“Get away, please!”
Thump!
Juwon tumbled down from the bed. Although he knew he had woken up, his body wouldn’t move.
“Gasp, gasp…”
Hunched over, he shook for a long time. As his sweat cooled, a chill set in.
The edge of his neck, where Hyerim’s fingers had touched, still felt sticky. He felt the urge to scrape away every part her fingers had touched.
Should I just die?
For the first time, such a thought crossed his mind.
Unable to sleep or fully wake up, the situation drove him mad. It was an endless abyss.
The last place Hyerim’s hand had touched was his neck. What would be next? Would she strangle him? Would he really die then?
Nothing was certain, but one thing was clear.
If this dream persisted, he would never wake up again.
“Damn it.”
Juwon roughly washed his face.
At this moment, the only thing that came to mind was Hyejoo’s face. Though he knew it was past two in the morning, he felt as if his heart would explode if he didn’t hear her voice right now.
It was only when he heard her voice over the phone that he could finally breathe.
“Hyejoo…”
He didn’t remember what they talked about afterward or what she had replied. When he came to, he was on the phone with Hyejoo, and she was already on her way in a taxi.
He felt sorry. But he was incredibly relieved.
She had dashed over without hesitation from a place that was at least two hours away in the dead of night. She was now Juwon’s last remaining hope.
It wasn’t that he was expecting her to do something for him. The sheer desire to be by her side was what kept him going.
“Sigh…”
Ju-won stepped outside the officetel, passing the security guard and lighting a cigarette. As he stared at the dissipating smoke, he felt anew how desolate his situation was.
Had he smoked about three in a row?
Hye-Ju had arrived.
“Why are you out here?”
Seeing Hye-Ju get out, Ju-won quickly approached the taxi. He handed over six 50,000-won bills to the driver as if he was embracing them, then grasped Hye-Ju’s wrist and pulled her.
“Oppa…?”
Then he embraced Hye-Ju as if covering her entirely.
It felt like he was alive.
“Just stay like this for a moment.”
With Hye-Ju here, the world seemed peaceful. The nightmares he had suffered until now seemed to be fading away, as if they were a distant dream.
“Isn’t it wrong to be this close?”
As Hye-Ju warmly stroked his back, Ju-won firmly answered, knowing what she was worried about.
“I don’t care about that sort of thing.”
“But…”
“I won’t be swayed by ghosts or the like.”
If he couldn’t prevent what was coming, at least he didn’t want to move against his will. He would leave the decision to himself, no matter when the end came.
I don’t want to regret you in the last moment.
I don’t want to hesitate till the end.
Right now… Yes, at least for now, I’m not afraid of anything.
“Go to sleep.”
With his lips on Hye-Ju’s neck, Ju-won whispered.
Even if death awaited at the end of this choice, he would have no regrets.
[Star icon]The two lay together on the cozy bed.
Hye-Ju, who had changed into a t-shirt Ju-won gave her, felt somewhat embarrassed about her exposed legs, so she pulled the blanket up and tightly hugged Ju-won’s waist.
“The sun’s about to rise.”
“Yeah.”
As the dawn light seeped through the chiffon curtains, Ju-won slightly squinted his bloodshot eyes.
Whenever he saw the sun rise after a long night, he felt extremely irritated. As if it was a reminder that he had finished sleeping for the day.
But today was different.
Hye-Ju was in his arms, her warm touch soothing his hardened heart. It was a touch so warm that it made him forget the terrible nightmares he had just a couple of hours ago.
As he brushed back the strands of hair on her forehead, Ju-won muttered,
“Are you real?”
Hye-Ju’s eyes widened as if questioning what he meant.
“I once dreamt of lying like this with you.”
“What were you doing with me in bed?”
“I never said we were doing anything inappropriate.”
Ju-won chuckled and pinched Hye-Ju’s cheek.
“But I did want to.”
Upon hearing his added words, Hye-Ju’s ears flushed red.
It was always she who teased, and she who blushed.
Ju-won found it unbearably cute.
“Lying face to face like this.”
Ju-won whispered as he swept her hair behind her ears.
“Touching you.”
His large hand slid under her t-shirt. It crept down to her waist and lightly pulled her, their bodies pressing tightly against each other.
His taut body touched Hye-Ju. Despite her flushed cheeks, she did not avoid his gaze.
Their hot lips met at her ears, her cheeks, and finally at her mouth.
“…We kissed.”
Their moist flesh parted the seam of their lips. Before fully entwining, they explored the inside of each other’s mouths before retreating.
Ju-won paused, his lips hovering close to hers, and moved above Hye-Ju. He gripped her wrists in one hand.
Her slender wrists were easily pressed into the bed without resistance. With his wrists gathered above her head, Ju-won softly looked down at her.
The sensation of his lower lip being sucked into her mouth was dizzyingly irresistible. Their tangled flesh yearned and thirsted for each other endlessly.
His exhaled breath warmed Hye Joo’s body. The moan accompanying her expelled breath was quickly devoured by him.
Moist lips traced down her jaw, leaving a red mark on her nape as if painting on her skin.
Beneath the rolled-up t-shirt, her pale skin was exposed.
“When I’ve marked every inch of you and can no longer hold back.”
All the things Joo Won had been holding back exploded without restraint.
“You’ve changed into Won Hye Rim.”
Ah.
Only then could Hye Joo understand the words Joo Won had spoken.
How frightening it must have been when a sweet dream turned into a nightmare.
Filled with regret, Hye Joo tightly embraced Joo Won’s neck.
“How could you have endured such a terrifying thing… Just thinking about it hurts my heart so much.”
“It was scary, Hye Joo.”
Rather than being comforted, Joo Won soothed her while stroking her back.
“Actually, I’m still scared.”
But I won’t run away.
The gaze Joo Won cast upon Hye Joo was hotter than ever before.
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.”
