Out of place for the situation, an unexpected question circled in her mind.
Maybe he would answer. She felt a burgeoning hope.
“Mr. Han Kitae.”
“Yes?”
Gathering some courage, Autumn called out to him, a name she wouldn’t normally dare to use, and asked, “That note in the bouquet… did Mr. Han Kitae put it there?”
“A note?”
Ah….
That wasn’t it.
His expression was one of confusion, as if asking what she was talking about.
As he asked again, Autumn shook her head as if it were nothing and moved away.
She felt a bit foolish for having hoped.
Days later, Autumn called out to Ju-ah and Do-jin to meet at a neighborhood café.
Having been summoned repeatedly over the past few days, Ju-ah complained, “Yoon Ga-eul, why have you been wandering outside so much lately?”
“Achoo!”
“Oh, you’ve even caught a cold now?”
Embarrassed, Autumn responded, “Well… it’s just that I feel a bit self-conscious being at home these days.”
“Eh? Why?”
Sipping her hot chocolate, Autumn stalled for time before slowly opening up, “It’s just that… I feel self-conscious being at home with nothing much to do.”
Reacting to Autumn’s answer, Ju-ah’s indignation seemed to grow, “Already? We’ve only just graduated a few days ago. To expect something from us already is against conscience…!”
Ju-ah abruptly stopped her loud protest, covering her mouth. She glanced at Autumn cautiously and asked, “Oh, are you talking about your parents? Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.”
Autumn smiled lightly, waving off the concern, “It’s not about my parents, so don’t worry. Really.”
At that moment, Do-jin, who had been quietly sipping his Americano, attempted to lighten the mood, “Autumn, we’ve rented a studio near here.”
“‘We’? Who are you sharing it with?”
“With me and Ju-ah. We decided to use it together and split the cost.”
Ju-ah added, “Yeah, I’m broke because of that! I spent all the money I saved from part-time jobs over four years. Now I’m completely empty. I might actually starve to death.”
Autumn couldn’t help but laugh at Ju-ah’s cheerful demeanor.
Being with Ju-ah made her feel momentarily relieved from the pressure of her art.
They say it’s hard to make lifelong friends in college, but Autumn had found a gem in Ju-ah.
After her father’s death, she deliberately chose a college far away, where nobody knew her.
Feeling suddenly grateful, Autumn hugged Ju-ah tightly and said, “If you starve, I’ll feed you.”
Ju-ah, pleased by Autumn’s response, began to fuss, “Oh, look at you! How can you say such sweet things, Yoon Ga-eul?”
Unable to bear Ju-ah’s loud voice in the quiet café any longer, Do-jin finally intervened, “Baek Ju-ah. It’s a café. Keep it down a bit!”
“……Fine, fine.”
With Ju-ah quieted, Do-jin smiled broadly and asked Autumn, “So, what are you doing now that you’ve graduated, Ga-eul? Still drawing in that studio at home?”
“……No, I’ve been taking a break lately.”
Reminded by Do-jin’s question, Autumn sighed deeply.
Normally, she would have been drawing in her studio behind the main house at this time. But, caught between Chairman Han’s displeasure and the possibility of Han Kitae rehashing the topic of her joining the gallery, Autumn felt too self-conscious to even approach the studio.
Where did it all go wrong…
She wondered if her choice to draw had been a mistake from the start.
She felt like a shrimp caught in the midst of a whale fight. Just today, she thought she heard Chairman Han venting his frustration over the gallery as she passed by the annex.
Fearing his anger might be directed at her, Autumn had stayed away from the studio.
“Haa…….”
Watching Autumn sigh, Ju-ah, who had been silent, spoke up, “Look at you, Yoon Ga-eul, clearly going through a phase of wandering! I’m right, aren’t I?”
Do-jin’s incredulous response to Ju-ah’s brash claim only egged her on, “Oh, this oppa doesn’t know a thing. Even quiet friends can rebel late, you know?”
“Ha, sure. As if Ga-eul would rebel.”
Ju-ah’s remark left Do-jin speechless, and seizing the moment, she stuck out her tongue, playfully teasing him.
Ignoring Ju-ah, Do-jin turned back to Autumn with a genuine smile and a suggestion, “Ga-eul, why don’t you come and paint at our studio? If you’ve got nothing else to do, that is.”
“Really? Can I…?”
Encouraged by Autumn’s response, Do-jin nodded vigorously and replied, “Of course! Why not!”
“Wow. Then, I’ll rely on you for a few days.”
Expressing her gratitude with a ‘thank you,’ Autumn accepted his offer with a bright smile. Her smile was radiant and refreshing, like a fully bloomed white lily.
Facing Autumn, Do-jin seemed unfazed by the conversation, but when he saw her smile, he bowed his head shyly.
Autumn, preoccupied with finishing her hot chocolate, didn’t notice, but Do-jin’s face had turned bright red.
Ju-ah, who had been quietly watching, let out a soft laugh at the sight of him.
Before they knew it, a week had passed since Autumn started drawing in Ju-ah and Do-jin’s studio.
Time flew by, even though it felt like she hadn’t accomplished much.
Autumn had painted several pieces, but none felt quite right, leaving her unable to capture what she truly wanted to express. Today, too, she left the studio without a single satisfactory painting.
“Bye, Ju-ah. Take care, oppa.”
“Sure, bye!”
“See you, Autumn.”
Waving and giving a small smile, Autumn turned to head home, her forced smile fading as soon as she was alone. Lately, this was how she always felt when by herself.
“What should I do now…”
Opting to walk rather than take the bus, Autumn trudged through several stations to arrive at the annex. Her mother, having arrived earlier, was already in the living room.
Seeing her mother home early for once, Autumn impulsively hugged her from behind.
Her only remaining support.
Feeling like she might burst into tears, Autumn held onto her mother tightly, not letting her turn around. A soft chuckle floated down from above her head.
“Autumn, you’re home? Mom came home early today. How about we make something delicious for dinner? What would you like to eat……”
“Mom, how about we move out and live on our own?”
“What happened? Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s not that. I’m already 24, and I think it’s time we lived independently. How long will we keep living here? And… it feels suffocating. It’s not like we can only repay our gratitude by staying here.”
It was the first time Autumn had expressed her true feelings since moving into the mansion.
She had always kept her thoughts to herself, merely repeating them in her mind.
Feeling anxious about what she had just said, Autumn bit her lower lip and waited for her mother’s response.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
_____
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