After eating samgyetang late the previous evening and falling asleep in his embrace, they shared the stories they hadn’t managed to tell each other. Jae In hadn’t noticed the tears that fell onto Tae Seo’s hand, which was covering hers, as she tried to hold back her sobs.
“To be honest, I… am drawn to Tae Seo.”
“Now you come up with this…?”
“No, what I mean is, it’s all new to me… It’s funny, isn’t it? At this age, it’s my first time being in a relationship.”
“That’s great. Let’s do well together, two beginners in love.”
“Yes. Yes…?”
“I’ve never had anyone in my head like this before either.”
Jae In laughed at the man’s response, which could have been either serious or joking. She had thought that for a man like him, lacking nothing in the world, it couldn’t possibly be his first time in love.
Tae Seo simply smiled broadly and quietly reached out his hand. His cautious warmth swept over her tear-stained eyes.
“Anyway, I’m confessing because I’m scared.”
“What are you so scared of all the time?”
His large eyes, which had held her, now looked down at the floor.
“I don’t know why my mother gave birth to me.”
It was the first time she had ever voiced this thought. Feeling his gentle gaze still on her without needing to meet his eyes, Jae In continued speaking.
“Why did she give birth to me and raise me, even to the point of running away to America and living a life in hiding? I’ve thought about it a lot.”
She was grateful for his silence. Jae In felt awkward pouring out words she’d never said to anyone before, yet she didn’t think to stop.
Feeling his tight grip as a response to her words, Jae In lifted her head and smiled.
“But you know. I dare not even doubt that… my mom loved me. She always held me and sang songs. She’d stroke my forehead several times as I fell asleep, whispering how pretty I am, how beautiful. I pretended to sleep more than once just to hear that.”
“He sounds like a good person.”
“Yes… Anyway, that’s why I’m scared.”
Jae In pursed her wet lips and let out a sigh, holding the tissue he had offered her.
“Except for my mom and Sunghwa, I’ve never had anyone I could call precious in my life. After going through various things, I’ve stayed away from forming connections and maintaining relationships.”
“Hmm…”
“So, starting a relationship with you, Tae Seo, is a big challenge for me. It will be very awkward for me to accept your feelings and to express my own.”
“You’re doing quite well, though.”
Jae In watched as Tae Seo, who had been holding her hand until now, let go. His large hand approached her face and gently cupped her cheeks, making her face him. Embarrassed, Jae In closed her eyes tightly.
“That’s why I am, with all the complications of my situation, afraid of ruining our relationship, and of causing you harm.”
“The Jae In I know is very brave.”
“Still, it’s true that I approached you with an intention. I’m sorry I tried to use you. But one of the reasons I hesitated for so long is that I wasn’t sure I could manage a relationship.”
Jae In bit her lower lip as she looked down, feeling a mix of relief and guilt after her confession.
“Tae Seo, you’re strange. Why don’t you get angry with me? I dragged you into something dirty.”
“Why would I get angry when it would be a pity to waste any opportunity to see you?”
Tae Seo squeezed Jae In’s cheeks lovingly, then released them.
“It’s ridiculous how much you’re indulging me. Am I that good? What about me do you like so much that you act so softly?”
Jae In pouted her lips in discomfort as she faced the man’s smiling expression, which suggested he would have accepted her even if she had done worse.
“Is there any other reason? Because Jae In is pretty.”
Jae In let out a small laugh. Unlike other men who creeped her out by lingering around, calling her pretty, Tae Seo’s compliment somehow didn’t feel bad.
Was it because his gaze, as he spoke, seemed endlessly warm? Jae In realized she wanted to continue to be seen as pretty by him.
“So, are you telling me all this because you want to continue your revenge, or because you don’t? What do you want to do?”
Tae Seo’s tone and gaze were still gentle as he asked for Jae In’s opinion. She looked down at him quietly for a moment before dropping her gaze.
It was difficult to answer. There were times she wanted those who had hurt her mother to suffer, yet she loathed herself for harboring such feelings. It wasn’t a matter of conscience. They say even hatred is a form of affection, but for Jae In, even thinking of them was horrendous.
“Do you want to reveal your relationship with Chairman Jo Dae Hoon to the world?”
“…”
“You don’t even want to encounter them, those people.”
Jae In nodded. That was true. She wished, if there were a god somewhere, they would be punished before she had to act herself. She had entertained such vain hopes.
That was how much Jae In wanted to live as someone who had nothing to do with her biological father.
So when Jo Dae Hoon made her an orphan unrelated to him, Jae In was sad to lose the connection with her mother, but she was relieved that she would have nothing more to do with her biological father.
If she could, she would have drawn out all the blood from her body that belonged to him.
“Approaching me that way, Jae In, meant that eventually, you were prepared to disclose your father’s identity to the world?”
“That was the truth. He wanted to hide me, so I thought revealing that I am his daughter would be my revenge on him. That’s why I wanted to use you, Tae Seo, to make my existence known. But now…”
Jae In paused, contemplating, and then looked squarely at Tae Seo.
“I don’t want to use you, Tae Seo, not anymore.”
“Why not?”
There was only one answer that came to mind.
Because I like you.
Jae In’s face flushed red as she realized just in time what she almost confessed.
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
