The lounge bar BYN in Hannam-dong, which operates on a membership-only basis, houses a secretive space that can be reached by climbing a spirally wound staircase. This secluded area allows those upstairs to look down on the people below, while those downstairs cannot see upwards. It’s a detached space, where the activities and conversations of the lower floor remain unknown to those above.
Anyone who steps into this bar has something special to flaunt, whether it’s family background, fame, or wealth. Yet, even with such credentials, not just anyone is granted access to the upper floor.
Kitae preferred the quiet upper level, enjoying contemplation without the disturbance of loud voices nearby. He particularly liked the layout that allowed him to observe everyone from above.
As a result, the upper level was usually reserved for Kitae and Joo-hyuk.
During a rare whiskey session, Joo-hyuk, sitting opposite Kitae, slid a square white envelope across the table. The envelope, in the hands of Joo-hyuk, marked with scars, signified the indelible marks of his profession.
Kitae, looking down at the envelope placed on the table, gestured towards it and asked, “What’s this?”
“A wedding invitation. I’m getting married.”
Kitae, recalling Joo-hyuk’s cheerful demeanor since entering the bar, chuckled. Maybe this was his way of showing off.
Picking up the envelope, Kitae scanned the names of the bride and groom and said, “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
“But aren’t you getting married too soon?”
“Too soon? I’m thirty, it’s the right time. Besides, I’ve been with Se-hee for so long.”
Kitae sipped his drink.
Clank!
The ice in his glass clinked against the sides, echoing crisply.
It dawned on Kitae that they were indeed at the age for such commitments. He shrugged and acknowledged this realization.
Joo-hyuk’s smile grew broader. He was a man determined to live differently from his father, possibly seen as rebellion from his father’s perspective, but to Kitae, Joo-hyuk was the epitome of integrity.
Joo-hyuk’s father always had high expectations, wanting him to inherit the family business. Joo-hyuk, however, chose his own path, leaving it all behind in search of simple happiness.
He always said he didn’t need those things.
Joo-hyuk, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, had a kind demeanor and was popular among women. Despite the attention, he remained devoted to his girlfriend of over ten years.
Today, he was overflowing with joy about his upcoming marriage.
Rejecting his father’s insistence on taking over the family media company, Joo-hyuk instead pursued veterinary science and became a veterinarian, proudly wearing his choice.
Even today, his hands bore scratches, yet he smiled through it all.
As Kitae sipped his whiskey, watching his friend’s unfading smile, Joo-hyuk suddenly got serious.
“Kitae, you should get married too.”
“Ah, yeah. I should.”
Surprised by Kitae’s easy agreement, Joo-hyuk’s eyes widened.
“You have someone in mind?”
“No.”
“Then…?”
“I suppose someone from a family that could benefit my business would be ideal.”
“Hey, Han Kitae!”
Joo-hyuk erupted in anger at Kitae’s disconcerting response.
“Marriage should only be with someone you love. Are you going to treat marriage like a business deal? Do you think that’s going to work out? This is a person you have to spend your life with.”
Love?
Kitae scoffed at Joo-hyuk’s outburst.
Did we ever let such trivial emotions guide our decisions? Kitae thought to retort, but Joo-hyuk was just that kind of person.
Despite the influence of alcohol, Kitae’s mind was surprisingly clear.
He half-listened to Joo-hyuk’s continuous advice that one should only marry for love. Kitae got into the car brought by his driver.
“I’ll take you to your apartment, sir.”
“Yes.”
But within a minute, he changed his mind.
“Actually, take me to the main house.”
“Yes, sir.”
As they turned and drove off, familiar scenery soon came into view.
From a distance, the silhouette of the main house was visible. However, Kitae’s destination was not the main house but the unseen workshop of Ga-eul.
He had promised to look at her paintings.
Surely, she must have meant for him to view them where she was, but tonight, he felt an inexplicable urge to peruse her past works.
Ga-eul was a quick learner. Watching her brush strokes change with each instruction, he found himself engrossed without realizing.
He found a peculiar pleasure in teaching her.
“We’ll be there soon.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll wait here.”
Kitae passed the main house silently and headed towards the back path. Now, in the bright light, he could clearly see the light seeping out from Ga-eul’s workshop in the distance.
Kitae looked at the light curiously and continued walking.
Upon entering, he found Ga-eul there, but she was sound asleep.
Unlike last time, it seemed she had decided to sleep there, covered with a blanket fetched from a corner of the workshop.
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.”
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