“We almost sold all the other jewels when we established the foundation, but we kept that one to give to you. Our poor mother, who scrimped and saved her whole life, gave it to me when I got married. It’s an old-fashioned design, and it’s not worth much, so I kept it. It was truly the most precious thing… I didn’t know its value until now. Now, I think I understand how precious something with heartfelt sentiments is, rather than money.”
“…”
With a mixture of regret and choking emotion in Huh Young-joo’s voice, she wiped away tears.
After brushing away her tears, she continued speaking.
“That ring was the most precious one… I didn’t realize its value. Now… now I think I finally understand. How important something filled with emotions is, not money.”
“…”
Silently, Seowon looked down at Huh Young-joo sitting on the ground.
Then, with careful fingers, she took the ring out and put it on her finger.
The ring fit perfectly, as if it was made for her.
“Wow~ Mom! The giant flower ring is so, so beautiful~.”
Out of nowhere, Uju, who had been standing there, grabbed Seowon’s finger and exclaimed in admiration.
Then, suddenly, he grinned and grabbed Huh Young-joo, pulling her up.
“Beautiful grandmother. Well done~. Isn’t it nice to apologize as Uju taught you?”
“……Child.”
Feeling choked up, tears welled up in her eyes again, and Uju wiped them away with his sleeve, affectionately comforting her.
“As a reward, I’ll give the biggest apricot to grandmother, just as Uju taught. There’s also a swing in the playground on the rooftop, so let’s ride the swing together, Uju.”
Accepting the apricot handed by Uju, Huh Young-joo, once again, burst into tears.
She held the apricot in her hands as if it were a treasure.
For some reason, her unpretentious appearance seemed more humane, and Director Yoon laughed genuinely for the first time in a while.
While Uju, Chaeha, and Director Yoon harvested apricots together, Huh Young-joo went to meet the twin granddaughters with Seowon.
Since briefly visiting at the time of their birth, it was the first time she had seen them.
How excited she was when she heard about having twins, Huh Young-joo’s heart was still bursting with excitement.
Even Uju, who was already adorable, became even more charming, and now there were two more such beings.
Soon, those lovely twins appeared before her eyes.
“It might be difficult to distinguish them because they look exactly alike.”
Seowon pointed to the twins lying side by side in the baby gym, smiling faintly.
Huh Young-joo approached her granddaughters slowly, as if witnessing a mysterious sight.
The twins, approaching their 100th day, were diligently crawling.
“Their neck muscles developed quickly, and they were fast at turning over.”
Seowon, who had been calculating her feelings of resentment, explained each step of the twins’ growth.
Huh Young-joo stared at her granddaughters intensely, as if she was going to embed them in her eyes.
On their small heads with velvety hair, some black strands were growing quite well.
Similar to their mother, they had large eyes on their fair skin, and their high nose and distinct lips resembled Chaeha.
They were truly baby angels.
“Uwoong~. Oong~.”
With incomprehensible and cute babbling, the twins moved their bellies back and forth.
Their tiny fingers wriggled and, soon after, unfolded as they touched the floor, causing Huh Young-joo to exclaim in amazement.
The simple movement was so extraordinary that the emotion was beyond words.
“Is she… Is she a cloud, as her name suggests?”
“Yes. You recognized her right away.”
“Cloud has a more fluffy face, just like her name suggests.”
When Seowon laughed at Huh Young-joo’s observant remark, the tension between them relaxed a little.
“…Visit us occasionally to see your grandchildren. We’ll also come by often.”
“Still… Is it okay? Can I do that?”
“Yes. Uju has grown a lot taller in the meantime.”
“Thank you, thank you. Seowon. I really… I’ll repay my debt even if it takes a lifetime.”
Holding Seowon’s hand tightly, Huh Young-joo continually nodded her head.
Certainly, she had changed a lot since before.
The hand of her mother-in-law, held for the first time, felt warmer than she had expected, and a gentle smile appeared on Seowon’s lips.
The not-yet-fully-grown apricot tree precisely gifted them three baskets of apricots. Right on time, Kwang-ho Kwon also finished his meeting and arrived.
“Oh, did our Uju pick these for Grandpa?”
“Yes! Because he’s a grandpa, he picked only the king-sized apricots~. But actually, the biggest one was given to the pretty grandma.”
“Really?”
With a meaningful look, Kwang-ho Kwon glanced at Huh Young-joo. It seemed like something good had happened in this charming garden.
Huh Young-joo cast her eyes down, seemingly embarrassed.
“They’re incredibly delicious~. Please try them quickly. Ah~.”
Cutely, Uju fed apricots to Kwang-ho Kwon, who smiled and opened his mouth.
“How is it? Uju’s apricots, are they delicious?”
“Indeed they are. There will probably be even more next year.”
“Yes. Uju will grow this much more by next year and pick apricots herself. Dad promised to give her a piggyback ride only until this year.”
“Hmm~ Is that so?”
Looking at Uju, Kwang-ho Kwon realized that it might be challenging for her to grow that much by next year, but he gently stroked his first granddaughter with affection.
Uju became more excited and giggled.
“Uju will give apricots to her younger siblings next year.”
“To Haneul and Gureum?”
“Yes~ She’ll brag about picking them.”
“Oh, right. We should see how much our twin granddaughters have grown. Chaeha said they’re already crawling. They’ll be moving around soon. Hehe.”
“Enjoy the apricots, and everyone, come inside. Let’s have dinner together.”
Since it was a special day, Seowon prepared the food herself today. Although Chaeha objected, today was a day of harvest for her as well.
To put it differently, it was a day for sincere joy.
Then, Chaeha muttered next to her.
“Our son, give some apricots to Dad too. He worked hard to pick them, but you only gave the biggest ones to Grandpa and Grandma. Dad feels left out~.”
“Hmm~?”
As Uju widened her eyes in surprise, a pleased smile spread across everyone’s faces.
In a hurry, Uju handed the apricots to them, and Chaeha and Seowon shared a knowing look as they bit into the apricots.
The gentle laughter, carried by the early summer breeze, spread like seeds in the garden.
The love that bloomed in each heart would undoubtedly become fertilizer, nurturing many things in the future.
Seowon savored happiness to the fullest in her mouth.
The fruit born after enduring harsh storms had truly ripened.
Like these sweet and tempting apricots.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
