“I hope I’m not overstepping, but I called Yeoreum here to talk.”
“Go ahead.”
After a short breath, she began,
“Manager Pyo is the grande dame Song Jeongmi’s right hand. It’s not good to confront her head-on.”
“Is that so?”
“If the grande dame steps in, it will only get harder for Yeoreum. I won’t be able to intervene then.”
“I’m already grateful for what you did today.”
“That’s not why I’m saying this. How about taking a more measured approach? Direct confrontation is tough. Yeoreum is alone, and they are many, and they have much more than you in every aspect.”
Yeoreum took another sip of her tea.
It was Darjeeling, her mother’s favorite, and hers too.
“Butler, they say an abscess won’t turn into flesh if you leave it be, right?”
“Pardon?”
“Kim Sejin endured here for six years. Did anything change?”
After a pause, she replied,
“No.”
“Right. No. The longer I wait, the more they’ll trample over me. To them, Kim Sejin and I are invaders who’ve come to take away what they’ve enjoyed for so long.”
“But the chairman’s stance is firm. She won’t side with Yeoreum.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m living Jeong Yeoreum’s life, that’s all.”
Looking at the seasoned butler with a sympathetic expression, Yeoreum said,
“Wherever I am, Jeong Yeoreum is Jeong Yeoreum. And my life is always mine, not Chairman Kang Ju-hwa’s.”
The butler replied,
“I see.”
“Anyway, thank you for today. And the tea was lovely.”
Rising from her seat, Yeoreum bowed to the butler and left.
She looked out at the garden, now tinged with brown.
A smirk appeared on her face.
“Finally, the true owner of Blue House has returned.”
Team Leader Yang and Attorney Jo sighed deeply in front of Yeoreum’s house in Busan.
For some reason, Jeong Yeoreum’s phone number was now disconnected, and the gate was firmly locked.
After much inquiry, they found out that Yeoreum had resigned from her school position just a day after being appointed.
Where could they find Jeong Yeoreum now?
The two attorneys, having gained nothing in two days, eventually turned away from the gate.
Just the thought of dealing with Haeun was exhausting.
At that moment, Attorney Jo’s phone rang.
“It’s Lee.”
He began texting with a colleague from the legal team.
Team Leader Yang waited for a moment.
“Team Leader, did you hear the chairman’s son had a serious car accident over the weekend? The legal team was in chaos because of it.”
“Really?”
Team Leader Yang responded indifferently, focusing ahead.
“They say his condition was critical, so he was rushed to a hospital in the U.S. He’s in a life-threatening state. The chairman is lashing out at her daughter-in-law and even made her granddaughter sign a strange contract.”
“A strange contract?”
“Yeah, it’s a contract that forbids her from seeing her parents for 20 years and requires her to do whatever she’s told.”
“What?”
“She hated her daughter-in-law so much that she made a contract to turn her granddaughter into a slave for revenge. Typical of our eccentric chairman.”
Attorney Jo shook his head.
Suddenly, his busy fingers stopped.
His eyes were glued to the phone screen.
“What’s up?”
“The granddaughter is twenty-five years old, from Busan, and her name is Jeong Yeoreum….”
Team Leader Yang looked at Attorney Jo.
“It’s really Jeong Yeoreum.”
As if on cue, both attorneys turned to look at the house’s nameplate.
The well-engraved wooden nameplate read ‘Jeong Jeong-hyeon.’
Their faces were filled with astonishment.
“Since you have no talent for dishwashing, you’ll clean. But because Jeong Yeoreum’s hands are so slippery, don’t touch anything else and just wipe the floor with this mop.”
Manager Pyo handed Yeoreum a mop.
Four cleaning team members stood by, watching cautiously.
It was clear to anyone that the request to mop the floor by hand, despite having a steam floor cleaner, was to torment Yeoreum.
Yet, none of them dared to speak up.
“Sure, why not.”
Yeoreum readily agreed.
The cleaning team went upstairs.
From the rooms used by Gi-taek’s family to the library and home cinema, the house lacked nothing.
Manager Pyo followed, seemingly to keep an eye on Yeoreum.
Yeoreum approached a staff member preparing to clean the library and whispered,
“Is Kang Haeun not around?”
“Miss Kang is getting a massage. She said she would come to work late today.”
“How long does that take?”
“Usually about an hour. She’s been in there a while, so she should be finishing soon.”
“I see.”
Then, Manager Pyo spoke from behind.
“Stop chatting and clean properly.”
“Yes!”
The staff quickly started opening windows.
“What’s up?”
Yeoreum approached Manager Pyo.
“I need to use the restroom. May I go?”
Although Manager Pyo looked displeased, she reluctantly agreed.
“Be quick.”
“Sure.”
Yeoreum exited into the corridor and quickly sent a text message.
Returning to the library, she faced Manager Pyo, who was impatiently waiting.
“Why did you take so long? Get to work.”
“I’ve been thinking, and this job doesn’t suit me.”
Hearing this, the staff members around perked up their ears.
Manager Pyo scoffed.
“Jeong Yeoreum always fails to understand her place.”
“Is that so?”
“If you want to live comfortably in this house, you’d better listen to me. So, pick up that mop and start cleaning. You’re not leaving until you finish here.”
“I don’t want to.”
“What did you say……!”
Before Manager Pyo could argue further, the library door burst open.
“Hey!”
It was Haeun who entered.
Haeun, seemingly having rushed over from her massage, still had her hair turban on.
“You, let’s talk!”
“Sorry, but I can’t.”
“What?”
“I have to clean the floor here, so I don’t have time to talk with you.”
“Is this trivial thing really that important?”
“Manager Pyo said I can’t leave until I finish cleaning the floor. So, what can I do? Unless someone else takes this mop and cleans for me?”
Haeun replied as if it was a no-brainer.
“Manager Pyo will do it.”
“……Miss!”
A dumbfounded Manager Pyo barely managed to retort.
“This is Jeong Yeoreum’s task!”
“Are you daring to contradict my words now?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Do you want to annoy me? How dare you talk back without knowing your place?”
“Miss, that’s not what I meant.”
“This is unbelievable! Hey, from now on, you do all this work. Got it?”
“Me, sir?”
“Yes! You do all of it! And Jeong Yeoreum, come see me. Come to my room!”
An annoyed Haeun left the room.
Yeoreum, watching the bewildered Manager Pyo, said,
“You heard the miss, right? From now on, mopping the floor thoroughly with a wet mop is Manager Pyo’s job. Well then, good luck.”
Yeoreum smiled and left the library.
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
