i wanna get to the sappy shit.

update coming soon after this one
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I didn't know what to say.

My lips were sealed to a fine line and the air around me felt tight, nearly suffocating. The tempting urge to hop of the glass and shove him aside fizzled out in my stomach right as the second hand embarrassment flew through the window.

His eyes bored into mine lackadaisically, silver strands fluttering lightly over his forehead.

It's like his gaze was testing me, waiting for me to do something, anything to him. He wanted me to blow my lid or to touch him, give him a reason to react negatively or positively. He had all the balls in his court. He knew he did.

But the minute didn't last for long because he let out a humorless chuckle and plopped his fine self into his office chair. The king let his fit face rest onto his palm, holding my stare.

I broke away from it only to close my legs shyly when I realized he had a perfect view of my underwear. I scurried myself away from the desk, nearly losing my balance but finding my rhythm once I was comfortable on the ground.

"You may be dismissed," he told me, "Sam, my guard outside, with escort you to where you begin your first cleaning chore."

I nod my head simply and let my feet carry me to the doors I've grown to know to well but I stop when I hear his voice.

"And sweet girl?" I rear my head to face him. His bright lips are wearing a smirk while his eyes zero in on my face. The sun cast this angelic glow onto him, making appear heavenly but something told me he was definitely far from that.

"Yes, my king?" My voice comes out quiet.

"The task you have is rather difficult but I know you can manage. I expect everything in that room to look fucking immaculate by the time I arrive...I'm not afraid to punish you if it isn't."

There is no tenderness in his voice which is enough to scare me shitless.

Damn, I just cursed. My mother would we be disappointed.

It was a forward demand, a strong one and I didn't why it sent fear crawling up my back and latching itself tight around me. I wasted no time and merely nodded again at his request.

Turning away, I quickly pushed open the heavy doors and come face to face with a chick I've never seen before. She was sitting on the couch I was on awhile ago, her legs crossed together.

Her eyes were droopy and so was the skin under her eyes, wrinkles fanning itself on the top of her forehead. She wore a frown and some extremely short shorts with a tank top. It was quite cold up here so I was surprised she wasn't shivering. Her blue hair was pulled into a high ponytail and she looked bored out of her wits.

When saw the door open, her eyes moved away from the marble floor and to me. She gave me a cold stare and stood up, brushing her outfit hastily. She bumped shoulders with mine just as I moved to the side and turned her face towards me.

"Watch where you're going."

I couldn't understand her hostility to me. I've never seen here before. The women on this floor seems worse than the others I've encountered working on the first level. It was bizarre but nevertheless I apologized and moved completely out of her away.

The guards let her go in without any say so and the doors swooshed shut after she stepped in.

"Let's go." Sam stated. I glanced up at him and then to his hand which was gestured to the left direction of the hallway. I didn't waste anytime walking with him.

He didn't say a word as we moved to down the hall and to an elevator all the way at the end. I had never been this far before and I was nervous on where to start. I also just remembered I didn't receive any breakfast this morning.

My stomach growled just as we stepped inside the elevator all the way at the end of the hall. Sam pressed a button and the glass doors shut instantly. The elevator shuttled it's way up one floor before dinging. The doors then opened.

Sam stepped out and I did as well and he began walking down a completely white hallway. He took a quick turn to the right and stopped at the first door on his left. He pressed his badge onto the keypad and it beeped, the doors sliding open.

"This floor is the second floor the king resides in," Sam told me as he stepped in, "Up here is his bedroom, three guest rooms, three bathrooms, a dining room, his study, his kitchen and his living room."

The lights fluttered on above us and I looked around the room. It was a huge kitchen, but an extremely dirty one. Stoves cluttered the sink and the counters while black stains splattered itself all over the  floors and walls.

There was some type of grease sliding itself down the  fridge and a thick layer of dust sitting on top of the curtains on the windows.

"It's much worse than it looks," Sam added, walking over to one of the cabinets and pulling out something, "The chefs up here are pretty ruthless when it comes to be tidying."

I didn't say anything as he walked up to me and handed me a whole bucket of cleaning supplies. They were extremely heavy. It felt like they weighed a hundred pounds.

"You have to clean in here." He told me like I didn't even know. Why else would I be here?

"There are maids, assistants, and ton of other women up on this floor so try not to get in their way, they don't like when new women get invited onto this floor."

"Why is that?" I set the bucket down and push my hair out of my face. I wanted to cry.

"They think the king is getting bored with them. He usually brings his new conquests up here, the ones he takes a liking too. They see that as competition."

I rolled my eyes. "I want nothing to do with that man...at least I don't think I do."

"Is that really your choice?" Sam raised a brow at me. His hands ran through his hair and he let out a heavy sigh before walking towards the door.

"The king will he up here at 12 to receive his lunch. You have about 3 hours and thirty minutes to get this place spotless and then he will reward you."

He began walk out the door just as I asked him, "With what?"

"I don't know, his choice. I'll see you later, Y/n."

With that he left me and the doors shut right after him. A tear slipped down my cheek when I realized I was all alone. I was hungry, tired, and hurt. It was almost like he was punishing me for no reason.

Looking around the room made me want to want to cuss.

The king made me feel special, well not special, but some type of way that I couldn't describe. It seemed to me, I clearly had no place right in his heart if he was going to force me into doing this but I guess it was my job.

I wiped my watery eyes and groaned, snatching the heavy bucket from the floor and into my palms before dragging myself over to the sink. I set the bucket down on the ground and pulled up the countless amount of pots that seemed to me stuck on top of each other.

It was somewhere to start.

I went back to the bucket and grabbed a sponge and scrubbed from inside. I moved the pots to the counter and took just one. I placed it over the sink to rinse it, a black char coming from inside the pot swirling itself at the bottom of the sink.

I started scrubbing then.

I managed to handle the rest of the twenty-seven pots and put them into the cabinet under the sink. I wasn't sure where they even went but I couldn't worry about it. The clock on the wall told me so.

I moved onto the fridge and freezer which was filled with rotten and spoiled foods. Strawberries, jarred garlic, and leftovers had definitely gone bad, leaving a ferocious smell that made me pause to bury my face into my arm. It didn't even help because of the bacteria that got all over me cleaning the pots.

Meat, fish, and whatnot in the freezer where freezer burned and wasted. I went back to the bucket to grab a trash bag dump all of the contents in there.

I poured out the spoiled drinks in the sink and got another bag from the bucket for recycling.

I wasn't even halfway done with scrubbing the levels of the fridge when the door opening grabbed my attention. I turned my head to the door and noticed a girl.

God, there was so many women up here.

Her midnight hair, similar to mine, glowed under the fluorescents just as her beady eyes did too. Dressed in a tight pencil skirt and blouse, her breast were practically spilling out from the undid buttons. Her glasses were tipped low and her heels clicked as she took a seat on the stool I just sanitized.

Her eyes were on mine the whole time as she spoke, her voice coming out sharp and straight.

"I heard there was a new maid on the floor, just had to see who it was for myself." She placed her chin on her palm.

I didn't say anything and whipped my head back to the task at hand. I praised myself silently when I realized, I just had the floors, walls, and couches to set up and clean and then I would be done.

"Ah," she spoke again but I didn't turn around. I couldn't lose my concentration, not now. "You're a quiet one. Jimin likes those, tends to make them work hard and rewards him afterwards with his love and attention."

What did she mean by rewards? And love? He made it clear he didn't love anybody. Very clear actually.

I turned myself around to face her and closed the fridge, being down with that section completely. "Who are you?"

She smiled at me, showing me her straight row of teeth, "Lee-Won. I work with guards up here. And you must be Y/n."

"How do you know that?" I asked her, raising my brow.

"News travels fast up here, whoever Jimin brings a new lady up here. The women here tend to get jealous."

I scoffed. Jimin and I didn't have anything going on.

"You must be kidding. I'm only here to clean and what was tasked to me by the king. These girls have no reason to be jealous."

"Tell that Mido." she mumbled.

"Who's that?"

"Mido. Jimin's favorite out of all the women here. They are practically in love with one another, or that's how Mido sees it but when Eun came up here yesterday telling us about a new girl with the exact same description at you, it sent some the women into a frenzy especially Mido."

I move towards the clean counter and placed my elbows on it. I was completely interested in her words even if they weren't true. These women didn't even know who I was, how could they be jealous.

"Well," I press to her to continue, "You got me interested. What did she say?"

"Said that the king was mesmerized by you...talked about some red dress you were in and couldn't keep his hands off you."

"Doesn't he touch all the women...? What makes me any different?"

"If Eun, one of Jimin's pets talked about you up here that means there is definitely something they need to watch out for, especially Mido."

Who is Mido and what was wrong with these people?

"Great. Another person to dislike me."

All of them did.

"As long as you deny the king's rewards and stop doing your tasks you'll stay out her way. She is probably looking around the place for you so you best me on the lookout."

"I can't stop doing my work." I told her.

What was she trying to do? Let me get punished?

She stopped up from the chair and proceeded to walk to the door.

"You thought downstairs was hell, just wait till you start living up here."

And with that, she leaves me, just like everyone.

An unexpected headache swept me over and I rubbed my forehead to get it away. I needed to work, I didn't need this. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and shook my head, pushing myself off the counter and getting back to work.

The turmoil swirling around me only motivated me to just finish and complete whatever shit I needed to do. Cursing seemed appropriate by now.

It was only a matter of time before I got myself into trouble with one of ladies up here. None of them downstairs favored me, not even the assistants who I worked with. I'm surprised Sam even talked to me. It felt like I was a nuisance to everybody.

Something to just deal with and get over. I didn't want to be used and then thrown away by the king. I would rather not be some conquest than what these women are up here, jealous and mean girls begging for the king's attention.

It was competition.

All of it.

To know that they were already talking about me just because the king touched my face and spoke about my red dress was absolutely insane.

I needed to get out here and out of here quick.

I glanced at the clock and it was three minutes to twelve. I'm surprised I managed to stay focused and clean everywhere but my outfit was ruined and I'm pretty sure I smelt.

I needed a nice shower. I wish I could take a bath.

I quickly tossed the cleaning supplies in a random cabinet and straightened out my outfit before fixing the messy bun on my head. I moved towards the door awkwardly and stood in front of it patiently.

I looked at my feet then at the clock which read 11:59. Time was truly going to the death of me, screw the girls.

The doors opened just as the clock hit twelve. The king was there and Sam was behind, slightly peering his head through the door to see the larger room.

The king's eyes didn't find mine at first but once he saw how spotless the room was, he licked his lips and locked eyes with mine. They were wide and brighter than the last time I saw him.

"Sam, you can leave." He told Sam who was still astonished at my hard work. His eyes found mine and he gave me a wink and a small smile before walking away from the scene.

The king stepped inside and made a beeline straight to me, standing close to me. His silver was pulled back and away from his wandering eyes that were scouring every inch of my face with pride and joy.

I guess he had faith I could do this or maybe he has happening that this place was finally cleaned. I didn't really know but seeing him smile made me want to smile too.

"You did amazing. I wasn't expecting you to clean all of this under that amount of time." He told me, his voice gentle.

He side stepped me and moved to the island. He swiped his finger on it, probably checking for any dust or dirt but smiled even wider when he found none.

I'm glad I could help.

"You are truly incredible sweet girl," he grabbed my hand and pushed me into the counter, "I think you deserve something special."

His eyes lingered on mine as the words fall from his lips. I casted my eyes down and let my breath hitch.

Didn't Lee Woon say I should refuse it? What if something this "Mido" lady found out I accepted. It probably wasn't anything special, maybe having the rest of the day off.

That would be a nice reward.

The king definitely noticed my hesitation because he moved his fingers under my chin and brought our eyes to meet. He squinted me, brushing his knuckles on the side of my face while his rings gave me a cold touch.

"What's wrong?" He asked me carefully while biting his lip.

"Nothing—I'm just.." I didn't really know what to say or how to say it. I wasn't a snitch nor did I want to get anybody in trouble but the way he was looking at me made me want spill all the beans.

He sighed, running his fingers through through his hair for the nth time. I wondered how he didn't get her hair all the time.

"Who spoke to you?"

I looked away from him and shifted out of his hold and to the wall. I couldn't focus with his presence all up near me, it was too suffocating. I needed to breathe.

He followed me though but this time trapping his body against mine and pinning my hands in the air. It was so uncalled for that I let out a shriek.

Literally things always escalated between us, for no reason.

Me an hour ago would be fighting him away.

His grip was tight on my wrist but not too tight to hurt me. I guess he wanted to show me he was in control and me being silent wouldn't do a thing for me, that he would find out eventually.

"I know someone spoke to you," he pressed, burying his face into my neck, "The girls up here love to scare each other and stir the pot. They know it bothers me."

My body went limp when he gave me a slight kiss on my neck before trailing it closer to my lips. I was officially deceased and ready to be laid in my coffin.

"And don't lie to me. I had a good day for us planned."

He molded his lips onto my neck and kissed it again, the grip on my hands tightening further. My knees grew weak when I felt him sink teeth into the soft skin playfully, earning quiet moan from me.

I didn't know what that was or why that made me feel like I was floating on cloud 9 but something about that spot there made me want to shove his head back into there and do whatever he did again to me.

He dropped his hands to my waist and pulled me flush against him, pulling his head away to look me in the eye.

"Who?" from his tone of voice, I could tell it was the final time he would be asking me that question.

"Lee-Won." the name fell from my lips breathlessly. He huffed and shook his head.

"God, I'm going to kill her." He tsked.

I didn't know what to say so I just laid comfortably against his arms, enjoying the time in them that I had. His frame encompassed my wholly and my face fit perfectly under his chin.

"You did amazing today and I wasn't fucking expecting it," he laughed to himself, "I wanted to treat you from the moment I recognized your face yesterday and I was praying you'd finish so I could do so instead of punishing you."

"What do you mean 'treat me'? and why do you want to? You practically forgot about me."

I immediately covered my hands over mouth when I finished. That part was definitely not supposed to come out.

The king didn't say a word and just gives me a blank stare but I could feel his hands gripping my waist tighter. His rings dug into the thin article of clothing I have on and I could feel the band leaving in indents on my skin.

He lifted me up lightly so now I was standing on his toes but not applying any pressure on it and we were eye-level.

The fear that courses through me ran miles as he blinked slowly, a straight face coating his features.

"Your ballot was mixed up with some other girl I chose, that's why I didn't know you were here and chosen as a maid. It was the director's fault."

His arm snaked around my waist just as the other brushed a strand of hair away my face and behind my ear. "Where you upset by that, sweet girl?"

My stomach did somersaults. Something about him destroyed my sense of dignity and self preservation. I could only focus on how he sounded or how his eyes would could make you feel like you were everything in his eyes.

It was an indescribable feeling, a great feeling though.

I was going to stay something but he didn't let me finish as he spoke gently to me.

"Spend the day with me."