“Thank you.”
“That’s out of the blue.”
After finishing our meal, Uncle Seung Ho started doing the dishes. When I rolled up my sleeves to help, Auntie said she wanted ice cream and sent Ji Seo Joon and me to run the errand. This was how Ji Seo Joon and I left the house on Auntie’s errand.
“Our parents are so weak for you.”
“Who’s talking? Sometimes, I wonder if you’re our real sibling.”
Our hands held together, swinging in sync as we jokingly compared who was more favored by our parents.
“So, we’re really going together next time?”
“Of course, we promised, we have to go.”
At my words, Ji Seo Joon’s neat white teeth sparkled in a beautiful smile.
What a pretty guy.
“Thinking about it now, I might have been a little scared too.”
“Going to the hospital? See, now you understand why I don’t want to go?”
As he lifted his chin slightly, indicating agreement with my words, he gently pressed down on my head with his large hand.
“She’s still doing well, I hope all her efforts aren’t in vain. I don’t understand why it takes so long to get a clean bill of health.”
“The reason you came from the US was because of Auntie?”
“Yes.”
“If Auntie wasn’t sick, you wouldn’t have come to Korea?”
“…Perhaps that’s the case?”
At Ji Seo Joon’s answer, I unknowingly squeezed the hand I was holding. He gently stroked the back of my hand with his thumb.
“How was life in the US?”
“It was alright. They didn’t invade my privacy too much, and I was rewarded enough for my efforts.”
A supermarket came into view in the distance.
“The only downside was… I couldn’t see the people I love often. Other than that, everything seemed fine.”
“Weren’t you sorry to leave?”
“Yes. I was a bit surprised myself. I felt no regrets wrapping up a life I had been quite satisfied with.”
We arrived in front of the supermarket.
“One of the reasons was you; thinking of playing with you thrilled me.”
Ji Seo Joon said.
By now, a distinct autumn wind had brushed past the two of us.
“Have you heard the recent rumors?”
Just as my body was fully recovered, I craved greasy food. So, I went out to eat with Mr. Baek In Ha and came back into the company.
I wonder if that was a mistake. I came running to the restroom holding my rumbling stomach. When I had barely put out the urgent fire and sighed, I pricked up my ears at the sound coming from outside.
“What rumor?”
Right, why does this darn company have so many rumors? I only hoped it was not about Ji Seo Joon or me.
“It’s about Ms. Yoo Na Ra.”
“Who?”
“Why, the one called ‘Ms. Yoo’ from the HR team…”
“Oh… The one with a younger sister who is a female idol? What about her?”
“Well…”
Suddenly, the voice lowered, and I began to get annoyed at the conversation I could not hear clearly. No matter how much I strained my ears and pushed my upper body forward, I couldn’t hear it.
“Really? Incredible.”
Incredible? What rumor could be so incredible? I was extremely curious, but I was in a situation where I could not open the door and go out.
“Apparently, at a company dinner, a quite handsome man pretended to know Ms. Yoo Na Ra and they both went outside. But then, the two didn’t come back in for quite a while.”
Could it be that ‘Ms. Yoo’ was meeting someone? My feet started to cramp from the awkward posture, but I covered my nose with saliva, held my breath, and listened carefully.
“Ah, they must have just happened to go out together.”
“Someone saw them, they said the atmosphere was quite good.”
“Didn’t Ms. Yoo Na Ra like Researcher Ji Seo Joon?”
“She was harshly rejected quite some time ago.”
“Is that so? Ah… Why does every decent person in the company already have a partner?”
With those words, I heard the two of them leave the restroom with their laughter. After flushing and stepping outside, there was no one left in the restroom but me.
Still, it seemed that ‘Ms. Yoo’ had given up on Ji Seo Joon and was seeing someone, which I thought was fortunate.
Was he someone from the company? I suddenly became curious, but oh well. It didn’t concern me.
Just as I entered the office with a lightened heart, a work bomb dropped, and I completely forgot about the rumor.
The rumor came back to me two days later from that day, a longawaited Friday afternoon.
“Huh? That person is…”
The person I happened to run into.
Researcher Jeong Chan Hyeong was having quite a serious conversation with Ms. Yoo Na Ra.
But, here of all places?
On the way back from the library on an errand for the team leader, I took the shortcut through the emergency exit, hoping to get back to the office quickly. This emergency exit was in a rather secluded place.
Could it be…
The person Ms. Yoo Na Ra was meeting was Researcher Jeong Chan Hyeong? Then, the rumors about Deputy Jeong from the accounting team were indeed baseless.
I wanted to watch more, but out of respect, I averted my eyes. Hoping they would notice, I deliberately started making loud footsteps.
Ms. Yoo Na Ra, who was startled, saw me and was even more surprised. Then, she gave me a slight nod of greeting and hurriedly left the emergency exit.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
