“I wanted to say no, but my body reacted first.”
“Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“…What should I say?”
Yul Li, flushed with heat, was the opposite of Je Ho’s calm demeanor. While tormenting her with his hands, his voice didn’t even waver.
“I’m telling you to say what you want.”
Feeling it was unfair that only she was affected, Yul Li bit her lip and pushed Je Ho’s chest with her palm.
“From now on, Je Ho, don’t move and just stay still.”
Je Ho raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t quite understand.
“Don’t move at all. You just asked what I wanted.”
Yul Li, feigning indifference, lifted her chin.
“It’s unfair. Always me…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence, her face reddening. She felt wronged thinking, ‘It’s always me who’s being touched…’
Yul Li blurted out, “Up till now, it’s only been you who’s been touching me…”
Even as she spoke, her gaze shifted away, too embarrassed to look directly at Je Ho. Her adorable demeanor made Je Ho chuckle.
“Alright, I’ll stay still as you wish.”
With that, Je Ho leisurely smiled and took a step back, opening his arms wide.
“Here, I’ll stay like this until you say stop. Okay?”
“…Ah.”
Having told him to stay still, Yul Li was at a loss on what to do next.
Why had she said that? What should she do now?
She wasn’t completely inexperienced, but now that it was her turn to initiate, her face turned even redder. Not wanting to appear too coy, she was uncomfortable.
Was it because she took too long? Je Ho’s eyes narrowed as he watched her. Yul Li then realized she was causing him discomfort.
“Does your arm hurt?”
“Of course, it’s hurting. Aren’t I being punished?”
“No! Who said anything about punishment? Just lower your arms. And don’t stand so far away, come closer.”
“If you insist.”
He approached her lazily with a smile.
“So, can I do what I want now?”
Yul Li nodded without thinking, and in a blink, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace. Their bodies came together in a tight hold.
Just the feeling of holding each other was dizzying. Je Ho buried his face in Yul Li’s nape, inhaling her sweet scent. Then he whispered tenderly.
“Now, it’s your turn. Do whatever you want.”
Yul Li, still in Je Ho’s embrace, gently reached out to touch his broad shoulders and back. The sensation under her palms was different from when she had to touch him for treatment. It felt hotter, firmer, and more intimately attached.
“Is this all you’re going to do? Go ahead, do what you really want.”
When her hand only lingered on his back and didn’t progress further, Je Ho sounded disappointed and loosened his embrace. As he stepped back, Yul Li quickly pulled him back. She lacked the courage to expose herself in the brightly lit kitchen, unlike in the bedroom.
“Let’s go to the bedroom.”
“Why, you can’t do it here?”
“It’s a client’s house.”
The idea of doing it on the island counter in someone else’s house was too much. It was a level of inconvenience she couldn’t tolerate.
“We’re not going all the way here.”
“Still, I can’t.”
“What if it were my house?”
“That’s…”
Distracted by her thoughts, Yul Li didn’t notice Je Ho moving. Suddenly, her back hit the cold marble as she fell backward. Only then did she realize she was falling, but it was too late to regain balance.
“What to do? I like it here.”
He said, propping himself up on one arm while looking down at her.
“Please, Je Ho.”
Yul Li, overwhelmed, felt tears welling up in her eyes.
“Stop it. This is a client’s…”
Je Ho’s playful smile only grew as he looked down at her. He seemed to enjoy her on the verge of tears, but he didn’t want her to cry out of sadness. He liked seeing her this way, adorable and vulnerable.
“You’re so beautiful. Even your tears are sweet.”
As his face drew closer, a tear finally fell from Yul Li’s eye. Je Ho tenderly wiped it away with his finger, then tasted it, finding it unexpectedly sweet.
“I’m going crazy for you.”
“Shh, it’s okay. This is my house,” Je Ho whispered soothingly, cradling her in his arms on the marble floor.
“Damn it! Where did he go?”
Min Woo was frustrated as Jin, his manager, remained unreachable even after arriving at the hotel. On inquiring through his secretary, he learned that Jin had suddenly submitted his resignation that afternoon. The timing matched almost exactly with Je Ho’s flight to the Philippines.
With Jin gone, there was no one left to clarify the situation for Min Woo. He had kept each of his underhanded dealings separate, with only one person in charge of each, so they could be easily cut loose if needed.
Jin had been handling all dealings involving President Park. Even the recent leak to the prosecutor was known only to Jin, not even to Executive Kwon. Now, Min Woo had to contact President Park directly to sort things out.
However, Director Jin had vanished without a trace. Before disappearing, he did neatly handle the issue with the construction in the Philippines, but it still left a nagging feeling.
Was he fleeing from President Park’s side and creating a smokescreen?
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.”
