Her most miserable moment in life had been exposed. What was even more pathetic and embarrassing was that the umbrella he had given her provided a tiny bit of comfort. Her actual husband, Lee Seung Oh, didn’t even wonder if his wife had an umbrella while he was off cheating.
“She left.”
Lee Ji Soo weakly held out her phone. On the screen, there was a clichéd rejection text that started with “Thank you for applying” and ended with “We hope to meet in a better opportunity.” Seung Oh sighed with relief, though he frowned for no reason.
“Why were you rejected? Did Yoon Seo Ha deliberately sabotage you?”
“Miss Seo Ha wouldn’t do that. I was rejected because I wasn’t good enough. It’s okay.”
Despite the tears welling up in the corners of her foolishly smiling eyes, she claimed it was okay. At times like this, he thought it would be better if she argued back and forth like Seo Ha. That would be less pitiful, right?
“I told you to just endure the design job a little longer. I could have easily placed you in a different department.”
“I want to be a designer. Even if I try, I won’t be as good as Miss Seo Ha, but…”
“Stop calling her ‘miss.’ Are you a maid?”
“I am a maid. Miss Seo Ha and I have different social statuses.”
“It’s not the Joseon era, what are you talking about social statuses?”
“In South Korea, there are social statuses too. Miss Seo Ha is a miss, you’re a young master, and I am… just a maid.”
Ji Soo put her phone into her handbag. Seeing the cheap synthetic leather bag with a poorly printed luxury logo on it, Seung Oh’s face crumpled.
“What’s with that bag? Where did you get it?”
“It’s pretty, right? I bought it at the market yesterday. It was originally 25,000 won, but the lady said there was one left and gave it to me for 18,000 won, so I quickly bought it.”
“…”
When Seung Oh was very young, his mother also bought such cheap bags and proudly carried them. Of course, young Seung Oh didn’t know they were cheap. If Kang Hae Seon hadn’t been shocked, he wouldn’t have known for a very long time.
“Seung Oh’s mom, where did you get this?”
“I bought it at the market. The owner lady said she would give it to me for a cheap price. It’s pretty, right?”
“It’s pretty, but…”
From Kang Hae Seon’s hesitating expression, Seung Oh knew that the bag wasn’t pretty at all. It was an expression of someone who couldn’t show dislike, couldn’t speak up to protect a pitiful pride, and tried to show sympathy.
“Look, the stitching is done wrong here. If you put a few things in this, it will break right away and become unusable. I’ll give you a sturdy one instead, so please return this. Everyone knows that Seung Oh’s mom is part of our family. If you carry around a broken bag like this, I will be criticized.”
The bag that Kang Hae Seon brought out from the dressing room was not made of shiny vinyl synthetic leather but of leather with a subtle sheen.
As Ok Soon repeatedly asked if it was okay to accept such a gift and Kang Hae Seon nonchalantly handed over the bag with a smile, the gap between them left a deep mark in young Seung Oh’s mind, like a tattoo.
As Ji Soo said, it was a matter of social status. There might not be a clearer expression than the word “status.”
That’s why Lee Ji Soo had bothered him from the beginning. Her ingrained awkwardness and simplicity reminded him of his mother. He felt like he had to protect this cheerful, innocent woman who was struggling with poverty.
“I can’t stand it, really.”
Ji Soo picked up on his muttering and shrugged her shoulders.
“Did I, did I do something wrong again?”
“Throw it away right now. I’ll give you a new one.”
“What? No!”
Ji Soo’s eyes widened.
“Is it because it’s not pretty? I won’t carry it around next time. Don’t buy me stuff like that, Seung Oh.”
“Your birthday is next week, right? I’m giving it to you as a birthday present.”
“Seung Oh…”
Seeming quite touched, Ji Soo shyly smiled. Seung Oh chuckled and tenderly kissed her forehead as they waited for the traffic signal. Instead of the elegant perfume scent that Yoon Seo Ha always wore, a fresh soap scent tickled his nose.
But how would he buy the gift?
Yoon Seo Ha managed all the household income. It was unimaginable to withdraw several hundred dollars in cash from the bank account, and using a credit card would surely lead to questions as soon as the statement arrived.
The corporate card was no different. If a purchase record from a luxury store appeared, it would cause even more trouble than a personal card.
“I don’t have anything I can do for you, Seung Oh. What am I supposed to do when I only receive things like this?”
Lost in thought, Seung Oh was cautiously asked by Ji Soo. Even her worried voice was lovely.
“You do have things you can do for me. What’s for dinner tonight?”
“I made soft tofu stew. I added clams and green chili peppers.”
“Is it spicy?”
“Totally spicy and really refreshing.”
He had never been able to get a single meal from Yoon Seo Ha. She was a princess who believed it would be a disaster without a helper and had to buy every piece of clothing, even underwear, from a department store, so he couldn’t even think of asking her to prepare a meal.
However, Ji Soo was different. She didn’t know how to indulge in luxury, so she shopped at markets instead of large supermarkets and always catered to Seung Oh.
These days, Seung Oh was happiest when he emptied the dinner table prepared with care by Ji Soo, enjoyed the apple she brought as dessert, and shared sweet nothings over a cup of mixed coffee.
That day was no different. Seung Oh went to Ji Soo’s house, enjoyed a delicious dinner with her spicy soft tofu stew, and watched television on the sofa. Then they moved to the bedroom as the mood shifted, and after their heated moments, they always fell asleep in each other’s arms, waking up in the early morning.
Leaving his regrets behind, he quietly returned home to a still and quiet house. To change his clothes, Seung Oh opened the door to the dressing room and suddenly had a brilliant idea.
“There are so many here.”
One side of the spacious dressing room, much larger than Ji Soo’s living room, was filled with all sorts of bags and shoes on display.
Seung Oh opened the builtin wardrobe and pulled out numerous bag boxes. Most of them contained items that Seo Ha had used once or twice and then put away for various reasons.
“This is so extravagant. She has no fear of spending money.”
While blaming Seo Ha’s extravagance, Seung Oh opened each box one by one and found a familiar item.
“So, it was here.”
Yoon Seo Ha probably had forgotten its existence.
Seung Oh put the bag back in the box and hid it in a corner of the study. He planned to take it out on Ji Soo’s birthday and surprise her with a gift.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
