Seungwon didn’t immediately grasp Juwon’s words. Astonishment crept onto his face as he looked at his brother provocatively, with his arms crossed.
“No way… Hey, hyung, don’t joke around.”
Seungwon chuckled as if he couldn’t believe it. He thought it was an absurd story. However, a few scenes flashed through his mind, confusing him.
“…Really?”
Of course, it couldn’t be true. It was an absolutely impossible situation…
The scene that had unfolded when Juwon returned home, the moment they encountered each other in the studio apartment, came to mind. Hyoju’s face, which turned pensive as the confession song echoed, Juwon treating her like a stalker, and even going as far as worrying excessively about her and reporting her to the police.
“It’s me. I’m dating Oh Hyeju.”
Juwon declared calmly to Seungwon. Those few words pierced Seungwon like a dagger.
“It doesn’t make sense. How could you and Hyeju…!”
Seungwon jumped up from his seat. It seemed as if he wouldn’t have been as shocked even if a tenton truck had hit him from behind. His face turned pale, and his voice trembled.
“How could my two favorite people in the world betray me like this!”
“Betrayal?”
Juwon responded coldly.
“Who do you think is betraying you right now?”
“Hyung…”
“Wasn’t it you who went to bother the one who was struggling to sort out their feelings?”
Seungwon cherished his little brother more than anyone else, but at this moment, Juwon was genuinely angry.
Regardless of who liked Hyeju first or who Hyeju chose, it wasn’t important now. Even if Hyeju ultimately went to Seungwon, he had no right to hold onto her.
If he respected Hyeju’s feelings, he had to respect her choice as well.
But… why are you blaming Hyeju?
“When you told me that you and Dahee were dating, do you think Hyeju didn’t feel the same way? Have you ever thought about how much she cried when she threw away the gift she had prepared to confess to you?”
“I didn’t know anything! If I had known that Hyeju was going to confess to the person who turned out to be me, the conversation would have been different!”
“You’re the one who didn’t understand Hyeju’s feelings, and you’re the one who didn’t know your own feelings.”
The moment Seungwon heard Seojae’s words confessing her feelings for Hyeju, Juwon anticipated the worst. He imagined Hyeju being shaken by their belated sincerity toward each other.
It was terrible. Even though it was just imagination, his heart felt torn to pieces.
Nevertheless, Juwon was preparing himself to accept the worst. It’s better to leave me and regret coming to me.
There’s no point in dragging it out and refusing to admit the wrong choice. The end will be hell anyway.
“I admit that the timing was awful, Seungwon.”
Juwon said, as if urging his clueless younger brother.
“It seems like Hyeju isn’t at fault here.”
Seungwon bit his lip until it bled. Juwon’s straightforward voice felt more like a harsh reprimand than usual.
You made the wrong choice, and you caused the pain. So, it’s your responsibility to bear the consequences.
“Did you really not know, hyung? That I actually like Hyeju.”
Seungwon desperately tried to find a reason from outside. Juwon felt anger rising in him at his pitiful appearance.
“Why are you seeking answers about your own feelings from me?”
“It felt a bit strange when we had drinks last time. Since you kept saying that you were dating Dahee, I was relieved, you know? Wasn’t it a way for you to test my reaction to a love triangle?”
“I didn’t know.”
It was an unnecessary answer because I really didn’t know. Hyeju’s uneasiness stemmed from the fact that Seungwon was the subject of her unrequited love, but it wasn’t a baseless assumption about Seungwon’s feelings.
“But even if I had known, nothing would have changed.”
Juwon stood up, throwing the beer can into the trash.
“So, now you need to snap out of it too. There’s a limit to how much I can tolerate your immaturity.”
Today, alcohol tasted particularly bitter.
Long ago, it is said that a dragon dug a large cave and never left its side to protect a precious treasure. It held onto it tightly, even when sleeping, eating, and even until the moment of death.
Dahee’s love for Seungwon was exactly like that. She didn’t want anyone to see it, and she didn’t want anyone to take it away from her.
As her feelings grew stronger, the walls surrounding the cave grew higher. She had put in a lot of effort to keep it to herself. She never even dreamed that the spacious cave would make her feel so lonely.
Dahee became unhappy being left alone in the cave. Looking around at the emptiness, fear rushed in rather than loneliness.
What was more terrifying was the possibility that one day the cave could collapse. The feeling of being endlessly buried made Dahee struggle for breath several times a day.
“Dahee, aren’t you eating?”
Team Leader Uk spoke up. Dahee suddenly realized it was lunchtime.
“No, I’m not feeling well… Please go ahead.”
“You’ve been skipping lunch often lately. Want me to get something for you?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine.”
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
