The night was perfect. Jun Hyun was at a lavish dinner party and here – the wine was flowing like a river.
As Jun moved around the room, ladies fluttering their fans as they cooed over him, his charming words making them laugh. Jun Hyun was, of course, the centre of attention, as always. It was just another normal night in Jun's life.
But as the night wore on, the alcohol flowed a little too freely.
By the time he stumbled out of the banquet hall, his ego was the only thing keeping him upright. He vaguely recalled flirting with a stone lantern (which, unsurprisingly, did not flirt back) and belting out a drunken folk tune that had everyone covering their ears.
Somehow, he called an Uber and made it to what he assumed was his home and arrived most importantly, at his inviting bed. In his drunken haze, he lunged for the bed…
And missed.
He collapsed onto the floor with a thud, one arm draped over the bed's edge like a tragic hero in a play.
"Goodnight," he slurred, patting the floor as if it were a loyal pet. And with that, he passed out—unaware that his life was about to be turned upside down.
The next morning, Jun Hyun awoke to what he thought were birds chirping—but maybe it was someone screaming. His head pounded as if it had been used as a drum, and his mouth tasted like regret.
Groggily, he rolled over, only to realize he was on the floor.
"Huh? Where's my bed?" he mumbled. Blinking against the bright sunlight that hurt his eyes, he caught a whiff of something floral—jasmine—and something distinctly unfamiliar.
As his vision cleared, he noticed he wasn't alone. Surrounding him were several women dressed in simple, modest hanboks. His hazy mind immediately jumped to a wild conclusion.
"Did I bring home a harem? I mean… I'm not really the harem type—I'm more of a one-night-stand kind of guy. But… did I really do that?"
Still half-asleep and with his judgment blurred by alcohol, he focused on the woman lying next to him—a young maid with silky black hair tied into a neat braid and a peaceful expression.
Thinking he'd scored another casual conquest, Jun Hyun leaned in for a kiss.
Before his lips could meet hers, she bolted upright with a piercing scream.
"AHHHHH!!"
Her shriek shattered the quiet morning, and in an instant, every maid in the room sprang to life. Eyes wide and voices trembling, they began to murmur in alarm:
"What was that?"
"Why is she acting so strangely?"
"Sun-ah, what's the matter?"
The young maid—Sun-ah—pointed at Jun Hyun, her face flushed with anger. "She was trying to do something to me in my sleep! The nerve!"
Jun Hyun blinked in confusion. "Whoa, whoa, calm down! I'm not dangerous—I'm just... confused?" he slurred, still oblivious to the chaos he'd triggered.
From the centre of the commotion, a stern voice cut through the clamour. "Park Eun-ji, what on earth are you doing? You're going to get us all in trouble!"
It was an older maid, her hair streaked with grey and her face lined with years of hard work. She stood with her arms crossed, glaring at him like a disappointed schoolteacher.
"Park Eun-ji?" Jun Hyun repeated, utterly baffled. "Who's Park—wait, are you talking to me?"
The older maid shot him a look of exasperation. "Yes, you! Who else would I be addressing?"
For a moment, Jun Hyun's drunken haze began to lift as he noticed the disdain in the maids' expressions.
They were all whispering to each other—whispers laced with irritation and embarrassment.
One of them hissed, "I told you not to let her drink so much!" Another added, "She's never done this before since joining the service."
"Joining the service?" Jun Hyun stammered, his mind struggling to catch up.
His gaze drifted downward—and that's when he saw it.
His hands were dainty, his nails neat and trimmed, and his skin was smooth in a way he'd never noticed before. He tugged at the fabric hanging from his body and realized, with growing horror, that he was clad in a traditional hanbok.
"WHAT THE—?!" he sputtered, scrambling to stand (and nearly tripping over the long skirt). "This is a prank, right? Someone, please tell me this is a prank!"
Before any response could come, the older maid reminded him in a measured tone, "Park Eun-ji, you've been working here for the young mistress from childhood. You know exactly who you are. Don't try to create a scene." She rolled her eyes.
Jun Hyun's eyes widened further. "Working here?!" he shouted, alternating between indignation and panic. "I'm Jun Hyun! A great, handsome man! I'm a man! Why am I wearing this... hanbok? Did you put this on me when I was asleep?!"
There were headshakes all around. "She's lost it, hasn't she?" one of the maids muttered.
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps and hushed voices reached his ears. One of the maids whispered urgently, "If the young mistress finds out about this, we're all in trouble! You know she favours her maid."
The maids exchanged knowing glances. Clearly, Jun Hyun—now apparently known as Park Eun-ji—was despised for some reason. Why were they referring to him as a woman when he was clearly a guy?
Desperate for answers, Jun Hyun staggered to a polished bronze mirror hanging on the wall.
He peered into it, expecting perhaps another drunken illusion, but what he saw left him speechless.
Staring back was not the rugged, debonair man he remembered, but a young woman with wide, panicked eyes, dishevelled hair, and delicate features. The reflection was unmistakably real.
"No… no, this can't be happening!" he cried, nearly losing his balance. "I'm Jun Hyun! I'm a man! I'm—" He pressed his hands to his cheeks, feeling nothing but soft, smooth skin.
The maids around him murmured in unison. "She's really done it this time…" one said under her breath.
He thrust his hand under his skirts in a last desperate attempt to check if he was still a man. Nothing man-like existed down there. The ladies scoffed in disgust at the brazen behaviour.
"Fitting of an arrogant person like her," a maid muttered.
Finally, the truth sank in with crushing clarity. He was now Park Eun-ji—a maid, complete with the uniform and the duties that went with it.
As the reality of his new existence began to set in, Jun Hyun—now Park Eun-ji—muttered in dismay, "I'm a maid... and I don't even know how to sweep a floor!"
"Of course, you don't know how to sweep a floor," the older maid snapped. "You're a spoiled brat who's been favoured by the young mistress. You don't know how to do anything!
The approaching footsteps quickened, and with each step, the tension in the room mounted. The door creaked open, and in stepped the young mistress, Hye-jin—a striking woman with an air of authority and an unmistakably beautiful face.
Hye-jin's eyes swept over the chaotic scene: the disoriented figure of Jun Hyun—now Park Eun-ji—standing there in a hanbok, the maids scrambling and whispering, and the overall disarray that threatened to upend the household's order.
"Park Eun-ji," Hye-jin said coolly, her tone both commanding and, unexpectedly, gentle. "What happened here? Did they try to bully you?"