In the well-soundproofed practice room.
Seoyun abruptly stopped strumming her gayageum, irritated, and put it aside.
She picked up her phone, checked the screen, and sighed deeply.
“Why isn’t there any contact yet?”
She stretched her arm out as if to check the signal, but it was futile.
When she checked her messenger, she found only unnecessary messages from Heejun.
“It doesn’t seem like my phone is broken.”
With no other choice, Seoyun made a call.
After a few rings, a deep voice answered.
“Director Park, can you talk?”
Yes, Miss, briefly.
“Can you put my father on the line?”
Your father is currently in a meeting.
“He’s always in meetings.”
Seoyun pouted her lips.
I’ll convey any message you have for him.
“Director Park, didn’t you say you delivered my photo to Jiseok Group?”
Yes, Congressman Kwak was planning to arrange a blind date.
“But there’s been no contact?”
Still no contact?
“Yes. Can you check, please?”
Understood.
Seoyun ended the fruitless call and threw her phone aside.
She had no interest in practicing for her gayageum solo recital, which was approaching, her mind preoccupied with the image of Lee Hyun and Yerin she had seen at the restaurant.
“They seemed very close.”
Their relationship appeared to be more than just boss and secretary.
She hurriedly pressed for her own blind date today, feeling uneasy.
“Hasn’t Han Yerin just broken up? How could she have already found a new man?”
Yerin hadn’t confronted her even after learning about Heejun’s affair with Seoyun.
Watching Yerin carry on as if nothing happened irritated her.
She had spent so much effort on Heejun, hoping to see Yerin flustered and confused.
But there was no sign of anger or hurt from Yerin, making her feel like dancing alone on an empty stage.
It would be strange to reach out first.
As she was biting her nails in anxiety, Seoyun’s phone rang loudly.
It was her father, Congressman Kwak.
“Dad?”
Seoyun answered cheerfully.
You mean there’s still no contact from Jiseok Group about the blind date?
“Yes, Dad. Did Director Park possibly give them the wrong phone number?”
That’s unlikely. I’ll contact Chairman Cha directly after this busy period.
“Okay, Dad. But do you know?”
Seoyun held on as her father was about to end the call quickly.
“You know Han Yerin, right?”
You mean the daughter of President Han?
“Yes, Han Yerin.”
Yes, why?
Seoyun smiled mischievously, knowing her father always compared her and Yerin.
They attended the same high school, and Yerin consistently outperformed her academically.
Unlike Seoyun, who had extensive tutoring, Yerin studied alone and always ranked top.
To her father, who wanted his daughter to excel in everything, Yerin was a thorn in his side.
“Han Yerin is working as a secretary for Division Head Cha Hyun at Jiseok Electronics.”
Really? Such a bright student working as a secretary…
“Their family went bankrupt.”
Her father seemed shocked, as if he didn’t expect this.
“I saw her the other day at a restaurant with Division Head Cha Hyun.”
So? What’s wrong with a secretary being with her boss?
“They were walking out with their arms around each other’s waists.”
…….
“Ahh. Maybe she was just helping him walk. Surely they wouldn’t be involved, right?”
Quick-witted Chairman Kwak seemed to immediately grasp what Seoyun was implying.
For Congressman Kwak, Jiseok Group was an indispensable partner he didn’t want to lose.
That’s why he had attempted to establish a connection through a strategic marriage.
“Dad, if you’re busy, we can talk later…”
I’ll contact Chairman Cha right away today.
Seoyun put down her phone with a smug smirk on her face.
“Han Yerin, why did you have to catch my eye?”
She couldn’t help but snicker to herself.
“Originally, Cha Hyun wasn’t part of my plan.”
Jiseok Group had two sons, Suhyun and Lee Hyun.
It didn’t matter to her which one she was matched with in a blind date.
Both were handsome and equally competent in business, so either would do.
“But if Han Yerin gets involved, that changes the story.”
If Congressman Kwak steps in, the blind date would be arranged swiftly.
Feeling as though a weight had been lifted, she now found the concentration to practice.
She had to invite Lee Hyun to her gayageum recital, especially if their relationship deepened.
With numerous future plans in her head, Seoyun immersed herself in practice.
In the Division Head’s office of Jiseok Electronics, Lee Hyun and Yerin were the only ones left after the end of the working day.
Around 7:00 PM, Lee Hyun turned off the office lights and stepped out.
“Are you leaving for the day?”
“Yes, let’s go, Secretary Han.”
Yerin turned off her computer and stood up.
Lee Hyun, seemingly still preoccupied with unfinished work, was deeply engrossed in his tablet PC.
“Division Head, I can wait if you have more work to finish.”
“No, I’m done with work.”
What was he so intently looking at then?
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.”
