When a Babysitter Falls in Love - Chapter 7
“Honestly, I never wanted to quit. But not long after I started at each place, the same problem always came up. That is… suddenly, the children’s fathers began dropping them off and picking them up instead of their mothers. Then they’d stay around the kindergarten for half the day, and after dismissal, some even waited outside. It got more serious each time.”
“Hold on. Are you saying the fathers developed… feelings for you, Mr. Seo Hyun-Woo?”
Though her tone remained strict, Madam Choi’s eyes wavered slightly.
“Yes. The principals at each school can confirm that. In most cases, I resigned only because they personally asked me to, there was no other choice.”
“Wait a moment.”
Madam Choi paused, giving a discreet glance to Guk Hee, who stood behind her. After she whispered something, Guk Hee glanced briefly at Hyun-Woo and then stepped outside.
“But here, we don’t have any of those fathers, so I believe there won’t be any problems.”
Feeling things were going in the wrong direction, Hyun-Woo hurried to add that.
“No fathers? But Jun-Woo has one, doesn’t he?”
“Pardon?”
At her words, Hyun-Woo shook his hands quickly and laughed awkwardly.
“Oh, no, of course not! I mean, I’m not that charming. Those fathers were probably just curious, not actually interested. I doubt someone like the Chairman would have that kind of curiosity. He’s a married man, after all.”
Even putting aside the fact that Chairman Choi Kang-Wook was the head of Da-Un Group, Hyun-Woo couldn’t imagine a man that charismatic and intimidating being interested in someone as plain as him. He wasn’t even gay, and from what little he’d heard, the Chairman was on an entirely different level.
“Weren’t those fathers all married men too?”
She had a point, but it only made things more awkward.
“Mr. Seo Hyun-Woo, you seem to underestimate yourself. It seems we now have another reason to be very cautious.”
Not understanding what she meant, Hyun-Woo’s face drained of color as he saw Guk Hee re-entering the room. For some reason, he felt desperate, as if he couldn’t let this chance slip away. No matter what, he wanted to become Jun-Woo’s caretaker.
He watched anxiously as Guk Hee whispered to Madam Choi, his lips dry. Then she looked back at him.
“Hmm… The principals you worked for have confirmed that what you said was true.”
Hyun-Woo pressed a hand to his chest and exhaled in relief. Since it wasn’t his fault, he hoped she would understand.
But then—
“Which means, all the more reason we can’t hire you. The interview ends here.”
“What? Isn’t that unfair? You just confirmed I wasn’t the one at fault. It’s prejudiced to judge me based on other people’s actions. Besides, this position is for Jun-Woo’s personal caretaker, so the only father I’d even see would be the Chairman himself!”
He couldn’t help but plead; he truly wanted this job.
“And?”
Madam Choi’s voice didn’t soften in the slightest. Her expression didn’t waver, not a single eyebrow twitch. Hyun-Woo could tell her mind was made up, but when he looked at Jun-Woo, sitting quietly and watching him, he couldn’t bring himself to give up.
“He hasn’t even met me yet. I haven’t done anything wrong. It’s not right to end this without even a proper interview.”
“Then that’s exactly why you shouldn’t be hired.”
Her tone was final, absolute. Hyun-Woo couldn’t make sense of it. The more firmly she rejected him, the more it felt like she wanted him gone before the Chairman could meet him.
“It’s unfortunate. Anyone who got into K University without private tutoring clearly has talent and perseverance. But that’s precisely why I must decline.”
Taking Jun-Woo’s hand, she helped the boy down from the sofa. Hyun-Woo also stood up, staring blankly at them, disbelief written all over his face. It was unfair, he wanted to protest—but he had no choice.
Then, Jun-Woo suddenly slipped free of her hand and ran to Hyun-Woo. He reached out, poked Hyun-Woo’s stomach with one small finger, and said softly:
“I want Hyung-ah.”
Everyone’s gaze dropped to where that tiny finger had pressed against Hyun-Woo’s stomach.
“Hyung-ah? Where did you learn such a casual word, Jun-Woo?”
Madam Choi couldn’t hide her astonishment. But Jun-Woo only clung to Hyun-Woo’s clothes and turned to face her.
“Grand-Auntie… I want Hyung-ah.”
That day, Jun-Woo’s lisped declaration—
“I want Hyung-ah.”
—would become the moment that changed Seo Hyun-Woo’s entire life.
* * *
“How did it go?”
As expected, Yoon-Hee’s voice reached him even before the door opened. The door burst open, and she walked in, clicking her tongue when she saw Seo Hyun-Woo lying on the bed, blankly staring at the ceiling.
“You had the job right in front of you and still couldn’t scoop it up with a spoon? With So-Jin’s referral letter, that was a meal you didn’t even need to chew.”
“Noona…”
“Don’t call me for the rest of the day.”
“Is calling someone hyung-ah that impolite?”
Yoon-Hee stopped, turned back, and leaned against the desk. Hyun-Woo wasn’t the type to get worked up over something trivial, so she could tell this was serious.
“What happened? Did someone there call you hyung-ah? Or did you call someone that and get scolded?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Sitting up, Hyun-Woo met her eyes.
“A kid named Jun-Woo called me hyung-ah, and then his grandaunt scolded him, saying it was an improper word. He’s only four… all kids talk like that.”
“Jun-Woo? Then he must be the family’s young master. And that grandaunt—surely not the Chairman himself?”
“No, I never met the Chairman. Instead, I was interviewed by his grandaunt.”
“Ah, the legendary warrior woman.”
“Warrior woman?”
“Yeah. So-Jin said she’s the one person at Da-Un Group you must never cross paths with. The Da-Un family hardly has any children. Aside from the two siblings a generation up, everyone’s an only child, including the Chairman.”
She raised her finger to gesture upward as she explained. Hyun-Woo followed her motion with his eyes, then chuckled lightly.
“If the Chairman wanted more kids, he could just remarry, right?”
“I don’t know about that. But apparently, that grandaunt dotes on Jun-Woo like he’s her own life. She wants everything to be raised exactly as he wishes, So-Jin said so.”
“Yeah, I got that impression. She was strict.”
“Her presence is no joke. When the Chairman wiped out the dark syndicates, she was the first to support him, like a true warrior. So-Jin says she’s almost frighteningly perceptive, like she can read people at a glance. She’s the second most powerful person in the group, right after the Chairman. So… did you get on her bad side?”
“Hmm…”
Hyun-Woo shook his head thoughtfully.
“I don’t think the most powerful person in that household is the Chairman or her.”
“Then who?”
“The four-year-old fairy, Choi Jun-Woo. He called me hyung-ah and got scolded for it, but do you know what he said right after?”
“What?”
By now, Yoon-Hee had leaned in close, tense with curiosity. Hyun-Woo lowered his voice and mimicked the little boy’s lisp as best he could.
“‘Grand-aunt, I want hyung-ah.’”
“Just like that… and I got hired on the spot.”
For a moment, Yoon-Hee stood frozen in disbelief, and then suddenly threw her arms around him with a shriek.
“Hired? You mean you got the job?! Oh my God! My baby brother did it! Amazing!”
She grabbed Hyun-Woo by the neck, shaking him out of sheer joy.
“Noona, my neck!”
“Oops, did I hurt you, sweetie?”
“You’re that happy?”
“Of course! Forget talking, let’s celebrate with some hanwoo! I’ll go buy meat and drinks—”
“Wait, noona.”
Hyun-Woo caught her arm to calm her down.
“I have to go back tonight.”
“Go back? Where, to see Ji-Seok?”
“No. I haven’t even told him yet. It’s not that. Work starts tomorrow, but I have a meeting with the Chairman tonight.”
“Another interview? So soon?”
“Yeah. I get one day off a week—Saturday this week. Let’s celebrate then. I want to make a good impression on my first day. They said the Chairman’s interview is just a formality, so don’t worry.”
For once, the sister who’d always scolded and bossed him around felt her heart twist a little. Even if he’d be home every weekend, knowing her little brother was moving out left the room feeling emptier already.
She reached out, softly brushing her hand over Hyun-Woo’s pretty, gentle face.
NOTES:
Gomo-halmuni = grandaunt
“Hyung-ah” (형아) is a cute or affectionate way for a younger boy to call an older brother, or for parents to refer to an older son. It combines the Korean word hyung (형), meaning “older brother,” with the suffix -ah (아), which is used to soften the word or show closeness. While hyung is a general term for an older brother, the addition of ah makes it sound more gentle, friendly, and less formal.
The Hanwoo (한우), also Hanu or Korean Native, is a breed of small cattle native to Korea. It was formerly used as a working animal, but is now raised mainly for meat.