So, when I finished taping up the last box of my belongings to be sent to Korea, it was already past 9 PM.
By now, Seojun is probably working hard.
I picked up my phone and typed a message.
[I’m going to Seoul.]After sending the message, my eyes were drawn to the new profile picture. Moon Dayul was sitting in a charming cafe, smiling warmly with a cup of coffee in front of her.
“Looks like she’s having a good time.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m going. Wait for me a bit.”
I put down my phone and surveyed the somewhat messy room. I’ve been living here for three years. It was a place I had grown attached to, but now, seeing the empty room after packing up, it felt empty, and all I wanted was to quickly board the plane to Korea.
After roughly organizing things, I picked up my phone to check if there was any new message.
“What’s up? Answer?”
Right after sending a message to Moon Dayul, I heard the doorbell.
“Who’s here at this hour?”
The rude doorbell annoyed me suddenly.
“Who is it.”
“It’s me! Dave.”
“Dave? What’s happening at this hour?”
He was a colleague I worked with. I quickly opened the door, and Dave was standing there, holding two hands full of beers, warmly smiling.
“We need to have one last drink.”
As soon as the door opened, Dave entered with a carefree laugh.
“What time is it now?”
“Don’t be so strict. I’ve been stuck in the lab until now, barely managed to get out.”
Ignoring my irritation at Dave’s lack of manners, he went to the kitchen and put the beer on the table.
“I don’t have anything to eat after packing.”
“It’s okay.”
Shrugging my shoulders, Dave threw a beer can at me. Then, he opened a can for himself and drank it down with big gulps.
Seeing him, I felt a bit thirsty too.
“Do you like going to Korea?”
“Yeah.”
Dave, who had downed an entire can and reached out for a new one, asked me.
“Why? Do you have a lover in Korea?”
“Lover? No, what…”
“Well, in the picture, there was always that girl next to Jun. Isn’t she your lover?”
“She’s just a friend.”
“Where does a friendship exist between a man and a woman?”
Where indeed. Right here.
If Moon Dayul is not a friend, what else could she be? If she heard what Dave was saying now, she would have probably jumped up. Anticipating her reaction, I couldn’t help but chuckle again.
With a can attached to my lips, I looked at Dave with narrowed eyes. He gazed at me with a meaningful look, holding his can in front of his chest.
“Why? What?”
When I asked, Dave put his can down on the table and clenched his fist.
“Just… I thought there might be something you don’t know.”
What does he mean? Looking at Dave, who always enjoyed teasing me, I started to feel guarded.
“Let me teach you something good as a parting gift to Jun.”
Dave thumped his chest.
“Cowards have no ability to reveal love. Love is the privilege of the courageous.”
“What? That sounds like Gandhi’s words.”
“You know it. A cowardly friend.”
Dave’s beard, which had a slight smile, had beer foam on it. I pulled out a wet tissue and handed it to Dave. Muttering that it was annoying, Dave wiped the foam away with his sleeve and then blew his nose with the tissue I handed him.
Dirty guy.
Dave, who had been smiling at my expression, opened his mouth.
“After this research is over, I’ll come to Korea for a visit. Wait for me.”
“It’ll probably take more than two years.”
“By then, it would be nice to bring a girlfriend along.”
Ignoring Dave’s words, I took the remaining beer and sipped it.
Last night, Dave, who had been drinking until late, started whining about something, and I had to quickly kick him out of the house. Otherwise, I would have been tormented by Dave until dawn.
After kicking him out, I fell asleep as if collapsing.
The warm sunlight, perhaps because I hadn’t closed the curtains last night, pierced my eyes. I opened my eyes to the dazzling sunshine and picked up my phone next to the pillow to check the time.
Darn it.
In 30 minutes, the delivery company would come to pick up my luggage.
After sending all the luggage except for the ones to be taken on the plane, I did a final check of the empty house and left.
I took a taxi, arrived at the airport, completed check-in, and took my place in front of the boarding gate.
While waiting for the domestic flight to Korea after staying for a day at my aunt’s house in San Francisco, news appeared on the display board that the plane was delayed by an hour.
“It’s strange that there’s no delay now.”
Looking around, I noticed a small cafe. As news of the flight delay spread, one, two people started forming a line. I also stood at the end of that line. Holding a warm local latte, I checked for an empty seat.
All the seats were taken. Just as I was thinking of leaving with just coffee, I spotted someone sitting alone in a four-seater.
“Can I sit here with you?”
When I asked, the woman nodded her head, gladly giving me permission.
I sat down and took out my phone from my pocket.
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.”
