarily for air, their breathing uneven and all messed up from the kissing. 

No words needed to be exchanged for Minjeong to go right back in, this time kissing Jimin with slightly more force. Not too much to count as harsh, but just enough too arouse Jimin even more. Her slender fingers dug into Jimin's waist, pulling desperately to get Jimin even closer, even though there was no space between them anymore anyways.

Minjeong reached up to removed the hair tie from Jimin's hair. It was annoying her every single day. Those frustrating rules. Jimin looked so attractive with her hair open and messed up.

With a push from the older woman, both fell to lay comfortably on the bed. Minjeong was quick to roll on top of Jimin and straddle her thigh, tongues still tangling. Minjeong's hands wandered up and down Jimin's waist, feeling up her sides and ribs, moving everywhere slowly, almost tauntingly. As if Jimin wasn't already needy enough.

One of her hands wandered up to play with Jimin's dark locks, brushing her hand against Jimin's cheek and using her thumb to just barely caress it.

Jimin was pulling Minjeong very strongly now, as if Minjeong's lips and tongue were her lifeline. She didn't want to part even to breathe anymore. Especially when Minjeong gave a barely noticeable, teasing grind of her hips against Jimin's thigh.

But Minjeong had her way of making herself irresistible to Jimin. So, she had to stay to her strategic teasing and pulled away slowly. A string of saliva was the only thing left still connecting them, but it broke shortly after.

"Why would you do that?" Jimin whined, pulling Minjeong close to herself again.

Minjeong only responded with a small laugh, too busy admiring the sight of Jimin laying beneath her, less composed than she usually was when in her "work-mode."

Jimin was beautiful. No, more than beautiful. Minjeong wished there was a word for it, a word that matched Jimin's level.

"Your hair's so soft.." Minjeong commented, her fingers still playing with Jimin's hair and tangling themselves in it.

"It's genetics" Jimin answered and stared at Minjeong's lips again. She wanted her lips on Minjeong's again. Too bad Minjeong loved to torment Jimin.

After a moment of silence, Minjeong untangled herself from Jimin and gave her lover the hair tie back.

"Well, you should go back to work before anyone gets suspicious." Minjeong watched Jimin's body, unmoving on her mattress "Oh, and don't forget to show up in my room tomorrow at 8. You know, for the date."

"Yeah..." Jimin huffed. Did she really have to go back to work after all that?

❅ ❆ ❅

"It's 7:40. I still have time I still have time oh my GODDDD." Jimin muttered to herself, pacing back and forth in her own room. Her heart was going crazy for the past two hours. 

Jimin didn't really wake up with the date on her mind, but it instantly dawned on her once she looked at her schedule (which was scribbled onto a notepad).

"DATE WITH MINJEONG !!! 8AM, MEET IN HER ROOM !!!"

She tried to distract herself by going to the bathroom and splashing lots of cold water onto her face, but it barely helped. The nervousness was still there.

It wasn't so bad, a date with Minjeong was actually everything Jimin wanted. Yet, she still couldn't calm down.

If anyone saw her in this state? She'd probably jump out the window in embarrassment.

Honestly it only felt like 3 minutes passed, but when Jimin looked at the clock hanging on the wall, it was already 7:58.

A wave of panic washed over her and she quickly sprinted away, getting to Minjeong's bedroom just in time. 8:00AM, on the dot.

The door flew open, a sweaty and tired out Jimin standing there in Minjeong's doorway.

The suddenness of the door flinging open and crashing against the wall surprised Minjeong, making her jolt and drop a hanger.

"So now you're just not gonna do that adorable knock anymore?"

"What— oh, uhm- y-you mean— uhm, the—"

"Cute." Minjeong laughed and walked over to the door to pull Jimin in by the waist and close the door.

Jimin squeaked at the contact and the compliment, avoiding looking at Minjeong.

"Can I have a greeting kiss?"

"That doesn't exist..." Jimin muttered, finally gaining the confidence to look up into Minjeong's eyes.

"Don't care." Minjeong leaned in and gave Jimin a short kiss, only to feel the warmth once more for the few seconds she could.

Once she pulled away, she returned to her bed and held up clothing pieces that Jimin swore appeared from nowhere.

"Here, pick which one's you want."

"What do you mean?" Jimin raised her eyebrow skeptically. Was Minjeong lending Jimin her clothes?

"You think I'm letting you go out in public with me, looking like that? I don't know about you but no thank you, I don't want all that attention on us."

"But Mrs. Kim, the attention will be on you because of your beauty anyways."

Minjeong gasped at Jimin's subtle attempt of flirting, since it didn't happen often at all. Jimin was usually to shy. Though, Minjeong didn't mind that side at all. 

"That's so cheesy, I love it!" 

Jimin's face turned red at being called out like that. While true, all her energy to stay confident already got lost because she used it all to actually be brave enough to flirt with Minjeong.

"But," Minjeong gave Jimin a look "I'm Minjeong, for the n-th time. Get used to it, or I'll— uh, well, I don't know. I'll figure that out soon."

Without any retort, Jimin just distracted both of them by picking out clothes to wear that Minjeong was willing to give her. Still crazy, in Jimin's view. Or she has just never experienced love in this way before.

Obviously Minjeong and Jimin weren't the closest yet, and their love wasn't the strongest it could be, but this. Even this was fine with Jimin.

Minjeong gave Jimin the privacy of changing clothes without Minjeong in the room, but once Jimin came back Minjeong was staring. The moment she saw Jimin in clothes other than that stupid maid uniform, she felt like her life goals were fulfilled.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you..."

"No, you look more than beautiful. Gosh, I can't believe I'm the one who gets to see you like this and also gets to spoil you with my love."

"My face is already red, stop trying to make me blush more!" Jimin complained but it didn't really leave an impact on Minjeong. Minjeong only laughed, like she always did when she was around Jimin.

"Alright alright. But! We're not done yet. Let me do your hair. And make up, just a little bit? Please?"

"Okay... Just don't overdo it!"

"I won't!" Minjeong said as she pulled Jimin over to her barely used vanity table. Finally, a use for the makeup Minjeong had, which she would enjoy. Hopefully without getting distracted by Jimin's face.

The first thing Minjeong did—taking out Jimin's ponytail, obviously. It didn't need to be mentioned again that Minjeong loved Jimin's hair.

"Do I even need to do your hair? It frames your face so nicely, naturally..." Minjeong pointed out, threading her fingers through the silky soft strands.

"If you think it looks good, you don't need to do anything else to it."

"You're right. I'm leaving your hair. But I still want to try doing your makeup!"

Jimin couldn't hold back a smile and let Minjeong do whatever she wanted, giving permission with a soft nod.

Minjeong looked very very focused and pleased about the process. She'd take any excuse just to be able to touch Jimin's face, or stare at it for longer than she usually would.

It was hard for Jimin not to get nervous all over again. Minjeong was so gentle with her, and that look in her eyes? That exceptionally sweet look she never saw on Minjeong before made her heart melt.

Minjeong grabbed the brushes she needed, minding her business instead of teasing Jimin, for once. Well, she was more focused on enjoying herself than teasing Jimin. For now.

"You have a pretty face. I don't think I can make it look bad, so don't be grumpy if I do something wrong here." Minjeong smiled, holding Jimin's jaw and tilting it up to lock eyes.

Jimin blushed but held eye contact nonetheless "And I don't think I'll need blush today, you're already enabling enough of it."

Minjeong giggled, applying product to Jimin's face instead of making a further comment. Her laugh was already enough of an answer.

Within barely minutes, Minjeong was extremely focused on her job again, barely paying attention to Jimin herself. Instead, her face was the main focus.

And the outcome? Jimin was looking decent. Actually, way more than decent, but Minjeong was convincing herself she was overdoing it and maybe she shouldn't keep flustering her girlfriend with her generous compliments.

Minjeong stepped back and let Jimin look into the mirror. Even she was surprised, her jaw dropping.

For a few seconds, she was silent, until she zoned back into the real world "Since when are you good at makeup?"

"Right? I didn't know I was good at this. Maybe I should do your makeup more often."

"I mean, anytime I don't have work, sure. But otherwise, no way. It'll feel so... in the way, while I'm working."

"Party pooper." Minjeong huffed and leaned down to peck Jimin's lips quickly, cradling Jimin's head after pulling away.

Jimin wrapped her arms around Minjeong's waist and let herself stay in the embrace. She needed it, because she hated not being to do anything with Minjeong anywhere else.

The relationship was a secret for reasons Jimin understood and agreed with but... There was no way she could promise to stay by the rules for forever. One day or another, she'd break completely and kiss Minjeong in front of everyone.

"We should go get Haerin and Hyein now, huh." Minjeong spoke, her fingers gently carding through Jimin's soft hair, again. Her long nails lightly scratched against Jimin's scalp. It made Jimin's eyes droop lightly and not want to let go.

"They're still sleeping, we don't need to rush... Besides, the Aquarium is open 'til the evening."

"Is that just an excuse to stay like this longer?"

"Definitely."

Minjeong's heart melted, but she didn't let it show in her face or her attitude.

Instead, she said:

"Awhh... Then we have all the time in the world, sweet girl."

"O-Okay, what are you saying, stop that—" Jimin pushed Minjeong away lightly, her face impossibly red. Just how much could this girl blush?!

"Pffft," Minjeong followed Jimin as she walked away, definitely going to the shared bedroom of the two daughters.

Haerin and Hyein were still sleeping, as both women assumed. These girls loved to sleep in on Saturdays, even if there was an exciting event or adventure awaiting them.

Minjeong stepped forward and woke them both up, gently shaking them awake with quiet whispers of "good morning angel" and "we need to get you ready".

Jimin stepped forward once both girls got out of bed, picking out their outfits. As always, Jimin didn't disappoint. Her fashion choices were always amazing. She almost forgot she was a literal model for fashion brands, of course she has good taste in clothes!

It seemed like the two sisters had absolutely nothing to say about Jimin being dressed in Minjeong's clothes, or the fact that she wasn't in her uniform at all. They acted as if it wasn't totally strange or anything. Eh, maybe the girls just didn't notice it.

Minjeong watched Jimin care for her daughters and she felt her heart warm up. Jimin was so... caring. She was perfect for this. From afar it looked like it was Jimin's second nature to take care of kids.

But, that peace didn't last long. Before Minjeong knew it, the two girls had finished brushing their hair, getting dressed and cleaning their teeth. Haerin and Hyein both bolted out of the room, already knowing to go to the Yukon waiting outside.

Except, this time, there was no chauffeur waiting inside the car. It surprised everyone, except Minjeong.

"I'm driving us. I thought since it's a family trip it'd be nice if there was no extra person."

"But mommy, Miss Karina isn't family?" Haerin questioned, looking up at her mother with those innocent eyes. If only Minjeong knew the fact that both of her daughters were completely aware of what was going on.

"So? For today pretend she is, I can't deal with you gremlins alone. And your father is busy."

The two girls didn't argue further, letting their mother put them in the car and buckle their seatbelts.

Jimin got settled in the passenger seat, a bit nervous due to the fact that this car not only looked but even felt expensive. Okay, yes, Jimin did drive in expensive cars before, but just the fact that this car was owned by Minjeong made it way more intimidating than it actually was.

Minjeong soon settled into the driver's seat, turning the engine on and calmly driving off.

Now Jimin had to try her best not to freak out because of how Minjeong looked when driving the car. She made it look so effortless and oddly attractive. Or, Jimin was just down bad and anything Minjeong did was attractive to her (probably the latter).

Haerin and Hyein quickly engaged in a conversation in their own little world, giggling without noticing anything suspicious. Okay... that's good. As long as they didn't bring it up, they didn't know. That's what Jimin told herself. It was pretty delusional, because Haerin and Hyein knew everything, but Jimin honestly just needed a way to cope.

Minjeong turned on the radio on low volume, letting the music fill the silence between her and Jimin. Not that it was awkward. It was for from that.

Especially when Minjeong placed her free hand on Jimin's thigh, things got slightly tense.

What if the two girls sitting right behind them saw?

And, Jimin just got nervous as hell with any physical contact Minjeong gave. You could imagine what was going on through her mind, with one of Minjeong's slender hands was so close, almost between her legs.

What made it worse was that this touch seemed to just be something casual to Minjeong. She just... continued driving, as if nothing was happening at all.

"Mrs. Kim..." Jimin started, quietly, not looking up.

"Hm?" Minjeong also didn't glance over. Instead? She squeezed Jimin's thigh lightly to let her know she was listening. Good lord.

"Your hand is... uhm..."

"Uncomfortable?"

"Not really, I just... I'm just sensitive."

Minjeong smiled a little and removed her hand, resting it on the console instead "I understand."

Phew. Now Jimin could actually focus again. It's not like she needed to focus on anything, but she didn't want to sit frozen in the passenger seat.

Hold on—Jimin only now realized how Minjeong reacted quickly and without a fight. Was this seriously what it was like to date a woman? If so, Jimin has been missing out on way too much. All those years being "straight" made her used to getting treated like garbage. Thank God Minjeong wasn't like that.

Jimin couldn't resist a smile, looking out the window of the car and watching the landscape around them.

Minjeong noticed. She always noticed everything. But she didn't say anything, Minjeong only made sure to remember that the sight of Jimin smiling is beautiful. Way too beautiful for Minjeong's good. It really made her realize, once again, that it was because of her.

Before long, they arrived at the destination. The girls in the backseat cheered, flailing around as if they were gonna try to break out of their seats (but in all honesty, they knew they were too weak).

Jimin laughed, reaching back and patting them to calm the girls down. These gremlins were way too hyper.

Minjeong successfully parked (and even that was attractive to Jimin) and stepped out of the car, going around the other side to open the door for Jimin first. What a gentlewoman. 

"How charming of you." Jimin joked, taking Minjeong's hand and getting out of the car.

"For you? I don't hesitate."

"Now you're just trying to flirt with me again. What is it that you want?"

"I really wanna kiss you again. You made me an addict. Did you put something on your lips to cause this effect?"

"If I did, would you complain?" 

Minjeong looped her arms around Jimin's waist and pulled her close, right there, in the parking lot.

She shook her head, her fingers fiddling with the fabric of Jimin's shirt. Or, well, her shirt, technically.

"You've become pretty confident all of a sudden. What's up with that?"

"I have my phases. Or it's just the clothes."

Minjeong laughed and glanced down at Jimin's clothes, taking a good look "You look really gorgeous."

"You're trying too had. Just kiss me, really. Unless you want to keep looking like a hopeless romantic." Jimin joked, reaching up to cup Minjeong's cheek, gently, as if she'll break if Jimin's too harsh.

"If you say so." Minjeong shrugged and leaned in, sealing their lips in a kiss.

It wasn't heated between them. Not now, not when Minjeong was appreciating Jimin's beauty and existence.

They weren't eating each other's face off, so that was a good step forward in controlling their lust.

Jimin tasted so sweet, especially with the lipstick now on her lips. It tasted slightly of cherries, and Minjeong could already tell this was gonna be her favorite lipstick on Jimin.

And even if she was enjoying herself, they couldn't stay kissing in the parking lot for too long.

Minjeong sighed and pulled away slowly, but not without leaving short pecks on Jimin's cheeks and nose. She didn't want the kiss to be too long, after all.

"Karina, I think I'm in love with you."

"Huh? I know that...?"

"No, like, I think I gained feelings for you for a second time. Your lips are like soft pillows. I never wanna part my soul from yours."

"Woah, huge comparison there. Haha... You're making me nervous, stop it..." Jimin blushed. Yes! Exactly what Minjeong was aiming for.

Minjeong let go of Jimin, deciding to spare her. For now, obviously she'd keep teasing her sooner or later.

"Anyways! We should take Hyein and Haerin out of the car."

"Right, the kids." Jimin cleared her throat and stepped forward, helping Haerin out of the car. Minjeong took care of Hyein in the meantime.

The girls weren't saying anything, they just looked happy to be here.

Haerin held onto Jimin's hand as they walked towards the entrance, while Hyein, on the other hand, demanded to be carried, but Minjeong told the lazy girl to walk like Haerin and Jimin were. Honestly, she didn't need more load on her body. Being in her 30s, back pain was starting to become a noticeable part of her life.

Enough of that, though!

The young sisters were already bouncing on their feet when they were at the cash register. They really wanted to see the fishies, huh?

Minjeong got her wallet ready, smiling kindly at the woman behind the counter.

"Hello, two entry tickets for adults and two for children."

"Yes, just a second..." The cashier said, tapping something into their computer "2 adults and two children, that's.."

The cashier looked up, glancing at Minjeong, then at Jimin, and smiling faintly "I can offer the standard family ticket for that, it'll cost $127. If I got that wrong then the tickets cost $143."

"We're..." Minjeong turned a bit red, clearing her throat "We're a family, yes."

Jimin couldn't believe her ears. Oh God people in public already saw them as a couple. Now if she just didn't run into many of those people that'd be great (otherwise she'll go into cardiac arrest).

The payment followed quickly, without much struggle. Jimin kept staring at Minjeong without noticing it herself. Thankfully she snapped out of it when they entered the aquarium and quickly got greeted by the sight of multiple tiny fish swimming together.

Jimin could recognize betta fish, neon tetras, guppies, and many more. Honestly, she only knew what they were because one night she spontaneously nerded out and read multiple websites about fish species. No reason for it was found to this day.

Hyein and Haerin, who were previously holding the hands of either Jimin or Minjeong, charged forward and pointed at the sea animals, talking excitedly to each other.

Minjeong smiled and watched them, slowly tagging along, while being further behind together with Jimin.

Jimin glanced to the side at Minjeong, then also at the two short girls and fish. This atmosphere was one Jimin hasn't had much experience with yet. It was all... soft. 

Okay, maybe Jimin has experienced multiple times where life felt light and peaceful, but this? She felt like she was part of a family that wasn't hers by blood, and that was honestly a feeling Jimin never wanted to forget. She was deep in this, wasn't she? Yeah, no way she's getting out of this situation anytime soon. Not like she even wanted to!

"You look like you're deep in your thoughts. Wanna talk about whatever you're thinking?" Minjeong asked, glancing at Jimin to read her expression.

Jimin hesitated but she still started: "I... I mean, it's nothing really serious. I just randomly started feeling really appreciative for all of this. Like, you know, you, Haerin and Hyein, and so on... I don't know, I guess that I just feel closer to you guys now."

"That's... You really feel like that? You're not lying?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Jimin asked, which was pretty ironic. She completely forgot why she was here, didn't she?

"Well, Karina," Minjeong started and gently took a hold of Jimin's hand, carefully interlacing their fingers, as if Jimin's smaller hand was something extremely fragile.

"You should already know that you're fully welcomed into this family. I know we haven't been a couple for long, but I do feel like you're significantly closer than many others are."

Jimin smiled, looking into Minjeong's brown eyes. The same eyes she had been nervous about ever since she arrived here for the first time. Now, with progress, she didn't feel intimidated by them.

"Mrs. Kim... that's—"

Minjeong silenced the younger woman with a kiss. Soft, but with much meaning behind it.

If they weren't in the middle of an aquarium, Minjeong wouldn't have pulled away as soon as she did.

"What... was that for?" Jimin laughed a little, feeling Minjeong's hand squeeze around hers.

"I've decided I'm trying out a few punishments every time you refuse to call me by my actual name."

"Punishment? That was a punishment? I could literally die happy like that."

"Then I'm attaching Hyein to your leg every time you don't call me 'Minjeong'."

Jimin stopped and turned to Minjeong "That's way too far!"

"Is it?" 

"I heard my name!" Hyein exclaimed and ran over to Jimin, clinging to Jimin's leg. It was as if the child was connected to her mother with Bluetooth or something.

"Please get off—"

"No."

"Hyein."

"Never."

"Please...?"

"NO!"

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

"Oh come on... Just stay for a few minutes, at least? Nothing will happen!"

Jimin shook her head, gently removing Minjeong's arms from her waist "Sorry, Minjeong, but it's seriously getting busy this week. I can't be slacking off."

"How much work could there possibly be that I can't even get a hug??" Minjeong protested since, this situation was so obviously unfair. A hug barely took 5 seconds. Plus, Minjeong was touch deprived, all that she needed to satiate that need was just a simple embrace.

"Well, more than 5 people are gone, which adds a lot of work onto each individual."

The housekeepers rarely got a sort of vacation, if you can call it that. Mainly because if too many people went on vacation, there'd be too little people working and taking care of the chores.

It was the main goal to prevent that whenever planning the days off, yet somehow someone still messed up.

Ryujin and Yeji were both gonna be gone for about a week, Haewon for a few days, Yujin for 2 days, multiple chefs were gone for the week as well and Chaewon has been gone for 3 days and will be for the next 3 as well.

Obviously, it didn't sound like much, but that still increased the workload like hell for the remaining housekeepers. The cooking and cleaning of the kitchen had to be taken care of, Haerin and Hyein didn't have anyone looking after them (well, except for Jimin occasionally), and to that came the usual chores of cleaning and fulfilling favors of the family.

Instead of the usual relaxing state of atmosphere, every single worker now seemed to be on edge and stressed to get their work done in one day.

Of course, nothing would happen to them if they didn't get everything done in one day, but it sucks having even more work the next day.

This also meant that Jimin would be getting closer to the others, that she hasn't had the chance to yet. Those would be the 3 others left working in the same division: Jeongyeon, Felix and Sakura.

And so, there was Minjeong, having to watch Jimin focus on everything but her. Like, literally. Minjeong has been deprived of her daily dose of Jimin.

"I can help a bit then..."

"You? No no no, you go rest."

"Why?? I don't need to rest, I didn't even do anything today. Besides, I'm bored" 

Jimin turned around to look directly at Minjeong "Then maybe you could go keep eyes on Haerin and Hyein?"

"Can I be honest? I'm just looking for an excuse to spend time with you. Can't I help you instead or something?"

"No, not really, it'd only slow the process."

Minjeong huffed and nodded in defeat, leaning over to give Jimin a quick peck on the cheek "See you later then."

Jimin smiled and nodded, resuming her work as Minjeong left to go look for her daughters.

Surely, being with her dear children would cheer her up a bit and distract her, right?

Oh, how Minjeong wished that was true.

Haerin and Hyein first decided to cling onto their mother for a good 15 minutes, before rambling on about some gift Jimin gave them. Apparently, while being tasked with getting groceries, Jimin payed with her own money for new toys that Haerin and Hyein could play with.

"And then, Miss Karina even played with us for the whole day!" Hyein boasted proudly, holding up one of the dolls that Minjeong assumed Jimin bought the girls.

"That's really nice of her, I didn't expect her to do that." Minjeong smiled and ruffled the girls hair.

But, Haerin, as always, had other plans.

"Mommy, what is going on with you and Miss Karina? You are always together!"

"Oh, you know.. We're friends, so we like to spend time together."

"I think she's a liar." Hyein declared stubbornly.

Minjeong was about to defend herself, but she didn't have the chance to, especially with Haerin being here.

"Mommy, do you still love daddy?"

Oh!

"I- Haerin, why—"

"Miss Karina is cool too but we thought you and daddy would always love each other..."

"Sweetie, it's not—"

"We really miss seeing you and daddy together..." Hyein's lip got wobbly, her voice got shaky and worst of all, both girls looked seconds from having tears fall down their cheeks.

Minjeong shook her head and hugged both of her daughters "Shh, it's alright, don't cry, I'm here."

"You're avoiding it!" Hyein shouted and removed herself from the hug, which was pretty groundbreaking to Minjeong since she never once experienced Hyein pulling away from a hug.

"I just- I just hate to break it to you. I know you guys still love your father a lot but life doesn't always treat people fairly." Minjeong tried to explain it gently, although she didn't at all know how to explain a potential divorce to two young kids.

"Mommy, please tell us..."

"Alright," Minjeong took a deep breath "I will, but you two can't tell anyone, okay?"

Both girls nodded.

Minjeong started to explain everything that was going on—starting with vaguely describing what Daeseong wanted, and continuing to explain the situation with Jimin.

It really wasn't easy to explain everything with two pairs of innocent eyes staring right at her, ready to cry at any moment. I mean, the girls were literally finding out that their father doesn't want to be part of the family anymore, in a way.

But hey, looking at it positively, instead of having one mother figure and one father figure, they'd have two mother figures instead. Obviously, separating with their dad, whom they have known from the very beginning of their lives, was hard, and it wouldn't completely heal for a long time, even if Jimin would be a new addition to their family.

But it's good to try, right?

The moment Minjeong finished talking, Haerin and Hyein seemed surprisingly accepting, whether it was just an act or not. Honestly, Minjeong was just glad they were taking it well, without much fighting, because there wasn't much hope to really save the marriage anymore.

"So you and daddy aren't gonna be married anymore...?" Hyein mumbled unsurely.

"I don't know yet, but that's most likely what's gonna happen."

"Oh... Well are you gonna marry Miss Karina then?"

"N-No, not yet at least. We don't know each other long enough for that." Minjeong laughed, covering her embarrassment.

"Awh..." Both girls slumped a little.

❅❆❅

Remember those multiple times Jimin had to get jealous watching Minjeong?

Well, there was no way Minjeong could avoid it anymore, it was her turn now for sure.

There was only one thing that made jealousy different now: they were official. Whatever happened to make either jealous would definitely have a bigger outcome.

Minjeong didn't really want to admit it, but having Jimin working all day and barely spending time with her kind of hurt. It was definitely the honeymoon phase that made it all worse, because Minjeong knew that Jimin had her responsibilities that she couldn't really ignore. So yes, as a grown woman, Minjeong understood the situation.

But her heart didn't want to cooperate. Especially since she was prone to overthinking. The extreme type of overthinking. Not the romanticized type social media gushed about.

Minjeong also understood that Jimin had her own social life, sure, she did. But seeing Jimin so close with others while she was basically getting ignored? Bless her heart, Minjeong didn't think she could survive that without thinking much about it.

Because, the same thing was happening for the nth time, as we speak.

Minjeong had been trying to distract Jimin again, but it was all to no avail, since Jimin didn't back down. After letting her lover go, Minjeong went on with her day, ignoring the ache forming in her chest.

Later, the same day, Minjeong heard laughing that sounded oddly familiar to Jimin (spoiler: it was Jimin).

Obviously she went to check out the noise. It was a bad idea though, since she did see Jimin taking a quick break, talking to Sakura and Felix, seemingly enjoying her time without a thought about Minjeong.

Now that really ruined Minjeong's day. This only made her feel worse about everything.

Minjeong swallowed thickly and moved away with a heavy mind. It wasn't a nice feeling to find out you're not the number one priority of someone you love with your whole heart.

It remained unspoken between them. Minjeong didn't "bother" Jimin anymore, and Jimin... well, she didn't have the opportunity to talk to Minjeong, even if she wanted to.

The decision not to find time to talk it out was horrible. Minjeong and Jimin should've learned that by now, considering the multiple unspoken situations before the start of their relationship. In general, locking emotions up was not recommended, at all.

Minjeong spent her days stuck in her thoughts, wondering if she made a mistake, if Jimin still had some interest in her, or.. whatever. The days it took for employees to come back to work felt like a year, honestly. It was unbearable.

And the moment they came back felt so relieving.

Until it didn't anymore, because Jimin still didn't reach out first the moment she got to do so. Which, you guessed it, upset Minjeong a lot more.

"Wake up!"

Minjeong's eyes opened slowly, the sun stinging her eyes and blurring her vision.

That voice was way too recognizable, though. It was Jimin, finally.

There wasn't enough time for Minjeong to process anything before Jimin threw herself onto the bed next to Minjeong, embracing her in a rib-crushing hug (not literally).

"I missed you.." Jimin mumbled into Minjeong's neck, nuzzling further into the crook of it.

Minjeong sighed. She was weak for Jimin's affection, but on the other hand, she was still very upset with Jimin and she was unsure if she should let Jimin off the hook that easily.

"I did miss you as well." Minjeong mumbled tiredly, feeling like she could fall back asleep at any moment.

Jimin hummed quietly and for once, felt brave enough to scatter two or three kisses on Minjeong's cheek. She was quite affectionate out of nowhere, and for what reason? Was it a type of apology?

Minjeong ignored the action "Where's Chaewon? She's usually the one who comes here this early."

"Oh," Jimin pulled away, unable to hide the tinge of disappointment.

"She got distracted with something and I figured I could surprise you."

"I see." 

Feeling quite awkward and confused now, Jimin got up and backed away, towards the door "I should go. Sorry, I shouldn't have woken you up like that."

"It's fine, don't apologize for that."

"Yeah... See you later."

Jimin cleared her throat and left, her eyebrows furrowed as she made her way downstairs to assist Ryujin, who was momentarily rearranging the furniture in the play room (since Hyein and Haerin demanded so).

"Ryujin, I'm back."

"You done smoochin' around with Mrs. Kim already?"

"What—"

"It's alright, Karina, I heard. From a friend of a friend... of a friend. Congratulations! You're no longer a sad single loser!"

"U-Uhm, yeah- hold on, why are you this chill about it?"

"Why wouldn't I be? This is what we've been working towards! Now get your ass over here and help a girl out."

Jimin just nodded and helped Ryujin carry around the furniture, embarrassed and still a bit humiliated from earlier.

They stayed silent, but Ryujin noticed how odd it felt.

"You okay? You're being way too silent. Well, in my opinion at least."

"It's nothing, really, I shouldn't bother you with it."

Ryujin rolled her eyes "Here we go again, avoiding help that's being offered."

"It's just, I don't know, after the past few days where I couldn't spend that much time with Minjeong, she's started acting off. Like, I feel like I did something wrong."

"And did you talk to her about it...?"

"I didn't get the chance to yet!"

Ryujin gave Jimin the look "Then go in there again! What are you waiting for??"

"I can't just go back in there—"

"Yes you can."

"No-"

Before Jimin knew it, she was being pulled back upstairs.

Ryujin always was the more determined one, always trying to fix the mistakes Jimin made.

While Jimin appreciated that, it was a bit annoying sometimes. She never got the chance to plan how to fix things on her own.

Ryujin knocked on the door frantically, pulling Jimin inside without waiting for permission.

Minjeong was already dressed and put together, like always.

The older woman looked up, questioning both women only with the look on her face.

"Mrs. Kim, Karina here would love to talk to you!"

"Uh huh... Sure, you can go, Ryujin." And so she did.

Again, they were there, face to face.

"What is it?"

"U-Uh, it's just—" Jimin tried to swallow her fear down "I just felt like I did something wrong, and I wanna know what it is."

Minjeong shook her head, brushing the topic off as always "Don't worry about it, it's just my own situation, not your fault."

"Are you sure..?  I really don't want to have any problems."

"Just go, seriously. You surely have work to do."

"Well, actually, I have more time now since I don't have as many tasks to do now.."

"Oh, really?" Minjeong feigned cluelessness "I would have never thought so. Well, maybe tomorrow or something. I've already got plans."

Jimin nodded without catching the hint Minjeong was throwing at her "I understand. I'll get going again."

❅❆❅

It's been, what, 3 days? Might not sound like a lot, but imagined getting ghosted in real life for three whole days. It felt like every trace of Minjeong disappeared, and every time Jimin did get the chance to interact with Minjeong again, she only got the cold shoulder.

Were they even a couple anymore, at this point?

I mean, yes, they were, logically speaking, but slowly and surely, it felt like they were drifting apart.

"I heard Minjeong is being a dumbass again?"

"Oh don't put it like that, Yunjin, I'd prefer the term... avoidance behavior? Yeah, something like that."

"Is she like this often?" Jimin bit her lip nervously.

Currently, Yunjin and Wonyoung showed up at the house while Minjeong was gone, since they've been witnessing that Minjeong wasn't acting normal.

Since they were there for Minjeong ever since they were out of the womb, they knew exactly what to do. Well, most of the time.

Besides, they'd hate to see all the effort of Minjeong and Jimin's relationship go to waste, so they didn't hesitate to delve into the matter.

"Often?... Well, not necessarily. But she has done this a few times before. Mostly when she was insecure and overthinking about every little detail." Wonyoung explained, sitting down on one of the sofas with Yunjin. Jimin did the same, sitting next to the two.

Yunjin hummed, tension forming in her eyebrows "Speaking of, have you maybe done anything recently that could've, you know, made Minjeong overthink? Like, I don't know, relationship wise?"

"No idea... Maybe last week? I wasn't able to spend that much time with her because some housekeepers were on vacation, so I and the others got overloaded with new tasks. Maybe that's been bothering her?"

"Oh, definitely." Yunjin nodded "Without a doubt, that's what's bothering her."

Wonyoung agreed with Yunjin and shrugged "I'm not surprised, honestly... Have you tried talking to her about it?"

"Yes, I have, but she didn't want to talk. She just said it's something personal and I shouldn't worry." Jimin explained, seemingly ashamed she didn't do anything about the situation.

"Typical. I bet it won't take long before she reaches her breaking point."

"Do you always have to be so negative?" Wonyoung, annoyed at Yunjin's negativity, rolled her eyes and just continued with the main topic "Okay, honestly, I'd suggest to just force her to somehow spit her problem out. She's stubborn. Very. Trust me, I found out the hard way."

Jimin nodded, mentally taking notes on the advice.

"Hey, do you have chips?" Yunjin piped up out of nowhere.

"What? I mean, there probably are some in the kitchen pantry."

"What do you need chips for?" Wonyoung turned to look at Yunjin. This girl wasn't taking anything seriously, gosh.

"I'm just hungry."

"I'll go look." 

Jimin got up to retrieve a pack of potato chips from the pantry and came back pretty fast, passing the bag to Yunjin.

The two looked a bit calmer than before, with whatever that caused them to act like that when Jimin came back.

"Well... Is there anything else I should pay attention to considering the situation, or...?"

"Not really. If you need anything else, you can always contact us again." Wonyoung assured and got up, patting Jimin on the shoulder.

"Good luck." 

"Yeah, thanks.." Jimin said, watching Yunjin and Wonyoung leave. Well, now she was alone.

At least, that's what she thought, until she saw Minjeong out of the corner of her eye.

Minjeong looked like she just arrived a few seconds ago, earlier than she said she'd be.

Jimin cleared her throat and got up, walking over to Minjeong "Hey... how was your day? Here, let me take your bag."

"So you're just gonna let them talk about me like that?"

"What do you mean..?"

"Obviously I'm talking about how... rudely they were talking about me. And you didn't say anything."

"It's not like that... I'm not familiar with them and I didn't want to cause a big fight or—"

"So listening to them talk like that is better than defending me?" Minjeong scoffed, obviously annoyed and kind of offended. There was definitely something up with her, whether it was the constant stress or something else.

"Minjeong, I swear it's not like that. I swear on my life I care about you and how others talk about you but I just... I wasn't paying attention to that because I had something else on my mind."

"Right. I forgot. You'd much rather enjoy your time with other women while you have it, than with me. Got it, you don't need to say anything else."

"What??"

Minjeong walked off, but she didn't go upstairs to cool off in her room. Instead, she seemed to be heading to the back yard.

Jimin stayed still for a few seconds, utterly confused and wronged.

But her thoughts spiked again, the situation wasn't anything light so Jimin should've better gotten moving quicker!

She followed Minjeong, watching the woman navigate somewhere along the trails outside.

"Minjeong, seriously, let's talk this out! Please don't leave like this!"

"I would rather cool off without seeing your face. Go hang out with someone else, or whatever. You like that better anyways, don't you?"

"Why are you acting like this?? We're adults, let's just—"

Minjeong stopped abruptly and turned around, raising her voice "I don't fucking want to talk, Karina! Catch the damn hint!"

Jimin stiffened, her eyes going a bit wide, feeling like a kid in trouble all over again. 

Yelling was a big trigger to Jimin, due to horrible experiences with it in the past, but no one really knew that besides Aeri or Yizhuo. It's not like those two could do anything though, so that's that.

Jimin felt her throat tighten. God, no, not here. Not in front of Minjeong.

"Okay... I respect that.." Jimin stammered, her voice shaky, being way too close to tears.

Minjeong noticed her watery eyes and shaking figure. She did, and she instantly felt regret creep up her spine. But... it's not like she could take it back anymore. 

She could've spoken up and apologized, but that wasn't how her brain worked, especially not when Minjeong also felt wronged.

Jimin let go of the tension in her body the moment she entered the first bathroom she could inside the manor. It was hard to hold back her cries but she still tried. God, this really was just like being a child locking yourself away in the bathroom to cry.

It didn't feel relieving at all. Actually quite the opposite. Jimin's guilt was at an unbearable level. At least she was alone, right...?

She was, but she herself didn't know if that was the better option. Maybe having someone with her this time would've helped. Although, reminding herself of Minjeong's words, that would've been scary. 

What if she let someone else comfort her, but then Minjeong saw it again? And then she'd actually get furious. There was no way in hell Jimin was risking that, at all.

God damnit, maybe this relationship stuff really wasn't for her? She should've probably stuck to casual relationships, shouldn't she have? After all, it was better that way. No fights, no problems, just... just someone you meet from time to time. Although, that sounded like a nightmare if she knew she could have Minjeong instead.

If only both Jimin and Minjeong acted like responsible adults, this would have never happened. That, or this was a lesson sent from life itself.

It took a while to calm down. No, she wasn't even able to calm down. Sure, she stopped the tears rolling down her cheeks, but her mind? Her heart? Everything was racing. 

Still, it'd be suspicious if Jimin stayed in the bathroom for God knows how long, so she left and hoped no one noticed how distraught she looked.

Before long, Jimin got spoken to by someone again. This time it was just Chaewon, so luckily for her, she wouldn't have much trouble speaking to the said woman.

Chaewon held out the landline phone "Someone's asking for you on the phone."

Jimin nodded and took the phone. Once Chaewon left, Jimin gathered the courage to speak up.

"Hello?"

"Jimin-ah! Wassup??"

Of course it was Aeri. Worst timing, seriously. Or was it? Maybe she'd be able to cheer Jimin up.

"Nothing much. Why're you calling?"

"Straight to the point."

"Sorry.." Jimin laughed quietly.

Yizhuo's voice suddenly piped up on the line "WE MISS YOU!"

"My ear—"

"Are you free tomorrow?! We're kidnapping you! We need someone to watch Cooper and Seven. You can also hangout with us or whatever, totally not like we want that."

"I mean I think—"

"Great! See you!"

Then, of course, Yizhuo hung up on Jimin, without letting her speak once. Honestly, what was wrong with this girl?

Nevertheless, Jimin found herself smiling a little bit.

A distraction wouldn't harm her.

"Those idiots."

❅❆❅

⭐💙

Chapter Text

"So, you're saying you fucked up the whole thing?" Yizhuo deadpanned, staring right at Jimin. Aeri was silently listening on to the pair talking, splayed out on the couch.

"Well no, I just got her pretty angry and upset with me, you know. I'm sure I can still fix it. Fix us."

"If you say so." Yizhuo shrugged and leaned back, sighing "I'm so tired."

Jimin only raised an eyebrow suspiciously "Uh huh? Stayed up late again?"

"Yes..." Yizhuo averted her gaze and quickly distracted Jimin "Okay but seriously, you're, like, actually dating? And it's serious?"

"Yeah, it's true, I don' know how many more times you want to hear it."

"I just never thought your type would be older women." 

Jimin's face grew red quickly. Exactly what Yizhuo intended. Aeri couldn't hold back her snicker, hiding behind her hands to not embarrass Jimin.

"Anyways.. Wanna play Mario Kart?"

Aeri finally piped up at Yizhuo's suggestion, a pout on her lips "Hell no! I always lose to you guys! It's not fun anymore."

"What was that?" Yizhuo literally glared. Well damn, this Mario Kart thing really was serious to her, huh...

Aeri cleared her throat and nodded "Yes babe! I'd love to play Mario Kart for the 6th time today."

"That's what I thought."

"Keep the PDA down would you?"

Yizhuo rolled her eyes and reached for the console laying neatly on the coffee table, switching it on.

Jimin, meanwhile, already prepared the controllers "This is kind of unfair, you know? I haven't played in months, you guys are totally better than me."

"No one's worse than Aeri."

"I'm just letting you guys win!" Aeri excused, in hopes that the other two will believe her. Spoiler: they did not.

"Totally." Jimin snorted and watched Aeri arrogantly brush her hair back.

"Alright losers, enough talking. I need to get my daily ego boost."

Aeri and Jimin exchanged a look, but decided not to comment on Yizhuo's confidence because they knew they loved her for that exact reason.

"Hold on— AERI STOP STEALING ROSALINA FROM ME!!"

.

.

"Okay okay, enough of this! We have to go shopping or I swear to God I will actually explode if I see Jimin even one second longer in those... clothes, if you even wanna call it that." Yizhuo spoke with disgust, not because she was judging Jimin or the clothes in general. She just wasn't used to seeing Jimin in obviously cheap material. I mean, the shirt and pants Jimin was wearing was nothing like the designer clothes she used to wear usually.

"I wouldn't say it's that bad! I'm supposed to look like I don't have much money, you know."

"Yeah..." Aeri commented and sighed "We just think you should find yourself again with a little bit of shopping! Oh, and you can show the clothes you buy off to Minjeong one day. You know, when you're on a date or something."

Yizhuo's eyes brightened, as if a light bulb suddenly lit up in her head "You could buy something that looks good on you and maybe some gift for Minjeong and apologize to her with it! She also loves getting self-made stuff, especially food, so maybe we could also try to bake together!"

"Bake? With... you two? You guys know how to bake? I thought you two lived off of... I don't know, takeout?"

Yizhuo scoffed and rolled her eyes in feigned offence "Bitch please, we still have some class!"

"I'd love to see that one day. But whatever, let's go shopping! I actually think that's a good idea coming from you. For once."

"Well move your ass what are you waiting for??"

Jimin held her arms up in defense and got up, moving to the front door. Aeri and Yizhuo followed closely behind, making Jimin feel a teeny tiny bit pressured but, eh, whatever, it was fine.

The walk to the elevator and to the parking garage left Jimin very, very tense. She was Jimin again. Anyone could spot her from any corner and report it to some media outlet that would ruin her career completely. God, why did she agree to this again? Oh, right, she was forced to.

A chance for being spotted was especially high being around Aeri and Yizhuo. I mean, come on, they were the trio. Sure, they weren't the number one celebs is South Korea, but they did have quite the large following. It was pretty easy to spot them. They stood out anyways, no matter what.

Well, all of that just depended on Jimin's luck. Hopefully the public would just ignore them.

"I'll drive." Yizhuo reached for the driver's seat door before any of the other two could, and Jimin couldn't have pulled Yizhuo away any faster.

"You've got to be kidding me if you think you're driving. Neither of you are, I'm driving. You guys can't drive for shit.."

"Ugh, fine."

.

.

"Where should we go? Prada? Gucci?"

"I'd rather not." Jimin protested as the trio entered the mall. They've been here countless times before, but honestly, they went to the same 5 stores every single time.

"Yeah, same here. Can't we go somewhere... I don't know, new?" Aeri suggested, gently nudging Yizhuo with her elbow.

"And send Jimin back to Minjeong looking homeless and like she barely tried? Hell no!"

"I'm pretty sure she'd be fine either way as long as I take my time to show I mean my apology.."

"Nope! I'm not letting you go looking like 'whatever', miss girl. You're gonna be flawless from head to toe."

Jimin sighed because she knew there was no point in arguing when it came to Yizhuo. Seriously, how stubborn can one be?

Aeri only shrugged, exchanging a glance with Jimin. It's not like they could change Yizhuo's mind now.

And so, it began. The endless dragging and yapping from Yizhuo, giving serious critique about every store before even entering. Jimin swore 15 minutes passed already and they didn't enter even one store.

Then, finally, Yizhuo's eye caught a few dresses in a particular expensive store, so they finally made it inside, at least. Obviously, Yizhuo first had to look through each and every dress to picture how Jimin would look in it, and if it would set the right atmosphere. Each small detail mattered for some reason. Was this a wedding or something??

"Yizhuo, I seriously don't wanna wear anything in this store while begging for forgiveness and understanding. This is, like, I don't know, what I'd wear to the Oscars if I was an actress."

Aeri immediately nodded "Right? I feel like Minjeong would get weirded out by... well, the extravagantness."

"I know..." Yizhuo sighed, flipping her hair back "Let's go somewhere else, I changed my mind."

"This girl—"

Jimin just decided to shut up and follow the younger girl. After all, people always said: trust the process—right?

In the end, Yizhuo actually got convinced to go to a less expensive store. Something simple was better for the situation. It was supposed to be an apology that actually shows Jimin's guilt, and not trying to show off her looks.

"What about this? A simple white dress going around the neck, with a few patterns going up and down. Looks pretty and doesn't drift the attention away from Jimin herself." Aeri held the piece of clothing up for Yizhuo's eyes to judge. Based off of the younger woman's expression, it wasn't a bad choice at all.

"Yes, that's definitely an option. But let's keep looking. There could always be something better somewhere."

"Hey, guys, what about this?" Jimin spoke up, showing a long purple dress with black flowers as a design going across the fabric.

"Uhmm... Sure, we'll consider that an option." Yizhuo shrugged, obviously not the fondest of Jimin's choice.

Aeri snickered, hiding it by looking the opposite direction of Yizhuo and Jimin.

Jimin rolled her eyes at Aeri's reaction "Whatever, let's just keep looking."

"Sorry! It's just amusing to see you guys like this all the time."

Yizhuo interrupted the two, holding what was probably the best dress Jimin has seen in the whole store "Hey, Jimin, what do you think about this one?"

The color was light pink and the dress had a bit of lace running around the top and bottom, but not too much to make it stand out. It ended at probably the mid-thigh, which wasn't too long and not too short at the same time. It really was simple but it stood out most. Well, at least in Jimin's own opinion.

Aeri's jaw dropped and her head moved in a nod before she could process it "Yes? That's literally perfect. Jimin-ah, go try it on!" Aeri pushed Jimin towards the dressing rooms, yanking the dress out of Yizhuo's hands and shoving it into Jimin's hands.

Jimin locked the dressing room and sighed, having at least one moment of peace, even if not for long. She knew the other two would kill her if she took too long to try the dress on.

Piece after peace, Jimin discarded her own clothes, until she pulled the dress on. And what a surprise, it fit perfectly. It was just the right amount tight on her body, no awkward loose spots.

A moment went by where Jimin only stood in front of the mirror and stared in silence. It's been too long since the last time she has seen herself in clothes other than her work scrubs, or a random loose t-shirt and sweatpants.

She definitely missed having her freedom, but she'd settle with those horrible outfits if it meant she got to live peacefully with Minjeong. Okay, well, currently it wasn't that peaceful, but you know what I mean.

Suddenly—

BANG BANG BANG

"ARE YOU DONE YET?!"

"Chill out!" Jimin exited the dressing room to show Yizhuo and Aeri how she looked wearing the dress.

The silence said more than words ever could, for sure. Especially because either Aeri or Yizhuo always had something to say.

Okay, sure, you may be thinking "but the dress isn't even that beautiful?"

Sure... As already said, it doesn't stand out too much, but it does have a precise amount of detail to direct a twinge of attention to it.

If Jimin showed up in front of Minjeong like this, too, it'd definitely changed the atmosphere. Minjeong has never seen Jimin in a dress before. Honestly she has barely seen Jimin in anything other than the outfit housekeepers wore, except one or two times on special occasions. So that definitely changed the perspective of the whole thing as well.

"Minjeong will love that." Yizhuo nodded to herself, muttering under her breath.

"Jimin-ah, promise me to wear protection tonight—"

THWACK

"Stop thinking like such a pervert! Besides, I'm clean, nothing can happen. And I don't think anything like that will happen anyways, Minjeong isn't all that concerned when it comes to sex.."

"Wait, what?" Yizhuo questioned, suddenly interested in business that was anything but hers "You mean to tell me you and Minjeong, both mature adults, have been together for almost a month, and you still haven't went to scissor city??"

Aeri literally glared at Yizhuo "Please never put it like that again."

Jimin shook her head without much care "No, we don't need to have sex to stay together. And I don't think there has been a good opportunity for it anyways."

"You've changed a lot, Jimin!" Yizhuo let out a low whistle, quite impressed. The old Jimin probably would have gotten to business by now. Though, it does make sense now, Minjeong has tied Jimin down well.

Aeri shook her head firmly "No, Yizhuo, I think we're the problem."

.

"Okay, so, we have the dress." Yizhuo noted, humming quietly "Now what, a gift? What did we say we're gonna do? Bake something?"

Aeri grinned, her brain already forming some god-awful plan "Let's bake an apology cake! You know, something like those horrible cakes you see get a million likes on social media."

Jimin grimaced. She was not at all fond of that idea. If Minjeong would be in a bad mood, Jimin could guarantee Minjeong's mood wouldn't get better with a cake that looks like it was made by a toddler. Or would she? Maybe she wouldn't, only time could tell.

"Are we sure..?"

"Hell yeah," Yizhuo nodded "I'm a master at icing cakes and designing them."

"She is, I've seen it personally." Aeri backed the younger girl up, even if Jimin was still extremely wary of this. Honestly, though? She just needed some dopamine in her day, so who was she to deny a fun experience?

"Alright, fine, we're baking an apology cake. But if something goes wrong I'm blaming you two."

.

.

The three got to work the instant they arrived back at Yizhuo's apartment. Yizhuo was, for some reason, the head chef. 

Surprisngly, Yizhuo actually knew everything about making cakes. She still remembered that one cake baking course she took. Maybe Jimin shouldn't have doubted her baking skills.

Everything was going pretty smooth. Too smooth. So smooth it almost felt like a fake reality. I mean, seriously, when was the last time something worked when those three did it together?

It was only when they were done with the batter that Yizhuo realized something was wrong.

"Guys. Where did you two get the sugar from?"

"What do you mean?" Aeri turned to Yizhuo.

Jimin held up the small container of where they got the sugar from. Well, "sugar".

"That's not the sugar..."

"Yes it is, it has to be!"

"It's salt you idiots!"

Aeri furrowed her eyebrows in confusion "Okay, then why the hell was the batter sweet?"

"Did you taste the batter or the icing?"

"Oh..."

"Yeah."

Jimin groaned after her silence, throwing her head back. Seriously, of course this went wrong. She shouldn't have expected this to go well.

"Don't be like that!" Aeri complained with a small push at Jimin "Who knows, maybe Minjeong likes salty cake with extra sweet icing."

"Yeah. I'm sure she does." Jimin replied sarcastically.

❅❆❅

"Okay so I don't want to sound harsh, but seriously, maybe you're the problem this time?"

"I just... don't know. I should've talked to her, I know that, but I also feel like she could've at least paid a bit more attention to me?"

Yunjin sighed, feeling like she should just give up at this point.

Minjeong has sought advice from Yunjin yet again, since she didn't know where to start the next time she sees Jimin.

They were comfortably seated outside in the garden, right on a bench in the center of the flowers. Though, it wasn't bright outside, considering the sun was setting. If Minjeong was being honest, the garden looked better in the evening.

"Minjeong, I get it, you haven't been in a relationship for a loooong time and you need the love and attention, but Karina really seemed to be tired out by the work. You know, she probably couldn't think rationally at that time. Hells, I'm like that too after a long day of work."

"You think so..?"

"I know  so. And all that bullshit you were saying that she 'is interested in other women now' is just total crap. Karina's down bad for you, seriously."

"I just feel like she—

"And I just feel like you need to talk to her for once, calmly, maturely, like the mature woman you are. You've got this."

"I fell like I already messed up though."

"You did mess up." Yunjin answered without sugarcoating anything "But that doesn't mean you can't fix it. You can, if you really care about her."

"Yeah... alright. I'll try."

"Good. But also, don't go to easy on her either if you don't want her to repeat her mistakes. Show her you were seriously upset, you know what I mean?"

Minjeong laughed a little "You just want me to keep being an asshole to her, got it."

Yunjin, too, couldn't resist a smirk "Well I didn't say that."

Then, Minjeong's phone started ringing in her pocket, interrupting Yunjin and Minjeong' conversation.

"Huh? Since when do you have a phone around with you??" Yunjin seemed genuinely surprised. Minjeong definitely wasn't all too fond of electronics. She had a phone, yes, but she never even carried it around.

"I figured it's more efficient in emergency cases. I'll go take this real quick." Minjeong got up, walking a few meters away from Yunjin before answering the call.

"Hello?"

["Minjeong! You picked up!"] What a surprise, it was Jimin calling. Minjeong could easily recognize that voice.

"Karina? Why are you calling?"

["I, uh, well, need someone to pick me up. My friends are kind of in the wrong state to be driving a vehicle right now."]

"I can pick you up, if that's what you want." Minjeong offered, seeing it as an opportunity to finally talk to Jimin.

["You don't need to! You really don't.."] Jimin answered, probably having flashbacks to the last time she drove with Minjeong. The hand on her thigh, the looks, the atmosphere.

Too bad Minjeong didn't take no for an answer.

"Where are you? Give me your address."

["XXX street, the tall lit up building. You'll know what I mean when you see it. I'll be waiting outside."]

"I'll be there soon." Minjeong hung up, stuffing her phone back into her pocket.

And of course, Yunjin suddenly appeared right beside Minjeong.

"What was that about??"

Minjeong flinched a little but shook it off once she realized it was just Yunjin.

"It's Karina. She needs me to pick her up."

"Well that's perfect, no? You can talk to her finally!"

Minjeong nodded and started walking along the path leading to the garage.

"I should go home too now, see you!" Yunjin waved and separated from Minjeong, going her own path.

Well, only one thing left for Minjeong now.

It didn't take long for Minjeong to get to her car. This time, instead of taking the bigger car, she decided to get in her Porsche. Sleek, fancy, and expensive. Whether it was to be a show off or something else, it'd do the job.

❅❆❅

"Guys, I can't..." Jimin mumbled shyly, readjusting the hem of her dress as if it were uncomfortable on her skin. No, it wasn't the fabric. It was the idea of showing herself like this to Minjeong. It didn't make her uncomfortable, rather it made her bashful.

Yizhuo rolled her eyes and hit Jimin's shoulder "Oh come onnnn! Stop backing out on this! You know you like this dress, you know Minjeong will like it, and you know it won't hurt to try."

Aeri took the calmer approach, placing a hand on Jimin's unaffected shoulder "Hey, it's nothing scary. Your literal job is to wear impressive clothing and show them off to people. You've done it around you-know-who too!"

"That's a different story! My relationship with him was purely sexual. And you can't compare this situation to runway shows and modelling! We're talking about my lover here."

Jimin then added: "My upset lover who I think will laugh in my face when I show her that horrible mess of a cake we made."

"Don't insult my cake skills like that! The icing is perfect, I don't know what else you want." Yizhuo looked to the side where their cake was sitting in a bag, peeking out slightly. Yeah, no, that writing on the cake looked worse than a toddler's handwriting and Yizhuo knew it. It's not like she'd admit that though.

"Guys, focus! Look, you don't need to have an over-the-top performance or anything. Be yourself, apologize properly, let Minjeong do the rest of the talking and answer her genuinely."

"I know that part, Aeri!"

"Then why are you stressed??"

"I don't know!"

Both girls standing beside Jimin groaned in frustration at their helpless friend. Why was Jimin making this so hard??

"Okay, you know what?" Yizhuo snapped, grabbing the bag and pushing it into Jimin's hands "You're going out there now, no more buts. You're doing this now or never."

"But—"

There was barely time for Jimin to talk before both Yizhuo and Aeri were pulling her out of the apartment, into the elevator, outside the building and making sure she stays on the street. Seriously, was it that hard? (No, it wasn't.)

Yizhuo, now satisfied, placed her hands on her hips "There. Now you just wait here and we'll go back home. Bye!"

Aeri waved apologetically and followed Yizhuo back inside, leaving Jimin outside in the progressively dark street.

Jimin bit her lip and shifted around on the spot, her eyes moving the whole time, left to right, but there was no sight of Minjeong's car just yet.

The wait felt like hours, weeks, even months. The never-ending trail of thoughts didn't make it better either. If Jimin could just shut off her brain it'd be nice. Unfortunately, her brain didn't own that function.

Also, the cake kind of annoyed Jimin. Seriously, that cake looked like even a little child could make it. If Minjeong asked if Jimin made that cake, she'd probably be too embarrassed to say yes.

Being this distracted, a honk coming from a car almost sent Jimin into cardiac arrest. Ah, right. There she was. Minjeong.

The Porsche pulled up to the sidewalk, almost tauntingly. At least that's how it felt to Jimin.

It took a few seconds before Jimin moved to the car and entered.

Minjeong didn't say anything immediately. She just observed Jimin, especially her attire.

Jimin was busy buckling her seatbelt when Minjeong finally spoke.

"It looks good, I like it."

"What?"

"The dress, I mean." Minjeong looked up and right into Jimin's eyes.

"Thanks... I, uhm.. I picked it out with you in mind." Jimin answered and averted her gaze to avoid Minjeong's eyes. It was already hard not to be embarrassed and blush with just Minjeong's words.

Minjeong didn't smile but God she wanted to so bad. She know she probably won't hold onto this act for long.

"Who bought if for you?"

"I bought it myself. It wasn't expensive."

"No? It does look expensive though." Minjeong reached forward and touched the fabric of the dress, confirming the material wasn't the cheapest either.

Jimin moved a bit and gave Minjeong more access for touch, only until she realized what she was supposed to do.

"Minjeong, we should talk. About yesterday."

"I agree, that's why I wanted to take us to a quieter spot before we go home. There's barely any privacy there and we'll only get interrupted there."

Jimin nodded her hands settling on her own knees and lightly digging into her skin. She would be lying if she said the situation didn't make her nervous. Mostly because she couldn't gauge how Minjeong felt. That uncertainty made it worse.

The car moved along the street, above speed limit, of course. Minjeong didn't want to waste time or make it awkward.

"I hope your day was alright?" Jimin spoke up, hoping to make things less tense.

"It was, yeah. Nothing much happened, honestly."

"What about you? Did you have fun?' Minjeong continued, glancing to the side briefly.

"Yeah, I did. I got to clear my mind a bit."

It went silent again, but it wasn't as bad as just a few minutes ago. Hopefully it would stay like that for the rest of the ride. Seriously, Jimin didn't want to argue or anything again and she was sure Minjeong didn't want to either.

Jimin looked out the window as time passed, letting her thoughts run. Of course, it's totally not like she spent most of her time overthinking everything anyways.

Wherever Minjeong was taking them seemed to be like a good place based off of the length of the ride. Jimin couldn't deny that she was curious as hell where she was being taken.

.

"Alright. We're here. It's nothing special, just thought it'd be nice to have a good sight while talking things out." Minjeong parked the car off the road, looking at Jimin and seeing if Jimin even liked the place.

Jimin was silent, her eyes taking the sight in. They were on a small hill (or cliff, depending how you see it) at the sea's shore, a small beach under them. It didn't sound impressive at all. I mean, it wasn't supposed to. But the atmosphere between them and the evening sky made everything look beautiful. The sight would definitely help keep things somewhat calm, Jimin was sure.

"It's beautiful.. I've never seen this spot."

"I used to go here a lot to clear my mind back when I lived and worked in the city. I don't think I've taken anyone here before."

"I'm honored."

Minjeong laughed "Honored?"

"I'm serious! Even the small things like this mean a lot."

"I guess that's true." Minjeong hummed, shutting the car's engine off.

"So.." Jimin turned her body to Minjeong a little "I wanted to apologize for the past week. I honestly didn't realize I was being so ignorant and all. Seeing you react like that made me realize I was being an asshole."

Minjeong shook her head gently "I overreacted a bit though. I just... Seeing you enjoying your time with other people while I was just... there, was really hard to witness. I let my jealousy control too much of my actions."

"I still should have spent the free time I had with you. You're literally my girlfriend, so.. I think that says enough."

Minjeong finally let herself smile. She reached forward and held one of Jimin's hands in her own. "Just don't let it happen again, please. I want us to work out."

"I do too! I was just too caught up with work and it made me act like an idiot."

"Yeah... Well, I forgive you and I trust you won't do that again."

Jimin shook her head because she knew she wouldn't let herself repeat those actions again after being that close to losing Minjeong.

"That was... fast and oddly calm." Jimin chuckled, amused at how quickly they settled their disagreement. If she knew it was that easy sooner she'd have done it faster.

"Right? We really need to work on communication."

"That's true, I think if we communicated instead of fighting we'd have solved this wayyyy earlier."

Minjeong nodded in agreement "Communication seriously is key. God I feel like an idiot."

"Don't worry, me too. You're not alone."

Jimin's eyes went back to the front and the sight, but the bag she carried with her finally came into her mind again. Right, the cake.

"Uh, Minjeong?"

"What's up?"

"What do you think of cakes?"

"I guess they're good..?"

"But do you think the look matters or the thought?"

"The thought definitely. Not everyone is good at cakes and all.

"Good, because I messed this one up." Jimin held the bag up and passed it to Minjeong, revealing the... well, the artwork, if you wanna call it that way.

"Oh.. wow. Wow, it's.." Minjeong trailed off, suppressing her laugh "It's beautiful, Karina. I love it."

"Just laugh. It's better if you do."

Minjeong did as Jimin suggested and burst out laughing, burying her face into her hands.

"But look, I really wanted to spend my time making something for you and it just.. It didn't turn out great, but the thought counts, you said it first!"

"Yeah," Minjeong wiped her eyes after tears of laughter escaped her eyes "I don't say it enough but God I love you, Karina."

"I love you too. That's why I made this.."

"You're saying this is the product of our love?"

"Yesn't? There's definitely better things out there that will come from our love. But hey, you gotta admit, it gave you a great laugh."

"I appreciate it, really." Minjeong reassured Jimin and patted Jimin's thigh lightly, resting her hand there. Oh Goddd, not the thigh-touching again. That was her biggest weakness up until now.

"I'm glad you do, otherwise it would've been a waste of time, really.."

"But I feel like I should repay you.. I don't like receiving gifts because I always feel like I owe something after."

"You don't owe me anything, I mean it. It's my way of apologizing for upsetting you."

Minjeong leaned in a bit closer "But will you stop me if I want to?"

Jimin's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she realized exactly what Minjeong meant by that. Minjeong wasn't talking about paying Jimin back in gifts. Hell, she wasn't talking about gifts in general. Luckily she caught the hint, or else things might've gotten awkward.

"I won't stop you."

.

.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

"But I feel like I should repay you.. I don't like receiving gifts because I always feel like I owe something after."

"You don't owe me anything, I mean it. It's my way of apologizing for upsetting you."

Minjeong leaned in a bit closer "But will you stop me if I want to?"

Jimin's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she realized exactly what Minjeong meant by that. Minjeong wasn't talking about paying Jimin back in gifts. Hell, she wasn't talking about gifts in general. Luckily she caught the hint, or else things might've gotten awkward.

"I won't stop you."

"So I'd hypothetically have your consent?" Minjeong's gaze dropped to Jimin's cleavage, not bothering to hide where she was looking. Only minutes after she raised her eyes up to Jimin's lips.

"You have my consent, Minjeong. Not hypothetically."

"The safe word is 'red'. Say it and I'll let go of you completely."

Jimin nodded to show she understood. It wasn't really the hardest word to remember.

Minjeong leaned in and pressed her lips to Jimin's. It felt like a soft caress more than a kiss. Minjeong was acting differently now that she knew where this was going. It was less intense but somehow still getting heated, quickly.

Jimin reciprocated and let her arms wrap around Minjeong's torso, her fingers fumbling with the fabric of Minjeong's shirt. Minjeong's hands, however, were placed low, braced comfortably on Jimin's hips.

It was already obvious to both women that Minjeong was eager, hence why the blonde was already prying Jimin's lips open with her tongue.

Jimin moaned softly, the knowledge of what was gonna happen soon enough working her up more than it should. I mean, come on, considering how often she gets teased by Minjeong, Jimin's surprised that she didn't jump on the latter sooner.

Minjeong responded by moving her tongue firmer against Jimin's, needing to fulfill the urge of feeling Jimin closer, nearer, more intimately.

The kiss was like an apology to both parties for keeping each other waiting so long, a reward for suppressing their lust up until now. Well, no more of that.

Jimin shifted around in her seat, the wetness pooling slowly but surely. It was so fucking uncomfortable being unable to do anything about it until Minjeong did something.

The moment one of Minjeong's hands started caressing Jimin's hip and thigh, Jimin realized exactly how this was gonna go. Minjeong had the audacity to be taking her time and Jimin could sense the pace wouldn't speed up. I mean, at least that's what Jimin thought.

"Baby.." Minjeong parted for air, her breathing already getting uneven "Climb over, this is uncomfortable."

Jimin nodded and lifted herself up enough to safely navigate directly onto Minjeong's lap, successfully straddling it. It seemed perfect for the first few seconds before Jimin silently realized there was absolutely zero pressure on her pussy.

Great. She could've squeezed her thighs together sitting in the passenger seat, at least, even if it was uncomfortable. And now? Basically nothing.

"You're so beautiful," Minjeong whispered before her tongue went back to attacking Jimin's. This feeling couldn't beat any other and Minjeong would die on that hill.

Jimin now wrapped her arms around Minjeong's neck, tightly, pulling the small hairs on Minjeong's nape while simultaneously pushing their bodies closer together. 

She could feel Minjeong's hands on her waist, her fingers twitching, lightly squeezing, her hand moving not even a centimeter. It was all so small but it caused huge reactions in Jimin's body.

Those hands on her waist didn't last long, though. They found a better spot, right on Jimin's ass, kneading the soft flesh. Minjeong made sure to feel Jimin's body up until it was glued in her memory.

Minjeong's fingertips danced on the edge of Jimin's dress, teasing Jimin enough to drive her crazier than she already was. It's not like she'd lift the fabric just yet. Hell no.

Once again, the two parted, but Minjeong went for Jimin's neck this time, pressing her lips all over until she found the perfect spot in the crook of Jimin's neck to suck on. It wasn't a particularly strong suck but neither would complain if a few hickeys were left here and there..

"M-Minjeong-.." Jimin moaned, moving her hands to dig her nails into Minjeong's shoulders. Making sure Minjeong felt exactly how much she was affecting Jimin.

"Yes, baby?" Minjeong muttered against Jimin's neck, moving up to her jaw and back down, to Jimin's collarbone.

"I need you..." Jimin whined in hopes of getting what she wanted. She was unsure if this strategy works on Minjeong, but it never hurt to try, right?

"You need me?" Minjeong chuckled, gently nipping the thin skin on Jimin's collarbone "Be more specific, won't you?"

Jimin tried her best to concentrate, but how the hell was she supposed to do that with Minjeong this close? The neck kisses, sucks, bites, even feeling Minjeong's breath hit her neck sent a shiver down Jimin's body.

"I-I need your touch.." Jimin stuttered and squeezed her eyes shut at a particularly harsher suck on her collarbone.

"Where?" Minjeong pulled back only to look up at Jimin with those eyes, ready to watch Jimin fall apart.

"Here?" Minjeong moved her hands up to Jimin's waist "Or here?" Her hands moved further up, cupping Jimin's breasts perfectly in her larger hands "Maybe even here..?" Minjeong moved her hands one last time, down to Jimin's thighs. She made sure that her thumbs just barely brushed against Jimin's clothed pussy.

The touch was barely there but Jimin still felt it like crazy. Too bad Minjeong pulled her hands away again and rested them on her waist.

"Th-there," Jimin took both of Minjeong's hands and moved them back down, placing them right on her inner thighs.

"But I'm trying to take my time, baby."

"I don't want you to take your time."

"Not even for our first time together?" 

Jimin shook her head firmly. While it really was a nice thought of Minjeong to be so mindful, Jimin was horny and impatient and she hated to get teased like this.

Minjeong gave Jimin one last look, just to be sure. But she found nothing else in Jimin's expression, so she leaned in and got to work.

Her hands gripped as much as they could of Jimin's thighs, one hand moving up and pushing the straps of Jimin's dress down. With Jimin's words earlier, she wasn't afraid to be greedy.

Of course, Jimin's bra got in the way, so Minjeong worked on unclasping Jimin's bra the moment she got access to it. The bra got discarded somewhere into the back of the car. Minjeong wasn't sure where exactly it went but it didn't matter when she had such a beautiful woman sitting right in front of her, now exposed to Minjeong's eyes and Minjeong's eyes only. 

Minjeong planted her lips all over Jimin's chest, wanting to get all the spots she could before giving Jimin any form of pleasure. I mean, that's what Jimin gets for being too impatient, right?

Jimin curled her fingers in Minjeong's hair, pulling slightly, almost as if giving Minjeong a sign to just get on with it.

Minjeong smirked against Jimin's skin and moved just a tiny bit lower, latching on to Jimin's nipple. Her mouth stayed gentle. only applying a small amount of pressure in her sucks. Even that made Jimin react, letting out a whine and clutching Minjeong's hair tighter.

Jimin pushed herself closer, as if that would make Minjeong suck harder or something, which it didn't, because Minjeong already decided she'd tease the hell out of Jimin. For now.

One of Minjeong's hands went up to lightly pinch the other nipple, giving both buds equal stimulation and sending more waves of pleasure through Jimin's body.

At this point Jimin swore there was a whole ocean in her underwear. Never in her life did she remember another moment where she was this wet and turned on.

"H-Hurry up.." Jimin pulled Minjeong's head back, staring right into the older woman's eyes to show that she meant it.

Minjeong held back a short laugh "Hold on, baby, aren't you getting a bit too comfortable pushing me around? You're being a bit too bratty for my liking."

"Well you did say this is a sort of repayment, right?" Jimin grinned thinking she won this argument.

"Doesn't mean I'll accept this attitude coming from you."

"Or else what?"

Minjeong smirked, leaning further back against the car seat "I could always just stop and drive us back home without a word."

Jimin's grin instantly dropped. No, Minjeong can't be serious, right?

"Don't you dare."

"That's what I thought."

Minjeong's hand didn't waste time, sliding down and rubbing Jimin's clit right over the thin layer of fabric separating them.

"O-Oh God—" Jimin gripped Minjeong's wrist desperately after the unexpected touch on her sensitive pussy.

"Let go baby, I got you."

The black haired woman could only nod, her eyes squeezing shut as her hand left Minjeong's wrist to wrap around Minjeong's shoulders instead.

Having this type of moment with Minjeong was, honestly, long-awaited, but it was worth the wait. Ever since her very first interactions, Jimin has been craving Minjeong's touch and she finally got it. Well, not fully yet, but it still counts.

Jimin's hips subtly rocked against Minjeong's hand, which was unmoving, only her fingers slowly circling that sweet spot.

Minjeong didn't say anything, just watched Jimin's desperate actions to get any type of friction going on. It was kind of cute, to Minjeong.

But, of course, Minjeong wouldn't let this go on for too long. Instead, her free hand found Jimin's hip, steadying Jimin's body. Once Jimin opened her eyes again, Minjeong curled her fingers around the band of Jimin's underwear and pulled it down slowly.

It was a bit hard to get the piece of clothing off in this tiny, cramped space of Minjeong's car, but in the end, they made it. And of course, the panties landed somewhere in the backseat where Jimin's bra was already laying.

The cool air instantly hit Jimin's heated pussy and honestly it embarrassed Jimin a little, to be this turned on by Minjeong. But the older woman wouldn't let Jimin think about that much longer, reaching forward to run her middle finger along Jimin's slit.

Minjeong's smirk only widened once she felt, even from such a light touch, how wet Jimin was. It was definitely an ego boost, Minjeong could say that much.

"You're so wet, dear.."

"P-Please... more..." Jimin whimpered, her legs squeezing Minjeong's thighs.

"You're really needy," Minjeong, even with her words, didn't hesitate to dip her finger in between Jimin's folds, giving the woman straddling her firmer touches and strokes. Still not enough though.

Jimin didn't really need to say much though, since Minjeong pressed more than just her fingertips against Jimin just a short while after. With that, Minjeong traced slow circles over Jimin's clit again, this time with direct contact to Jimin's pussy.

Jimin moaned into the crook of Minjeong's neck, trying to keep still. If she moved? She assumed Minjeong wouldn't be very appreciative of that.

Minjeong sped up slowly but surely, staying precise with her fingers.

At this point Jimin started to clench around nothing but air. Sure, Minjeong rubbing her clit was fucking amazing and all, but that didn't get rid of Jimin's need to be filled. Especially by Minjeong's long, slender fingers.

What could Jimin do about that? Well... nothing, really. She'd have to wait until Minjeong does something.

All those needy thoughts running through Jimin's head made her start to realize the situation as a whole. They were cramped together in a car, parked only a few feet form the street, Jimin's moans echoing through the tight walls. The thought made Jimin's pussy clench again, releasing another gush of wetness.

"Jeez, how long have you even been like this, honey? You're dripping." Minjeong whispered in between Jimin's whimpers and moans. Of course, the extra tease from Minjeong was needed.

"N-Not— long, fuck!" Jimin bit back a louder moan once she felt Minjeong's fingers rubbing firmer against the sensitive flesh.

"I did a real good job then," Minjeong chuckled, her fingers finally inching towards Jimin's entrance.

"Yes! M-Minjeong, please—"

Minjeong was more than amused, but in the heat of the moment, Minjeong only paid attention to pleasing Jimin. Her two fingers prodded around for a bit more, not for much longer though, as Minjeong's fingers easily found their way inside Jimin in mere seconds.

Jimin moaned out loud, finally getting filled, like her body was begging for for the past minutes inside of the car.

"You're really tight, shit," Minjeong's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She didn't expect Jimin to be this tight. Not like that'd stop her though.

Her fingers started to thrust in and out slowly, taking her time, letting Jimin feel each centimeter of her fingers sliding against the tight walls.

"I'm not gonna last—" Jimin muttered more to herself than to Minjeong, her face scrunched in something between pleasure and frustration. 

Yes, Jimin wanted to cum eventually, but she didn't want it to happen too fast. Seriously, Jimin couldn't let this go to waste, even if she'd surely get to experience Minjeong's fingers in her pussy more than just once.

Minjeong was quick to reassure the woman on her lap "You don't need to last, it's not like I'll be done with you that quickly."

Jimin cleared her throat shyly "That- That wasn't supposed to be out loud."

Minjeong didn't pay any more attention to it. There was something way more important going on currently.

Minjeong suddenly stopped with her fingers fully buried. It made Jimin confused. Why the sudden stop?

It didn't take long for Jimin to realize why Minjeong stopped. Especially when the heel of Minjeong's palm pressed against Jimin's clit, and the two fingers buried inside of Jimin started to rub that spot inside of Jimin's pussy. That spongy spot located perfectly at Minjeong's fingertips.

Jimin clawed at Minjeong's back, unconcerned if she left any scratches on Minjeong. Actually, maybe it was better if Minjeong felt exactly how much she was doing to Jimin. Curse that woman for being too good at this!

"Are you close?" Minjeong asked in another whisper, only pulling her head back to lock eyes with Jimin.

The eye contact didn't last long at all, since Jimin was too shy to stare at Minjeong while literally getting fingered.

"C-Can't focus..." Jimin whined, which honestly was very true. Contrasting to just moments before, Jimin's mind was a bunch of nothing, flooded by pleasure. She was just enjoying the ride. Literally.

"I need you to tell me, baby. You can do it, I believe in you." Minjeong stopped her finger movements, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

Jimin whined again at the loss of friction. Well, she could concentrate on the feeling better now and yes, damn, she was close.

Jimin nodded, her hips bucking "I'm close,"

"There we go, good girl."

Minjeong's fingers resumed their ministrations, further spiraling Jimin's neediness.

"I-I- actually— M-Minjeong," Jimin moaned nonsense, squeezing around Minjeong's fingers tightly, tighter than before. That was enough for Minjeong to tell that Jimin was, indeed, close to orgasm.

"It's okay baby, I got you." Minjeong reassured, her fingers speeding up their rhythm inside of Jimin. 

Jimin swore she saw stars, that's how out of it she was. Honestly, she didn't expect Minjeong to be this skilled, but you should never judge a book by its cover, right?

"I'm gonna-" Jimin moaned, her nails harshly creating prominent crescents in Minjeong's skin, yes, even through Minjeong's shirt "G-Gonna cum..!"

Minjeong kissed her through it, her fingers going faster and harder, as much as they could, focused on pushing Jimin over the edge.

Jimin's moans vibrated against Minjeong's lips, though a bit more silenced than before. Not that that was what either of the two women were paying attention to.

Finally, Jimin clenched harshly around Minjeong's fingers. The younger parted from Minjeong's lips to bury her face back in the crook of Minjeong's neck, moaning into it as her body convulsed. That was exactly what Jimin needed, damn.

Once Jimin came back down from her high, her body went limp. Minjeong pulled her fingers out, wrapping both her arms around Jimin's frame.

Both of them were quiet, catching their breath after the intense moment. Though, there was only pure bliss and satisfaction on both of their faces.

"You okay?" Minjeong spoke up just to check on Jimin. In the meantime, her hand gently stroked the expanse of Jimin's back.

Jimin nodded lightly, a bit dazed to be talking coherently.

"Take your time." Minjeong kissed Jimin's cheek, a soft gesture in comparison to everything they just did.

Jimin smiled and pulled her head back "It's fine..." She breathed, her chest still moving irregularly "I can keep going.."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"If you say so.." Minjeong sealed the distance between their lips once again, her tongue easily prying Jimin's lips open for access.

Minjeong reached down to recline her seat back. Though, because of the modern car, the seat automatically reclined, but awkwardly slow. Thank God neither cared about it enough to make it a problem.

Jimin navigated one of her hands to feel up Minjeong's front, sneaking up to unbutton the blonde's shirt. After all, it was the only fair thing to do if Minjeong wasn't inn some state of undress yet.

Minjeong hummed and helped Jimin out, unbuttoning the rest and slipping her arms out of the sleeves to let it fall off.

Finally, the seat stopped reclining, reaching its lowest point. It wasn't fully reclined because of the seats in the back, but it was enough space for both to be a bit more comfortable in the car.

Jimin used her hand to fondle and feel Minjeong's boobs, ignoring the bra in her way. With or without the fabric, it felt damn good to have a feel of Minjeong's body.

Although Minjeong enjoyed feeling Jimin touch her body like this, she needed to hear Jimin's adorable moans again as soon as possible.

That being said, Minjeong slowly rolled them both over on the spot, even if it was a bit hard to do with the available space. But still, she was able to achieve her goal.

Now she was on top of Jimin, sitting on the womans lap, parted from Jimin's lips and being able to watch Jimin lay there, all disheveled and needy. If this wasn't an addiction, Minjeong had no idea what it was, because she never wanted to stop looking at the sight.

"You're so beautiful baby.." Minjeong whispered, probably more to herself, but Jimin still heard it because they were pretty close, obviously.

Jimin couldn't do much but stare and wait in this situation. Still, this moment will never be forgotten.

Minjeong couldn't wait much longer. She leaned down and pushed the hem of Jimin's dress up, completely revealing Jimin's stomach and pussy to Minjeong's view.

The woman on top scooched back bit by bit until she was low enough to be at the same level as Jimin's pussy. She was basically kneeling on the floor of the car in front of the seat, but that was fine. Anything for Jimin.

Minjeong hooked her arms under Jimin's thighs and kissed the skin of them, just to get Jimin a bit more worked up if she wasn't already.

Jimin's breath stuttered at the first contact of Minjeong's lips, sending a shiver through her body. Quickly Jimin remembered what was happening so she held onto Minjeong's hair, gently curling her fingers into those soft strands. 

Jimin couldn't deny, seeing Minjeong in that position could've sent her straight to the edge right then and there.

Minjeong grinned and trailed kisses from Jimin's inner thigh to her knee and back up, deliberately avoiding Jimin's pussy to frustrate the woman, though Minjeong knew she herself wouldn't last long teasing Jimin. 

"Minjeong.." Jimin whined, lightly pulling Minjeong's hair to show her impatience.

The latter laughed quietly, leaving gentle bites on Jimin's inner thighs. She made sure that her nose just barely brushed against Jimin's dripping cunt when turning her head to get the opposite thigh.

"What is it baby?"

"Stop teasing me, please.."

"I'm just making sure you're ready.." Minjeong trailed off and traced a line with her tongue barely an inch away from the spot Jimin was yearning for Minjeong to touch.

"I am, I've been all this time, just please—"

"Needy." Minjeong hummed and finally came into contact with Jimin's pussy with her tongue. She lightly traced lines between Jimin's folds, making sure not to add too much pressure in the start.

Seemingly, Jimin was not as ready as she claimed to be. Her body jerked in surprise at the sudden brush of Minjeong's tongue, but Jimin stayed calm and subconsciously pushed Minjeong's head closer to herself.

Minjeong responded to the gesture by pressing her tongue a bit firmer, slowly building the friction up.

Minjeong finally processed the taste of Jimin and she really couldn't get enough. Obviously, it didn't taste like rainbows and cotton candy as some people on the internet would want it to (it's a freaking organ, people), but in an odd way, Minjeong loved the taste.

Barely a minute passed and Minjeong was already losing the plot. She didn't hesitate to press her tongue against Jimin's hardened clit, to circle it with her tongue and lightly suck it. She blamed it on the moaning coming from Jimin and the need to hear more of it.

Jimin's thighs squeezed Minjeong's head desperately, as if that would make Minjeong more determined.

Because it did, in fact, make Minjeong more determined. She moaned against Jimin's pussy and flicked her tongue faster, hitting Jimin's clit over and over.

She did not stop there and switched to sucking Jimin's clit again, putting pressure on the small nub.

Jimin loved the suction, pulling Minjeong's hair a bit too harshly (not like Minjeong minded it though). Her moans continued to sound, spurring Minjeong on and on.

Minjeong made a quiet noise again and continued her ministrations on Jimin's cunt. But soon enough, she moved her hand and prodded her two fingers against Jimin's entrance once again.

Jimin's body locked up for a quick second and she couldn't help but bite her lip, waiting to be filled again. God, she felt like this feeling couldn't get any better.

Minjeong's fingers slid in easily, thrusting in and out just like earlier, brushing Jimin's G-spot over and over again. All while still sucking and flicking her tongue against Jimin's sensitive clit.

Look, it definitely seemed way too early but Jimin couldn't help being close to orgasm again. How was she not supposed to be close? Sex was never this good before, she came just a few minutes ago, and her body was way more sensitive than usual. Probably just the Minjeong effect.

"M-Minjeong..! I'm g-gonna come a-again—!"

Minjeong's eyebrows shot up in surprise. In a positive way, of course! She thrusted her fingers faster and sucked harder on Jimin's clit. She figured that suction was more effective once Jimin was horny enough, at least that's what she thought based off of Jimin's reactions to Minjeong.

Jimin basically whined in need, her thighs struggling to stay open again. Actually they were even trembling. Minjeong's free hand was stroking Jimin's thigh soothingly, which kind of helped. Kind of.

"S-So closee- I—"

Jimin's back arched off of the car seat, her body locking up a second time but this time she was coming, hard. It felt like an unbearably tight knot in her abdomen suddenly unraveled. Jimin's mouth parted but nothing came out, she was too distracted by the intense orgasm washing over her body.

Minjeong continued but finally started to slow down until she fully stopped, pulling her fingers out and her mouth away. This time Jimin was seriously tired out. Her body went flat and limp again, but she didn't even open her eyes or make a move to pull Minjeong up.

Minjeong wiped her damp chin and crawled back up, settling on top of Jimin once again. 

She tucked a loose strand of Jimin's hair behind her ear, her hand cupping Jimin's cheek and stroking it tenderly with her thumb. There was nothing but admiration on Minjeong's face by now. Well, no one knew how soon that would change again but that was irrelevant for now.

"Tired..?"

"A-A little, yeah.."

Minjeong smiled and brushed her lips against Jimin's for a short moment.

"Let's go back home for the night."

"But- I don't want to sto—"

"Who said we're stopping once we get home?"

Jimin paused but then bit her lip sitting up.

"Fine... I'll get dressed again. Let's go home."

Minjeong smirked and let Jimin reach for her bra and under wear in the back, while she herself worked on getting her shirt back on.

Tonight was gonna be one looooonnngggg night.

.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

.

.

Chapter Text

Jimin woke up with a slight daze. The sunlight coming through the window hit her eyes brighter than usually. Something was off.

She assumed it was just a particularly bright day today. Besides, her clock didn't ring yet, that meant it wasn't time to get up.

Jimin turned without opening her eyes, too comfortable to do that just yet.

But the moment she turned to lay on her opposite side, she felt another body laying with her.

Minjeong was right there, laying facing Jimin, seemingly still asleep.

Jimin's eyes flew open as she jerked her body back, staring in bewilderment.

Oh, right. Last night happened..

"Stop moving." Minjeong grumbled, reaching to pull Jimin closer again.

Jimin cleared her throat and curled back up in Minjeong's arms, her face planted against Minjeong's neck "Sorry.."

Minjeong tightened her arms around Jimin's body, her fingers moving over the latter's skin in soft strokes.

"How are you feeling?" Minjeong asked and pulled away to look at Jimin's face.

"I'm alright, just a little sore."

"Figured." Minjeong bit back a grin and twirled a strand of Jimin's silky hair between her fingers.

"And you?" Jimin shifted closer to Minjeong.

"What about me? I'm fine, don't worry. You focus on resting your body instead."

"Oh come on, don't treat me like I'm gonna break."

Minjeong shrugged and trailed her hand down to Jimin's cheek "Better to be safe than sorry. It was our first time together so I didn't know what to expect."

Jimin smiled and placed her hand over Minjeong's staying silent and enjoying the moment together.

"It's so peaceful... Almost feels like it's unreal. Usually I'd expect either of the girls to come barge into my room and jump on the bed."

Jimin laughed "Oh God. Please, anything but that."

"Yeah, I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy. And none of the housekeepers came in yet which I'm grateful for.."

"Isn't Chaewon in charge of coming in and waking you up?"

"I requested her not to. Left a note. I'm guessing she listened." Minjeong pulled Jimin into her arms again, enjoying the closeness between them.

Jimin hummed and settled in Minjeong's arms again, feeling very content in this very special place. Minjeong was a great cuddler.

Things got quiet again. Nothing needed to be said anyways, it was comfortable like this. Besides, Jimin wasn't complaining about the extra sleep she could get.

But she couldn't get that extra sleep and that's why this whole situation felt like a dumb joke.

That was because after barely a few minutes, someone was already knocking on the door. So... they basically jinxed themselves.

Minjeong sighed but didn't move, speaking up from her comfortable position in bed: "Who is it??"

The door opened and Jeongyeon showed up in the doorway. Ohhh shittt—

Minjeong jolted to pull the covers up higher than they already were, shielding both herself and Jimin. Her mind instantly went into alert mode instead of that sleepy and comfortable state she was in just seconds ago.

"I didn't tell you to come in!"

Jeongyeon paused, eyes wide in surprise. For a second she didn't even know what to say. Jimin stayed behind Minjeong in embarrassment. God no, she did not want to be caught like this. Especially not by Jeongyeon for fuck's sake!

"Uhm... I wanted to inform you that a guest is here who wants to see you.."

Minjeong rubbed her temples in frustration "Yeah, you could've done that from behind the door. Tell whoever it is to wait, I'm not rushing just to get downstairs."

"I already did but you might wanna hurry." Jeongyeon replied and left the room, shutting the door firmly behind herself.

Minjeong groaned and flopped back down onto Jimin, her head laying comfortably on Jimin's chest.

"I don't want to get up anymore."

"I guess we have to though.." Jimin huffed and played with a few strands of Minjeong's soft hair.

"Unfortunately." Minjeong pushed herself up and kissed Jimin's cheek, mumbling: "I'm gonna go take a shower. You go ahead and.."

Minjeong paused and smirked, pulling back away and up to look Jimin up and down "You can get ready for work. Or join me if you're brave enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jimin sat up, confused. Well, she did have an assumption what it meant, but she didn't want to read the message wrong.

Minjrong got up and walked towards the ensuite bathroom, not saying anything else. At least, not verbally. The last look she gave over her shoulder felt like she was saying: 'Why don't you come and find out yourself?'

After the door closed, Jimin felt an itch to go and join in. I mean, not knowing what Minjeong meant exactly irritated her to no end.

Did she even have a choice? She had to go.

The second she heard the shower running Jimin got up and entered the bathroom, not one to waste time.

Minjeong was only first getting into the shower once Jimin entered. Still, Jimin approached and also got in, although looking pretty shy about it.

The stream of the shower hit both women standing in it, dampening everything up by another level.

Minjeong's grin was still on her face: "I knew you'd cave one way or another."

Jimin cleared her throat awkwardly. She stood there and said nothing, since she didn't know what to expect. Wow, just last night she was having the sex of her life with Minjeong and now she's shy about it again. The contradictory act was baffling.

Minjeong huffed at her behavior and wrapped her arms around Jimin's waist from behind. Her body pressed fully against Jimin's. The latter stiffened up a bit in surprise.

"Just what are you thinking, my love?"

"Nothing! We're just taking a shower together, totally normal.."

"I think you're taking me for granted here. You're still thinking about last night, aren't you?"

Jimin bit her lip and didn't reply further. Her silence said everything, really.

Minjeong's hands glided down, caressing Jimin's abdomen. Jimin tensed again, a tiny whimper leaving her lips.

A laugh came from Minjeong. She was obviously amused by all of this. But of course, Jimin wasn't gonna get her way with Minjeong so quickly again.

Minjeong pulled away and reached for the soap instead.

"Too bad there's someone waiting for me. I can't really waste time, right?"

"R-Right!" Jimin nodded, feeling a bit ashamed of her dirty thoughts.

❅

"Seriously, does she always take this long?"

"No, ma'am, I'm sure she just didn't expect the visit.."

Minjeong's mother huffed and picked up the hot cup of tea standing on the coffee table.

Nobody expected her to visit. Seriously, the last time anyone saw her around was when Minjeong got married, which was.. a long time ago.

You could imagine the shock in Yeji's system when she answered the door, on her break, seeing Minjeong's mother appear behind the door. Now she was stuck trying to handle the situation.

Minjeong's mother did not seem to be very fond of Minjeong taking her sweet time to come downstairs. Impatient, as she always has been.

"There you are!" Minjeong's mother exclaimed at sight of her daughter walking into the room.

Minjeong paused. What was she, of all people, doing here??

"Mother. You're not supposed to be here."

"Oh I know, Minjeong. I've noticed that." The older replied, almost snarking. Minjeong felt a bit uneasy at the tone of her mother, and what it was supposed to imply.

"Anyways," Her mother continued and gestured at the sofa standing opposite of the one she was sitting on "sit down. I was gonna go easy on you but I think I've changed my mind."

"You're acting weird, what is it?" Minjeong sat down, glancing at Yeji standing at the side. The maid felt Minjeong's stare and looked away, acting as if she wasn't actively trying to get in on the gossip.

Minjeong's mother sent a glance and a nod to Yeji, which signaled for the maid to get out of the room. Thankfully, Yeji did so without further discussion

"Well... I must say, Minjeong, I'm impressed how long you've been holding onto the act of being Daeseong's loving wife and being happy in the marriage. But God, of course, someone I know has told me they've seen some things going on and you both are... allegedly, seeing others." Her mother sighed. Wow, very straightforward.

"What? That's nonsense. I mean, you know we don't love each other but I wouldn't break your rules." Minjeong lied smoothly. Too bad her mother knew all of here antics. Besides, she has already seen enough proof.

"I'm not gonna get mad, Minjeong. After all, it's too late. I'm just very disappointed."

"Oh. Okay..? So what's this about?"

Minjeong's mother took a folder out of her purse and laid it onto the table, facing Minjeong.

"I found this laying around on a counter. Divorce papers, not yet signed."

Minjeong tensed up. Indeed, those were the divorce papers that both parties have yet to sign. They were settled on who gets how much money, who gets the house, who gets child custody, etc. Yet their signatures weren't there just yet.

"You see, I'm not really keen on this. Especially with you dating one of the housekeepers."

Minjeong's eyes flew back up to her mother's face.

"How did you know that?"

"You left a note for Daeseong on top of these. He's dating some guy and you're dating.. another woman, you informed." Minjeong's mother stated, with an amount of discomfort Minjeong didn't enjoy. Her mother, obviously, wasn't really supportive of the idea of homosexuals, but she never got in the way like that. Unlike Minjeong's father. But that was a conversation for another day.

"You can't just look through my stuff like that—"

"Well they were just laying there for all eyes to see!"

Minjeong huffed in frustration "That still doesn't mean you're supposed to snoop in them."

"Okay, whatever, we're getting off-track here." Minjeong's mother redirected and put a different file on the table.

"And what's that?"

"An agreement, regarding the situation. I prepared it before I came because someone already told me about everything going on."

"Uh huh." Minjeong picked it up and skimmed over the contents.

"I'll let you and Daeseong divorce, of course. But I at least want you to fire your lover. I mean, come on, Minjeong, surely you have more decency than dating your employee?"

"What difference does it even make?"

"You know, it just looks really bad. That's how work culture has always been. An employee never dates their boss. Especially if they get privileges from it. I know you've been letting Karina Yoo off the hook."

"You really don't have to call her by her full name.."

Minjeong's mother smirked "You're avoiding the accusation. You know it's true."

"And what if I don't sign this agreement?" Minjeong tried, seeking for an escape. While it wasn't horrible to fire Jimin, that'd mean they can't see each other whenever they want to. Which, frankly, sucked. Especially with the free time on Minjeong's hands.

Minjeong's mother shrugged carelessly: "I'll get her fired anyways, I have my ways. And I'll make sure you lose custody over at least one of your daughters."

"..."

"Oh what the hell." Minjeong huffed a laugh, mostly in disbelief. Her hand rubbed her temples, as if that would ease the situation. Then, Minjeong continued: "You've always been insane like this. Seriously, go get some therapy. I promise you you're not the main character of my life, mother."

Minjeong's mother didn't seem phased by Minjeong's suggestion. She still kept that dumb smirk on her face.

"You know I'm doing what I said anyways."

"I know, I don't doubt that." Minjeong closed the file and set it next to her on the couch. "I'll look over it again later."

"Well, that's that. I'll leave you to it. Deliver it until Friday. I need your and your girlfriend's signatures on it so go and tell her." Her mother got up, took her bag and strolled out of the room, as if she was discussing every day topics just seconds ago.

Just like that, Minjeong was alone again, with this stupid file next to her. How did this even benefit her mother? Was it satisfying for her mother to see Minjeong suffer? Probably. Otherwise Minjeong wouldn't even be in this forced/lavender marriage situation, used as a money and business asset by her parents.

It was always like this. Just when everything was going perfectly, Minjeong's parents made sure to ruin it. They mastered that by now, seriously.

❆

Besides the situation between Minjeong and her mother, the day went by quickly for Minjeong. And for Jimin too!

Not much happened, which is why they had the time to "chill out", if you want to call it like that.

But that also meant that Minjeong had yet to tell Jimin about the situation at hand.

Which is also why Minjeong pulled Jimin back into her room before Jimin could go to the worker's dorms. If Minjeong was making this decision, she needed Jimin to know, obviously.

Jimin, winded from dragged by Minjeong, ended up landing and sitting on Minjeong's bed. Her eyes questioned Minjeong as they were back alone in the privacy of Minjeong's room.

"What's going on?" Jimin was honestly a little concerned by now.

Minjeong sat down next to Jimin and held both of her lover's hands. They both looked at each other, Minjeong with a deep sense of unsureness.

"Hypothetically, if you got fired from here, would you still be in a situation where you could live comfortably and come by every once in a while?" 

Jimin's eyebrows furrowed and she tilted her head. Almost like a confused puppy. 

"What?"

"Yes or no?"

Jimin paused and nodded "I think so. Why..?"

"There's a problem." Minjeong looked down at their hands, squeezing Jimin's smaller hands in her own.

"Tell me. What's going on? We're a couple now, I'm here for you."

"I'm divorcing Daeseong. It's mutual though, so there won't be any court discussion. We've actually got all the documents ready."

"So...?"

Minjeong continued: "But my mother came by earlier today. She knows. Everything. About the divorce, us, Daeseong's relationship. But she doesn't like that you're working for me and dating me."

"But what's she gonna do about it?" 

"She's crazy and still thinks she has control over my life, even though I'm already mature enough to take care of myself. She prepared some type of agreement, and if I don't sign it, Daeseong will get custody over Haerin and Hyein and I.."

Minjeong trailed off, her eyes tearing up. Now that she had to talk about it, she did realize how hard the choice was. She loved her children, she loved Jimin, she didn't want any of them to disappear from her proximity. She'd be constantly worried about both parties.

Jimin was quick to embrace Minjeong, her hands soothingly running up and down Minjeong's back.

She didn't say anything yet, just let Minjeong have her moment to get everything she needed out.

Minjeong wiped her eyes and nuzzled into Jimin's shoulder. She hated this. God, she hated this so much.

"I'm guessing if you sign it I'll get fired..? That's why you asked the first question..." Jimin tried to keep her voice soft while Minjeong was upset. Though, her assumption was right. Minjeong nodded into her shoulder.

"Minjeong... I'm not letting Haerin and Hyein go to Daeseong. He never showed his care for them. I'll go. It's not like we have to break up, right? We can still see each other often, I can guarantee that."

Minjeong pulled away, a wobbly frown on her face "But I don't want you to get into danger and I won't be able to help. Or, I also don't want contact only every few days. I enjoyed being able to at least talk once daily, have a quick embrace and we go on. It felt safe. It grounded me knowing nothing bad will happen."

"Then I'll make time to visit you at least once daily. Whether for a few minutes or for longer, I'll find the time." Jimin reassured and smiled, as if that would also make Minjeong cheer up (spoiler: it didn't, not really).

"But that will inconvenience you... What if I just... I don't know.." Minjeong sighed, because she thought there wasn't much left for them to do.

Then: "What if I just use my phone to send you texts, instead of making you come here all the time?"

Jimin raised an eyebrow in surprise "You have a phone?"

Yes, it really was that surprising that Minjeong even owned a phone. When was the last time anyone saw Minjeong actually use a phone? That's right, never. (Except for Yunjin, once, but that doesn't count).

"Shush, I do." Minjeong laughed softly, lightening up now.

Jimin smiled, seeing Minjeong cheer up.

"I wouldn't mind that, then. If you even know how to use a phone."

"I'll just get Yunjin or Wonyoung to explain it to me."

"Let's hope that works out then." Jimin hugged Minjeong again, just to keep that closeness between them.

"It will, I'll make sure of it."

.

.

Both women shared their contact information, making sure that was done before either forgot about it.

The document was signed as well, confirming that Minjeong would keep both of her daughters, thankfully. She didn't know what she'd do otherwise.

While Minjeong took care of all of those important documents, Jimin returned to her dorm.

Since she already knew she would be out of there in a matter of days, she grabbed her suitcase and started packing. 

There wasn't much to pack, though. Just one or two belongings, toiletries and a few clothes she brought with her. 

But while packing, a thought crossed her mind.

Minjeong and Jimin continued talking for some time first before Jimin headed out.

During that conversation, she remembered that Minjeong mentioned something about her mother. That her mother had a connection to someone who exposed Minjeong's situation to her mother.

It really put her into a spiral: who was it? Was it someone they both knew? Someone not close at all?

And most importantly, what it meant for Jimin. Let's not forget, she was still a hot topic every once in a while. Aeri and Yizhuo always filled her in on what was happening while she was off working undercover.

They mentioned that Jimin came up more than once, with people creating new rumors regarding her hiatus and inactivity.

If this "someone" knew who Jimin was... did that mean it'd be over soon?

No, right? That couldn't be the way it ended. Never. Maybe they got the information through one of Minjeong's friends and they never actually saw Jimin. That had to be it.

But for that to be confirmed, they'd all have to wait and see first.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙

Chapter Text

"Maybe this was a great thing.." Jimin sighed and flopped down, in her bed, sprawled out in absolute comfort. Yeah, she missed her own apartment.

The divorce between Daeseong and Minjeong went well. Oh, and that meant Yizhuo's wish was fulfilled, right? Wasn't that the goal? To get Minjeong divorced?

Now she could genuinely enjoy her time with Minjeong, knowing there was no more malicious intent.

Oh, wait.

She's Yu Jimin. Minjeong knows her "Yoo Karina".

Okay... Just stay calm... How does she break the news to Minjeong? Without making everything messy, I mean. There had to be a way, right? Right??

She loved Minjeong dearly. No doubt about that. But because of Yizhuo, she had a fake identity... well, in the Kim manor.

Speaking of the devil, Jimin's phone started ringing. Minjeong.

"Hello?" Jimin answered, bringing the phone to her ear.

"So it does work!" Minjeong exclaimed from the other line.

"What works?"

"Calling you, I mean. It wasn't working for a while."

Jimin held back a laugh, as bad as her mood was shortly before this.

"I texted you about my phone earlier. I couldn't pick up the phone because I didn't have the keys to my apartment and I had to get the landlord and all."

"Hey, if you're struggling you could always—"

"Nope." Jimin shut her lover down. Ever since (and even before) Jimin left Minjeong kept repeating: 'Are you gonna be okay financially?' 'You could move in here, not as a maid anymore..'

But, Jimin shut Minjeong down. She'd feel horrible living off of Minjeong's money, especially since she was well off anyways.

"I just don't have my keys. That's all. I can afford living here."

"I'm just worried... I hope you got in without any problems after?" Minjeong didn't mask her worries at all, really. This was only the beginning for Jimin.

"Yeah, there wasn't anything else. I'm just laying around now honestly."

"Me too. Hyein's been clinging to me all day. She misses you already."

"Is she with you right now?"

"Yeah, but she's deep asleep."

"Ah, I see.." Jimin quieted down now that she didn't really know what to say anymore.

Oh wait, there was one thing still weighing on her shoulders.

"Minjeong, we need to talk, I need to tell you something."

"Oh, sure, what is it?"

"Uh..." Jimin hesitated. No, she couldn't say it just like that. "You know what? How about we go on a date so I can tell you face-to-face? I'd... prefer that."

"Sure! I wouldn't mind that."

"I'll text you the details, alright?"

Minjeong agreed and hung up, leaving Jimin in her own silence again.

Alright, this was one step forward already! That's great! It's better than wanting to continue the secret, for sure.

But how would she tell Minjeong? Just straight up? No no no, she can't just say she's been living with a fake identity out of nowhere. That'd be...

Maybe buy an apology gift? But that's lame, no? Especially with a lie this big. It's been going on for multiple months.

Honestly Jimin didn't even expect anything to work. No matter what she said she'd expect Minjeong to freak out. Acceptable, honestly. If Jimin was in Minjeong's place she'd be infuriated to find out this late. 

Damn Yizhuo! It was her fault this situation was so complicated. But she was also the reason Jimin got to know Minjeong in the first place. 

Maybe, just maybe, Jimin shouldn't have gotten genuinely attached. That was the problem for sure. She has never known actual love. Now she can't get enough of it from the wrong person.

❅

"No one better recognize me.." Jimin muttered, sitting anxiously in a corner booth at some cafe. She's been waiting for maybe 10 minutes, some people stared at her, but most of them brushed it off and went on with their day. Probably because her face was plastered online and quite literally on many, many magazines.

She deliberately picked out an outfit so she'd blend in with the general crowd. Seriously, unless you have eagle eyes you wouldn't be able to just spot her randomly.

And finally, Minjeong walked through the door, looking as beautiful as ever. Their eyes locked and Minjeong's face lit up in a smile. Jimin smiled too, although a bit.. sadder. We all know why. Well, except Minjeong.

The blonde sat down in front of Jimin, her soft eyes locked onto Jimin. Softer than before. Fuck, now Jimin really felt horrible.

"I really missed you, you know." Was the first thing Minjeong said. It made Jimin melt inside. Minjeong was so sweet. All of it was dawning on Jimin now and she couldn't believe she was about to drop a bombshell on Minjeong.

"I missed you too, even though it was only like.. 4 days?" Jimin tried to keep the mood light with a joke.

"Hey, don't be like that! The days go by unbearably slow now that you're missing. Especially because I love you I realized I need your company to keep my days bright."

Jimin's throat tightened, it felt like her lungs stopped cooperating, as well as her heart which spiked. Did Minjeong want to kill Jimin or something?

"I love you too.." It felt horrible to reply this time. The guilt was overwhelming. It was actively eating Jimin alive. And yet she couldn't get to the point and get her problem off her chest.

"What's wrong? You sound like someone just died." Minjeong's eyebrows furrowed, in worry for the most part.

"Well, I wanted to meet because I need to tell you something... And, um.."

"I'm not gonna judge you, Karina." Minjeong reassured, reaching over to place her hand over Jimin's.

Jimin nodded and continued, trailing off: "I... I'm a liar. I'm not actually.."

Jimin's eyes locked on Minjeong's concerned face. The woman who was too perfect for Jimin to be worthy of. No... she can't...

"Honestly it's nothing, I lied when I said I needed to talk with you because there's totally nothing going on I just felt like I needed to see you again because I missed you a lot." Jimin urged, getting all of that out in one breath.

Great.

She backed out, of course.

Minjeong smiled warmly "Seriously? You really scared me for a second. I thought it was gonna be something huge. Like, that you're cheating or something.."

Jimin quickly shook her head. While she was an asshole for lying about her identity and going undercover to ruin Minjeong's marriage, she would never dare to look at anyone else in that way.

"I wouldn't stoop that low! Seriously, what do you hold of me.."

"It's just past experiences. I never know what to expect."

"Well you shouldn't expect that from me. You could ask all of my friends and they'd agree. I never... dated. Genuinely, like this. I've only been interest in flings before, but when I met you? Things clicked for me and I realized I can love someone purely."

Minjeong seemed taken aback, but also felt a mix of honor and love, for whatever reason.

"Really?... That seriously warmed my heart. I didn't expect you to say something like that.." 

"I mean it. So you're kind of my first girlfriend if you want to put it that way."

"That's adorable.." Minjeong's lip twitched, almost forming a smirk. She'd definitely use that as a way to tease Jimin in the future.

"Excuse me?"

Minjeong shrugged, but before any of them could even say anything, a waitress came up for them and asked for their orders. Minjeong sent a wink at Jimin, only flustering Jimin more.

.

.

Well, everyone can agree that didn't go well... Jimin failed to confess her lies. It's fine! She still had the whole day to tell Minjeong. The date wasn't gonna end after just a visit to the cafe.

Minjeong suggested they should just take a stroll in the park outside. It was still summer and the temperature was endurable. 

Their fingers stayed interlocked the whole time as they conversed, enjoying each other's presence.

Jimin's shoulders were still weighed by her lies. It was seriously getting out of hand and she was just letting it keep going because she didn't have the balls to actually admit her mistake.

She was definitely still holding on to it, only to have a few more moments with Minjeong. Before hell breaks loose.

The couple sat down on the grass in front of a pond. Both of them admired the beautiful sight, but Jimin would be much rather admiring Minjeong's beauty instead.

Her head rested on Minjeong's shoulder, getting comfortable while she still had the chance too. Her hands fiddled with Minjeong's one hand, almost a bit nervously. Of course, her fear was constantly seeping through her skin while being out in a place like this.

"Minjeong?" Jimin broke the silence. She had to try again.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you'd break it off with me if I did something bad?"

"I..." Minjeong stared off into the distance.

"I don't think so. I'd trust that you would tell me once you're comfortable with yourself."

"That's reassuring, to hear you say that."

They fell silent again, both in their thoughts. Jimin was still debating her dilemma: 'Should I do it now?'

And Minjeong was honestly starting to worry a lot about Jimin. Maybe she hasn't showed it, but she has noticed how quiet she was and how strangely Jimin was acting.

She wouldn't force it out of Jimin but she really hoped Jimin wouldn't bottle it all in forever either. But she trusted Jimin, which was the most important part of the situation.

Jimin sighed and shat up straight, staring directly at Minjeong.

"I really need to tell you something and I'm not backing out this time."

"You can tell me, I won't judge you."

"You're saying that but you don't even know what to expect.."

Minjeong shook her head "No, but I'm gonna try my best not to. I'm not backing out."

"Well... I've been meaning to say this for a long time but—"

"DUCKS!" Minjeong suddenly yelled. It was already too late when Jimin turned her head to see what Minjeong was talking about, because there was a horde of ducks actively running at them.

Jimin was  very afraid of all kinds of birds so you could imagine the terror in her body. Minjeong quickly pulled both of them up and made a run for it. The ducks surely wouldn't run that far after Jimin and Minjeong, right?

Why were they even chasing Minjeong and Jimin?? It's not like they had any food on them. Instead, the animals just interrupted Jimin's 2nd try of confessing and ruined the moment.

Although, it wasn't all too bad. Minjeong was laughing and seemed to genuinely enjoy herself pulling Jimin along with her. It made the moment lighter and way better than before. Jimin forgot what she was supposed to say and was instead busy having fun getting chased by ducks.

It really took their minds off of the situation at hand, so Jimin, once again, forgot to confess her lies.

While the couple was running through the park and trying to get away from those wild ducks, a pair of eyes was on them. 

Especially on Jimin.

A stranger at first glance, since Jimin couldn't recognize that face from so far away. It's not like she paid attention to other people around her anyways.

Not only the pair of eyes were on Jimin, but also a high quality camera. Yeah, you know where this is going.

They were focused on capturing multiple shots of Jimin. The money they could get with this, if they sent it to any media outlet?

Well, Jimin's day just couldn't get any worse, could it?

.

.

The day ended sooner than either of the women expected. Minjeong bid her goodbyes and drove back to the manor, while Jimin rushed inside of her apartment complex.

She still thought nobody saw her today, apparently.

Just like earlier, Jimin collapsed onto her bed. But her chest felt heavier than before. She didn't tell Minjeong at all, that was literally supposed to be the goal today. God, how long was this pathetic act gonna keep on going?

Jimin got hit with a sense of deja vu when her phone started ringing. This time it wasn't Minjeong though.

"Aeri?"

Jimin grabbed her phone and picked up, pushing her body up to sit. If Aeri was calling it surely meant something was going wrong.

"What's—"

"Jimin did you see what was posted on social media just two hours ago?!"

"Huh? No..? I was with Minjeong."

"Yeah well, some asshole decided it's time to ruin your image. I bet it was that fucker—"

Jimin interrupted sharply. She needed to know what was going on before Aeri continued her panic "Can you get to the point!? What's going on?"

"Someone got a photo of you in the park and posted it online. There's so much fucking bullshit spreading again."

"Are you being serious?" Jimin could already feel her breath going uneven and her heart beating irregularly. She knew exactly who was behind this. Or, who Aeri and Jimin predicted it to be.

"Check for yourself."

Jimin was just about to open social media to check the status of the internet, but she saw an all too familiar number calling her.

"Shit. Fuck, no no no, Yeri is calling me."

"Oh girl, you're in for hell."

Jimin hung up on Aeri and picked up the next call. I mean, she really can't ignore her agent, can she? Yeri is the reason Jimin's as popular as she is right now.

"Y-Yeri... Hi... It's been a while, haha.." Jimin mumbled with a shaky voice.

"I'm not impressed, honestly. I knew you were causing trouble all this time. You need to come to a meeting before the agency decides to terminate your contract fully, permanently."

"Yup! I- uhm, will be on my way."

Jimin did not waste time after the call ended. Her shoes were on in a second, keys grabbed, and she rushed into her car. 

Street safety wasn't important now, she needed to be at her agency ASAP.

Minutes passed and Jimin parked her car in front of the building, running inside and rushing to get to the 6th floor. Apparently the agency hated their employees and made sure the most used meeting rooms were on the top floor.

Finally, Jimin burst into the meeting room. Two people were already there, waiting and seated at the table. Yeri and Taeyeon. Why the hell was the managing director here?! Oh yeah, Jimin seriously messed up big time.

"You're here. Sit." Yeri gestured at the seat across from Yeri and Taeyeon.

Jimin sat down, getting a closer look at the two women in front of her. Now she could really see the serious expressions. And most importantly, she could feel the atmosphere in the room. Putting it in one word, Jimin would describe it with "horrendous."

"I'm sure you know why you're here already. The photos are spiraling everywhere." Taeyeon spoke for the first time. It was daunting.

"I saw them.. I-I didn't know someone—"

"Quiet. You're excuses aren't needed." Taeyeon wasn't only telling Jimin to shut up, she was warning her. Jimin swore she got goosebumps from it.

Taeyeon then continued, not one to waste time: "I'm gonna get straight to the point. Every brand you've worked with is pulling away from us now. Not only did you mess this up for yourself, you managed to pull us into it too. They're saying that the agency is full of irresponsible staff and models. They 'don't know if they can trust us', is how they're wording it."

Yeri nodded along and added her own scold: "After disappearing for months you decide to hang out in public where anyone could see you. Mind you, you never even informed us about your hiatus, if that's what you want to call it. And, honestly, Jimin? We only have two choices: terminate the contract with you or let the agency go down with you."

"S-So.. You called me over to terminate my contract?"

"We don't have any other choice. Who knows what else you'll pull. You're a public figure, Jimin. You can't do whatever you want! There are strict rules!" Taeyeon really seemed upset about the situation. But her eyes landed on the documents in front of her and she pushed a paper towards Jimin. The termination.

"That's it..? Nothing else? This took, like, 2 minutes, barely. You could've just mailed me the termination letter."

Yeri sighed in frustration "No, we couldn't. We had no idea where you were. Who knows if you'd ever even see the termination."

"Alright.. Well, I'll just.. go. Bye." Jimin shrugged and left the room. 

Okay, that's fine. She just got her contract terminated, totally nothing huge, right? She could totally just snap her fingers and get a new well-paying job that allowed her to live comfortably, right? Right???

❆

It's been about a day since the termination and Jimin has spent all day in her apartment, binge-watching some random TV shows. Now that she didn't have a job, she could do whatever she wanted to! Hey, maybe unemployment wasn't that bad. (She will definitely regret that statement in the future).

I mean, Jimin was definitely planning to look for a new job someday soon once she starts getting low on money. But that's honestly not happening anytime soon. She had millions saved in her account for situations like this. If she lives sparingly, there shouldn't be any worries about debt. Jokes on Jimin, living cheaply was a foreign thing to her. Especially living in a luxury apartment like hers.

But honestly she wasn't all too worried for now. Today, in particular, was a prime example, since Aeri and Yizhuo banged their fists against her door for a straight 5 minutes until she opened it and let them inside.

Worst of all, the couple decided to bring both of their dogs with them over. If it wasn't Jimin's lucky day today, am I right?

The two balls of energy ran past Jimin and instantly found her couch. The couch with the material both Cooper and Seven were sensitive to. That meant...

"Oh come on! Stop scratching my couch!"

Aeri shrugged and walked in, plopping down on the couch "Let 'em, they'll keep going until they realize the couch won't tear. Unless it will. Then you can start planning to buy a new couch."

"I can't. Do you really think I still have a job after everything that happened?"

"PFFT—" Yizhuo wheezed, laughing harder than at any joke Jimin has ever told. How rude!

"Shut up.." Jimin groaned and sat down next to Aeri, very unenthusiastically.

"So what are you planning to do now? Get a standard 9 to 5?" Aeri looked like she had something right on the tip of her tongue, but for some reason, she wasn't saying anything yet.

"Ugh, no... I'm taking a break first. Then... I don't know, maybe I'll try acting. If they accept me."

"You should totally try coming over to my studio one day, though. You'd be a good singer."

"Pfft, yeah right. My voice isn't that good."

Yizhuo rolled her eyes "Here she goes again."

"What?? I just don't think I'm fit for that job."

"Well, if you're ever struggling just come over. I've been trying to find singers for ages but they're all treating it like a joke."

Jimin nodded and turned her attention back to the TV. Honestly she just wanted some time alone but Aeri and Yizhuo always had a way to disturb Jimin. She still loved them though, since they were with her ever since childhood.

Aeri nudged Jimin to get her attention back. They weren't done with her just yet.

Yizhuo slid into the seat next to Jimin "You never told us about Minjeong! Did you tell her yet?"

"Tell her what?"

"The undercover thing..?"

Shit. That was still a thing, huh?

"Uhhh..."

⊹ ࣪ ˖

⭐💙