“Yeah, something like that.”
Responding, Summer reflected on the past month. Initially, it was unbearably uncomfortable, but she had grown accustomed to it over time.
On his kinder days, they made pasta or tteokbokki and cleaned up together. Of course, such days were rare, and most of the time was spent enduring his torment, but it was all in the past now, and she was okay.
“You’ve grown a lot, Choi Summer. You’ve become more mature.”
Manager Hong looked at Summer’s face and commented.
“When you were in college, you were so clueless. You were the loudest in our department. Laughed the loudest. Talked the most.”
“Was I?”
“The same person who used to be like that has become so calm now.”
She hadn’t become calm, just more timid. But she didn’t bother to correct him.
“Did you hear about Yuri’s job interview?”
They shifted the conversation to their college friends. News about friends she hadn’t caught up with in a while filled the conversation.
Someone’s getting married, another couple broke up. One got a good job, another went abroad for studies.
As time passed, they both got slightly tipsy, and the conversation inevitably circled back to its starting point.
They couldn’t avoid talking about Seo Taeseok.
“Taeseok had a hard time, Summer.”
As she thought of a response, Manager Hong continued.
“Just thought you should know. The annoying things he’s doing now, to some extent, have a reason. Bad actions with a reason.”
“…”
“He received psychiatric treatment for a long time after breaking up with you.”
Summer stared at the glass of liquor in front of her, taking a deep breath as a pang hit her chest.
“I wanted to tell you once we met. He was really sincere about you, went crazy looking for you, and when things didn’t go his way, he completely broke down.”
Summer looked up from her glass at Manager Hong.
“He looked for me?”
“Yes. Sent people to America, searched for months.”
“To America?”
“Yes. But when did you come back?”
“Come back?”
Summer asked in astonishment, then suddenly realized the deceit and laughed bitterly.
Ji-hyeonjeong.
She must have lied about her going to America. The idea of being searched for in America when she never went near the airport was pathetic, yet it hurt her heart.
She had thought he never looked for her.
There was a time she wished he would search for her, if he really loved her. The thought of hoping for such a thing, after leaving him, was shamelessly absurd, and she cried a lot over it.
“What? You didn’t go to America?”
Manager Hong’s eyes widened.
How should she answer?
Admitting she never left would shake the relationship between Ji-hyeonjeong and Seo Taeseok, but what was the point now?
It had been two years, and things had ended with him. With Ji-hyeonjeong manipulating Seo Taeseok’s weaknesses, Summer couldn’t get close to him.
“Yeah. To America. I went.”
So, she ended up responding messily.
“Let’s talk about something else. Senior. Anything fun happen in the last two years?”
Manager Hong narrowed his eyes suspiciously but didn’t press further. He poured more liquor into the empty glass and responded gruffly.
“Nothing fun. Seo Taeseok didn’t work at all. I got to rest thanks to him.”
“Ah.”
“He didn’t even look at a script for two years, only persuaded to shoot one commercial.”
“…”
“He should have dated someone. After breaking up with you, that guy didn’t meet any women.”
It was like they were competing to see who was living the worst life. How foolish.
While pouring the bitter soju into her mouth, Summer laughed self-deprecatingly. It was a sad night. She had thought he would be living well, dating without any issues. Why wouldn’t he? He was such a great man.
She knew about the famous female celebrities he dated before her. Meeting an ordinary girl like Choi Summer was probably just a deviation for him. She thought he would move on to even more glamorous women.
That’s what she believed.
“You should’ve introduced him to a nice girl.”
Her voice came out surprisingly insincere, and Summer was startled by her own words. However, Manager Hong, seemingly oblivious, continued.
“Come on. Even if not an introduction, weren’t there girls who liked him? Like the granddaughter of the FL Group, who was so into him, but he was just immovable. A real block of wood.”
So, Seo Taeseok was in a worse state than she thought.
Whether this fact was a comfort or a pain, she couldn’t tell.
“Summer. But you know, that messed-up guy suddenly got annoyed when he heard about you. Started jumping around, insisting on joining the drama. And you know what? I was actually glad about his annoyance. Finally, Seo Taeseok was showing his emotions.”
“…”
“For two years, there wasn’t a method I hadn’t tried, but in the end, it was the three letters of Choi Summer that moved him.”
Memories dropped into her glass.
“Can you believe it? Choi Summer still moves Seo Taeseok. Isn’t it ironic?”
Could memories be erased just by drinking them away? Summer lifted her glass to her lips.
Why would her senior say such things?
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.”
