Impure Among Friends (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13
Tae Hee pressed her palm firmly against her chest, right above her heart. What was it about this single message that made her heart race like this?
Well, honestly, it was enough to be surprised. It was the first message Kang Sa Jun had ever sent her—ever—in all thirteen years.
Last week, she’d even received her first-ever phone call from him.
She could let that one slide, given the circumstances, but this message? This was something else.
It was a completely meaningless message—which was exactly the problem.
Why reach out when nothing was going on? What on earth had gotten into him?
Question marks floated aimlessly through her head, yet Tae Hee calmly sent a reply.
[Nothing much, just catching up on household chores.]Drrr—her phone buzzed again.
[Nice weather today.]Seriously, people only brought up the weather when they had nothing to say. If you’ve got nothing to say, don’t send a message at all.
Grumbling under her breath, Tae Hee looked out the small window at the sky.
It was an unusually high, vivid blue, without a single cloud in sight. Sure, the sky was blue and the day was lovely—but so what?
“Kang Sa Jun, what exactly are you trying to do with me?”
Letting out a soft sigh, Tae Hee sent another bland reply.
[I guess so.]Still holding her phone, she crouched down beside her bed.
Phone calls were straightforward—you stated your business and hung up—but messages were a little more ambiguous.
Would he reply or not? And if he did, what would he say? What should she say back?
Even though they’d only exchanged dull, pointless words, her heart was inexplicably racing.
If this had happened before she’d become aware of her feelings, she’d have immediately called him and demanded, “Why are you acting like this?”
But things were different now.
Exchanging messages with Kang Sa Jun for the first time—it felt… flirty, somehow.
Of course, she was probably the only one feeling that way.
But the moment she openly waited for a reply, her phone went completely silent again.
No matter how long she waited—seconds ticking by, then minutes passing—
“Hey, you! Reply already! It’s bad manners to start something and not finish it yourself! If this were a date, you’d be out! Out!”
Just as she was shaking her poor phone as if it were Kang Sa Jun himself, a new message arrived.
[Want me to buy you something delicious?]Her heart gave another little flutter. With just that simple line, she could almost see his eyes and hear his voice.
If that wasn’t a talent, what was?
Making someone’s heart leap without even showing your face or voice—that took real skill.
Resting her arms on the bed and propping her chin up, Tae Hee let out a small laugh.
“So he’s trying to tempt me with food again.”
It was just as meaningless as before, yet her mind was suddenly full of thoughts.
She didn’t know how to interpret this—what should she even reply?
Should she decline? Casually say yes? Or just ignore it altogether?
While she wavered indecisively, her phone drrred once more.
He’d sent another message—before she’d even replied.
[We could watch a movie too.]Tae Hee read the message over and over again, slowly, multiple times.
Had they ever watched a movie together?
Maybe once or twice a year, at most.
They used to go whenever Sa Jun got VIP premiere tickets. Though, truth be told, because he got bored so easily, they rarely stayed till the end.
But this felt different—completely different.
There was a world of difference between “I got tickets, wanna go?” and “Let’s make time to watch a movie together,” when there were no tickets involved.
She just sat there, staring blankly at her phone, when another message came through.
[And after the movie, we could grab your favorite chicken and beer.]That sly fox—her heart wavered just a little at the mention of chimaek.
But if they ate something delicious, watched a movie, and had chimaek—wasn’t that basically dating?
Tae Hee wanted to press him. If this was just “etiquette lessons,” did that mean the free food, chimaek, and movie counted as tuition?
Sighing softly, she pulled her knees up and hugged them.
“But Min Tae Hee, what about you? Why do you even feel disappointed?”
She remembered Hye Suk once sighing in frustration: “Feelings never go the way you want them to.”
That was exactly her situation now. She’d decided to sort out her own feelings and had even rejected her boyfriend’s proposal—so what on earth was she expecting?
She knew perfectly well, yet the sense of disappointment was unavoidable.
In thirteen years of close friendship, Kang Sa Jun had never once done anything like this with her—but now he was offering delicious food, a movie, and chimaek with some matchmaking stranger.
“Isn’t that just too much?”
She’d heard people say that when you’re utterly flabbergasted, laughter is the only response—exactly how Tae Hee felt right now.
She absolutely, positively wasn’t jealous. As a friend, she was just… hurt. And she had every right to be.
[Sorry, I really need to finish up these chores.]Just as she tried to decline cleanly and get back to cleaning, another message came in.
[Can’t you do that after dinner instead?]Hmph. She snorted—but before she could react, another message followed immediately.
[I’m right outside your house now.]Tae Hee shot up and stuck her head out the window.
Sure enough, a sleek, striking red sports car stood parked right in front of her house.
So all that talk about him struggling financially—about only *he* having it hard—must’ve been complete lies.
Was this really how you treated a friend who was having a hard time?
Glaring at Sa Jun’s car, Tae Hee immediately pressed the call button.
The moment Sa Jun answered, she launched into him like she was rapping.
“Kang Sa Jun! Didn’t I clearly tell you to call ahead and schedule things first? I also have my…?”
But the moment Sa Jun stepped out of the car, Tae Hee’s words died in her throat.
Wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and a cap pulled low over his face, Sa Jun looked like a college student—or maybe a model.
Still, his strikingly handsome appearance shook Tae Hee to her core.
Her heart trembled. Her mind wavered. And showing up like this—right at this moment—was utterly unfair.
“…You really, really have to stop doing this after today.”
There was absolutely no way she could stay inside now.
She swore—it wasn’t because she’d fallen for his looks.
It was just… he’d already come all the way to her doorstep. That’s all. She had no choice.
[You’ll come down right away, right?]“I need time to change! Just wait five minutes.”
Grumbling into the phone as she turned away, she caught sight of herself in the vanity mirror.
Her just-woke-up hair stuck out every which way, and dark circles shadowed her eyes.
She glanced back out the window—and saw Kang Sa Jun looking perfect from head to toe.
“No, wait—make that twenty minutes.”
Her mind was made up.
As soon as she hung up, Tae Hee swiftly sat down at her vanity.
She needed to quickly fix her hair, apply some sunscreen at least, and maybe do light, natural-looking makeup—what people called the “no-makeup makeup” look.
But what on earth should she wear? A dress would be overkill, and her current outfit definitely wouldn’t do.
Thus began another dilemma.
Of course, it absolutely wasn’t because she wanted to look pretty for Kang Sa Jun.
It was purely so she wouldn’t look out of place next to that overly handsome guy.
[This is the timeline separator]After more than two weeks of complete silence, Madam Jang finally sent over the list of potential suitors.
On a lazy weekend afternoon, Seon Tae sat at the dining table sipping coffee when he suddenly slammed his fist down on the table after checking the email she’d sent.
“What does that old fox think Song Hyeon Electronics is?!”
His usually sharp eyes were twitching with fury.
Knowing her husband’s quick temper, Ok Hee remained calm and asked evenly,
“What’s wrong, dear?”
When Seon Tae didn’t answer, Ok Hee’s gaze drifted to the brightly lit laptop screen.
The content on screen looked intriguing enough that she pulled the laptop closer to herself.
As she reviewed the list of suitors, a satisfied smile slowly spread across Ok Hee’s lips.
None of the families seemed suitable for business collaboration; most offers amounted to little more than handing over a decent lump sum of cash instead of actual investment. And the men’s backgrounds were thoroughly unimpressive.
That’s exactly why Ok Hee was so pleased—these candidates were perfectly matched to that Min Tae Hee girl.
“Honey, I think the third suitor looks the best! Even if he can’t invest in the company, he’s willing to buy Song Hyeon shares to support you—and he’s offering 1 billion won in cash! That’s more than enough for Tae Hee.”
But Seon Tae shot her a terrifying look.
“Do you think I’m selling Tae Hee for money? I’m trying to arrange a proper alliance between respectable families—not some trash family that can’t even hand out decent business cards! I want a powerful in-law family that’ll always have my back! Why would I marry Tae Hee off to some divorced scammer just because she’s lacking something?”
Ok Hee’s expression turned complicated. Since when had he cared so much about Tae Hee?
“Our Yeon Seo will be the one to build that strong alliance for us. So Tae Hee should just settle for some financial help, don’t you think…?”
“No. It has to be Tae Hee.”
“What are you even saying?”
Seeing Ok Hee’s eyes narrow sharply, Seon Tae quickly softened his expression and hurried to soothe her.
“Think about it—our Yeon Seo is too gentle and kind. She’s our precious daughter, so we should let her marry whoever she likes and live happily ever after.”
“And what about Tae Hee?”
“Tae Hee’s tough as nails! Ever since she was little, she never backed down from me—even though I never sent her to cram schools, she became class president and valedictorian all on her own! And now she’s landed a solid job and is already a team leader!”
Ever since Tae Hee was a child, Seon Tae had always wondered:
Whose stubbornness did she inherit to be so sharp, resilient, and fierce?
She lacked affection, had no sweetness—and though she was his daughter, that was exactly why he couldn’t bring himself to feel close to her.
Yet sometimes, just watching her made him quietly proud.
No matter where he took her, people always praised how well he’d raised his child.
Of course, the one Seon Tae truly loved was Yeon Seo, not Tae Hee.
But Yeon Seo was like a delicate greenhouse flower—too gentle and submissive toward men.
A woman like that would never be able to control her husband—only be controlled by him.
That was precisely why it had to be Tae Hee who married into a prestigious family and made everyone take notice.
“Remember that Yoon Jae Hyun from university? He couldn’t stop saying he wouldn’t break up with Tae Hee. Sure, his family background wasn’t great—but wasn’t he still a decent guy? And look at Sa Jun—he keeps Tae Hee close for a reason. You need someone tough like Tae Hee to grab hold of her husband and steer him around. That way, he’ll gladly fulfill any request from his in-laws.”
“So you’re saying we’ll marry Yeon Seo off to some average family, but pick only the best for Tae Hee?”
Ok Hee’s eyes brimmed with tears, her voice filled with sorrow.
“No, Hye—ahem, Ok Hee. If I’m powerful enough, our Yeon Seo can also marry into a good family without being looked down on. Tae Hee needs to earn money for us, while Yeon Seo will get everything we have to give. And honestly, with Yeon Seo’s high standards, would she ever accept some ordinary guy?”
“Really?”
Only then did Ok Hee smile gently through her teary eyes.
In truth, Seon Tae’s real motive was that he couldn’t find a better son-in-law than Sa Jun.
In this world, most marriages were strategic alliances, with couples acting as showpiece spouses while secretly living separate lives. Often, husbands took better care of their mistresses than their wives—and sometimes even divorced to remarry their lovers.
Seon Tae himself fit that exact pattern.
So his conclusion was simple: “Couldn’t our Tae Hee do the same?”
Kang Sa Jun clearly had some interest in Tae Hee.
He kept her close even now, had taken the initiative to contact her when she dated Yoon Jae Hyun to push them apart, and still occasionally picked up her calls.
With Tae Hee’s tenacious personality, she might very well push aside the wife and claim the spot for herself. Maybe they could even try making her a second wife. And if she got pregnant? That would be even better.
Having finished his thoughts, Seon Tae smiled and quickly pulled Ok Hee into a comforting embrace.
“Of course! How could I not? Don’t you know how much I love you and Yeon Seo? Everything I do is for our family.”
Even as he said this, he was already thinking of calling Sa Jun.
[This is the timeline separator]Sa Jun had visited this house quite often.
Tae Hee had always been the one to call first, and mid-conversation, he’d casually mention he happened to be nearby and drop by. Eventually, he started running errands for her too.
Of course, Min Tae Hee had no idea. Those “coincidences” were carefully staged—and driving around this neighborhood had become Sa Jun’s regular route.
Back then, Tae Hee would always rush out within minutes, hair hastily tied up, wearing whatever she had on indoors, and shuffling along in her slippers.
So he expected the same today—and didn’t even question why one minute had turned into twenty.
As he waited for the familiar sound of slippers, Sa Jun typed a quick message into their group chat using his new phone.
Instantly, a barrage of short, so-called “dating expert” tips poured in.
Most of them were ignored, but one line caught Sa Jun’s eye as he scanned the messages with an impassive look.
[Pay close attention to what she might need, then casually and nonchalantly provide it. Women’s hearts flutter more from subtle gestures than obvious ones.]If you’re going to take care of someone, just take care—why make it so “casual and nonchalant”?
Women were truly inexplicable creatures, impossible to fully understand.
“What are you staring at so intently?”
But there was no sound of slippers.
At the sudden voice, Sa Jun slowly lifted his eyes, which had been half-lidded and lowered.
Slipping his phone into his pocket, he narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing his vision.
He wanted to get a good look at Min Tae Hee standing right in front of him.
Why She Is Still Unmoved (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He uses various methods to seek her affection, but she remains unmoved.
Synopsis:
Si Qingyu is a doctor who has saved countless lives and enjoys tranquility.
Luo Shaoxuan is ruthless, deeply scheming, and the top young master in the capital. He admires Si Qingyu.
Luo Shaoxuan: I want to be the only one in your eyes and heart.
Features a cold and calm female lead vs A noble and scheming male lead.
There will be both sweetness and torture towards the male after their marriage.
What mother isn’t charmed when she hears someone speak so lovingly of her child? Irresistible.