Thrilled by Madness (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10
8 p.m.
Seo Jun, seated across from Gu Won Hoo at the underground club of El Stella Hotel, was lost in deep thought about her, his mind circling endlessly.
Unaware that his otherwise flawless brow kept furrowing and smoothing over and over again.
“…….”
Why did I do that?
The moment I found Eom So Yeon on the rooftop, I nearly rushed at her like a madman, ready to crush her in my arms and kiss her wildly—completely against my will.
Was it because I’d fiercely crumpled it, then carefully retrieved it and tucked it away in my wallet? Had that stale, uncharacteristic emotion from back then made my heart race so violently in that instant?
It had only been a few hours since my mind and body had gone their separate ways. Even now, recalling himself on that rooftop filled Seo Jun with alienation and embarrassment, and he tightened his already clenched fist.
“…….”
Yet, she had been crying there.
She—the one who’d once written in pretty handwriting, “I’ll take your sadness away, so please be happy. I’ll become a happy person too”—was crying.
Why had she stood alone at the edge of the rooftop in that bitter cold? Why had she quietly stifled her sobs as if desperate to hide them from everyone? What had made those large, expressive eyes so sorrowfully wet?
Was the world—so often veering off course instead of going as planned—simply too hard to bear? Or had she met some despicable man? Had that bastard made her cry and then left? Then again, whether Eom So Yeon cried or not was none of my business.
She’d vanished from the bed we’d shared like smoke.
Thrown defenselessly before that one-sided reality, I was both bewildered and angry—but that was my feeling alone. There was no reason whatsoever for me to go chasing after her after she’d so clearly left me.
That’s how things had ended three years ago.
And yet, the moment I saw her again, I think I felt excited. Excited by her eyes, still sparkling beautifully as before. Excited by her lovely appearance—still boyishly youthful yet somehow more mature.
Fine. Let’s say that’s just how I am.
But you didn’t say a single word, did you?
Not even the most cliché greeting like, “Have you been well?”
You even bowed stiffly as if I were a complete stranger and hurried away from me again as if running for your life.
As if you’d met someone utterly unwelcome. As if you couldn’t bear to recall even a grain of memory about me.
Am I really so insignificant to you, Tae Seo Yeon?
Was I really that unbearable to you?!
You once said emotions fade like people do—but how am I supposed to erase you, the one who made all that possible?
I didn’t know how—until today.
Could that minor feeling, not even worth calling regret, have grown inside me over time, swelling with the weight of years? Yes, that must be it. Because right now, Eom So Yeon is driving me insane. You’ve become unbearably, maddeningly vexing.
So what now?
If you hadn’t crossed my path, fine—but now that you’ve rolled right into my palm, I can’t possibly just let you go. Maybe playing a nasty little trick on you would help ease this filthy mood of mine, even just a bit.
Suddenly overwhelmed by irritation, Seo Jun scowled deeply.
Yet his lips curved gently upward. His emotions were seesawing wildly between heaven and hell.
“I was just about to call you—there you are. Let’s have dinner together.”
“No, thanks. I have somewhere to go.”
“You don’t even have a boyfriend, so what on earth are you so busy with every day?”
“Well, since I don’t have one, I’m off to find one.”
Just before leaving the rooftop, Eom So Yeon exchanged light banter with Gu Won Hoo, who’d arrived shortly afterward.
At that moment, Seo Jun had a strange experience.
That’s why his face—an expression of displeasure—was suddenly overlaid with a smile of relief.
It wasn’t as if his ears had a sense of taste, yet So Yeon’s voice saying she had no boyfriend seeped sweetly into his ears.
“Huh?”
Won Hoo, who’d been closely watching Seo Jun’s subtle shifts in expression, chuckled softly, uncrossed his legs, and crossed the other over instead.
“What could possibly be on your mind with someone sitting right in front of you? Isn’t your head still not fully healed?”
Seo Jun slowly lifted his tilted head and gave a faint, wry smile.
“…As you can see.”
Outwardly, he seemed perfectly fine. But alternating between smiling and frowning alone, with his mood indecipherably good or bad, was clearly odd. Still, Won Hoo had something else he’d been curious about since earlier.
“Can’t I get in on this little secret too?”
“What secret?”
“You and Ms. Eom So Yeon seem acquainted.”
“We crossed paths once, a long time ago.”
Seo Jun swiftly replaced his earlier ambiguous expression with an arrogant smirk and brought the crystal glass to his lips, taking a few slow sips of the amber liquid.
“For a one-time thing, your eye contact sure felt awfully sticky.”
“Maybe your eyes are the sticky ones.”
Having assumed their encounter was just a casual run-in on set, Won Hoo casually revisited the topic he’d brought up earlier in the representative’s office.
“Anyway—you’re usually a workaholic. Since you’ve taken a break, why not consider doing a drama just to stretch your legs again?”
“I said no.”
“Well, if that’s how it is, I guess I’ll have no choice but to pitch directly to the drama’s investors.”
In other words, he was offering to put Eom So Yeon forward in that cutthroat marketplace—a den teeming with vultures drawn by the scent of money.
“It’ll depend on whether Ms. Eom So Yeon wants to do it, but who knows? She might even land the female lead.”
Of course, Won Hoo didn’t actually mean it about finding a sponsor for Eom So Yeon. It was merely a businessman’s theatrics—laced with just a sliver of hope that their past connection might still hold some potential.
“You? Using that cheap, dirty tactic? Your company isn’t in trouble, so why stoop so low?”
“When I’m in a hurry, I’ll do what I must.”
The only extraordinary way to navigate this ruthless world was through direct confrontation. The entertainment industry—with its stars constantly rising and falling—was no exception.
The harsh truth of this business was that even the strongest actress needed the backing of money to sustain her career. Knowing this reality all too well—even without Yoo Jung Hwa’s explanation—Seo Jun couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
“Does Auntie know you live like this, Gu Won Hoo?”
“Who knows? Mother’s got good intuition—she probably does. She prays daily for my downfall; if she knew, she’d have already forced me to shut down my business and join Father’s company.”
Though that was Gu Won Hoo’s family situation, he was far too solidly established to actually collapse. Mocking their shared predicament, Seo Jun let out a sardonic chuckle, his dark eyes gleaming.
“Poor guy.”
“You’re calling me pitiful and talking to me like this?”
“If you take my jokes too seriously, it’s no fun.”
“Fine, I get your point. Then let’s just drink heavily tonight.”
“Suit yourself.”
He wasn’t the type to try again if rejected once—so Won Hoo decided right then to drop it cleanly.
Seo Jun downed another undiluted shot without so much as a grimace, then refilled his empty glass.
They clinked glasses.
Both men tossed back their strong liquor in one go.
Beyond their exceptional height and striking features, both exuded a noble sophistication—different yet oddly alike. But when it came to captivating charisma that instantly drew every eye, Tae Seo Jun clearly held the upper hand.
As they drank several more rounds, Seo Jun remained silent—and so did Won Hoo. The thick, unspoken bond flowing between them in that quiet moment was no less than that of blood brothers.
“Gu Won Hoo… hand me the script.”
Seo Jun slowly rolled his tongue after delicately tracing his sharp jawline with slender fingertips.
Won Hoo quickly inhaled the alcohol lingering at the corner of his mouth with a soft hiss, then stared fixedly at Seo Jun, unable to shake off his suspicion.
“You said… you weren’t doing it.”
“…”
When Seo Jun’s blank expression confirmed he wasn’t bluffing, Won Hoo’s eyes—previously narrowed—curved into crescent moons as he grinned.
“Alright, I’ll give it to you right away! But don’t go back on your word later.”
“You’re awfully eager, huh?”
“What’s wrong with that? It’s about creating a fresh face who’ll benefit our company. While we’re at it, maybe one more project—”
“Don’t push your luck.”
Won Hoo’s added suggestion—to collaborate with Eom So Yeon on a film as well—was instantly shot down by Tae Seo Jun’s icy glare.
“This is the one and only time I’m doing you this favor.”
It would undoubtedly be a great opportunity for Eom So Yeon—but someone else would inevitably lose that chance. And if, by any slim chance, she turned out to be the weak link in that project, the one solely responsible would be none other than him.
Seo Jun’s gaze grew even deeper, unable to overlook that fact.
[This is the timeline separator]So Yeon suddenly sat up in bed after tossing and turning, then flung open the large window beside her.
She needed cold air to scatter the thoughts keeping her awake on this sleepless night.
When she reached her arm outside, the gentle breeze slipped through her slender fingers. Perhaps tickled by its soft caress, a bright, magnolia-like smile bloomed on her pale face, bathed in moonlight.
Though her clear eyes filled with the night’s gentle glow, her mind was entirely consumed by one person—Tae Seo Jun, whom she’d never forgotten even in dreams, whom she’d missed so deeply, and who’d never once left her heart.
It had felt awkward.
She hadn’t known what to say first, so she hadn’t even managed a clumsy greeting. She’d simply fled without uttering a word because she’d felt utterly foolish for crying in front of him.
She’d turned back and returned to the rooftop mostly out of curiosity.
Peeking out from her hiding spot at the far corner of the smoking area, she’d caught sight of Tae Seo Jun sitting on a bench with his long legs stretched out, sharing a lighter with Representative Gu Won Hoo.
“It’s nice.”
“What is?”
“Having Tae Seo Jun beside me.”
“Ugh, heard that cheesy line and still didn’t die—guess it was worth it.”
“Watch your mouth. If Uncle and Aunt hear that, they’ll freak out again. You do remember how Uncle stormed straight into Army Headquarters after hearing bad news about you, right?”
“Did Father really do that?”
“Oops—guess you didn’t know.”
“…”
Recalling what she’d seen and heard that night, So Yeon tilted her head upward toward the night sky. She’d never even heard rumors that the two were cousins.
But… had Tae Seo Jun been a smoker?
So Yeon tried hard to remember.
For him, it was probably a memory long faded to dust—but for her, that single night was no exaggeration: it was the entirety of her life.
Yet she couldn’t recall even a trace of cigarette scent—only the pleasant fragrance he carried. Before she realized it, she was shaking her head.
Then again, what would I know? That was just one day out of his life.
Four years had passed since she’d carried him in her heart. She knew nothing about his private self, yet somehow that one-sided longing had grown into something far deeper. That simple, cutting truth pierced her chest like a knife.
Her heart, which had thudded painfully the moment she’d bumped into him on the rooftop, still raced.
Placing a hand gently over her chest as if to soothe the lingering ache and trembling, So Yeon whispered softly, her eyes moist as they gazed at the night sky.
“I’m so glad. Thank you… for coming back safe.”
To him, who would now share the same sky with her.
The words she’d never dared say before.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
_____
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Chapter Comments (4)
Inline Comments (1)
Though his gesture had been instinctive, So Yeon accepted it without resistance.
I wonder if Korean women really cry that easily. Wow, that’s exhausting.
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Finally…some communication. Love triangle at this point is surprising and yup it’s gonna be awkward 😑.
Why do I get the feeling that she’s not going to tell him? Haah
I know the revelation is not gonna happen😀, but the ml is just..🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️