I am interested in the project.
I would like to meet to discuss fundraising.
Please send your reply with an envelope to the postal service office.
Is this how it feels when someone gently rains down on a land long afflicted by drought?
No matter how many times I look at it, the sender’s tone is definitive about the fundraising issue.
My eyes, fixed on the word “sponsor”, trembled slightly.
However, such expectations quickly dulled.
No, to be precise, I made a great effort to dull them.
It’s not like this hasn’t happened before.
How many times have sponsors expressed interest only to withdraw their support later?
The process of building up expectations and having them crumble is hell.
So much so that a hell without hope from the start might be preferable.
Learned fear trampled and crushed the budding expectation that was trying to take root.
Of course, it wasn’t an expectation that could be crushed so easily.
If human emotions were that simple, there wouldn’t be such painful experiences.
As I was thinking this, I suddenly became aware of my supervisor’s presence beside me.
‘Did the supervisor see?’
‘He must have.’
Glancing sideways, I saw the supervisor’s gaze fixed on the letter.
I should have read this letter alone.
Useless thoughts gnawed at my mind.
As I stood there, not knowing what to do, I heard the supervisor’s voice beside me.
“I’ll take care of that, you just finish what you were doing.”
“…Pardon? But…”
As I hesitated, the supervisor’s eyes sharpened.
“It’s clearly some nonsense that rolled in from who knows where. We should just throw it away, really.”
Come to think of it, I now notice strange points.
Nothing was written on the envelope.
There was no seal indicating affiliation, not even a simple stamp.
Moreover, the envelope was a meaningful black color.
Is it really just someone’s prank, as the supervisor said?
But who would dare play such a prank on an administrative officer…
My thoughts flowed and flowed, once again reaching Lady Fiocel.
I wondered if she would go as far as to pull such a prank, while also thinking that maybe she would, my thoughts swirling in confusion.
Most of her warnings to me had involved using people around me, after all.
Even so, throwing away this last hope as the supervisor suggested…
After a long hesitation, what I faced were the supervisor’s resolute eyes.
His wavering gaze held a desperation larger than ever before.
The hand beneath it was hiding a slight tremor.
So he… was someone who could never throw away this last letter.
It was perhaps natural for him, who had spent his life searching for ‘that person’ whom he had parted with without knowing why.
His saying he would throw it away was likely an expression of his will to do it himself if it came to that.
Of course, it also contained his usual rough concern for me.
Especially since I had shown such miserable tears steeped in guilt.
That’s why I should have suppressed it even more.
The tears that finally burst forth were so pathetic.
At this point, I couldn’t bring myself to stubbornly say I would find the sender myself.
In the end, after handing over the letter to the supervisor as if it were being taken away, a time of waiting followed.
[This is the timeline separator]All the time spent turning pages, reading documents, and approving as usual.
The contents of the documents don’t properly register in my vision, and my thoughts once again turn to that letter.
In my ears, only the loud ticking of the second hand resonates, and the accompanying worry grows in volume.
Even though not much time has passed, only negative imaginings fill my mind.
The anonymous sponsor is actually a prank by an underling directed by Lady Fiocel.
The supervisor has fallen for that prank again.
And I… such imaginings of leading everyone around me to ruin once more.
No, in fact, these aren’t negative thoughts.
Considering everything that’s happened so far, it’s just an extremely realistic outcome.
It felt like I was suffocating, as if water was rising up to my chin.
My constricted heart pounded erratically, causing vibrations.
I need to live. I must continue living from now on.
The sea painting in the frame hanging on a corner wall of the administrative building rippled blue.
That very sea, where the supervisor and ‘that person’ he’s looking for visited long ago, he had said.
Looking at the painting, I’m reminded of the last place I went with that man, with a similar scene.
I can almost see the sea beyond and the crashing waves.
Suddenly, I have a thought.
A thought of wanting to be buried in those calm deep waters.
As if doing so would truly make me happy.
[This is the timeline separator]The journey back to the dormitory to check on mother’s condition and then back to work was filled with anxiety.
The supervisor hadn’t returned by the time I left work yesterday, and everything seemed ominous.
Of course, since the time the supervisor left the building was quite late, he probably just delivered the letter and returned to his quarters.
And that must be the case, but my heart churned uncontrollably.
Entering with a chest heaving with complex emotions, I saw the lit space come into view.
The supervisor, who hadn’t arrived earlier than me in recent days, was already seated inside.
As soon as he saw me, he stood up as if he had been waiting.
There seemed to be some hesitation in his approaching steps.
As I thought, something had gone wrong…
But somehow his expression was ambiguous.
If yesterday’s letter had been someone’s prank, he wouldn’t have such an expression.
His face looked somewhat embarrassed, and also hesitant in a way.
“How… did it go?”
Even as I swallowed hard, the supervisor remained silent, looking at the ground.
He hesitated for a moment, as if trying to say something difficult.
Finally, as his face slowly lifted, it bore a strange light.
What on earth is he trying to say.
Usually, the supervisor was someone whose expression hardly changed for most things.
It was natural for his complexion not to change.
Among those who had worked in the administration for so long, no one had seen the supervisor’s face deviate from its expressionlessness.
But why…
Just as the fluctuating anxiety reached its peak and my heart sank,
A rough voice echoed in my ears.
“A reply came from the sponsor.”
Reply? What does he mean by reply?
Then it wasn’t a prank?
“By reply…”
My lips trembled throughout uttering barely a sentence.
Looking at this, the supervisor finally seemed to organize his thoughts and quickly added,
“They want you to come along.”
The story, less serious than expected, made me feel deflated.
“Is that the condition? If I go alone… we can receive the sponsorship?”
My voice shook with excitement.
“Is that… really true?”
“That’s what was written, but it still feels fishy no matter how I think about it.”
The supervisor tilted his head as if perplexed.
Only then, a beat late, did it start to feel strange.
Given that it involves a substantial sponsorship, it’s common to want to see the project manager.
However, the official manager of this project was clearly registered under the name of my supervisor, Vincent.
By position or any other measure, he was undoubtedly the overall responsible person, and I was just a low-level employee handling auxiliary tasks.
Moreover, it was practically difficult for outsiders to know even my name.
But…
Why did they specifically ask to see me?
‘Could it really be Lady Fiocel?’
In what way is she trying to drive another nail into the people around me this time?
Knowing everything, I had tried to settle everything before she held her wedding ceremony.
But why is even that not easy?
Should I go and beg now?
Please, at least don’t do this to the people around me.
Should I make some kind of abominable deal?
Even as I think “surely not,” everything goes dark before my eyes.
Because such terrible things always seemed to happen so casually in my daily life.
I stood there blankly for a moment, having lost my words.
I came to my senses only when the supervisor called my name.
“Yuriel? Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes.”
The supervisor said there was no need for me to come along and that he would go alone, as he gathered his coat.
Just before he stepped out, my senses finally returned.
“No, supervisor. Please let me go too.”
If the other party wasn’t Lady Fiocel’s underling.
If it was just someone who happened to know me or was interested in me, I might be throwing away a hard-earned opportunity.
Since sponsorship ultimately depends on the sponsor’s heart, there was no need to go against their wishes.
The supervisor repeatedly tried to dissuade me, saying the sponsor’s intentions seemed impure, but in the end, he couldn’t break my stubbornness.
The place we arrived at in the rattling carriage was a familiar building.
‘The Marriott Hotel?’
The large, dazzlingly splendid building that resembled that man made my body shudder just by its appearance.
I even had the delusion that this too might have been designed by Lady Fiocel.
Even though there’s nothing strange about the building itself.
I’ve heard that while the Marriott is used as a hotel building, the lower floors and exterior are also used as reception rooms for the wealthy and special guests.
Indeed, the staff said they would guide us to a reception room and led the way.
Despite having come to this hotel so many times, the first-floor lobby of the building interior that I was heading to for the first time exuded an atmosphere different from the image I had before.
Of course, it still maintained the brilliant and glittering appearance resembling that man.
Past the long lobby lined with statues that looked expensive at a glance, a huge cafe I had never seen before appeared.
Not a single person was present there.
It was different from the expectation that there would be many people at this time, but I decided to think of it as just a coincidence.
If not, all these crude coincidences keep producing misguided imagination.
The waiting time in the seat was like sitting on pins and needles.
Despite being seated in a chair with the most comfortable couch ever, my head was just complicated.
The person who guided us, dressed in a neat suit, brought out warmly brewed tea.
The supervisor kept saying there was nothing to be nervous about, yet his complexion was full of tension.
As we had arrived early and had quite some time left, the heat from the teacups placed on the table gradually cooled.
After some time like that.
Sooner than expected, there was a bustling movement around us.
It seemed the sponsor had arrived.
As the supervisor and I stood up from our seats simultaneously, the sound of neat footsteps echoed on the ground.
As I turned my head, a familiar silhouette slowly grew larger, revealing its trace.
The moment I discovered the owner of the footsteps, my face froze stiff.
‘Why are you here…!’
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
