The meeting with friends she hadn’t seen in a long time was filled with chatter.
While sharing recent updates, Hyo Jung posed a question to Chae Yoon.
“Chae Yoon, did something happen? You’ve always been slim, but you’ve lost even more weight.”
“Really?”
Chae Yoon touched her cheek in response.
“After joining the company and being busy for a while, I guess I lost some weight.”
“Oh, how’s company life? Is it manageable? Gayoung said she already wants to quit.”
“The work is manageable, but dealing with people can be challenging.”
“There’s a difficult person there too?”
Seeing a faint smile from Chae Yoon, Hyo Jung clicked her tongue and shook her head.
“There’s always one no matter where you go. Sumin told me about a coworker she joined with…”
Conversations about work began to unfold.
The topic of conversation soon shifted to dating.
All the women present had boyfriends, and excluding Chae Yoon, the other three had even met each other’s boyfriends, so the topic blossomed quickly.
“Really? That happened?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, I didn’t think he’d be like that, but he’s surprisingly attentive.”
“Exactly. You’re lucky, Hyo Jung.”
Gayoung, Sumin, and Hyo Jung shared their love stories in turn, but Chae Yoon remained silent, just listening.
It was a familiar atmosphere. Over the past three years, the scenario repeated, and Chae Yoon anticipated moving on without any particular questions this time.
As usual, she calmly sipped her beer, but suddenly, Hyo Jung’s attention shifted to Chae Yoon.
“Hey, Chae Yoon, are you still seeing that guy?”
At Hyo Jung’s inquiry, both Gayoung and Sumin focused their attention on Chae Yoon.
With all the attention on her, Chae Yoon awkwardly smiled and nodded.
“Yes? Yep.”
“You’ve been seeing him for quite a while. It’s been about 4 years, right?”
“Yes, about that long.”
Hyo Jung’s gaze sharpened.
“He still doesn’t like taking photos?”
Hearing the recurring question, Chae Yoon gave the same answer as always.
“Yes. He doesn’t like taking them.”
Hyo Jung’s eyes narrowed.
She didn’t believe Chae Yoon when she said she had a boyfriend.
Chae Yoon’s silence on the matter contributed, but the most suspicious part was the absence of a single photo of them together.
No pictures together after over three years of dating.
Even though she had doubts, seeing Chae Yoon’s thinner appearance made her suspicious.
Could he be contributing to Chae Yoon’s difficulties?
Hyo Jung bluntly asked,
“Song Chae Yoon, tell me honestly. You’re lying about having a boyfriend, aren’t you?”
A heavy silence followed the question no one had dared to ask before.
Sensing the tension, Gayoung nudged Hyo Jung sitting next to her.
“Hey, Kim Hyo Jung, what’s gotten into you?”
“I just find it odd that every time we talk about boyfriends, she shuts down, but she keeps saying she’s still seeing him. Don’t you find that strange?”
While it was strange, it was Chae Yoon’s choice whether to discuss her personal matters or not. If she didn’t want to talk about it, they couldn’t keep pressing her.
“She must have a reason. Why would she lie?”
“Exactly.”
As Gayoung and Sumin sided with Chae Yoon, Hyo Jung expressed her thoughts.
“That’s what I’m saying. She acts single but says she’s in a relationship. It’s confusing.”
Having held back, Hyo Jung began to spill all the details she knew about “Song Chae Yoon’s boyfriend.”
“He’s five years older than us, tall, I don’t know his job but he’s always super busy, refuses to take photos, and is Chae Yoon’s boyfriend. Aren’t you curious?”
“I am. But…”
Gayoung trailed off, glancing at Chae Yoon.
Then, Chae Yoon, who had been quietly listening to Hyo Jung, finally spoke.
“I really want to show you guys our pictures, but we really don’t have any.”
“No pictures after dating for over three years?”
“Yes, I haven’t seen him often because he’s too busy.”
Shouldn’t she at least have pictures to console herself with?
Chae Yoon’s response did not satisfy Hyo Jung, making her gaze turn even sharper.
If she’s not lying about meeting someone, it seems there’s definitely an issue on the man’s side.
For instance, he might be seeing another woman behind Chae Yoon’s back, or perhaps he sees Chae Yoon as just a casual fling. Hyo Jung, suspecting that Chae Yoon was ensnared by such a despicable man, looked at her with a resolute expression.
“Do you not think of ending things with him?”
Chae Yoon stared back at Hyo Jung, as if questioning her intent.
“No matter how I see it, it doesn’t seem like a normal relationship.”
Chae Yoon couldn’t argue with that.
Their relationship was akin to a strategic marriage, and they were currently in a state of postponing their divorce.
So, as Chae Yoon stayed silent, Hyo Jung interpreted it as an agreement and continued,
“If you’re the one holding onto him, just end it. It’s been dragged on for over three years; it’s time to sort it out. And I can introduce you to a genuinely good guy; you should meet him.”
Chae Yoon quietly fiddled with her beer glass.
“Huh?”
Stirred by Hyo Jung’s words, Chae Yoon’s gaze shifted.
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.]
