The sulking Ted disappeared from sight. Sanghwa finally relaxed and lay back on the bed, enjoying the spacious area. Whether she stretched her legs or raised her arms, the only thing covering her was the thick blanket, and that was so pleasant.
“Noona, sleep well. Dream of me.”
“Sure, Ted, sleep well too.”
Ignoring Ted’s voice full of regret, Sanghwa closed her eyes. She had left the door slightly open when Ted went out, and she decided to allow that much.
And in the late morning, when Sanghwa opened her eyes again, she found herself tightly wrapped around Ted on the bed.
It was ridiculous, and at the same time, Sanghwa’s lips softly curled up in a sense of relief.
Dating a younger man is dangerous. In many ways, it’s dangerous.
At Cancun Airport, Sanghwa realized it once again.
“Mommy!”
“Ted!”
As if someone had immigrated, Ted arrived at Cancun Airport with a lot of luggage, spotted Mrs. Bae, and shouted the affectionate term for ‘mother,’ ‘Moni,’ while running towards her with both arms wide open.
Upon seeing this, Mrs. Bae also threw away the handbag she was holding and opened her arms wide.
“Moni! I missed you!”
“Oh, I missed our Ted too! Our Ted has improved his Korean again! His pronunciation is also crisp!”
“Moni, you’ve become more beautiful!”
“Oh, come on, I’ve only gotten older.”
“No, Moni is not a sister’s mom, but a sister’s sister, You’re so young.”
“Oh dear, I feel good because our Ted says that? Is it good?”
“It’s good!”
“I like it too!”
Sanghwa couldn’t close her open mouth as she watched Mrs. Bae and Ted, who were taking care of each other like chicks. Who would have known? Ted’s aegyo disarmed Mrs. Bae. Sanghwa, who had never seen Mrs. Bae melt like that, and even Sangmyung, Sanghwa’s older brother, didn’t know Mrs. Bae would be so affectionate.
Sanghwa’s parents had a one-year age difference.
Even though Sanghwa’s father, who passed away when Sanghwa was in high school, was only a year younger than her mother, Mrs. Bae used to say as if it were a habit that there was nothing good about living with a younger man.
“Do this for me, do that for me. Do you know it’s a bit much to take care of you? I don’t know if I got married or if I took care of someone else’s big kid.”
“Don’t date a younger man. Life is tiring. Men should have a serious side.”
“I’m almost fifty, is it reasonable not to be able to find a pair of socks? I married a fool. I really did. I can’t ask my deceased mother-in-law for socks to wear.”
Sanghwa remembered her father, who used to laugh and leave the room whenever Mrs. Bae grumbled. So, since she started dating Ted, Sanghwa hid the fact of her relationship from Mrs. Bae.
Then, last summer, on a day when the heat was unbearable, she slyly revealed that she was in a relationship while watching a drama together.
“Why doesn’t Mom nag me to get married?”
“Why, do you want to get married?”
“Just because. If you watch that drama, Mom goes crazy telling her daughter to get married, to show off. Why doesn’t Mom shove it in me?”
“Show off what, do you live struggling to find something missing? Hey, just live sucking up to this man and that man while you can. Heol…”
“Mom is so comfortable without Dad. Look at Mom’s friends envying Mom’s freedom. When they play, and they see the wives going home to cook for their husbands, you can’t help but feel sorry for them. Didn’t we go see flowers in spring at Mijangwon and Yeongseok’s? Even there, she was explaining what was in the fridge and what was in the pot to her husband.”
Although she said so, Mrs. Bae, who loved her father more than anyone else, had been ill for a long time after her husband’s death. She stood up bravely. It was because she had two children to raise.
“But why did you go crazy telling your brother to get married quickly?”
“That guy looks like my dad and can’t even cook rice. I didn’t want to raise him like that, but I couldn’t help it.”
“…Poor younger sister.”
“I feel sorry for Youngju, so I’m nice to her.”
“Mom said she treats her daughter-in-law well? Didn’t you see our Mrs. Bae making oil and preparing side dishes and sending them to Jaeyin?”
Mrs. Bae’s generosity with side dishes was abundant enough to fill Jaeyin’s refrigerator when Jaeyin lived alone.
But come to think of it, Mrs. Bae didn’t fill her brother’s refrigerator as much. When the daughter-in-law came and asked for something delicious, Mrs. Bae didn’t pack something first or take something with her.
“Hey, I’m grateful for raising my son and sending money. Buying something delicious that suits your taste is the best. Keep asking me to make side dishes. Your brother keeps complaining about side dishes. Does your brother’s side dish complaint reach all your sisters?”
“Is that so…?”
“And I don’t tell you to come or go, and I don’t unnecessarily call you either. Just live well with each other.”
“Oh…”
“Hey, rare mothers-in-law like me. So don’t get married, live alone. Women age when they get married. Just date, just date. Avoid young guys.”
She couldn’t bring herself to tell Mrs. Bae, who spoke like that, that she was dating a man eight years younger. However, not long after, Mrs. Bae found out that she was dating Ted.
“What are you doing, right now…?”
“…Mrs. Bae.”
“No, what on earth is this…?”
It was when Ted, who had gone to the United States and come to Korea to see Sanghwa, was there.
Sanghwa couldn’t be harsh to Ted, who insisted on not going home that day. So, after accepting everything, she finally allowed a deep kiss in front of her house.
And Mrs. Bae witnessed that scene. Sanghwa, who was embarrassed, reached out to cover her mouth. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Mrs. Bae’s hand was faster than her own, covering Ted’s lips stained with lipstick.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
