Chapter 7: Are you a bully at work?

What is communication?

It’s not just exchanging words but sharing thoughts and feelings.

Most conflicts in the world stem from a lack of this communication.

Novels are no exception.

Every time I saw misunderstandings pile up because characters didn’t talk, I felt like I’d lose my mind from frustration…

Watching this father and daughter, that same frustration was bubbling up again.

“Um, Young Master.”

“What is it?”

“How much of my conversation with the Young Lady did you hear?”

“Hm.”

His eyebrow twitched as if my question caught him off guard, but after a moment of thought, he answered calmly.

“I arrived when you said you’d be hers.”

“…”

That phrasing could use some correction, but that’s not the priority right now.

‘He didn’t hear the earlier part.’

He must’ve missed the part where she called herself gross and said she didn’t want to burden her father, due to timing.

No wonder he was so calm.

“Young Master, it seems someone among those serving the Young Lady dared to call her gross!”

“…What?”

I immediately spilled everything I’d heard.

As I said, all problems come from a lack of communication.

Knowing there’s someone spouting nonsense around Baek Yeon, I wasn’t about to play detective and chase the culprit alone.

I’m just an eleven-year-old with no martial arts skills—what could I do? But the man in front of me is the Young Master of the Baek Clan.

With a single command, he could shake down everyone around.

And I’m the kind of small-minded person who’d grovel before such power.

I feel no shame in snitching to someone in charge!

At my words, the Young Master’s face twisted into something ferocious.

It was the kind of look that could kill five or six people without blinking.

‘This face… is supposed to be orthodox?’

I almost wet myself but suppressed my fear, using my hands and feet to animatedly relay every detail of the conversation.

Sure, sharing private talks might be rude… but so what? My employer is this guy.

“She thought that about herself…”

His menacing expression faded briefly as he heard what Baek Yeon said about herself, staggering as if struck.

He genuinely seemed unaware she felt that way.

“…How often do you visit the Young Lady?”

“Not daily, but I meet her once a week to talk.”

“?”

What the fck.

Is this… a family?

“Since when… have you done that?”

“That’s a strange question. Since Yeon was born, it’s always been that way.”

My head was spinning. Is this the norm for prestigious clans?

‘The martial world’s sense of duty has hit rock bottom…’

It wasn’t just my precious kid—it was both father and daughter who were the problem.

If you live in the same house but only meet once a week, I’d be messed up too.

“Ha.”

I tried to hold it in front of an adult, but a sigh slipped out.

“Young Master.”

“…What?”

“Do you know the basics of parenting?”

Looks like we needed a long talk.

“…Cough.”

Waking from sleep, Baek Yeon let out a small cough and slowly opened her eyes.

Her body felt cold, as if pricked by sharp needles, heavy like water-soaked cotton, and her mind was dizzy and foggy.

Baek Yeon had grown up with this sensation since birth; pain was her life.

The surroundings were suffocatingly silent.

She was used to such quiet, but as she recalled the events before falling asleep, her face slowly crumpled.

‘Where did she go?’

She’d only met the girl today, but she spoke to her gently and called her hers.

A child’s possessiveness often surpasses that of adults.

For Baek Yeon, who’d had no one around since childhood, she was especially fixated on things that were “hers.”

The doll she hugged while sleeping, shiny trinkets, her authority.

And now, Seoran.

‘She said she was mine…’

In Baek Yeon’s mind, Seoran was now hers.

Fortunately for Seoran, Baek Yeon’s possessiveness was still simple.

As long as she stayed by her side, Baek Yeon would be satisfied—for now.

…What would happen in the future was anyone’s guess.

“Cough, cough.”

Feeling irritated, Baek Yeon kept coughing as she slowly sat up.

Then.

“The air’s still chilly. We should add more firewood.”

“!”

A deep voice brushed her ears.

Startled, Baek Yeon whipped her head toward the sound.

There sat her father, Baek Kang, the Young Master of the Baek Clan, on a chair.

“F-Father?”

Her mind grew chaotic at the sudden situation.

Why is Father here? He must be busy—did he come to see me? But then, I’m wasting his time again…

The only person who could make Baek Yeon feel weak was Baek Kang.

Her mother died giving birth to her, and because of her Nine Yin Severed Meridians, despite being old enough to be the clan head, Baek Kang faced opposition from the elders and remained the Young Master.

So, no matter how fierce Baek Yeon’s temper was (and, honestly, it was pretty fierce), she couldn’t help but soften in front of her father.

Her face naturally darkened with various thoughts.

“…”

Baek Kang silently watched her.

Every time he saw Baek Yeon, she always had that expression.

So he thought she found him burdensome and believed keeping his distance while providing ample support was the best he could do.

But.

—Look closely at the Young Lady’s face.

Baek Kang recalled Seoran’s words (a two-hour lecture, no less).

How someone her age had such insight was puzzling, but sometimes prodigies with exceptional intelligence appear young.

What mattered now wasn’t Seoran herself but what she’d said.

Staring at Baek Yeon, he realized.

That expression wasn’t discomfort—it was anxiety.

The moment he understood, his heart felt like it was crumbling.

“…I thought you found me burdensome.”

Shocked, Baek Yeon quickly waved her hands.

“N-No way! It’s just, you’re always so busy…”

“No matter how busy I am, would I not have time for you?”

Rising from his chair, Baek Kang approached his daughter.

“!”

And he enveloped her in a tight hug.

The coldness that hit him felt all the more heartbreaking.

“I’ve only now realized my mistake. From now on, I’ll spend more time with you. We’ll eat together daily, stroll by the pond, visit the markets…”

“…”

Baek Yeon felt dazed.

Her father’s words reached her ears, but they didn’t fully register.

All she could feel was the warmth of her father’s embrace, holding her tightly.

“…Sob.”

A surge of emotion brought tears to her eyes.

But, buried in Baek Kang’s arms, she didn’t see.

“And those who dared say strange things about you… can you tell me who they are?”

She didn’t see the ferocious expression on Baek Kang’s face.

In Seoran’s words, it was a face that could kill five or six people without a second thought.

It’s been a week since I became the maid of the Baek Clan’s Young Lady.

Since reincarnating into this martial world, these have been my best days.

I’m Baek Yeon’s maid, but honestly, I don’t do much.

“Stop dawdling and feed me.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

I just cater to her whims and handle small tasks.

According to the other servants at Baekryu Hall, who I’ve gotten closer to over the week, the Young Lady has become so calm it’s like she’s a different person.

“She… asked nicely?”

Song Hwa, now reassigned as Baek Yeon’s guard, had her eyes shaking wildly every time Baek Yeon spoke.

From what I heard, Song Hwa used to clean up after Baek Yeon’s antics under the Young Master’s orders…

Well, whatever Baek Yeon did in the past, I don’t know, so it doesn’t matter, right?

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

“Oh, we’re out of snacks. I’ll grab more.”

I’d been obediently feeding Baek Yeon snacks as she ordered, but I realized we’d run out.

Normally, she’d have sent another maid, but right now, it was just the three of us relaxing in the pavilion.

At my words, Baek Yeon frowned.

“You? Tell Song Hwa to get them.”

“Haha…”

Song Hwa and I exchanged awkward laughs.

Song Hwa is her guard.

“I’ll be quick, Young Lady.”

“…Hmph, hurry back. You’re mine, so you have to stay by my side.”

“Yep, yep.”

Giving a casual reply, I hurried to the kitchen with my short legs.

Hmmm~

A hum slipped out naturally.

‘Man, life is good.’

All I have to do is stick by Baek Yeon’s side, laughing and joking.

To think I get paid two gold coins a month (the Young Master raised my salary) for this…

‘I could live like this forever.’

With that thought, I turned a corner in the hallway.

Swoosh!

My body flew into the air.

‘…Huh?’

Thud!

And I crashed to the ground.

‘Sht, I almost cracked my head.’

Thanks to reflexively bracing my fall, I wasn’t badly hurt… but that was close.

This frail body is still weak.

And it wasn’t like my legs gave out.

“Oh, watch where you’re going, kid.”

Someone had tripped me.

I looked up.

“Talks a big game but can’t even move properly, huh?”

Several unfamiliar maids stood there, covering their mouths and snickering.

I stared at them, dumbfounded.

Is this… workplace bullying?