Sung-jae’s expression turned awkward, as if he had been hit on the back of the head with a hammer.
“What on earth are you talking about? Who did I kill…”
Suddenly, a figure came to mind. If it was a deceased friend of Suhyang, there was only one person Sung-jae knew.
Seo In-hye.
She was a rising star about to debut in her first film, a flower that had withered before reaching its peak.
“What are you talking about now? Seo In-hye took her own life.”
Sung-jae’s gaze, which had the thought that Suhyang’s mind might have gone strange due to the shock at that time, lingered at the end of her eyes.
“In-hye got drunk and threw herself onto the road. Don’t you remember?”
“Did I have to make her do that?”
Was it her own fault that made it inevitable? Sung-jae couldn’t understand Suhyang’s words.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but anyway, you left me back then because of that incident?”
“That’s not important now, Mr. Han Sung-jae.”
Suhyang, who had become calmer, spoke with a subdued voice.
“I have one thing I want. Don’t appear in front of me and my daughter. For any reason.”
As Suhyang tried to get up from her seat, Sung-jae said to her.
“Why does that sound like you’re saying that your daughter and my daughter are the same thing?”
The water from the cup on the table was splashed on Sung-jae’s face. The surrounding gazes in the quiet cafe briefly grazed over them.
Even though his face was soaked, Sung-jae spoke without caring.
“You said that back then. If you appeared in front of me, you would die. You despised me.”
It was what Suhyang said when she went to see her once, a statement she made under the influence of alcohol.
“I thought at that time that you were angry with me for going to that entertainment place. You were gaining attention at that time and it was a very sensitive period.”
It was a time when impure motives were rampant at those drinking sessions. It was mostly unknowingly invited, but after a few times, it became the cause of fights.
“Even though I knew I was a naive guy, I resented you for not believing and leaving. Then, rumors spread that you suddenly gave birth to a child.”
Suhyang’s hand, still holding the cup, trembled slightly.
“I needed a reason to leave. You pretended not to be like that, but you were just such an actress. Even after drawing that conclusion, I suspected for decades. You wouldn’t do that. It couldn’t be my child. No, you wouldn’t have abandoned me like that. I resented, hated, and was crazy about it.”
Sung-jae’s long period of agony seemed to be felt, and Suhyang’s eyes shook slightly.
If she just didn’t listen to this person’s words and left, it would be over, but her steps didn’t move.
“So, confirm that your daughter is not my child. Then, as you said, I won’t appear in front of you.”
“Why should I bother to confirm that? ”
“If, by any chance, I am the father, wouldn’t that child be too pitiful?”
“Shut up.”
Suhyang’s emotions intensified. Her daughter was like an Achilles’ heel to her.
The original Korean text with line breaks:
arduino
Copy code
평생 살이 있는 아버지의 존재를 숨긴 원죄는 어찌해도 부정할 수 없는 거였다
“당신은 당신 자식이나 잘 키워. 남의 자식이 불쌍하니 어쩌니, 함부로 지껄이지 말고.”
“서인혜에게 당신이 가진 죄책감이 뭔지 설명해 봐, 그럼.”
결국 들켰다. 당황한 수향이 숨을 삼켰다.
한성재는 원래 그런 사람이었다. 가슴속에 깊이 숨겨 놓은 무언가를 끄집어내는 데 탁월한 사람.
그가 좋았던 이유이기도 했다. 아무도 어루만져 준 적 없는 그녀의 공허함을 그가 알아봐 주었기 때문이었다.
“다 당신 때문이야. 시작이 당신이라고.”
인혜와 연락이 끊기기 직전에, 수향은 친구의 사연을 들었다.
한성재 감독이 불러 그 자리에 나갔고, 거기서 스폰서 제의를 받았다고.
좋은 분위기로 마무리 지으려고 했던 서인혜를 혼자 두고 한성재는 애인과 연락이 닿지 않는다며 자리를 먼저 떠났다. 그때 그 애인이 바로 수향이었다.
수향과 성재의 관계를 모르고 했던 하소연이었다.
이후, 인혜는 거기서 만난 남자를 사랑하게 되었다. 그리고 아이를 갖게 되었지만.
“당신이 인혜를 그 자리에 부르지 않았다면. 인혜가 거기서 스폰서 제의를 받지 않았다면. 인혜가 아이를 갖지 않았다면. 인혜가 아이를 낳지 않았다면. 그랬다면 죽지 않았을 거야.”
성재의 한숨이 길고 짙었다.
“그 모든 건 서인혜의 선택이었어. 아이를 낳은 것도, 그 아이를 버린 것도.”
“버린 게 아니라 뺏긴 거라고 했어. 그리고 당신이 끝까지 인혜를 부추겼잖아.”
성재는 오래된 기억을 끄집어내려고 노력했으나, 기억은 희미하게 바래 있었다.
“서인혜, 어린 나이였어. 난 이뤄질 수 없는 관계에 현실적인 조언을 했을 뿐이야.”
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.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
