Thud.
Her heart pounded.
“Should we kiss?”
Without a single word left, Hye Ju’s pupils shook with an earthquake at those four words.
If it were possible to kill someone with just four words, this would be it. Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart seemed to stop pumping.
Ju Won’s gaze was too serious to be seen as a joke.
The air was filled with the scent of the sea. The sound of waves crashing approached and receded.
It was the perfect atmosphere for a kiss.
The gently flowing music was no longer audible. Hye Ju gazed at Ju Won’s lips with trembling eyes.
Even in the darkness, the contour of his lips was vividly defined. She had never looked closely at his lips before, but now she realized they were neat yet full of allure. A premonition told her that once she was engulfed by his lips, she wouldn’t be able to escape.
I want to kiss…
Is it allowed?
Startled by the sudden thought that came to her, Hye Ju quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
“…Are you crazy?”
It was something she said to herself, but it could be interpreted differently from the listener’s perspective. And as if responding to her words, Ju Won’s pupils sank in an instant.
“Crazy?”
“Why… Why would you suddenly kiss me? You’re just ambushing me! I’ll sue you for workplace harassment, CEO’s abuse of power!”
Hye Ju tried to distance herself, barely holding onto her fading sanity. If she were a little more intoxicated, she might have really fallen over.
“Crazy, Oh Hye Ju? You want to kiss Kang Ju Won… Are you insane?”
Hye Ju sealed her lips completely with both hands, crouching down. The atmosphere was as if they had stumbled upon a minefield.
An uncomfortably awkward silence pervaded. Even if someone said time had frozen, one could believe it, as not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Ju Won looked at Hye Ju with an inscrutable expression.
‘What is he thinking right now? He’s not someone who gets scared by my warnings, but could he really just attack like this? Or…’
Amidst a whirlwind of fantasies, Ju Won’s lips curled up gradually.
“Seems like you enjoy workplace harassment and CEO’s abuse of power.”
Click.
The lights brightly illuminated the surroundings.
Hye Ju stared at Ju Won with a face that couldn’t comprehend anything. While Hye Ju’s face blazed with redness, Ju Won’s face was surprisingly pristine.
To the point where one could believe that the previous incident was just her own delusion.
“…What did you say?”
“Just curious.”
“?”
“You’re manipulating people’s favor like this.”
Ju Won gently tapped Hye Ju’s forehead.
“It’s the title of a song, you idiot.”
Hye Ju’s mouth hung open in surprise.
She didn’t even realize that the sound she heard was the impact on her forehead. The scene from a minute ago replayed in her charred mind as if it were a power outage.
“What’s the title of that song? You know, the one sung by the girl with the fair face and innocent image! She’s the model for a soju advertisement. Do you happen to know what it is? Ah, I’m so curious.”
Coincidentally, the radio was playing lyrics of a song that were unbelievably relevant.
“Shall we kiss? If you feel the same as me, should we start~”
The lyrics she had casually heard lodged themselves in her ears. Especially the phrase “Shall we kiss?” was repeated more than five times. If the lyrics were to that extent, she should have realized that even the song’s title could be to that extent.
‘I didn’t even know it was the title of a song, and yet I got carried away… In front of Kang Ju Won, who opens his mouth wide at the slightest chance, and of all things, a kiss… Sigh.’
Hye Ju wished she could disappear into a mouse hole.
“Ah… It was the title of a song. The title is quite direct, haha.”
“Curiosity killed the cat when I told you.”
Ju Won’s upturned lip almost turned Hye Ju into a sweet potato.
She discreetly held an umbrella in her hand. When you’re in a pinch, it’s wise to dodge.
“I didn’t come here today. I didn’t hear a word. Nothing happened, nothing happened….”
Noticing Hye Ju trying to slip away while muttering to herself, Ju Won let out a mocking chuckle.
“Oh, and speaking out of curiosity.”
Hye Ju’s feet, which had lowered to the ground, froze in place.
“I’ve never made the first move. Whether it’s a kiss or more.”
“But why?”
“As long as you don’t get all fidgety, it’s perfectly safe.”
Hye Ju snapped in response to his laughterlaced voice.
“Who said anyone’s making a move on you? Don’t worry, even if the sky falls, I won’t make a move, so you can relax!”
Ju Won shrugged his shoulders.
“You’re on thin ice, judging by the way you act.”
“It’s not thin ice at all! I don’t even consider giving you a second thought, let alone giving you any rice cakes!” [Note: “giving rice cakes” is a Korean expression meaning showing interest or favor]
“Well, whatever.”
Until that moment, Hye Ju didn’t know.
That her confident assurance would crumble mercilessly after a while.
That she would want to knead rice cakes into clean drinking water and offer them.
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
