Now it all made sense. Gyeon’s overly aggressive behavior towards Ji Han wasn’t just because she was late or didn’t answer his calls. It was driven by jealousy.
Yuin’s mouth, ready to challenge his too casual and confident manner, merely twitched in resignation.
Okay, so that’s Gyeon for you. But why was Ji Han behaving like that?
Ji Han was the one who started the confrontation, demanding Gyeon leave. It was out of character for him.
Was it something urgent? Or was there another reason…
Her suspicions were interrupted as Gyeon gently ran his fingers through her half-dried hair.
“So, will you meet him or not?”
His slightly cool hand retreated quickly. Yuin’s gaze followed his hand across the driver’s seat.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I said I was jealous.”
“Ji Han is my closest friend. I can’t just decide to meet him or not like that. He’ll be very upset…”
“And what about me?”
Yuin stared at him, speechless.
“Am I allowed to feel upset by Nam Yuin?”
“…”
“No answer?”
His tone sounded disappointed. The rhythmic tapping of his fingers ceased.
His insistence on a clear answer seemed like a forced choice – a childish dilemma to corner her.
Yuin pressed her thumb into her still damp dress and exhaled deeply.
Why does he hate being disliked so much?
“I’ll think about it.”
“…”
Yuin sneakily glanced at the silent man. His indifferent gaze was fixed on the road, his hand covering his mouth.
What’s bothering him? She wondered. But she couldn’t just let go of Ji Han, her significant presence. Han Jae Hee and Yoon Ji Han, too, were irreplaceable.
She felt a twinge of regret and unease for not being able to comply with his wishes.
“Our Nam Yuin is really busy. Studying, worrying… When will you have time for me?”
“…”
“When will you come?”
His monotonous voice, laced with urgency and reproach, deeply pierced Yuin’s heart.
A hollow space filled with swelling anxiety, and pebbles of disappointment lodged themselves within.
“…When did you promise to wait?”
Yuin wondered if Gyeon had grown tired of waiting. It seemed like a spiteful remark about no longer waiting was about to slip through her pursed lips, even though she didn’t want that.
Turning away, she leaned against the window, counting around thirty raindrops sliding down.
“Nam Yuin.”
Ignoring him, Yuin felt a large hand enveloping her ignored back. It tapped gently, as if to console her.
“Are you upset?”
“Why would I be upset?”
“Then look at me.”
“…I’d rather not.”
“You are upset.”
“I’m not.”
“’I’m not’ is informal, Miss Yuin.”
Yuin scoffed. Then, just as she thought Gyeon’s hand would leave her head, it forcibly turned her around.
Facing him, Gyeon looked down at her with an almost smiling expression.
“Your expression makes me want to hug you.”
“…What’s wrong with my expression?”
Quietly, Gyeon gently stroked Yuin’s eyelids. She closed her eyes, letting him do as he pleased.
He moved from her eyelids to her cheeks, then playfully flicked her nose, causing her to abruptly open her eyes.
The not-so-gentle touch was quite painful.
“It hurts.”
“That was the intention.”
At this, Yuin’s round eyes narrowed into a glare at Gyeon, who, for some reason, seemed relieved and chuckled softly.
As Yuin shook her head at the bizarre affection from the man she liked, she turned her sore nose and gaze to the window, where rain was now pouring heavily.
That’s when a loud vibration echoed throughout the leather seats.
Unable to answer the phone himself, Gyeon grimaced as Yuin handed him his phone from the discarded jacket.
“Yes.”
His response to the call was terse. Gyeon listened silently, then sighed deeply, ending the call with a curt acknowledgment.
“…Is something wrong?”
Yuin asked, but Gyeon, irritably tapping the steering wheel, remained silent for a moment.
Eventually, his voice, faster and heavier than usual, broke the silence.
“Yuin, we need to change the location of the gift presentation. Is that okay?”
Yuin nodded with a smile at his question, causing Gyeon to suddenly swerve the car sharply, almost jolting them.
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.”
