Screeching metallic sounds grated on the ears, jarring and unnerving. My head was throbbing.
“Hayoung, it’s dangerous, come over here!”
“Oh, who is this stranger telling me what to do?”
I was going insane. I finally shouted.
“Stop! Stop it! I’ll explain everything, just please stop fighting! I’ll call the police if you continue!”
I threatened to call the hunter-specific police.
My desperate threat worked, and the two men stopped. I felt their intense gazes pressuring me.
“Hayoung, tell me properly. Let me help you. What exactly is going on?”
“Don’t trust people so easily! Someone might have already hired assassins, Shin-a! I told you it’s dangerous!”
“Please, I’ll explain, just calm down! It’s true something’s happened, but it’s not dangerous, and he’s a friend of mine!”
“…….”
“…….”
The tension dissipated. I was out of breath. I managed to get the situation under control.
As I continued my explanation, Baek Yi-hyun wore a very complicated expression.
“So, you’re the sister of, um, the ranking number one?”
He nodded, his face filled with more confusion.
“You can’t just trust anyone because they’re a friend. Blackmail, persuasion, money, etc. There are many ways to manipulate people, Shin-a.”
Min Yoo-shin still looked unconvinced. I sighed.
“He confessed to me once.”
“What, what?”
“…….”
Silence fell abruptly. Now, Min Yoo-shin’s hostility had a different reason.
“Confessed…?”
“It was soon after I returned! When I hadn’t grasped any concepts yet! It was like a joke!”
“Oh, is that so?”
“……It wasn’t a joke.”
I felt like nothing was getting resolved. I sighed deeply.
“Anyway, he’s trustworthy. I assure you.”
“Hmm.”
Despite my earnest explanation, Min Yoo-shin still seemed skeptical. I sighed again.
“But you do realize your actions were dangerous, right?”
“……Yes.”
Baek Yi-hyun spoke up for me as I answered with my head down.
“Um, I have a different opinion. No matter what, keeping someone locked up in a room is too much. Even if there might be danger, it’s still just a possibility. Excessive protection like that could even raise suspicions in other guilds. They might think something unusual is happening.”
“……What?”
“Cheon Lang’s Cheon Shin-woo, hmm. I’ve heard that the famous Dark Shadow always has his secretary with him. But if that secretary acts independently, won’t it seem strange?”
“…….”
“And, Hayoung. No, Shin-a… Shin-a used to wander around on her own. Sudden overprotection like this isn’t convincing. She’s here on her own now, isn’t she?”
Baek Yi-hyun argued his points eloquently, as well as he spoke gently. I felt like giving him a round of applause.
“Huh… what is this kid saying…”
“Judging people based on age isn’t a good habit. Life needs experience, not numbers.”
“…….”
Baek Yi-hyun was very articulate.
In front of the 23-year-old, 30-year-old Min Yoo-shin was left speechless, touching his forehead.
“……Let me explain just once properly. Listen well. Especially you, Shin-a. Don’t just let it go in one ear and out the other this time.”
“Okay.”
“You know Cheon Shin-woo is famous for being a total mess, right? Shin-woo has killed quite a few people. Politicians, businessmen, hunters, anyone he doesn’t like, he kills.”
“Yes.”
“And yet, Shin-woo always got acquitted. Why? Because the system treats anyone branded as a villain as justifiably killed. Even those who weren’t originally villains, once Shin-woo kills them, they’re treated as villains, and it’s all ruled justifiable. The most famous case was the dog leash incident. There were many similar instances.”
“……Is it that bad?”
“It was that severe. Later, it turned out that the people Shin-woo killed were actually villains, so there was a lot of talk about him being a ‘bringer of justice,’ but the fact that it was murder doesn’t change. So, now there are many people grinding their teeth against Shin-woo, those who lost family, relatives, friends to him.”
“…….”
“In truth, nobody can do much about Cheon Shin-woo. Attacking Cheon Lang only leads to getting beaten in return, and setting traps is futile. The grudges against him have piled up, and it’s not just one or two.”
I hadn’t realized the extent of it. What on earth had that person done to accumulate such karma?
“There are guilds and professions that deal with information, right? Your information has already been bought by them. About thirty guilds on a guild scale, and considering personal grudges, about 200 people wouldn’t be surprised to kidnap and torture you immediately.”
“…….”
“Now they’re waiting because the information isn’t solid yet, but have you thought about what those people who’ve learned you’re Shin-woo’s weakness might do?”
“……No.”
“If your identity as Cheon Shin-woo’s sister becomes public, assassins targeting you will flock, including several A-ranks. And if that happens, I alone won’t be able to handle it.”
As I listened to him, cold sweat ran down my spine. Only then did I fully grasp the perilous situation I was in.
“Just stay put until Shin-woo returns. Okay?”
“……Yes.”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
