From the first moment, Donghun was like a benefactor to her, and at the same time, he was the only friend who had spent a year of school days together. But how could that happen?
Suyeon closed her eyes tightly.
At that moment, a chilling voice pierced through without hesitation.
“It seems like you’ve been away from me for too long, Suyeon. Before marriage, you never used to listen to Mom’s words, but why do you keep doing it these days?”
The sharply manicured fingertips passed sharply over Suyeon’s shoulder.
“After marriage, your life, which was in the gutter, feels like a delusion in a fairy tale, doesn’t it?”
The hand, which was just scratching, grabbed Suyeon’s shoulder sharply in an instant.
At the same time, Hyekyung, who had pulled herself up, came close to the ear.
“Should I remind you again? Should I get rid of someone this time? Would it be good to get rid of the husband who made you like this?”
“After getting married, do you think your life, which was in the gutter, is now a misconception as if it’s in a fairy tale?”
The hand that had only been brushing suddenly gripped Suyeon’s shoulder tightly. At the same time, Hyekyung, who had pulled herself up, came close to her ear.
“Shall I remind you? This time, should I get rid of someone? Should I get rid of the husband who made you like this?”
“…….”
“It’s not that difficult. Although TK is behind you, separate from that, rumors are terrifying. Your husband, Seo Inho, is a celebrity known to the public. People will be even more curious when his face is revealed.”
“…….”
“Truly, just like the image known to the public, is Seo Inho a person with a clean past, without an ugly history?”
Suyeon turned her head slowly, trembling uncontrollably. Tears blurred Hyekyung’s face with swollen eyes, evoking an indescribable fear.
She vividly remembered.
Middle school, first semester of the first year, final exams.
She maintained the first place in the whole school, but her average score was four points lower than the previous exam.
Cruel punishment, friends who had to be distant regardless of their will, and the terrible self-loathing that overwhelmed her.
Even when she lost all the friends she had spent a few months with, she had to struggle with the almost insane loneliness and emptiness.
“But, but getting rid of Inho…?”
The tears, which had been hanging on precariously, silently fell.
“…I made a mistake.”
Suyeon moved her lips instinctively, squeezing the hand hidden under the table with all her strength.
Han Hyekyung was a relentless woman who did whatever she set her mind to, and threatening to ruin Inho was by no means an idle threat.
So she had to do this.
Even if it had to be done this way, she had to protect Inho.
“That’s right. That’s how it should be. This way, you’re my daughter.”
Only then did Hyekyung smile satisfactorily, leaning back in her chair.
“Mom really hopes Donghun will marry our Sujin. Since a long time ago, Donghun has been fascinated by your words, so if you help, Sujin’s marriage might proceed smoothly, don’t you think?”
“…….”
“As your younger sister, who else could help but you? It’s your duty, isn’t it?”
The gentle words that came out calmly tightened Suyeon’s throat slowly. Suyeon bit her lips strongly, closing her eyes tightly.
Hyekyung had commanded what she wanted, and as always, she had to achieve her goal willingly to survive.
There was no choice.
Moreover, since Inho was mentioned, she had to somehow get what Hyekyung wanted, no matter what it took.
It was when she wiped her face stained with tears and took a deep breath.
“Sorry. You waited long.”
Donghun, who had left the seat, returned.
Inho, who was deeply buried in his seat, glanced at his phone with a furrowed brow.
He didn’t answer the call or check the message.
“What’s going on?”
It seems that the return time is later than expected. About two hours ago, Inho sent a message to Suyeon, but the number 1 next to the message bubble remained unchanged until now.
Inho called Suyeon’s number again.
He waited for a while with the phone to his ear, but the expected voice did not come through this time either.
Somehow, a bad premonition crept in.
“Myungwoo, how much longer to get home?”
“It’ll take about 20 more minutes. Why? Is something wrong with sister-in-law?”
“I don’t know. But she’s not answering the phone or checking messages.”
“Maybe she’s tired and sleeping?”
“Sleeping?”
Was that really the case?
It made sense.
Lately, he couldn’t control himself and embraced Suyeon incessantly, so she must have been lacking sleep.
“But did she usually take naps for this long?”
However, the nap time was too long to conclude like that.
“For now, just go as fast as possible.”
“Okay. But don’t worry too much. If something happens, my brother would have contacted you earlier.”
Myungwoo said, glancing at the rearview mirror.
Inho nodded with a serious expression.
That was also a correct statement.
But somehow, the premonition was not good.
Out of concern, he checked the message window again, but nothing had changed.
Inho clenched his phone tightly with one hand.
Restlessness filled his gaze beyond the car window, a habit he couldn’t shake off.
“Suyeon.”
Inho searched for Suyeon frighteningly when he entered the house.
However, unlike when he left the house around lunchtime, he couldn’t feel any warmth.
Moreover, all the lights in the house were off.
“Is she really sleeping?”
His steps toward the bedroom were incredibly urgent.
Inho turned on the bedroom light and checked the bed first.
But Suyeon was not there.
The perfectly untouched blanket testified that no one had ever laid there.
Inho became increasingly anxious.
“Suyeon.”
Not only the bedroom but also the bathroom, kitchen, and guest room.
He searched every corner of the house, but there was no trace of Suyeon.
“She didn’t say she was going anywhere.”
Inho, who stood in the middle of the living room, stared anxiously out the window.
‘She couldn’t have called from Tae Shin.’
An ominous premonition kept pushing in.
If it were before, he might have suspected that she had gone to the Seongbuk-dong main house, but if that were the case, there would be no reason why he couldn’t confirm her contact until now.
“It seems to be right…….”
As a man, his intuition was quite good.
Once he reached that thought, there was no reason to hesitate any longer.
Inho grabbed the car keys and headed straight for the front door.
He was planning to go to the Tae Shin main house.
Just as he put on his shoes and grabbed the doorknob, the sound of entering the door lock code from outside resounded loudly.
The door soon opened, revealing Suyeon.
She was walking in as if she might collapse at any moment.
“Suyeon!”
Inho approached Suyeon with hesitation.
At that moment, Suyeon, who had been looking down, slowly lifted her head.
In that moment, Inho couldn’t utter a single word.
“…Mr. Inho.”
Suyeon’s large pupils were filled to the brim with tears.
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.”
