Did I Ever Love You? (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
“Huh? Department Head. Did you just say…?”
At first, she thought she’d misheard.
“Haa… This really isn’t the right time to bring this up.”
Kang Hyun sighed as if he’d made a mistake.
“Did I hear you wrong?”
“I said I’m interested in Eun Ji Yeon as a man. I assumed you already knew, but after thinking over our conversations, it seems you had no idea at all.”
Ji Yeon shook her head, flustered.
“I only thought it was because we’re teammates and neighbors…”
At Ji Yeon’s words, Kang Hyun chuckled softly.
“Go ask any random man on the street if he wants to spend weekends with his neighbor.”
Even though Kang Hyun deliberately spoke lightly, Ji Yeon’s embarrassment didn’t fade.
“I hope you won’t get too nervous just because I said this—nothing’s going to change drastically right away. It’s more like… I’m thinking I might try to spend more time with you, Eun Ji Yeon? Oh, and that I’m definitely getting treated to Korean food?”
Trying to lighten the mood, Kang Hyun made a playful face, then suddenly grinned widely.
After that, she couldn’t even clearly recall how she got back home or ended up lying on her bed—her mind was utterly in chaos.
Had she really not imagined it?
At some point, Kang Hyun’s usually cold, sharp eyes had started looking soft and warm to her.
Though her eyes were closed, his words filled her mind completely, leaving her dizzy and unsettled.
After making sure Ji Yeon had entered her house safely, Kang Hyun went downstairs and took a short walk through the front garden.
He could see the light on in Ji Yeon’s house from the garden.
Truthfully, he’d arrived at the hospital long before entering her room.
He’d listened to the doctor’s report on her condition and finished all discharge preparations. Just as he was about to open her room door—
He heard Ji Yeon’s agitated voice from inside.
“Ha Young! $#@$#, that lousy jerk never filed our marriage registration! Three whole years of my life just vanished! All that hard time became meaningless! I—I don’t know what to do, it’s so unfair!”
For some reason, he felt he shouldn’t hear any more, so Kang Hyun stepped away before anything else reached his ears.
Given that Ji Yeon usually said she didn’t have a boyfriend, it seemed she wasn’t seriously seeing anyone.
Yet from what he’d just overheard, something complicated must have happened.
‘I’ll find out once we get a little closer.’
He decided to stay calm and patient.
There was no need to know everything right away.
It had been a long time since he’d felt this way.
In the past five years, no woman had grown close to him—none of his fleeting relationships even deserved the word “connection,” and no woman had ever caught his interest.
But since meeting Ji Yeon, he kept wondering about her and wanting to spend more time with her.
He wanted to get to know Eun Ji Yeon more deeply.
Min Woo was in a sour mood.
Nothing particularly bad had happened.
He’d just felt this way ever since last Sunday.
Se Ah had insisted they go to a famous restaurant in Chuncheon she saw on social media, so he’d driven an hour and a half just to get there.
When they arrived, despite the distance, there was already a long line outside, and it looked like they’d have to wait another hour to get in.
He disliked eating outdoors and hated crowded places, but since he’d already driven all the way and Se Ah kept begging him so earnestly, he reluctantly added their names to the waiting list and stayed.
“I’ll be right back—just going to the restroom.”
“Only five groups ahead of us now! We’ll get seated soon. I’ll wait right here.”
Se Ah, thrilled by their rare date, didn’t notice Min Woo’s sour mood at all.
Just as Min Woo headed inside the restaurant toward the restroom—
He heard a familiar voice from a table inside.
‘No way…’
He turned toward the sound and saw a face he recognized.
Eun Ji Yeon.
Across from her sat a man, but he was turned away, so only his back was visible.
“@#$@# I really didn’t expect you’d actually flick my forehead! It really hurts!”
Ji Yeon pouted cutely at the man, who responded by ruffling her hair affectionately.
They seemed so incredibly close.
‘What the hell, Eun Ji Yeon? You already got yourself a guy? You?’
Suddenly, something surged up deep inside Min Woo’s chest.
It felt like watching someone touch what was his without permission.
Pushing aside the unpleasant feeling, he went to the restroom. When he came back, the table where Ji Yeon had been sitting was empty.
He looked around but couldn’t find her anywhere.
When he returned to the waiting line, Se Ah was waving and smiling at him.
“A table just opened up! Only four groups ahead now. This place is super famous on SNS—even if you come early, you usually wait for over ten tables. We’re really lucky today, Min Woo!”
“Yeah, lucky.”
His distracted reply was filled entirely with the scene he’d just witnessed.
Everything began irritating him more and more.
Driving over an hour through crowds on a weekend.
Waiting a whole hour just for a meal.
And seeing Eun Ji Yeon with another man.
That feeling wouldn’t fade with time—it only grew stronger.
‘Should I ask her the next time we meet?’
But even if she was seeing someone, what did it matter to him?
If anything, wasn’t it better this way?
He might even get his divorce finalized a bit sooner because of it.
[When will we meet again?]He didn’t get a reply from her even after dozens of minutes.
[Are you busy?]Still no answer.
Frustrated, Min Woo tossed his phone onto his desk.
Just then—
Jing! Jing!
Startled, he picked up his phone to check the message.
[XX Card Approved / ₩3,000,000 One-time Payment / XXXX Department Store]It was a card transaction alert from Se Ah—adding fuel to his frustration.
He hadn’t told her the card’s limit, but recently she’d been spending quite a bit.
She kept getting skincare treatments, shopping at department stores, and lately even declared she’d redecorate their home and buy new furniture.
The card he’d given her had a monthly limit of ₩30 million, yet she’d nearly maxed it out shortly after receiving it. At this rate, she’d soon exceed the limit.
“I can’t let this go—I need to say something.”
He hadn’t spoken to Se Ah about it yet, but the list of things he needed to say kept growing.
Still, just thinking about lecturing her gave him a headache.
Se Ah had fragile mental health—if Min Woo scolded her, she’d inevitably end up in tears.
Until recently, her tears used to soften his heart, but now they just annoyed him more and more.
Beep! Beep!
“Madam, your card exceeded its limit—what should we do?”
“What? That can’t be. Please try again.”
As expected, the card reader beeped again, showing the exact same error message.
“Madam, it really is over the limit. If something seems wrong, maybe call your card company?”
The staff member handed back the card, looking awkward.
Se Ah was shopping in the luxury section of a department store.
“This can’t be right. It just can’t be. Give me a moment—I’ll fix this right away.”
Her face flushed with embarrassment.
She forced an awkward smile at the staff, pretending to be unfazed, but inside she was burning up.
Rrrr Rrrr-
“PICK UP THE PHONE already, Min Woo…”
After several failed attempts, Min Woo finally answered on the fifth call.
“I’m in a meeting right now.”
“Wait, Min Woo! Don’t hang up—I’m in an emergency right now!”
Hearing Se Ah’s urgent tone, Min Woo didn’t hang up, so she rushed out her request.
“I came to buy something at the department store, but my card’s been blocked. They say it’s over the limit, but I think something’s wrong.”
Min Woo let out a heavy sigh, then muttered softly, “Wait just a moment.”
“I barely spent anything! How can it be over the limit? Something must be wrong.”
“It’s correct—you’ve already spent over ₩30 million in just a few weeks, Se Ah.”
“What? That’s impossible… And even if I did, everything was absolutely necessary! I’m literally here to buy our furniture right now.”
“Just stop shopping and go home for today. We’ll come together on the weekend.”
Se Ah glanced at the store employee watching her and shook her head.
“No! Fix it right now! I absolutely need to buy this today. Everyone’s waiting… I’m so embarrassed—hurry up!”
Min Woo, in the middle of an important meeting with his team leaders, was so annoyed he didn’t even bother replying.
If Se Ah had been perceptive, she would’ve stopped here and secured something greater. Unfortunately, she wasn’t.
“You’ll fix it right away, right? Right?”
“Try again in ten minutes.”
With that, Min Woo hung up without even saying goodbye.
Se Ah, indifferent to his attitude, turned back to the staff with a wide grin.
“My boyfriend totally forgot—he bought several pieces from H Collection a few days ago, so the card was already maxed out!”
She babbled excuses the staff hadn’t even asked for, forcing another awkward smile.
‘Ugh, what a humiliation. Why did Min Woo give me a card with such a low limit and make me go through this embarrassment?’
Se Ah fanned her flushed cheeks with her palms, trying to cool them down.
Ten minutes later, she purchased a ₩12 million sofa in full payment.
“Seriously, is this kid even paying attention these days? Quitting her job again without even talking to me first. Not a single call…”
Joo Ran grumbled as she stared at her phone, then put it down.
Since her last visit, Ji Yeon had completely stopped contacting her.
The regular check-in calls every few days, the monthly side dishes she used to bring over, even the shopping trips whenever new items arrived at the department store… All of it had abruptly stopped.
“I’ll have to go see her again. She always acts like this when someone’s too nice to her.”
When Ji Yeon and Min Woo’s marriage was first proposed, Joo Ran had strongly opposed it.
Min Woo’s family background wasn’t an issue, but hearing that Ji Yeon had graduated from the same university and major as Min Woo—and even topped her class—somehow made Joo Ran instantly dislike her.
“Smart girls always look down on their mothers-in-law. And someone like me, not even the legal wife but a second wife—they’ll climb all over me.”
When Chairman Cha’s relationship with his legal wife, Kim Ji Won, soured, Kang Joo Ran seized the opportunity.
She’d been working as a maid in Chairman Cha’s household.
One day, after Chairman Cha had a fierce argument with Kim Ji Won over a minor misunderstanding and got completely drunk in his study, Joo Ran deliberately approached him.
Whether it was the alcohol or if Chairman Cha had already taken notice of her beforehand—
That night, he took her into his arms, and Joo Ran became pregnant with Min Woo.
After Min Woo was born, Chairman Cha registered him in his family registry.
But even then, Chairman Cha never officially divorced Kim Ji Won—they’d been living separately for decades without finalizing it.
Joo Ran used every possible charm and persuasion, yet Chairman Cha never fully committed. He simply split his life between his main household and Joo Ran’s home.
Occasionally, when family events required her to attend with Cha Min Woo, she’d run into Kim Ji Won and her children.
Sometimes, she’d even hear imaginary voices scolding her: “Who do you think you are, showing up here?”
Yet Joo Ran stubbornly kept attending, determined to prove she belonged to this family.
But every time she met Kim Ji Won, her self-esteem hit rock bottom.
When she became pregnant with Min Woo, when he was added to the family registry, when she appeared at family gatherings—Kim Ji Won never reacted outwardly, but her eyes always spoke loud and clear:
“Why should I care about a fly stuck in my food?”
As if to say, “Why would I waste my emotions on someone as insignificant as you?” Kim Ji Won always looked down on her like a worthless insect.
Eun Ji Yeon—another well-born, capable young woman—seemed exactly like Chairman Cha’s legal wife, Kim Ji Won.
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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