Was it because she had overdrank over the weekend, tsk. Ji Na didn’t care and turned off the tap, then sharply pulled out a tissue. If she had to confront Yun Ju, it would likely double her foul mood. Despite her avoidance, Yun Ju appeared anyway.
“Hello, Assistant Manager.”
Ji Na couldn’t ignore Yun Ju, who greeted her while wiping her mouth with a pale face.
“It seems like you’re not feeling well.”
“I guess you drank too much,” Ji Na said, throwing the wet tissue into the trash can.
“Ah, I suppose you wouldn’t know, Assistant Manager.”
Yun Ju giggled and shook her head.
“I have bad morning sickness.”
Yun Ju’s words from a while back at a restaurant, something about pregnancy, came to Ji Na’s mind belatedly. Ji Na nodded with an awkward expression.
“You must be going through a lot.”
She barely refrained from asking if the child was Do Jin’s. She was about to salt the wound that was still fresh. It already hurt plenty, why would she tear open the wound?
Deciding that it was none of her business, Ji Na was about to withdraw her interest when,
“Is it completely over with the section chief now?”
In the mirror, Yun Ju looked at Ji Na with a subtle smile. It was the face of a victor who had won a competition.
Ji Na inhaled a forced breath with a stunned face and chuckled. Yun Ju’s childish intentions were clearly reflected on her face and in her actions.
“Yes.”
She stared directly at Yun Ju with an emotionless gaze.
“It’s completely over.”
‘Please, take him.’
Yun Ju looked slightly taken aback at Ji Na’s relieved expression. Seeing her face, Ji Na felt a small part of her heart rejoice.
Exiting the restroom like that, she saw Do Jin. He looked somewhat anxious. Spotting Ji Na, he frowned, but upon noticing Yun Ju, he spoke up.
“Are you okay?”
His overly concerned voice almost made her laugh. Had he ever used that tone when he was dating Ji Na?
“Section Chief, I’m sorry to have worried you.”
“What can you do if you’re not feeling well?”
Seeing the restless Do Jin, Ji Na quickly moved away. Seeing him like that at the office, it seemed like he had no intention of keeping it a secret.
“Can you go on a business trip?”
“Of course. I have to go if I’m going with the section chief.”
She had no feelings for Do Jin, but seeing those two together was not easy. It felt disgusting, as if she had experienced a trendy transit breakup.
“Wow, are those two dating?”
Ji Na was surprised by Ji Hye’s subtle voice, not knowing when she had arrived.
“Huh?”
“The atmosphere between those two is no joke, right?”
As Ji Hye looked at the two with suspicious eyes, Ji Na turned her head without reason.
“Well, whether they are or not.”
“Huh Yun Ju, there were rumors about her.”
“What rumors?”
“I have a friend in HR. I think she said there was something.”
“The chairman’s daughter? Niece? Wasn’t it something like that?”
That was a rumor that circulated when Huh Yun Ju first joined the company. The overly flashy dress and bags had sparked the rumors. While nobody asked directly, everyone vaguely suspected it.
“But she has a different last name than the chairman.”
“So was there talk about her being an illegitimate child?”
“Ew.”
Ji Na crinkled her nose.
“Let’s go for a coffee.”
Ji Hye reminded her of the original purpose.
“The new coffee machine is really good.”
Only then did Ji Na recall the new coffee machine that came in the morning. As Ji Na and Ji Hye entered the pantry, they savored the coffee made by the new machine.
“It smells different, right?”
“Indeed. It’s so different from the previous model. It’s suddenly been upgraded so much.”
Ji Na looked at the coffee machine with a suspicious gaze.
“Well, it’s nice.”
Ji Hye shook her head, as if to say it didn’t matter.
“This is welfare! The new intern and the coffee machine. Perfect. Ha.”
Ji Hye’s cheekiness made Ji Na laugh.
“Hmm hmm.”
Ji Na and Ji Hye were surprised, not knowing when the pantry door had opened. Jin Woo was standing at the entrance. Seeing him cough awkwardly, perhaps having heard Ji Hye’s words, Ji Hye, flustered, gulped down her coffee.
“Ah, it’s hot.”
“Oh my, are you okay?”
“Yes, yes. Of course. I forgot something, so I’ll leave first.”
Ji Hye hurriedly left the pantry first. Ji Na held back her laughter and looked at Jin Woo.
“Coffee?”
Ji Na casually showed her paper cup, making Jin Woo chuckle. He looked so cool it was dazzling.
“I didn’t come to drink coffee.”
Only then did Ji Na notice the documents in Jin Woo’s hand.
“Huh? What’s that?”
“I collected some more data.”
It seemed he had organized it separately after seeing Ji Na get scolded in the meeting room.
“Ah.”
Ji Na made a low noise.
“Why would you do that when I didn’t ask?”
She was flustered. She realized that she had shown him her foolish side again. The image of herself during the meeting being more conscious of Jin Woo’s gaze than of being picked on by Do Jin came to mind.
Shame came before gratitude. Her appearance was too pathetic to show him again.
“I’m sorry. I acted without asking.”
Jin Woo cautiously apologized in response to Ji Na’s reaction. It was a ridiculous situation to anyone who saw it. A team leader angry at an intern who worked properly even without being asked.
“I thought you were busy and didn’t ask, but I summarized it roughly.”
At Jin Woo’s considerate voice, Ji Na lightly touched her forehead. The one who had really acted on their own was herself.
“Sigh… Alright. Thanks.”
She had to regain her senses now.
“I should have taken care of you, but I was out of it today. I’m sorry.”
Various emotions were jumbled and tangled.
“Don’t apologize.”
The low and soft bass voice dug into Ji Na’s ears. Her gaze, which had been cast down, went towards him.
Jin Woo’s gaze looking at her had deeply settled. His pupils, which looked particularly dark, seemed somewhat angry.
“There’s not a single thing you’ve done wrong, sister.”
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
