Last chapter recap: 

Donghwa was a village 8 hours from Seoul that was surrounded with a lake, a forest and another slum village called wolf village. The forest was so thick and mysterious that none of the villagers dare to enter even though it was a shortcut for them if they wanted to go to the city. Inside the forest stood a big castle that was hidden among the trees, none of the villagers ever saw it. It was considered as urban legend and villagers believed that there was something in the forest that was scary and sounded like animal. Park Shin Hye was a senior in Donghwa highschool, she was a nerd that often being bullied because she had a father who, the villagers believed, was crazy. She worked part time in a second-hand book store so that she could read books for free. She dreamed to go to school in Seoul, her hometown. Park Sang Myun was Shin Hye's dad, he built and fixed furniture and transported it to the Donghwa castle. An old woman lived there, Kim Hae Sook, who served a master who had a bad temper, very strong and had a bad and strong odor. The master did not like stranger and was always angry if someone enter his house. Park Min Woo was the son of the owner of the only hotel in the village, he befriended with Park Hae Jin who was a reporter who came to Donghwa every two weeks. Min Woo had a crush on Kim Ji Won, the town hottie who sadly was interested in Hae Jin. Hae Jin loved to go to Donghwa and even though his aunt told him to get married, he said he was not interested in girls. Until he almost had an accident and met Shin Hye. Hae Jin was the first person in Donghwa who was nice to Shin Hye without prejudice, she developed a crush on him and confessed, but Hae Jin rejected. Unfortunately her schoolmates who often bullied her was around when that happened

---o0o---

Two weeks ago

Kim Hae Sook closed the door of her master's bedroom. She heaved a deep sigh, relieved that the meeting went much calmer than she had expected. But now she kind of felt sorry towards her replacement. If the master said he'll do everything he could to chase the person away, it meant that he will do everything to chase him away. She just hoped that whoever it would be, he or she had the higher level of perseverance, to live in the quite mansion but serve one hell of a noisy master.

Speaking of noisy, Kim Hae Sook looked through the window outside of the bedroom. Her master was right, there were noises just below the bedroom. But it was too dark for her to figure out, what made the noises.

"Aigoo, his hearing is still as sharp as a dog." she stretched her neck vainly. "Andwe getta, I need to get down there."

Kim Hae Sook scurried to the first floor, passed the kitchen and went out through the back door. She saw a shovel propped beside the door, after a moment of contemplation she decided to take it. She did not want to fight a wild animal empty-handed.

She had to walk around the mansion to get to the source of the noises, and as she was getting nearer she became sure that it was nothing like an animal.

The bushes near the wall was as tall as she was, the leaves moved vigorously even though the wind was dead. Kim Hae Sook looked around and saw a big branch from a tree outside of the gate float on top of the bushes, she frowned thinking of the worst.

"Is it a bear? Does bear climb trees?" she whispered to herself. But then she saw an arm stretched out of the thick bushes, a small, human arm. "Sseolma? A thief?" she gasped.

Her heart started to beat faster, the shovel in her hands became slippery due to the sweaty palm, she wished she could just run to the master and ask for help. But that would be impossible. So she clenched the wooden handle of the shovel and raised it highly above her head. twirled and her eyes widened as she prepared to launch an attack.

"Nugusaeyo!!!" she scream-whispered, "I got you, thief!!!!" she jumped in front of the alleged thief and swung the shovel.

"Aaaaaaa!!!!!" a long, shrieking sound of a girl's scream startled the poor old woman.

"Shh!! Shh!! Shh!!!!!" Kim Hae Sook said in panic while looking around, she did not want more noises annoyed the current calm young master.

"Ahjumma! Is that how you treat a thief?" a girl voice said in disbelief.

The old lady gaped to hear the girl's reaction. She turned to look at the girl and saw her staring with a confused look. "Who are you? And why are you here?" Kim Hae Sook's raised her shovel again.

She was finally able to see her 'thief' clearly. It was a slim girl, with long dark brown hair, fair white skin, and big eyes; she still had her uniform on so Kim Hae Sook thought she was in highschool, might be senior. But she wondered how the girl entered the mansion in the first place, was there any hole on the mansion's gate?

"My name is Park Shin Hye. I'm sorry for tresspassing!!" the girl bowed her head several times in guilt.

"Park... Shin... Hye..? As in Park Sang Myun's daughter?" Kim Hae Sook said suspiciously.

Shin Hye looked up, stared at the ahjumma in confusion. "You know me?" she asked.

"Your dad talks a lot about you." Kim Hae Sook lowered her shovel but did not softened her gaze, "Did he bring you here and forgot to take you back?" because she knew that was possible.

Shin Hye shook her head in panic, "No! No! No! He didn't even know I was here. I followed him... and entered without his consent." she trailed off

"How did you get in!!" Kim Hae Sook barked, shoving the shovels towards the girl.

Shin Hye raised her arms, "I climbed!!!" she exclaimed in fear. "I was trying to climb back to the tree but fell to the bushes instead." She grimaced in pain while rubbing her buttocks.

Kim Hae Sook looked up and observed the big branch from nearby trees, it must had been at least three meters high. She then observed the skinny girl in front of her. It was kind of hard to believe that the timid girl was able to climb and enter the mansion through the trees. Climbing down would be easy, but if she wanted to go up she had to do it through the window, the young master window.

The old nanny suddenly gasped, she hit several times and, glowered at the girl. Shin Hye jerked at the sudden change of act. Kim Hae Sook wagged her hand, telling Shin Hye to follow her. Shin Hye was doubtful at first, but seeing the angry face and vigorous hand wave, she timidly followed her until they both reached the kitchen.

"Palli! Palli!!" Kim Hae Sook scream-whispered while holding the door for Shin Hye for her to come in.

Shin Hye stepped in and looked around, the kitchen was as old as the rest of the mansion. But the warmth from the stove, the fragrant of roast beef as the last meal cooked, and the beautiful flowers on top of a wooden kitchen table gave a whole different vibe than the creepy building. It was rustic yet warm, lively and comfortable; it was as if all of the soul of the house was in that particular room.

Kim Hae Sook rested the shovel on a wall and sat on a wooden bench in front of the kitchen table. She put her arms across her chest and stared at Shin Hye, stern and ferocious. The confidence that Shin Hye was showing previously slowly shattered, she realized the old lady was not really fond of her. The woman might be angry because she trespassed or because she was rude enough to talk back; either way, she knew she was in trouble.

"Why are you following your dad?" Kim Hae Sook snapped, "Shouldn't you be in school?!"

"I... I came home early and saw my dad came into the woods. I... I wanted to know where he was going." Shin Hye stuttered.

Kim Hae Sook's right eyebrows raised, "You didn't know about your father's work? He never told you about this place?" she asked curiously.

Shin Hye timidly shook her head, "No, Mam. I only heard it from the villagers. But he never told me whether the rumor was true." she looked down, the ahjumma's stare was too frightening.

"Well! Your dad is a good man, and a tight-lipped too. It's good, because that's what he's being paid for." Kim Hae Sook said, "So? Ottoke? Are you going to run off to your friends and spread story about this place?!" she challenged.

Shin Hye shook her head in panic, "No! No! Mam! I promise you, I won't." She knew what the job meant for her dad, for them actually. "I don't have friends at school... at the village..." she added sadly. 

For a brief second, Kim Hae Sook softened to hear that fact but her face tensed again almost immediately. "So why aren't you at school?! Do you skip class? Do you know how hard your dad is working to get you to school?"

"Ahjumma, don't say something that you don't know!" Shin Hye instinctively snapped for being offended, "My workplace is close for a week, I just happen to come home early after school and saw Appa." she sulked, "What gives ahjumma?! Ey! This day turned out to be so bad!!" she mumbled under her breath while still rubbing her throbbing .

"What's that?!!" Kim Hae Sook barked, which made Shin Hye shook her head in fear and shuddered. The old lady then seemed to pick up something, "You work? Donghwa village girl work?" she asked skeptically.

Shin Hye mentally rolled her eyes, tired of the Donghwa village girl's stereotype that often directed to her lately, "Yes, Mam. As you may already know, we're not like other villagers. And I still need to save up for college." she explained.

"How's your work been helping you with that?" Kim Hae Sook asked, an idea suddenly came up on her mind and it was obvious that the bolt and nut in her brain was turning.

Shin Hye glowered at the old lady like she was asking for money, "Not so much, it's just a shopkeeper in a small bookstore. It's enough to get me a one way bus ticket to Seoul." she answered sarcastically while wondering why the old lady pinching on her wound repeatedly.

"Do you cook?" Hae Sook asked.

"Of course..." Shin Hye replied with a deeper frown.

"Do you clean your house?" The old lady continued.

"Yes, but what's that have anything to do with..." Shin Hye snarled.

"Stop glowering at me, young Lady! Do you know that you're at fault here? You sneaked inside a private property, you did it behind your father's back, and now you talk back to an elder. Is this how your father teach you? Do you want me to call him to pick you up?"

Shin Hye immediately shook her head, "No, please don't! Don't tell him, he must have a good reason why he never told me about this place." she softened her gaze, "I know now he was just trying to protect me. This place is just... scary" she had not been at the place for so long, but she knew already that something was not right.

Kim Hae Sook looked disappointed by the girl's remark, "So you wouldn't be interested if I offer you a job? One that could provide you enough saving for college if you want."

"Deh?" Shin Hye could not believe her ears.

"I'm offering you a job to be the caretaker of this house and my master. For a few months, the work will include cooking, cleaning, and providing the necessity of this house and the master, 24/7." Mrs. Kim explained.

"Master?" Shin Hye repeated, still could not believe the offer.

"But you need to do it in discreet, nobody shall know about you working here, let alone the existence of this place." Mrs. Kim said as if the deal is on.

"Chamkanmanyeo!!" Shin Hye stuck out her palm, "You mean I have to live here? Sleep here at night? What about school?" she was obviously interested but now hesitated.

Kim Hae Sook fell silent as she contemplated that fact, "Of course you have to live here, that's the whole point of this job. And as for school, I think we can arrange something."

"Why me? Why arrange something with a highschooler like me when you could easily get a professional?" Shin Hye asked suspiciously.

Kim Hae Sook side glanced briefly, "Because I need the replacement urgently, and there's no time to find one. You fit the picture because you already know about this place and know about the secrecy." she looked at the girl sternly for an effect.

"Yes, about that? Why so top secret? And why does the master need to get a caretaker?" Shin Hye added, still with a suspicious tone.

"Because he's ill. Nobody should know about his illnes otherwise his company will fall." Mrs. Kim said again, stretching the truth just a little bit.

Shin Hye squinted her eyes, she knew something was just not right; but all of the explanation from the ahjumma made sense. And the offer was very tempting, getting sum of money worth of school tuition just by being a caretaker for several months was a winning deal. Well!! 'just' was an understatement. Of course she needed to stay in the creepy building, being away from her book haven, work all day and all night besides school, not to mention leaving her dad behind.

Shin Hye gasped suddenly, making Mrs. Kim jolted in surprise. "I don't think I can Ahjumma. My dad won't allow me?"

"So if your dad allow you, you want to do it?" Kim Hae Sook asked, a glimpse of hope laid on the girl's answer.

Shin Hye looked up and shuddered, "I don't know, Ahjumma. It is kinda scary to live here." the chill struck her again when she remembered the brief spooky moment she had at the garden.

"You'll get use to it. Aside of being old and dark, there's nothing in here. This used to be a beautiful building, before it's abandoned. If I were younger and stronger, it would be nice to clean this place up and make it bright again." Shin Hye saw a glimpse of sadness on her eyes. "Anyway! Think about it, but don't take too long. Remember, the pay is enough for your tuition fee. I'll make sure of that!" Kim Hae Sook sighed as she grabbed a key from the table and made for the door.

Shin Hye looked at her curiously, "Oti Kaseyo?" she asked, afraid that she had to be alone in the building.

"Me? You need to go! Next time don't climb over the gate, knock the padlock three times, then I'll know it's you." Kim Hae Sook just walked pass her.

Shin Hye immediately caught up to her to go to the main gate; and as she walked behind the old lady, she could not help to glance back to the old building, particularly to a dark window on the third floor. Her nape hair stood up instantly as the creeps aded her whole body. She hated the feeling and she did not want to feel that way every night for only the old woman knew how long. Although the pay was tempting, but she decide that she would not be able to handle the horror.

The sky was already pitch black by the time she got out of the woods and took her bike. The offer from the nameless ahjumma was still weighing on her mind. Of course that would solve one problem of hers but also added another one. If she took the job, then what about the prep class? She had to choose one of the two, and like her homeroom teacher said: she would not need the money at all should she fail the test. So with a determined nod she decided to let the offer go. She's a student, her job was to study.

Her house was only a few steps away when she heard commotion, the building was so bright and there were sound of people shouting, male voices. And as she got nearer to the house she could her that the shout was an angry one accompanied with the sound of objects thrown and broken. She knew something was wrong, so she dropped her bike and ran to the gate.

She instantly halted and gaped to see the state of the house, it was like a ship wreck with most of their belongings laid around on the front yard. The wooden ones are broken, the glasswares were shattered and her book was all over the floor. Timidly, she tiptoed straight to the house, where the sound of angry men was heard, and peeked from the door to see what was going on.

Four men was surrounding her dad, another one sat on the low dining table watching over his four friends and occasionally giving instruction. All of them looked like homeless who wore worn out clothes, gruff facial hair and big strong muscles. Her dad sat on the floor, already black and blue because of the beating; both of his hands supported his plump body. One of the thug was getting ready to hit him again, which made Shin Hye wide-eyed in terror and instinctively ran to protect him.

"Andwee!!!" She screamed while plowing the man until he fell to the floor. "Who are you? What are you doing to my dad!!!!" 

Now that she got a better look at her dad's attacker, her heart beat twice as fast. They looked scarier up front, with their bloodshot eyes due to alcohol and rough expression. She clenched to her dad's hands in the hopes of giving a support. He held her back, though feeling helpless.

"My! My! What do we have here?" the leader stood up from his seat, intrigued by the new comer. "I heard that you had a daughter, Mr. Park. I didn't know she's this beautiful!" he caressed Shin Hye's chin in the most creepy way.

Shin Hye smacked his hand ferociously, "Don't touch me!! Appa, get up!" she told her dad.

They both struggled to get up from the floor, all the while Shin Hye stayed alert against the five men. She was not much of a fighter but she knew she had to defend herself and her dad if something should happen; there's no way she let them hurt her family. 

"Wooo! I love fierce woman! We should have some fun, sometimes!" the leader said with erted eyes.

"What do you want!!!!!? Why are you here!!!!" Shin Hye screamed on top of her lung, her heavy breathing was very visible.

The four men laughed at her, "I see that you haven't told her, Mr. Park. Well! You could give your daughter to us! God knows how dry wolf village is right now." the leader caressed Shin Hye's cheek now; the other men laughed harder.

"I said don't touch me!!" Shin Hye smacked his hand again and tried to punch him. But he was too fast and too strong for her, he caught her hands and threw her on the floor. The pain instantly crept all over her body, she grimaced withholding the pain on her knees.

"Shin Hye ya!!!" Park Sang Myun exclaimed and jumped to her, it was his turn to protect his daughter. "Stop!! Give me time!! I promise I'll pay everything!" his words attracted Shin Hye's attention, she glowered at him.

"Good! I'll see you in six months." The leader smiled victoriously, he then approached Shin Hye until their faces were only centimeters away. Shin Hye closed her eyes in disgust, "And as for you... I have a feeling that we will meet sooner. Don't be a stranger!" he patted Shin Hye's head and walked out of the room, kicking the door while at it. "See you soon, Crazy old Park!!"

The house turned awfully quiet as both of the residents were still in shock by the intruder, eventually it was Park Sang Myun who turned to his daughter, looking very guilty for causing such harm to his beloved.

"Shin Hye-ya, gwenchana?" he struggle to get up and picked her up to sit.

Shin Hye stared at her dad in confusion, tears were starting to welled up in her eyes as she slowly guessed what was happening, "Appa? What happened? Who are they?" she wanted to hear from her dad directly.

Park Sang Myun hung his head, he tried hard to avoid his daughter's gaze. "They're from wolf village, I lost a game and... now I, I owe them money." his voice got weaker towards the end.

Shin Hye could no longer held her tears, she covered her face in vain, "Appa! You're gambling?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'm sorry Shin Hye-ya, it was a momentary lapse of judgement. We still have a lot of debt from your mother's hospital fee. I was desperate and thought that it might help me win more money so..." he trailed off.

She looked at her dad dejectedly, "And now we end up with double the debt?!" she countered. Park Sang Myun nodded timidly, "How much?"

"Five... Five million won." he replied.

Shin Hye slack-jawed, "Appa!! how can you gamble that much of money?" she rubbed her face again in frustration, "Now what? Why did you promise to pay them up in six month" her whole body was languid from the stress.

"I actually was waiting for you to discuss something. My old colleague contacted me several days ago and wanted me to join in a project in Busan. To design the interior for a new store there. The project is about 8 months, so you might have to be alone for several months. You're okay right?" he explained.

Shin Hye frowned trying to digest his plan, "Wait, he said he'll be back in six months but your project is 8. That doesn't add up, Appa!" she protested.

"I know, I didn't want to provoke him even further so I just agreed. So here's my idea, I know he will not bother you in this six months, so you can stay here peacefully. But after five months, you should stay with your grandmother. Finish school and wait for me." Park Sang Myun elaborated his plan, a ridiculous one to Shin Hye.

"Deh? Why can't I just come with you to Busan?" Shin Hye protested.

"Shin Hye-ya! It's impossible to transfer school during your senior year. Just trust me on this okay, if this project worked we might be able to stand up like we used to." her dad persuaded.

"What about college? Does this means I lost my chance to go to Seoul?" she asked, though she had a feeling of how the situation was.

Her dad stunned, his eye scattered as he struggled to stand up, "You just study well for your exam. Let me think about that, okay? I'm going to go outside to tidy up. Go get some rest." he hurriedly went out of the house.

Shin Hye gaped, she was frustrated by her father's secrecy. It would have been better if he could just share everything so she could help him find solution. But it was always like that with her dad. He was once a stable businessman, a responsible father who never wanted to burden his family with his problem. Now that he hit rock bottom, the habit did not died down. Though it was admirable, but in time like this, it was really frustrating for Shin Hye.

"How can I study well in this kind of situation? I don't think I can live here comfortably knowing those predators know where I live." she shuddered remembering the face of the leader, smirking ertedly at her. 

In the midst of her turmoil, Kim Hae Sook's offer crossed her mind. Aside of disrupting her study, the offer was actually the best solution for everything. She could save up money for tuition and disappear from the house. The thing is, there are things in that mansion that she did not want to encounter. But the choice now would be between the living or the dead; at least the dead won't be able to hurt her. Or so she thought.

So with a new realization, she stood up. Her head nodded several times indicating the process of convincing herself of her plan. "There's only one thing to do then. I have to see halmoni." she said to herself and went out of the house to help her dad cleaned up the mess caused by the wolves.

---o0o---

"Welcome to Donghwa Mansion, as you can see, this is the foyer." Kim Hae Sook greeted her formally.

Shin Hye took another deep breath and stepped inside the house. She looked around and immediately shuddered. The large space that was supposed to be the foyer was dark and gloomy and full of antique furniture that reminded her of haunted houses that often featured in a movie. The room was damp and cold and it smelled like old wood. She had uncomfortable feeling being in that place.

She put her overnight bag to the floor, which even made a sound that echoed through out the room. She jolted while Mrs. Kim glowered at her, clearly feeling jittery by the sudden noise. The older woman stood akimbo, staring Shin Hye from head to toe; her stare was sharp as she contemplated how to brief the teen girl.

Kim Hae Sook closed the door, making Shin Hye jerked in surprise. But before her heartbeat became normal again, a loud roar welcomed her. She widened her eyes in fear, it was as if someone was being tortured, or worse, something was mad and about to attack.

"What was that?" Shin Hye asked in panic.

"I'll explain later. So you've decided to take the job. Like I said on the phone, once you stepped into this house, there's no turning back." Kim Hae Sook said.

Shin Hye looked around, still feeling anxious by the previous roar. "Deh?" it was as if she was awoken from a trance, "Deh! The only problem is my school time. Don't ask me to abandon it. I'll go straight here after school." she said timidly.

"Understood, your job is to prepare breakfast, lunch and medication for the Master. After school, clean up the common area, prepare dinner and night medication. Have the least amount of contact with the master, never enter his room without his permission and never... I repeat never go to the west wing." she asked.

"What's in the west wing...?" Shin Hye blurted out.

"It's obviously not of your concern!" Kim Hae Sook snapped, the girl's curiosity and bluntness sometimes got under her skin.

Shin Hye pouted, "Yes, Mam!"

"My name is Kim Hae Sook, call me Nanny Kim. Now! I have prepared a cook book for the master dishes. Be sure to follow every recipes, his meals are very specific. Understood?" she stared sharply at the teen.

Shin Hye reluctantly nodded, though curiously thought how difficult the master was. "Deh, Nanny Kim."

"Okay, for the next three days, I'll teach you how to cook and to do your chores..." Nanny Kim continued her instruction.

Suddenly Shin Hye felt her nape hair rose, a strange chill surrounded her, and uncomfortable feeling enveloped her. The voice of the Nanny became muted to her as all of her sense forcefully attracted to the top of the stairs in front of her. Her eyes scrambled scanning the hallway of the second floor as if following something. She closed her eyes and clenched a piece of materials inside her pocket, beads of cold sweat was starting to form on her forehead as she felt someone approached her.

"Shin Hye-yang! Shin Hye-yang! Are you listening?" Nanny Kim's voice startled her.

Shin Hye gasped as she opened her eyes, she just realized that she was holding her breath all the while. The foyer was now calm, to her. The chilling sensation was gone and whatever it was that approached her, was not around anymore. Shin Hye blinked her eyes rapidly to calm her heart that was still beating so fast as the residue of the terror she just experienced.

"Is something wrong? Are you sick?" Nanny Kim asked in concern, worried that her new replacement was having a change of hearts.

"No, Mam. I'm okay." Shin Hye lied, her feet was ready to give up on her.

"Arasso, it's late. Let me show you your room. Let's start the lesson tomorrow. It's late already and I have to serve the master." Kim Hae Sook turned around and headed to the kitchen.

Shin Hye grabbed her overnight bag, took a last glance at the big foyer and scurried to catch up on the older lady. She did not want to experience what she just experienced, alone. The walk to her bedroom was not any better, almost in every part of the mansion was dim with very minimum lights. It was in the 21st century yet Shin Hye felt she was in mideaval and though the mansion was full of electricity, it looked as though it was illuminated by torches.

Kim Hae Sook opened a large wooden door which brought them to the kitchen, the only part of the house that Shin Hye had visited. And just like the first time she was there, the room exuded warmth and life. A very different atmosphere than the whole mansion, she knew that for sure now. A warm tofu stew was still on the stove and several side dishes were on the kitchen table, ready to be served. But Kim Hae Sook just continued walking, opening another door that led them to a hallway.

The hallway was decorated a bit modern than the rest of the house, it was painted white and had better light, it felt like a whole different house. There were several doors along the hallway, but the Nanny went straight to the second white door on the right, opened it and held it for Shin Hye. She walked in and smiled faintly.

"At least it's not as scary." she inaudibly sighed.

The room was small but had a large windows facing the backyard. It had a small bed, desk and chair, a wardrobe and a dusty cabinet with washing jug on it. Shin Hye raised her eyebrows at the item, carefully picked it up, wondering if that was an actual item or a decoration. 

"Gosh! Does this man live in dark ages, or what? And we're Korean, for God sake." she thought to herself, "Jjogi..." she said timidly as she turned to the Nanny, "Does this means I'm not allowed to take a bath?" she lifted the porcelain up to her head.

Nanny Kim giggled, startling Shin Hye who thought she saw a glimpse of friendliness in the ahjumma. "The bathroom is just down the hall. That's just a decoration. The master used to live in Europe, he built this mansion imitating European mansion, complete with the items."

"The master? The one who lived upstairs?" Shin Hye asked.

Kim Hae Sook's face tensed up, "No, the previous master."

"O? And where is he now?" Shin Hye asked curiously.

"That's not something you need to know." Nanny Kim was back being stern, "Rest! We have early morning start. Be in the kitchen by 3 am, tomorrow."

"Three!!!???" Shin Hye exclaimed.

"Of course, that is if you want to go to school on time everyday!" Kim Hae Sook said briefly while closing the door.

Shin Hye was slack-jawed, she was not a sleepy head but waking up at three every day was something that would need extra effort. She put her bag inside the wardrobe and plopped on the bed. She stared blankly at the ceiling recalling her day.

She went on a bus with her dad all the way to the Maeobsa bus station, pretending to go to her grandmother's; went back to Donghwa and straight to the bookstore to tell Lee Sang Hoon ahjussi that she was quitting; and went to her house to grab a flashlight before running to the woods. Her house was still left unrepaired since the thug attack a week ago, which only reminded her about why she decided to take the job.

Shin Hye sat and leaned on the bedframe, she hugged her knees. "Gurae! It's better here. Facing the dead is better than the living. At least they won't physically hurt me." 

She took the piece of material from her pocket, it was a cotton blue pouch that was already worn out. She untied the string, opened the pouch and took out the item inside it. A talisman with chinese writing that she did not familiar of the meaning. Her grandmother gave her that after she consulted about the number of incidents she had been having. That her so called talent was starting to bother her again, which she could not afford right now, especially when she was contemplating to do the job in the scariest house she had ever been.

And that just reminded her of the day she visited the grandma's. The day that started off gloomy, changed into a happy one during the middle but ended very badly. Making a confession, rejected and humiliated at the same time; the incident still left a bad taste in . She had not meet Hae Jin ever since that day, and tried her best to avoid either Min Woo and Ji Won. Although that would be hard since they were on the same class.  They were oddly very quiet about that, but Shin Hye knew that it was just a matter of time before they used it against her.

Shin Hye sighed again, "Gurae, Shin Hye-ya! This is the best thing you could do right now. You get to save money for tuition, you have a hiding place from the thug, and you have a reason to avoid them. Just a few months before graduation, you can do this, Shin Hye! Face your fear, it's just spirit. What could be worse?" she said to herself.

She ended up fallen asleep still clutching the pouch..

---

The lesson lasted for three days; a tough, military-like three days where Shin Hye was drilled by the Nanny on her task up to its minute. Nanny Kim wanted to make sure that Shin Hye did all the chores before school and after school, so she made a very specific daily schedule. The schedule consists also the time she wakes up and rest after school before beginning the night time rituals, which was 20 minutes that consists of shower and meal.

It was fortunate, or not, that Shin Hye was on school days; so she was able to applied the schedule real time. It was the most hectic three days of her life, and probably the start of many months to come.

On the first day she came to the kitchen 15 minutes late so the lesson was delayed another fifteen for another round of Nanny Kim's nag. They started off by doing the laundry and followed with preparing breakfast, lunch and the ingredient for dinner, since Shin Hye would come home very late from school. Nanny Kim made a three meals a day schedule for one month, which Shin Hye could freely rotate so the 'master' would not be tired of the Menu. It was amusing how the item in the list was never repeated in those thirty days.

The meal preparation lasted for two hours, so by the time they were finished they only have so little time before Shin Hye could get ready for school. Another half an hour was spent to clean the kitchen and common area before Nanny Kim released her to take a shower and prepare for school, which was exactly 25 minutes only. Before leaving for school, Shin Hye had to take out the laundry and put it to dry on the backyard. 

Shin Hye rushed to get out of the mansion, leading her bike to the front gate and struggled to open the large iron door. She turned around to look at the big old building. It was the first time that she saw the house in daylight, which was not as scary as on nighttime. The stone statue on top of the tower did not look as creepy, and the windows did not look as empty and dark.

Suddenly she saw one of the curtain on the second floor moved, Shin Hye widened and squinted her eyes several times to clear her view. But there was nobody there, the curtain was now still and the house was as dead as usual. Shin Hye shrugged and took one last suspicious glance before she half ran while leading her bike. The ride to her school would be twice as hard now that she had to go through the forest first.

Needless to say, the first day of school as a part time student slash part time caretaker was hard. Once she got to her floor, as usual Min Woo tripped her; because she had no energy nor willingness to fight, she just sighed and stood up while the bully laughed at her with several other students. Shin Hye indifferently put some ointment on her knees, something that was always in her bag since she fell down very often.

At 9 p.m. sharp, way before eveybody else reacted to the bell, Shin Hye stood up and ran to her bike. She pedalled vigorously since she only have thirty minutes to get to the mansion, otherwise she would get another round of heavy lecture from her boss. True to her predictions, Nanny Kim was already in the kitchen closely monitoring her watch.

The breakfast and lunch was already eaten, only the ingredient for the dinner left in the fridge, so after she let Shin Hye to freshen up and put her school bag in her room, she supervised Shin Hye preparing the dinner based on her cookbook. Once it was ready, Nanny Kim took the dinner and brought it to the dining area.

"Wait here, clean up and have dinner. I'll be back after Master finish his dinner." she went out of the kitchen without hearing Shin Hye's response.

Shin Hye frowned, "Tch! She made me do everything but she's the one who serve it to the Master..." the fact that Nanny Kim was being very discreet about the master made her curious, "Oh well, at least I get to sit down now."

Shin Hye decided to let the curiousity go and enjoyed her dinner. She was long done and was starting to doze off when Nanny Kim came back from the dining room. She put the dishes in the sink and grab a dinner for herself. All the while Shin Hye eyed the old lady, waiting for any explanation. But the Nanny just kept shoving food inside without saying a single word.

"Jjogi Nanny Kim? Why didn't you ask me to get the dinner to the master?" Shin Hye asked carefully.

"He doesn't know that you're here." Nanny Kim said matter-of-factly.

"Mwo?!" Shin Hye exclaimed.

"I'll introduce you on my last night here." Nanny Kim answered briefly.

"He doesn't want me here, does he?" Shin Hye said triggering a glower from the older lady. "Ani! Why are you being so secretive, Ahjumma. It's suspicious." Shin Hye stared back."

"He's not fond of new faces, so I have to tell him slowly." Kim Hae Sook stared blankly at her soup.

"He's a prickly old man, is he? what kind of illness that he has?' Shin Hye asked.

"Something you wouldn't understand. Now! Go to sleep! See you at 3 a.m tomorrow." Kim Hae Sook barked as she left the table and went to wash the dishes. "You should be doing this, but I'll let it slide since this is your first day. Starting tomorrow, I'm not going to do anything except serving the food to the master. Understood?!" she said without looking at her apprentice.

Shin Hye made a face toward the lady, "Deh! Good Night, Nanny Kim." she said weakly and headed towards her room.

Just after the door closed, Kim Hae Sook stopped washing the dishes and looked at the door, where Shin Hye just stood.; her eyes looked troubled and her mind was obviously torn. She heaved a deep sigh before she resumed dishwashing.

"I'm sorry, Shin Hye-yang." she whispered.

---

The second and the third day were even worse. Just like she promised, Nanny Kim did absolutely nothing but ordering and correcting every single move that Shin Hye made. She picked up every single mistake and prickly about the timing. The food preparation had to be done exactly like she usually did, Shin Hye had to repeat every single deviation that she made against the recipe

"Ah!! This is so hard, Ahjumma! So what if the rice burnt a little bit? We can just serve the rest!" Shin Hye said frustrated.

"The master would know! The smell of burning rice is all over the dishes. Do it again!!" Kim Hae Sook countered. "You do still want this job, don't you?" she added a little bit of threat, though she regretted it immediately; worried that if Shin Hye really gave up, she would not have any other candidate for the job.

Shin Hye pouted and poured another cup of rice into a boiling water, being only with her father for so many years, she was use to being practical with everything. Because her father was always busy with work, she did almost everything around the house so she needed to do it quick  and could not afford to sweat small stuff such as a bit of a burnt rice. Thankfully her dad never fuss over such thing also.

So when she had to be meticulous about house chore, it stressed her out. Begrudgingly, she did as she told and hoping that the third batch would be ready soon as she needed to go to school. Fortunately it did, so after pouring it to the bowl and raced to the dining room to put the breakfast on the table and the lunch on the pantry, she took a quick shower and changed her clothes; grabbed the laundry and quickly spread them out on the clothes line. It was the third day, by then she did all of her chores like she had done it for ten years.

She arrived safely that day at her class, much to her surprise. Even though Park Min Woo was around but he did not seem to be taking interest on her. He was with Bo Gum and Yeon Seok discussing something animatedly. Shin Hye approached her seat timidly; suspiciously checked her seat to find any sign of childish prank. When she thought that it was safe, she sat down still with the highest alert. But since she was facing the front of the class, she missed out a mischievous grin on the class bully.

It was dinner time, Shin Hye succesfully prepared the kimchi jiggae and pancake without any repetition. Kim Hae Sook finally let her to get the tray of food and took it to the dining area. After it was placed on the end of a long table, Nanny Kim told Shin Hye to stand up at one of the corner while she went to the room to get the master.

Shin Hye stood silently, she looked around nervously, imagining all of the terror she had experience in that house. Her heart skipped a beat when suddenly the lights out, and the door on the second floor was banged shut. She gasped a little and felt her breathing got heavier.

She saw a glimpse of white cloth floated and rested on her side. She would have a heart attack if she did not remember that it was Nanny Kim's uniform. But before she could calm her heart, she heard heavy steps climbing down the stairs, soon the steps would enter the dining room.

"Nanny Kim, what's happening?" Shin Hye quivered.

"Shh... don't make a sound, we have to be as quiet as possible. Doryonim does not like noises." Kim Hae Sook whispered nervously, she cursed herself for not briefing her apprentice before hand.

Shin Hye glowered at nowhere, unable to find the Nanny, "Doryonim? You said he's