Jiho opened the door to the room and entered.
He thought the TV might be on, but only a faint light was illuminating the room, and everything was quiet.
It hadn’t been an hour since he left for the mall. Could Isu have fallen asleep already?
He had expected Isu to be fresh and waiting for him, having taken a refreshing shower.
Jiho, who had walked for 20 minutes round trip to buy chocolate upon Isu’s request, took off his shoes, slightly furrowing his brows.
As he changed into slippers and walked inside, the strong scent of the hotel’s beach shampoo filled the air.
Passing by the bathroom door, a humid breeze wafted out. Judging by the hairdryer on the dressing table, it seemed Isu had dried his hair.
Approaching the bed, Jiho saw Isu’s face peeking out from the blanket, sound asleep.
“Oh. Seriously.”
Jiho chuckled, at a loss for words. He wiped Isu’s dry face with his large hand.
“He must be really tired. I knew this would happen. I should have honestly said it was tough back then.”
If Jiho had known that Isu would not stick to the plans unless everything went as planned, he would have made looser plans from the beginning.
Even though Jiho had planned the long 10-day trip in a relaxed manner, he couldn’t keep up with Isu’s enthusiasm.
If he had known, he could have included a day of rest with nothing planned in the middle.
Looking at the exhausted Isu who had fallen asleep, Jiho smiled with disappointment.
Almost instinctively, he put the chocolate he had bought at the mall in the refrigerator.
Taking out the clothes he would change into from the wardrobe and the hairdryer from the dressing table, Jiho headed into the bathroom.
Entering the shower booth, he turned on the hot water over his head.
Before this trip ended, Jiho had planned to confess to Isu about Jay (J). So he was looking for opportunities to create the right moment during the evenings.
Eating sweet chocolate and drinking alcohol would be perfect for that moment. Jiho had thought it would be best to confess when Isu’s mood was at its peak.
As the days passed, and the remaining days dwindled, his heart became more restless.
He thought about finding the right moment but ended up postponing it. Maybe he would confess on the last day, pushed by circumstances.
He couldn’t imagine Isu’s reaction. What if Isu got angry, wondering why he was saying this now?
Or what if Isu didn’t want to know the truth and got angry at him for revealing it?
What if Isu was disappointed, thinking Jay (J) wasn’t as great as he had imagined?
“Hoo.”
The shower booth quickly filled with hazy moisture. As Jiho washed away his fatigue under the hot water stream pouring over him, his thoughts became even more complicated.
After finishing his shower, Jiho dried his hair in the bathroom to make sure Isu wouldn’t wake up and left.
The next morning.
When Isu opened his eyes, a firm chest was right in front of him like a wall.
Last night, lying on the bed, I unknowingly fell asleep.
It felt like I had closed my eyes for a moment, but it was morning.
“Ha.”
With just one word about wanting chocolate before going to bed, Jiho had gone to the mall alone that night.
He couldn’t wait and ended up falling asleep.
When Isu regained consciousness, he felt like he had committed a grave sin.
“I wonder how sorry he is. How surprising.”
To avoid waking Jiho up, Isu moved his body stealthily.
Carefully turning his body and trying to uncover the blanket, a languid voice was heard.
“Are you awake?”
“Oh, you’re up?”
Isu turned back towards Jiho.
Even though his face showed that there was still plenty of sleep left, it sparkled as if light was shining from it.
Jiho reached out with his arm to pull Isu, who had become distant during the night, closer. Following the pull, Isu went back into Jiho’s arms.
“How long did it take last night?”
“It was just a little under an hour.”
“Ah… It seems I came right after falling asleep. I shouldn’t have woken you up.”
From above, Jiho’s deflated laughter was heard.
Instead of replying, Jiho’s large hand gently and very slowly caressed the back of Isu’s neck.
Last night, when Jiho kissed Isu’s forehead, put his arm around him, and made a pillow for him, the feeling of longing disappeared at once when he saw Isu snuggling into his embrace.
That alone made Jiho happy, and he spent a long time watching Isu before falling asleep.
“Sorry. I fell asleep without waiting for you. I should have just followed you.”
Isu’s voice, crawling in, said.
“It’s okay.”
If they had gone together, they might have run into Hanna on the way back.
Considering the not-so-pleasant situation, Jiho thought it was fortunate.
“If you’re sleepy, go back to sleep. I won’t insist on leaving early today.”
Due to the guilt of falling asleep first, Jiho felt he should yield to Isu this morning.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Rest in the morning.”
To wake Jiho up who slept first, and to encourage him to wash, Isu dragged him to the bathroom.
While listening to Jiho’s soft laughter, Isu smiled too.
“But Jiho, do you usually sleep in so late?”
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
