While Jun Won was struggling to find an answer to Ji Hoo’s tremendous question, Min Je and Ha Yeon were walking barefoot on the beach.
The soft sand, worn down by waves over a long time, made crunching sounds under their toes.
As they walked slowly against the sea breeze, their hands brushed against each other. Min Je gently took Ha Yeon’s hand and said,
“In case you might fall.”
Min Je offered an unnecessary excuse for holding her hand, saying they should be careful not to get hurt since they were barefoot.
The man who seemed like he would be willful unexpectedly had a proper side. Finding it amusing, a smile escaped from the corners of Ha Yeon’s mouth.
“Thank you.”
Ha Yeon smiled, feeling the warmth of the large hand that enveloped hers completely.
“It’s nice walking on the beach like this at night.”
Before she knew it, Ha Yeon’s smile had spread, and a smile appeared on Min Je’s lips as well.
Not realizing their feet were getting wet from the waves, the two walked along the beach for a long time. They occasionally saw other couples who had come out to enjoy the night sea like themselves.
A young couple kissed very boldly, unconcerned about others’ eyes.
Ha Yeon’s face turned red as she happened to pass by and witnessed their kissing scene so vividly.
Ahem, they should do that somewhere more private. Ha Yeon cleared her throat unnecessarily and turned her head away.
Seeing Ha Yeon turn bright red, Min Je let out a low chuckle.
“You’ve ripened so well, I want to devour you right now.”
Even though she knew it was teasing, lewd thoughts invaded Ha Yeon’s mind, making her feel heat rising to the nape of her neck.
“Don’t tease me.”
Ha Yeon tried to pull her hand away and run, but Min Je wouldn’t let go. Instead, he looked straight at her face with smoldering eyes and deliberately kissed the back of her hand.
“I’m not teasing. I’m always sincere with you.”
How could this man say such things without batting an eye? He burrowed in without leaving any gaps, as if determined to steal her heart completely.
“Isn’t it natural to be sincere every moment with the woman you like?”
“Y-you like me? Me?”
Ha Yeon’s voice trembled unconsciously as she asked. She thought he wouldn’t have kissed her without any feelings. But there was a big difference between directly hearing him say he liked her and just guessing it.
“Did I seem like such a fickle man? I’m not such a bad guy that I’d kiss a woman I don’t like.”
Min Je stroked his chin with a bitter smile. He had never been so captivated by someone before. Whenever he saw her, he had to scrape together his evaporating patience to endure. It was hot like entering a fire pit, made him thirsty, and drove him mad with longing.
Nevertheless, because he cherished her, he tried his best to be as courteous as possible. If she knew that his mind was full of impure thoughts even at this moment, she might run away in fright.
“I like you, a lot. At some point, when I came to my senses, I found myself feeling that way.”
Min Je shrugged and smiled faintly. He could see many emotions swirling in Ha Yeon’s eyes. Is it burdensome? But it was too late now. Having fallen for her to the point of no return, he couldn’t let her go no matter what.
Her rapidly blinking eyes fixed on him. Min Je could tell she had decided on something to say.
“I… I like you too, sir. I’ve liked you for a long time.”
Ha Yeon muttered with a bright red face. It took a lot of effort to confess this feeling that had existed for so long. Because she thought it would be a feeling that would end with just her liking him alone.
“I’m feeling extremely good. I think this is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
Min Je smiled broadly, his eyes crinkling. Ha Yeon’s eyes etched the image of the man smiling more brightly than the moonlight, with an expression she had never seen before.
Because he was truly smiling as if he had gained the whole world, not just saying he was happy with words, Ha Yeon’s heart swelled.
“Since you say you’re happy, I’m glad too… but it’s a bit embarrassing.”
When Ha Yeon turned her head away, unable to look directly at Min Je, he gently grabbed her chin to face him.
As Min Je silently gazed down at her face intently, Ha Yeon, with tension at its peak, couldn’t breathe. Just his gaze seemed to create a dizzying sensation that rose from her toes and engulfed her entire body.
“Meeting you feels like the greatest luck of my life.”
Min Je whispered, coming close enough that their lips were about to touch.
“Don’t say such extr-”
The rest of her words were swallowed by Min Je’s lips. As if he had known in advance that she would say not to say such things, his lips overlapped hers at an exquisitely timed moment.
The sensation of their soft lips meeting was thrilling. At the intense stimulation that seemed to awaken even dormant cells, Ha Yeon unknowingly grasped his collar.
Had this man honed some technique to melt a person like candy? Every place his lips touched seemed to melt away smoothly.
A hot sensation whirled through her mind dizzyingly, then tantalizingly melted her heartstrings. With each press and release of his lips, Ha Yeon exhaled ragged breaths, unable to bear the heat.
Suddenly, she heard a low ‘tsk tsk’ sound near her ear. Then she thought she heard something like ‘These days, youngsters…’ and so on.
Ha Yeon’s eyes, which she had unknowingly closed, flew open as she suddenly came to her senses. And she realized that the place where they had been kissing mindlessly was the beach where people were in the midst of taking walks.
Earlier, when she saw another couple kissing, she had muttered ‘they should do that somewhere more private,’ but she was shocked to realize that she had done exactly the same thing.
“What a shame. If there were no people around, we could have done it longer.”
Min Je chuckled and rubbed Ha Yeon’s glistening lips with his thumb.
“Ah, um…”
Ha Yeon couldn’t even answer out of embarrassment and pushed against his chest. Of course, she couldn’t push Min Je away at all with her strength.
Min Je burst out laughing and interlaced his fingers with the hand that had been pushing against his chest.
Not knowing whether this peculiarly exciting, muggy air was the tropical night or her fluttering heart, Ha Yeon finished her heart-pounding night walk.
[This is the timeline separator]Since an owner’s position isn’t always about relaxing comfortably, the Jeju Island trip ended with a short schedule of 2 nights and 3 days. They were currently back at the annex of the Liam Art Museum, unpacking their luggage.
Still, it had been a trip where they could freely use the hotel facilities, so Jun Won’s face was glowing unrecognizably. Jun Won, satisfactorily stroking his flowing long hair, grinned and said to Min Je,
“Please invite me on the next vacation too.”
Min Je, who was coming out putting on clothes to match the art museum schedule, exhaled an empty breath with disbelief.
Min Je’s expression was quite amusing, so Ha Yeon and Ji Hoo giggled quietly. Min Je, who had unconsciously turned his head towards the sound, flinched for a moment seeing Ji Hoo with his hair tied up high.
“Isn’t he cute? His hair had grown so long it was poking his eyes. So I tied it up, and isn’t it so adorable?”
Ha Yeon said in a slightly excited tone that no one could pull off an apple hair as well as Ji Hoo.
“Well, it is cute.”
Min Je gazed warmly at Ha Yeon and Ji Hoo, who were now perfectly in sync. The child who always had a blank expression, impossible to know what he was thinking, now shone as if sunlight had settled on him.
It was like magic cast by Ha Yeon. Well, since his own life seemed to have completely changed because of her too, it must be her ability without a doubt.
“Still, you can’t go to kindergarten like that, so it would be good to visit a hair salon. I know a salon near the museum, so I’ll make a reservation. Go there.”
Hearing Min Je’s words, Ha Yeon asked Ji Hoo with a mischievous expression.
“Ji Hoo, how about going to kindergarten with your hair tied up?”
“Eck, I don’t like that.”
Ji Hoo immediately shook his head, imagining his friends teasing him.
Seeing the child’s exasperation, everyone turned their heads sideways and shook their shoulders for a moment, trying not to laugh.
As Min Je left the annex, he immediately called the hair salon to make a reservation.
“Yes, sir. You can come right away. Busy? The day you come is never busy, sir.”
The owner of the hair salon that Min Je frequently used spoke smoothly as if his tongue was oiled with sesame oil.
Eun Mi, who was getting her hair done and reading a magazine beside him, asked with shining eyes as soon as the owner finished the call.
“Is it Director Kang Min Je?”
She had mastered all routes to potentially encounter Min Je. This hair salon was one of them. Visiting a few times a month, she would occasionally run into him like this.
“You have sharp ears. How did you hear that?”
The owner, true to the salon’s reputation as the most visited by celebrities in the area, laughed and joked.
“When is he coming?”
“He’ll be here soon.”
The owner, knowing Eun Mi’s particular interest in Director Kang Min Je but not showing it, subtly let slip the information she wanted to know.
“That’s great.”
Eun Mi thought things were finally going well and smiled brightly. Since visiting Min Je regarding KIAF-related matters previously, she hadn’t seen him for a while.
After facing his gaze, cold like winter frost, it wasn’t easy to contact him. He didn’t use to glare so coldly before.
‘It’s all because of that woman.’
Eun Mi gritted her teeth, recalling Ha Yeon’s face. Her blood boiled at the thought of a woman suddenly appearing, taking Kang Min Je’s side, and even submitting work to KIAF.
Today, she was determined to have a proper conversation with him. Eun Mi composed herself.
Kang Min Je is an ambitious man. Eun Mi knew better than anyone how he had established himself in this art world.
So Eun Mi firmly believed that a man who could give up even his liver and gall for success wouldn’t reject her. If he married her, his life would be smooth sailing, and a man savvy about profit and loss couldn’t be unaware of that.
In the end, all of this was just push and pull between a man and a woman. What could be done? The one who likes more loses. Eun Mi thought she could do even more when she recalled Min Je’s sculpture-like appearance.
He was more valuable than all the famous sculptures she had collected in her house at great expense.
As she was quietly thinking about how to approach him today, the automatic door of the salon opened with a zing.
He’s here. Eun Mi turned her head with a welcoming expression, only to see Ha Yeon and Ji Hoo entering affectionately.
Huh? Wasn’t it Kang Min Je? Eun Mi’s lips twisted bitterly.
At that moment, Ha Yeon unconsciously looked around, feeling a clear hostility from somewhere.
And her eyes met directly with Eun Mi, who was glaring at her.
‘Why are you here?’
A spark instantly flared in Ha Yeon’s eyes.
__________
Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up! (Female-dominant)
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead