David's Husband (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
Of course, receiving private lessons from him was truly a joyful thing. No matter how much money one carried in stacks or how many connections one used to make a request, Director Kang Min Jae would never budge unless the person truly appealed to him.
So naturally, it was only normal to be thrilled that he had volunteered to tutor her himself. Had this happened to her before, she would have tossed and turned all night over such an unimaginable opportunity. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to feel entirely happy.
Could there be some hidden motive behind this? Was she simply too jaded by worldly concerns? Was she failing to accept kindness at face value, instead viewing it with suspicion? So many thoughts flooded her mind at once that Ha Yeon could only gape silently, unable to utter a word.
“Well then, assuming that’s understood, I’ll tell you what to do.”
Perhaps amused by Ha Yeon’s blank expression, Min Je gave a small chuckle and walked over to one corner of the studio, returning with a plaster cast.
He placed the cast down firmly on the desk and spoke.
“You seem a bit weak in figure drawing, more so than anything else.”
Huh? How did he know that? Ha Yeon’s eyes darted wildly.
Indeed, figure drawing was precisely what she had always been criticized for—everything else came easily to her, but figures consistently felt somehow two percent off.
“You look like someone who’s just been struck right where it hurts.”
Since she couldn’t remain silent any longer, Ha Yeon groaned faintly in response.
“Well… there’s no excuse—I see you know me all too well.”
At that, he smirked and lightly tapped the plaster cast’s head.
“You probably know that the foundation of figure drawing lies in sketching, right? For this week, please take good care of this fellow.”
At least the cast he’d entrusted her with was Giuliano—had it been Hercules or Homer, her mood would have plummeted considerably.
After all, even plaster casts are best when handsome. Ha Yeon forced a smile and replied:
“Yes, I understand.”
She thought that would be the end of it. But true to his promise of intensive short-term tutoring, Min Je meticulously scheduled their lesson times as well.
“And starting today, I’ll see you every evening at this time. Is that all right?”
“O-of course! Absolutely fine!”
Ha Yeon gave an awkward laugh and waved her hands dismissively. She could’ve prostrated herself in gratitude, but how could she possibly say no?
She wanted to call her friend Yoo Jin right away to share the news—but knowing Yoo Jin would storm over immediately, she decided to hold off.
‘Life really does bring all kinds of surprises.’
Still unable to believe it, the moment Ha Yeon regained her composure, she pinched her own cheek lightly. The sting confirmed it—this was definitely no dream.
[This is the timeline separator]The next day, Ji Hoo returned from kindergarten and rummaged through his bag before handing something to Ha Yeon.
“Hm? What’s this?”
“My sports day invitation.”
“Sports day?”
Ha Yeon examined the paper he’d given her. Since May was Family Month, it seemed the kindergarten had prepared an event.
“Can… can you come with me?”
Ji Hoo asked cautiously, watching Ha Yeon’s reaction. This couldn’t possibly be the first time such an event was being held—so how had he managed in previous years? The thought of the emotional hardship the child must have endured brought an unexpected sting to her nose.
“Of course—I’ll absolutely go with you.”
At Ha Yeon’s confident reply, a smile finally appeared at the corners of Ji Hoo’s mouth.
“You just need to come, Unnie—I’ll handle all the preparations!”
Where on earth had he picked up such grown-up phrasing? Ha Yeon chuckled faintly at Ji Hoo’s unchildlike tone and replied:
“Okay, okay—I got it.”
Though she said nothing more, she already knew that from now until sports day, Ji Hoo would pester Mi Ran for all sorts of food and get the driver to procure the necessary supplies.
“By the way—if you win a race at the sports day, do they give out prizes?”
Out of curiosity, she asked, and the boy’s eyes sparkled—only to dim again almost instantly.
“Yeah, of course they do. But I’ve only ever received participation awards—every single time.”
Having gone through this every year, he’d long since resigned himself to the outcome. Though Ha Yeon didn’t know why, she was already burning with competitive spirit—just seeing Ji Hoo’s dejected expression made her heart ache.
“I’ll be the youngest and most energetic participant there, so don’t worry—I’ll definitely win for you!”
At Ha Yeon’s bold declaration, light returned to Ji Hoo’s eyes.
“Great! I’ll trust only you, Unnie!”
Finding his bright, beaming smile utterly endearing, Ha Yeon gently stroked his cheek.
Ten days remained until sports day. To win the races, she’d better start training her stamina right away.
‘Speaking of which… this is turning into quite the situation.’
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but the list of things she needed to do kept growing.
[This is the timeline separator]
That night, Ha Yeon was diligently sketching the outline of the plaster cast in the studio when—
Click—the door opened, and Min Je walked in. Freshly showered, he radiated a pleasant, intoxicating fragrance.
“You’re here?”
Though Ha Yeon managed a greeting, her focus was scattered—the scent wafting from him kept teasing her senses, and she was anxious over whether her sketch was turning out well.
“Hmm… so you chose this angle.”
Min Je observed Ha Yeon’s sketch as he spoke. Giuliano’s plaster cast had a noticeably different sense of proportion depending on the viewing angle, owing to its uniquely tilted neck compared to other casts.
Indeed, Ha Yeon hadn’t been fully satisfied with the outline she’d drawn.
“It’s fascinating, isn’t it? The cast itself doesn’t change—but every time you draw it, it looks different.”
Ha Yeon gave an awkward laugh and rolled her eyes slightly. Since she had no idea how he intended to teach, she couldn’t help but watch him carefully.
He alternated his gaze between her sketchbook and the cast with intense seriousness.
‘Wow—if I were the plaster cast, I’d have already said something.’
Watching him, Ha Yeon clicked her tongue inwardly. His burning gaze toward the cast was so intense it felt suffocating. The cast, of course, couldn’t talk—but had any living person endured that stare, they surely would have turned to ash on the spot.
“Here, and here…”
Min Je pointed to two areas of Ha Yeon’s sketch with his finger.
“The proportions are off—you should correct them.”
“Oh—right…”
Ha Yeon picked up her pencil and redrew the lines he’d indicated. His gaze now fixed firmly on her hand, the pressure was immense.
She tried desperately to regain her composure, but his unwavering attention made her fingertips tremble slightly—and no matter how hard she tried to ignore his presence, the fresh scent of his shampoo kept reminding her he was there.
After silently observing her struggle for a while, Min Je finally decided it wouldn’t do and held out his hand.
“Here, give it to me—I’ll try.”
“R-really?”
Ha Yeon handed over the pencil with an awkward smile—and flinched involuntarily as their fingers brushed.
Noticing how acutely aware Ha Yeon seemed of him, Min Je casually brushed back his hair. Normally bold and seemingly unshy, she now appeared so tense it was impossible to miss.
The problem was—her expression stirred something in him as well. A strange, subtle tension thickened the air between them.
Watching her trembling eyelashes, he felt an odd sensation ripple through him and absently rubbed his jaw. Then, as if shaking off his thoughts, he swiftly corrected the sketch with a few quick strokes.
“Oh—now it looks completely different!”
Once fully absorbed in the drawing, Ha Yeon’s eyes lit up as if she’d never been nervous at all. Watching that shift in her expression up close was rather intriguing.
Min Je let out a quiet laugh and placed the pencil back in her hand.
This time, the contact was deliberate—he’d moved before he could stop himself, simply curious to see how her expression would change.
Predictably, Ha Yeon now gripped the pencil far too tightly—her already pale fingers had turned bone-white at the knuckles. Observing this, he felt a complicated swirl of inexplicable emotions rise within him once more.
Since childhood, survival had honed in him an instinctive habit of reading people’s dispositions. As the proverb says: “You may measure ten fathoms of water, but not one of a person’s heart”—truly knowing someone’s inner self was impossible.
Yet, over time, this intuitive insight had matured—not only to assess artworks, but people as well.
Outwardly, Ha Yeon appeared bold and cheerful—but he suspected this might be merely a defense mechanism. In truth, she likely longed more than anyone for someone to lean on, to let her weakness show freely, to be spoiled without pretense—yet masking all of it had become second nature to her.
Much like a pufferfish inflating itself when sensing danger.
“Now that I’ve helped you fix the proportions, go ahead and diligently fill in the shading.”
To diffuse the awkward atmosphere, Min Je deliberately adopted a stern tone.
“Yes, sir.”
Unable to say anything else, Ha Yeon simply pouted her lips—then immediately plunged into the sketch with utter seriousness.
“Don’t forget to emphasize the sense of volume.”
With that tossed-off remark, Min Je sat down at the opposite desk and began reading.
Ha Yeon silently mouthed his words and shot him a quick glare. As if she didn’t know that already! She *knew*—she just *couldn’t* execute it properly!
With a huff, she redirected her frustration into the sketch, furiously building up the tones. In the quiet room, only the rapid whisper of her pencil—*shh-shh-shh*—filled the air.
“By the way…”
At Min Je’s sudden interjection, Ha Yeon’s hand froze mid-stroke.
“H-huh? By the way, what?”
She gulped, assuming he’d noticed her spiteful sketching—was a scolding about to rain down?
But the question he actually asked was utterly unexpected:
“Do you… happen to like pufferfish?”
“Huh? Pufferfish?”
Momentarily dumbfounded, Ha Yeon murmured in confusion. What on earth did pufferfish have to do with anything? Was he seriously picking the menu for her employment welcome dinner?
“Uh, y-yes—I do like it. Nothing beats pufferfish stew with a glass of soju…”
She trailed off and glanced at Min Je’s face. Wait—was that wrong? His lips twitched faintly as he struggled to suppress a smile.
“Well then—I’m glad to hear you like it.”
Though she had no idea what he found so fortunate, Ha Yeon didn’t ask. She feared another question might send her spiraling back into furious sketching.
Seeing Ha Yeon’s suddenly blank expression only made Min Je think of pufferfish even more—first the flying squirrel, now the pufferfish. A woman who spanned mammals to fish? He’d never heard of such a thing.
He held open a book, but the words refused to register. Logically, it wasn’t even that funny—but again and again, laughter threatened to spill out.
In all his life, he’d never tried so hard to suppress a smile.
Mid-sketch, Ha Yeon realized her gaze kept drifting toward Min Je against her will. Merely having him seated across from her was distracting enough—his occasional quiet chuckles made it even worse.
Moreover, whenever she tried to look at Giuliano’s cast, her eyes automatically snapped to Min Je’s face first. Well… she understood why. Her eyes were apparently specialized detectors—though unfortunately not general-purpose ones, but *handsome-man* detectors.
‘Damn it—I never expected this kind of operational issue.’
Ha Yeon let out an incredulous chuckle. Because a good-looking man sat before her, the plaster cast had literally vanished from her view.
And not just any cast—the idol of plaster casts, meticulously crafted by Michelangelo himself: Giuliano de’ Medici.
‘This tutoring… is it really going to be okay from here on out?’
Unaware even of herself, Ha Yeon let out a soft sigh.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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