The Temperature Difference with Him (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
Ji An’s voice trembled faintly.
“Is it… is it alive? Seriously?”
“Of course it’s alive. I was thinking of boiling it since octopus ramen is supposed to be famous. What do you think?”
“You can’t be… seriously thinking of putting that thing in the water?”
Dan Woo waved his hand as if to say, “Well, obviously.” At that moment, the octopus slipped from his hand and plopped onto the floor.
Seizing the briefest instant, the octopus used its suckers to inch toward Ji An’s feet, then wriggled its soft legs upward onto the top of her foot.
Ji An hastily yanked her foot away, crossing her arms tightly over goosebump-covered skin and hunching her shoulders.
Her voice, full of nervous anxiety, quivered.
“What should we do?”
Dan Woo looked intently at Ji An.
You were fine with hairtail, but scared of an octopus?
Brushing back his naturally fallen hair, he muttered,
“Hairtail and octopus shouldn’t be that different.”
“But that one was already cleaned and prepared.”
“Really?”
The pot lid began rattling as the water reached a boil.
Dan Woo’s gaze shifted to the octopus crawling across the floor—just as he was about to step forward to grab it,
Ji An called out to him urgently.
“Hey, Dan Woo!”
“Yes?”
“Ramen is delicious.”
Dan Woo glanced back and forth between Ji An and the octopus, puzzling over what she meant.
Looking up at him, Ji An added,
“Ramen’s still delicious even without adding the octopus. Don’t you think?”
“That’s true.”
In the pot on the induction stove, slices of radish, onion, and bay leaves floated atop the boiling water—the perfect moment to toss in the octopus.
Ji An grasped Dan Woo’s arm firmly with both hands.
“Hey! Could you… maybe let the octopus live? I’ll make you even tastier ramen instead.”
“Really?”
Dan Woo’s eyes asked the rest: You really want to save it?
“Yes. I’ll definitely make it for you.”
To his question of whether she truly wanted to save it, she answered by promising to cook for him instead.
Ji An pointed beyond the window.
“There’s the sea just past the tangerine grove.”
The octopus, demonstrating its will to live, was using its arms and suckers to inch determinedly toward the ocean.
Leaning casually against the sink, Dan Woo asked seriously,
“Do you really want to go that far?”
“Yes.”
Her voice cracked with emotion as Ji An nodded vigorously.
Dan Woo looked down at Ji An in silence.
Because she looked up at him with hopeful eyes, biting her lip and holding his gaze, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing—completely defenseless against her expression.
Of all things, why did he have to laugh right then?
Turning his head, he spotted the octopus clinging to the large window.
Seriously determined to survive, huh?
“Lucky little guy. Got serious willpower too.”
Pointing to the octopus stuck to the window, he added,
“Ji An, you stay here. I’ll go release it and come right back.”
“No. Let’s go together.”
“Won’t it be dangerous in this weather?”
“But I suggested it! It doesn’t make sense for me to stay behind while you go alone—does it?”
Dan Woo waved his hand dismissively and gave Ji An an oddly exasperated look as she insisted on following.
Why go through all that trouble? Just toss it in the guesthouse yard and be done with it.
He reluctantly nodded.
When the heavy snowfall briefly eased, Ji An and Dan Woo stepped outside side by side.
As their feet touched the courtyard, the white snow crunched softly beneath them, imprinting their footprints.
“Your feet are much bigger than mine.”
Dan Woo readily admitted her observation.
Looking at their footprints side by side, his were indeed significantly larger.
Somehow, that explained why Ji An’s footsteps always reminded him of the sound “jjong jjong” as she walked through the courtyard.
Crunch. Crunch.
Listening to the sound of their steps on the snow, Dan Woo and Ji An headed down the narrow path between the tangerine grove and the beach.
Emerging from the path, she lengthened her stride and ran toward the sea.
Dan Woo watched as Ji An slowly grew more distant.
His heart, which had only tingled before, now pounded hard. To calm it, he exhaled slowly.
Why am I going along with this nonsense?
What am I even doing?
Walking across the snow-covered sand, Dan Woo’s eyes stayed fixed on Ji An.
“Dan Woo! How about here?”
His gaze followed her small hand pointing toward the sea, and he murmured in time with his oddly racing heartbeat,
“Seriously—why’s my heart acting like this?”
Dan Woo took a long stride, closing the distance to the sea in a single step. Then he stretched his arm out and gently pushed Ji An backward.
“Stand back. It’s dangerous.”
“I’m begging you.”
Seriously! Why are you pleading for the octopus’s safety?
A short sigh escaped Dan Woo’s lips.
Just then, the octopus plunged into the sea—its round head bobbed up for a split second before vanishing beneath the waves.
“Thank you.”
Dan Woo straightened his tall frame and looked down at Ji An.
He was just about to push her further back from the oncoming tide and step away himself—
—but as snow began falling again, he swallowed his words and replaced them with,
“I’ll look forward to ramen even tastier than octopus ramen.”
“Of course! I have eighty-nine of my own ramen recipes. I developed them myself after studying recipes I saw on TV.”
As Ji An launched into her long explanation of ramen recipes, Dan Woo retraced their steps back the way they’d come.
“Truth is, ramen tastes best when cooked exactly as the package instructions say. But on days like today, if you chop scallions really fine and add them while boiling, nothing else compares. Add a shot of soju, and that’s it—perfect.”
Ji An turned her upper body around to look up at him.
Concerned she might stumble walking backward like that, Dan Woo extended his arm protectively around her.
When he spotted a utility pole ahead, he tightened his grip and gently pulled her inward—nodding instead of answering.
He also had to tug her sideways to avoid a protruding stone.
Back in the courtyard, as Dan Woo locked the front gate, Ji An’s voice rang out.
“Ah! Ow!”
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
Puffs of white breath escaped Ji An’s lips as she sat down hard on her bottom.
She slumped her shoulders, looked up at the sky—then flopped backward onto the snow again.
Just as a sigh escaped Dan Woo’s lips, Ji An’s voice drifted out too.
“This snow blanket is nice. Even the sky feels like it’s about to collapse.”
“…?”
Ji An stretched her arms wide on the snow and flapped them, leaving a perfect angel-wing shape.
She stopped moving her arms and blew warm breath onto her fingers.
Feeling silly about going in alone, Dan Woo spread his large palms wide—cold white snow settling gently onto them.
“Lie down.”
Tugging at Dan Woo’s pants, Ji An added in a voice as soft as falling snow,
“I’ve done too much by myself lately. I need someone to share this with. Just pretend you’re trusting me—and lie down once.”
Dan Woo looked down at Ji An, clearly flustered.
What a troublesome woman.
He bent his legs and sat, resting his arms on his knees—and Ji An gave him a gentle, knowing smile.
Alright. Fine. Let’s do it.
He lay down beside her, stretching his legs out long.
After poking Dan Woo lightly, Ji An’s index finger pointed skyward.
“Look at the sky.”
White snow fell endlessly from the black sky—swift enough to seem frightening, yet utterly silent.
In that quiet, dark moment, Dan Woo was reminded of an old memory.
The time he’d lived just to reclaim his life.
After being forced by Woo Jeong Hyeon to donate his liver, he’d fled to the U.S. with an unrecovered body.
Yet even then, through foolish compassion, he’d clung to a tiny hope and endured the grueling months until his body healed.
On one cold, dark winter night.
At the abandoned building where strangers had dragged him from his home, he’d learned the truth.
‘You know Woo Jeong Hyeon, right? He told us to let you live like the maggot you are.’
To them, Woo Dan Woo was someone who could never be family.
Watching the fiercely falling snow, Dan Woo remembered being left alone in that abandoned building after the beating.
His heart grew cold and numb with pain, and his voice came out desolate.
“It hurts.”
“The sky falling with snow… hurts.”
Ji An, too, ached from the relentless snow—like irretrievable memories pouring down upon her.
That small, curious child had only ever wanted to make her mother smile.
She’d simply wished her mom would look at her and smile.
Without realizing it, Ji An let slip a habitual question between her lips.
“Why did you give birth to me?”
“Well…”
Startled, Ji An turned her head—and their eyes met.
His reply had come back as though he understood what lay inside her.
Feeling exposed, Ji An’s pupils widened, and her chilled face flushed hot.
Dan Woo kept his eyes on the sky, slowly raising his eyebrows along his firm jawline.
I have people who are family in name only.
It’s pathetic—and infuriating—that I even care about them.
Instead of finishing that thought, he sat up.
“Let’s go in now.”
✨✨✨
Ji An boiled ramen by adding chopped scallions to the broth she’d infused with vegetables for the octopus.
By the time Dan Woo and Ji An’s ramen bowls were nearly empty—
Clatter, clunk. Clatter-clatter.
They heard the sound of a tank scraping over stone, followed by a sputtering engine.
Surprised, Ji An asked,
“What’s that? What is it?”
Dan Woo, who’d been twisting his upper body backward while gripping the chair back, turned to answer her.
“Just a moment.”
Entering the utility room, Dan Woo frowned, scratching between his eyebrows as he looked at the silent boiler.
Why would it suddenly stop?
He struck both sides of the boiler with his palms—producing hollow, empty clangs.
With snow falling and temperatures below zero—
This was exactly the worst possible time for it to break down.
Dan Woo took a deep breath.
Standing at the utility room entrance, Ji An also sensed something was seriously wrong and watched the window anxiously.
“What should we do?”
“Let’s call the owner first.”
Ji An turned up the induction burner and stepped over to open the sink faucet. Thankfully—or perhaps unfortunately—both electricity and water were still working.
“The electricity’s fine.”
“Just wait. It’ll be okay.”
Trying to reassure Ji An, Dan Woo grabbed his phone and headed upstairs.
Standing at the top of the stairs, he dialed Tae Yoon and waited for the call to connect.
Click.
– Can’t come. Seriously can’t. The car won’t move.
“I know.”
– Then why’d you call if you know?
“The boiler stopped working.”
Taken aback by the unexpected reply, Tae Yoon’s brow twitched.
This guy… Seriously, what kind of excuse is that?
– Suddenly?
“Do I look like I’m joking in this weather? You don’t have to come—just send someone to fix it.”
– Why bother? You never even turn the boiler on.
“That’s when I’m alone.”
– Oh, right—Ji An’s there. …How’s the electricity?
“It’s fine.”
Dan Woo, one hand on his hip, spoke firmly.
“Just send a technician. Seriously.”
– Impossible. I’ll assume you don’t know the road conditions.
“You’re driving me crazy. Any word yet from the police… about the previous owner?”
– Who? The previous owner? Not yet.
If he hadn’t bought this house, Ji An would’ve had to endure this night alone.
The thought made him strangely angry—though the coincidence felt absurd, he couldn’t deny how he felt.
Dan Woo pushed Tae Yoon with forced urgency.
“Get him by tomorrow. Or I’ll cut you loose first.”
– How am I supposed to catch him by tomorrow? Don’t just blurt out whatever comes to mind because you’re mad. Are you trying to throw your weight around?
“Woo Tae Yoon!”
Of all days for something to break down—it had to be today.
As Tae Yoon said, it didn’t matter to him personally.
The second floor, without its boiler running, was full of cold air.
Wearing only a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, he remained unfazed even as coldness seeped up through his bare feet.
Though he wasn’t sensitive to cold, he also kept his distance from warmth because of memories from the night the fire broke out.
Tae Yoon’s voice came through the phone.
– There’s a carbon heating mat on my bed in the guesthouse.
“…”
– I can’t sleep without it—I need to be nice and toasty to fall asleep. Oh! There’s a fireplace in the living room too.
“A fireplace?”
– It’s built into the wall. Firewood’s stacked in the rack behind the potted plants. Use that to get by for now. And…
When Tae Yoon fell silent, Dan Woo prompted him.
“Go on.”
– I’ll come as soon as the roads clear up. I’ll do my best to catch that guy too.
After hanging up, Tae Yoon sent a text message to the previous owner of the stone-walled house.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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