So Yeon, pulled back while trying to move forward, swallowed water and choked. In the meantime, she found herself tightly embraced by Seo Jun’s broad chest.
“Salt?”
“Of course, it’s seawater. Why ask such an obvious thing…!”
Her voice stopped abruptly as she felt a touch on her back. Tensely, So Yeon asked in a small voice.
“Why…?”
“Should I tell you why I was angry?”
“……”
So Yeon nodded, and Seo Jun’s perfectly handsome face came closer, his breath brushing past her earlobe. She found herself enveloped in his large, firm embrace.
“!”
Feeling his heart pounding fiercely from his chest to hers, So Yeon was startled.
“My heart races like this because of you. It’s like it’s going to burst.”
“…….”
Staring intently at Seo Jun’s face, So Yeon hesitated but eventually extended her arms to embrace him back, gently patting his back.
Initially, when she boarded the plane to Spain with Seo Jun, she had two minds. One was not to fall for him no matter how much he tried, wanting to show that there was no future for them. On the other hand, she secretly hoped.
She wanted to confirm if this man genuinely loved her, if he could joyfully accept her and Hyun Woo.
But now, neither was true. She couldn’t grasp what she was doing with this man. All she wanted was to open her heart a bit more than yesterday to him, hoping his feelings matched hers.
Her clear eyes and large pupils sparkled like water droplets on the sea in his black eyes.
Seo Jun captured those beautiful eyes in his gaze.
“Let’s stay like this for a bit longer…”
At Seo Jun’s whisper, So Yeon complied.
With her soft, delicate upper body tightly embraced, Seo Jun’s eyes slowly closed.
The few days already felt like years.
It was only bearable if they were together like this.
In the CN Entertainment meeting room, Goo Won Hu and the planning team’s Chief Ju were having a quiet conversation.
“You’re taking So Yeon out of the support program for our actors. You even said not to accept any advertisement offers for her. It’s like you’re trying to kill her career. Why did you decide this without consulting me?”
Won Hu replied with a slight smile and a low tone, indicating his discomfort.
“We’ll see after the drama airs, but the company is already abuzz about So Yeon. Pushing her recklessly in this situation is reckless. If the journalists start digging into her personal life, it won’t help our company’s image. So, for now, she needs to fend for herself.”
Chief Ju, looking down as if there was no other option, logically explained the situation.
Chairman Goo had promised Director Yoon and Writer Kwon to support So Yeon. But Chief Ju had acted more swiftly according to the company’s policy.
It was a sensitive issue where even the CN chairman could face criticism from the executives if he meddled without a clear reason. However, for Won Hu, a different approach could change everything.
“Just wait and see? And then dump her if it’s hopeless?”
“Isn’t that the way? I personally understand So Yeon’s situation, but in this industry where image is everything, it’s unfortunate.”
She has a child but no husband.
Only now did Chief Ju realize the gravity of the situation, feeling regretful.
The company was brimming with A-list actors, whose fortunes often hinged on the backing of their agencies.
In such an environment, if So Yeon’s personal matters were to be picked up by journalists, potentially tarnishing the company’s image, it could be detrimental to the existing celebrities nestled in CN Entertainment, which had only known success.
Preventing this potential crisis from becoming reality was the duty of the head of the planning department, leaving Chief Ju with no other choice.
However, Goo Won Hu, as the CEO of CN, seemed to have a sharp strategy up his sleeve.
“Blow it all open. But make it quick and impactful.”
“What? But…”
“So Yeon is part of our company. And in unfavorable situations, hiding is not the solution. The best defense is a good offense. We need to publicize it quickly and steer it in a favorable direction for us. It’s the only way to prevent backlash, and if we’re lucky, it could lead to a greater leap.”
“But if it backfires…”
“I’ll handle the consequences. But it won’t come to that.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“So Yeon told me herself. If she, a single mother, must face criticism, she’s ready for it. But she can’t tolerate her child being criticized. She wants her child to receive the world’s bright sunshine and grow up proudly. We should approach this with her progressive mindset, challenging outdated perceptions.”
As Won Hu subtly explained, Chief Ju slapped his thigh in realization.
“Ah! So, what you’re saying is to shock the public with her story, presenting her as a bold and honest new image of womanhood.”
“Exactly!”
Turning a crisis into an opportunity was an art.
With a mischievous wink, CEO Goo Won Hu demonstrated his knack for turning disadvantages into advantages, prompting Chief Ju to smile, already sensing the plan taking shape.
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
