“I thought about making it public, but there was nothing to gain for me. Later, I felt a bit exhausted.”
“…?”
“I wondered about the people who believed that. Of course, it would have been easy for someone who wasn’t in their right mind to make such a decision deliberately. But no one ever asked me if it was true.”
Sol-hee unknowingly lowered her gaze.
“If that’s the case, I wondered if I might have appeared somewhat like that kind of person, and if that’s the case, it doesn’t seem like I’ve lived well either. Well, those kinds of thoughts crossed my mind. It was also a time when other situations weren’t that great, so it went more pessimistically.”
“I’m sorry.”
Sol-hee apologized again.
It was the remaining words that she had been chewing on, refining, and holding onto since the apology back then.
“I didn’t immediately believe it, nor did I avoid asking because I didn’t want to know. It was an ambiguous relationship, so I couldn’t find the right words. I thought it might be more miserable if I received some confirmation or investigation… I just didn’t know what to do. If it were now, I would have asked right away. Let’s make it clear.”
Ki-woo offered a calm smile.
“Right. That would have been fine, but we didn’t know back then. Both you and me, and other people, were all young and inexperienced; that was all.”
Sol-hee nodded immediately.
Now she truly felt relieved. Although there was still a lingering sense of guilt, she could gradually repay it.
“Let’s stop talking about the past. I think this is enough to clear up any misunderstandings and wrap it up neatly. Is there anything else left?”
“Nothing.”
“Okay. So, from now on, are you going to smile brightly every time you see me?”
“What?”
In a tone that seemed to hit Sol-hee unexpectedly, words popped out of her mouth like a slap.
“Honestly, that hurt the most. It was different when you saw Eun-su, and even when you saw Joo-han.”
“What do you mean?”
“The expression when you looked at me.”
“Oh, that.”
At that time, she was looking at him as if he were some kind of human scum, so there was no way she could burst into laughter. Sol-hee managed to swallow those words.
“But I don’t usually smile widely when I see Eun-su or Joo-han. What’s the big deal?”
“I know. Hey, it’s a basic thing. So, ask only me to do it. Since there were things that were negative only to me, there should be something positive only to me to balance it out, right?”
“Wow, what a miraculous logic.”
“I mute the ‘gi’ and put emphasis on ‘jeok,’ so it sounds like a curse to my ears, you know?”
“I’ll ignore that. I hear that even if I force a smile when I’m in a bad mood, it’ll only make me truly furious.”
“How on earth do you smile that…?”
Ki-woo’s car stopped near Sol-hee’s house. Sol-hee left after expressing her gratitude for the ride and the meal.
“Oh, right.”
Sol-hee leaned toward the closed window on the passenger side. Then, without any notice, she made a bright smile after making eye contact with Ki-woo.
“…!”
“See? Isn’t it better not to smile? So, don’t be disappointed if I don’t smile next time we meet.”
Saying that, she turned around and walked away.
Ki-woo, who had been staring at the empty window for a while, breathed out a short breath that he had held.
There was a time when he wondered. What if he had a romantic relationship with Jang Sol-hee?
It wasn’t difficult to become close, but she was an enigmatic person, and it was hard to imagine dating her.
It seemed that dealing with friends or lovers wouldn’t be significantly different, and on the contrary, she might have a face that she showed only to one person.
At that time, even a smile was hard to come by, as she defaulted to a chic expression. Occasionally, when drinking and her mood lifted, she would show a completely relaxed laughter.
It made people quite eager and such.
“After that, I thought I would never see that smiling face again.
It felt like the emotions I had buried were sprouting again. Ki-woo scratched his face a few times with dry hands and mumbled to himself.
“…Did I tell her to smile for no reason…”
“Is this the place?”
Eun-su, who got out of the car, blinked in surprise at the massive mansion in front of her.
Joo-han, who followed from the driver’s seat, also expressed a small admiration.
“It’s even bigger than I thought.”
Joo-han and Eun-su had arrived at the private estate of the chairman of an IT company, where a small-scale auction was scheduled to take place privately today.
The chairman, who was a big name in the art world, passed away due to an illness last month. His son was now putting up the estate for auction after organizing the belongings.
The place was built on more than a thousand square meters of land, and only a few people were invited to the auction, which was held privately in this mansion.
In fact, Joo-han and Eun-su had been carefully observing the chairman’s movements since around last year.
As the owner of one-of-a-kind vintage furniture, deals would only be made if the owner released the items for some reason. Therefore, for works with special value, they would often know in advance who the owner was.
However, there was no direct connection between the chairman and “Vida,” so they almost missed the fact that the auction was taking place. Fortunately, Eun-su managed to gather information.
After a thorough investigation, she found out that the deceased chairman had some friendship with Hwang, the artist, and Joo-han asked for a favor.
Since the incident where Joo-han and Eun-su helped Hwang safely undergo surgery last time, Hwang had developed great trust in both of them. So, he willingly assisted them.
As a result, “Vida” obtained an invitation to attend the auction.
“Let’s go in.”
Joo-han lightly escorted her.
Since it was a special occasion, he was wearing a navy suit, complete with a tie and jacket, which was quite rare for him. Eun-su, in a similar navy pencil skirt with a neat blouse, nodded her head and moved gracefully.
And there, they encountered Jang Hyeon-man.
“How did you two end up here…?”
“Long time no see.”
Joo-han offered a polite greeting, conscious of the surrounding gazes, and casually showed the invitation in his hand.
Jang Hyeon-man raised one corner of his mouth, somewhat amused.
“Isn’t this a bit too much for you?”
It was expected that the prices of the items auctioned here would be quite high. Joo-han smiled.
“Thank you for your concern. But…”
(To be continued…)
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
