David's Husband (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
Min Je’s eyebrows twitched. Realizing her slip, Ha Yeon quickly shut her mouth and awkwardly greeted him.
“G-good morning.”
Judging by his expression, it was anything but a good morning—but so what? You don’t spit on a smiling face.
“Just look at me for a moment.”
Huh? Wasn’t that the wrong thing to say? Judging by his current expression, he looked capable of spitting *and* cursing at a smiling face.
“Ah… okay.”
Ha Yeon hesitantly followed him.
Click—the door opened, revealing his study. Ha Yeon stared blankly for a moment at the interior, which resembled him so uncannily.
Decorated in shades of gray and deep brown, the study was immaculately organized—sharp, clutter-free paperwork paired with uniquely shaped decorative items evoking modern art.
“Have a seat for a moment.”
Ha Yeon perched only the very edge of her bottom on the plush sofa he indicated.
“I summoned you to draft a contract—not to devour you.”
He’d tossed out the remark as a joke, noticing how frozen she seemed—but somehow, her body stiffened even further.
“Oh-haha, I see.”
Ha Yeon understood it was meant as a joke, but unsure exactly where to laugh, she replied with a bizarre expression: eyes serious, mouth forced into a smile.
Twitch—Min Je’s eyebrows stirred once more.
*Why on earth did I ever like such a man with such a fierce expression?* Ha Yeon regretted squealing every time he appeared in magazines or newspapers back in the day.
Had she known he exuded such an oppressive aura, she might have thought twice.
“By the way—did you actually fill out this résumé properly?”
Min Je flipped through the résumé she’d submitted earlier and asked.
“Yes, I filled it out properly.”
Ha Yeon tilted her head in confusion. After so many part-time jobs, how could she possibly mess up a résumé?
“Hmm, I see.”
Min Je clicked his tongue. Though he’d already conducted a background check on her before, he’d focused solely on criminal records—and thus, some new details now caught his eye: for instance, that she looked younger than her age, or that she was an art student.
“Majoring in Art at Korea University?”
“I’m currently on leave of absence.”
Ha Yeon rolled her eyes slightly. *What’s going on? Is something wrong with my résumé?*
“Are you still painting?”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Ha Yeon’s pupils trembled faintly—no one had ever asked her that before.
“Oh… no, not really.”
She’d nearly fudged an answer—*I sketch here and there when I have time*—but under his piercing, almost mind-reading gaze, she ended up blurting out the truth instead.
“Do you have a specific focus? Or something you especially enjoy drawing…?”
Once again, Ha Yeon’s eyes flickered restlessly. *Why is this man asking such questions?*
She’d been hired solely to care for his son—shouldn’t he be asking about childcare experience or qualifications instead?
“I mostly painted in oils.”
“I see.”
He snapped the folder shut with a sharp *thwack* and rose from his seat.
“Follow me.”
Unable to decipher his erratic behavior, Ha Yeon trailed slowly behind him, puzzled. *What on earth is he up to?*
Exiting the study, Min Je headed toward the farthest room on the first floor.
Click—the door opened, and Ha Yeon let out a soft, involuntary sound.
Sketchbooks, easels, canvases, and sculptures were scattered everywhere.
“This place is…”
“My painting room. Call it a studio, if you like.”
Ha Yeon’s face flushed slightly as she glanced around, catching the faint scent of paint.
A smile rose to her lips at the sight of art supplies—she hadn’t seen proper tools in ages. Her “painting” lately had been limited to doodling with ballpoint pens during breaks at part-time jobs.
“While Ji Hoo’s at kindergarten, you’re welcome to use this space—if you’d like.”
Hearing this, Ha Yeon looked up at him, incredulous.
“What’s that expression for? Do I really look like such a tyrannical employer—so heartless I’d exploit someone without even this small consideration?”
He crossed his arms tightly, his face still sullen.
“No, of course not! In my entire life, I’ve never met an employer as angelic as you.”
Having tried just about everything to survive, Ha Yeon had long since installed automatic flattery into her repertoire.
“Well… true enough.”
His earnest nod made her expression briefly falter.
As she curiously explored the room, Min Je suddenly said:
“Show me your work.”
His deep voice pierced her eardrums, and her heart dropped to her feet with a *thud*.
Slowly, Ha Yeon turned her head to meet his eyes, trying to decipher his intent.
There was no trace of playfulness—only serious, unwavering sincerity. He genuinely wanted to see her paintings. But… why?
“Why… my paintings?”
“I just got curious.”
He tilted his head slightly and gave a faint, amused smile.
At the slight crinkle of his eyes and the flash of white teeth, her heart began pounding wildly.
Ah—whatever else might be unclear, one thing was certain: his smile was *dangerous* to her heart.
“Don’t feel pressured. I simply want to see them—that’s all.”
Ha Yeon merely nodded. After all, if she used the studio, he’d inevitably see her work anyway. Most likely, as he said, it was just harmless curiosity.
“Yes… I’ll show them to you—once they’re finished.”
Yet, contrary to her calm thoughts, her voice trembled.
*This is just a job…* Yet strangely, she felt as if she’d returned to a long-missed home.
Ha Yeon squeezed her eyes shut tightly for a moment before opening them again. Her late father’s voice seemed to echo faintly in her ears:
*“My girl—once your piece is finished, show it to Dad first, okay?”*
Her emotions surged uncontrollably. And then—she realized.
*The truth is… I’ve missed painting.*
Her nose stung unexpectedly. Amid countless part-time gigs, she’d convinced herself art didn’t matter—survival came first.
But the instant she saw his face—that penetrating, soul-seeing gaze—she understood her own heart.
Ah—I *wanted* to paint.
Tears welled up abruptly. To hide them, Ha Yeon deliberately brightened her tone and asked:
“What should I paint?”
“Anything. Paint whatever you want.”
Ugh, damn it. Why does this man keep saying such effortlessly cool things, straining her heart like this?
Ha Yeon resolved to stay sharp from now on.
[This is the timeline separator]Before long, time passed—and Ji Hoo returned from kindergarten.
“Ji Hoo!”
Ha Yeon waved cheerfully as Ji Hoo stepped out of the shuttle. As they entered through the gate, Ji Hoo’s eyes filled with pure confusion.
“What’s all this?”
No wonder—he was staring at a yard half-dug up.
“We’re planting sweet potatoes.”
“Sweet potatoes?”
Ji Hoo’s eyes widened.
*Heh—he’s surprised.* Amused by his reaction, Ha Yeon elaborated:
“If we plant seedlings here, sweet potatoes will grow later.”
“Re-really?”
Oddly, the response she got wasn’t what she’d expected. She’d anticipated something like *“Wow, amazing!”* or *“Can I help too?!”*
Ha Yeon fondly remembered playing in the dirt at her grandmother’s countryside home as a child—and was certain such hands-on activity would benefit his emotional development.
She’d prepared this whole plan ambitiously: to nurture his well-being *and* bond with him through shared physical effort. So why this lukewarm reaction?
“Why go through all this trouble when you can just buy them easily?”
Ji Hoo asked with genuine curiosity.
*This kid—just look at how he thinks!* Ha Yeon huffed in exasperation.
Like father, like son—how could his expressions and tone be *so* identical?
“Have you never even heard terms like ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘organic’?”
Ha Yeon rattled off fancy-sounding words and lifted her chin loftily.
“Hmm… is that so?”
After pondering deeply, Ji Hoo relented magnanimously:
“Fine—I’ll help too.”
Seeing him roll up his tiny sleeves, Ha Yeon grinned. Regardless of how it happened, the plan had succeeded.
Truth be told, she hadn’t expected him to *help* at all. She’d only hoped he’d joyfully play in the dirt like any child should.
Thus, she handed him a small trowel. But the moment he took it, one of his eyebrows shot up.
“What can you even do with *this*?”
Ha Yeon recalled the saying: *Complaining about tools is what incompetent workers do.*
Yet she couldn’t entirely ignore his point—so she swapped the trowel for a hoe.
“The tip’s sharp, so be careful not to hurt yourself.”
“Yes, yes.”
*Where on earth did he learn to reply so soullessly?!*
Ha Yeon forcibly swallowed the retort rising in her throat. *Be patient. This is all for Ji Hoo.*
Just then—
“KYAAAAAH!”
Ha Yeon shrieked suddenly, trembling violently.
“What? What’s wrong?”
Ji Hoo looked up at her, eyes wide.
“A-a-a worm…”
“Oh, *that’s* what startled you?”
Ji Hoo sighed, as if his earlier alarm had been pointless.
*You don’t get it—this is a big deal! How is this not alarming? Worms are terrifying creatures!*
Seeing Ha Yeon shaking and pointing at the worm, Ji Hoo chuckled and lifted it with his hoe.
“No way—you’re actually scared of *this*?”
“KYAAA! Get it away!”
Ha Yeon shrieked—and Ji Hoo giggled.
At that moment, the front door opened and closed—Min Je stepped out. Dressed in a crisp suit, he approached upon hearing the commotion.
“What… are you two doing?”
Torn-up flowerbed. Dirty clothes. Screaming. Nothing he saw was easy to explain.
“Oh—well—we were planting sweet potatoes. You said I could use the unused part of the flowerbed, so…”
Seeing her roll her eyes, Min Je thought: *So ‘using the flowerbed’ meant… this?*
Clearly, his idea of “using” and hers were worlds apart.
“You’re planting sweet potatoes?”
“Yes—sweet potatoes.”
She hadn’t expected praise, but she *had* hoped for at least a “Good job” or “Thanks for your effort.”
“Why go through all this trouble when you can just buy them easily?”
She never expected him to parrot Ji Hoo’s line *verbatim*.
*Sigh—what did I expect, anyway?* Ha Yeon sighed inwardly: *I won’t expect anything from these two ever again.*
“Are you heading out somewhere?”
Compared to her mud-splattered self, his pristine suit seemed to glow blindingly—so the question slipped out before she could stop it.
“Oh—there’s a brief meeting regarding the exhibition schedule. Please take good care of Ji Hoo. Ji Hoo, you listen well—and maybe not with *that*…”
Min Je grimaced, pointing at the wriggling worm on Ji Hoo’s hoe.
“She says she’s scared of it.”
Ji Hoo whispered, as if revealing a grand secret.
“I-it’s not that I’m scared—I just *dislike* it. Honestly, who wouldn’t find this off-putting?”
Ha Yeon laughed awkwardly, seeking agreement.
“I might be late. Don’t wait up—just go to sleep.”
“Yes, have a safe trip.”
Ignoring Ha Yeon’s question entirely, father and son exchanged farewells.
*Whoa—seriously? Did you just ignore me?!* Huffing, Ha Yeon waved her hand vigorously at Min Je’s retreating back, matching Ji Hoo’s energy.
“Have a safe trip!”
Warm afternoon sunlight flooded the garden.
Min Je had just taken a step outside when an unfamiliar sensation made him glance back.
There, unfolding before him, was a scene he’d *never* witnessed in his entire life: people smiling as brightly as the sun itself, waving to see him off.
For some reason, a strange itch stirred within him—and he hurried out the front door.
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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