KTS 71

Haaa.

Yu-jin stood in front of the sink and looked at his face in the mirror. Dark circles were under his eyes, and his skin was dull and haggard.

Of course. He hadn’t slept a wink all night.

He forced down another sigh, but he couldn’t help but grimace. After washing up roughly, he came out to find Winston already ready for work, who glanced at him.

“You look tired.”

“Because I am tired.”

Yu-jin said in a listless voice, then frowned.

“Don’t blame me if I ruin the party.”

Winston replied nonchalantly.

“There’s not much to do. A monkey could do it.”

That’s what you think.

Yu-jin looked at him with a displeased expression. Had that man ever been involved in a party before? Everyone would do whatever he said, so he just had to give orders. Then the Butler, his secretary, or his mother would have done everything wholeheartedly.

Winston opened the door and went outside, saying.

“Get some rest, I’ll tell Cain.”

And he added what he thought was a helpful tip.

“Mother always rested in bed until the afternoon on the day of a party. She said it would be a disaster if her skin looked bad.”

Mrs. Campbell would be used to this sort of thing.

Yu-jin added again in his mind, but didn’t say anything out loud. Rest in bed when the countdown was approaching? Was that even possible?

As he was making a suspicious face, Winston, who he thought was going to leave, stopped and looked at Yu-jin. Before he could even figure out what it meant, Winston turned around and suddenly walked towards Yu-jin with large strides.

“Aah!”

Yu-jin screamed involuntarily as he was suddenly scooped up. But Winston didn’t care and strode towards the bed. Unlike when he picked him up, Winston gently laid him on the bed and leaned over him.

“Rest, I’ll tell them to bring you medicine if you need it.”

Yu-jin stared at his face in confusion. Why was he suddenly being like this?

His tone was still gruff, but his attitude had changed subtly. Winston turned and left, leaving Yu-jin still blinking at him. A little later, as he had said, a maid appeared with medicine and water.”It’s a sleep aid. It’s a mild formula, so you’ll feel much better after a short nap.”

She delivered the explanation in a stiff tone, as if reciting from the instructions, placed the tray she brought on the side table, poured water into a glass, and offered it with the pill. Yu-jin hesitated, then did as he was told, putting the small pill in his mouth.

“It’s about time for Angie to wake up…”

As Yu-jin lay back down on the bed and spoke, the maid replied,

“We’ll take care of her.”

Yu-jin was well aware that many employees, including Cain, were taking turns playing with Angela. “Thank you,” he replied, closing his eyes, and soon his body relaxed. Unexpectedly, the medication worked quite well, and he soon fell asleep with a deep sigh.

* * *

“…Da, Daddy!”

Yu-jin opened his eyes to the sound of someone shaking him and calling out. A familiar face appeared in his blurry vision. A smile naturally spread across his face.

“Angie, my daughter.”

As he opened his arms, Angela naturally snuggled into his embrace.

“Cain told me it’s time to wake up, so he asked me to wake Daddy.”

“Thank you. Were you having fun?”

After kissing him on the cheek, Angela nodded and began to list what games she had been playing. He was enthusiastically agreeing with his daughter when the Butler opened the door and entered.

“You’re awake. It’s time to get ready now.”

As he spoke politely, he stepped aside, and soon employees came in pushing a hanger full of clothes. Seeing Yu-jin’s surprised expression, the Butler continued.

“You will choose your clothes and accessories from these. Before that, you will have your hair done and a simple massage…”

The following schedule proceeded in a whirlwind. Yu-jin followed the Butler around the house. Employees were bustling about inside the mansion, preparing for the party from early in the morning. The scent of flowers spreading throughout the house seemed to clear his head and calm his mind.

As expected, it’s amazing.

He had felt it during the last wedding reception, but the party was going to be surprisingly luxurious, befitting the enormous size of the hall. Changing the position of the furniture, removing existing furniture and bringing in other items was commonplace, and even changing the chandeliers was beyond surprising, it was almost sickening.

“That’s possible.”

As Yu-jin blankly muttered at the sight of the huge chandelier being lowered with equipment, Cain replied.

“This scale is not common. It’s my first time too.”

“I see…”

Then this party must be really important. Can I really handle something like this? Yu-jin tensed up again, and Cain continued.

“All preparations are going well. Please don’t worry and just double-check the list.”

“Ah, yes.”

Yu-jin answered obediently. From the moment he heard about the party, that was all the task given to him. Cain handed him a list with photos, names, and brief information, and asked him to memorize them all. He memorized all the hundred or so people as he was told, but meeting them in person was another story.

What if I can’t recognize them?

Yu-jin was secretly anxious, but he couldn’t run away. He had his hair done and a little makeup applied as he was told, and then chose his clothes and accessories. In fact, Yu-jin didn’t do much. He was just letting them do as they pleased. The clothes and accessories were also chosen by the Butler, and he just put them on as he was told. Angela also joined in as a helper.

“The previous one is better.”

At the cold assessment, the Butler nodded.

“I think so too. Let’s exclude this one and try the next one.”

“Ah, it would be great to put that on here!”

“Let’s try it.”

“I don’t think it’s as good as I thought.”

“No, it’s okay. Like this…”

Yu-jin felt like he was going crazy amidst his daughter, who was excitedly chattering like she was playing with dolls, and the Butler, who was offering various opinions as if matching her rhythm. After changing into who knows how many outfits, he was so exhausted that he felt like giving up.

“I’d like to try that outfit from earlier one more time.”

“That’s enough.”

There was a limit to giving up. At Angela’s words, Yu-jin finally held out his hand and refused. He wanted to grant his daughter’s every wish, but this was something he couldn’t do anymore. Angela puffed out her cheeks, but the Butler said he understood and began to tidy up. Yu-jin sighed in relief and slumped into a chair. Angela, who had already had her hair done and changed her clothes, ran to Yu-jin and clung to his leg.

“Are you very tired, Daddy?”

“Yes.”

Yu-jin smiled and picked up his daughter. Angela looked at him with a serious face.

“But Daddy, it’s worth the effort. You’re very pretty.”

“You should say handsome.”

“Why? Why do you say handsome when it’s pretty?”

The child tilted her head with a serious expression. Yu-jin had no more to explain, so he just gave up.

“Mr. Campbell has returned.”

At the employee’s words, the Butler bowed briefly and hurried out. Seeing the people disappear in an instant, Yu-jin hesitated for a moment and stood up with the child in his arms.

“Where are you going, Daddy?”

When Angela asked, he replied casually.

“Mr. Campbell is back, so I have to go say hello.”

At Yu-jin’s words, Angela pouted instead of answering. Yu-jin gently coaxed the child, who didn’t hide her dislike.

“It’s polite to greet people when they come. Angie is a polite child, so you have to say hello, right?”

Angela nodded silently with a face full of dissatisfaction. Yu-jin said, “Good girl,” and kissed the child on the cheek before moving again.

Winston was coming up the stairs. Seeing the Butler following behind, Yu-jin stopped on the landing without bothering to go down. As he watched him getting closer, Winston raised his head as if sensing his gaze. And the moment their eyes met, his movements seemed to slow down, and then he stopped completely.