“Right, I heard your parents passed away early and you grew up in your uncle’s house?”
This time, his father asked.
“Yes. Still, they raised me from a young age, so I consider them no different from my biological parents.”
Si Hyun lied with a composed face. Her uncle and his wife had never acted like her parents, and of course, she had never thought of them that way either.
“But it’s not the same as having your biological parents.”
She couldn’t grasp the intention of his words for a moment. She wondered if he was suggesting that she might have been mistreated growing up in her uncle’s house, when Woo Jin’s mother, Jeong Im, interjected.
“Ah, you too. Don’t worry. I can take care of her and teach her properly.”
What was there to worry about, and what was she going to teach? Anxiety welled up.
She was just fiddling with the empty glass of sweet punch when suddenly Woo Jin whispered in her ear.
“Si Hyun. Don’t just sit there, go help the sistersinlaw.”
Si Hyun was startled. She was not yet a member of this family. She had come to greet them for the first time today, so she was a guest, but suddenly she was asked to help with the kitchen work.
Not knowing what to do, she sat still when Woo Jin hurried her again in a whisper.
“The sistersinlaw are still working in the kitchen, are you going to keep sitting? The people below should do the charming thing first, then the people above will find it charming.”
At a glance, it seemed to be correct, yet not correct. But her legs were not just hurting, they were cramping, so Si Hyun eventually stood up from her seat. Kitchen work seemed better.
“Then, I’ll go out for a while to help.”
Neither of Woo Jin’s parents stopped her.
When she opened the door and went out, children were running around the living room, and the kitchen was in full swing.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
When she awkwardly approached and asked, two women wearing aprons waved their hands at the same time.
“Ah, you came as a guest, what are you going to help with?”
“It’s okay, just sit down.”
Thankfully, the people who would become her family seemed kind, and Si Hyun felt a little relieved.
“Still, I can’t just sit around. Please tell me anything you need help with.”
“Then, could you rub the outer leaves while we set the table?”
Looking at it, a large ladle was filled with finely chopped cabbage, and red pepper powder, fish sauce, garlic, and other seasonings were piled on top.
“So, the seasoning is already done. You just need to massage it. Don’t press too hard, just gently with the tips of your fingers. Got it?”
Si Hyun found some plastic gloves in a drawer while the two older women were setting the table. She began to massage the pickled vegetables, but suddenly heard a sharp voice from behind.
“Who on earth massages pickled vegetables wearing plastic gloves?”
It was Woo Jin’s mother, Jeong Im. Pointing at Si Hyun, Jeong Im scolded her two daughtersinlaw.
“Did you two tell her to do that?”
The two daughtersinlaw jumped at once.
“No, Mother, not us!”
“We’re sorry, Mother. It seems she took it upon herself while we weren’t looking.”
That’s when Si Hyun realized. They hadn’t given her an easy task by asking her to massage the pickled vegetables. They had handed off a task they didn’t want to do.
Jeong Im clicked her tongue, looking at Si Hyun, who was frozen in place with the plastic gloves still on.
“Cooking is all about the touch of your hands. Didn’t you learn that at home? Although, I suppose your foster parents wouldn’t have taught you much, tsk tsk.”
Si Hyun’s face turned bright red.
Si Hyun removed the plastic gloves. She began to massage the spicy seasoning with her bare hands, and only then did Jeong Im wear a satisfied expression.
“It’s not a crime not to know, you can learn from me in the future.”
Si Hyun’s vision blurred, though her eyes were wide open.
((()))
On the taxi ride home, Si Hyun sat dazed, as if she were in a trance.
“….”
Her hands felt as if they had been set on fire, they were burning and painful.
What angered her more than her hurting hands was her foolish self.
Why hadn’t she stormed out of there when that happened?
Why hadn’t she straightforwardly said that she couldn’t do these tasks?
Why had she, as a guest, massaged pickled vegetables, been told she hadn’t learned well, and yet still stayed until the end, pretending to enjoy the meal, singing someone else’s birthday song on her own birthday, and even helping with the dishes before leaving?
What was even more absurd was that Woo Jin hadn’t even noticed Si Hyun’s miserable feelings.
When he came to see her off, he had said while chuckling,
Her hands were increasingly swelling and turning red, although she had washed them several times with soap while doing the dishes. She almost let out a scream of pain when she pulled her card out of her wallet to pay for the taxi fare.
Her body and mind were exhausted. She wanted to go home and lie down, but she had to prepare for a meeting the following morning.
By the time she arrived at her company, it was already past nine in the evening. The thought of working overtime from now on made her feel completely dark. It was the worst birthday she would remember for a long time.
Most of the lights in the company were off. As she dragged her weary body towards the office, she noticed someone coming towards her from the other end of the corridor.
It was Tae Ha.
The moment she saw his face, she felt instantly relieved. After being knocked around everywhere, she finally felt like she had met someone on her side.
“Tae Ha.”
However, all she got in return was an extremely curt greeting.
“You’ve worked hard even this late.”
As she watched Tae Ha walk away, Si Hyun realized that she was completely alone. Not even her fiancé was on her side, and the child she raised didn’t recognize her.
When she entered her office, a birthday cake was sitting on her desk. She thought Miju must have left it there and began inserting the candles one by one.
There were three large candles and three small ones. As she lit the six candles, the dim office was instantly filled with soft light.
Si Hyun closed her eyes and made a wish.
“I wish there was at least one person on my side in this world.”
Tears she had been holding back finally overflowed.
She said she wished she had someone on her side, but the person she thought of was Tae Ha.
The person she was supposed to marry was Woo Jin, but strangely, it was Tae Ha. She felt that if all the people in the world turned their backs on her and only one person remained on her side, it would be Tae Ha, not Woo Jin.
The fact that Tae Ha, who was just that, didn’t recognize her was extremely painful.
“Liars.”
As she looked at the flickering candles, Si Hyun choked up.
“They said they would grant my wishes on my birthday when I grow up. You said it yourself…!”
Si Hyun couldn’t finish her sentence. Because someone had grabbed her arm and turned her around.
Surprised, she looked up and met eyes with someone who looked a bit angry.
“Who made you cry.”
Covering Si Hyun’s tearsoaked cheek with his big hand, Tae Ha asked again.
“I asked, who made you cry?”
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
Link to read
