President Park’s personal nursing assistant, Lee Myung-hee, was hired directly by Do Jun.
The employment contract explicitly stated that any matters learned during work were to be kept confidential.
Given the strict conditions, her salary was double the usual rate.
Despite these assurances of trust…
“I’m sorry.”
A chill descended in the previously calm room.
Checking the time, Do Jun stroked his cleanly shaved chin.
“I’ll ask again. Did you say I spread those rumors?”
“It’s a long story. I was caught in the middle of it.”
Do Jun, seated in the sofa’s main seat, gestured for Lee Myung-hee to sit down.
Manager Song then seated her.
“Tell me everything that happened.”
Do Jun’s demeanor was entirely different from before, exuding a formidable presence just with his aura.
“I noticed a detective frequenting the nursing home.”
“Hmm.”
“At that time, I didn’t think much of it. I never suspected it had anything to do with President Park.”
“…”
“Since then, the doctor treating President Park seemed troubled.”
“Is that so?”
“Then, one day, the doctor quietly called me aside…”
Lee Myung-hee, aware of the eyes on her, took a deep breath.
“The detective told me to be honest if asked anything.”
“Shouldn’t such matters be reported to me first?”
“Strangely, right after that conversation, the detective was waiting for me outside.”
Lee Myung-hee’s heart raced with anxiety.
Do Jun observed her coldly.
“What did the detective say?”
“He said the rumor about madam and you getting married started in this hospital…”
“Don’t stop, continue.”
Biting her lower lip, Lee Myung-hee was on the verge of panic.
“I only heard your conversations with the chairman, nothing else.”
“…”
“Whenever the chairman asked when our daughter-in-law would visit, you said she’d be there soon.”
“And then?”
“He kept insisting on that point. Later, the detective even came to my house.”
“Is that all?”
Lee Myung-hee nodded.
“He threatened me as if revealing anything would cause a disaster.”
“Hmm.”
“Feeling guilty about my actions, I came here willingly. Please believe me.”
Do Jun’s gaze grew heavy as he remained silent.
After sending Lee Myung-hee away, he kept only Manager Song and Lawyer Park in the office.
“CEO, there will soon be articles about the lawsuit against Choi In-ho.”
“Is that so?”
“I just found out that Detective Kim and Choi In-ho were high school classmates.”
“Trash sticks together.”
In the late afternoon, Jino Group released an official statement.
It methodically listed the facts about Choi In-ho’s excessive tailing of Hae Joo and the incident where Do Jun’s ailing father was kidnapped and abandoned on the street. They threatened legal action and demanded compensation, vowing to back it up with real facts.
Various media outlets and broadcast news began covering the story.
Jino Group released captured images from the black box and CCTV footage as evidence, causing a stir.
The police announced they had received the complaint and would soon summon Choi In-ho for questioning.
Do Jun reminisced about the first time he met Hae Joo.
The warmth of holding her as she almost fell from the rooftop railing was still vivid in his memory.
For Do Jun, saving Hae Joo was his sole focus.
He had prayed to God, begging for her life, and those prayers continued even afterwards.
“I had to succeed. For that, I needed time.”
Do Jun knew money as well as he knew Hae Joo.
He started from the bottom, enduring all sorts of dirty work and standing strong.
Despite his efforts, he couldn’t shake off the nicknames that followed him like a shadow.
“I didn’t care about being called a crazy money-grubber or a loan shark’s son. I had to meet Hae Joo.”
During his less successful days, he never sought Hae Joo out.
First, he had to stop being a wild delinquent and start living like a human.
Then one day, Hae Joo started appearing on TV.
Seeing her rekindled Do Jun’s smoldering longing, almost bringing him to tears.
Every day was agony, as his reawakened feelings refused to settle.
“I never dreamt Hae Joo would become an actress.”
“…”
“Even though Hae Joo seemed bright on TV, her intrinsic loneliness remained.”
Hae Joo was still the same.
Even as an adult, she was fragile, easily hurt by the smallest of wounds.
Unbeknownst to her, she was registered as married to Do Jun.
“Then there was this guy, Yoo Jin-han, around her.”
He frequented Hae Joo’s place as if it was his own.
Yoo Jin-han, an actor yet to debut under her agency, was overly kind to her, a topic of sporadic gossip in the industry. It was only a matter of time before their relationship surfaced.
Especially since Yoo Jin-han was the son of GN’s chairman. If the rumors spread, Hae Joo would be miserably abandoned, misunderstood by the public alone.
“I really did spread those rumors.”
“Chairman!”
“At that time, there was no other way.”
Do Jun thought back to the first time he met Hae Joo.
The warmth of embracing her as she was about to fall from the rooftop railing was still vivid.
For Do Jun, saving Hae Joo was the only thing that mattered.
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
