Despite being an enigma, Tae-Rim recognized Dong-Hwa’s skill, which allowed them to grow closer.
It was during a request for support in an expedition by the Association’s strike team.
Typically, Team 7 didn’t participate in expeditions, but Dong-Hwa and Tae-Rim often received requests due to their high grades.
“Hey, aren’t you sleeping?”
As night deepened, they couldn’t find a shelter and ended up camping inside a cave. The strike team had a watch schedule in case of a monster attack.
It wasn’t Dong-Hwa’s turn, but he was awake, prompting Tae-Rim to approach him with curiosity.
“I can’t sleep.”
“Are you worried about being attacked?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“I’ll stand watch, so you get some rest. You don’t trust these guys, do you?”
The hunters currently on watch were new recruits.
‘It’s really not that…’
Dong-Hwa wasn’t unable to sleep because he distrusted them.
The Blue Starlight Valley had an unusually bright planet in the sky.
Already sensitive in the dungeon, Dong-Hwa struggled to sleep, especially with the added brightness.
“Yes, I’ll sleep.”
But Tae-Rim insisted, so Dong-Hwa pretended to sleep.
“Keke…”
“Why are you laughing?”
“Ah, you scared me. Aren’t you asleep?”
“What’s that?”
Hearing laughter, Dong-Hwa turned to see Tae-Rim looking at an old phone he usually didn’t use.
Tae-Rim, caught, scratched his forehead and said,
“Ah… it’s my sister.”
“You have a sister?”
“…Yeah.”
Uncharacteristically curt, Tae-Rim seemed uncomfortable.
“Don’t spread it around. No one else knows.”
“Okay.”
Dong-Hwa turned away, pretending not to notice.
“…Do you want to see? She’s really cute.”
“May I?”
“Sure. I’ll show you just for today.”
Though pretending indifference, Tae-Rim seemed eager to brag. Dong-Hwa nodded and moved closer to Tae-Rim.
―Heo-eung. Mom, don’t gooo.
A little girl appeared on the screen. She seemed under 10 years old.
Her eyes were large, and her hair long, except for her short bangs, making her round face more apparent.
Tears soaked her neatly dressed lace dress.
―Don’t leave me. Don’t abandon me. Euaaaang.
Tears fell like raindrops. The mother’s face wasn’t visible, but the hand wiping the girl’s cheek seemed gentle.
―Mom, will you not go?
―Uh-huh, huh. I’ll stay with you.
―Then we can’t get these fruits anymore?
In the mother’s hand was a fruit that only grows in the dungeon. The child, who was crying like a broken faucet, suddenly stopped her tears.
Her moist eyes lit up the moment she tasted the fruit.
―Does it taste good?
―Uh-huh…
Her small mouth chewed away. The child ate the fruit, smearing the juice on her hands.
It seemed like more was being spilled than eaten, or was that just an illusion? Her cheeks puffed up like large inflated balloons.
“Look at her stopping crying immediately. Funny, right? Was this a scam? Should have hired an actress.”
Tae-Rim watched the video with a pleased smile.
“She’s your younger sister?”
“Yeah. Why, don’t we look alike? Used to hear we did when I was younger.”
Tae-Rim, while looking mischievous when smiling, generally had a fierce demeanor. His sharp right canine added to this aura.
But the little girl had an overall round and soft look. Was it because she was young? If anything similar, both had light pigmentation in their hair and eyes, giving them a brownish hue.
“Now she’s grown a bit, doesn’t cry much. Doesn’t even ask which dungeon I’m entering, nor shows excitement for anything I bring… ”
Tae-Rim seemed a bit disappointed.
“She used to cry like this, then would brighten up smiling. Lately, she just endures. I always worry if I’m not looking after her well enough.”
Tae-Rim’s mother was also a hunter, he had heard. Team 7 of the Scouts, to which they belonged, was formed to find Tae-Rim’s mother, Cho In-Young.
So, the little girl must have lost her mother as well.
“Isn’t it good she’s not crying?”
“What did you hear in what I said? She wants to cry but is holding back.”
“Crying means being sad. Is being sad better than holding back?”
“Ah, what’s the point of talking to you about this.”
Seeing Dong-Hwa’s puzzled expression, Tae-Rim sighed in resignation.
“Anyway, guess I’m still not as reliable as mom. I wish I could make her smile again.”
“She seems to like that fruit. Maybe she’ll smile if you bring it?”
“No use. She says she doesn’t need it anymore, doesn’t like it. Told me not to bring it.”
“…”
“Still, when I’m having a hard time, looking at this gives me strength. Makes me think I have to go back somehow.”
“Go back where?”
“Home. Where my family is. Don’t you think of your family? Oh right, you don’t remember.”
Realizing his slip, Tae-Rim slapped his mouth.
He spent half a year in the dungeon with his comrade, but Tae-Rim had a home to return to.
Not just Tae-Rim, all the hunters there did. Dong-Hwa could never bridge that gap, no matter what.
It was okay not to fit in with the crowd, but if this emptiness came from having nowhere to return, that was a problem.
Appearing out of nowhere, he feared he might vanish just as inexplicably.
Dong-Hwa had always been tormented by this baseless anxiety.
To create a place to return, he needed to bond with people, but that was the hardest part for Dong-Hwa.
He struggled with feeling and understanding emotions. As time passed, the realization that he was different from others became more apparent.
Even now, he understood wanting to make someone laugh, but couldn’t grasp feeling disappointed about not seeing tears.
Tears are for when one is sad. He wouldn’t want his sister to be sad.
‘Survive no matter what.’
That voice, heard only once, lingered long in Dong-Hwa’s memory. That’s why he survived until now.
But now, he wanted to truly feel alive.
Not just a life of breathing and circulating blood, but one of sharing and understanding emotions, feeling that warm intimacy.
Maybe then, like the girl longing for her mother, or Tae-Rim worrying about his sister, he too would have a place to return to.
Maybe that would fill this emptiness.
Maybe he wouldn’t vanish.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. We are your family, aren’t w―”
“Give me that, please.”
Noticing Dong-Hwa’s darkening expression, Tae-Rim hurriedly tried to apologize, but Dong-Hwa interrupted him abruptly.
“What?”
“That.” Dong-Hwa pointed at the phone.
“Give me that, please.”
“This device is old and slow. You want this?”
“No, the person inside it. Your brother, your sister.”
What he was pointing at wasn’t the phone itself, but rather the screen of the phone.
He was indicating the little girl in the video.
Male lead Asks for a Divorce Every Day
It’s not often you come across a plot like this in the female-dominant genre — make sure to check it out!
This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.
The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.
Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.
If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.
It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.
The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.
In the end, everything will come together and be explained.
One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!
In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.
Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.
However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.
Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.
Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?
——
Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.
His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.
Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”
——
The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.
Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!
Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!
The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…
——
But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.
The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.
She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…
Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”
Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”
Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?
[Small Theater]
The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.
Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”
Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.
Zhu Wansheng: ?
Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…
On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.
Warm breath lingers on her neck.
“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”
[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
