With frustration pressing against her chest, Da Jeong deeply sighed.
She had put on a different outfit to look nice.
Da Jeong inwardly sighed and grabbed a napkin. She squeezed it firmly in an attempt to blot out the stain, but it showed no signs of lightening.
“Are you okay?”
Tae Sang, who had finished his call and come out, approached and asked. He silently observed the situation, scanning the table and then Da Jeong.
“Yes, I’m fine. It just splashed a bit.”
Da Jeong spoke lightly as she put the napkin aside. She didn’t want to draw his attention to her clumsy mistake.
Tae Sang cleared away the opener and took a seat across from her. Whether it was because he had just finished a phone call or because he was accustomed to his daily routine, he had changed into a white shirt and black slacks.
The clothes he wore for sleep were different from what he wore for meals. It was a moment when the habits of a person accustomed to a certain lifestyle were quite evident.
Tae Sang poured some water into Da Jeong’s glass.
“Have it quickly. You haven’t eaten anything all day because you slept.”
“Yes.”
Whether it was because he reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since morning, or because of the savory and sweet smell of the food, her mouth was watering.
Da Jeong spread a linen cloth over her lap and opened the rounded stainless steel lid. Steam wafted up from the glistening fried rice.
On Tae Sang’s plate was a well-cooked steak. He elegantly picked up his fork and knife.
“I’ll enjoy this.”
Da Jeong habitually greeted and took a large spoonful of fried rice. The perfectly seasoned vegetables and glossy rice grains melded smoothly in her mouth.
“Delicious.”
As she chewed enthusiastically, her forehead wrinkled in delight.
Tae Sang watched her with a pleased expression, occasionally lowering his gaze to cut his steak. His sharp eyes softened whenever they fell on Da Jeong.
“Have some of this too.”
He transferred finely sliced steak onto Da Jeong’s plate. Then, he put down his utensils and looked intently at her lips.
Sometime, somehow, Tae Sang’s attention had become entirely focused on Da Jeong’s lips.
The curves that formed when she smiled, the roundness when she spoke. Everything about her pink lips was irresistibly appealing.
But what he liked most was watching her delicately chew and savor her food.
He couldn’t explain why. Tae Sang simply followed his instincts, picking up his fork again. One bite, two bites. The small pieces of meat were passed into her small mouth endlessly.
“If you give me this much, what will you eat, Vice Chairman?”
“If it’s not enough, I’ll order more.”
Tae Sang said firmly as he moved his fork once more. Next to the fried rice, pieces of steak had piled up like a mountain.
Da Jeong looked at him with a perplexed expression. She was worried that he would end up eating her share as well.
Suddenly, his words from earlier crossed her mind—the ones about needing to feed her more because she was so skinny.
“I… I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but you don’t have to try to feed me this much every time. I’m tougher than I look.”
“In my eyes, you don’t look that way.”
“…”
Eating a bit more than usual wasn’t a big deal. But constantly overeating like this wasn’t sustainable.
Sensing the impending crisis, Da Jeong put down her fork and pulled her chair closer.
“You know.”
Tae Sang’s gaze shifted to Da Jeong.
“We… we might need some practice with meals, don’t you think?”
“…”
His eyebrows twitched slightly at her familiar words.
“You said it yourself earlier. Since we’ll be sharing a bed from now on, wouldn’t it be better to practice? The same goes for sharing a dining table. We need some practice, right?”
Tae Sang lowered his tableware and quickly changed his expression.
“Compromise a bit.”
“How so?”
Da Jeong’s raised eyebrow had a sharp tip.
A man with a quick mind and decisive actions. If she let her guard down, she might end up
What if he gracefully accepts the proposal if I decline it? Would it be better to suggest another negotiation? As she contemplated, her calm gaze settled.
“Okay, I understand. I’ll do that, so don’t worry too much about what I eat. I’m sorry if it seems like you can’t eat because of me.”
Tae Sang slowly opened his mouth after a subtle pause.
“…Outside.”
“Yes?”
He casually tapped his fingers on the table and then snapped his fingers. His action resembled someone making a final decision in an important meeting.
“We’ll do it that way outside.”
“Why not inside?”
Da Jeong asked with half-hearted curiosity.
“Our home is designed with the kitchen being the most carefully prepared area. To make sure you eat well.”
“…Our home?”
“That’s right. Our home.”
“You didn’t already buy a house, did you? When did this happen?”
She knew he was a man of action, but she didn’t expect it to be this fast. Da Jeong’s face quickly filled with bewilderment.
“The day I got your permission in the parking lot.”
“So quickly?”
“I’m not a patient person.”
Restraint was one of the things Tae Sang was most confident about. Given his upbringing in a tense environment and his competitive corporate life, restraint and patience had always been part of his life.
But in front of this petite woman, there was nothing he wasn’t eager for. The patience he had carefully built up over the years crumbled like a sandcastle.
Tae Sang placed a piece of meat on a fork and transferred it to Da Jeong’s plate. He couldn’t even count how many times he had done this now.
“Eat more.”
“But you said we should stop.”
“It’s practice. Mistakes are common during practice.”
A perfect excuse naturally slipped out. He gave her a hint of a smile and continued to mention “mistakes” as if it were a casual conversation.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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