Many messages had arrived. Friends, college classmates, and colleagues from work. I checked and replied to each message one by one when suddenly, I remembered that Moon Dayul had ignored my message.
In a hurry, I went into SNS and found a belated message from Moon Dayul.
“I was too busy today. Sorry. When are you coming to Seoul?”
I took a sip of the latte and replied to Moon Dayul.
“Leaving tomorrow.”
After sending the message, I realized that it had been quite a while since I last met Moon Dayul. Since studying abroad in the United States, we’ve only exchanged brief messages or calls, never met in person.
Even when I was in the military, I only sent typed and printed letters.
“Have you been avoiding me all this time?”
A. No way. There was no reason to avoid it. Ironically, I was the one who felt more exhausted because of Moon Dayul. There were more than a few times when he struggled to handle the aftermath of her accidents.
Now, has she grown up a lot?
It’s good that she has become more mature, but when I see that side of her, it somehow makes me feel sad. I went into SNS and clicked on Moon Dayul’s account.
Photos taken during the trip, pictures of delicious food, luxury bag photos, and dessert pictures were lined up. There were occasional selfies of Moon Dayul, and now she looked quite sophisticated, wearing makeup and giving off the air of a socialite.
What should I do to entertain her? Lost in such thoughts, someone approached and spoke.
“Where are you going?”
A woman who was sitting diagonally across from me asked.
“I went to San Francisco and now I’m returning to my home country.”
“I see. Haha. Where are you from?”
“I’m from Korea.”
“I see. I’ve been to Korea too. It was a very nice country.”
The woman recalled one good story after another from her trip to Korea. When you go abroad, everyone seems to become a patriot. It was always praise for the homeland, no matter when you heard it.
“It seemed like you were so happy when you returned to your hometown. You were smiling so brightly.”
The woman tapped her own smiling lips.
Was I smiling? I subtly touched my lips.
At that moment, a broadcast announced that the gate for my San Francisco-bound flight was now open.
“Well… I should go now. Have a great trip.”
“Yes. I hope you have a safe journey to Korea too.”
I said goodbye to the woman and stood in line to board the plane.
Was I smiling?
I thought again, touching my lips. Then suddenly, I realized that I was quite excited.
Is it because I’m going back to Korea?
No, it wasn’t.
I was somewhat satisfied with my life in the United States, and if my mom hadn’t been ill, I wouldn’t have returned to Korea.
So, why am I excited?…
“I’ll check your seat.”
“Oh, yes. Here it is.”
The stewardess’ announcement pulled me out of my thoughts. I went to my seat, fastened my seatbelt, and shortly after, the announcement that the plane was about to depart echoed through the cabin.
The plane began to move slowly.
The plane, which had been jerking along, reached the end of the runway to take off. With a roar, the plane began to run, and soon it soared into the sky, retracting its wheels.
That way, I left the United States to go to Korea.
“Father!”
I managed to convince my parents not to come out to pick me up. I told them there are many buses from the airport to our house, and there’s no need for them to come. However, when I arrived at the bus stop where the airport bus stops, my father was waiting.
“You’re here!”
My father, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, had more wrinkles on his face. He warmly embraced me, patting my back, and with a big smile, he said, “Welcome back.”
“Don’t bother coming out. You can just take a taxi and come in from here.”
“Father, you have a car too. Besides, do you think your mom will stay still if you don’t come out here?”
I nodded slightly with a small smile at my father’s words.
Loading the luggage into the trunk and heading home. My father, holding the steering wheel, started talking about this and that.
“Do you know how much your mom waited for you to come today? Planning the menu a week ago, preparing ingredients, and… don’t say a word.”
“Really?”
“Of course. She even cleaned your room thoroughly, washed all the blankets, and ventilated every day. Haha.”
“Auntie asked me to say hello.”
“Oh, yeah. Next year, we should go to the U.S. with your mom.”
We were almost home when the traffic started to build up. Even though it was the weekend, seeing the road packed with cars made me realize it was definitely Seoul.
“Oh. Doyul and Doyul’s mom are at home.”
“Doyul?”
“Yeah. You haven’t seen each other for quite a while, right?”
I didn’t expect Doyul to be here. It’s a weekend, so she’s probably unable to resist the temptation of sleeping in, under the care of her mom and aunt.
“Do you know how pretty Doyul has become?”
“Even if she got pretty, she’s still Doyul.”
My father continued to taunt me, saying that I still can’t see well. As the nagging was about to end, the apartment came into view.
“Did you get all the luggage?”
After parking the car and unloading the luggage, we waited for the elevator to go up. Then, I felt a somewhat empty feeling and checked my pocket. My phone was missing.
“Father, I think I left my phone in the car. Can I have the car keys?”
“Oh, goodness. Be careful. I’ll bring this luggage up, so find your phone and come upstairs.”
“Yes.”
After sending my father first, I went back to the car and found the phone on the passenger seat. It must have slipped out of my back pocket.
Holding the phone, I went upstairs.
As the elevator went up floor by floor, my heart began to pound.
Bing bing bing bing beep.
I pressed the door lock password, opened the door, and entered. Mom and Auntie were there.
“I’m back.”
“Oh my! Our Sejun is here.”
“Hello, Auntie. Mom, I’m back.”
“Good. Come on. Was it tough coming here?”
“No, it wasn’t like that.”
Intense welcoming greetings from Auntie and Mom followed. Auntie, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, was still the same, and Mom seemed a bit awkward. A pang shot through one side of my chest.
At that moment, behind the adults, Doyul appeared.
Thud.
At the sight of my mother’s yawning, the pang in my chest disappeared, and suddenly, with a thud sound, something fell.
It was definitely Doyul… But it didn’t feel like Doyul. A feeling that didn’t seem like Doyul at all.
Ignoring that feeling, I walked toward Doyul.
“It’s been a while.”
Doyul wouldn’t know. I wondered how hard I tried to greet her at that moment.
Well, I didn’t know either.
At this moment, the start of 29 years of friendship turning into love.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
