Impure Among Friends (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
I’d tried to brush off Kang Sa Jun’s annoying behavior as something trivial and dismissible.
But that one sentence from Sa Jun—“I like you”—pierced deep into my heart, sapping all my strength. I even forgot how to breathe.
I needed to say something—anything—but my lips, usually so quick to fire back with sharp retorts, stayed stubbornly silent.
In the end, Tae Hee squeezed her eyes shut.
She couldn’t bring herself to look straight into Sa Jun’s eyes, unsure whether they held truth or lies.
The enclosed room fell utterly silent.
Only the thunderous pounding of her heart, threatening to burst from her chest, echoed in Tae Hee’s ears.
Yet Sa Jun’s unbelievable confession wasn’t over yet.
“Min Tae Hee, I’ve liked you for a long time. So let’s stop being just friends and start dating.”
His low, steady voice resonated weightily in Tae Hee’s ears and reverberated through her chest.
It felt like Sa Jun had come prepared to pounce today.
Of course, there was no way his confession was genuine.
She knew that—her mind knew it, her heart knew it too.
Yet, despite everything, her heart fluttered at his words, and she wanted to foolishly believe him. She wanted to toss aside all her complicated thoughts and just try dating Kang Sa Jun.
Even if it was an outrageously unrealistic daydream, she didn’t care—as long as she could stand by his side as a woman.
No, separate from whether Sa Jun was being sincere or not, Tae Hee simply wanted to believe.
After all, Kang Sa Jun had definitely been acting strange lately.
Even the tiniest, most trivial things now seemed bundled together into something she desperately wanted to misinterpret, misunderstand, and believe in.
That maybe Kang Sa Jun acted this way because he liked her too.
So this must be why people said love made you foolish.
Letting out a soft sigh, Tae Hee slowly opened her eyes.
“…….”
“…….”
And met his gaze—cold, emotionless eyes that, for someone who’d just confessed, showed disturbingly little inner turmoil.
Sa Jun’s eyes, faintly tinged with blue, were chillingly calm and composed.
The painful sting of reality, momentarily forgotten, returned in full force.
Though her heart ached, Tae Hee managed a light, wry smile on her lips.
“Wow, I almost believed you for real just now.”
She still desperately wanted to believe his confession—but she knew Sa Jun too well to actually do it.
She knew exactly how indifferent and disinterested he was in women, why he kept only her by his side, and how completely dried up his heart was, devoid of any emotion to the point of crumbling into dust.
“Then believe me.”
Sa Jun’s reply came without the slightest hesitation, nearly making Tae Hee burst into helpless laughter.
His confession clearly carried sincerity now—though the “I like you” part might be a lie, his request to date her was definitely real.
Once he’d singled her out as his ideal partner for this “show-window romance,” he’d never back down. After all, Sa Jun knew better than anyone that she was the easiest, most convenient, and cleanest option for him.
Until she recognized his ulterior motives, Tae Hee had been confident she could handle it.
A tidy, no-strings-attached relationship—where they dated neatly, drew clear boundaries, and moved on without complications.
But now, Kang Sa Jun… I’m not so sure anymore. I like you—so much it feels like I’ll die from it. That’s why I’m scared. I’m terrified.
Unlike her heart, swept away by his confession, Tae Hee’s voice flowed calmly from her lips.
“No, I don’t believe you.”
Sa Jun had once said this to her:
That he got goosebumps whenever he caught her looking at him with romantic interest.
So from his perspective, someone like her—who could engage in casual physical contact and didn’t view him as a romantic prospect—must have seemed like the perfect candidate.
The kiss that crossed all boundaries, the sudden hand grabs without warning, the unexpected texts, sweet words, and affectionate gestures.
His sudden, inexplicable behavior and words, along with the seduction and provocation—all of it now made painfully clear sense in this moment.
Sa Jun hadn’t been trying to confirm his feelings for her.
He’d been testing how far physical intimacy could go and how affectionate he could act before crossing the line into “lover” territory.
“You’ve been testing me this whole time, haven’t you? Seeing if I could or couldn’t date you.”
You bastard—how could you go this far?
Not knowing a thing, I kept getting shaken, agonizing, and struggling so much. Even if I’m as much of a pushover as they come, this is just too cruel.
It hurt as if a red-hot blade were stabbing into her chest. If she entered a relationship like this, she’d inevitably end up just like her mother, Hye Suk.
Constantly swayed, bending over backward, forgiving, making excuses, enduring silently—unable to let go despite the pain, unable to leave even though she hated it, clinging pathetically to his side out of sheer gratitude.
Just like Hye Suk, who cherished a withered flower from Seon Tae, Tae Hee didn’t want to be toyed with by Sa Jun’s shallow affections.
Rather than endure false hope by his side, Tae Hee decided it was better to run away.
If that was the only way to protect herself from Kang Sa Jun.
“I’ll have to decline your offer. I’m sorry—it must’ve taken real courage to confess like that.”
Her week-long, agonizing dilemma now seemed meaningless as those calm words slipped effortlessly from Tae Hee’s lips.
Earlier, her heart had raced so hard at Sa Jun’s confession she couldn’t even meet his eyes—but now, her gaze was steady and composed as she looked at him.
“I can stay friends with you, but honestly, I don’t think I can be your girlfriend. I also don’t have the confidence to deceive your esteemed grandfather. So please, don’t drag me into this.”
“…….”
“You know as well as I do—I hate men and dating just like you do. Even if it’s a fake relationship, the very idea makes my skin crawl.”
Now that she’d rejected his proposal, Kang Sa Jun would undoubtedly find another partner right before her eyes.
Since he’d claimed he didn’t want multiple women around, the woman who better served his needs would stay by his side instead of Tae Hee. And that would be the end of their relationship.
She knew she’d be the one regretting and hurting the moment it ended.
Yet somehow, that felt okay.
If she couldn’t cut ties first or distance herself, then maybe it was better for Sa Jun to push her away and end things himself.
After watching Tae Hee silently for a moment, Sa Jun ran a large hand over his face and let out a sigh.
“Min Tae Hee, why do you have to be so damn difficult?”
It wasn’t Tae Hee who was difficult—it was Sa Jun.
She’d poured every ounce of honest effort into staying by the side of this impossibly difficult Kang Sa Jun, aligning her entire 24-hour day solely around him.
She’d finally secured her place by his side after so much struggle, and just when she thought things might finally get easier, they’d become difficult again.
But for you, I’m probably easy, aren’t I? Both thirteen years ago and now, after all this time—that’s why you felt entitled to test me like this and say things so casually without even asking permission.
As that thought crossed her mind, Tae Hee’s eyes cooled with quiet resentment.
“And you, Kang Sa Jun—why does everything seem so easy for you? Ah, I guess it all is easy for you. I’m easy, and this whole damn world is easy too.”
Sa Jun smirked crookedly, as if he’d just heard something amusing. With his signature lazy gesture, he swept back his fallen hair and cynically muttered, “You’re driving me crazy.”
Then, his smile fading, his eyes filled entirely with the image of Min Tae Hee.
“Min Tae Hee… is that really how you see me?”
I like you.
It had taken Sa Jun a long time to finally say those words to Tae Hee.
They were words he’d handled with extreme caution.
He knew, of course, that the timing of his confession wasn’t ideal.
But when Min Tae Hee had demanded it, he couldn’t bring himself to say no.
Because his feelings had been long-standing—and genuine.
Since either way caused problems, he’d decided to seize this chance and confess.
That he liked her—and so, please, just date him.
Yet the reaction from Tae Hee was utterly absurd, leaving him speechless.
Easy? Who the hell looked easy?
He’d been too difficult for her to show even a hint of his feelings all this time. She had no idea what he’d been willing to do just to keep her by his side.
Gazing again at the woman who now drove him even crazier than before, Sa Jun asked once more.
“Go ahead—ask me. Do I really treat you like you’re easy?”
Instead of answering, Tae Hee’s complex expression reminded him of a certain day just before his college graduation.
“Whether you accept the business succession or enter politics—it’s time you decided your life’s path.”
Sa Jun had rejected all of Hee Gu’s proposals and instead presented his own condition:
Either let him marry or take over the business—but leave him alone to live however he wanted until he turned thirty.
He’d had Min Tae Hee in mind when he mentioned marriage.
But there was one thing Sa Jun hadn’t calculated:
That Min Tae Hee would stubbornly hold out for seven whole years.
“You’re difficult, Min Tae Hee. You’re the only one who’s difficult for me.”
At Sa Jun’s bitterly muttered words, Tae Hee flinched as if she’d heard something she shouldn’t have.
Memories of their time together flashed before her eyes like landscapes passing outside a car window.
She wasn’t some eternally green pine tree—yet for thirteen years, Min Tae Hee had stayed faithfully within the boundary he’d drawn, unchanging and steadfast.
In short, not a single damn thing had changed in those thirteen years.
He’d succeeded in keeping Min Tae Hee by his side—but he himself had never dared step beyond that boundary line for fear of breaking everything.
Ironically, that fear made him treat the woman he loved with cold indifference.
Acting as if he didn’t care, as if he thrived without her, as if he was always the one in control.
Keeping his gaze fixed on Tae Hee, Sa Jun lifted his now-lukewarm Jakseol tea.
It was a habit of his to sip the tea slowly, silently, and deliberately—as if savoring it—swallowing it without a sound.
That habit came from his stepmother, Yeon Hwa, who’d always stressed that even the way one drank water must be slow and elegant to avoid appearing cheap.
“If you don’t want to, I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
Feeling the tea’s bitter aftertaste spread in his mouth, Sa Jun slowly rose from his chair.
“If you’re done eating, let’s get going.”
Tae Hee stood up and cautiously asked him,
“You’re not upset because I rejected you, are you?”
“No way.”
Sa Jun gave her a light, reassuring grin—
Cool and casual, as if he held no lingering attachment to the proposal Min Tae Hee had just turned down, so she’d feel at ease.
[This is the timeline separator]Sa Jun’s car pulled up in front of Tae Hee’s house after a forty-minute drive.
Without even turning off the engine, Tae Hee hurriedly unbuckled her seatbelt to get out—but Sa Jun stopped her.
“Wait a sec.”
Though puzzled, Tae Hee sat quietly, perhaps feeling guilty for rejecting his offer.
Sa Jun got out, walked around the hood, and courteously opened the passenger door for her.
Uncomfortable with this unfamiliar gesture, Tae Hee didn’t get out right away—instead, she looked up at Sa Jun with cautious uncertainty.
Fleeting traces of wariness and anxiety flickered in her wavering eyes.
“Why are you suddenly doing something you never do? It’s scary.”
Her reaction was understandable.
He’d dropped her off many times before, but never once had he gotten out of the car to open her door.
He’d always stayed inside, watching until the light in her small window turned on before driving away.
Even that had all been calculated behavior.
When someone suddenly starts doing things they never did before, it’s usually a sign of affection and interest.
And that’s exactly why he was nervous—pathetically so—afraid Min Tae Hee might abruptly sever their relationship.
After all, it had been Min Tae Hee who first proposed they never see each other as romantic interests—and who had faithfully kept that promise for thirteen years.
But not anymore.
If she thought he’d been treating her too casually because he saw her as easy, then he’d have no choice but to treat her as difficult as possible.
If that’s what Min Tae Hee wanted, he’d gladly give it to her.
Besides, he couldn’t keep suppressing what he truly wanted any longer. Now, he intended to follow his heart and push forward aggressively.
“I can’t disgrace my grandfather’s name, so I’m practicing some manners.”
Of course, he had no intention of letting Min Tae Hee know the real reason.
She’d likely run away again if she found out.
“Now that you’ve rejected my proposal, I’ll have to go on some arranged dates too, right?”
Shrugging nonchalantly, Sa Jun looked down at Tae Hee with half-lidded eyes.
“So you’ll have to teach me more about the kind of manners women like, Min Tae Hee.”
“……”
“Besides you, who else is there to teach me that?”
Of course, it was just an excuse.
It was his way of saying: I’ve always had eyes only for you—now I want you to feel a little nervous about my “change of heart.”
After silently studying Sa Jun for a moment, Tae Hee got out of the car and changed the subject.
“Did you buy a new car again?”
“Yeah. Got bored of the last one.”
“But you only got that one a year ago. You seem to get tired of everything so easily.”
“Yeah, I get tired of everything real quick.”
Sa Jun gave a small chuckle and admitted it without hesitation.
He’d never kept people close to begin with—and everything else in his life, from his hotel suite and his club Gio to his company and his cars, was frequently replaced.
Yet there was one exception he’d kept by his side, unchanged, for a very long time.
Sa Jun flashed a playful smirk and tossed out a half-joking, half-meaningful remark.
“Yet here I am, stuck with you for thirteen years?”
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
What mother isn’t charmed when she hears someone speak so lovingly of her child? Irresistible.