Startled by Jae-O’s voice, Chae-Yoon turned her head in surprise.
He was sitting in a recliner on one side of the room, looking at something. With a laptop on the side table and a tablet in his hand, it seemed he was reviewing work-related documents. Chae-Yoon wondered why he was doing this here instead of in his study.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, Jae-O stood up. Chae-Yoon, feeling a momentary sense of intimidation from his rising height, averted her gaze slightly downwards.
The sound of his approaching footsteps grew louder, filling Chae-Yoon with an inexplicable flutter in her heart.
Thud. His steps halted.
Trying to avoid making eye contact with Jae-O, Chae-Yoon turned her head away, only to hear his low voice above her.
“Appointment?”
Confused by his question, Chae-Yoon raised her head to look at him.
“That…”
Before she could ask if he meant whether she was late due to an appointment, her words halted abruptly.
They were so close that their bodies might touch at any moment.
Seeing his face up close for the first time, her heart pounded more fiercely than ever. As her cheeks flushed with the rush of blood, he asked again.
“What were you doing that made you come home late?”
To hide her blushing face, Chae-Yoon walked towards the dressing room as she answered.
“Just like you said, brother. I was late because of an appointment.”
As Chae-Yoon turned and walked away, Jae-O’s gaze followed her.
Watching her back move away, he saw her enter the dressing room and decided to step in as well. Once inside, Chae-Yoon covered her cheeks with her hands and sighed in relief.
“Phew…”
Relieved to have escaped before her face turned redder, she began to take off her coat. That’s when Jae-O entered the dressing room.
Startled to see the man she thought would be in the study enter this space, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Why did you come in here?”
Chae-Yoon’s eyes held a slight wariness as she looked at Jae-O.
Observing this, Jae-O’s eyes narrowed momentarily.
‘Why such a reaction? I’m not a stranger.’
Her response, akin to a puppy seeing a stranger, was oddly irritating, like the male voice she had briefly heard during their phone conversation.
Perhaps due to this annoyance, Jae-O felt his mood skew. It was a new sensation for him, making his voice sound a bit grumpy.
“I came to change clothes. Why?”
Hearing his response, Chae-Yoon examined his attire. Usually dressed in suits outside, he was currently wearing comfortable indoor clothes.
“Isn’t that already your change of clothes?”
“I don’t like it.”
With that, Jae-O headed to the wardrobe. Watching him, Chae-Yoon exhaled a breath of disbelief.
‘I didn’t know he was fussy about such things.’
But then…
“?”
Suddenly, Jae-O casually took off his shirt.
Chae-Yoon’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected view of his back.
‘What? Why is he undressing all of a sudden?’
Confused, Chae-Yoon didn’t know where to look.
Meanwhile, Jae-O, who had calmly changed his T-shirt, fixed his gaze on Chae-Yoon.
Chae-Yoon, standing askew to Jae-O, was dressed similarly to how she was two months ago when she visited the company.
‘But…’
Something was different.
Although Jae-O couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed, he felt that Chae-Yoon appeared more dressed up than before, making him inadvertently furrow his brows.
‘Did she go out with a man like this?’
The thought led to an increasing sense of irritation in Jae-O, pricking at his heart.
His brows narrowed.
[Oh? Sister’s here.]That remark meant Chae-Yoon’s appointment included not just men but women too. Regardless, it was none of his business who Chae-Yoon met. It was her prerogative.
However, he should’ve been indifferent as usual…
‘Why does it bother me so much?’
His heart was reacting unusually, and Jae-O, unfamiliar with such feelings, faintly frowned and asked,
“Why are you late?”
“I told you, I was late because of an appointment.”
“What kind of appointment?”
Chae-Yoon tilted her head slightly, puzzled.
Jae-O, who usually didn’t care where she went or whom she met, was inquiring in detail about her appointment today.
‘Why?’
Chae-Yoon, confused by his sudden interest, blinked her large eyes slowly and replied,
“I went to have dinner with a friend… Is there a problem?”
There was no issue with Chae-Yoon’s appointment. It was just his feelings that were strangely skewed.
Jae-O, who couldn’t understand why his heart was acting this way and had no time to reflect, retorted,
“But did you have to dress up so much for that?”
Chae-Yoon then looked at her attire.
“I didn’t really pay much attention to it…”
Hearing this, Jae-O exhaled sharply.
‘Not pay attention? Her clothes, face, and even hair were carefully done, shining brilliantly.’
The gap between what he saw and her words was too wide for Jae-O to agree.
“You didn’t pay attention, but your clothes aren’t usual, and your face… What’s with…”
His gaze, scanning her outfit, paused on her fair face.
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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