In his anger, Nasongrim tried to blame Line without reason. However, Songgang, who wouldn’t listen to such words, was not someone Nasongrim could turn to.
“Deputy Director Nasongrim, the important thing now is not my thoughts but the feelings of the person receiving the apology. Please ask for permission from the person in front of you. I am just providing the place.”
Songgang had no intention of responding to Nasongrim’s SOS. Line had to be relieved for everything to be resolved. Songgang returned to his seat and stood there again.
“It’s not that you don’t want to accept the apology, but you don’t want to apologize to me, right?”
Line clenched her fist and made a determined expression. Nasongrim snorted, lifted his face with a deteriorating expression. Line found his attitude unpleasant.
Rather than reflecting, his impatience and the gaze he still directed at Line infuriated her, including his gaze that still watched her, as if she couldn’t stand a moment of impatience.
“Earlier, I was rude. I apologize.”
“Again, that wasn’t rudeness; it was a crime.”
Nasongrim couldn’t easily lose his temper in front of his brother, and it was truly maddening. He sighed heavily, making it clear how uncomfortable he felt right now.
“A sigh? Did you just sigh now? If you don’t want to apologize, then don’t. Legal action is cleaner. Still, I want to say this. Small holes can cause a dam to collapse.”
Nasongrim had no idea what Line was saying. He simply regarded it as her mocking him and narrowed his eyes with contempt.
Unlike Nasongrim, Songgang, who had realized what story Line was bringing up, found Nasongrim’s endurance pathetic.
“If I take legal action, will I only bring up today’s incident as a problem? Deputy Director Nasongrim has led a quite interesting life, and it seems to be ongoing.”
“Oh, what’s this nonsense again? Speak clearly about what you want to say! Clearly…”
Nasongrim tried to raise his voice, but seeing Songgang’s expression, he lowered his tone. Line, tired of waiting for a sincere apology, stood up and approached Nasongrim.
Songgang tensed up, keeping a close eye on Line. If Nasongrim tried to be sarcastic towards Line, he was ready to intervene at any moment.
“Speak clearly? I’ll explain kindly, so listen carefully.”
Eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth. The conversation immediately switched to informal mode.
“Entering university with money, not ability, is illegal. How about fraudulent admission?”
Only then did Nasongrim stop his arrogant gestures. Songgang, curious about how Line would continue, held his breath.
“What is this person doing…? Who in the world are you?”
With a stern expression, Nasongrim turned his eyes towards Songgang and Line. His gaze, nervously shifting between Songgang and Line, looked quite uneasy. Nasongrim felt anxious at the thought that Songgang might find out about this fact.
Line made a circle with her thumb and index finger. Soon, she coldly blinked her eyes and smiled.
“You need money, right? Where did that money come from?”
“Stop it! I’ll apologize.”
As Line’s words continued, Nasongrim became impatient. In order to prevent Line from continuing, he lowered himself to the posture she wanted.
Songgang was curious about the whole story Line knew about Nasongrim. However, with Nasongrim changing his stance, he could no longer listen to the story.
“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure something like this never happens again.”
Nasongrim came out with a humble posture this time, but Line’s ‘again’ continued. Eventually, the number of apologies surpassed the number of rejections of Songgang’s report confirmation.
On the twenty-third try, an apology that was somewhat close to being correct was made. Line reluctantly accepted the apology. Nasongrim hastily left the office as if taking a step backward.
Line looked at her wristwatch. Due to the considerable time taken away, she now had to turn back to address the pile of tasks that had accumulated. Line glanced at Songgang. He seemed lost in thought, thinking about something else.
Even though she was a different mother’s child, did I go too far with the deputy director…?
“Has your heart eased a bit now?”
As Line’s thoughts became a bit tangled, Songgang broke the silence. He approached Line. No matter how many questions he had, taking care of her feelings was a priority.
“Whether it eases or not, where does it matter? Show the hot taste or make them experience a dirty situation, it’s all about preventing a recurrence. Still, legal action will be taken. I thought I’d get an agreement not to take legal action… As expected, it’s below expectations. Nasongrim.”
“At some point, it became regrettable to sell. That guy…”
Such a person openly thriving in society… Line was determined to make Nasongrim pay for his sins.
“Please… I won’t engage in dangerous behavior.”
Line, still with a bitter heart, turned away with a disapproving expression.
“I’ll be going now.”
When Line turned around, Songgang grabbed her wrist. Then, he embraced her from behind. His large back still partially covered her.
“Whether it’s the body or the heart… I might not be able to endure if Inspector Jin Line gives even a small sigh… Can’t you endure a little longer?”
Songgang spoke to Line without scolding her, as if soothing her. Line couldn’t help but understand his feelings.
“Okay…”
Nasongrim, who returned to the office as if fleeing, swept away the items on the desk in frustration. The sound of things being thrown around was audible outside the office. Having been unable to find her in the meantime, he called the front desk.
“Hey, there was a guest who went into my brother’s room today. Who’s that woman?”
In his usual blunt communication style, the desk clerk thought the person on the phone must be Deputy Director Nasongrim.
Director, I’m sorry. The VIP room access list is strictly confidential.
“What? Are you saying that because you don’t know who I am right now?”
It was a reckless and unreserved way of communicating. The employee who answered the phone was flustered without any wrongdoing.
“Enough! Do you think I can’t find out just because you’re saying such things?”
In a rash manner, Nasongrim called his mother, Geum Moran.
“Mom, it’s me.”
She could tell that something was wrong just by hearing her son’s voice.
“Mom, there’s a woman who came to see my brother in his room today, and she knows about me.”
What are you talking about? Tell me calmly.
“She mentioned something about fraudulent admission, and she was a woman who wasn’t good at anything.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Son, let’s not be too obsessed with trivial matters.
“Mom, this isn’t a trivial matter…!”
Well, who’s talking about fraudulent admission? My son got in based on his abilities. Be careful with your words, son. Don’t get involved with suspicious people and say unnecessary things. I’ll take care of it.
She was a formidable mother. Nasongrim finally calmed down after having a conversation with the Morran with her cold, composed voice.
And after that, Geum Morran thoroughly harassed the desk employees to find out who the guest was that entered Songgang’s room.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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