She brooded over the time spent with Dong Hun, annoyed that their conversation, though not long, revolved around Su Yeon.
The realization infuriated her.
“Could it be he still likes Su Yeon?”
A voice filled with astonishment and venom leaked through her gritted teeth.
Su Jin had first become aware of Dong Hun more than ten years ago.
Back then, while still in elementary school, she first saw Dong Hun on her way home from an after-school lesson.
“Mom, did sister not take the car to school today?”
While being driven through a street lined with mansions, she spotted Su Yeon walking home.
It was an unusual sight.
Like her, Su Yeon had always been chauffeured in a car.
Puzzled, she looked at Hye Kyoung, but her mother just shrugged, offering no satisfying answer.
“I’m not sure. I didn’t receive any notice. Why?”
“I just saw sister. She’s walking with someone. Over there.”
Young Su Jin pointed toward the rear car window.
Young Su Jin pointed toward the rear car window.
Following Su Jin’s gesture, Hye Kyoung’s eyes narrowed abruptly in irritation.
“That girl still hasn’t learned her lesson. And now she’s with a boy?”
Hye Kyoung’s rough voice filled the car instantly.
Even though Su Jin knew the comments were about Su Yeon, she shivered.
At the height of Hye Kyoung’s agitation, the car came to a stop beneath a tall wall, and Su Jin, along with Hye Kyoung, stepped out.
Normally, they would have gone straight home, but today was an exception.
With her arms crossed, Hye Kyoung stared intently at Su Yeon, who was approaching.
As Su Yeon belatedly noticed Hye Kyoung, she quickened her steps, her body tensing.
Standing right beside Hye Kyoung, Su Jin watched Su Yeon intently.
With each closing step, Su Yeon’s expression shifted rapidly.
“Choi Su Yeon. Why did you walk instead of taking the car?”
“Ah, that, well…”
Hye Kyoung sharply questioned Su Yeon, who had stopped just in front of them.
Su Yeon instinctively hunched her shoulders, unable to continue speaking. Her expression was one of sheer fright.
In the meantime, Hye Kyoung’s anger was reaching a boiling point.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice scattered the tense atmosphere surrounding the three women.
“It seems there was a minor accident on the way to pick up Su Yeon. I waited at the school but the driver didn’t show, so I contacted him and he sounded quite flustered. That’s why I brought her home.”
All eyes turned to the man standing beside Su Yeon.
It was Dong Hun.
Su Jin blinked her large eyes, unable to look away from Dong Hun.
“Miss, I was asking our daughter, not you.”
Hye Kyoung’s lips twitched with a forced smile, trying to sound as polite as possible to a stranger. But Su Jin knew.
She could tell how furious her mother was.
Only then did she regret not going inside earlier as usual.
Contemplating whether to sneak away to her room, she hesitated.
“I know you were asking Su Yeon, but she looked unsure of what to say. I apologize if I overstepped.”
Su Jin stared intently at Dong Hun, her eyes widened.
It was the first time someone had spoken so directly in response to Hye Kyoung’s unsettling mood.
“You should leave now. Choi Su Yeon, come inside.”
Hye Kyoung’s voice, rigid with tension, echoed in the air.
Only then did Su Jin turn her head towards her mother.
Realizing that Hye Kyoung’s mood had worsened significantly, Su Jin’s heart began to pound with anxiety.
‘Where should I hide today?’
Su Jin resumed her halted contemplation.
On days when Su Yeon was scolded severely in the first-floor storeroom, Su Jin would hide anywhere from a secluded room on the second floor to the bathroom on the first floor, wandering around to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
Amidst her dilemma, Dong Hun’s voice resonated again.
“I don’t know why you are so angry, but please don’t scold Su Yeon. The minor accident was not something she intended.”
Su Jin, who had turned towards the gate, froze momentarily in disbelief. She couldn’t believe there was someone who could repeatedly talk back to her mother.
While Su Jin was still stunned by this unexpected confrontation, Hye Kyoung furrowed her brows in undisguised irritation.
“Listen, young man. I will handle my daughter’s issues. Who are you to meddle like this? Is that how you were taught at home? To interfere in other families’ matters and lecture your elders?”
“It’s not that, but I was taught that ignoring injustice and pretending not to see it is cowardice. But, on a different note, don’t you remember me?”
“Should I remember you?”
“I think we met about a month ago at the charity auction hosted by our Han Kyung Group. Don’t you remember?”
“Ah, Han Kyung Group?”
As soon as Dong Hun mentioned ‘our Han Kyung Group,’ Hye Kyoung’s expression noticeably wavered.
Even to the young Su Jin, the shift in Hye Kyoung’s emotions was clearly visible.
Hye Kyoung struggled to find words.
This left a profound impact on young Su Jin’s heart.
The ripple that started as shock soon turned into admiration.
Instinctively, Su Jin gazed at Dong Hun.
Her heart fluttered as if electrified by the encounter.
It took her a long time to realize that this was the moment when an unbreakable infatuation began to sprout.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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