The ordering process went smoothly. Of course, Jung-eun, looking at Hyun-soo ordering a plate of raw eggs in the middle of it, was startled, asking why he was buying a soap-flavored dish towel. Hyun-soo didn’t stay silent, and although he forced an apology for him to apologize immediately, it didn’t go beyond that.
Other than that, we finished ordering without any major issues.
“Hyun-soo Kim, now tell us.”
“Huh? What?”
“Don’t waste time saying you know everything. It’s really not great to drag it out. The reason you’re sitting here right now is that.”
“If you say it’s not great to be straightforward, then I won’t drag it out, alright.”
A generous laugh followed the disappointing answer.
“Are you talking about that? I also, I also want to see…….”
“Hey, Hyun-soo Kim.”
I hastily cut off Hyun-soo’s trailing words. The embarrassment of being caught expressing my feelings that I wanted to convey only to Jun spread over my face.
“Okay, okay, I get it. You said to speak, then not to speak.”
Just then, a plate piled high with raw fish came out first, and Jung-eun promptly took it and pushed it deeply into Hyun-soo’s seat. It probably wouldn’t smell unless you chewed on it inside your mouth.
Nevertheless, Jung-eun strongly prevented Hyun-soo’s attempt to push the bowl toward the center of the wide table. He said it’s okay to use Hyun-soo’s dedicated bowl, so just take everything.
“Did Jung-eun noona ever run a sesame farm and fail? Why do you hate sesame so much?”
“I can manage my taste well, so please, just leave my taste alone, youngest writer.”
“I suppose so.”
“But, Kim Hyun-soo, continue with what you were saying. Oh, but, you keep mentioning sesame, sesame, and it’s making me feel worse.”
“I just said it earlier. It seems like Jung-eun noona really had a sesame farm in the past.”
The sesame debate that began when we placed our orders seemed like it would drag on, and I looked out the window for a moment.
Eventually, when the three bowls of sesame noodles were served, and thanks to that, interest in each other’s sesame preferences naturally converged to zero, the argument finally came to an end.
“So, how did I know.”
Suddenly, it was Hyun-soo who began reconnecting the conversation that had been cut off a while ago.
“I actually made a mistake too. I was just passing by Noona’s seat like usual, but there’s a bright yellow post-it stuck to the monitor. And it’s in a completely awkward place. It’s too eye-catching even if I try to ignore it.”
Jung-eun’s eyebrows twitched. It seemed like she was thinking that it was probably my fault that the situation had escalated to this extent.
“So, I was just curious about what it was, and Noona wrote a note saying, ‘Let’s talk.’ And then, really without thinking, since it was originally a well-detached piece of paper, I peeled it off once. But, oh, what’s this, I also want to see…….”
In this passage, Hyun-soo glanced at me sneakily and then added more to the sentence after blurring it.
“Anyway, there were various things written there that I also knew about. Wow, I suddenly got the feeling that there was something between the two of them. If she says something like this, there must really be something going on. She’s persistent enough to say this kind of thing.”
I heard Jung-eun’s exhale through her nose like a sigh.
“Hyun-soo, you might misunderstand, but I haven’t heard the details from Haru yet. Mr. Kim Joon is different from Haru, his face is known, and since he’s a public figure, he’s probably being cautious.”
Hmm, was Jun really that cautious, a question mark briefly flickered and disappeared.
“Anyway, on that day, Director Kim held Noona’s head and stood there for a long time. From that day on, it was weird. Director Kim’s height is tall, so maybe because there’s a big height difference, he occasionally awkwardly bends his knees, twists his legs, carefully lifts Noona’s head without breaking it, and does that for over 15 minutes.”
At times like this, I really don’t know what expression is appropriate.
“Jun always had a gentle personality.”
“Noona, do you remember what you said back then? Looking at it now, it seems like they’ve been in a romantic relationship since then.”
“No, really. A romantic relationship, that’s ridiculous. At that time, we really had no relationship. I didn’t even know that Jun was at our office back then.”
Jung-eun took a sip of water and stared at me before opening her mouth.
“Okay. Haru’s words will be right. It wasn’t like this atmosphere just yesterday.”
“Yeah, it really wasn’t.”
Such conversations were really unfamiliar. Due to the constantly awkward shyness, all the words I wanted to say seemed to gather in my mouth.
“But, Haru.”
“Yeah?”
“Loosen up a bit. We’re not some romance investigation team.”
“Huh? Ah, was my expression like that?”
I pressed my cheek with the back of my hand for no reason.
“Just, it’s a bit awkward, and it keeps making me feel embarrassed, so.”
“It can be awkward, but what’s there to be embarrassed about? Hyun-soo and I just want to hear and congratulate you on what kind of love you’ve found. It’s unnecessary, that’s all. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m telling you. Haru noona has a lot to be embarrassed about.”
I nodded with a slight smile.
Actually, I secretly worried about what would happen if Haru turned thirty without experiencing a proper love. In the end, it’s fortunate that she returned to her first love, which she couldn’t forget for a long time.
Jung-eun’s last words resonated in my chest, giving me a profound feeling. Returned to the first love. Returned to Jun…
Back to where I should be.
“To be honest, the story of Haru and Kim Joon seems more like a movie, doesn’t it? More than a real movie. Maybe that’s why, the movie that Kim Joon is shooting with us, I’m already giving it a five-star rating just with the anticipation from the audience perspective. Especially since it’s a sequel to ‘the train.'”
“But I haven’t seen that movie yet. Jun told me not to watch it with a serious expression.”
But then, an “ah” sighed from both Jung-eun and Hyun-soo at the same time. As if that sound pierced through my chest, it began to throb.
“Well… Certainly, as someone who has seen that movie, I vaguely understand why Director Kim said such things. Jun warned me not to watch it seriously.”
Hyun-soo glanced at me sneakily and then subtly shifted his gaze back to the air.
“Yeah, me too. I agree. The reason why Kim Joon told you not to watch that movie is probably because that movie is, what can I say…”
I stared at Jung-eun from the corner of my eye, waiting for her connected lips.
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.”
