“Are you not cold?”
“A little. But it’s okay, I’ll be home soon.”
“Still, though~”
The early morning air of winter was colder than expected. Seeing Nari blow white breaths into the air, I-hyun smiled and spread his palms out.
[Attribute :: ‘Eternal Flame’ is activated!]“Here, take this.”
Whoosh, a golden sacred flame ignited in his hand, spreading warmth around. He extended his hand towards Nari. To take the fire?
“Can, can I touch it with bare hands?”
“Of course. It’s just warm. It has no offensive power if there’s no hostility.”
Reassuringly, he extended his hand to Nari. After a moment of hesitation, Nari lightly touched the sacred flame. It was warm.
The golden flame flickered slightly. Seeing Nari’s rigid expression, I-hyun chuckled softly and continued.
“Place your hand like this, clap.”
“Uh, um…”
Clap, as they pressed their palms together, the sacred flame blazed up in Nari’s hands. She felt the warmth surge as his sacred power seeped in.
[Priest High-Tier Skill :: Body Temperature Maintenance]“So this is possible.”
“Well, I am broadly categorized as a priest! At least until tomorrow morning, you’ll be warm. You’ll be able to sleep well.”
“Thank you.”
Nari blinked at the faintly glowing hands.
Today was truly, full of strange events for Nari. Holding her crossbody bag tightly, she took steps forward. I-hyun followed her.
At the pedestrian crossing in the early dawn, they stood for a while as the light was red. After a brief silence, Nari spoke.
“You probably know, I went to see my dad.”
“Yeah…”
Would she tell the whole story? I-hyun glanced at Nari. She was pressing her reddened eyes with her sleeve. As he offered a handkerchief, she hesitantly snatched it.
A hedgehog? The thought made him smile involuntarily. Nari continued.
“After mom passed away like that, dad quickly started dating another woman. As soon as I started working, he moved in with her…”
“Yes.”
“Just thought they were living happily… but then, mom’s information started circulating on the internet, and I realized dad was selling it for money.”
Nari sniffled once and wiped her nose with the handkerchief. She seemed to be pretending to be okay, but her voice was trembling. I-hyun looked at her, surprised.
“So I told him to stop, and he said, ‘How else am I supposed to make money?’ Since then, he’s been contacting me for money. Threatening to sell mom’s information if I don’t pay.”
“Isn’t that a crime? Shouldn’t you report it…”
“Made a scene and left. Probably won’t happen again, I guess. You don’t have to help. It hurts my pride.”
Nari had even summoned black scissors and threatened her dad, she mentioned casually. After a moment of silence, Nari sighed and looked directly at I-hyun.
“Not saying this for you to spread it around, or to get sympathy. Just… so you know, in case the phone conversation leads to some strange rumors. I don’t want my information going up on the internet.”
“Okay, I understand. I won’t say a word. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.”
“…It’s not a big deal.”
Nari looked away, seeming a bit embarrassed. The traffic light was still red. As they stood still, I-hyun spoke.
“I’ll walk you home. It’s late, and…”
“No need. I’ll open a warp gate somewhere without CCTV and go home. I have to prepare for work tomorrow.”
“Work? You have a job?”
“At the convenience store near my home.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. Working two jobs isn’t easy…”
Ding-dong, the traffic light turned green. As Nari stepped forward, I-hyun matched her pace. Nari quickly turned around and said,
“Ah, why are you following me!”
“Well, I’m worried about you. I just want to see you off as you use the warp gate…”
“Just go! I don’t need it!”
Swiftly, Nari pulled something from her inventory and threw it at I-hyun. He caught it reflexively. It was a BS25 convenience store bag. Inside were a packed meal and a cold beer, just taken out of the fridge.
“…I caused you trouble tonight. This is my way of repaying. I don’t like being in debt.”
Nari clenched and unclenched her fist. She’d probably regret it tomorrow, but she always had a soft spot for kind people. Her conscience was pricking her.
Maybe it was because of her mother. Glancing sideways, she saw I-hyun grinning broadly.
“Thank you, Nari!”
“It’s nothing. That’s all I can do right now…”
“It’s the thought that counts. It’s the first time you’ve given me something, aside from a scare with those scissors.”
“Stop smiling so foolishly. Of course, it’s the first time. We just met today.”
Nari then turned around. From behind, I-hyun’s voice rang out.
“Nari, let’s meet again. I’ll definitely contact you. If you have any trouble, talk to me, really!”
“…”
Her conscience, which had been lightly pricking, now stabbed painfully. Nari stopped at the crosswalk and abruptly turned back, striding towards I-hyun. His eyes widened in surprise.
All her life, Nari had only encountered lousy people. There seemed to be no trustworthy person in the world. That’s why she chose to be alone.
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.”
