The original Korean paragraph consists of 50 lines. I will translate it verbatim into English, maintaining the same number of lines in the translation.
“Sarang.”
Jeong Yunjae approached with heavy steps and stopped in front of the two.
He knew Dohan and Sarang were in the same team and would be at the company dinner together, but he seemed a bit surprised to actually see them.
His first impression of Dohan wasn’t good, and even now, Dohan didn’t seem like a nice person to Yunjae.
Especially since he was the one who had caused his friend distress.
“Yu, Yunjae.”
Sarang snapped back to reality upon seeing Yunjae.
Dohan was the one who drank, so why was I out of my senses?
Was I mesmerized by his drunken gaze, or was it his approaching lips that made me close my eyes in anticipation?
I must be crazy, Lee Sarang. Completely insane.
If Yunjae had arrived just a bit later, he would have caught us kissing.
Just the thought made Sarang shiver all over.
“Let’s go home.”
“Uh, okay.”
Sarang hesitantly moved to Yunjae’s side.
Amidst this, she couldn’t bring herself to leave Dohan behind.
Noticing her hesitation, Yunjae belatedly greeted Dohan.
“Hello. I remember seeing you back in school. I’m Jeong Yunjae.”
Dohan silently stared at him.
Confusion was evident in his eyes about whether Yunjae really was her boyfriend.
He didn’t believe it when Jiwoo told him.
Even when Sarang said so, he thought it wasn’t true.
They both didn’t seem good at lying.
The hurried excuses sounded so awkward.
But now, the real Jeong Yunjae had appeared.
Calling Sarang’s name affectionately.
Dohan’s eyes narrowed as he observed them standing together.
Even after five years, they looked well-matched.
“Are you drunk? Do you want to ride with us?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Dohan knew the offer was just out of politeness.
If he really was Sarang’s boyfriend, he wouldn’t want to converse with him.
“Well, we’ll be going then.”
Yunjae lightly touched Sarang’s shoulder and walked towards the parked car.
Sarang wanted to look back but restrained herself.
He’ll be standing out in the cold.
Is his taxi far away?
Even as she climbed into the passenger seat, her mind was still on Dohan.
Through the car window, she saw Dohan standing there.
Until Yunjae’s car left the parking lot, Dohan didn’t move, his gaze fixed on her.
Once his figure disappeared from the side mirror, Sarang sighed softly.
Then, suddenly, Jiwoo popped up from the back seat.
“Did I go unnoticed?”
“Ah, you scared me!”
Sarang, thinking Yunjae came alone, was startled as if she saw a ghost.
“What the… Jiwoo, where did you come from?”
Holding her startled heart, Sarang turned around to see Jiwoo fixing her hair and giggling.
“I was lying flat, worried I might be seen from outside.”
Jiwoo, dusting off her clothes and casually buckling her seatbelt, made Sarang gasp.
So they had come together, but only Yunjae got out to pretend to be her boyfriend, while Jiwoo had been hiding all along.
Sarang belatedly remembered Jiwoo saying they left together.
Their meticulously planned act seemed almost absurd.
She couldn’t understand why they went to such lengths.
The original Korean paragraph consists of 50 lines. I will translate it verbatim into English, maintaining the same number of lines in the translation.
“Did Dohan really fall for it? Does he believe we’re dating?”
“Since I lied about my boyfriend picking me up and Yunjae showed up right on cue, he probably believes it.”
“See, I told you it was a good idea to leave early.”
Jiwoo was pleased that her plan had worked out successfully.
She regretted not being able to see Dohan’s surprised face when Yunjae showed up.
Sarang shook her head at her friend’s antics.
Jiwoo was always quirky, but involving Yunjae in such a ridiculous scheme was unexpected.
“I’m sorry you had to do this because of me. You should have stopped her, why come all this way?”
Sarang apologized to Yunjae on behalf of her reckless friend.
She was embarrassed enough breaking up with Dohan, and now she had made Yunjae pretend to be her boyfriend.
“I don’t like you being involved with that guy either. I don’t agree with the method, though.”
Yunjae was initially angry when he learned from Jiwoo that he was supposed to be Sarang’s boyfriend.
He scolded Jiwoo for her lack of a better plan but understood her intentions.
They were more like family than friends.
Having seen how much Sarang suffered after breaking up with Dohan, he guessed Jiwoo wanted to keep Dohan away from Sarang by any means.
So, he agreed to participate.
Yunjae also cherished Sarang like family.
“Let’s get home and have a birthday party. We have to eat the cake before midnight.”
Jiwoo changed the subject cheerfully, urging Yunjae to drive faster. Sarang glanced out the window and then down at her clenched fist.
Inside was the ring Dohan had given her as a birthday present.
She didn’t have the courage to open her hand and look at it.
What was he thinking giving this to me?
What does this ring mean?
Her heart fluttered without understanding why.
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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