What an exemplary employee, diligently fulfilling the tasks assigned by his boss.
Irritated, Sarang glared at the back of his head. But suddenly, Dohan stopped and turned back towards her.
“Sorry. Go ahead.”
“What?”
“You go first.”
Baffled by his unexpected apology, Sarang couldn’t delay any longer. She quickly moved past him.
She felt Dohan’s gaze on her back as he followed.
Every nerve was alert to the fact that he was watching her.
She wasn’t used to having someone observe her from behind.
Usually, she walked beside someone or followed a superior.
Despite the freezing weather, her head felt overheated, as if she was breaking a sweat.
Did my hair look alright?
Was my walk weird?
She kept worrying about her appearance from behind.
“Ah!”
Distracted, she almost ran into a fence marking a construction site.
The original Korean paragraph consists of 50 lines. Here is the verbatim English translation with the same number of lines:
At that moment, Dohan quickly approached and wrapped his arm around Sarang’s shoulder, pulling her towards him.
“It’s dangerous.”
Startled to find herself pressed against his chest, Sarang flinched.
His warmth seeped through his thick coat.
Despite her heart pounding fiercely, her body felt frozen, unable to move.
There’s a scent that evokes memories.
Like the Proust effect, where certain smells bring back memories.
As Dohan’s scent reached her, Sarang felt transported back five years.
To the day of their first date, when she had embraced him in front of her house.
Something surged in Sarang’s heart.
Was it hatred for him? Or longing?
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Regaining her senses, Sarang quickly stepped away from his embrace and hurried ahead.
She needed to put more distance between them.
Otherwise, her racing heart might be heard by him.
Arriving at the hospital at the scheduled time, Sarang had her bandages removed, revealing red scars from burns on her hand.
Following her request to use her fingers, the doctor applied medication and replaced the bandage with a moist dressing.
After receiving instructions to care for it regularly, she left the examination room.
After spending about 30 minutes in the hospital, Sarang was ready to go home.
But, to her surprise, she saw Dohan, who she thought had left, extinguishing a cigarette at a smoking booth in the parking lot, a bit away from the hospital.
What was he doing waiting here without his car?
Noticing her standing there, Dohan approached and looked at her unbandaged hand.
Though it looked better, he felt a sense of loss at his excuse to protect her disappearing.
Sarang subtly hid her hand behind her back.
His gaze made her skin burn, wherever it lingered.
“When did you start smoking?”
She never noticed him smoking when they first met or while they were dating.
But since meeting him again at the company, she occasionally smelled the strong scent, especially after lunch or when he returned to his desk.
Having seen him smoking after the dinner, she asked out of pure curiosity.
“Since the day you slapped me.”
She regretted asking.
His unexpected reply left Sarang stunned, her mind going blank.
Awkwardly, she nodded.
“I’ll go now.”
She wondered how she could’ve thought to slap a man, no matter how angry.
If it were now, she wouldn’t have done it, she thought, hastening her steps.
“Wait.”
She had barely taken a few steps when his voice halted her.
Stopping, thinking it might be work-related, Sarang waited for his next words.
“I really don’t understand and need to ask.”
Dohan looked troubled, and Sarang tilted her head, curious about what was bothering him so much.
“Why didn’t you avoid it yesterday?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
The original Korean paragraph consists of 50 lines. Here is the verbatim English translation with the same number of lines:
“When I was about to kiss you, why did you just stand there? Especially since you’re planning to marry Jung Yun-jae.”
Dohan had confirmed that Yun-jae lived next door to Sarang, leaving him no choice but to believe they were a couple.
Moreover, with plans to marry Yun-jae after his graduation, what more could he do?
Despite feeling helpless, Dohan was occasionally tormented by the memory of yesterday’s incident.
She definitely didn’t resist.
Why would she do that, despite having a boyfriend?
That fact confused him all day.
“You weren’t even drunk.”
Understanding would have been easier if she were intoxicated.
Despite not drinking due to her injured hand, why didn’t she avoid it?
In that moment, his overflowing emotions were cruelly crushed by the appearance of Jung Yun-jae.
His words, almost resentful, made Sarang’s face heat up.
You could forget such things after drinking three bottles of soju.
Without much thought, she blurted out anything.
“It was a mistake.”
“…What?”
“I’m sorry. As your senior, I should have guided you better, instead of making such a mistake.”
“It wasn’t a mistake. If Jung Yun-jae had been even slightly later, you would have kissed me.”
Sarang couldn’t hide her dismay at his piercing remark.
She was also grateful to Yun-jae for arriving just in time.
Had he been late, she might have accepted Dohan’s kiss.
“Anyway, it didn’t happen. So, it’s fine, right?”
Sarang boldly brushed it off, having no other choice.
Seeing her shameless attitude, Dohan scowled.
“I’m not the innocent freshman Sarang you know. I stopped believing in love because of someone, and I’ve been reckless with men since then. Yun-jae caught me, despite all that. Even if I sometimes get swept up in the moment like yesterday, it doesn’t matter. It was just a mistake, and I don’t have feelings for you, Dohan. Yun-jae knows all this and still likes me. That’s why we’re getting married.”
Her lies flowed effortlessly.
Sarang pushed Dohan away, portraying herself as a crazy woman.
She didn’t want to like him again.
She didn’t want to get hurt again.
“That’s unexpected.”
She smiled faintly, looking at Dohan’s stern face.
“I didn’t think you’d find such significance in just a kiss.”
Sarang recalled when he broke up with her, claiming he was leaving for studies abroad.
His dismissive attitude then, treating her like a child, and now, he was hurt over a nearly happened kiss?
With her uninjured left hand tightly clenched into a fist, she steeled her resolve.
She mustn’t be swayed by his gaze, she reminded herself. He wasn’t sincere with her.
She mustn’t forget he was beyond her grasp.
Revisiting her feelings from the past five years, Sarang steeled her gaze with determination.
The original Korean paragraph consists of 2 lines. Here is the verbatim English translation with the same number of lines:
“The Ji Dohan I know is someone who can kiss just anyone. And when he gets bored, he just discards them.”
Just like what he did to me.
Sarang swallowed her last words and walked past him.
Male lead Asks for a Divorce Every Day
It’s not often you come across a plot like this in the female-dominant genre — make sure to check it out!
This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.
The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.
Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.
If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.
It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.
The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.
In the end, everything will come together and be explained.
One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!
In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.
Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.
However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.
Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.
Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?
——
Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.
His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.
Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”
——
The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.
Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!
Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!
The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…
——
But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.
The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.
She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…
Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”
Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”
Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?
[Small Theater]
The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.
Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”
Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.
Zhu Wansheng: ?
Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…
On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.
Warm breath lingers on her neck.
“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”
[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
