[Warning(s)] This is a Modern!AU (alternate universe) Hetalia fanfic between South Korea and Hong Kong [Fragrantkimchi]. It is written as a friendship and potential relationship pairing. Please do not send messages expressing your dislike for this pairing. This is why I mention the pair in the warning.

[Disclaimer] I do not own any of the characters from Hetalia. I've also seen many versions of Hong Kong's human name, but his name used here is only temporary. Please leave a review and tell me what you think~

Chapter 1: Departure

Dear Diary,

Ever since I was six years old, the life of a servant to my Master was the only life I had ever known. Although I didn't go to school like a normal child, my Master had taught me everything I needed to get through in life. If you must know, my Master was a retired school teacher who lived alone ever since his wife had died thirty years into their marriage. When my mother died, he had graciously taken me in and raised me almost as if I were his own. In return, he also taught me how to clean, cook and perform basic household chores. Once I became old enough to leave the house on my own, I began to run simple errands: grocery shopping, making payments, etc., because my Master was beginning to age.

When I had turned eighteen, my Master was reaching his late seventies. His age was starting to get the best of him; it was becoming hard for him to move around the house on his own, his breathing was becoming labored and his health was starting to decline drastically. A doctor would often visit during that time, and although I could not speak he told me everything about the options for my Master. He told me that his immune system was beginning to fail and that he would not be alive much longer. I began to feel worried more about my Master more than I did myself. Master was the one who took me when my own family wanted nothing to do with my existence. He was the only one who would ever take the time to actually care about my well-being. . .

Shortly after I turned nineteen, my Master had passed away in his sleep. I discovered him sitting on his favorite couch wrapped in a fleece blanket that covered his feet. It was the last time I had seen my Master smile so contently. Although I knew he was dead, I managed to convince myself that he was simply enjoying a peaceful dream. A dream. . . On the table was a letter addressed with my name on it; neatly folded to stand like a small card on a small coffee coaster. Dear Yong Soo. I remember that as if it happened yesterday.

Master's letter was written as a last will and testament with a smaller letter sealed inside. His instructions were for me to deliver this letter to his closest family member and to not removed the seal. The name above the seal simply said 'Xiang'. I could not recall anyone by that name from the stories Master told of his family, but I knew that I had to find this man for him. I was instructed and Master's word is law.

He had also written that he was happy to have raised me as a son and that I had brought years of wonder to his life. Although he was gone, I would not have to worry about not having a place to stay. There was enough money to take me to Xiang, my new Master, and to buy new clothing. Don't be afraid, my child. When you are ready I know that you will speak again. Was the way the letter ended. . . It had taken me hours to stop crying. How could I not when the only person who loved me had passed away?

Once the legal matters were taken care of, I had packed my bag and took a last look at my old Master's house. It felt cold and eerie now that the source of warmth was gone. Almost as if it had never existed in the first place. A dream. . . Surely it wasn't real? But catching the bus to the airport made me realize how real everything was. I never had the best of luck when it came to crowded place. Conversations were being held left and right. Some about politics, some about fashion and others about the birth of a new celebrity baby. Did people really have that much to talk about? . .

"Would you like something to drink?"

At the sound of a voice I jumped a bit, turning my attention to look at the flight attendant pushing her cart. I honestly couldn't remember boarding the plane, putting my small luggage in the storage above or taking my seat. It was no wonder the woman managed to startle me. I opened my mouth to speak but remembered they words would not come out. With a frown, I simply hung my head in shame for a moment. When I looked back up at her, I pointed to my throat, made and upward motion and shook my head. Her brown eyes immediately saddened, so I knew that she understood what I meant.

"I-I'm sorry sir. W-Would you like a bottle of water?" I nodded in response to her. With a soft smile she reached into the cart and pulled out a bottle of purified water. I smiled, nodded my thanks and began to open my bottle of water to take a drink. "Please, give me a wave if you need anything else." She said sincerely, smiling more as she pushed the cart further down the aisle. "I will be where you can see me, sir."

Alongside my Master, that lady was one the kindest people I had ever met. I didn't want to write while I was on the plane. Not only were the seats uncomfortable, but there was no lighting when everyone else had fallen asleep. The only noticeable source came from the small lights that aligned the aisle to the bathroom quarters and the flashing ones outside the plane. It was hard to sleep while being surrounded by so many strangers, but I was able to catch a few hours before the plane finally landed. When I awoke to retrieve my luggage from the compartment I felt a small tap on my right should. I wasn't startled that time, but I turned to see the familiar face of the flight attendant behind me.

"I'm...sorry about last night, sir." She spoke softly with a slight bow of her head. "Please forgive my ignorance, I shouldn't have acted so surprised." I could smile and shake my head, waving both of my hands to explain that everything was alright. It should be normal to have people apologizing to me, but at the same time I feel that I should be the one apologizing. The woman would only smile a bit as she rose to her normal stance, the waves in her hair shifting as she spoke. "But. . .it was a pleasure to meet you. I'm Yana."

My thoughts often returned to Yana as the bus had taken from the airport into town. I had never been to a city as large as this one, but I can honestly say I was impressed by it. Master would tell me stories about places like this, but I honestly never thought that I would see one. Every so often I would stare at the name on the smaller of the two letters. Xiang. I wonder what my new Master will look like. . . Maybe now would now would be a good time to stop writing. . . It's been over an hour since I've been on this bus and I will be seeing my new Master soon.

"Mr. Xiang? You have a phone call on line two. Sir, a phone-call on line two." A quiet voice spoke over the office intercom. It wasn't unusual that the phone would ring constantly, but it was unusual that the phone would ring only once throughout the entire day. The young man called Xiang sighed as he pressed the small white button on his desk, his free hand pressing to his forehead as he replied. "Tell them to hold on. . ." He murmured before releasing the button.

"But, Sir. It's about your Grandfather."

A thick, darkly colored brow rose as he glanced down at the button. It had been years since he had heard a word from or about his grandfather, so why would anyone want to contact him now? If it was about money, and he honestly felt that it was, he wouldn't have been able to help. It was hard running a company that was barely gaining anything as of late. If things got any worse he would have to shut the entire thing down. Story of my life. He thought to himself. With a frustrated sigh he pressed the button once more. "Fine, allow the call through."

xxx

The news about his grandfather's death had honestly taken him by surprise and he wasn't exactly sure how to respond. After all this time, the only time he hears about him is when he's dead. A selfish man even in death. As he got off the bus he began to think back to when he was a child. His grandfather would often call him into his room to tell him stories about his own childhood, but when he had taken in a boy a few years younger than himself; Xiang was ignored, forgotten even. He had not heard a single word from the man ever since that child was taken in. The boy's name was unimportant, mainly because Xiang had forgotten. He could only remember that the child would cower when anyone tried speaking to him and ran into the arms of his grandfather.

His grandfather explained once that the boy was just getting used to his new home. Xiang honestly didn't know anything about his past and, quite frankly, he didn't care. He had his own problems to attend to and didn't waste them on some ignorant brat. An irritated sigh escaped his lips while his left hand moved to run their fingers through a sea of dark brown locks. What was so special about that kid anyways, huh? He thought to himself as he reached for the key to his flat in the pocket of his black slacks.

When he looked up at the door he jumped, nearly dropping his keys. Sitting on the steps was a young man, a little younger than himself, wearing nothing but a loose sweat suit and sneakers. His black hair was a bit of a mess and his eyes made him seem as if he had not slept properly for days. But why was this man here? . . .

"Excuse me?" Xiang questioned, replacing the key in his pocket as he walked up to the other. "Can I like, help you? . ."

The black haired man's eyes could barely focus as he looked up at the other. Could he be Xiang? . . He thought as he studied his facial features. The man's hair was neat and brown in comparison to his, his eyebrows were a little thicker, his eyes were a darker shade of brown than his hair and he appeared to be slightly shorter than himself. If this were his new Master, he knew that he would have no say in his appearance. Instead of replying to the other, not noticing the irritated expression on his face, he reached into his small traveling bag and pulled out the letter addressed to 'Xiang'.

After reading the name 'Xiang' could only sigh and mutter. "So you're here because of my grandfather right?. . ." He reached out to for the letter, taking it away from the other as he began to open it. "Honestly, only my employees call me 'Xiang'. Are you a messenger or something?"

The sitting man could only puff his cheeks and furrow his brows at his latest comment. For this to be his new Master he wasn't be very nice about things. Just because he was delivering a letter didn't automatically make him a messenger; he was ordered to tay with him. If he were to live with this man, he knew that his attitude would be the biggest issue. He then began to curiously watch as Xiang's facial features softened; almost as if he were lost in some kind of void. Yong Soo had always been curious about what the letter had said, but he was instructed to simply deliver it without reading a word. Xiang then folded he letter and stuffed it deep into one of his pockets, loosening up his tie as he murmured. "You don't have to call me Xiang. Simply address me as Kaoru. Got that?" His attention then turned to look down at the younger man. "I take it that you are Im Yong Soo, the servant my Grandfather wrote about?

Yong Soo simply nodded causing his new Master to sigh. "Great, now I have to be the one to take care of you. . ." He then made his way up the stairs, fishing for his keys once more as he looked over his shoulder. "Well, don't just sit there, come in."

You don't have to be so rude. . . But the servant couldn't tell him that. How could he after all? He carefully eased himself to his spot on the stairs with his bag in hand. On the inside, he was hating the fact that he couldn't speak up for himself. His former Master had told him that he time would come when he would speak again, but years of neglect caused him to refuse. He raised his brow as he noticed that the other was having trouble with the key, watching as his fingers seemed to fumble through them all. Yong Soo then rolled his eyes a bit before tapping him on his shoulder. I guess I have to start somewhere with him. . .

"Hmm?" Xiang turned to see the man directly behind him. "What are-" Before he could finish he felt his keys being taken away from his hands. "H-Hey, that's-!" But he then quietened as he noticed the front door opening. Yong Soo then handed him the keys back before taking a step inside. What's with him? "U-Um. . . Thank you." He murmured, but the servant nodded with a smile. After he walked in after him and closed the door behind him he looked up to see another letter. "What's this? . ."

But the servant didn't respond.

Xiang sighed. "I guess I'm to read this too? Fine. . ." He muttered before taking the letter from the other, asking as he began to open it. "Why are you so quiet anyways, huh?" But the servant didn't respond once again. He looked over to see that the young man had his head down, almost as if he were deep in thought. He didn't want to disturb him, so he began to read the letter as the silence gathered around them.

If this is Xiang, I am Im Yong Soo. I was a servant to your Grandfather up until he died. He had instructed me to find you and give you the letter with your name on it. As promised, I never read a word of what was written and I will not ask. There is something that I must tell you, Master. I can not speak. . .

After reading the last sentence his eyes widened as he looked up at Yong Soo; who still had his head down. How is he a servant if he can't speak?! He immediately thought, looking down to notice that there was more to the letter.

The reason why is not important, but, if you need me, I will only be able to write down or mimic my expressions. I am sorry that I have to be a burden in this way but I will work hard. As my new master, it is all that I am able to do. . Your word is law to me, so I must do as I'm told. I also wanted to thank you for allowing me a place in your home. Since I am quite, I hope that I won't be much trouble. Again, my name is Im Yong Soo. Thank you for reading this.

AN: Thank you for reading the first chapter of Maid of Seoul. This was actually inspired by an RP of mine of google+. Unlike the original version on g+, Im Yong Soo isn't mute but he did have on a maid uniform and was a servant for a day. The original is also more of a comical romance and not as serious in nature as this is. Hopefully I will have more inspiration to keep adding more chapter to this fic. ((Also, I apologize for the awkward style in the second half, it was rather rushed.)) Please, feel free to tell me what you think. I would love to hear your input! ; u ;