For Seol Ji-oh, Yeo-un was an existence that couldn’t be described in a single word.
She was his closest friend, closer than family, and the one he missed the most, even though he spent the most time with her.
He couldn’t remember when this feeling started.
The thought that it would be good if Yeo-un stayed with him. Selfish thoughts of wanting her to smile at him and worry about him.
As this feeling grew, it deepened inside him without him realizing it.
In fact, in his early years, Seol Ji-oh didn’t have many friends around him.
At first, many kids approached him because of his mysterious appearance, but since Seol Ji-oh didn’t give much attention, they naturally drifted away.
But it didn’t matter. Playing with Yeo-un was much better than playing with other kids.
However, Yeo-un was different. Due to her kind and cheerful personality, there were always people around Yeo-un, and Seol Ji-oh was discontented with that.
He didn’t like it when Yeo-un helped other kids or smiled at the boys with a bright smile.
The worst was when she received strange gifts from boys, thinking it was a confession, and proudly showed it to him; he felt irritated and angry.
That day was one of those days.
On the way home, Yeo-un showed a small doll, mentioning the name of a boy in their class. Seol Ji-oh, feeling upset, grabbed the doll, jokingly played with it, and accidentally dropped it on the wet puddle.
Finding the doll all dirty in the puddle, Yeo-un, who had endured enough, finally yelled.
“Why are you like this!”
This wasn’t the first or second time, so Yeo-un was in a state of patience.
If he had just apologized, it would have been over, but being twelve years old, he raised unnecessary pride.
“…It looks weird. Don’t bring such gooey things like this.”
The words came out more spitefully than intended.
Yeo-un looked at Seol Ji-oh with a hurt expression, then picked up the fallen doll and went home.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Seol Ji-oh, realizing he had made a mistake too late, followed her, but the door slammed shut in front of him. Bewildered, he scratched the back of his head.
I didn’t mean to make her angry…
Hesitating for a moment, Seol Ji-oh entered his house next door. He knew how annoyingly persistent he was when he begged for forgiveness, but still, he felt uncomfortable.
Even though he hated himself for begging, strangely, he couldn’t restrain himself in front of Yeo-un.
I just want her to talk to me, play with me.
Childish desires that seemed more suitable for much younger kids kept popping up. Seol Ji-oh threw his bag as he reached his room and approached the window.
He opened the curtains slightly and looked through the gap at Yeo-un’s window.
He didn’t know when this habit started, but sometimes Seol Ji-oh would look through the window like this.
Because the curtains were drawn, he couldn’t see anything, but just knowing that Yeo-un was beyond that window made him feel peculiar.
Seol Ji-oh swallowed his dry saliva and took out his phone. He had to apologize to Yeo-un before it was too late.
Kind Yeo-un would quickly forgive him, and she would accept his apology.
In the end, she would probably hang up with a smile as always…
The moment he couldn’t control his feelings anymore was when he turned fifteen.
Although they entered the same middle school, the classes were divided into boys and girls, so they couldn’t be in the same class anymore.
Still, since they always walked home together, Seol Ji-oh immediately headed towards Yeo-un’s class after leaving his. That’s when he happened to overhear.
“Yun-ah! I have something to ask… Are you, by any chance, dating Ji-oh?”
Seol Ji-oh held his breath outside the door. There were kids who misunderstood their relationship because they always went together. Seol Ji-oh didn’t bother to correct that misunderstanding.
“Uh…, Ji-oh and I are not like that! We’re just friends. We’ve been friends since we were young!”
“Oh, really? Because you two are always together, people wondered if you were dating!”
“No. We’re almost like family, so it’s impossible.”
Listening, Seol Ji-oh frowned.
Almost like family…?
I don’t think of you as family.
Who has these feelings towards their family?
“Then, Seol Ji-oh doesn’t have a girlfriend now, right?”
“Yeah. I don’t. But why?”
“Well, actually… Um, nervous! I like Seol Ji-oh. I’m going to confess!”
Seol Ji-oh furrowed his brow. Just hearing the word “confession” was annoying. There were occasional kids doing that in elementary school, but since entering middle school, the frequency increased.
There were times when unfamiliar girls would confess out of the blue, making him feel awkward.
With the second puberty hitting, he became taller and more manly, but he was unaware of it.
“Did you like Ji-oh? Confess and try. Ji-oh is a bit prickly, but he’s a really good guy. You’re pretty and have a good personality, so… you’ll look good with Ji-oh!”
Seol Ji-oh felt uncomfortable.
Is she cheering for the girl confessing to him right now?
Yeo-un, are you really okay with this?
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
