“That, that’s not possible!”
“Why not? You even kissed me.”
“Team Leader, please, can you stop talking about this!”
It’s so embarrassing I could die.
Jae-in vigorously fanned her flushed face to cool down.
But Do-hyuk wasn’t giving up.
“If we stop, will you agree to date?”
“No!”
Do-hyuk pouted.
“Why?”
“Why are you even asking when you don’t know?”
This was mind-boggling.
It had been hours since she had promised to wait with her own mouth.
She already couldn’t understand her feelings, and Do-hyuk barging in like this was pushing her over the edge.
At the very least, she wanted to avoid jumping into a relationship in such a hasty manner in this situation.
She couldn’t just jump out of the moving car.
There was only one way.
“Team Leader, I’m so, so tired. I’m going to sleep a bit.”
“What? We should finish what we were talking about.”
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Just a moment, Seo Jae-in…?”
Jae-in quickly turned her head toward the window and pressed her body against it.
After a moment, with her eyes tightly closed, she heard Do-hyuk’s disappointed laughter in her ears.
And even some murmurs that were completely incomprehensible.
Jae-in bit her lip to stifle the laughter bubbling up inside her.
“Do-hyuk, you have some unexpectedly cute sides.”
By the time they arrived home, it was already late at night.
Click.
When the front door closed, Do-hyuk immediately pulled Jae-in into his arms, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“T-Team Leader!”
“I’ve been restraining myself all this time.”
Thump.
Do-hyuk’s embrace was so warm that Jae-in had the urge to just give in and stay like this.
But she couldn’t.
“What are you doing right now? Let go…”
“No.”
As Do-hyuk’s warm breath brushed against her ear, Jae-in’s heart began to race like crazy.
Thump-thump.
From the moment they entered the parking lot, Do-hyuk had already been looking straight ahead with a nervous expression.
“He didn’t answer properly to my questions earlier, was that because he was holding back?”
Jae-in tried her best to calm her surging emotions by leaning against Do-hyuk’s broad and firm chest, which she could feel even through her coat.
Then it happened.
Suddenly, the intense orange light went out, and darkness descended upon the two of them.
In the pitch-black darkness, only Do-hyuk’s heavy breathing floated through the air.
With a trembling voice, Jae-in said, “I… I can’t breathe. We can’t continue like this.”
At her words, Do-hyuk obediently released his hold from his arms.
Taking advantage of the moment, Jae-in pushed away from Do-hyuk’s chest and finally stepped out of his embrace.
In that instant, the lights flashed back on.
Do-hyuk grabbed Jae-in’s wrist as she tried to pull away.
Wrapping one arm firmly around her slender waist, Do-hyuk said, “Wait a moment. Really, just a moment is enough.”
His half-lidded, seductive eyes stared at Jae-in as if they were longing for her.
At the moment when Do-hyuk’s slightly parted lips were about to touch her.
“Team Leader, wait a moment!”
Jae-in, belatedly regaining her composure, hastily reached out with both hands to block Do-hyuk’s lips.
His lips, almost reaching their destination, lightly met the palm of her hand.
Sigh!
Even though it wasn’t a real kiss, Jae-in’s heart trembled, and she couldn’t calm down.
Perhaps surprised by the unexpected turn of events, Do-hyuk narrowed his forehead and stepped back.
His intense, trembling pupils seemed to ask, “Why?”
Jae-in, with a trembling voice, said, “I, I said I’ll wait, didn’t I?”
“Yeah? Ah, I guess you did.”
Jae-in spoke with a trembling voice, “Y-you said you’d wait, didn’t you?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I did.”
“But… what are we waiting for?”
“Oh, what I meant was…”
“But if you do this as soon as we get home, what should we do? We’re not even… officially dating yet.”
Do-hyuk widened his eyes for a moment, then smiled as if he understood.
“Then let’s start dating now.”
After finishing his sentence, Do-hyuk grabbed Jae-in’s hand, tilted his head toward her lips, and leaned in again.
Startled, Jae-in touched his chest and tried to stop him.
“Team Leader, are you even listening to me?”
“To be honest, I didn’t hear a thing.”
His voice cracked, and an intense thirst could be felt.
As if he couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Team Leader, please stop!”
With all her might, Jae-in pushed his chest, and he was suddenly pushed back, losing his balance momentarily as his back hit the wall.
Jae-in exerted every bit of strength she had left and pushed his chest.
Thud!
Suddenly pushed back, Do-hyuk lost his balance for a moment as his back hit the wall.
In the meantime, Jae-in swiftly made her way out of the entrance and into the living room.
“…Seo Jae-in?”
Turning around from a distance, Jae-in called out to Do-hyuk, who stood there in embarrassment.
“Team Leader, do you seriously think that just because we kissed once last night, you can continue to do so as if it’s a given?”
Do-hyuk nodded absently.
Of course. Is there something wrong with me?
“That’s ridiculous!”
An incredulous Jae-in stated firmly.
“Let me be perfectly clear, what happened last night was a mistake.”
“A mistake?”
“Yes!”
“So, Seo Jae-in, are you saying that what happened last night means absolutely nothing? Not even what I said about liking you?”
Do-hyuk’s face displayed a trace of hurt.
Jae-in suddenly felt sorry for the wounded look on his face.
“It’s not that, but…”
“Then what is it?”
“…I don’t know.”
If she had encountered this situation in the past, the decision would have been much easier.
Right now, Jae-in’s heart was in a state of ‘??’.
Meanwhile, a deep shadow fell over Do-hyuk’s face.
“Seo Jae-in, do you think the day will come when you stop pretending not to know?”
“…Yes?”
“It’s okay if you don’t know. But I hope you won’t say it was a mistake.”
Do-hyuk stared straight into Jae-in’s eyes and whispered softly.
“It will remain the happiest memory of my life.”
“Team Leader…”
Each of his words pierced Jae-in’s heart.
His sincere words sent shivers down her spine.
“…I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s my fault for surprising you.”
Do-hyuk offered a gentle smile.
Then, he closed the distance between them with quick steps and said,
“In that sense, should we continue what we were doing earlier?”
“Yes?”
She couldn’t give him any chance!
Startled, Jae-in took a step back.
At that moment, a way to stop him flashed in her mind.
With a fearful demeanor, Jae-in shouted urgently as Do-hyuk approached, “Wait a moment, Team Leader! This is a breach of the contract!”
“A breach of the contract?”
“In the contract, Team Leader, there’s a clause that states you won’t see me as the opposite sex!”
Do-hyuk’s steps came to a halt.
‘Alright! You’ve stamped the contract with your own hand, so even the world-famous Team Leader Do-hyuk should step back,’ thought Jae-in as Do-hyuk raised one eyebrow.
Back then, Jae-in thought, ‘He must have seen that I have insurance coverage.’
Do-hyuk raised one eyebrow and said, “You’ve been violating it for quite a while already.”
“You knew, didn’t you?”
“But why did you bring up that clause now after all this time?”
Even after we’ve already kissed?
Do-hyuk sent a meaningful gaze and smirked.
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.”
