“Oh, no. It’s just the first day, and everything feels unfamiliar, so I think I’m a bit sensitive.”
[Dash] Huh… I’ll be right over.“What?”
Could it be that he’s coming back from home again? Confused, Ji Na fidgeted. But the call ended quickly, and not long after, heavy footsteps echoed up the stairs. A familiar shadow brushed past the window.
Ding-dong [Dash], the doorbell rang weakly. It hadn’t been even five minutes. Ji Na slowly approached and opened her mouth.
“Jin Woo?”
Cold sweat ran down her spine once again.
“Big sister.”
It was Jin Woo, his voice low and somber. In an instant, Ji Na’s tension eased, and she took a deep breath as she opened the door.
“How… did you get here so quickly?”
Without saying a word, Ji Na realized what had happened when she saw Jin Woo. His clothes were the same as when they had parted earlier. He had been waiting here since then.
“You didn’t go home…?”
“It’s the first night, and I thought you might be scared alone…”
Seeing Jin Woo, who had said he would be brave, Ji Na embraced him tightly.
“You pretended to be tough…”
While hugging her like that, Jin Woo smiled.
“You were brave.”
Indeed.
“No, I’m a coward.”
“Ha… You’re calling me a coward?”
“I wanted to see you, but I couldn’t come earlier. I was afraid you’d refuse.”
With unspoken words still in his heart, Jin Woo hugged Ji Na tighter.
“I’ll stay by your side.”
Jin Woo’s sweet words left Ji Na no choice but to nod her head. It was too dark to spend the night alone.
After a hectic vacation, Ji Na returned to work for the first time in a long while. Jin Woo, who had been with her all night, left to change his clothes and headed out of the house around dawn. Ji Na was well aware that he had been waiting for her, even though his usual spot was empty.
“Jagi!”
The person who rushed over like lightning and hugged Ji Na was Ji Hye.
“You had a good vacation.”
Ji Hye concluded quickly, and Ji Na raised an eyebrow at her.
“How did you know?”
“Your face is glowing.”
With a bit of exaggeration, Ji Hye said with a mischievous smile, making Ji Na burst into laughter.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, thank you. There was some commotion on one side. Ji Na and Ji Hye exchanged glances. Dong Jin was distributing something to the employees.
“He went on a honeymoon.”
Oh right, she had completely forgotten. Ji Na turned her head away with disinterest. No, she tried to. If only their eyes hadn’t met. And if Dong Jin hadn’t approached, pretending not to know.
“Ah, Assistant Ji Na.”
Dong Jin’s overly cheerful face was quite oppressive. Ji Na politely nodded her head.
“Hello.”
Between a superior and a subordinate, nothing more and nothing less, it was the right way to greet each other.
“Did you have a good time? Assistant Ji was on vacation too.”
Almost asking how he knew, Ji Na suddenly remembered that they had taken a vacation together during their dating days.
“We should have gone on vacation together. It would have been even better.”
Watching her shameless demeanor, Ji Na couldn’t help but snicker inwardly.
“I bought some chocolates. Assistant Ji also likes sweet things, right?”
Seeing the few chocolates Dong Jin offered, Ji Na thought of the chocolates Jin Woo had given her not long ago.
“The chocolates I like are different.”
Politely declining, Ji Na secretly wished that Dong Jin would disappear.
“Oh, can’t you give me those?”
Instead of Ji Na, Ji Hye spoke up swiftly, and Dong Jin handed the chocolates to Ji Hye with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
“These are expensive.”
Just for a few chocolates…
“I’ll get back to work now.”
Ji Na indirectly asked him to leave and fixed her gaze on her desk. Hopefully, he wouldn’t bother trying anything like this again.
“I haven’t seen Mr. Heo Yoon Joo.”
When Ji Hye asked with a curious tilt of her head, Dong Jin replied somewhat awkwardly, “He’s not feeling well, maybe he overdid it on his honeymoon…”
“Oh, he overdid it on his honeymoon.”
With a mischievous expression, Ji Hye commented, causing Dong Jin to shake his hand in embarrassment.
“No, we definitely didn’t…”
Aware of Ji Na, Dong Jin quickly stopped talking. He wondered if it would make sense to say they hadn’t even held hands during their honeymoon.
“My condition isn’t great today, so I decided to take the day off. Ahem.”
Having finished even the supplementary explanation, Dong Jin coughed awkwardly and disappeared.
“Wow… these chocolates are really terrible.”
Mumbling to herself as she chewed on a chocolate that had been sitting in her mouth for who knows how long, Ji Hye returned to her seat. Now that she was alone, Ji Na strangely didn’t feel good. The look in Dong Jin’s eyes just now had been filled with lingering feelings.
‘Why does he still…’
He had confessed his feelings to Ji Na even after their wedding. It was unthinkable. Ji Na shook her head, feeling tired. There were too many things piling up. She had no time to spare for Dong Jin.
And…
‘I’ll be transferred to a different department soon.’
That was what Jin Woo had said before they parted in the morning. He had held Ji Na’s hand until she arrived at the office, and with a warm smile, he had told her.
‘I used a bit of my influence because I wanted to be with you.’
His words, half joking and half sincere, still echoed in her ears.
If that were the case, Ji Na wouldn’t have to see Dong Jin anymore. Even if she had to confront her forgotten past, it seemed that Jin Woo had already considered Ji Na’s discomfort at facing Dong Jin.
So, she just had to endure a little longer.
“Wow, this is amazing.”
Ji Hye’s surprised voice came from beyond the partition, followed by a chat window that popped up.
[Wow. Ji Na. Amazing incident!] As expected, Ji Hye was quick to respond to rumors. Ji Na was already aware of the department transfer, so she wasn’t surprised. However, she typed out a question mark eagerly to match Ji Hye’s pace. [ ??? ] [ Vice President Seo Jin Woo is being dispatched to the U.S. branch!!!!! ]Huh…?
For a moment, Ji Na’s fingers froze.
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
