In fact, the conversation about a separate residence was first heard here, and Tae-eun, who hadn’t even thought about it, was greatly taken aback. What should she say? She thought it was urgent to calm down her excited aunts.
So, while comforting Wujin, Tae-eun met the eyes of the now calm Yeong-suk and spoke clearly with a quiet voice.
“No, Aunt. I haven’t talked separately with Mr. Wujin about that matter…”
“Go live outside.”
But suddenly interjected, one voice added fuel to the already heated atmosphere.
It was Chairman Jeong’s voice.
“You made a good decision. Go live outside. It seems convenient for me too.”
“Mom! What are you talking about? To live outside!”
Although Yeong-hee asked sharply, Chairman Jeong ignored that question and emphasized again to Wujin.
“The thought of living with elderly people, I find it degrading. I’m not a solitary elderly person, and with all these servants around, not to mention Yeong-ja, I don’t want to become a stubborn old woman living with grandchildren and daughter-in-law. Who lives with a grandmother in this day and age?”
“Mom, still, this isn’t right! Mom will turn eighty soon!”
Yeong-suk tried to make Chairman Jeong aware of reality by mentioning his age, but the situation didn’t budge an inch. Chairman Jeong’s next words, uttered to encompass everyone, neatly summarized the situation.
“I… I am Jeong Man-ok of Jangwon. I’m not dead yet.”
His voice was so dignified and strong that no one could imagine him as an old woman soon to turn eighty.
A living legend in South Korea.
Starting as a beggar to feed his numerous children instead of a husband, he built up the present Jangwon, a legendary figure in the business world. Therefore, the three characters in the name Jeong Man-ok conveyed not only grandeur but also emotion beyond magnificence. Even to outsiders, that emotion was touching. However, for the children who had been watching that appearance next to them all along, the emotion was beyond description.
Tears welled up just hearing the name.
“Child, Mom… Who wouldn’t know that? I just thought it might be too cramped for Mom. How nice to be next to your grandchildren and daughter-in-law, doing pretty things.”
“Are they marrying me to make fun of me? Don’t make me a mean old man.”
“Really, Mom… When did I say that again?”
Eventually, Yeong-hee, who had been having a fit, stepped in. Yeong-suk, who was next to her, also closed her mouth. If Chairman Jeong said so, it was so. No matter how unpleasant this marriage was, there was no way to protest.
In his seat, Wujin’s faint smile spread as Chairman Jeong’s words obtained everything he wanted. And Yeong-ja didn’t miss that.
“Well then, Grandma, we’ll get going now.”
“No, what’s this? Won’t you eat together?”
“In fact, it was a meeting created too suddenly, so I think Tae-eun must be quite surprised. So we’ll eat comfortably.”
At Wujin’s voice, clearly implying his ease, displeasure could be heard from various places, but Chairman Jeong laughed and gestured.
“Yeah. Eat comfortably. It’s something you’re doing after eating. Let’s live after eating it all.”
Without giving Tae-eun a chance to say anything, Wujin grabbed her wrist and stood up. So, she hastily said goodbye to Chairman Jeong and the aunts and left with him.
After Tae-eun left, Yeong-hee made a groaning sound.
“Look at Wujin talking about that! Unbelievable! Ha… Our Yeong-ja sister-in-law is unfairly treated, what should we do? Even if we assume that, our sister-in-law raised Wujin so well, and he got engaged to a family like that.”
Yeong-hee, who recalled the unimpressive family history of a house that hadn’t even filled a single page, spoke with her tongue out. No matter how beautiful, desiring Jangwon Estate with this kind of history is almost considered a crime. And at those words, Yeong-ja suppressed the rising anger and closed her eyes.
Engagement.
The word fit perfectly.
It wasn’t that she handed over everything to Wujin to accept a house with such a poor history as Jangwon’s son-in-law. To Yeong-ja, who couldn’t naturally bear a child and went through the divorce process, Wujin was a gift from heaven. Moreover, because he was the child of a brother who had a particularly good relationship, she felt more affection. Thus, Wujin was practically no different from having her own child who didn’t come out of her womb.
So, how much care did she put into raising him? Yeong-ja poured everything she had into Wujin beyond what natural parents would give. Therefore, it was reasonable to say that there was a certain share of Yeong-ja’s life in his life. However, a few years ago, a single word from Wujin, thrust at her in connection to the incident, always made her falter.
-“Never interfere in my life again! It’s not my aunt’s life; it’s my life! You don’t have the qualification, aunt.”
Qualification.
How did I meddle and raise him?
How much did I despise him?
An insolent child like this!
“Ugh, frustrating. It seems like Wujin got completely swept away by that strange atmosphere! No, Mom! What if you just allow it from there? What do we do? We should oppose!”
In response to Yeong-hee’s resentment, Chairman Jeong, as if tired, clapped his hands and left the reception room. Left alone with three women, the place became a vortex of silence and anger.
“He really seems to have fallen deeply. How on earth can you be so captivated by a man? He’s so good-looking that he’s more than a nine-tailed fox!”
“That’s true. I’ve never seen Wujin like that before!”
Listening to the voices of angry younger sisters, Yeong-ja recalled the gentle touch of Tae-eun that had soothed Wujin, who had been furious just a while ago. While Wujin had flared up like fire, the Yeong-ja who resembled Chairman Jeong had been watching the same thing as Chairman Jeong. However, despite seeing the same thing, the feelings were different.
Chairman Jeong saw the qualifications to be the next leader of Jangwon in Tae-eun’s actions, but to Yeong-ja, it seemed like a reason why she couldn’t be part of this household.
To dare to try to control the future leader of Jangwon.
Now, it was merely calming Wujin’s anger, but it was clear that she would grasp and shake something in the future. Although most of the people who wielded the greatest power in the world were men, the one who ultimately held that man was a woman.
“Child, sister! Say something! Should we really just leave it like this? Give Wujin entirely to that fox, is that what you’re saying?”
“What else can we do? Do you still not know Wujin? A man who, once he decides to do something, will do it to the end.”
Although she gently spoke in response to her sisters’ anger, Yeong-ja’s mind was unexpectedly sinister, unlike her words.
They were so desperate to prevent this marriage because they thought it would be the end. However, Yeong-ja had a different perspective.
There is no law that insists a married couple must face a hundred years of calamity together. She herself had divorced, and her two remaining sisters were also waiting for their turn for divorce as if it were a matter of course.
Marriage is not the end but the beginning.
If they couldn’t prevent the marriage, then going around and returning would be just fine. Sometimes, such unconventional methods shine brighter. In a moment, Wujin, who had forcefully pushed for marriage, would calm down a bit, realizing that burning emotions are not the entirety of marriage.
And having a divorce history wouldn’t be a flaw for Wujin, who would become the next leader of Jangwon.
Women eager to step into Wujin’s adjacent position will overflow.
Today, the deep taste of tea lingering on the tip of her tongue was exactly to her liking.
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.”
