“Here, right in this spot. Like when we were twenty, sitting side by side at this window, staring blankly at the scenery outside the window.”
“Oh…”
I was left speechless. Instead of foolishly laughing off the question of whether that was only his wish, I couldn’t say anything, as the times when your hours could never be described as ‘only’ suddenly came to my mind.
Joon’s wish…
When we were twenty, as soon as we left our respective rooms, we sat side by side in front of the window, basking in the sun, sharing juice, lying quietly, staring at the sky outside the window. Then we kissed.
Everyday life flowing as languidly as the passing clouds. Those days, which were even more precious because they flowed so leisurely, came to my mind as I struggled to say something between my trembling lips.
The memories of those days, layers upon layers, revealed themselves invisibly each time the owner of those memories visited this place.
Here at this place, how many times and for how long did Joon recall those memories alone by this window in the times when I wasn’t there? How did he gaze at my vacant spot?
And then, as if…
Even the small desire to sit side by side with me in this place, looking at the same spot, might ultimately end up as a meaningless wish due to the fear that it could be fruitless. In the vivid reality of that, how many tears did he shed, suppressing them with all his might?
“Don’t make that face. From now on, Haru, you’ll always be sitting next to me.”
Words that quieted my now turbulent heart flowed into my ears. I lifted my head in confusion. Joon, who had traces of the sad tone just a moment ago, was now smiling with a clean face.
“Yeah. That’s right, I…”
Although it was words directed at Joon, I said them as if conveying the promise to myself.
“And I’ll give you a kiss too.”
I glanced at Joon with a slightly different tone than before.
“And then…”
At Joon’s somewhat more explicit words, my shoulders stiffened.
“Now, shall we go up? If you’re okay with it.”
Joon’s eyes, which seemed hazier than before, met my face. Staring at those unwavering eyes, I nodded slightly.
To get up from the seat, I tried to grip both sides with my palms. However, startled by the sensation of Joon gently wrapping around my back and legs, I reflexively encircled Joon’s neck with my arms.
Without being mentally prepared, already nestled helplessly in Joon’s arms, the trembling in my chest didn’t stop.
With me in his embrace, Joon stood up, stared at me for a moment, then gave a slight smile.
Then, slowly moving towards the stairs to the second floor, he kissed me. A kiss that didn’t seem hurried, as if not wanting to rush. After that, gently touching my eyes, nose, and lips one by one, he once again gave a deep kiss, as if swallowing my lips. The inside of my mouth felt as if it were burning.
In the lingering aftermath of the second kiss, as I tried to pull Joon’s neck again to take my lips to his, the soft sensation of the bed touched me.
Joon gently wrapped around my lower back and pulled me carefully towards him. Although it was you in front of me, looking at me with such intense eyes felt like the first time.
Then, suddenly, I remembered that day.
Nine years ago, when every method we tried to confirm our love seemed clumsy. The day before I returned to Korea, that day when we decided to create our own secret. Those eyes, so serious and wet, staring at me as if trapping me, were so different from the eyes filled with tension and concern back then.
“Haru.”
“Yeah.”
“What are you thinking now?”
Joon whispered words that sounded like a question, lowering his head without waiting for my answer, and gently pressed his lips against mine. After a brief and tender kiss that lingered less than expected, our pressed lips slowly parted. In a whisper to Joon’s ear, he said, “Your thoughts.”
“Ah…”
Joon tilted his head and tried to approach me again.
“You, from that day nine years ago.”
In that moment, Joon, no longer advancing, hesitated. His slightly enlarged eyes began to gaze intently at me.
“I remember the day before I went to Korea. I remember you from that day.”
I gently lifted my hand and cupped Joon’s left cheek. A warmer heat than usual radiated even through my small palm.
“You said you didn’t remember that day.”
“You didn’t believe that.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Joon released my hand that was embracing his cheek, planted a light kiss on my fingertips, and said, “Even that day, you were wearing a blouse like this. A blouse with many buttons.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I did.”
“In the end, I had to unbutton everything. You, back then…”
Joon paused in his words, chuckled awkwardly, and then touched the top button of the blouse, revealing the collarbone.
“I remember. That time.”
Soon, one round, white button attached to the blouse in Jun’s hand was unbuttoned. And in that moment, it seemed like the memories of that day nine years ago were also coming undone. Accepting Joon who was approaching again with my lips, I, as if waiting, recalled the memories of that day.
My room was bright. On this clear afternoon that felt overly bright to create our secret.
The window frame, slightly tilted, established itself in the spot where the sunlight poured down effortlessly, creating square shapes on the floor next to the bed and on the bed. The square-shaped sunlight on the bed touched our bodies, staring at each other with tense eyes.
In that room, I was swallowing dry saliva, feeling the warmth of early summer transforming into the heat of midsummer.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
