As meaningful as confessing ‘I love you.’
Young-In, reminiscing about Ha-Yoon talking non-stop about Sung-Hyuk during dinner, took off her shoes. She had heard ‘CEO’ so much that it still echoed in her ears.
Suddenly, she remembered what he had said to her that morning.
“Tell him before he hears it from someone else.”
Thinking it would be good to just say it today and be done with it, she entered the living room, where a familiar face awaited her. Of course, she had no expectation of being warmly received.
“Hey, you stayed out last night, didn’t you?”
Arim, sitting on the sofa, shot a cold question and a sharp glare at her.
“I had some work to do.”
“You stayed out without any contact.”
“I’ll contact you next time.”
“Don’t stay out.”
“You know how unpredictable my job is.”
Though her schedule had become more manageable than before, there were still times when she had to rush to remote filming locations or spend the night at the office. Even if she promised not to stay out like last night again, she couldn’t promise never to stay out.
“You’re putting on airs, putting on airs.”
Since Young-In became a manager, the most frequent comment from her family was about how she was serving celebrities, despite being sent to a good university at a high cost.
“I’m not putting on airs. I’m talking about the special nature of my job.”
“Behave properly so you don’t disgrace our parents.”
“Yeah.”
Young-In responded indifferently.
She had heard these remarks so often that they hardly phased her anymore. On days like today, though, her desire to become independent intensified.
Young-In’s treatment as the black sheep in this house was due to Cha, the head of the family, who wouldn’t allow independence unless it was through marriage. Beom-Jun and Arim were in the same situation.
Cha and his wife, outwardly, practiced noblesse oblige. As part of their moral duty, they boasted about adopting Young-In to various people, regardless of her feelings.
Despite the couple’s claims of lovingly raising their youngest adopted daughter, Young-In had only experienced discrimination and abuse from her adoptive parents.
She never spoke to anyone about the duplicitous nature of her adoptive parents, not even Sung-Hyuk. She had kept it to herself even though she had been provided with food, shelter, and education.
“I’m transferring jobs, sister.”
Telling her sister meant her brother would hear about it, and telling her brother meant her sister would know, so telling just one of them was enough.
“A transfer? Where to?”
Arim tilted her head, puzzled by the abrupt change of topic.
“SL Entertainment.”
“What? SL?”
“Hyeseong was absorbed by SL Entertainment. I started working at SL from yesterday. But the CEO of SL Entertainment is Sung-Hyuk senior.”
“What are you talking about? He said he was going to the Management Planning Department. You heard it too.”
Just then, Beom-Jun appeared, looking slightly drunk and with his tie half undone.
Arim immediately asked him.
“Brother, is it true?”
“What is?”
His furrowed brows conveyed his tiredness and annoyance.
“That Sung-Hyuk brother didn’t go to the Management Planning Department.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That he went to SL Entertainment.”
“Who said that?”
“She did.”
Beom-Jun’s gaze followed Arim’s pointing finger, finally noticing Young-In.
“What are you talking about?”
“Hyeseong got absorbed by SL Entertainment, so I started working at SL from yesterday. And Sung-Hyuk senior turned out to be the CEO of SL.”
Young-In repeated herself like a parrot.
“Why did Sung-Hyuk go there?”
“Why are you asking me? Ask him yourself.”
Beom-Jun immediately took out his phone and called Sung-Hyuk.
“You haven’t answered my calls or called back for days. What’s going on…….”
While Beom-Jun was grumbling, the call connected.
“Hey, man.”
Arim, who had suddenly stood up, rushed over to Beom-Jun and pressed her ear to his phone, eager to hear what Sung-Hyuk was saying.
Despite Beom-Jun’s efforts to keep her away, Arim stubbornly clung to listen in, prompting Beom-Jun to press the speakerphone button in resignation. He then stepped back, glaring at her, and spoke into the phone.
“You went to SL Entertainment?”
“Why suddenly?”
“Did you suddenly become interested in the management business?”
“So, the content business?”
Beom-Jun had no idea that what Sung-Hyuk wanted was a person, and that person was Chae Young-In.
Only Young-In, who had overheard everything thanks to Arim, bit her lip in silence.
“You should have told me first. It feels bad hearing it from someone else.”
“Young-In.”
“No, that’s it. Take care.”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
