Impure Among Friends (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
The pitch-black eyes staring fixedly at her were both persistent and sharp.
Feeling as if her mind were being pierced through by that gaze, Tae Hee averted her eyes and snapped back as if grumbling.
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Then who else should I ask? You’re all I’ve got.”
Lately, it felt like Kang Sa Jun kept testing her—was it just her imagination?
If any other man had behaved this way, she might have mistaken it for being liked.
But coming from Kang Sa Jun, it was utterly impossible.
Sa Jun had always ignored, as if brushing off pebbles, even the most stunning women—women so extraordinary that even another woman couldn’t help but admire them.
Above all, what kind of man ever truly liked a woman yet never contacted her first or replied to her messages? Who treated her like a doormat or a servant?
But there was another, far more unbelievable reason behind it all.
On the day she turned twenty, she’d once asked Sa Jun why he’d accepted her absurd proposal and why he’d kept only her by his side all this time.
His reply from that day remained vividly etched in her memory.
“I like the way you look at me—the way your eyes clearly hate me, the way you absolutely never see me as a man. If you want to stay by my side, it’d be best not to let that feeling change.”
Now, seeing him doing things he’d never done before—deliberately provoking her—made Tae Hee afraid.
She wondered if he’d somehow guessed her feelings and was testing her, or worse, planning to cut her off ruthlessly the moment she truly fell for him.
If that really were the case, Tae Hee felt she’d be heartbroken.
Because to her, their thirteen years of friendship were priceless—but to Sa Jun, they seemed utterly meaningless.
In short, Sa Jun’s sudden, strange behavior frightened and unnerved her.
She was scared—if she went along with him, she might end up pitifully abandoned; yet if she pretended not to notice, her heart swayed like a reed in the wind under his provocations.
Unaware of her inner turmoil, Sa Jun asked again.
“You’d probably get a headache too if you went on blind dates like me, right?”
Of course, she’d have a headache.
Yet she couldn’t tell him to go on dates, nor could she tell him not to.
Frustrated, she rolled down the car window, and a cool breeze softly fluttered her hair.
A gentle gust, carrying the fresh scent of shampoo, drifted toward Sa Jun as well.
He inhaled deeply, slowly closed his eyes, then opened them—his gaze now even deeper and more intense.
Leaning his upper body toward the driver’s seat, Sa Jun whispered softly into Tae Hee’s ear.
“That’s why, Min Tae Hee.”
Tae Hee turned her head absentmindedly—and nearly brushed lips with Sa Jun.
She wanted to scold him for startling her again by shoving his face so close, but the words wouldn’t leave her mouth.
His glossy black eyes, his pleasing baritone voice, his intensified body scent, and his slow, steady breathing—
she felt as if she’d been lured into a spiderweb of temptation meticulously spun by this devilish, pheromone-dripping man.
“Will you come with me?”
Though that single sentence jolted her back to her senses,
Tae Hee widened her eyes and pointed ahead with her finger.
“Go where together? Don’t tell me—to your grandfather’s house?”
Sa Jun nodded calmly, as if it were nothing at all, prompting Tae Hee to retort,
“Why would I go?”
“You’ve been using me as your shield all this time to avoid blind dates yourself.”
So now it’s my turn to use you once. The moment Sa Jun added that, Tae Hee’s mind raced with startling clarity.
Buying her three whole boxes of macarons without complaint, worrying over her chapped lips, suddenly kissing her, driving all the way here—when exactly had Kang Sa Jun changed? When had he started acting completely out of character?
It clearly began that Saturday, right after he’d told her he’d spoken with his grandfather.
Sa Jun must have decided the moment he hung up the phone that he’d use Tae Hee as a temporary shield today.
She was furious, speechless, and humiliated—completely played—but she couldn’t outright refuse either.
After all, how could she reject him when she’d used him as a shield countless times, and he was only asking to use her once?
Resigned to the fact that this was already the worst possible scenario, Tae Hee opened her mouth.
“Can’t you see that the shield you want to use is in seriously bad shape right now?”
At that, Sa Jun looked at her again.
It was that gaze again—the same indifferent eyes from two days ago, when he’d looked at her as if nothing was wrong despite her carefully done-up appearance, revealing not a trace of emotion, as if utterly clueless about what the problem was.
“What’s wrong with you? You’re fine just as you are.”
Instead of answering, Tae Hee simply stared straight ahead.
Every woman stepping out of their cars was beautifully dressed from head to toe.
But Tae Hee was wearing a long T-shirt and leggings, with a bruise on her cheek and split lips. Her hair, hastily tied that morning, was now messy and tangled since she hadn’t dried or combed it properly.
Somehow sensing instantly why Tae Hee remained silent, Sa Jun calmly spoke.
“To me, you’re far more beautiful than them.”
Though she glared at him sharply, too incredulous to even reply, Sa Jun’s expression was already resolute.
“If you come with me, I can just show my face to Grandpa for a moment and leave.”
“…Say I go with you. What exactly are you going to tell your grandfather?”
“I’ll tell him I like you, so I can’t go on blind dates.”
So Kang Sa Jun had finally gone mad—desperate enough to say something like that just to avoid blind dates.
How could he possibly expect his grandfather to believe such nonsense, when even she didn’t believe it?
“What are you going to say about my bruised face and split lips?”
“I’ll tell Grandpa that Min Seon Tae hit you, and ask him to scold him.”
Sa Jun’s expression was utterly serious as he gave that ridiculous answer.
“You shouldn’t joke like that with your grandfather. You’ll get scolded.”
“I’m not joking.”
Seeing Sa Jun’s determined look, Tae Hee let out a very long sigh.
She’d only ever heard of Sa Jun’s grandfather but never actually met him—and everyone said he was an extraordinary man. No wonder even the formidable Kang Sa Jun had to tread carefully around him like a political strategist.
“Do you really think your grandfather’s that foolish? That he’d believe you actually like the woman you’ve treated like a secretary for thirteen years?”
Sa Jun had once mentioned that his grandfather, curious about how close they really were, had asked him directly—amazed that Sa Jun kept Tae Hee so close yet never showed any romantic interest or revealed anything.
Sa Jun’s reply at the time had been strikingly precise:
Min Tae Hee was like a private secretary handling his personal life, and they were the only two people in the world who never saw each other as the opposite sex.
Thinking back on that now, Tae Hee suddenly wondered:
Had the clever Kang Sa Jun really not calculated this far ahead?
“How do you plan to handle the backlash if your lie gets exposed? Do you even have a plan?”
What she really meant was: Do you have any way to protect me when I inevitably get crushed between two whales fighting?
But his reply was astonishingly irresponsible:
“There won’t be any backlash because there’s no way we’ll get caught.”
Tae Hee couldn’t possibly understand Sa Jun’s baseless confidence, but she decided to chalk it up to him simply hating blind dates that much.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to refuse today. At my age, saying I got hit is kind of embarrassing, and honestly, I look like a mess—just not today, okay?”
“Then are you okay with going another time?”
Sa Jun’s eyes, fixed intently on Tae Hee, burned like blazing sunlight.
Fearful that one wrong word would trap her completely, Tae Hee quickly corrected herself.
“For now, you handle this alone today. And later, let’s come up with a proper plan together—a different way for you to avoid blind dates. Deal?”
Reluctantly, Sa Jun gave a short nod—but when she handed him the car keys, he didn’t take them.
“I’ll call you when you need to come pick me up.”
It was already too late to argue—he’d already stepped out of the car.
“Wow, Kang Sa Jun. You’re seriously using me properly again after all this time.”
She’d actually been touched lately, thinking he’d stopped treating her like a servant and started treating her like a real friend.
Glaring at his retreating back, Tae Hee trembled slightly—completely unaware
that a faint smile was gently spreading across Sa Jun’s lips as he walked up the gentle slope.
[This is the timeline separator]Sa Jun didn’t need to open the massive sliding door to clearly picture what was happening on the other side.
Countless people would be seated there.
They’d sit politely, already calculating and weighing the benefits in their heads, each hoping their daughter would win Sa Jun’s favor.
He was thoroughly sick of that pretense—he’d endured it far too many times since childhood.
His stepmother, Yeon Hwa, had been just like that.
She’d gracefully and generously accepted the son her husband had fathered outside their marriage, allowing him into the family registry.
As a naive child, he’d believed her act and loved her as his mother.
But at some point, things he hadn’t seen before began to become visible.
He saw the hatred hidden beneath her gentle eyes, the cautious way she moved as if afraid to let even her fingertips brush against anything “unclean.”
Still, he wanted to believe until the end that she truly loved him—as a mother—until he learned what the Chinese character ‘Sa’ in his name actually meant: “death.”
“It was just a clerical error. What does it matter in this day and age? Just think of it as your Korean name.”
The moment he looked into his stepmother’s eyes as she calmly explained it away as a subordinate’s mistake, Sa Jun understood.
She genuinely wished for him to die.
From that day on, he locked the doors to his heart and became wary of everyone.
This constant vigilance eventually allowed him to clearly see the dark intentions of those scheming to use him.
But Min Tae Hee was different. She’d approached him openly, stated her purpose outright, and boldly proposed a deal.
She then threw herself fully into being his loyal servant—determined never to owe him anything.
She did everything he asked—homework, cleaning, errands—and yet always radiated confidence and dignity, never losing her pride.
When displeased, she’d bluntly speak her mind and treat him without restraint.
As if their relationship was purely transactional—nothing to lose—and as if she could walk away at any moment without the slightest hesitation.
It was Min Tae Hee’s unwavering honesty that completely flustered Sa Jun. She was the first person he’d ever met who didn’t seem easy to figure out.
Even today was proof of that.
Though she’d made excuses about her face and clothes, had she agreed to come, she wouldn’t have looked embarrassed—she’d have acted with complete confidence.
Just how remarkably poised was she?
At that very moment, catching himself thinking about Min Tae Hee again, Sa Jun couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“Why are you grinning to yourself? Come on, laugh with me a bit, you rascal.”
Pulled from his thoughts, he found Hee Gu staring at him—his eyes still sharp and bright despite being eighty years old.
“I’ve seen Grandfather’s face, so I’ll take my leave now.”
At those words, Hee Gu’s eyes widened.
“You rascal! Since you came after so long, you should at least have a meal with your old grandpa.”
“Why do I have to eat with a bunch of strangers? Don’t you know I have social anxiety?”
“What strangers? They’re all close friends of your grandpa.”
“Then you eat with them alone. I absolutely won’t sit through a meal while enduring blind dates.”
Hee Gu coughed awkwardly at Sa Jun’s reply. This grandson really was uncannily perceptive.
“You figured it out?”
“Everyone’s guests are women my age—wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t notice?”
His handsome eyebrows furrowed as the grandson grumbled. Clearly, he had no desire to be here.
Though his grandson pathologically disliked strangers—and understandably so—this was one thing Hee Gu couldn’t compromise on.
To his son Yong Jin, chairman of Seo Mun Group, his grandson was an undeniable mistake and a stain on the family—born from a secretary who’d seduced Yong Jin while he was drunk.
Two years later, that secretary, who’d disappeared, reappeared with the grandson in her arms, demanding money as if mocking Yong Jin’s wife who couldn’t bear a child.
It was Hee Gu himself who took in the grandson, since Yong Jin—fearing his beloved wife’s reaction—refused.
“You’ll be thirty next year, you rascal.”
Though spoken in a scolding tone, his words brimmed with affection for his grandson.
He’d spoiled him, making him brash—but the boy was clever and deep-hearted, so precious Hee Gu couldn’t bear to scold him.
He wanted to give his grandson everything—but the boy rejected it all.
After graduating university, he declared he wanted to live freely and set conditions worthy of that freedom—conditions Hee Gu couldn’t refuse.
“You promised that if I let you live however you wanted, you’d either take over the company’s management before turning thirty or get married and give me a great-grandchild. A promise is a promise—don’t tell me you’re trying to pretend you don’t remember?”
Hee Gu had been eagerly awaiting this day—but his grandson had remained utterly silent.
Neither bringing home a woman nor maintaining a close relationship with his father Yong Jin—of course Hee Gu was anxious.
“I’m not pretending. I remember everything.”
“Then what?”
“I’m just asking for a bit more time. Grandfather, you’ve still got plenty of years ahead of you.”
Anyone else might have been shocked by such audacity—but to Hee Gu, it was merely his grandson’s endearing way.
After all, he knew his grandson would be the first to rush to his side if his health ever faltered.
Still, Hee Gu struck his grandson’s broad back firmly with his cane.
“I’ve waited twenty-nine years, you rascal! How much longer must I wait? You’re good-looking, intelligent—how is it that you’ve never had a single woman? Seriously, is there something wrong down there?”
When Hee Gu suspiciously glanced downward, his grandson exploded in anger.
“There’s nothing wrong! I’m perfectly fine—in fact, I’m so full of vitality I’m going crazy!”
“Well, that’s a relief.” Hearing the answer to his private worry, Hee Gu let out a sigh of relief.
“Then stop arguing and stay for a meal. I saw many wonderful young women.”
Just as Hee Gu rose from the sofa, leaning on his cane,
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
About to retort that he was treating it like an achievement, Hee Gu paused as Sa Jun looked at him with clear, steady eyes.
“But there is a woman I like.”
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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What mother isn’t charmed when she hears someone speak so lovingly of her child? Irresistible.