Again? His annoyance was evident, but seeing the caller’s name on the screen made him stop tapping.
‘Mom’
Without hesitation, Ki-yeon pressed the call button and brought the phone to his ear.
“Yes.”
Silence. The other side of the line remained quiet despite being the one who called.
Yet, that silence itself seemed to say the caller was Nam Yuin, making Ki-yeon almost laugh, which he suppressed by biting his lip.
He spoke first, breaking the stillness.
“Nam Yuin?”
“…Yes, it’s there.”
Yuin’s voice, sounding resigned as if she had hoped he wouldn’t answer, Ki-yeon pretended not to notice.
“Exactly. Its owner left it behind, so I picked it up and kept it safe.”
“Why would I abandon it?”
“Aren’t you the one who ignored my calls and just walked away?”
“…Ah.”
Her voice, as thin and fragile as her appearance, was filled with embarrassment.
Ki-yeon could almost imagine the perplexed expression she must be wearing – an expression he had never seen on her sister’s face. Despite their similar looks, their personalities seemed entirely different.
Nam Yuin, the sister of actor Nam Yu-jin.
Ki-yeon had known about Yuin even before seeing her in person.
Nam Yu-jin always wanted his private life hidden from the public, and Ki-yeon had the duty to ensure it.
To do so, he needed to know everything about Nam Yu-jin, including his family, which was basic information.
Even though he knew about her, the striking resemblance still threw him off. But when he looked into her eyes up close, he realized they were complete opposites of Nam Yu-jin in terms of aura, expressions, voice, and behavior.
After asking her name just to be sure, it turned out she was indeed Nam Yu-jin’s sister, Nam Yuin.
Of course, whether she was Nam Yu-jin’s sister or not, it wasn’t Ki-yeon’s concern why she was in the corridor of an exclusive bar for members only.
However, for some reason, he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her, looking so transparently and purely joyful, in a place swarming with dubious people.
It was just a whim. A simple act of kindness. Nothing more.
“Um… I’ll pick it up if you leave it somewhere convenient. Where would be good for you?”
Her clear intention to avoid meeting him was evident in her words, causing Ki-yeon to frown as if he was at the edge of his patience.
Why was Nam Yuin so uncomfortable and uneasy? He had only shown kindness.
Suddenly, his mood shifted, and he felt mischievously inclined to tease her further.
“Why?”
“…Huh?”
“Don’t you want to meet me?”
“Ah… It’s not that, just, you might be busy.”
Displeased, Yuin didn’t even touch the coffee she claimed she would drink, just fiddling with the cup. After a while, with only the faint sound of classical music playing, Ki-yeon broke the silence.
“Why were you there yesterday?”
“It was a friend’s birthday.”
“A friend’s birthday.”
Ki-yeon recalled hearing that the bar he frequented operated alongside a regular club. He just learned that the two were connected by a corridor. It was easy to deduce that 23-year-old university student Nam Yuin was naturally at the club with her friend.
“Did your friend leave you alone to wander around drunk? You’re not a lost puppy.”
Her delicate fingers hesitated as they tried to lift the large mug.
For the first time since entering the room, Yuin looked directly at Ki-yeon. Her eyes were large and slightly watery.
Ah. I thought it was just the alcohol, but her eyes are naturally like that. I wonder how she would look crying. She would probably look pretty even then.
Suddenly harboring a dangerous thought, Ki-yeon pressed his index finger to his lips to hide a rising smile.
Irritated by something, Yuin’s voice carried a hint of annoyance.
“I was trying to leave, mistook it for the exit. The door was open.”
“You drink to the point of not finding the exit?”
“No.”
“Do you often go to that club?”
“Not really.”
“So, you reluctantly drank because it was your friend’s birthday?”
“…Yeah, something like that.”
Her answers were half a beat slow, and her face bore a hint of resentment as if questioning his curiosity. Yet, she was responding quite diligently, making Ki-yeon want to keep talking to her, like a schoolboy teasing girls with a jump rope.
Seeing her lips twitch as if she wanted to say something, Ki-yeon urged her to speak. Yuin replied in a clear voice.
“Do you usually show kindness to strangers?”
“Me? I don’t waste time on such things.”
“Then why me?”
“Ah. Because you’re special, Nam Yuin.”
Testing her, Ki-yeon threw a bigger bait.
Confused, Yuin’s gaze wandered before returning to him.
“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“You should drink your coffee before it gets cold.”
Yuin became even quieter than before, just staring at the smiling Ki-yeon.
Her thoughts, so apparent until now, were unreadable this time, making Ki-yeon also fall silent to observe her.
What is she thinking? What reaction will she show this time?
Contrary to his expectations, Yuin suddenly began gulping down her coffee, finishing the full cup in one go. She slammed the cup on the table and extended her hand to Ki-yeon.
“I’ve finished, so please give me my phone.”
“Nam Yuin.”
“Hurry up. You promised.”
Her frozen expression was surprisingly resolute.
Amused that Yuin was not following any of his predictions, Ki-yeon, though reluctantly, reached into his jacket pocket to fulfill his promise and handed her the phone.
“Leaving already?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll take you home.”
As Ki-yeon stood up to leave, Yuin immediately rejected the offer with a firm “No.”
She was already at the door, her stance clearly saying she wouldn’t be caught this time.
Before he could say anything, Yuin stopped him.
“Don’t do it.”
“Do what?”
“Everything you’re trying to do.”
“…”
“I hope we never meet again.”
The words “Please” were unsaid, but her lips said enough. The door slid open, and before it could even close, Yuin had vanished from sight.
“Huh. What’s with her?”
Bemused by Yuin’s flight after just one comment about being ‘special’, Ki-yeon let out a hollow laugh, looking at the door she had exited through for a long time before murmuring to himself.
“She’s cute.”
That was all he thought of Yuin.
Thanks to her, the past two days had been far from boring and quite entertaining, he added to himself.
And like Yuin said, Ki-yeon too concluded that they probably wouldn’t meet again.
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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