“Thank you.”
Chaewon alighted from the taxi and looked at the setting before her: a low wall, trees sprawling untamed within, and a small, aging detached house, from which the barking of dogs now emanated, unlike before.
With a puzzled expression, she pushed the green iron gate that Heeju used to pass through daily and stepped inside.
“Welcome, Heeju.”
As Chaewon entered through the wide-open front door into the living room, Youngja unexpectedly came up to greet her.
“How tough it must have been outside. Where have you been staying? A sauna? A friend’s house? Or did you rent a room somewhere?”
Youngja held Chaewon’s hands with unusually warm eyes.
“I’ve been managing on my own.”
“Of course, you would. I was just worried and wanted to ask.”
Youngja’s face, which never lost its smile, scanned Chaewon from head to toe.
“Oh, how pretty. I never knew you looked so good in a dress. Look at the quality.”
As Youngja continued to praise her, Chaewon, who was forced to smile bitterly, locked eyes with Jaemin, who stood pompously behind Youngja.
“How much settlement money did you get that you’re shopping and dressing up like this? Changing your style to impress me? That strategy won’t work on me.”
Chaewon, dressed in a black long dress with a simple white cardigan, thought this household always had many complaints, even though she deliberately dressed plainly.
“I didn’t even get a single outfit from you, and yet you talk so much.”
“What, what?”
As Jaemin’s voice grew louder, Youngja winked and gestured at him to calm down.
“And don’t get the wrong idea.”
Chaewon slowly stepped into the living room and continued.
“Today’s look is just a ‘no-makeup makeup’ concept, not picked to impress you.”
Youngja again approached Chaewon, took her hand, and smiled.
“No-makeup makeup! I’ve heard of that somewhere. Which brand is it? Ha-ha. Our Heeju is becoming more stylish living alone. Oh my, what am I thinking! Are you hungry? Come this way!”
Led by Youngja to the kitchen, Chaewon tilted her head at the scene before her.
“I cooked all day knowing you were coming. Your favorite raw fish salad, pig’s feet, tteokbokki – everything’s here. Have as much as you like!”
The table was laden with food, and in one corner lay several bags. The odd arrangement made Chaewon wonder what this was all about until Youngja urged her.
“Come on, sit down, Heeju. You must be tired from being outside. Eat first. I made all this!”
“Ordering from the best restaurants isn’t easy either.”
How did she know?
Youngja paused and rolled her eyes, realizing her slip-up. Despite removing all delivery bags, how did Chaewon notice? She looked around and spotted various coupons on one side.
“You worked hard, Mom.”
“Hahaha. Look at my mind. Hahaha.”
Youngja, embarrassed, laughed while hiding the coupons with her hand.
“Eat first. Let’s talk after you’ve eaten well. You must be moved by such a warm welcome.”
“Of course, it’s heartwarming. How much you must think of me.”
Receiving Youngja’s kind gaze, Chaewon showed a brief eye smile.
As she began to eat, Jaemin, impatient, presented her with a bankbook.
“Here, this.”
Youngja’s voice, signaling to let her eat first, was heard, but Chaewon and Jaemin only stared at each other.
“What is this?”
“My entire cash savings.”
“Are you giving this to me?”
“Yes.”
Chaewon happily accepted the bankbook, and Jaemin swallowed hard, hoping her attitude would change dramatically.
Having offered all his earnestly saved cash despite the significant debt on the house, Jaemin hoped it might sway Chaewon’s heart a bit.
“Huh.”
Chaewon’s reaction, as if to say ‘Is this it?’, prompted Jaemin to straighten up.
“What, huh? Hey, it might not be much, but it’s all I’ve earnestly saved.”
“It really isn’t much, but you’ve worked hard.”
As Youngja grabbed his hand under the table, Jaemin tried to suppress his rising irritation once more. This time, along with Youngja’s touch, a golden toad was placed on the table.
“This is the gold toad I’ve saved. I’ll give it to you, Heeju.”
Chaewon picked up the gold toad, beaming with delight.
“Oh, how cute. It’s really adorable.”
Though Youngja hurriedly explained that the small toad had considerable value, Chaewon laughed it off, saying she had never seen such a cute toad.
Both suppressed their clenched fists under the table.
“I’ll give you all this if you stamp the agreement today. Let’s part on good terms.”
After setting down the gold toad, Chaewon turned to Jaemin, who continued speaking, seizing the opportunity.
“This is your last chance. You know our family situation. With the debt inherited after Dad’s passing, honestly, this is all I have… You know it’s a lot.”
Looking at Jaemin’s earnest expression, Chaewon suddenly felt something was off. His desperation to divorce seemed excessively intense, almost as if… there was another woman.
“It’s not everything, is it?”
“What?”
“Why no mention of this house?”
Both Youngja and Jaemin reacted in shock at Chaewon’s calm tone.
“Hey. Where will we live if we sell this house!”
Chaewon smiled softly.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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