Arin dialed the familiar number.
“Did you call?”
At the same time as the call connection tone, the voice of the other person came through the speaker.
[Yeah. I called because I was curious about how you were doing. But why is it so noisy there? Are there many customers?]“Oppa, I’m really struggling.”
Arin’s mind, which had been tense all day, relaxed at Yuhun’s gentle voice.
[Why? What happened?]“No, it’s not that. Actually, I finished a little while ago and am on my way down.”
[Already? There’s still about three hours left, isn’t there?]“Yeah. Can you believe it? I can’t either. It sold much faster than I thought. No, it was so busy that some people came in a daze while I was out of it.”
[You didn’t even have time to post a notice.]She answered the call while taking the escalator down to the first floor.
“Yeah, I really had no time.”
[Did you get angry a lot?]“No, fortunately, the people who came didn’t get angry, but they were so disappointed.”
[Oh.]“By the way, if you have time to stop by tomorrow, I gave you a coupon. Just so you know.”
[Tomorrow I’ll have to prepare more.]“Is that okay? It’s really at the limit for us to do it alone.”
After sending Arin off alone, Yuhun’s attention was entirely on the pop-up store. She handled sales, and he focused on preparing desserts for tomorrow.
[By the way, Arin, after hearing what you said, I also thought about it today and realized that I should do more tomorrow.]“Oppa, actually, I feel the same way.”
[Let’s try harder. Let’s try it until we can, and if it doesn’t work out, then we’ll find another way.]“Yeah.”
[How’s the customer response? Did they say it’s delicious?]“Yeah, they said it’s delicious.”
[That’s a relief.]Arin and the pop-up store manager had no time to rest even before the opening hours. Around 1 p.m., more people crowded in.
“Oppa, the team leader said there are more people than expected.”
[Really?]“Yeah.”
Arin remembered the crowd that had filled every inch of the 7-square-meter pop-up store.
“Honestly, I was a bit surprised too. I didn’t expect them to come this much. We’re not even a very famous store… Anyway, Oppa, if you had seen it, you would have been surprised too.”
At first, in the unbelievable reality, she blinked her eyes several times, wondering if it was a dream. What she saw were still many customers who had found Memoriam, and at the same time, Arin’s heart became fervent.
“Yeah. A lot of people really came.”
After leaving Jaehyuk, she lived just by breathing in the reality without dreams or hope.
Then a dream came to Arin. The hope that came as if it were fate completely changed her life.
On that day too, Arin poured tears from the morning and sat on the bed blankly.
[Arin, I made something delicious. Can you taste it?]Yuhun extended a custard shoe to her, claiming that he made it. As usual, she refused.
[Oppa, I don’t have the taste.] [Just try one bite.]But somehow, on that day, she couldn’t refuse the sweetness that stimulated her nostrils until the end. Arin took a bite of the custard shoe that Yuhun offered.
[How is it?] […It’s really delicious.]Eating the dessert, Arin recalled a happy moment from her hellish married life. It was the joy she felt while eating macarons secretly bought by her secretary Yujung. It was a memory she had forgotten in the midst of the hardship.
[Oppa, I want to make desserts like you. What should I do from now on?]The sweet dessert created a dream like a refreshing rain in her otherwise bleak life.
Arin started learning pastry with the hope that the dessert made by her own hands would bring happiness to someone. That’s how she and Yuhun created Memoriam together.
[Fortunately, they recognized what we made with all our hearts.]“Yeah. It seems so.”
The pop-up store that lasted for a week has just begun. Although she was anxious and nervous about doing something for the first time, Arin somehow no longer felt uneasy.
The reason was simple. Today, she confirmed with her own eyes that desserts filled with sincerity were receiving a lot of love from people.
[Aren’t you tired?]Yuhun’s worried voice reached her ears.
“It’s not. The team leader even asked if I couldn’t sleep.”
[I hope you don’t feel burdened. I couldn’t sleep either because I was nervous.]In fact, Arin had a sleepless ni
[It’s okay. Everything will go well. You’ve been doing well so far.]
“……Yeah.”
So Arin thought once again.
The path they should take is not becoming famous and earning a lot of money, but sharing the happiness of Memoriam’s desserts.
“So, I mean, oppa, I think it’s better not to do the pop-up store anymore.”
Moreover, becoming too famous turned out to be poison. At least for Memoriam, it was. With the current system, mass production was impossible. Arin realized painfully that forcing mass production would inevitably lower the quality of the desserts.
[Yeah. I agree with Arin.]“……Yeah.”
[Both you and I rejected it when we were first proposed.]“Yeah. It’s not that we’re ignoring Memoriam, but it feels like we’re not ready yet.”
[Yeah. I think the same way. After being persuaded by many people and eventually changing our minds, many people came to eat our desserts on the day, but that’s it. It was a new challenge for us, but there won’t be a second time.]“Yeah.”
Arin choked up. In her mind, people were sitting in the dining area set up in front of the pop-up store, enjoying Memoriam’s desserts with delicious expressions.
“Anyway, go and talk to Oppa.”
“I’ll buy dinner. Tell Cheol-yong and Su-han that I’m going to buy them dinner, Oppa.”
[Got it.]Coincidentally, the escalator reached the first floor. Arin was walking towards the main entrance, trying to put her phone into her bag.
Her head bumped into someone. Startled, she lifted her head.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking ahead….”
As their eyes met, she and the person she bumped into couldn’t say anything.
“…….”
“…….”
It was the same for the other person. When the other person looked at Arin, their eyes shook roughly.
Her heart was in turmoil. Her heart pounded roughly and quickly.
‘…Why?’
Arin forgot to breathe and looked at the person she bumped into.
‘How is it possible to meet like this?’
In front of her stood Jae-hyuk.
“……Arin.”
Jae-hyuk’s voice, dry as bone, flowed through his cracked lips.
Meeting him again… it had been a year. Since leaving the family court, they hadn’t crossed paths.
Living in Jeju made it difficult for her to meet him, and even when she c
Arin bit her lower lip, trying to find composure by clenching her fist tightly.
It was a formal greeting but also an ambiguous relationship. A relationship that had become ‘strangers.’
Ban Jae-hyuk and Choi Arin had become a difficult relationship, where even a simple greeting was hard to exchange.
She controlled her expression. Then, she bowed to him.
“I couldn’t see where I was going. I’m sorry.”
Arin spoke firmly, exerting strength to completely hide her trembling voice.
Despite her efforts, her voice trembled slightly at the end.
Jae-hyuk couldn’t have missed the slightly trembling voice, but he remained silent.
“Well then, I’ll excuse myself.”
At her courteous smile, his face sank deeply like a severe expression.
Arin somehow felt certain that Jae-hyuk wouldn’t stop her. So, she decided to pass by him.
With each step she took, she keenly felt Jae-hyuk’s gaze following her movements. All she could do was ignore it, pretending not to notice, and passing by him. As the distance narrowed, a familiar scent wafted around her nose. Holding her breath, she bit her lower lip even harder.
‘This is the best choice.’
It was the moment when Arin passed by Jae-hyuk. She could feel the strength of his clenched fist in her eyes. In his tightly clenched fist, the visible blood vessels were distinct.
However, he didn’t grab her. It was as if he were saying, “If you want to pretend you don’t know me, go ahead…”
Male lead Asks for a Divorce Every Day
It’s not often you come across a plot like this in the female-dominant genre — make sure to check it out!
This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.
The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.
Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.
If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.
It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.
The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.
In the end, everything will come together and be explained.
One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!
In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.
Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.
However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.
Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.
Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?
——
Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.
His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.
Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”
——
The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.
Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!
Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!
The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…
——
But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.
The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.
She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…
Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”
Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”
Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?
[Small Theater]
The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.
Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”
Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.
Zhu Wansheng: ?
Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…
On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.
Warm breath lingers on her neck.
“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”
[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
