She almost screamed, but the landlord was first.
“Ah, it’s cold!”
His pants were wet from the water spilling out of the basin. Startled, he stepped back. An idea flashed in Ji Na’s mind. She pulled out a long hose submerged in the basin.
“Ah, it’s so hot.”
Ji Na began spraying the hose into the air. The cooling spray of water made the landlord step back, waving his hands.
“Ah, geez.”
A bit distanced, the landlord flicked the water off his clothes irritably but kept watching Ji Na. He seemed to be waiting to see how long she would keep it up. Ji Na sprayed water here and there, thinking of how to escape.
“Hello.”
At that moment, a familiar voice was heard. Like a person sprouting from the ground, a man suddenly appeared at the end of the stairs. It was Jin Woo.
“Oh. Uh. Yes. Yes.”
Taken aback by Jin Woo’s meteoric appearance, the landlord flicked his clothes and descended the stairs gracefully.
“Honey!”
An unfamiliar word popped out, born of relief. It was what Ji Hye at the office often called Ji Na. Why did it come out now?
As soon as she called out, Ji Na’s mouth stopped. Jin Woo, wearing a white shirt and beige cotton pants, also seemed frozen for a moment.
He appeared to be contemplating whether she was calling him. Ji Na quickly put the hose back in the basin and called Jin Woo again with a composed voice.
“Jin Woo.”
Finally, as if released from a spell, Jin Woo strode towards her. His sunny smile shone like sunlight.
“Honey.”
Ah, he heard it right. Contrary to Ji Na’s embarrassed face, Jin Woo’s eyes curled warmly. His long eyelashes seemed to flutter.
“Can you keep calling me that?”
“Uh… No.”
Ji Na replied, trying to feign ignorance.
“Why not?”
Insistent, Jin Woo pressed on.
“It just… slipped out.”
“Honey.”
Jin Woo added as if to prompt her to continue.
Ugh, so embarrassing.
Ji Na’s face turned red as she evaded Jin Woo’s gaze.
“I’m doing laundry. What brings you here?”
“I’ll help you. Honey.”
Jin Woo deliberately ended his sentences with ‘honey’. In that case…
Ji Na decided to play along.
“Okay. But be prepared to get wet.”
“Should I take off my clothes here? Honey?”
Ugh.
Ji Na shivered slightly but spoke nonchalantly.
“That’s not a bad idea. You’ll get wet anyway.”
Thinking he wouldn’t actually do it…
But then she saw Jin Woo, nonchalantly unbuttoning his shirt halfway. Ji Na’s eyes widened.
“What are you doing!”
“You told me to take it off.”
Jin Woo grinned, his lips curling mischievously. His lips, looking moist as if holding water, appeared particularly tempting.
Flustered, Ji Na wanted to look away but felt captivated by Jin Woo’s gaze. The word ‘honey’ seemed like a magical spell, rendering Ji Na immobile.
As the last button was undone, Jin Woo’s shirt slowly opened, revealing his well-defined abs.
His muscles, firm yet appropriately defined, looked tempting. Ji Na remembered seeing them once at his house. It wasn’t the first time, but her face still flushed with heat. She barely turned her head away.
“You fool! Your pants are getting wet…”
Ji Na started to scold him but quickly shut her mouth. The sun glistened on Jin Woo’s taut back muscles as he folded up the hems of his pants.
“Ah…”
Touching her forehead and shaking her head, Ji Na tried to dispel the rising desire within her. He looked like a beautifully sculpted statue, as if inviting her to touch.
“Being called a fool is also nice. Honey.”
Finally, Jin Woo meticulously folded up his pant legs and smiled leisurely.
“Shall we try doing the laundry then?”
Without asking how, Jin Woo stepped confidently into the basin. The bubbling water created soap bubbles that floated up into the air.
“Is this how to do it? Honey.”
Ji Na chuckled at the word he consistently added.
“Alright, I’ll try. Even if I can’t right now.”
Jin Woo beamed at her surrender.
“Thank you. Honey.”
No matter how many times she heard it, it never felt familiar.
“I saw on TV that doing this together makes it faster.”
Jin Woo playfully suggested, extending his hand.
“Huh?”
“Do you want to do it together?”
His words made Ji Na’s face heat up rapidly. Her heart pounded wildly, as if it might jump out of her chest. She felt like her heart alone could thump the blankets clean.
“Okay.”
Wearing shorts, Ji Na didn’t need to roll up her hems. She took Jin Woo’s hand and jumped into the basin.
“It’s a bit cramped…”
They were so close their noses almost touched. Jin Woo naturally ended up holding Ji Na in his embrace.
“Will the laundry even get done like this?”
“I’ll try as much as I can.”
Looking down at Ji Na, Jin Woo spoke cheerfully. His voice was light, but his eyes flickered with heat.
As their eyes met, her heart started to beat even faster. Fearing the sound would be heard, Ji Na instinctively stepped back.
“Whoa!”
She stumbled and almost fell backward as her foot caught on the basin. Fortunately, Jin Woo quickly grabbed her waist.
“Gasp.”
Despite Ji Na’s efforts, they ended up even closer than before. Pressed against Jin Woo’s bare chest, Ji Na almost stopped breathing.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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