Romance for You - Chapter 8
Jiho, who raised the corners of his mouth diagonally and smiled happily, took out his phone.
He touched the screen a few times with his fingertips and then brought it to his ear.
At that moment, Yi Soo’s phone started vibrating.
Jiho lightly jerked his chin towards the sound.
“Your phone’s ringing.”
“Yeah.”
Yi Soo checked Seo Ji Ho’s name on the phone screen she was holding and looked at Jiho with a bewildered face.
When she looked at him with eyes that said ‘What are you doing?’, Jiho smiled brightly and said,
“Just answer the phone.”
Though she thought it was an absurd situation, Yi Soo brought the phone to her ear, overwhelmed by Jiho’s atmosphere that subdued her with gentle eyes.
“…Hello.”
“It’s me, Jiho.”
Watching Jiho speak nonchalantly as if he were really on the phone right next to her, Yi Soo nodded.
Jiho turned his upper body completely towards Yi Soo and stretched out his arm, placing it on the backrest of the bench where Yi Soo was sitting.
At his sudden action, Yi Soo’s shoulders flinched involuntarily.
It was because she had the illusion that Jiho was wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“Sorry for contacting you so late.”
Jiho said, staring at Yi Soo from an excessively close distance.
Was it an illusion that his heart fluttered with relief at Yi Soo’s words that she had been waiting for his contact?
And what about the corners of his mouth rising at those words?
He no longer didn’t know the reason why he said he would take back the umbrella.
‘This is why I did it. I wanted to hear Yi Soo say that she had been waiting.’
During the silence, Yi Soo saw her own face reflected in Jiho’s eyes.
For a moment, feeling her heart beat loudly, she closed her eyes tightly.
‘It must be because of the alcohol.’
Yi Soo swallowed dryly and slowly moved her lips.
“What are you doing right now?”
“I’m on the phone. You said you were waiting.”
At his brazen answer, Yi Soo burst into a short, incredulous laugh.
So he’s calling because she waited?
Yi Soo, who had suppressed her short laugh, glared at him.
“You should have done it earlier. I’ve been struggling carrying around the umbrella for days.”
Jiho just looked at Yi Soo silently, as if telling her to say more.
“When you didn’t contact me, I thought you had forgotten. I clearly heard you say you would contact me, but I wondered if I had heard wrong, and if I had misunderstood that you weren’t asking for it back. So for the past few days…”
Yi Soo trailed off after speaking at length.
She wondered why she was saying such things to a man who probably wasn’t even curious about how she had felt over the past few days.
He was a man who said he would contact her but waited for her to contact him instead.
Was he saying he couldn’t be bothered to contact her?
And what did he mean by saying it was fortunate that she had waited?
Whether it was because of the alcohol, her thoughts moved slowly.
So Yi Soo decided to just state the conclusion.
“Anyway, I didn’t bring the umbrella today because I didn’t know I’d be meeting you. I left it in my med school locker, so if you want, I’ll go get it for you now.”
To Jiho, those words sounded like Yi Soo was no longer waiting for his contact, like the umbrella left in the locker.
She had waited, but not for too many days.
Jiho, who had been listening silently, asked in a low voice.
“You didn’t want to contact me first?”
Yi Soo affirmed with her silence.
“So you weren’t planning to give me the umbrella if I didn’t contact you.”
Jiho said with a chuckle.
He knew that wasn’t her intention, but he was curious about Yi Soo’s reaction.
“Were you planning to take the umbrella back?”
Yi Soo bristled, with indignation in her eyes.
Although Yi Soo hadn’t done anything but wait for Jiho’s contact, she hadn’t intended not to give it back.
Suddenly feeling choked up as she recalled waiting anxiously for days, she said,
“Of course. I was definitely going to give it back.”
Jiho smiled loosely and rested his face on his arm propped up on the bench.
This made the distance between them even closer.
Perhaps due to the effects of alcohol, Yi Soo didn’t put up any defenses.
“Alright. Wait here. I’ll go get it now.”
It would take about 20 minutes to go from Luna Garden to the medical school and back.
Yi Soo thought it was just as well.
She didn’t know when she would meet Jiho again, and she didn’t want to keep thinking about it either.
If she returned it now when they happened to meet, it would be a clean end to the matter.
As Yi Soo abruptly stood up, laughter burst from Jiho’s mouth.
So impatient.
Jiho reached out and grabbed Yi Soo’s wrist.
Did she want to give it back quickly and be done with it?
If so, he had no choice but to keep her thinking about it.
“Let’s end the phone call here.”
Jiho lowered his hand holding the phone as he stood up.
Yi Soo also hung up and looked up at Jiho.
“You said you were going to take it back. Why not now when I’m offering to give it to you?”
“Not now.”
I have to take it back slowly.
“It’s not even raining, so you’d have to carry it around.”
Jiho took in Yi Soo with an affectionate gaze.
Her hair swaying in the night breeze, skin so clear it was almost transparent, and her uniquely intelligent and neat atmosphere.
A face that was sometimes sorrowful, sometimes refreshingly exciting enough to make his heart flutter, and sometimes ridiculously bright.
Which of these was making him act so unlike himself again?
“Let’s meet on a rainy day. I’ll take it back then.”
Thinking that any day but today would be good, Jiho continued,
“You contact me then. I’ll be waiting.”
Jiho bent deeply at the waist to meet Yi Soo’s eye level and looked at her with an intense gaze, as if stamping her with his eyes.
Mesmerized by his overwhelming gaze, Yi Soo’s head moved.
At that moment, Yi Soo’s wrist held by Jiho felt burning hot, as if it would scald.
**
Friday morning.
Yi Soo stared blankly at her face reflected in the mirror as she dried her hair.
Her skin was dry, and her eyes were quite swollen.
‘This is the worst. I wonder if it’ll get better as time passes.’
Yi Soo glanced at the unopened makeup products in the corner of her vanity, then turned her gaze to the perfume Jiho had given her.
She grabbed the perfume instead of the makeup.
She opened the cap and lightly sprayed it on her wrists and the ends of her hair.
As she rubbed her wrists and dabbed behind her ears, a pleasant fragrance enveloped her entire body and spread faintly.
Strangely, she felt her throbbing head from the hangover ease a bit.
Yi Soo changed her clothes and left the room.
**
“Good morning.”
“Good morning. Yi Soo, come sit down and have breakfast.”
As Yi Soo entered the first-floor dining room and greeted her, Choi Soo Min smiled kindly and spoke.
Despite the early morning, Soo Min exuded a graceful and elegant atmosphere, wearing flawless makeup and an apron embroidered with gorgeous floral patterns.
“Thank you for the meal.”
Yi Soo greeted Soo Min politely and sat down next to Won Jin.
On the table, sandwiches, salad, and fruit were neatly set up on individual rectangular trays.
“What would you like to drink? Coffee or juice?”
“I’ll have juice, please.”
A moment later, Soo Min placed a glass of fresh fruit juice made with banana and strawberry on Yi Soo’s tray.
“Thank you.”
“Did you drink a lot yesterday? Your face looks a bit swollen.”
Won Jin examined Yi Soo’s face with concern.
Yesterday, when Yi Soo came home, she had only briefly shown her face to Won Jin before hurrying up to her room.
It was best to avoid unnecessary nagging, after all.
“A little. We had the club’s opening party yesterday.”
Recalling the warm bean sprout soup that Yumi’s father always ate the morning after drinking, Yi Soo took a sip of juice.
She knew well that she was in no position to hope for such a thing, but Soo Min’s discrimination was subtly indifferent like this.
Although Yi Soo had come home last night reeking of alcohol and ran into Soo Min, the next day Yi Soo’s hangover was not of interest to her.
“The ski club you started last year?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you join a medical school club instead?”
Won Jin said as he picked up mozzarella cheese and olives from the salad plate with his fork.
“I wanted to try a central club while I had more time. I want to meet students from other departments too. There’s no time once we start clinical years, right?”
Yi Soo put a nicely grilled shrimp in her mouth.
Even in a single plate of salad, Soo Min’s dedication to Won Jin’s picky palate was evident.
The taste of various salad vegetables, tomatoes, shrimp, cheese, and olives topped with homemade dressing sauce was exquisite.
It was something to be grateful for, always eating delicious food at home thanks to Soo Min.
“Are you enjoying it?”
“Yeah. We only go skiing in winter anyway, so there’s no need to set aside extra time. It’s fun meeting various friends too.”
Yi Soo, who had emptied her salad plate, took a bite of her sandwich.
“Won’t it take more time than a medical school club? Are you sure you’re not short on study time?”
“Dad, I’ve heard until my ears are ringing that I should enjoy myself without regrets during pre-med. I won’t have time to play once I start clinical years next year. Besides, hardly any hospitals look at pre-med grades anyway.”
Won Jin knew this too, but he kept nagging because he knew how difficult it was to recover grades once they slipped.
“Students who did well in pre-med do well in clinical years too. If you lose your study momentum, you’ll struggle later. Even if your seniors say that, make sure to keep up with your studies while having fun. I’m not saying don’t have fun at all.”
“Yes, yes. You know I’ve been getting all A’s so far.”
Yi Soo made a circle with her thumb and index finger and held it up in front of Won Jin’s eyes, as if to say not to worry.
“Of course I trust you, but I’m just saying this just in case.”
Won Jin was the representative director of JS Plastic Surgery, the largest beauty-focused hospital in Korea.
It was a beauty center that had all the beauty and plastic surgery infrastructure, including not only plastic surgery, which was his specialty, but also dentistry, dermatology, and functional cosmetics, attracting many patients not only from Korea but also from abroad.
After Yi Soo dreamed of becoming a doctor, Won Jin greatly expanded the size of the hospital and changed the hospital name to the initials of Won Jin and Yi Soo.
Won Jin knew better than anyone that Yi Soo had given up going to London with her mother and had worked hard to achieve her dream.
Won Jin always thought of Yi Soo as admirable and proud.
Won Jin patted Yi Soo’s shoulder affectionately with a pleased smile.
Soo Min, sitting across from Yi Soo, did not join the conversation and only nodded occasionally.
“Dad, good morning.”
At that moment, Yumi’s voice was heard from behind.
“Oh, good morning. Did you sleep well too, Yumi?”
“Yes.”
Yumi smiled brightly at Won Jin.
In front of Won Jin, Yumi was polite and affectionate.
“Dad, what perfume is this?”
Yumi, who had sat down, suddenly sniffed the air.
“Perfume?”
“Yes. It smells so good. Isn’t it your perfume, Dad?”
“It’s not me, it’s coming from Yi Soo. I noticed it when Yi Soo came down earlier. You put on perfume today, right?”
Won Jin said with a gentle smile towards Yi Soo.
Yi Soo just nodded while chewing her sandwich.
“Does unnie wear perfume too?”
Yumi recalled Yi Soo’s empty vanity.
Yi Soo was sensitive to smells and didn’t even have a diffuser in her room, saying it gave her headaches, let alone perfume.
She wondered what made Yi Soo, who doesn’t wear makeup and goes around bare-faced, suddenly wear perfume that didn’t suit her.
“Unnie, what’s the name of this perfume?”
“Huh?”
What was the name again? She could only remember the shape of the perfume bottle, not the name.
She hadn’t bothered to memorize the name of something she couldn’t afford anyway.
“I don’t know the name since it was a gift.”
Yi Soo shrugged indifferently.
“You received perfume as a gift? From whom? A boyfriend?”
Suddenly Won Jin brightened up and fired off questions.
“No! How did we go from talking about perfume to boyfriends all of a sudden?”
Yi Soo choked on her juice and coughed, frowning at the unexpected word.
“Perfume gifts have a special meaning. That’s why lovers often give them to each other.”
Soo Min, who had been sitting quietly, joined the conversation.
“Really?”
Yi Soo, hearing this for the first time, searched for the meaning of perfume gifts on her phone.
It says it means ‘Please always remember me.’
Yi Soo recalled Jiho’s face as he casually gave her the perfume, as if it were no big deal.
‘He didn’t look like he knew this meaning when he gave it to me.’
There was no way it could have that meaning.
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.]
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