The funeral procession, prepared for the funeral, left the funeral hall.
Inside the car heading to the burial site, when Jianne glanced back, Jenice kept her gaze fixed outside the window without crying as if she were about to die, even though a sniffling sound was heard.
When Jianne saw Jiyoon’s name on the tombstone at the cemetery, a sense of hopelessness rushed over her all at once.
The sky was so clear that it was almost dazzling, but Jianne felt like she was submerged in water, feeling the world was silent.
Dad really left. How should I live without Dad?
Jianne continued to ponder the same thought.
However, without revealing her state, she bid farewell to Danwoo, who was departing for the airport, reassuring him.
“Will you be okay?”
“Please, stop worrying about me. I’ll go home with my sister, and I’ll also go to work. So, have a safe trip on your business trip.”
“Is there anything memorable from Jeju Island? I’ll buy it for you.”
“Well, chocolate? The cylindrical one you bought for me.”
“Okay. Let’s do that. I’ll buy that.”
While saying goodbye to her, Danwoo was curious about Jianne’s hand.
However, the hand that had been tightly hidden in her pocket suddenly unfolded, shaking left and right like a threat as it stretched out.
As Jianne and her family got in the car and moved away, Taeyoon firmly grabbed Danwoo’s shoulder.
“I know your heart is heavy, but we have to go too. It was difficult to adjust the schedule.”
“I know. Let’s go.”
Danwoo took heavy steps that seemed reluctant to part.
When the sedan stopped in front of Lake Tower, Jianne pulled the door handle of the passenger seat.
“Thank you. You’ve worked hard.”
After greeting the driver, when she turned around, Jenice nodded with a cold gaze.
Jianne briefly looked at the indifferent Eunji and got out of the car.
Standing still, watching the car move away, it was time to move when Ha-Jun called her.
“Jianne.”
“…What’s going on here?”
“A while ago, I had something to tell you, so I turned the car around on my way to the law firm. I’m a bit out of it.”
Ha-Jun hesitated, then held out a stainless steel thermos. In the past, it would have been a matter of course, but now it required some thought.
“Mom brought it earlier in the morning, but I don’t know if I can give it to you. It seems to be abalone porridge.”
“Why not? Give it here. Mom gave it to me. Don’t draw a clear line like that.”
Jianne accepted the thermos from the hesitant Ha-Jun.
Looking up at Lake Tower, Ha-Jun, who couldn’t be together, felt the reality that he couldn’t be with her and became thoughtful.
He pointed to the entrance with his finger.
“Let’s go inside.”
“Thanks. Are you going home?”
“No. To the law firm.”
Jianne wanted to recommend having a cup of tea before leaving, but she closed her mouth.
However, seeing Ha-Jun returning without going, like the last time when they rode together, made her uncomfortable.
Ha-Jun, my friend for 27 years, lived with me more often than my family.
Instead of awkwardly sorting out the relationship, he wanted to say a proper farewell at least.
Deciding it might as well be today, Jianne hesitated for a moment but eventually called Ha-Jun since there seemed to be no other opportunity.
“Hey, Ha-Jun. How about going to a nearby cafe for a cup of tea? I’ll also have something warm before going in… Instead of patbingsu.”
“Sure, let’s do that.”
Accepting the vague pretext that lingered, Ha-Jun moved his steps while Jianne opened the door to the cafe in the commercial building and turned her head. Ha-Jun was already looking at the menu.
Later, the two sat across from each other at a table with chamomile tea.
Pointing to the mug, Ha-Jun spoke first, “Where’s Woo CEO, and why are you alone?”
“He went on a business trip to Jeju Island. I’ll be back to work the day after tomorrow.”
“Let’s go to the hospital. No, just go. If it’s hard to be alone, go to So-Min or Yoo-Jin’s house.”
Worried about Jianne’s shock from Jiyoon’s death, Ha-Jun, reverting to an old habit, suggested going to the hospital in a hurry.
“Why are you worrying so much about me? When have I ever not lived alone?… If it really gets tough, I was going to call So-Min. I’ll go to the hospital. Don’t worry.”
Ha-Jun, wanting to add more to his words, closed his mouth, pulling the teacup towards him.
I didn’t say anything to Danwoo. He needed to go into the law firm right away, and there was a lawyer association seminar tomorrow.
Although she came to see Jianne, using the excuse of porridge that Yeonwoo had cooked, in reality, she hesitated. However, she felt uncomfortable not conveying anything to Yeonwoo, who didn’t know anything, and she was waiting for Jianne.
‘Soon, I need to tell Mom the truth. She’ll keep worrying. She’ll also prepare side dishes.’
On the night when Jianne slept leaning on Danwoo’s shoulder, Ha-Jun had a lot on his mind.
Close versus intimate.
The words that I thought were only slightly different turned out to be quite different.
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.”
