“Why isn’t there a reply? My sister is alive, for sure.”
A Rin incessantly checked her mailbox on her phone. However, there was no response from Tae In, and the new mail she had sent remained unread.
“Did someone else read it? Maybe she logged into her phone or computer and…?”
Her thoughts led her to feel despondent.
The sorrow, previously obscured by hope, started welling up again.
“No, no, my sister isn’t dead.”
Her sister was stronger than anyone in the world.
As if making a promise to herself, A Rin emphatically nodded and hugged a teddy bear that was on the headboard of the bed.
It was a bear given by Tae In. A Rin unzipped the bear’s back.
It was a tiny piece of black plastic, the size of a fingernail.
When she had asked why Tae In gave this to her, Tae In had said,
“You’ll cherish what I give you. If anything happens to me, contact this number and give them this.”
Tae In had entered the number into A Rin’s phone and saved it under the name Do Hee Won.
“Do, Do Hee Won…”
She had completely forgotten about it. A Rin hurriedly dialed the number saved by Tae In.
She was nervous, not knowing what to say. Who was Do Hee Won? Would they mock her stutter?
Contrary to her worries, Do Hee Won didn’t answer the call.
As A Rin fiddled with the piece of plastic, it seemed like she remembered something. Her eyes widened.
“This, this is, to connect to a computer.”
She had seen Tae In do it before. A Rin quickly moved to Tae In’s room, making sure no one noticed her as she carefully entered the room.
However, Tae In’s laptop that was there until a few days ago was missing.
A Rin’s shoulders dropped. She didn’t have a computer.
As she was contemplating, she heard footsteps outside.
“Where on earth is it?”
It was Se Ji’s voice.
“Never let anyone take this away, especially not our sisters.”
Clutching the USB, A Rin crawled under the bed. Soon, Tae In’s room door opened.
A Rin curled up and held her breath.
Both Se Ji and Se Young were scary, but A Rin was especially terrified of Se Ji.
She had once pushed A Rin down the stairs claiming she was a nuisance, and even threw things at her because she didn’t like to hear her cry.
Mom always sided with the sisters. She never once looked at A Rin warmly.
“Could Kang Nok Hyun have it?”
Se Ji seemed to be looking for something. A Rin gripped the USB tighter. She had a feeling that what Se Ji was looking for might be this.
“Hic!”
Due to the tension, she hiccupped. She quickly covered her mouth, but it seemed too late.
“Seo A Rin?”
At Se Ji’s voice, A Rin’s body trembled.
“Where is our little A Rin hiding?”
She heard the sound of wardrobe doors being opened and closed. Her heart was beating so fast that it felt like it would jump out of her mouth.
She was terrified as if she’d committed a great wrong when she’d done nothing.
“Did I hear wrong?”
Fortunately, she heard the sound of the door opening. Se Ji must have left.
Arin sighed with relief and used her elbows to crawl out from under the bed.
And when she lifted her head.
Her eyes met Se Ji’s as he poked his head through the door and looked down at her.
His eyes, dark and empty. Whenever she met his gaze, she felt as though she was living a nightmare.
“You were hiding here, our little mouse.”
Se Ji quickly approached and grabbed one of Arin’s legs, dragging her across the floor.
Despite her chattering teeth from fear, Arin kept her promise to Tae In and shoved the USB into her mouth.
As if on cue, the cellphone in her pocket fell to the ground.
Se Ji eyed it before picking it up.
“An email?”
“Hello, Lawyer Woo.”
“Hello, Sol Mi.”
Je Ha greeted the employee with a bright smile, and the woman blushed as if it was a big deal that he remembered her name.
Je Ha attracted attention wherever he went. Especially the attention of women.
He seemed accustomed to it as he passed the employees and stood in front of Se Ji’s office. Secretary Im, who recognized Je Ha, nodded her head.
Je Ha lightly returned the greeting and opened the door.
Se Ji greeted Je Ha with a cold face.
“That doesn’t look like the face of someone who got what they wanted.”
Je Ha sat on the sofa, leaning back. Shortly after, Secretary Im brought a cup of warm tea.
“I heard someone saw Seo Tae In.”
Se Ji nonchalantly mentioned as Je Ha took a sip of his tea.
Je Ha raised an eyebrow.
“Where?”
“I’m not sure. It was posted on the internet but was quickly deleted.”
“Do you believe that?”
“I didn’t, until I saw this.”
Se Ji held out a toylike cellphone to Je Ha.
Je Ha, who was suspiciously looking at the cellphone with a large yellow cat sticker on it, eventually took it.
“What is this?”
“It’s Seo Arin’s phone. There are records of her exchanging emails with Seo Tae In. She read all the emails sent after his death?”
“A secretary could have managed the email account.”
“Does Seo Tae In have that kind of personality? And Secretary Im, who used to be Tae In’s secretary, she seems to know nothing about it.”
“…It is suspicious.”
Se Ji burst into laughter while watching Je Ha who seemed lost in thought.
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.”
