Jin Young-chul, whose momentum was instantly broken, glanced at Green and Han Mun-taek before hurrying away.
Fearing that even her mother-in-law might misunderstand, Green quickly tried to explain.
“Mother, I didn’t contact my father.”
“I know. You should go home now.”
Green had a lot to say but didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded her head.
‘I miss mom.’
The loneliness of living in her husband’s house without him hit her anew. She particularly missed her mother that day.
On Park Chan-wook’s birthday, Green visited Hana early in the morning.
After the disaster at Jin Young-chul’s 60th birthday party, her goal today was to get through the event without any mishaps.
Understanding Green’s feelings, Hana had cleared her schedule for the day. She spent a whole 5 hours on Green’s makeover, pouring all her skill into it.
Green protested about the short length of the dress, but Hana brushed it off. When she saw the final result, Hana’s face lit up with satisfaction.
“Green, don’t be shocked.”
As she led Green to the full-length mirror, pride shone in Hana’s expression. However, Green just widened her eyes and was speechless for a moment.
“Um, Hana, no matter how I look at it, this dress is too much. Should I change into something else?”
Green stood in front of the mirror wearing a tulip-like bright red mini dress, looking awkward and uncertain.
Though it wasn’t a traditional luxury brand, it was subtly popular among the upper class.
However, the problem was the dress’s cuteness and sexiness, which felt a bit too revealing. The skirt was short enough to show off her well-shaped legs, and the off-shoulder design might seem underdressed to the conservative elders.
But Hana had a different opinion.
“Nowadays, middle and high schoolers wear even shorter clothes. And is it a bit warm today? Showing shoulders is fine.”
Hana tied Green’s hair back, adding cute curls around her face.
“Technically, a daughter-in-law might be too much, but a granddaughter-in-law is okay. They are supposed to be cute and adorable.”
Hana adorned Green with playful ruby earrings and a necklace, then handed her a cute purse shaped like a pouch.
“Oh my, Han Green. You look so adorable. I want to bite you!”
Green, transformed by Hana’s skilled hands, looked so lovely, but fearing that her long efforts might be ruined, Hana restrained herself from hugging her.
“Tough and impressive. I did tell you to lose 5 kg, but I never expected you’d really do it in two months.”
“If I didn’t lose weight, you said it would be hard to find clothes, right?”
“Maintaining the weight loss for almost a year without any rebound is also remarkable. I always say never to deal with people who’ve quit smoking and those who’ve lost weight! I’ll let it slide because you’re pretty.”
Green, gaining a bit of confidence from Hana’s proud gaze, glanced at herself in the mirror again.
“Am I really okay? I flopped at father-in-law’s 60th birthday, so I really want to do well this time.”
“Isn’t your father-in-law a real sociopath? What did you do wrong for him to grab you like catching a mouse? Ridiculous, really!”
“My father appeared uninvited, so it was understandable he got angry.”
“Then he should’ve grabbed your father, not you!”
Green still vividly remembered Jin Young-chul’s cold gaze that day.
Officially, Green, Jin Young-chul’s only daughter-in-law, was isolated at her father-in-law’s 60th birthday party, without her husband and was berated by her father-in-law among the relatives.
Since that day, Green was no longer invited to any events related to Sunwoo’s paternal family. She had attended a few family events of the ruling party in place of In-yeong but was completely ignored by Jin Young-chul.
‘Don’t mind it, just do the minimum required and leave.’
It was In-yeong’s request, so Green bravely held her ground despite Jin Young-chul’s cold treatment, but it was inevitable to feel hurt.
Thinking of meeting Jin Young-chul at Park Chan-wook’s birthday party today, her heart started pounding.
Sensing Green’s inner turmoil, Hana asked with concern.
“Will your father-in-law be there today?”
“He should be. He’s the only son-in-law of grandfather Park.”
“If he says anything to you again today, don’t just take it. Fight back!”
“Hey, how can I do that?”
Green rolled her eyes playfully at Hana, but she felt a bit relieved thanks to her friend’s support.
Hana showered Green with praises to boost her morale.
“Really amazing, Han Green. Surprisingly serious about your in-law’s affairs. If it were me, I would have flipped the table on my father-in-law’s face a dozen times and stormed out.”
“It’s not because I like my father-in-law. If I talk back to him, it’ll trouble my mother-in-law. The only thing Sunwoo asked of me was to keep mother-in-law comfortable, and I can’t break that promise.”
Green’s eyes were calm but resolute as she thought about her promise with Sunwoo.
“Thanks to marrying Sunwoo, I can now care for my mother without worrying about money, and I could get away from my father. Since Sunwoo is keeping his promise well, I want to do my best to keep mine.”
“Right, Han Green. Today’s star is Chairman Park, so stick close to him. Surely your father-in-law wouldn’t dare to scold his daughter-in-law in front of such a respected father-in-law?”
“Sigh, Chairman Park is no easy man either.”
“Hmm, avoiding a tiger only to stand beside a leopard?”
Hana’s apt metaphor made Green burst into laughter. At least the tiger, once terrifying to her, seemed to be getting a little less scary over time. Just a very little bit, though.
“Hana, I’m heading out now!”
“Go and do well. Don’t get intimidated. You’re the prettiest today.”
With Hana’s enthusiastic support, Green, carrying Chairman Park’s birthday gift, hurried to Pyeongchang-dong.
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.”
