Acts We Shouldn't Do (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
“Son, do you really have to go?”
“Yeah, Mom. Why? Something wrong?”
Seok Dong, who had been fiddling with his bangs in front of the mirror for a long time to cover his M-shaped balding, turned toward the wardrobe. After hesitating for a while over his newly bought coat, he finally took it out and put it on.
Although his mood had dampened a bit because of that man—wearing an M-brand watch and flawlessly pulling off a premium-line coat—he knew it was still the epitome of luxury. So it was perfectly suited for the university alumni gathering.
Truth be told, he didn’t really feel like attending.
Unless he brought along a pretty woman, of course. Every year, going alone meant listening to his batchmates brag endlessly, which always left his stomach in knots. And whenever someone he’d always considered inferior handed him a wedding invitation, it twisted his insides.
But skipping that annual year-end event—which felt more like a bragging contest—was practically the same as shouting, “I’ve got nothing to show off. My life is pathetic.”
Last year’s punchline was the guy who’d skipped after getting divorced, paying alimony, and locking himself at home. His batchmates had gleefully torn apart someone else’s misfortune to savor their own happiness.
“Still, I heard his clinic’s doing pretty well now, right?”
“Heard he transferred ownership of the clinic to pay alimony. Ugh, I’d had my eye on that spot for ages—what a missed opportunity.”
“How much alimony did he pay to give up the whole clinic?”
“Turns out the clinic itself was funded by his in-laws. Remember how he used to strut around bragging about how rich they were? Well, he got caught cheating on his wife, so of course he had to give it all back.”
“I heard not just anyone can pull off an affair like that. Guess he’s got talent.”
“If he were truly talented, he wouldn’t have gotten caught.”
Seok Dong always slipped quietly into the giggling group and joined in their mockery. He just wanted to belong—to be one of them. Above all, he never wanted to become their next topic of ridicule.
Besides, gatherings like this—attended by people who’d earned a certain level of social recognition—often offered valuable investment tips. For many reasons, it was a meeting he couldn’t afford to miss.
“No, it’s just… those damn bastards still haven’t contacted me, and dealing with them’s left my body aching all over… I’m just upset, that’s all.”
Gwang Soon, her head wrapped in a white cloth, let out a sigh so deep it seemed the ground might cave in, and fixed her gaze firmly on the floor.
It wasn’t that Christmas Eve held anything special, but she just wanted to spend it with her son. Being alone on a night like this always made her inexplicably gloomy—she’d likely end up drinking by herself.
“Mom, don’t worry.”
Seok Dong firmly grasped Gwang Soon’s hand as she sniffled in despair.
“I won’t let those bastards get away with this. How dare they lay a finger on my mom?”
“Huh….”
Gwang Soon dabbed her tears with a handkerchief. Life had led her to meet all sorts of despicable people, and now she was suffering because of them. The more she thought about it, the more pitiful and miserable her situation felt.
“They’re still blabbering about suing us now, clueless as ever—but I’ll steer this toward a settlement somehow. Mom, just relax and wait a little longer.”
“A settlement? Why should I give those jerks any money? Even if I had money rotting away, I wouldn’t hand them a single won!”
“It’s obvious they’re doing this because they’re broke and want cash. I’ll pay them a bit, then make them grovel properly. Mom, we’re the landlords here—they’re just tenants living in your building.”
“Son, you’ve really let go of that fox-like woman for good, right?”
“Of course. Guess I must’ve been under her spell back then.”
Gwang Soon nodded in relief at Seok Dong’s reassuring whisper as he gently stroked her hand.
Good. At least my son came to his senses—that’s what matters. Cutting ties with someone so lowly is worth every penny of the settlement money.
Reassured, Gwang Soon smiled and patted the back of her son’s hand.
“What would I do without you, my son?”
“I couldn’t live without you either, Mom. So please don’t let those jerks get to you. You’ve got to live a long, long life.”
“Right, I must. So I can watch my son have kids and live happily ever after.”
“Yeah, Mom. I’ll definitely find a good woman and take care of you. And from now on, you should let go of housework or anything else and just relax, enjoying your grandchildren’s company.”
Seok Dong, who hadn’t the slightest intention of personally caring for his mother and only planned to bring home another family’s precious daughter to serve as his proxy filial child, spoke those words without a hint of irony. And Gwang Soon, nodding eagerly, was already envisioning a “daughter-like” daughter-in-law to attend to her needs.
Calling her a “daughter-like daughter-in-law” was only polite phrasing—in truth, she expected a daughter-in-law she could treat like a servant. After all, she’d raised her precious son so well; it was only right the daughter-in-law serve her devotedly.
“Mom only trusts you, my son. Go out, enjoy time with your friends, and don’t worry about me. Just have fun.”
Their clasped hands refused to let go easily. Alone together, they were the most tender and happiest mother and son in the world.
When Tae Seo asked Jae In if she had any favorite food, she didn’t want to seem difficult, so she said anything was fine. Honestly, anything really was fine—she had no particular food aversions and wasn’t picky about menu choices.
But Tae Seo, who had eagerly taken her out, was now deeply troubled. He suddenly recalled something his friend Jun Kyung once told him.
“‘Anything’s fine’ is the hardest thing women say. It means you have to guess the one exact thing in her head.”
“What if I get it wrong?”
“You keep guessing until you get it right. If you keep failing, she’ll stare at you with irritated eyes—like her glare alone is cursing you. Once that happens, forget about hearing anything nice from her that day.”
What to do? Tae Seo mentally reviewed the restaurants near his office he’d visited over the past two months.
Soft tofu stew, seolleongtang, grilled mackerel, bulgogi set meal, stir-fried squid.
Most of those choices had simply been practical—quick meals so he could get back to work ASAP.
When Jo Yuri had suggested grabbing a bite, he hadn’t agonized like this at all. She’d claimed she had something to say and insisted on meeting nearby, so he’d just agreed—never intending to treat her to a meal.
She was a fake who falsely called herself his fiancée, leveraging an arrangement between their grandparents. He’d planned to snap her out of her delusion, but seeing her make a scene at the restaurant made him change his mind.
Ending this ridiculous fake engagement could easily be handled with a call to Jo Yuri—or even Jo Dae Hoon. There was no need to do it face-to-face.
“If I’d known it’d turn out like this, I should’ve researched some decent restaurants ahead of time.”
“Really, anything’s fine for me.”
Noticing Tae Seo’s prolonged hesitation, Jae In considered offering to pick the menu herself.
But she didn’t feel confident choosing a dish that would suit someone she was dining with for the first time.
Besides, it was Christmas Eve. Most decent restaurants would already be fully booked. And her companion wasn’t just anyone—he was a third-generation chaebol heir, undoubtedly particular about taste.
Just as Jae In decided to endure her growing hunger a little longer, Tae Seo spoke again.
“If you don’t have a favorite, is there anything you dislike?”
“No. As long as it’s not something weird, I eat everything fine.”
Tae Seo paused briefly and glanced around. Apparently, Yoon Jae In had no intention of giving him any hints. But he didn’t want to waste any more time.
True to Christmas Eve, the streets were packed with people. The heavily overcast sky looked ready to unleash snow at any moment. After watching the bustling crowd for a while, Tae Seo slowly turned and locked eyes with Jae In.
“Then let’s go eat what I like. It’s nearby.”
“Okay.”
Jae In thought he might lead her to the restaurant at Kang Seon Hotel, not far from here.
After all, even on Christmas Eve, securing a table at Kang Seon Hotel’s restaurant would be effortless for someone from the Kang Seon Group’s main family.
A life without waiting in lines or booking a month in advance—a life where you could instantly have whatever you wanted. As far as Jae In knew, that was how chaebols lived.
“…This is it?”
“Yeah. Don’t you like it?”
But the place Tae Seo brought her to was unexpectedly humble.
“I love it!”
Seeing her eyes light up as she nodded, Tae Seo smiled with quiet satisfaction. Apparently, he’d luckily guessed the one exact thing in Jae In’s head.
On this chilly Christmas Eve, their faces shone with joy as they entered a Pyongyang cold noodles and dumpling specialty restaurant already occupied by elderly gentlemen.
Yuri had already been glaring at her phone for thirty minutes straight. She sat perfectly still to keep her perfectly styled hair and makeup—done earlier that afternoon at the salon—from getting ruined.
“So this is how it’s going to be?”
Unaware that her newly manicured coral nails were getting ruined, she nervously chewed on them. She was anxious, furious, and uneasy.
She’d heard Kang Tae Seo was a cold person—but she never expected him to be this icy even after meeting her in person.
Thinking he was clueless about romance, she’d dropped him a clear hint. So she’d assumed that, no matter how busy he was, he’d surely contact her today.
Of course, Yuri still hadn’t forgotten the humiliation she’d suffered just days ago at that shabby restaurant near his office. It was the first time in her life she’d been treated so poorly.
When she realized the other diners were looking at her with pity, Yuri felt uncontrollable rage rising inside her.
And when she caught the mockery mixed into their stares, she’d wanted to flip the table right in front of that man, who calmly continued eating his meal.
“If you were going to get that angry and storm out, he should’ve chased right after me! But no call since then? How much longer do I have to put up with this?”
She was still furious about that incident—but if he called today, she’d pretend to give in and go meet him. After all, it wasn’t just any day; it was Christmas Eve, the day for lovers.
“Call me. Kang Tae Seo, just call already.”
Yuri muttered the words with precise lip movements, casting a silent spell. She was mad—but not even slightly considering canceling their engagement.
He was that valuable. He was the man everyone coveted. And precisely because he wasn’t easily attainable, she absolutely had to keep him by her side.
Yuri’s eyes, which had been laser-focused on her phone, suddenly flashed. She quickly reached out—before the ringtone could even fully sound.
“This is Jo Yuri.”
—You’re really not coming? Yuri! The vibe here is insane! Jung Jae Hoon just brought out all his girls tonight!
The call she’d been waiting for never came—only endless requests all day to attend various gatherings. Yuri scowled and shot a resentful glare at her phone screen.
Jung Jae Hoon, CEO of Jooan Entertainment, was riding high these days. Rumor had it his idol group and actors were skyrocketing in popularity with the Hallyu wave, and apparently, he’d brought them all to his Christmas Eve party.
Of course, Yuri couldn’t care less about that scene. Especially since it was Jung Jae Hoon—hearing that name used to give her a headache.
Eight years ago, that idiot with his creepy eyes, obsessed only with Yoon Jae In, finally messed everything up. Seeing him now, running a business so smoothly, it seemed he’d finally gotten his act together.
“Well, after causing that huge mess and falling out of favor, he couldn’t just keep partying forever. He had to do something to survive.”
—What? I didn’t catch that! You’re coming right now, right?
“Why would I go there? I’ll be Kang Seon Group’s daughter-in-law next year—why risk giving people something to gossip about?”
—Yuri, are you really getting married next year? So you’re with Kang Tae Seo right now?
“Stop calling. I’m busy.”
—What’d she say? Why isn’t Yuri coming?
—She’s probably with Kang Tae Seo right now!
Leaving them to chatter amongst themselves however they liked—having carefully planted just enough room for imagination—Yuri hung up.
Christmas Eve, the first in Jo Yuri’s life spent staring at her phone at home, deepened into night.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
[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
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)