The casually thrown banmal was impulsive.
As usual, he could address her as ‘Writer Choi Yeorum.’ However, why were the two of them sitting side by side, looking at the same phone screen? That snapshot stirred up Tae-seok’s feelings.
“You kept calling me ‘noona’ persistently. So, I thought I’d call you as I please.”
If he could just remove Ji-hyuk as he said, it would be refreshing. However, knowing that he had to continue witnessing this awkward situation until Summer made up her mind twisted Tae-seok’s insides once again.
Ji-hyuk wanted to refute something, but since he had first addressed Summer casually, he couldn’t say much. In the awkward atmosphere, Summer, with a feeling of chewing a rubber band, pushed the meat into her mouth.
‘How much I looked forward to this dinner…’
Just then, Yoo-young appeared. The assistant director approached her and suggested that the seats for the actors were set up in the center.
“Uh, Ms. Yeong. We’ve set up the seats in the center for the actors.”
“It’s okay.”
Yoo-young’s gaze landed on the corner.
Seo Tae-seok, sitting across from Choi Yeorum. Cheon Ji-hyuk, sitting next to Choi Yeorum. Yoo-young, who could read even the invisible tension between them, sighed once and headed towards that table.
In Yoo-young’s eyes, the two had already successfully reunited. It was foolish not to notice even if Summer didn’t tell her.
In the end, what worried her wasn’t those two, but Ji-hyuk, who lost his way. Of course, her own feelings were quite adorable.
The courage she gathered in her steps brought her a step closer to Ji-hyuk today. Yoo-young walked steadily and sat down next to Ji-hyuk.
“I’ll sit here.”
When Ji-hyuk’s arm brushed against her sleeve, a slight tension gathered.
“Uh? Me too. Me too!”
Luda, who arrived just in time, discovered Yoo-young and, as expected, approached the same table.
After the Ferris wheel incident, Luda had been looking for Yoo-young. Yoo-young kept pushing her away due to the awkwardness, but as this situation continued, she increasingly accepted the awkward response.
So, the four lead actors gathered together in the dimmest corner at the entire two-story hanok reserved for the group dinner.
As the discussion ended, the assistant director whispered to the director, expressing his distress. Ignoring the assistant director’s defense that he did his best, the director headed toward the corner table.
Tae-seok noticed the director and invited him to sit.
“Director, please have a seat for a moment.”
“No. Why are the actors gathered like this in the corner!”
“Does the seat really matter?”
A brief exchange of greetings about the shoot followed. It was a peaceful dinner with compliments exchanged: “It’s hard work,” “Thanks to you,” “We appreciate it.”
As Tae-seok and Ji-hyuk received drinks from the director one after the other, Yoo-young playfully asked a question.
“How much rating do you expect?”
Although the director cautiously avoided answering, he couldn’t hide his hopeful expression. The actors’ spirits were quite lifted by the director’s confidence.
“The script is excellent.”
“The directing is excellent.”
“The acting is the top contributor!”
A few rounds of cheerful toasts went back and forth, and the director headed towards another table.
As the seats loosened up, the atmosphere became quite relaxed, and various conversations gradually expanded.
Yoo-young and Luda started their conversation. Although Yoo-young’s voice still carried a hint of caution, just attempting a conversation itself was comforting for Summer.
In Yoo-young’s life, they had been the members who shared the most precious moments together. If there were any misunderstandings, she wished to resolve them and reconcile more than anyone else.
Summer looked at Yoo-young with a kind gaze, and Tae-seok didn’t miss that look from Summer. Ji-hyuk alternately glanced at Tae-seok and Summer, his pupils showing signs of uneasiness. Amidst the entangled gazes, only Luda remained composed.
“Yeong says she wants to apologize to Jiyi and Lily. Yeong-ah.”
“Jiyi…?”
Thus, the names of the remaining members were mentioned, something about a group chat, and the two of them busied themselves with their phones for a while. Later, Ji-hyuk also joined the conversation, pretending to know what was going on. It seemed like Ji-hyuk was about to be invited to the Lovely Rose group chat.
“Stop drinking.”
When Summer tapped her beer glass, Tae-seok gently intervened.
Ji-hyuk, who had been looking at Luda’s phone, lifted his head at Tae-seok’s voice. He quickly narrowed his eyes, as if to represent that he was merely pretending to be engrossed in Luda’s conversation.
“Noona, you didn’t drink much. If you want, I’ll take you home.”
Ji-hyuk cheerfully raised his glass and toasted with Summer. Summer, after briefly glancing at Tae-seok, put the glass down without taking a sip.
Sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere, Luda, who had noticed it, looked at everyone in turn.
“I suggest we play a game instead of talking.”
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
