Getting beaten for no reason was somewhat bearable, but being trapped in a dark warehouse was terrifying enough to wish for death.
That day, just like yesterday, the rain poured down relentlessly.
After losing consciousness from the severe beating, she woke up in a dark warehouse.
In the pitch-black surroundings, rain poured heavily on that night, and thunder roared loudly.
She called out, banging on the door until her throat was about to burst, but no one came to rescue her.
Throughout the night, trembling in fear, she fainted, woke up, and eventually lost consciousness.
Wandering around in a daze for ten days, she woke up and, since that day, whenever thunder and lightning struck, she had to spend the night with the candles in her room burning.
She couldn’t bring herself to tell him the harsh truth of this story.
Already, he didn’t seem to think well of her, and she didn’t want to add such a miserable story to it.
“Everyone in Uneung Palace exists to protect the mistress. There’s no need to worry about thunder and lightning harming the mistress. Even if it’s difficult, try to think that way. Please don’t do reckless things like yesterday.”
“Yes, I’ll try. Well, then, I’ll leave now.”
He had been sitting and staring at her from the beginning, which made her uncomfortable, and the awkward silence was more than anything she disliked.
Turning her body to take a few steps away, she stopped and turned back.
“Uh… there’s something I want to ask.”
He stood up from the chair and approached her, urging her to speak.
“Yesterday, did the lord… dress me? Um Sanggung said it wasn’t her, and she told me to ask you.”
“It wasn’t me either. But why is that so important?”
“Oh, uh… Never mind. I’ll go now.”
Not wanting to show her reddening face, she hastily turned away.
However, before she could take a step, his words froze her in place.
“What if I had dressed you… how would you feel?”
Not only her face but even her neck felt hot.
Unable to look at him at all, she rushed out without turning back.
She didn’t see the slight smile on the Lord’s lips standing behind her.
Even the ensuing small laughter.
Eunsul sat on the main porch, preparing to eat before starting to draw.
The scent filling the annex was as delightful as the sunny weather, putting her in a good mood.
The clouds hanging over the distant mountain range looked especially beautiful today.
“What are you thinking about?”
A male voice suddenly reached her ears, and she turned her head toward the sound.
Sungwon-gun was approaching her with something in both hands.
He had visited here before, engaging in many conversations with her.
As the days passed without seeing the Lord frequently, Sungwon-gun naturally became her conversational partner.
It was uncomfortable at first, but now their relationship had become less awkward, almost to the point where light jokes were acceptable.
“The weather is really nice. Were you drawing?”
Sungwon-gun, sitting on the main porch, alternately looked at her and the paper, asking.
“I was just thinking. The weather is nice, and the wind is just right. I felt like drawing.”
“It’s quite romantic. On such a good day, can we have a cup of tea?”
“I’ll bring the tea I used to have.”
She called for Geumok and brought a simple snack and tea.
Among the people she interacted with the most here, Sungwon-gun was the one who engaged in the most conversations.
Whenever he passed by, he would stop by for a chat, and when the Lord wasn’t around, he would have tea with her.
If Eum Sanggung helped her adapt to this unfamiliar place, Sungwon-gun brought vitality to her mundane daily life.
“Next time you come, wear a flowered robe. Aren’t you wasting your steps like this every time?”
“It’s not an urgent matter, so why bother? Come when the Lord is here, or you can see him next time. It’s good to have a chat with the brother-in-law like this. I like it.”
“Why did you come today?”
“Some good wine came in, so I came to have a drink with the Lord. If you wait, he’ll come, won’t he?”
Putting down the bottle he had in his hand on the veranda, his gaze moved slowly toward the distant mountains.
“Do you know that your gaze is always in a distant place whenever I see you? I wonder why you always seem to have so many thoughts… Do you know? If you think too deeply, worries only increase.”
Sungwon-gun tilted his head slightly, patting her face with his hand.
Then he raised the corner of his mouth and chuckled.
“Now that we’ve become quite close, if you have any difficulties, feel free to tell me anytime. Who knows, I might be able to help. There’s nothing wrong with asking.”
“Really, there’s nothing wrong. The sky was just so beautiful, and I was looking at it.”
“Something quite beautiful is right in front of you, but it seems you don’t know it.”
“What?”
“Never mind. By the way, I prepared a gift, but I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”
In the box he presented as a gift, there were brushes neatly arranged along with a brush pen.
Even without touching them, the brushes looked soft and well-extended.
This kind of gift was the first time, so she didn’t know how to react and just stared at the box.
Something welled up in her chest.
Back at her family’s home, she was just a troublemaker, but here, she was receiving such a warm welcome.
Sometimes, she wondered if this was a dream, and if it was, she wished not to wake up.
“I prepared it thinking you’d draw. It’s a gift to commemorate your entry into Uneung Palace, so don’t feel burdened.”
“It’s so precious… Thank you very much. Always receiving things like this…”
“If it bothers you so much, then draw a picture for me later.”
“I’m not good enough to show it to anyone. It’s not the skill to deserve such a gift.”
“Oh, well, you’re probably better than me.”
His hearty laughter filled the annex.
By the time the laughter subsided, he tilted his head, meeting her gaze with a fixed stare.
“Why do you, who knows how to laugh like this, always have a face full of concern?”
“I didn’t seem that way, did I? No, I didn’t.”
“…But you did.”
Although she denied it, her expression couldn’t be hidden at his words.
Sungwon-gun withdrew the smile that lingered on his lips and turned to her, asking straightforwardly.
“Other than drawing, is there anything else you want to do?”
“There are many things I want to learn and do. One thing, that’s just a dream.”
“If it’s just a dream, what’s wrong with that? What’s that dream of yours?”
Sungwon-gun put down the tea cup he was drinking and looked intently at her.
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
