A Twisted Relationship (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
Min Hyuk placed his hand near his wildly pounding heart.
Thump-thump—the heartbeat echoed so loudly it wouldn’t have been strange if she’d heard it while standing right beside him.
Just like two years ago, she’d struck again the moment he let his guard down.
It had been somewhat bitter when she’d claimed she’d never heard of shriveled cherry tomatoes before, yet she was unmistakably the Han Da Hyun he remembered.
She remained exactly the same—enough to drive a person mad.
Two years ago, he could never have imagined she’d forget him.
He never realized back then how deeply the saying “Treat someone well while you still have them” would etch itself into his mind.
“Mr. Min Hyuk, are you even human? How can a person be this handsome?”
There was a time when she’d shown him a pure, completely unfeigned side—starting off reserved but gradually revealing her true self.
Their fateful connection began when he’d stepped in for Kang Si Hoon at a blind date at his request.
Though Han Da Hyun had been incredibly endearing, he’d once denied those feelings. Afterward, he’d helplessly fallen for her, worrying himself sick more than she ever did.
The moment he resolved to inform Chairman Kang about the woman who was pregnant with Si Hoon’s child, he’d also known he had to sever ties with her.
If Kang Si Hoon got married, he’d have no reason left to see Han Da Hyun.
From the very beginning, she was never meant to be his. Min Hyuk naturally concluded there was no need to keep seeing Da Hyun.
“…You didn’t meet me just as a replacement for someone else, right? I know it’s not true, yet I feel oddly uneasy.”
Min Hyuk’s expression hardened coldly. Unwanted memories surfaced.
Even if she’d forgotten him, he couldn’t—and those fragments of painful memories kept accumulating, tormenting and blaming him constantly.
Her face, twisted by despair and disappointment.
The way she’d stood rigidly when he told her they shouldn’t meet anymore, then crumpled to her knees, burying her face and sobbing.
He should have told her it was all a misunderstanding—but in the end, he never got the chance to say those words.
It was a stubborn aftertaste—no matter how desperately he scrubbed to erase it, it wouldn’t fade.
He remembered his own cowardice—standing frozen even as she’d gotten into an accident right before his eyes.
Min Hyuk’s flushed face turned pale.
After something irreversible happened, there was simply no turning back.
He finally grasped just how important she was to him.
His racing heart, which had felt like bursting moments ago, quieted. Min Hyuk stood before the door to the room Han Da Hyun had entered.
Would you be able to forgive me even a little for wanting to stay by your side, however I can?
It was my fault your memories were damaged.
He’d never once believed someone as unhappy as himself could ever make another person happy. He’d never truly felt joy in life.
He’d already realized in childhood, due to his mother, that being labeled the illegitimate child of HG Group was enough to exile him from his homeland.
Had he not possessed exceptional intelligence, he likely would’ve ended up living like a delinquent in Little Rock, Arkansas, getting into all sorts of trouble.
And yet—she dared to make him imagine happiness. To envision a future.
He’d returned after two long years, all for the sake of claiming her.
His real reason for coming back to Korea was solely because of Han Da Hyun.
He wanted to become her dependable family—and her husband.
He would be the steadfast tree she could lean on for life.
Min Hyuk placed his hand on the firmly closed door behind which Da Hyun was staying. He gently leaned his forehead against it and slowly closed his eyes.
***
The first thing she noticed after opening the door was the wallpaper.
“How did I never think to just open the door and check?”
Da Hyun locked the door behind her and slowly looked around the room.
“No one except Yul knows I like pink tones…”
Kim Yul—her one and only friend who’d gotten into a prestigious British university. Da Hyun briefly recalled Yul’s face, last seen two years ago.
They’d been in frequent contact as recently as half a year ago, but Yul hadn’t reached out lately, probably busy with graduation.
She’d considered texting to share her wedding news but ultimately decided against it—she didn’t want to alarm her friend unnecessarily while she was occupied abroad.
Da Hyun resolved to keep quiet until Yul contacted her first.
“Anyway, this is seriously amazing.”
She couldn’t help but be astonished—it was as if someone had perfectly transplanted her ideal room design right here.
A square mirror with organized, stylish design sat inside a felt-lined drawer. Da Hyun couldn’t tear her eyes away from the simple, modern sorbet-colored wallpaper.
An absurd thought crossed her mind—maybe he had some kind of magic that let him peek inside people’s heads and pull out their preferences.
Come to think of it, even the bed in the bedroom matched her taste perfectly—aside from being way too big.
The cream-colored king bed frame, placed on herringbone flooring, featured clean, classic design with high durability from solid and veneered wood, plus practical storage space.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized not a single detail here failed to match her style.
“Still, this bed is seriously too big. I should just buy my own bed and live in this room.”
Yes, that’s right—if she did that, she’d hardly run into Min Hyuk.
If she’d known there was a room for her from the start, she would’ve bought a bed right away.
“No wonder I thought my luggage seemed way too small.”
Da Hyun had assumed Young Sook had thrown out most of her belongings when sending her things over.
She hadn’t even bothered looking—never expecting they’d be hidden here.
“Just knowing there’s a room of my own already feels like I’ve found a sanctuary.”
The corners of her lips curled upward naturally.
She felt relieved at having her own private space—but at the same time, worried.
She had no idea how long she’d have to maintain this marriage with him.
“If something like today happens again, my heart might actually burst.”
Just waking up in the same bed as Min Hyuk this morning had already strained her heart.
Unlike her shock, he’d been so calm it made her wonder if she was overreacting.
Unlike him, who seemed immune, she had no such resistance—aside from having briefly spoken with Chan, Yul’s twin.
In her entire life, the only men she’d ever interacted with were Chan and Min Hyuk. Si Hoon was naturally excluded since she couldn’t remember him.
She recalled Min Hyuk’s words: “Since we’re married, it’d probably be better if we shared a bed,” and his suggestion that they should properly follow through to avoid giving the staff the wrong impression. Now that she thought about it, his reasoning seemed suspiciously calculated.
“I really need to buy a bed.”
Da Hyun clenched her fist, mustering unnecessary determination. If only she’d known about this room on day one, she would’ve slept on the floor with just a blanket—even if it was uncomfortable.
All she needed to do was wake up before the staff arrived.
Whatever it took, keeping her distance from him was the right choice.
After all, this relationship was destined to end anyway.
Yet, the image of his relaxed face this morning—seen in his sleepy daze—kept floating up in her mind like soft clouds.
“Enough! Enough! Stop thinking about it!”
Da Hyun waved her hands frantically in the air.
What’s so great about him anyway?
If—just if—they’d started dating normally and then gotten married, she wouldn’t be stuck with all these worries.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her chest, making her frown deeply. She quickly placed a hand over her heart and exhaled roughly.
“My heart’s definitely strained from shock.”
Her grip tightened over her left chest.
It wasn’t surprising her heart was overwhelmed—after all, she’d experienced unexpected physical contact.
Worse still, instead of just thinking it, she’d bluntly voiced it directly to his face—it would’ve been stranger if her heart hadn’t panicked.
Da Hyun assumed the crushing pain was merely a side effect of being too startled.
She quietly endured it, waiting for the ache in her chest to subside.
***
Three days later—
Da Hyun had given Min Hyuk various excuses over the past three days. With nothing truly urgent to do, she’d pretended to be busy and avoided going to the bedroom.
He likely noticed but never stopped her or said anything.
She’d given up the comfy bed, choosing instead to sleep on the bare floor outside the bedroom.
But after about three days, her back felt like it was splitting in half—sleeping on the hard floor with just a blanket and no mattress had left her body aching all over.
After showering, Da Hyun picked up her phone.
Her usually composed brow furrowed at the missed calls and text messages.
“What is this?”
A delivery notification stated her bed had arrived at the house—but had been returned. Stunned, she immediately called the delivery service, only to be met with an automated voice greeting instead of a person.
Da Hyun hung up and rushed straight to the study where Min Hyuk was.
“Kang Min Hyuk!”
Her shoulders rose sharply with agitation—she never expected the bed to arrive while she was in the shower.
If she’d known, she wouldn’t have showered—she’d been excitedly waiting all morning after receiving notice that the bed would arrive that afternoon.
She hadn’t even dried her hair properly; water kept dripping down.
She pushed open the slightly ajar study door and strode in.
His gaze, previously relaxed as he leaned back scrolling through his tablet, locked onto her.
As if expecting her arrival, Min Hyuk calmly lifted one corner of his lips into a faint smile.
“It feels nice hearing you call my name desperately and come running. I wish you’d do it more often—come to me with that same yearning.”
“Did you send my bed back?”
“Yeah. If the bed’s uncomfortable, just say so. I’ll order a bigger one.”
Da Hyun narrowed her eyes.
“You know very well I’m not talking about the bed in the bedroom.”
“Really? I honestly had no idea.”
His feigned innocence—blinking rapidly with exaggerated naivety—left Da Hyun speechless.
It was obvious he’d deliberately prevented her bed from being placed in her room.
Min Hyuk’s gaze flickered from her wet hair to her damp shirt, then he moistened his lips, looked away slightly, and exhaled slowly.
“It’s our honeymoon—separating rooms already seems excessive, don’t you think? What will the staff think? We should be radiating newlywed vibes, not killing them.”
Da Hyun almost retorted that the word “honeymoon” had no place in their relationship—but held back.
She expected him to use the staff as an excuse. On her way here, she’d even caught some of them giving her suspicious glances.
She briefly wondered if any of the staff were sent by Su Cheol, which might explain Min Hyuk’s sensitivity.
And just like that, her bed was gone.
Even if she asked him to have it redelivered, she had no idea what excuse he’d make to send it back again.
“Your husband is very useful at night.”
“What use?”
“Well, I’m useful in the morning too, of course. Honestly, I’m ready anytime—day or night. Curious?”
“No.”
Caught off guard by his sudden, seemingly random flirtation, Da Hyun’s eyebrows twitched.
With his fingers interlaced under his chin, he gazed steadily at her with quiet intensity.
Da Hyun subtly averted her eyes.
She didn’t want to understand the meaning behind his words.
At her firm tone, Min Hyuk clicked his tongue regretfully.
“I wish you were curious—then I could immediately show you just how useful your husband really is.”
“…”
“I almost thought you were dissatisfied. Maybe you wanted that ‘newlywed atmosphere,’ and I seemed too cold—making you feel disappointed. I just want to cherish our Da Hyun, you know.”
Hearing the playful note in his voice, Da Hyun realized she’d made a mistake by coming here.
“You should dry your hair properly and come back—or I’ll come to you. For a second, I thought you’d come to seduce me, and it got me excited.”
He’d drawn a tempting curve on his lips, eyes wide with amusement.
“Just kidding.”
“…”
“If you really don’t like the bed, I’ll commission a larger one. Of course, the one in the bedroom now is already big—but if it still doesn’t suit you, we can just get rid of it.”
Looking at Min Hyuk’s genuinely happy expression, Da Hyun couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh and simply stayed silent.
She couldn’t understand why he was smiling so happily.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
Who Spent the Night with the Tower Master (Completed Main Story)
I Decline the Ex-Boyfriend of the Regretful Male Lead (Completed Main Story)
Long Live the Emperor, Minus Me (Completed Main Story)
After Linking the Villainess and Male Lead (5 Chapters Left to Complete)
Captured into the Bedroom of the Enemy Emperor (1 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became a Supporting Character in a Martial Arts Novel (Completed Main Story)