Serendipity | SunKi Au

7: Seoul, South Korea

The young blond-haired boy stared at the mansion in awe and nervousness mixed in the pit of his stomach. He reaches his left hand to grab onto his neck, expecting to feel the cold metal he would usually feel for him to feel reassured but he didn't and that just made the feeling increase. He feels a hand on his shoulder but he doesn't react.

"Don't worry Riki, you don't have to be so nervous," his mother's soothing voice came, making some of the nerves subside. His father's necklace calmed him down because he could somewhat feel his presence with it but feeling his mom with him just made him feel even more reassured.

He looks back at his mom, giving her a smile, "I know... I guess I'm also kind of excited."

Mrs. Nishimura hands him his two suitcases before extending her arms up, reaching for his cheeks to caress them, "I'm glad, now let's get going before Mr. Kim gets irritated."

The male nods and they began to walk forward where the other three males were going towards.

Soon enough, they had reached the grand door. Riki opened his mouth in shock and awe at the surroundings. This house was bigger than the one he had always lived in and the interior was completely different. Instead of the different shades of brown aesthetic that his previous home had, this one varied with mostly white, grey, and some blues that completely complimented each other.

The first thing that could be seen when they walked in was a table that held a white and blue vase and inside plain white flowers. Looking further in after the pretty vase, there was a flight of white stairs whose railings were a beautiful gold that led up to the rooms. To the left was the vast living room where there were multiple white couches that complimented the other just right as they looked perfectly in place, kind of in a circular way. In the middle, was a clear, glass, spotless table. To the right, there was a smaller living room that had a 100 inch TV. Further on the left side, there stood a grand table which fitted sixteen people. In the middle, a big clear vase that held the same white flowers; Tritunia Whites or White Petunias. By the eye, it couldn't be seen near that table there was a door; the kitchen and in the kitchen there was a door for the staff that stayed in the mansion... such as the newcomers.

"Welcome back Mr. Kim," the three maids and two other men present bowed down towards their boss who just dismissed it.

"Ms. Jin, please prepare two rooms at the staff premises. Before you are all dismissed, this is Mrs. Nishimura who will be our new chef, and Riki, her son," he introduces blankly. "Ms. Jung and Mrs. Kang fetch our luggage from the car. I will be going to my study and preparing some paperwork, I wish for no disruptions from anyone," he pronounces before walking away, Mr. Kwon following behind wordlessly.

"I will be going to my room," the pink-haired boy mumbles to no one in particular. "I will be preparing some things for school, leave my luggage at the service room until tomorrow when I'm out," he finishes off before walking upstairs with the same bored expression.

"Everyone follow me," the woman addressed as Mrs. Kang says, all the staff following her to the kitchen. She turns to look at the new duo with a smile, "I'm Kang Yeobin, the head maid who has been working in the Kim family for approximately twenty years since the age of eighteen. This is Jin Iseul who is twenty and has been working here for a year now, part-time," she explains, pointing at a short, black-haired girl who had her lips tugged up brightly who bowed at them letting out a "Nice to meet you!"

"This is Ms. Jung who is twenty-five and has been with us for three years." She points at a female with brown tied-up hair into a bun, a sharp nose, plump lips, and big sparkling eyes.

"This is Mr. Im who is Mr. Kim's driver, he's thirty-three and has been here for a good ten years now," the man had deep black hair honestly making Ni-Ki suspicious as to if that was his natural hair, he was wearing a cap, black trousers, a white formal shirt, on top a black suit.

"Finally, this is butler Sim Jaeyun who works part-time here just like Ms. Jin as they are both still studying. He's just nineteen and has been working here for merely five months," the puppy-like male who had soft-looking brown hair, an outfit just like Mr. Im apart from the hat bowed down to the small family who returned it. "There are two more maids; Ms. Kim and Ms. Park but they have their own homes while we are all staying in workers," the thirty-eight-year-old finishes off with a smile.

"I'm Nishimura Riki, fifteen years old," the young bows with a slight smile.

"I'm Nishimura Aiya, thirty-three years old, thank you for the welcome," she says with a smile identical to her son's.

"Okay! We should get you both set in! it's almost 8 pm!" Mrs. Kang exclaims, clapping her hands.

~

Riki glides his hands through his clothes while looking around his new room. It was a little bigger than his previous, a bed was in the middle, a night table on either side of it. Glued to the wall, next to the door was a tall drawer while on the other side was the closet whose white doors slid open. In front of the bed though it was completely empty and just clean.

A knock got him back to his senses and when he saw back he saw someone that he didn't expect; Jaeyun.

He bows down, "Hello."

The older smiles awkwardly, coming closer, "I just wanted to welcome you personally and assure you that if you need any help to adjust I'm right here. I know how it feels to arrive in a new country as I lived in Australia before coming to Korea around three years ago because my parents dragged me here and just a couple of months ago I disowned them- or they disowned me? I don't really know how it works but I left because they wanted me to take over our family business when that's not what I want to do. Who the fuck wants to sit at the back of a desk day and night giving orders? So I-" He looks at the boy, pursuing his lips. "I'm sorry for rambling... I'm actually not really great at socializing," the boy states with an awkward laugh.

Ni-Ki giggles cutely at the older. "It's okay, I actually only understood about half of what you said. I'm not that great in Korean yet."

"From what I heard you are! I'm actually worse even if I am Korean. Anyway, I hope that we get along and can be friends. As my friend, you can me Jake, Jake-Hyung, or Jaeyun-Hyung if that's what you prefer!"

Riki smiles at that, "Thank you Jake-Hyung."