Behind the two, whose lips were passionately entwined, the red sunset descended upon the Han River, sparkling brilliantly.
However, the romantic kiss on the Han River didn’t last long.
“Mom, the man and the lady are kissing.”
“Shh. Don’t stare so much.”
The word ‘lady’ from the child’s mouth pierced Green’s ears, and she snapped back to attention.
‘A lady! Surely, he’s not talking about me?’
Green, who wanted to believe it was just a kid making a random comment, hastily pushed Sunwoo away and looked around anxiously.
Behind Sunwoo, about 7 meters away in the 10 o’clock direction, three families were sitting on a picnic blanket, eating chicken. In an instant, Green’s eyes met with a boy of about five.
“Darn it, what they said about me was true!”
While burying her face in Sunwoo’s chest, believing she was safe as long as she hid her head like an ostrich, Green couldn’t shake off the shock from the word ‘lady.’
Although she was now married and technically considered a lady, being in her twenties, she absolutely did not want to hear that word.
“These days, couples are so bold, even in public places.”
“Oh, did I not do exactly the same thing?”
To avoid becoming a spectacle for the three families, who were making kiss commentary while tearing into the chicken, Sunwoo hid Green in his embrace and nonchalantly got up as if nothing had happened.
Green, who had cooled her cheeks reddened by the cold wind, fulfilled her long-awaited wish for instant ramen by the Han River with Sunwoo. They also enjoyed chicken and beer.
With a face that seemed to have nothing to envy, Green, who laughed happily, handed a chicken leg to Sunwoo.
“I gave you one earlier. This one is for Green.”
“This one is for you, Sunwoo. Giving up a chicken leg is like giving everything, you know? Even if another woman offers you a chicken leg, you must never accept it!”
She didn’t understand the elaborate meaning she assigned to a chicken leg, but since Green said so, it seemed like there was something to it. Come to think of it, this one seemed to be the most delicious chicken leg she had ever tasted.
Taking a sip of beer, Sunwoo asked Green.
“I have something on my mind.”
“What is it?”
“What happened to Green’s mother?”
“Ah…”
Wrinkles appeared on Green’s forehead. She didn’t deliberately avoid talking about it, but she needed to prepare herself to discuss her mom. Green stood up from her seat.
“Sunwoo, I’m full, but shall we walk again?”
Instead of rushing for an answer, Sunwoo took her hand, and they retraced their steps. After taking a deep breath, Green spoke calmly.
“My father wrote articles as a freelance journalist after leaving the Korean Herald, selling them here and there. He was always trailing behind corrupt politicians, so he rarely came home. On that day, he hadn’t been home for five days. My mom prepared some underwear and side dishes, planning to take them to a women’s dormitory in Incheon. And that’s when she got into a hit-and-run accident.”
Watching Green calmly recount the incident about her mom, Sunwoo felt a pang in his heart. He didn’t want to say anything that might sound empty, so he just held her hand tightly and walked alongside her, matching her pace.
“What’s really heartbreaking is that six months after the accident, my father completely stopped visiting the hospital. Even if we generously concede that the accident wasn’t my father’s fault, his attitude afterward is unforgivable.”
Green, who had been walking silently while looking ahead, suddenly stopped in her tracks. Then, she turned towards Sunwoo.
“I have something to confess to you, Sunwoo.”
“What is it?”
“When I first visited your office without any plan, back then, I desperately wanted to break the marriage my father desired for us. But after the meeting, I did my best to keep this marriage intact.”
“I know. Green worked really hard for a year.”
“But the reason was that it was for money. I did want to give my father a taste of his own medicine, but Sunwoo, during the marriage period, promised to cover my mom’s hospital expenses. That’s why I did it. I tried to impress your parents, tried my best not to have any flaws as Sunwoo’s wife, all because of money.”
Seeing Green, tearfully apologetic, Sunwoo hugged her tightly.
Comforting her with a pat on her back, Sunwoo gently wiped away the tears that gathered in Green’s eyes with his ring finger. Then, he warmly smiled at her.
“I, too, married Green with impure intentions. I was so bored with the weekly arranged meetings that my father forced on me, and since I knew well what my father disliked, I really wanted to marry Green.”
Green, perhaps recalling the day they first met, smiled slightly. The day she recognized him as someone like her at first sight.
“We both started this marriage with impure intentions, but now, I am crazy about Green. Honestly, I consider myself fortunate that I have the money to keep Green. It’s a relief.”
Unable to respond to Sunwoo’s blunt statement, Green grabbed his arm and resumed walking. Sunwoo obediently followed her.
“We walked by the Han River, ate ramen, had chicken and beer, what else does Green want to do?”
“Well, shouldn’t we go home now?”
“It’s Saturday. It’s unacceptable to send your lover home so quickly on the weekend.”
Sunwoo’s playful remark made Green burst into laughter. Looking at the time, Sunwoo’s face brightened as if he had a good idea.
“There’s a movie theater near Green’s studio. Shall we go watch a movie?”
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
