Maybe not before… but it was the truth now.
It was a small act of defiance. However, he seemed to find some logic in her words and nodded calmly, speaking softly.
“Right. Just be cautious when Hye Soo is around.”
“Um, what’s the matter? You seem distracted today, Miss Autumn.”
“Ah, sorry…….”
Today, Shin Yeon Woo had suddenly called Autumn for a meal.
So, for about ten minutes after sitting down, Autumn couldn’t focus on what he was saying.
Her mind was occupied with the conversation she had with the Chairman yesterday.
Meanwhile, Yeon Woo, noticing her delayed responses and persistently gloomy expression, eventually stood up from his seat. He left without finishing his meal, seemingly indifferent.
“It won’t do. Get up, Miss Autumn.”
He, wearing a playful smile despite the serious tone, took Autumn’s arm and led her somewhere.
“……Where are we going?”
Yeon Woo simply smiled in response to Autumn’s question. He kept saying they’d find out when they got there but didn’t reveal the destination.
They arrived at a place that turned out to be…
‘An arcade?’
It was an open arcade, clearly visible from the outside.
Inside, there was an assortment of games ranging from typical arcade machines to small coin-operated karaoke rooms, basketball games, and even Pump It Up. A crowd was gathered around a man who seemed to be a master at Pump It Up, moving his feet swiftly.
“Let’s go in.”
“……Okay.”
Autumn had no choice but to be swept along wherever he led.
She followed him as he opened his wallet with a groan, and after telling her to wait a moment, he returned with a few ten-thousand-won bills.
He changed the bills into coins at a machine and then led Autumn to a shooting game.
“Ah!”
“Ha, did I scare you?”
Autumn screamed at the sudden appearance of a zombie, and he burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking.
While he was distracted, zombies overwhelmed them, and the game ended prematurely.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Autumn’s cheeks turned the color of peach blossoms as she made a cute excuse.
“It’s because Shin Yeon Woo didn’t look properly… You said you would take care of that side…”
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t pay attention. Your reaction was too funny. I got distracted.”
He shrugged his shoulders and then took Autumn to a basketball game.
From basketball to Pump It Up, which she hadn’t played in years, they tried all the games. Before she knew it, her mood had improved, likely because of the physical activity.
They ended with a claw machine. He managed to grab a cute pink rabbit plushie and handed it to Autumn. She looked at the suddenly embraced plushie, then lifted her head to look at him.
He shrugged his shoulders and said,
“It would be funny if I carried it around, right? You take it, Miss Autumn.”
“Okay, then… I’ll gratefully accept it.”
“Good.”
When Yeon Woo offered to drive her home, Autumn, like last time, chose the gallery. She felt uneasy asking to be dropped off at the house she was staying in because of the many watchful eyes.
When Autumn got out of the car at the gallery, he also got out. He was about to say his final goodbye when it happened.
“Miss Autumn, go in safely. I didn’t plan for this today, but I had fun too……”
Suddenly, Autumn stumbled and wavered.
“Oh no.”
Fortunately, Yeon Woo was close enough to catch her, preventing her from falling. Though he appeared startled, he immediately attended to Autumn.
“Miss Autumn, are you okay?”
“Ah, yes. Sorry… I guess I moved a lot after a long time.”
“It’s okay.”
Perhaps her muscles, used to sitting while painting, were not accustomed to the activity. Autumn smiled awkwardly, and Yeon Woo also smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
His hand was still holding onto Autumn’s firmly, as he had grabbed it to prevent her fall.
Just as Autumn was about to tell him it was okay to let go now…
“……Boss?”
Having left work early, he was just getting out of his car and they unexpectedly came face to face.
Their eyes met, and his gaze moved from Autumn’s face to their intertwined hands.
His eyes lingered on their overlapping hands.
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.”
