“It’s not something you leave to your relaxed wife alone.”
“Yes.”
Without hesitation, Jinwoo turned away.
“I’m sorry.”
At that moment, Il-jun’s voice was heard. Jinwoo’s steps halted.
“As a father, I wanted to apologize. You will be a better father than me. You are not at all like me.”
Between intermittent coughs, Il-jun spoke laboriously. Ultimately, he had called Jinwoo because he wanted to say those words.
“Hurry and leave. Don’t call me unnecessarily.”
As Jinwoo was about to turn away, Il-jun quickly continued speaking.
“It might be difficult to meet for a while.”
Jinwoo, who had paused for a moment, clenched his fist and walked out of the hospital room, taking firm steps. Il-jun, gazing blankly into the air, had a somewhat smiling face.
“The little one has become a father.”
Inexpressible emotion surged. At the same time, he felt relieved. Death was no longer frightening to him now. Il-jun, who had feared closing his eyes without apologizing to his son, felt a sense of ease.
“Now I can peacefully ascend the path to the afterlife.”
With a content face, Il-jun slowly closed his eyes. It seemed like he would have a good dream for the first time.
Jinwoo, who had descended to the underground parking lot, sat in the driver’s seat. He felt no emotions toward Il-jun, who had called him just to ease his mind until the end. Ironically, it didn’t make him feel good.
Drip.
A drop of water fell on the driver’s seat. Jinwoo looked at the seat with blank eyes for a moment. It was as if he couldn’t comprehend why it seemed like rain was falling.
Splash.
Successive drops of water on the steering wheel were actually tears falling from Jinwoo’s chin. Jinwoo, wiping away the tears with a bewildered expression, realized he was shedding tears.
‘Why…’
Jinwoo wiped away tears with a puzzled face. He had no intention of shedding tears for Il-jun. He had no emotions.
‘Why…’
He couldn’t understand himself. Just as he was about to start the engine, Jinwoo couldn’t help but succumb to the suddenly welling-up cries. Holding the steering wheel tightly, Jinwoo cried, his shoulders shaking.
He had hated and resented his father.
Until the end, even if his father died, he thought it would be the same.
Before looking directly at his own heart, Jinwoo’s tears burst forth.
‘I won’t become a father like you.’
With reddened eyes, Jinwoo bit his lips.
‘Watch over us from heaven.’
Suppressing his sobs, Jinwoo started the engine. He didn’t think he would meet his father again. Nevertheless, his heart felt lighter than ever.
Yoonju, who usually opened the door and rushed out at the usual commuting time, saw Director Yoo standing in the elevator.
Seeing Yoonju coming out, Director Yoo turned around. His calm expression, still unreadable, made it impossible to discern what he was thinking.
“It seems you’re going to work. Haha.”
Yoonju stood a step away, awkwardly smiling.
“Yes.”
Director Yoo replied succinctly. The awkwardness persisted even when they entered the elevator. Eager to escape the awkwardness as soon as possible, Yoonju nervously rubbed her clasped hands.
Without pressing the lobby button and instead pressing the underground parking lot, Director Yoo asked Yoonju.
“If you’re okay, want to share a ride?”
“What?”
At the sudden question, Yoonju’s eyes widened.
“Me?”
When Yoonju, who was looking around, asked again, Director Yoo slightly lifted the corners of his mouth and said,
“Yes. Miss Heo Yoonju.”
Yoonju blinked her eyes at the fact that he even knew her name. In her confusion, words popped out involuntarily.
“Why?”
Pausing for a moment in response to her question, Director Yoo touched his chin.
“Same departure point, same destination?”
It was a sweet temptation. Yoonju, who had been rolling her eyes, nodded her head involuntarily.
“Well, then, I’ll pay half of the gas.”
“Yes.”
Director Yoo’s characteristic concise answer was heard. At the same time, the elevator on the first floor opened. Unknowingly, Director Yoo grabbed Yoonju’s arm just as she was about to walk away.
“Oh.”
It wasn’t just Yoonju who was surprised. Director Yoo, too, seemed flustered as he awkwardly withdrew his arm.
“My car is in the underground parking lot.”
Awkwardness pervaded once again. Yoonju regretted her choice in a moment of wanting to escape this suffocating awkwardness.
“Uh…”
Yoonju, who was about to say that she would just go to work on her own, missed the timing as Director Yoo walked ahead of her.
Beep.
The car’s lights blinked, indicating its location.
“Get in.”
Director Yoo nonchalantly said. Yoonju awkwardly mumbled as she opened the passenger seat.
The inside of the car was tidy, reflecting the owner’s personality. Fastening her seatbelt with a tense expression, Yoonju looked around nervously.
“Just in case, I cleaned it thoroughly yesterday.”
“Yes?”
“I’m not originally such a neat person.”
At Director Yoo’s words, Yoonju nodded her head, dropping her phone to the side. Startled, Yoonju quickly reached out.
“Oh? But this.”
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
