<Chapter 2>
#1. This Contract Is Somehow Wrong (2)
“Yes~ As much as you want!”
Melty, who had been glaring at the brightly smiling man, pulled the paper in front of him closer. He had learned from his hyungs that one should examine a contract thoroughly before signing it. With focused eyes, Melty read through it carefully from the top.
“The employer, party A, is responsible for all food, clothing, and shelter of party B. Party B, as a live-in worker, must accompany party A when they relocate.”
“Oh, don’t worry too much. Our master doesn’t really like going outside. But you know how business is. Sometimes you have to go out whether you want to or not.”
As Angel waved his hand while explaining that such occasions would be rare, Melty’s rolling eyes returned to the paper. Once he finished with this shop, finding a place to sleep wouldn’t be easy anyway. So this offer was actually better for him.
‘True, if the food doesn’t suit my taste in other regions, it could be troublesome…’
Since they mentioned the person was picky about food, that must be why this clause was included. Melty casually moved past the first clause and continued reading carefully. The compensation was surprisingly high, and there was even a bonus under the name of “dignity maintenance allowance.” Angel maintained a gentle smile as he watched Melty meticulously trace each word with his finger. The ears positioned on top of Melty’s head were as tiny as his height. Angel smiled contentedly while watching those ears flapping earnestly.
In Angel’s view, this small hamster beast-person was, at best, a kid who had just become an adult. Though he was squinting at the contract intently, he was far, far too lacking to look intimidating. Angel felt guilty, as if guiding an innocent child down an evil path, but it couldn’t be helped. The contract he’d just handed over certainly had one fatal flaw. But it would be impossible for a youth who hadn’t even shed his childish appearance to notice it.
Just as Angel was feeling relieved, Melty looked up with eyes that were pretending to be sharp.
“Something’s missing from this contract.”
Angel’s shoulders flinched at Melty’s words. Ignoring his trembling lips, he tried to speak casually.
“Is there a problem?”
“The contract doesn’t specify rest hours. Since it’s live-in. There should be a clear indication of my days off.”
As pride at his discovery was clearly written all over his face, Angel swallowed what almost became a sigh of relief.
“If you look at the clause above, isn’t there content related to vacations? Days off are included in that section.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
Realizing he had made a needless misunderstanding, Melty bowed his head, turning slightly red. Angel’s lips quickly relaxed as he watched Melty cover both cheeks with his hands in embarrassment.
“Come to think of it, if you’re moving in, you’ll need to dispose of this place. We’ll take care of that for you.”
“Ah… but I… I have some… debts…”
While watching Melty, who was half-covering his face with the paper and rolling his eyes, Angel put on a kind smile.
“Don’t worry. We’ll handle that too when we dispose of it. For a talent like Melty-ssi, this much is only natural.”
Melty’s eyes sparkled brightly at his words. Being called a “talent”—he had never heard such a thing before. In the village, he mostly caused worry for his family due to his weak body, and his help was limited to simple household chores.
Angel smiled cheerfully at Melty’s obviously excited appearance. From experience, he knew this was the perfect timing. Angel took out a pen, handed it to Melty, and said:
“If there’s nothing else bothering you, shall we sign?”
“Yes.”
Melty nodded firmly, removed the pen cap, and read through the document once more. He couldn’t help but remember his hyungs’ advice when he left the village: “If you’re going to sign any paper, read it 100 times.” And then he noticed something he hadn’t seen before.
“Um… isn’t the penalty fee too expensive?”
“Haha, penalty fees are always set high. That’s to prevent people from quitting easily. Finding a chef who can satisfy our master’s taste isn’t an easy task. It would be troublesome for us if you suddenly quit.”
“That makes sense.”
Melty nodded obediently in agreement and looked at the number written on the paper. Even so, the penalty was too high. If he were to quit, he’d have to pay living expenses equivalent to what an eight-person household would need for two years.
“Don’t worry too much. The salary is very high, isn’t it? If you save diligently, you’ll earn that amount quickly. Besides, isn’t it too early to worry about such things when you haven’t even started working yet?”
Melty quietly nodded in response to his kind tone asking, “Don’t you agree?” If he did well, he might earn much more than what his hyungs made.
‘Maybe the Beast God foresaw all this and gave me this gift?’
Once that thought crossed his mind, no hesitation remained. Melty brought the pen to the signature line and scrawled his signature. A sinister smile appeared on Angel’s lips as he watched the signature being placed in the empty space. His smile disappeared as quickly as Melty looked up. With a gentle smile on his lips, Angel hurriedly gathered the papers and clapped lightly.
“Well then, shall we go now?”
“What? W-where to?”
“Why, to where our master is, of course.”
“Right now…?”
Angel continued speaking as he looked at Melty, who was blinking with a puzzled expression.
“First, you need to look around the mansion, and you should greet the master in advance. There’s a lot to prepare. Do you have any urgent matters?”
“N-not really…”
Angel smiled broadly as he observed Melty’s obviously flustered appearance. Once things were set in motion, they needed to progress as quickly as possible. Though there was no way to cancel now that the contract had been signed, it would be extremely troublesome if Melty happened to hear stories about “the master” from the local residents. Determined to take him away today no matter what, Angel put force into the corners of his mouth.
“Then let’s go. The carriage is waiting in front.”
Led by Angel who kept urging “quickly, quickly,” Melty left the shop and boarded the large carriage waiting in front. Only after boarding did Melty feel cold sweat running down his back as he looked at Angel, who wore a serene smile.
Despite reading each letter thoroughly and signing carefully, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Placing his hand over his pounding heart, Melty took a deep breath.
‘It’s probably just a feeling…’
***
It didn’t take Melty long to realize something was wrong. Swallowing dryly, Melty quietly rolled his eyes to look at Angel sitting opposite him. Angel immediately smiled brightly when their eyes met, prompting Melty to cautiously open his mouth.
“How much longer until we arrive?”
“Ah, not much further. We’ll probably arrive soon.”
He could only respond with “I see” to Angel’s calm reply. Even his initial excitement about riding in a plush carriage for the first time in his life—pressing the cushions here and there—had its limits.
The hamster clan was originally a nomadic tribe, but for Melty, who had been overprotected since childhood due to his weak body, this was his first time venturing outside. Even after arriving in the village, he hadn’t traveled much, so he had less experience than his hyungs and noonas.
But even for someone like Melty, after hearing “we’ll arrive soon” for the fifth time, anxiety couldn’t help but creep in. Glancing out the window, he noticed it was already getting dark outside.
“B-by the way… where exactly am I going to work?”
“We’ll be there soon. You’ll see when we get there.”
“W-who will I be serving?”
“You’ll know that too when we get there.”
“……”
All conversations proceeded in this manner. They say the world is vast and filled with no shortage of terrible people. Perhaps instead of an excellent employer, he had fallen into the hands of a human trafficker.
As anxiety slowly rose, Melty clasped his hands tightly on his knees and pressed his lips firmly together to keep from crying.
‘When signing the contract, I should have confirmed exactly who the employer was and what kind of person they were.’
It was too late for regrets. Nor did he think he could survive jumping from a carriage moving at such a frightening speed. His complicated mind conjured up all sorts of possibilities.
‘What should I do? Should I, should I run away?’
Just as he was fidgeting and deeply lost in thought, the carriage stopped. Angel still wore a kind smile as he looked at the pale-faced Melty.
“We’ve arrived. Let’s get out now.”
“Uh, um… Ah, th-that…”
Melty’s face crumpled as he bowed his head deeply in response to Angel’s silent smile. The carriage door flung open, and Angel, who got out first, extended his hand toward him. Melty grabbed the hand presented before his face and stepped down from the carriage, then surveyed his surroundings.
Whether due to the countless ominous scenarios floating in his head, or because even the moonlight was obscured by clouds, everything around was pitch black. The road itself was neatly maintained, but the trees and grass standing around gave off an eerie atmosphere.
“Eek!”
Melty’s eyes moistened as his body instinctively shrank back. Angel, still with a beaming smile, said to the frightened Melty:
“I thought you should meet the master first, so I brought you to the back entrance. You can meet the other employees tomorrow.”
…But why the back entrance?
Melty’s head turned back. Though he blinked his moist eyes hard, he could barely make out the retreating silhouette of the carriage. Looking around wildly, the pitch-black darkness made it impossible to move forward rashly. Just calculating the time spent in the carriage made it clear that escape was out of the question.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“…Coming.”
Melty, muttering in a dejected voice, finally forced his immobile feet to move. Still, he’d never heard that the bird clan was known for doing bad things. Melty tried desperately to regain his composure.
‘It’s not like they’re snake clan or tiger clan… I’ll be fine.’
Angel strode forward, seemingly unaware of Melty taking deep breaths behind him. Perhaps due to his height, the difference in their single steps was significant. To avoid losing sight of him in the complete darkness, Melty followed with quick, short steps.
“He’s probably waiting for you.”
Angel opened the door wide and pointed inside. Melty, who had arrived at his location while gasping for breath, had no energy left to examine his surroundings. Angel’s face showed a trace of regret as he spoke to Melty, who was trying to catch his breath.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I suppose my pace was too fast.”
