The place Hyun led Yura to, wishing to make a good impression, was a restaurant they had once visited during its soft opening. Despite its intimidating atmosphere, the succulent and luxurious meat aroused her appetite. Yura was so engrossed in the perfectly grilled steak that it seemed as if their earlier awkwardness never existed. The privacy of their enclosed space, free from formalities and manners, contributed to her ease.
“You’re the only one who looks so pretty while eating.”
Hyun had been watching her, barely touching his food. Yura, enduring his intense gaze, busily continued eating.
“Flattery will get you indigestion. What’s with the sudden compliments?”
“I did say I came to impress.”
“What’s there for you to impress me with?”
“I’m scared when you’re angry.”
Hyun’s voice, slightly lowered, stopped Yura’s hand that was cutting the steak.
Her retort wasn’t really about being angry at Hyun. It was more about a complicated mix of emotions – dealing with Oh Sejin’s irrational behavior, her suffocating father, and the desire to surpass Argon. All these emotions had inadvertently poured out on Hyun, though they were not directed at him. In a way, he was just a victim of her misplaced anger.
“I wasn’t angry at you.”
Maybe, it was more towards herself – for her inability to navigate through these challenges.
“I hate to see you angry, for any reason.”
His voice, filled with affection and sympathy, soothed Yura’s turbulent heart. Hyun’s unexpected tenderness, usually hidden beneath his cold and rational exterior, was the kind that women found appealing.
“Why didn’t you date anyone?”
“Out of the blue?”
“It’s just that you’re good at saying nice things. I wonder why you didn’t have a girlfriend.”
“Why bother with someone unnecessary?”
Yura found it intriguing that this business-like attitude applied even to personal relationships. Most people might feel this way but don’t express it as openly as Hyun.
“Was I necessary?”
“Of course.”
“Because the marriage relieved pressure and saved time.”
Hyun, believing Yura’s interpretation to be a valid justification, felt conflicted. It wasn’t wrong, but there was an unsettling incompleteness, like a meeting adjourned halfway.
He decided to focus on the present, resolving Yura’s anger, which was his immediate concern. Whether anyone else was upset or distanced themselves didn’t matter much to Hyun. However, Yura’s coldness was distressing enough to disrupt his work.
Never having lived with someone since adulthood, Hyun hadn’t anticipated how much a conflict with a cohabitant could affect him. Settling this seemed necessary for his peace of mind and better work performance.
“Do you have no rehearsal observation today?”
“No.”
“What about your schedule afterwards?”
“I just need to contact A&J Management. Nothing else important.”
Listening calmly to Yura’s response, Hyun thought of Song Min-woo and Joo Hye-rim when he heard ‘A&J Management’. He wanted to quickly resolve the unsettled feelings between him and Yura, and also to address this troublesome matter swiftly.
“How about we go on a date after this meal?”
“A date?”
“There’s a nice performance happening.”
“What performance?”
Yura’s initially hesitant face lit up at the mention of a performance. Hyun couldn’t help but smile at her evident love for performances. He wondered how she would react upon hearing what the performance was.
“The French National Orchestra.”
“The one organized by Argon?”
It was the orchestra whose domestic performance had been delayed for over a year due to the conductor’s health issues. Yura, a fan of this conductor, had been disappointed for a long time.
As it was a highly publicized event by a competing company, Yura wouldn’t pass it up. Hyun knew this and had personally obtained the tickets.
“Does it bother you that it’s an Argon event?”
“Nonsense. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will always be victorious. Let’s go.”
Yura’s enthusiasm was evident as she stood up, and Hyun continued to smile.
After the two-hour performance, Yura was still engulfed in the lingering emotion, finding it hard to leave the parking lot too quickly. Apart from being moved by the performance, her professional instincts were also at play. She had observed the staff’s behavior, expressions, and tone when entering, and paid attention to the atmosphere during the intermission.
Walking through the parking lot, she mumbled her evaluation of the last venue.
“The sound system is definitely better than ours.”
“The grandeur filling the hall was overwhelming.”
Hyun’s agreement seemed like a simple response anyone would give.
Had she not known about his criticism of Sejin’s performance and recognition of Song Min-woo, she might have just agreed and moved on. But having a sense of his depth in art, she couldn’t just let it pass.
“But you weren’t interested in arts, right?”
“Not really.”
“Then how do you know so much?”
“My wife works in this industry. I have to at least know the basics.”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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