Joo Won filled their empty glasses with soju, and Ina served him some fish cake soup from the plate in front of them.
“Eat this too.”
“Sure. You eat as well.”
“Okay.”
Ina, holding her spoon, stared thoughtfully at Joo Won.
“Why?”
“Just… it’s so surprising.”
“What is?”
“Meeting a middle school friend on the street after 13 years. What are the odds?”
Joo Won chuckled instead of answering.
“Isn’t it really incredible? I mean, the circumstances of our meeting weren’t the best, but… the last time we saw each other was in winter of our third year of middle school. Time really flies, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. 13 years is quite a long time.”
Ina quietly watched Joo Won and then smiled.
“But how did you become even more handsome and cool? When I first saw you, you were so good-looking, like an idol… You’ve really grown up impressively.”
“Is it compliment time now?”
Joo Won laughed. Ina, feeling a bit embarrassed, touched her cheek.
“No, I mean… it’s true… Actually, when you took off your hat earlier, I thought you were really handsome.”
“Really?”
Joo Won laughed as if amused.
“Yeah… funny, right? Thinking about someone’s looks in that situation.”
“No, it’s an honor. Even in that situation, you thought I looked good.”
Ina’s cheeks reddened at Joo Won’s words, which could be either jest or sincerity.
Embarrassed, Ina quickly changed the subject.
“So, how tall are you? You weren’t short back then, but you seem really tall now.”
“185 cm.”
“Wow…”
Ina gaped in amazement.
“I’m so jealous… I stopped growing at 162 cm.”
Joo Won, resting his chin on his hand, gazed intently at Ina.
“Why? I find shorter girls cute.”
Ina blinked in surprise at his unexpected comment.
“And Ina, you’ve grown up to be really pretty.”
“What?”
“Back then, you had fair skin and were pretty, but now you’re even more beautiful. Still so pale and lovely.”
Ina’s eyes widened in disbelief at Joo Won’s continuous compliments.
She thought she might have heard him wrong.
Is this really Joo Won, the prickly boy from 13 years ago?
As Ina’s cheeks turned pink, Joo Won’s lips curled into a slight smile.
To calm her fluttering heart, Ina took a sip of her soju, and Joo Won reached for the bottle.
Glancing at Joo Won while he refilled her glass, Ina remembered the first time she met him.
When she first saw Juhee, she was amazed by her tall, slender figure and doll-like features. Seeing Juhee’s twin brother, Joo Won, was like seeing a celebrity in person. She had marveled at the family’s superior genes.
However, unlike his appearance, Joo Won back then was prickly and distant, hard to approach.
Ina fondly recalled her efforts to become friends with such a Joo Won.
And now, this once distant boy had reappeared as a handsome, admirable man…
As she was filled with mixed emotions and nostalgia, Ina suddenly thought of Juhee.
Swallowing hard, she urgently asked Joo Won.
“How is Juhee? Is she doing well? Where is she living now? Is she in Seoul?”
Joo Won quietly poured himself another glass of soju, and after taking a sip, he slowly started speaking.
“After you left for Yeosu, there were some issues at our house too. My parents got divorced during my first year of high school.”
Ina’s eyes widened in surprise, and Joo Won continued in a calm voice.
“Things started getting tough for my dad’s business after I started high school. The debt collectors’ calls, the nightly arguments between my parents… It all got worse until one day they announced they were getting divorced. Well… I was shocked, but Juhee cried a lot.”
Ina was speechless, hearing Joo Won’s calm narration.
When Ina entered her third year of middle school, her father passed away in an accident. Unable to overcome the shock, her mother moved them to her maternal home in Yeosu the following February. Ina herself fell into depression, struggling every day. Lost in her own depression, Ina gradually forgot to stay in touch with Juhee, and eventually, all contact ceased that winter.
Knowing now that Juhee was going through her own hard times back then filled Ina with remorse. She felt guilty for not being there for Juhee’s pain.
Observing Ina’s suddenly darkened expression, Joo Won softly added, “You don’t need to look so upset. It’s all in the past, and we were all young back then. And though we can’t compare pains… your situation was harder and more painful than ours.”
Ina felt a surge of emotion at Joo Won’s words, the memories of those painful days stirring in her heart.
“Juhee moved to Japan with our mom right after their divorce that winter. I stayed in Korea with dad.”
Ina was startled as Joo Won shifted the topic.
She knew that Juhee’s mother was a Korean-Japanese, which explained why Juhee and Joo Won were fluent in Japanese.
“Juhee got along better with mom. I didn’t exactly prefer dad, but I just didn’t want to go to Japan. Juhee continued her studies there, got into a university, found a job, and two years ago, she married a Japanese guy. She’s pregnant now.”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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