“Every, every day, I get irritated about twelve times. Do you know what I think at those times? Whether I should slap anyone passing by until I get tired, or, or drive happily on the highway while intoxicated and crash into any car. I think about such things.”
“What? Are you out of your mind?”
“I get annoyed twelve times a day. What do I do? Every time, it’s my fault just because I open my mouth.”
“Hey!”
Even with Jung-suk’s tantrum, In-yeong continued speaking without hesitation.
Actually, if she didn’t relieve her feelings to Jung-suk like this, she felt like she would go crazy.
“Oh, no? I guess there’s no one left who recognizes me now. Well, even if I blatantly appeared in the engagement ceremony photo last time, no one noticed. No one would think the person who looked like a beggar at that time is the same as me now. Right?”
Reached the limit, Jung-suk also expressed irritation.
“Stop it.”
“S, so! It’s all because of Aunt! Everything! Everything is because of Aunt!”
“Sigh. Crazy woman. Who do you think you are blaming me for everything now that there’s no one left to recognize me? Is this the place where you lived without hiding like this?”
“This is really!”
With half the curses pushed out of her throat, Jung-suk grabbed In-yeong’s hair, but she barely restrained herself. Instead, she whispered to her.
“You, what will you do if Lady Jungsindoro comes to her senses?”
“…”
“So, pull yourself together. This girl!”
Jung-suk, who had forcefully grabbed a sandwich placed on the table and chewed on it with a determined appearance, walked out of the studio.
In-yeong trembled with her hands and sat down on the floor.
One day, two days, three days, four days. In this way, she had been living with In-yeong’s disguise for decades, but she still suffered from an anxious obsession.
Stuttering had become one of the symptoms due to the severe obsession.
After secretly meeting Tae-kyung last time, In-yeong received a warning from Chairman Jo.
If she hadn’t felt excited upon seeing him, it would have been a lie.
When her father, who had called her back from the UK, first mentioned marriage, he was actually the man she had imagined.
The first time she met Kim Min-jun in a matchmaking meeting, he was the owner of clear and gentle smiles. He was affectionate and delicate, but he wasn’t to In-yeong’s taste.
But still.
This marriage couldn’t be avoided. A life where nothing could be done as she pleased.
Because it was her.
In-yeong clapped her hands to dispel the chills felt on her neck.
Flap, flap, flap.
Even so, as the unpleasant feeling persisted, she grabbed her hair and messed it up.
“…Ha.”
She felt short of breath.
In-yeong’s gaze scanned the floor of the studio, the dry wall, the curtains, and gradually moved towards the reptile enclosure in a transparent shape.
Inside the small enclosure, her iguana, ‘Gu-gu,’ which she had been raising since the UK, was soundly asleep.
“…Gu, Gu-gu.”
In-yeong picked up a non-toxic twig and put it into the enclosure.
Cute puppies or kittens. Others were interested in such things, but In-yeong had liked this guy from the beginning.
Contrary to its grotesque and sharp appearance, the iguana surprisingly liked the soft touch. It was so smart that even if she left the enclosure door open, it returned to its place by night.
If there was a problem, it was that it tried to eat anything out of curiosity. But there was nothing better for giving love and care.
Sometimes, she missed the old days.
Noisy gatherings with friends at the snack bar, eating tteokbokki, arguing with her younger brother over the chicken drumstick her dad brought home.
The name she used before had not been called once in the past few years.
It felt a bit melancholic…
The beginning of this play was clearly from the current Jung-suk. Her once ordinary family, a younger brother who always led the way, and the jealous days.
Jung-suk changed when she started working as a caddy at the golf course.
The mother who used to talk about who the Madam is like, putting on makeup every night and looking at herself in the mirror was all she cared about. One day, she introduced In-yeong to a strange man.
“My daughter. How is she? Doesn’t she resemble me a bit?”
So, I met Chairman Jo Se-hoon, who is now my father. His wife suffered severe grief after losing her daughter and became mentally unstable.
At first, he simply explained it as something for his wife.
“How about becoming my daughter? Will you do that for me?”
It was an unbelievable story. Thinking it didn’t make sense, I grabbed my mom and repeated that I didn’t want to.
At that time, Chairman Jo, who is now my father, held the position of Executive Director of the Strategic Planning Office at Jangkyung Group when he married Kim Hye-yoon. Both then and now, his appearance was sharp and fierce.
In-yeong turned her head away each time.
“I don’t want to, Mom, I don’t want to do it. I’m scared of that man. I don’t want to do it.”
But the next day, and the day after that, Chairman Jo came to find In-yeong.
He took her to the department store, went to fancy restaurants, and could play all night at the amusement park without waiting in line.
Luxury logo bags piled up in the room.
“Now, make a choice. Will you live as Jo In-yeong?”
In-yeong didn’t hesitate at all that day. She shook hands with Chairman Jo with greedy eyes.
Jung-suk, who had been by her side all along, clapped her hands as if she were praising the majestic appearance of the Haelimwon, which seemed to swallow up giant clouds.
In-yeong still trembles when she thinks about that time. That she would live hidden like a shadow.
She really didn’t know.
In-yeong looked out of the studio window.
She wanted to feel the wind again.
Despite her father’s warning, it would be okay if she was a bit more careful.
In-yeong slipped a message somewhere.
That day came faster than expected. It was the day to meet his mother, Cha Yoon-hwa, who was in the United States.
“We’re siblings, right? Nice to meet you, I’m Cha Jae-hee.”
Jae-hee greeted In-yeong at the entrance of the boarding gate.
As soon as they entered the exclusive plane, a familiar silhouette approached, extending his hand, and In-yeong was slightly stunned.
She hadn’t expected to have a companion on her way to the United States.
Jae-hee smiled broadly at her standing with a bewildered expression.
“Didn’t my brother tell you? I’m going with you?”
Only then did In-yeong shake hands with her.
“No, I heard. I’m Yoon Woo-yeon. Nice to meet you.”
“I saw the news well this week. Oh, about the fake scandal involving Anchor Yoon. Why didn’t you just meet?”
“What?”
“Compared to my brother in his thirties, your co-star is much younger and fresher.”
“…”
“Just kidding. Honestly, our brother’s face is better than that actor’s, right?”
That’s true.
In-yeong, who had been thinking silently, nodded slightly in agreement as a positive gesture.
It seemed that Jae-hee liked that, as she tilted her head and approached In-yeong.
“I didn’t know you were so famous. If I knew, I would have greeted you last time.”
“No.”
“Tell me honestly. Did you misunderstand when you saw my brother and you alone that day? You didn’t, did you?”
“…”.
“I leaned towards the side that thought I misunderstood. Are you not going to say anything?”
Behind Woo-yeon, who hesitated to answer, Tae-kyung glanced at Jae-hee.
It meant to calm down and leave, but Jae-hee smirked.
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.]
