Jun Hyun—blinked rapidly. Beautiful or not, this lady was his boss and she could literally kill him if his transmigration suspicions were true. Jun's survival instincts, honed through years and years of him avoiding all forms of responsibility kicked in immediately.
If the young mistress favoured him—uh, her—then there was an easy way to turn this disaster around. Kissing another woman in this era was a no-go. If his mistress found out she could kill him.
His lips wobbled, and with a dramatic sniffle, he cast a trembling glance at the maids. "Y-Young Mistress," he stammered, clutching his chest as though he'd just been gravely wronged. "It was horrible!"
The maids tensed, and one even mouthed You little— but Jun—no, Eun-ji—plunged forward.
"They woke me up so rudely!" he declared, eyes wide and teary. "I was just trying to get some rest, but they were whispering, laughing—mocking me!"
Sun-ah gasped in offence, but before she could defend herself, Eun-ji sniffled again and made his eyes even shinier. "And then Sun-ah—Sun-ah screamed at me! She accused me of something so terrible when all I did was exist!"
The older maid, who had glared at him earlier, pinched the bridge of her nose. "Young Mistress, it's not—"
Hye-jin lifted a hand, silencing the room instantly. Her dark eyes swept over them all, finally settling on Eun-ji.
"Is this true?" she asked.
Eun-ji's heart hammered. He had no idea what kind of person this Hye-jin was, but she was his lifeline right now. So he tilted his head, let his lower lip wobble just so, and nodded pitifully. "I—I was scared," he murmured. "So scared."
Hye-jin's gaze darkened as she turned toward the maids, who immediately stiffened.
"I told you all," she said coolly. "Eun-ji is under my care. If I hear of any mistreatment again, you'll answer to me. Do you understand?"
The maids mumbled their agreement, though their glares at Eun-ji promised revenge. Not that he cared—he was winning.
Hye-jin sighed and turned back to him. "Eun-ji, you seem unwell. You may return to my quarters and rest."
Jackpot.
Eun-ji's expression melted into something soft and grateful. "Young Mistress, you are so kind," he cooed, clasping his hands together like a maiden in distress. "I don't know what I would do without you."
The older maid made a strangled noise in the back of her throat.
Hye-jin merely nodded. "Go now. I'll handle things here."
Not needing to be told twice, Eun-ji swept out of the room (or, rather, tried—he tripped over the hem of his skirt but recovered with a flourish). As soon as he was out of sight, his pitiful expression dissolved into a smirk.
Perfect. With the mistress on my side, I don't even have to lift a finger.
Now, he just had to figure out how to avoid doing actual maid work for as long as possible.
This whole being-a-woman thing might not be so bad after all…