Secret Cohabitation Love (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
It would be disastrous if Ha Eun’s name kept coming up in the gossip of elite society’s sons and daughters.
Chairman Kwon had already doubted his late wife’s words, which was why it had taken him so long to summon Ha Eun back from the countryside—and now, if he learned his future daughter-in-law was tangled up in all kinds of romantic scandals, it wouldn’t end well.
Especially given the bizarre situation where Tae Ha hadn’t even had a single relationship yet.
Fortunately, since Tae Ha didn’t seem particularly interested in any woman, he likely wouldn’t reject this marriage—a rather favorable circumstance.
At last, his long-held wish would finally come true.
“I’m hungry. Please buy me food.”
“Food at this hour? Didn’t you already eat the in-flight meal?”
Butler Jang wasn’t particularly pleased by his daughter’s indifference toward her own figure.
How on earth was she supposed to win Tae Ha’s heart? Even looking pretty might not be enough to catch his eye.
Though her pouting expression irked him, Butler Jang decided to let it slide—it was their first day back in the country, after all.
“Alright, I’ll let it go just for today. What do you want to eat?”
Ha Eun had rarely eaten her mother’s home-cooked meals, so naturally, she held no illusions about them.
She occasionally recalled the meals Grandma had prepared during those few years in the countryside long ago.
Though that house had been shabby, Grandma’s zucchini and fermented chili stew was truly exquisite—so good that she could easily finish two bowls of rice.
That timid girl—was she doing alright these days? She must still be living a hard life.
“I asked what you want to eat.”
Startled by the slight edge in his tone, Ha Eun finally snapped out of her thoughts.
“I want pajeon.”
“Driver, we’ll need to stop by Dongrae Pajeon to pick up some pajeon—and makgeolli too.”
“But seriously, who is he? The person you’re going to marry. I’m dying of curiosity.”
“Watch your words. Don’t make any mistakes in front of the Chairman. After all, even a cracked bowl can still hold water.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
Butler Jang was thoroughly satisfied with Ha Eun’s quiet, obedient reply—no trace of defiance.
“When she meets me, she’ll probably bow to me for the rest of her life.”
“Really?”
Mother and daughter laughed heartily as they walked out of the airport.
* * *
Her eyes were impressively sharp and meticulous as she picked out fruit. Bright red, firm apples went into the basket, followed by plump yellow pears.
After selecting pojangmacha snacks, soju, incense, candles, and disposable tableware, Eun Seo also added thin sticks of cheese sausage—no thicker than a finger—to her basket.
It was Grandma’s 49th-day memorial.
She’d likely have to make a full trip to Gangwon Province tomorrow. Since she had no religious affiliation, she couldn’t rely on a church or temple, and as Grandma’s remains weren’t interred in a memorial hall, there was no proper place to comfortably hold the memorial rites.
She hadn’t even considered holding the ceremony at Tae Ha’s house—she was already imposing on someone else’s hospitality as it was.
Still, the landowner had kindly allowed Grandma’s ashes to be buried in their family cemetery, so Eun Seo had resolved to visit that mountain.
Grandma’s 49th-day memorial. I hope you lived well.
In your next life, I hope you’re born into a blessed family, live happily surrounded by abundance, meet a gentle husband who loves you, bear healthy children who outlive you, and—unlike me—hold a truly beautiful granddaughter of your own.
So please, don’t look for me in your next life. But if we must meet again, come to me as someone truly kind—feed me with warm words instead of three full meals a day, and I’d still feel full.
Or perhaps, what if I became the grandmother instead? Eun Seo murmured to herself as she wearily climbed the hill in Itaewon late at night.
Still, the past three years hadn’t been entirely bad. Grandma hadn’t been affectionate, but neither had she been cruel—and that hurt even more. If only she’d been truly harsh to the end, Eun Seo could have forgotten her somehow, hated her until she was sick of it, and brushed aside this measly 49th-day memorial without a second thought.
What even were those three years?
She’d cast away everything—the hair yanked roughly, the sting of the harsh cane, the gnawing hunger of all-day fasting, even the desperate, childish excuses spilling helplessly from her lips after each beating—scattering them all like gray ash.
Grandma, you really must live well.
After speaking those calm words, Eun Seo opened the front door, her eco-bag noticeably heavier on her shoulder.
But unlike the usual quiet, a beautiful sound filled the house—piano music.
For a moment, it made her forget her exhaustion.
Could Tae Ha be playing? Abandoning her initial intention to stay quiet, Eun Seo found herself drawn like a magnet toward the skip floor.
Her movements were as cautious as a stealthy cat.
Before the grand window stood an unfamiliar man at the black, majestic grand piano. His fingers dancing across the keys pulsed with such life it seemed they held a heartbeat of their own.
His long, delicate fingers glided gracefully over the keys, like a sudden downpour pelting the earth.
Just then, the piano’s resonance ceased.
“Who’s there?”
Startled by the sudden, piercing gaze, Eun Seo—who had been staring as if entranced—froze in confusion.
When no answer came, Jung Woo kept his fingers resting on the keys and turned only his head toward Tae Ha.
“Who is it?”
Tae Ha, who had been at the bar, dropped two drops of water into his glass of mahogany-colored whiskey and took a sip.
Jung Woo had shown up unannounced, claiming he’d just returned from abroad, and Tae Ha hadn’t even finished his briefing about Eun Seo—so he hadn’t known she was home.
A subtle vanilla warmth burned its way down his throat.
“Who did you say it was?”
As Tae Ha tilted his glass, pondering how to reply to Jung Woo’s repeated question—
“I’m staff here.”
Eun Seo quickly answered, regaining her composure.
At this hour, the only women who’d reasonably be at Tae Ha’s house were family, relatives, or a girlfriend—but she was none of those, so the only identity that could satisfy the pianist’s curiosity was that of an employee.
Unless, of course, Tae Ha had already been blabbing about this absurd marriage everywhere.
“Staff?”
Jung Woo asked for confirmation, and Tae Ha gave a slight nod.
“What’s your name?”
Jung Woo turned fully toward Eun Seo and asked.
“Song Eun Seo.”
“Eun Seo? That’s a lovely name. Was my playing too loud? Did I disturb you?”
“No, it’s just… the sound was so beautiful.”
“Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, first movement. A bit melancholic, wasn’t it?”
“It was wonderful.”
So wonderful that I’d like to lock it in my ears and replay it whenever I want.
“It’s my first time—actually hearing a grand piano in person.”
“Then come closer. You can listen right here.”
Jung Woo playfully wiggled his fingers, beckoning her over.
Eun Seo glanced once more at Tae Ha, then hesitantly descended the skip floor.
“Sit there and listen.”
Jung Woo motioned with his eyes toward a wing chair beside the piano. Eun Seo sat, though her posture was so stiff she was the first person he’d ever seen to look uncomfortable in that chair.
“Lean back and relax.”
Once Jung Woo confirmed she’d leaned back, he placed his fingers back on the keys.
As the music began, Eun Seo focused intently. The flowing fingers above the keys, the fringe sweeping like waves across his forehead, the melody resonating in her ears—all struck something deep within her chest.
Watching Eun Seo, Tae Ha downed his whiskey in one gulp.
This wasn’t the usual look in her eyes—no hunted fear, no resentment, not even that occasional, biting glare.
It wasn’t dry, nor sad. Even the barest hint of her usual guard had vanished.
Had someone sprinkled holy water in her eyes? Why did they glimmer like that?
Could piano music really soften someone so completely?
Before long, the twelve-minute performance came to an end.
“Thank you so much. It was… truly, truly…”
Eun Seo looked as if she’d received a gift far beyond her deserving.
“Truly, truly…?”
“Amazing.”
Amazing…
Should he point out her mistakes at the two-minute and six-minute marks? Even Tae Ha found his own pettiness so pathetic it drew an incredulous laugh from him.
“I had a wonderful time today. I’ll head in now—please rest.”
“Don’t go just yet! You said you’d never heard a grand piano before, right? Then you’ve never touched one either.”
Jung Woo patted the seat beside him.
“Come on.”
Eun Seo hesitated, glancing again at Tae Ha, but he remained expressionless and silent.
“Stop checking Tae Ha’s reactions all the time. Have you been getting scolded your whole life?”
Only then did Eun Seo carefully set her eco-bag down on the bar and sit beside Jung Woo.
“Have you ever played piano?”
“No, never.”
“Here—this is ‘do.’”
Jung Woo tapped a key first, then nodded toward it. Eun Seo gingerly placed her finger on the same spot.
Da-aeng. At the sound, Eun Seo smiled like a child.
“This one’s ‘re.’”
Again, she followed his lead, then looked up at him with a student’s hopeful smile, waiting for confirmation she’d gotten it right.
“Mi.”
They sat so close that barely a fist could fit between them. Tae Ha took another long sip of whiskey and watched their backs.
He couldn’t bear to watch any longer, yet couldn’t bring himself to tell them to stop—not when she smiled so brightly like that.
Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do.
With each ascending note, the discomfort in his heart climbed an octave higher.
Time to go in already.
Luckily, his silent plea seemed to work—Eun Seo stood up shortly after.
“Thank you so much. I’ll go now.”
“You can’t just leave like that!”
Jung Woo called out to Eun Seo as she lifted herself from the chair.
“Huh?”
“It’d feel unfair if you just wiped your mouth and left. Not just anyone gets to hear me play.”
“I’m sorry—it’s late, and I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.”
Tae Ha filled his fourth glass. When the amber liquid reached the right level, he added two drops of still water. Gentle ripples bloomed across the calm surface.
“Pay for the performance before you go.”
Here we go again. Tae Ha let out a low chuckle.
Thanks to his boyishly handsome looks, Jung Woo always caught women’s eyes wherever he went—and he’d always leveraged that charm to enjoy a very fulfilling love life.
If someone caught his interest, he’d be kind anywhere, anytime; even if they didn’t, he remained warm and attentive.
People often called that sort of behavior “smooth talk.”
“I don’t really have much to give.”
Tch. Tae Ha clicked his tongue.
Even someone who’d never been in a relationship could understand what he meant by that.
Clearly, she wasn’t asking for material things—but she gave such a foolish answer anyway.
“What should I give you… ah!”
After a brief exclamation, Eun Seo whispered “applause” and clapped her hands together—clap, clap, clap. Following Jung Woo’s expression, her clapping gradually grew louder.
“Not that. Peel some fruit as payment for the performance. Tae Ha can’t do that—look at his hands. Do they look made for work? He’s completely clueless in the kitchen, so he’s a little nervous about mooching off others. Let’s snack on fruit and hang out a while.”
“Fruit?”
Don’t ask again—just read the situation! Your shift is over; turn around gracefully and head to your room before this gets awkward. You’re not actually staff, so how would you even know where the fruit is?
Tae Ha nearly answered on her behalf.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you want to?”
“My shift is over.”
Tae Ha finally spoke up—alarms blaring in his head.
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.
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