Has he noticed an emotion that even I am not aware of?
Under Je Ho’s persistent gaze, Yul Li suppressed her trembling heart. Then, she remembered that Je Ho had heard her call with Hyun Kyung.
―Well, whether you marry another man while having a lover or not, it’s none of my business. You’re not my fiancée anymore.
It was clear that he still misunderstood that she had a secret lover. But even then, Yul Li did not excuse herself. She just glared at him with cold eyes.
“And what else?”
Je Ho bent slightly, meeting her eye level.
“Well…… what else could there be?”
He fell into a momentary contemplation.
Yul Li might not know about Min Woo’s aggressive nature. Or she might be under the illusion that she could control it well enough.
Of course, Min Woo is currently in love with Yul Li. He was so smitten that he would get her the stars from the sky if she wanted.
But how long would such feelings last?
In elementary school, Min Woo began to brutally abuse the puppy he used to cherish as soon as his affection waned. The abuse continued until Je Ho could no longer watch and almost forcefully took the puppy to his house. Min Woo had always been like this. He derived pleasure from tormenting and destroying anything, living or nonliving, as soon as his interest ended.
Under the direction of Chairman Kang, Min Woo received counseling from a child psychologist, but it was known to end ambiguously due to the parents’ carelessness.
When he didn’t say anything, Yul Li quickly opened her mouth, swallowing her dry saliva.
“If not loving is the reason, I think I’ve already explained. I’m marrying because the conditions are right. I believe in conditions more than love.”
She answered seriously on her part, but Je Ho twisted his lips as if laughing.
“We’ll see if that’s really the case.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Huh.”
At the moment when Je Ho was about to continue speaking with a short laugh…
“I apologize for the long wait.”
The door opened, and Nancy Song who had ended the phone call and an employee carrying a man’s suit appeared at the same time.
“Everything is ready.”
As the brightly smiling Nancy Song approached, she stopped in her tracks, looking surprised when she spotted Je Ho standing next to Yul Li.
“Excuse me, who are you…?”
“I’m Kwon Je Ho. I have a reservation at 7 o’clock today.”
“Oh, yes.”
Realizing the flustered Nancy Song’s situation, Yul Li realized that the employee’s mistake brought Je Ho here.
Nancy Song apologized sincerely for the employee’s misunderstanding that Je Ho was Min Woo, and led Je Ho to another room. However, even after Je Ho disappeared from her sight, Yul Li was completely unable to concentrate. In the end, she had no choice but to postpone the fitting to the next time.
When she came out into the corridor, her gaze was drawn to the dressing room opposite where Je Ho had gone in. For some reason, the door was left open.
Through the open door, she saw Je Ho in front of the mirror wearing a suit.
“…Ah.”
She inadvertently admired his exceedingly cool appearance. She felt a sudden sense of loss at the reality that the one who would hold the wedding was not Je Ho, but Min Woo…
What the hell am I thinking?
The moment she realized her ridiculous feelings, Yul Li covered her mouth with one hand.
I must be crazy. Definitely crazy.
She quickly ran out of the shop and headed to the parking lot as if running.
Once she got into the car, Yul Li buried her face in the steering wheel, cupping her cheeks with both hands.
I thought that if I distanced myself from him, my feelings would calm down soon….
The more she tried to shake him out of her mind, the more vivid his afterimage became.
Why? She didn’t understand why her heart fluttered so much.
Even if he was once her first love, it was a thing of the past…
Yul Li couldn’t understand why she was so shaken. It should’ve just been a fleeting memory like a midsummer night’s dream.
Then, someone knocked on the window glass. As she lifted her head, Je Ho was outside the window looking down at her. Apparently, a considerable amount of time had passed since she had left the shop.
“Are you okay?”
He asked with a worried face.
Of course, she was not okay. And the reason she was not okay was because of him. But Yul Li bluntly replied, trying to control her broken voice.
“It’s nothing. I was waiting to make a call.”
Je Ho tried to say something, but Yul Li quickly started the car.
“Well, I’ll get going.”
After a brief goodbye, she started the car immediately. She could have looked at Je Ho in the rearview mirror, but she didn’t. Hoping not to see him for a while, she looked straight ahead as if she had a cast on her neck.
As her mouth grew bitter and one side of her chest throbbed, Yul Li tried to ignore it and stepped hard on the accelerator.
Just a few more months until the wedding…
She didn’t have the luxury to reminisce about the past.
((()))((()))((()))
Yul Li, who had stayed up all night with her eyes wide open, woke up earlier than usual and headed for work. She wasn’t in the mood to eat breakfast in this state.
Upon entering the office, Sun Young, who had come to work early, was sitting there with a haggard face.
“You came to work early?”
“Yes. I have a lot to prepare for…”
The reason for Sun Young’s early arrival was revealed soon. Kim, the director who had finished all the procedures, announced in the morning meeting that Kwon Je Ho had become a partner.
“Kwon Je Ho, as in ‘Jay K’?”
The office atmosphere stirred.
“Why did he choose our company of all places?”
“I heard he’s been close with the director for a long time.”
“But isn’t there something more?”
Instead of joining in the conversation, Yul Li pretended not to know and focused on her work. She did not know why he chose ‘Bauhaus’, nor did she know how close Je Ho and Director Kim were.
“Do you know anything, Yul Li?”
The architect Jin Man sitting next to her asked, but Yul Li just shook her head.
“He’s just a figurehead, right? He won’t actually come to work, will he?”
“Of course not.”
“But don’t you think he will show up sometimes?”
The exact answer came out at the end of the work day.
“Who’s up for a drink tonight?”
When Director Kim asked with a beaming smile, Yul Li raised her hand while staring at the computer monitor. She was tired from lack of sleep, but having a drink with her colleagues was less taxing than going home.
“Good. Everyone’s okay, right?”
Following Director Kim’s hearty voice, there was a murmur of agreement. Exclamations like “Wow! That’s amazing!” were also heard. Suddenly alert at the buzzing atmosphere, Yul Li lifted her head from the monitor.
“…!”
The reason was revealed soon.
The man standing behind Director Kim.
It was because of Kwon Je Ho.
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
