Ok-hee, who opened the gate, widened her eyes in surprise.
“My goodness, what brings you here?”
Contempt and disgust filled her crystal-like eyes as she looked at Taehi. Taehi faced those eyes calmly and said,
“Didn’t Dad call you? He said I should wait here for 20 minutes until he arrives.”
The only time Taehi called that man ‘Dad’ was in Ok-hee’s presence. She knew it turned Ok-hee’s stomach each time she said it.
“He should have told you to meet outside. How can you be so clueless and shameless?”
Despite cursing with her eyes, Ok-hee’s face bore a slight smile.
She cared about what others thought, wanting to maintain a good image for the neighbors. She was the understanding and generous wife who even accepted her husband’s illegitimate child.
The more she did this, the more Taehi wanted to rip through her smooth, nauseating façade and reveal her true self.
“How dare I talk back to Dad? If it bothers you that much, couldn’t you just call and tell me? Then I’d happily wait somewhere else.”
When Ok-hee remained silent, Taehi continued as if she expected this response.
“See? Even you, whom Dad adores, can’t do it. How could I, the unloved daughter?”
“…….”
“If it really bothers you, I’ll wait outside the gate until Dad comes.”
Feigning innocence, Taehi slowly blinked her eyes, and Ok-hee reluctantly opened the gate wide.
In Seontae’s study.
“What’s up? You calling me first.”
Seontae, sitting confidently on the sofa’s head seat, looked shamelessly nonchalant.
“Indeed. Why would I call you?”
Muttering bitterly, Taehi forced a wry smile.
Angry with Hyesook for keeping important matters hidden, but even more so with the shameless Seontae.
‘Does Mom mean that Grandfather’s house is owned by that man? He said if I marry well and bring son-in-law’s fortune, he’d transfer it back to Mom’s name?’
Tears streamed unceasingly from Hyesook’s eyes, overwhelmed with regret. She’d heard countless times how much her father, the only child, loved her. But she fell in love with Seontae, causing a deep wound in her father’s heart.
Blinded by love, she realized too late the grave mistake she’d made. Although she wanted to retrieve the house filled with memories of her grandparents, she knew she was an unfilial daughter for her indelible sin.
‘The one who loves more loses everything. Slowly giving up, piece by piece. The less loving one loses nothing, at most just emotional toll. I lost everything, but your father lives well without any loss.’
‘So, Taehi, don’t love like me. Find a man who loves you more. That’s why I like Sajoon. He only has eyes for you.’
Hyesook’s first sincere advice to her daughter brought a determined resolve in Taehi.
She decided to confront that man and end things today.
And so, she sat opposite Seontae, not wanting a lengthy dialogue or detailed explanation. Taehi got straight to the point.
“Give back Grandfather’s house. It’s originally Mom’s.”
Seontae’s eyebrows shot up violently, and his eyes seemed to shake momentarily.
Was it that shocking? Or did he feel a twinge of conscience?
“What did your mother tell you?”
“Is that important?”
“Speak up!”
Seontae, standing upright, yelled with his bulging eyes rolling.
“That you’re using Grandfather’s house as leverage to force me into marriage.”
Finally, leaning back on the sofa, Seontae relaxed as Taehui continued.
“If you just return that house to Mom, I won’t resent or hate you. I’ll think of you as a good father and leave quietly with Mom. You and your family have always been troubled by me and Mom anyway.”
It was Taehui’s first and last attempt at reconciliation with Seontae.
If there’s any remaining conscience, I’ll acknowledge him as the biological father who brought me into this world. I won’t hate or resent him.
“What if I refuse?”
“I’ll expose how despicable and vile you are to the press. If the company’s stock drops and its image is damaged because of you, do you think the chairman will forgive you? Your brother will surely seize the opportunity to snatch the vice president position.”
Seontae laughed out loud, a clear scoff.
“Go ahead. A little bribe and the article will be dropped. Or I’ll just make another celebrity scandal hit the news and bury it.”
Taehui bit the inside of her mouth hard to keep from lashing out.
Keep calm to win. I must maintain composure.
“So, you’re saying you’ll never return Grandfather’s house?”
“You’re smart, but sometimes you act so dumb.”
“Just answer.”
Holding onto a slim hope that Seontae, her biological father, isn’t the worst of humanity.
“If you’re talking about returning the house, you should’ve brought a man to marry. Someone like Sajun, with a similar background.”
But Seontae easily rejected her first and last offer of reconciliation.
“Seontae, you have everything. Honor, wealth, power, this house, a loving wife, and daughter.”
Unlike Seontae, Taehui and Hyesook had only each other.
“Why cling to that house in the countryside? Aren’t you human? Don’t you have a conscience? Don’t you know right from wrong?”
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.”
