She liked having him there but also feared how she might collapse again.
So.
She looked at Eun Woo and then at the door.
This time it might not end with just a kiss. She hugged Gomgom as if he were her savior, not as a shield, but fearing she might throw herself at Eun Woo again.
Catching her hesitation, Eun Woo lifted the corners of his mouth in a smile.
“You’re quick to send me away.”
“…”
“Even though I’m your boyfriend.”
“Boy, boyfriend.”
As Seol Hee stuttered, he reached out and wiped her damp lips with his thumb. Then he chuckled silently again.
“Right. Boyfriend.”
His eyes narrowed and elongated.
“Yu Seol Hee, did you forget that you agreed to date me? In such a short time?”
Seol Hee shook her head.
Fearing he might get hurt or turn away, Seol Hee nibbled on her lip that had just touched his.
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“…”
“I haven’t forgotten, but hearing you suddenly talk about being boyfriends…”
“Why?”
“…”
“Are you nervous?”
He smiled again.
Oh my.
Ok Eun Woo should be banned from smiling.
Usually, at the clinic, except when dealing with pet owners, he rarely smiled at the staff or Seol Hee.
But in his private life, when he was alone with Seol Hee, Eun Woo became more expressive. His lips would curl up, and his eyes would narrow pleasantly.
Seol Hee, who had no immunity to his smile, found her heart skipping a beat every time.
“Yes… I’m nervous.”
“Good.”
He slowly withdrew his hand from hers and whispered.
“I’m nervous too.”
Ah, arrhythmia is coming.
Her heart thudded irregularly whenever he, with his sharp features, said something sweet.
As Seol Hee furrowed her brows, Eun Woo continued.
“From today, we’re dating. Officially a couple. It’s not like I’m asking you to marry me, so don’t feel pressured. You don’t need to make any special effort. Just be yourself, let things flow.”
“…”
“I’ll be the one to make the effort.”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“If it turns out we’re not right for each other, just blame me. Say Ok Eun Woo forced you into this relationship. Say you didn’t want it, but were coerced. It’s not your fault at all.”
His words carried weight. Something stung her heart. Was it a thorn for having pushed him away for so long?
Seol Hee shook her head.
“It’s not coercion. I’m not the kind of person who just goes with the flow.”
Maybe a little, usually. But not now.
At Seol Hee’s words, Dr. Ok laughed. The laughter felt somewhat hollow.
“It’s okay. They say the one who loves more loses.”
Then Dr. Ok stood up and slowly walked out.
“And if I’m losing to you, strangely, I like that.”
Leaving those words, he went back to his place.
Just five steps away, to the next door.
She now had a boyfriend.
Not her first boyfriend, but this felt entirely different. Was her first relationship also like this? Just seeing Dr. Ok at the clinic made Seol Hee’s face heat up.
They had kissed and confessed.
So, it wasn’t strange to be dating.
Not strange, yet strange.
During treatment. Today, Seol Hee was assisting Dr. Ok.
Eun Woo carefully cleaned a young Schnauzer’s ears with cotton wrapped around his long fingers. She absentmindedly watched his hands moving gently in circles.
While checking the ears here and there, Eun Woo glanced back, as if sensing Seol Hee’s gaze.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, I was watching how you clean ears.”
“……Hmm.”
He hummed lowly, as if questioning the truth, then looked towards the supply cabinet.
“Seol Hee, let’s try trimming nails today.”
“Ah, yes.”
Responding to his suggestion, she approached with nail clippers. Eun Woo secured the Schnauzer.
Luckily, the Schnauzer that came in today was a calm one.
Seol Hee carefully clipped each nail on the front paw. When she cut the nail on the inside of the paw, droplets of blood formed at the tip of the nail.
The nail was dark in color, and she must have accidentally nicked a blood vessel without seeing it.
“Ah, it’s bleeding.”
Seol Hee stopped her hand in a panic.
“It’s okay. You know the name of this nail, right?”
At Dr. Ok’s words, she nodded.
“The ‘daughter-in-law’ nail?”
“Yes, the daughter-in-law nail. But for dogs like this Schnauzer, who walk a lot, the other nails are worn down from the ground and are fine.”
Dr. Ok’s hand touched the Schnauzer’s front paw that Seol Hee was holding. Naturally, Seol Hee’s hand overlapped with Dr. Ok’s. His hand was cool and motionless, but when their hands overlapped, Seol Hee took a deep breath.
“When walking on asphalt or hard surfaces, these front nails wear down.”
Dr. Ok gently touched the tip of the Schnauzer’s nail, then took a coagulant with his other hand and applied it to the daughter-in-law nail, continuing his explanation.
“The daughter-in-law nail doesn’t touch the ground, so it doesn’t wear down. Owners often forget to clip it, so the blood vessel grows long. If you just clip it, you might nick the blood vessel, and it bleeds.”
“I see…”
Casually, Dr. Ok explained.
Why isn’t he angry? Normally, this would be the time for him to say something about causing bleeding. His uncharacteristic reaction made Seol Hee look at him with wide eyes. After checking all the nails, Dr. Ok picked up the Schnauzer.
“It’s done, Toto, let’s go to Mom.”
Noticing Seol Hee’s puzzled gaze as he walked to the waiting room for pet owners, Dr. Ok suddenly turned to look at her.
“What?”
“What?”
“Why are you looking at me with such wide eyes?”
To tell or not to tell. Seol Hee eventually opened her lips.
“Aren’t you angry?”
“Why should I be? I’m not always angry.”
But Toto’s paw bled.
Seol Hee tilted and lowered her head in confusion, and Dr. Ok raised his lips and laughed.
“It’s unavoidable when you don’t know, and it’s normal for nails to bleed during trimming. Toto’s nails haven’t been clipped for a long time, and the blood vessel was already long.”
Relieved by his unexpectedly warm words, Seol Hee unwittingly smiled.
“Thank you.”
“But… do you have time tonight?”
“Ah, me. Yes.”
“Then…”
He checked today’s reservations and then looked up.
“Let’s meet for a moment.”
“To practice nail trimming?”
“No.”
Amused by Seol Hee’s question, he chuckled and shook his head.
“I have something to say. Let’s meet. Don’t be nervous.”
“…”
“It’s a personal matter.”
Personal matters are even more nerve-wracking.
Seol Hee gulped down her dry throat.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
