Secret Cohabitation Love - Chapter 8
The gaze at the end of the staring eyes quietly intertwined.
Like a trap that tightens more strongly the more one struggles to escape, the black pupils held Song Eun Seo within their deep borders.
I know. Kwon Tae Ha is curious about this situation, not about me.
“Thank you for the meal. It was delicious.”
Eun Seo pushed her chair into the table and stepped aside, feeling like she would die if she stayed trapped in those eyes any longer.
“Oh, and don’t worry about it – I wasn’t offended.”
As Eun Seo finished speaking and left the dining room, Tae Ha kept his eyes fixed on her back. His normally sharp mind grew hazy, as if feverish.
“You’ll bore holes with that stare, sir.”
It was Woo Young who snapped Tae Ha out of his daze. At those words, Tae Ha gave an awkward smile and crossed his legs.
“She doesn’t laugh even once.”
“From what I’ve heard, she’s supposed to have a bright and friendly personality.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“It would be scarier if she laughed in this situation. Think about it. Her grandmother is dead, some trash is hitting on her, and on top of that, a fearless guy accuses her of being a con artist and locks her up in the house. If she laughed, she’d seem mentally deficient.”
“I clearly heard laughter earlier though.”
“Huh?”
Woo Young furrowed his brow, then smiled as if remembering something.
“Ah, she laughed when I insulted you.”
With a hearty laugh, the two men stood up. As they walked to the study, Woo Young reported to Tae Ha about handling yesterday’s village hall incident.
“There won’t be any trouble for Song Eun Seo over yesterday’s incident. Attorney Yang said he’d take care of it, and Jo Sung Tae will be having a very difficult time starting today. I told him as you instructed. And as for Song Eun Seo’s belongings.”
Woo Young paused, swallowing bitterly before continuing.
“I’ve never seen someone with so few possessions. She barely had any household items – they didn’t even fill up a small truck. Even then, the truck driver asked if we were really taking all this stuff. That’s how old and worn it all was.”
“…”
“For now, we’ve stored everything in our warehouse in Icheon. I only brought the two suitcases and one duffel bag that were at the village hall.”
“Thanks. And since you’re being so helpful, one more favor.”
“Anything.”
“Go check out Solnae Village. There are a few things I want to confirm before the lawsuit.”
“Is that why you came back at work time?”
“Partly.”
“A phone call would have been enough.”
Tae Ha nodded a couple times in agreement. It certainly would have been sufficient.
“Are you investigating the con artist’s background?”
“I don’t want to move carelessly. Someone on our side might be involved. Get Song Eun Seo’s cooperation to obtain her and that grandmother’s call records. If nothing’s suspicious, she should cooperate.”
He was curious.
Why Song Eun Seo of all people? How did his name really end up on that marriage registration?
* * *
Eun Seo saw Woo Young again when she came out to the living room after finishing her preparations to go out.
“Where are you going?”
Woo Young, who had been comfortably sitting on the sofa reading a book, got up as soon as he saw Eun Seo. He also picked up the coat next to him, as he too had to follow Tae Ha’s instructions.
“To look for a place to live. …Want to come with me?”
“What?”
Eun Seo quietly put a finger to her lips, frantically looked around, then continued speaking.
“This is our chance.”
[Here, leaving without Tae Ha’s permission is harder than dying. I’m trying to follow someone brave out.]Woo Young saw Eun Seo’s eyes crinkle prettily and realized she was joking.
“The chance is gone. Tae Ha gave me work to do. If I don’t do it, I’ll be fired.”
Woo Young made a cutting motion across his neck.
“This is mine, right?”
Eun Seo immediately recognized the old-fashioned phone in Woo Young’s hand.
Woo Young held out his palm, waiting for Eun Seo to take the phone.
“I waited to give you this. I charged it too.”
“You had a compatible charger?”
“This is Kwon Tae Ha’s house. There’s nothing it doesn’t have. It’s equipped with everything you’d find in a hotel.”
“I didn’t know there’d be something like that.”
“I didn’t turn it off. In case someone urgently needs to reach Song Eun Seo.”
“There’s no one looking for me. If there is, it’s someone wanting something from me. Anyway, thank you.”
Eun Seo responded to Woo Young’s kindness with a smile and walked past him to the entrance.
“You’ll come back, right?”
At those words, Eun Seo turned around.
“I’m sorry, but do you think I’m a con artist too, Team Leader Choi?”
“A con artist? Don’t you know the answer to that yourself?”
Though she didn’t hear an answer, it was as if Eun Seo had. Woo Young is Tae Ha’s man and will think the same as him.
Tae Ha’s thoughts are his thoughts. Woo Young acts kindly because Tae Ha has shown her a certain level of kindness.
Eun Seo decided to think that way.
For these two men, manners are the default. Whether learned or not.
So she also resolves not to act pointedly or fearfully without manners.
Isn’t Kwon Tae Ha’s position one where he can’t help but doubt her now?
“I’ll be going then. I know Kwon Tae Ha will find me wherever I go. I don’t want to act suspiciously.”
Fleeing would only add the crime of ingratitude.
“Hey, Song Eun Seo.”
Woo Young caught up to Eun Seo as she turned around again.
“What is it?”
“We need call records. Yours and your grandmother’s.”
Eun Seo didn’t refuse that request. Whatever the case, Tae Ha’s orders would be behind it all.
“Would he give me his if I asked for Kwon Tae Ha’s?”
“Does that seem possible?”
Eun Seo smiled bitterly and left the house with him.
Even long after parting with Woo Young, Eun Seo could only sit down in a convenience store chair after buying a cup of instant noodles. The hot broth going down felt life-saving in the cold weather.
After walking in the biting wind, her cheeks were flushed red and her feet felt like they were on fire.
Her legs also felt like they had weights attached. Her hands, already rough from being busy with work, had gotten even rougher.
For several hours, Eun Seo visited a law office offering free consultations after a few phone calls, but of course the consultation results were not good for her.
After that, she spent several more hours looking for a place to live.
She looked around, expanding the radius from where she used to live, but nothing suitable came up.
There were a few shared houses with low deposits, but considering the cost-effectiveness of meals and such, the conclusion was a gosiwon with no deposit required.
‘I need to look for part-time jobs too.’
It wasn’t her first time living in Seoul, so she wasn’t afraid. When she was in college, she was familiar with tutoring in wealthy areas and even living in a tiny gosiwon room of about two pyeong.
But now it’s different from then. She’s already been expelled from school, and the decent tutoring income she could get as a scholarship student at a prestigious university is now gone.
Soon to be twenty-nine, everything was a new beginning.
Eun Seo put a spoonful of ramen in her mouth, chewing roughly as she organized her thoughts.
Work part-time, study in her free time, and re-enroll in university.
Once back in college, she could pick up a few tutoring gigs like before. She could cover rent and tuition with scholarship money and tutoring income.
Just like always.
And become a translator. She wanted to do work like introducing foreign books to Korea for the first time.
She had even made her literary debut in a daily newspaper. She was confident in her writing too. If she worked hard, she’d find her place.
But the brief swell of hope soon cast a shadow over Eun Seo’s face.
[To make the marriage annulment more certain, we need to proceed with a criminal case as well.]Forgery of private documents or some hard-to-remember charge like falsification of authentic deed original.
The problem is that she’s not in a position to file a criminal case right now. And of course Tae Ha, who has nothing to fear, will certainly do so.
If she files for marriage annulment, there’s a high chance Tae Ha will sue her.
Even though she committed no crime.
As she was thinking this, her grandmother’s face came to mind. In an instant, her throat tightened and her eyes grew hot.
She wasn’t always just a kind and good grandmother, but in the end she left behind one big burden, no, two.
Eun Seo put down her chopsticks, feeling unable to eat anymore. She had no one to ask for advice or even complain to.
By now it should be familiar, but the sorrow kept welling up unexpectedly.
How did I end up living like this?
When she went back outside, dusk had fallen all around.
Eun Seo pulled her muffler up to cover her ears as she quickened her pace. It was somewhat fortunate that she had somewhere to go, even in such a miserable situation.
Though she felt sorry towards Tae Ha, though she was ashamed, though it was awkward, Eun Seo decided to stay at his house for a few days as he said.
[Don’t rush too much. Stay here for a few days and take your time finding a place to live.]He may seem cold on the outside, but he seems like a kind person. No, he should be.
* * *
“Stop the car.”
The place where Driver Kim stopped the car was in front of a shoe store in a busy area.
Tae Ha, who had been languidly resting his back against the seat, straightened his posture like a spring. The window display, exuding a strong Christmas atmosphere, showcased various shoes.
The cheap furry boots left at the entrance that morning, with paint peeling off in places.
Even those had worn-down heels that looked like they would perform acrobatics like a roly-poly toy. An item that didn’t fit with his house. Perhaps that’s why the shoes were quite uncomfortable to look at.
Tae Ha got out of the car without hesitation.
As his executive secretary pushed open the door, all eyes in the store turned to Tae Ha at once.
Quite accustomed to such situations and gazes, Tae Ha walked straight to the sofa prepared in the store without giving a single glance.
“Sir, what kind should I prepare?”
“Boots. As long as they’re warm.”
“I’ll prepare them right away.”
As the secretary turned around,
“Comfortable would be better.”
He added that, and then,
“They need to be durable.”
He added that too.
At these successive requests, the secretary was examining Tae Ha to see if there were any more instructions,
“Make them pretty.”
With that final instruction seemingly over, Tae Ha turned his gaze away and only then did the secretary approach an employee.
A moment later, the employee who had been talking with the secretary laid out several types of boots, all different in design, color, and heel height.
Tae Ha looked over a few options and chose black boots with wide, low heels without much deliberation. He thought her feet should at least be comfortable since she’d be walking around so much.
“What size should I bring you?”
Size?
This was a predicament. Tae Ha, who hadn’t been flustered at all until just now, quickly furrowed his brow.
He had never bought anything for a young woman in his life, and having never had a girlfriend, he didn’t know Eun Seo’s exact foot size.
“Well. Was it a bit bigger than my hand?”
Looking down at his palm, for some reason he was reminded of Eun Seo’s hands as she wrapped his tie around his arm.
Are feet proportional to hand size?
No matter how much he tried to recall, he couldn’t remember the size of the hands moving along his arm. His eyes, which had been intently studying his hand, now turned to his own feet.
The boots he had seen while taking off his shoes. They seemed much smaller than his own shoes.
“Sir, my sister is in the mid-160cm range and her shoe size is 235.”
The executive secretary added a bit of guidance to Tae Ha’s hesitant decision.
160? Was she that tall? Or smaller?
At last, Tae Ha crossed his legs, recalling Eun Seo who had been far below his chin.
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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