Impure Among Friends (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
Because of the perfect angle that used the dazzling sunlight like stage lighting, Kang Sa Jun’s face was blindingly bright.
Should she say it looked as sweet as a poisoned apple—one you’d still want to bite into despite knowing it’s deadly?
Meeting his jet-black eyes shimmering with sunlight, an urge to give in to that temptation swelled tightly in her chest.
Suppressing that urge with effort, Tae Hee took off her hat and put it back on Sa Jun’s head, thinking to herself,
“No, I won’t give in.”
Whether this was her second or third refusal, she wasn’t sure.
Sa Jun merely shrugged and slowly straightened his back—his expression perfectly composed, without a single crack.
Still, along with her rejection, Tae Hee added one friendly remark.
“There must be plenty of women who’d jump at the chance to date you for free just from one look in your eyes. Don’t waste your time on me—go pick one of them.”
“As you said, anything free comes with trouble.”
“What trouble could there possibly be in dating? If it doesn’t work out, we just break up and…”
Before she could finish, Sa Jun suddenly leaned close again, forcing Tae Hee to swallow hard.
Instead of pulling back in confusion, she just stared right into his eyes—and Sa Jun narrowed his slightly.
His sharp gaze, focused through narrowed eyes as if piercing right through her stubborn resistance, pinned her in place.
“Other women don’t look at me the way you do, Min Tae Hee—they treat me like a stone on the roadside, afraid dating me would just give them a headache.”
As if genuinely tempting her, the corners of his narrowed eyes flickered into a subtle, teasing smile.
“But you? You’re precise, clean-cut, never overstepping boundaries—not once, not ever, relentlessly, maddeningly consistent.”
It sounded like praise, yet also like an insult—and like an insult that somehow doubled as praise.
She felt frustrated, sensing he was dancing around something but unable to grasp what it was.
He phrased direct things indirectly and indirect things directly—was he asking her to understand or not?
So Tae Hee matched him with a calm, defiant smile of her own.
“That’s exactly why, despite always being the ‘eul’—the submissive one—I act so demanding and expensive. So take my advice and find another woman.”
“Min Tae Hee.”
Sa Jun softly called her name and reached out his large hand to tuck a long strand of hair behind her ear.
What was he scheming now?
As Tae Hee stayed still, his big hand, having brushed her cheek, gently lifted her slender chin.
“I have both the means to pay that price and the ability to match your exacting tastes.”
Even as Sa Jun whispered gently, her hazel eyes, hidden beneath long lashes, showed not a trace of emotion.
“Because you’re worth far more than that.”
If only these eyes would look at me—if only you’d start dating me, marry me—I feel like I could do anything.
“What should I do? I’m tearfully grateful you recognize my worth, but my answer stays the same: I refuse.”
This was Min Tae Hee’s third rejection since returning.
He’d charged in boldly, so now it was time to withdraw just as smoothly and cleanly.
“Then that’s it for today.”
When Sa Jun released her chin, Tae Hee’s eyes widened as if she’d just heard something unbelievable.
“Wait—‘that’s it for today’? So you’re saying you’ll come at me again tomorrow?”
Her cat-like eyes, usually tilted coyly upward, now round with surprise, also made her look like a rabbit.
Cat, rabbit—it didn’t matter. Just please, please give in to me.
“A man’s got his pride. Do you think I’d give up after just a few rejections?”
Tae Hee frowned slightly and shot back quietly,
“So how many more times are you planning to come at me like this?”
“You’ve rejected me three times, so… 97 more times?”
Ninety-seven more times…
Tae Hee echoed the words under her breath, her expression utterly dazed.
“Kang Sa Jun, have you ever considered that before you try pushing your way through those 97 times, you might end up going on an arranged date instead?”
“Then just give in before that happens.”
Tae Hee’s lips, which had been trembling slightly at the corners, parted softly.
Sa Jun’s hot gaze immediately fixed onto them again.
He knew he ought to stay calm and approach patiently—but every time he looked at those lips, he grew restless.
For the first time, he thought he might actually understand what “craving” truly meant.
“Kang Sa Jun, why are you so persistent?”
“It’s not persistence—it’s desperation.”
Sa Jun had other words he wanted to say.
Why do you keep rejecting me like this if you’ll never be able to handle me later?
The more you reject me, the more I’ll endure—until the day you finally give in, and then I’ll unleash it all at once.
So if you’re not sure you can handle that, just give in now while I’m being nice.
Unaware of Sa Jun’s burning thoughts, Tae Hee fanned the flames like someone pouring oil on fire.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not desperate like you. If you end up going on an arranged date and put another woman by your side…”
She paused briefly, then slowly continued, looking at him through her long lashes.
“Then I’ll accept it… as your friend.”
Sa Jun tilted his head sideways, staring at Tae Hee, who was spouting utter nonsense.
Then he leaned closer, met her eyes squarely, and gave a small, knowing smile.
This girl—so pretty on the outside—casually saying things that twisted his insides.
“I’ve told you how many times? Whether as a friend or a lover, I’ll only ever keep one person by my side.”
How could you possibly say something like that—what do you even think I am?
“And since I have to choose one, I’d prefer it to be you—that’s why I’m pushing so hard.”
You said you weren’t desperate? Then I’ll just have to make you desperate.
“So think carefully over the next 97 rejections.”
Sa Jun took off his hat again and placed it firmly back on Tae Hee’s head—answering her rejection with another rejection.
“It’s not about whether you’ll date me or not. It’s whether you can bear to hand me over to another woman.”
Was she flabbergasted? Outraged? Or just furious?
As Tae Hee’s eyes flickered with irritation, Sa Jun gently grasped her wrist.
When she tried to twist her wrist free, he tightened his grip just enough—matching her resistance with equal force, letting go only when she did.
Realizing strength wouldn’t work, Tae Hee finally asked,
“Why are you holding my hand?”
“If you keep rejecting me, I’ll have to go on arranged dates and start dating other people, right?”
So? Her eyes asked silently.
Sa Jun tossed out casually,
“If you’re going to keep rejecting me, you’ll have to keep giving me etiquette lessons too.”
“Holding my hand when I’ve said I don’t want to is the opposite of good manners.”
“Wouldn’t it be bad manners not to hold hands if we were dating?”
“…!”
“Who else would teach me these things except you? So you’d better show me well—how exactly should I hold a girl’s hand so she likes it more?”
Pretending not to notice Tae Hee’s incredulous stare, Sa Jun took a light step forward.
After walking a short distance, he slowly slid his hand down from her wrist and gently took her hand.
He could feel her glaring at his profile as if trying to burn a hole through it.
Yet the small, soft hand trapped within his large one stayed perfectly still.
A faint smile quietly spread across Sa Jun’s lips as he calmly looked ahead.
Every single second spent with Min Tae Hee was simply too joyful.
[This is the timeline separator]The place the taxi-restaurant owner grandma had told them about wasn’t a café but a small, old-fashioned coffee shop.
Tae Hee was annoyed—she felt as if she’d been helplessly swept along by Sa Jun, spellbound without even realizing it.
I’m actually really good with words—I’ve never lost an argument to anyone before—but against Kang Sa Jun, I always lose.
Especially ever since she’d become the emotionally weaker party.
And why did he even have to hold her hand?
Just the slightest brush of his fingertips made her heart jolt—she’d never survive if this “etiquette lesson” kept up.
Sa Jun said he’d come at her 97 more times, but Tae Hee knew better than anyone else.
She’d cave to Kang Sa Jun long before that. After all, no tree stays upright after ten strikes.
But when the man you like says he’ll come at you 97 times—could any woman in the world really endure it?
No. There wouldn’t be one.
So she had to figure out a way to make Kang Sa Jun give up before those 97 times.
While Tae Hee’s mind tangled again with all these thoughts, Sa Jun wore an infuriatingly calm expression.
Where was the man who’d just moments ago swept her away like a storm?
Now he sat silently, gazing quietly out the window as if nothing had happened.
Just then, the heavily made-up grandma placed a coffee cup with a vivid floral pattern on their table.
But the coffee was unbearably sweet.
How many spoonfuls of sugar had she added? It was so cloyingly sweet it felt like it could melt her brain—no wonder the grandma had called it a must-try spot.
Sa Jun hated excessive sweetness more than anything—even more than overly seasoned food.
“Kang Sa Jun, try the coffee. It’s really good—the grandma said it’s a famous place. I don’t know if it’s the beans or the brewing, but it’s delicious.”
Of course, it was a lie. Call it petty revenge for being swept along so helplessly.
Even after Tae Hee’s urging, Sa Jun only eyed the cup suspiciously, showing no sign of drinking it.
Was he acknowledging its value but refusing to trust her taste?
“What? Don’t tell me you don’t trust me?”
Finally, with a reluctant expression, Sa Jun lifted the cup and took the tiniest sip.
His face instantly twisted as if he’d swallowed poison, and after rinsing his mouth with water, he shot Tae Hee a sharp glare.
“Are you kidding? It’s way too sweet.”
That’s when Tae Hee finally burst out laughing.
She felt so wonderfully relieved—this tiny act of revenge against Sa Jun was deeply satisfying.
Then, a brilliant idea struck her.
A way to make Kang Sa Jun give up on dating her.
“Kang Sa Jun, if you’re going to date me, you have to adapt completely to my style.”
She was asking him to do something he’d never done before—adjust himself entirely to someone else.
“For me, dating means eating even foods you don’t like, together.”
Sa Jun’s slowly lowered gaze locked onto the floral-patterned coffee cup. Right—Kang Sa Jun couldn’t stomach foods he didn’t like, not even if his life depended on it.
“You know better than anyone—I don’t fall for boring clichés like buying designer bags or handing over credit cards.”
“…”
“I played the friend role realistically, and if we date, I’ll do that realistically too. So…?”
What Tae Hee really wanted to say was this:
If you can’t even finish this one lousy cup of coffee, don’t even dream of dating me—just give up right now.
But she couldn’t quite finish the sentence.
Because Sa Jun had slowly lifted the cup again with his long fingers—and downed the entire thing in one smooth gulp.
Too stunned to even breathe, Tae Hee just stared, transfixed.
This time not at Kang Sa Jun’s face—but at his very, very sexy Adam’s apple as it slowly moved.
After finishing the cup cleanly without even a grimace, Sa Jun looked straight at her.
“Good enough?”
Wow. The guy was relentless. She truly had no words left.
“Or should I drink yours too?”
At Sa Jun’s words, Tae Hee shook her head slightly.
She’d been swayed once by a simple lettuce leaf, and now again by a single coffee gulp.
Could she really endure all 97 times before they even started?
Sa Jun’s quiet consideration, his subtle effort—it kept whispering to her.
Maybe he really did like her, since he’d endure even humiliating words without flinching. Or maybe, just like her, he was scared and holding back for the same reason.
She didn’t care if it made her look foolish.
The hope she’d carefully buried deep inside Pandora’s box was peeking out again.
So maybe… it wouldn’t hurt to run a little test.
After all, Sa Jun had tested her without warning—she certainly had the right to do the same.
Having justified it to herself, Tae Hee calmly spoke.
“Kang Sa Jun, didn’t you say before—if I date you, you’ll never make me the ‘gap’? Then… want to try dating me for one day?”
“Are you serious?”
Sa Jun’s eyes, slowly blinking open again, had grown deeper, darker.
Tae Hee had no idea he was already scheming ahead rapidly in his mind.
It was a beautifully clear weekend late afternoon—she wondered which subway line would be the most crowded, and which cinema the busiest.
“Yes. But we’ll do everything exactly my way. If you’re okay with that, I’ll seriously consider dating you.”
Sa Jun agreed—never imagining that this one-day experiment would become the most hellish experience of his life.
Of course, Tae Hee couldn’t have imagined it either—that she’d end up falling perfectly into her own trap.
She had only one thought in mind:
Either you give up, or I give up—it’s all or nothing.
Today’s the day we settle this.
Top Celebrity Younger Brother Bears Her Child (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: Forced to live stream romance with a top celebrity in a female-dominant world.
Yan Jin transmigrated into a brothel, with a fellow transmigrated junior beside her.
Hearing the obscene words coming from outside, the unfortunate junior covered his ears tightly, his cheeks flushed red, and whispered to comfort her, “Don’t worry, I will definitely help you escape.”
“Don’t worry, I will definitely defend your chastity.” Yan Jin looked at the flawless and delicate features of the unfortunate junior and gently comforted, “Because we have transmigrated into a female-dominant world.”
※※※
Top celebrity Yu Shu suddenly fell into a coma during a concert.
Research scientist Yan Jin fainted in the lab after working overtime.
Two people with no connection were rushed to the same hospital.
Three days later, neither of them had woken up.
Suddenly, the entire nation discovered that a live streaming app had been forcibly installed on their phones.
Upon opening it, they heard the two discussing how to escape from the brothel.
The entire internet was in an uproar.
After the two successfully escaped from the brothel, Yu Shu’s fan group rushed to make a banner and sent it to the hospital overnight.
“Big sister bravely took action to defend the chastity of our idol!”
※※※
When Yu Shu was diagnosed with pregnancy, Yan Jin stared at his belly for a long time.
Covering his stomach, he muttered gloomily, “If you don’t like it, I’ll go get an abortion.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it.” Yan Jin hugged Yu Shu and said softly, “I just feel like I’m not human.”
Yu Shu comforted Yan Jin, “I was already an adult when we got together.”
Yan Jin hesitated, “But you won’t be of legal marriageable age even after giving birth to the child.”
At the same time, a flood of bullet comments appeared in the live streaming room that the two couldn’t see.
[Although it’s inappropriate, I also want a young and handsome boyfriend to have my child.]
①Male pregnancy (highlighted)
The female lead is five years older than the male lead, and the male lead is already an adult when he appears.
What mother isn’t charmed when she hears someone speak so lovingly of her child? Irresistible.