Soo-yeong was certain she had done something. How could she have no memory of it? Was her brain like a goldfish’s? Rolled up like kimbap, yet no memory at all!
Holding her head, she was joined by someone panting heavily. It was Mi-jin, a teacher in Incheon.
“Why are you so late?”
Soo-yeong redirected her frustration about her forgetful mind towards her unsuspecting friend. However, oblivious to the situation, Mi-jin awkwardly smiled and said,
“Sorry, sorry. The vice principal suddenly asked me to do something… Did you order anything? No? Waiter!”
Mi-jin waved, and a waiter approached. They each ordered spicy pork stir-fry and soybean paste stew. They ordered different dishes, but it was convenient as they planned to share.
“Have you ever completely blacked out from drinking? Like, really can’t remember anything?”
While waiting for the food, Soo-yeong asked seriously. Mi-jin, wiping her hands with a wet towel, replied nonchalantly,
“No. Even if I don’t remember initially, I eventually do. Why? Did you blackout from drinking?”
“Yeah. From wine.”
“How strong was it?”
“I don’t know. It tasted good?”
“No matter how good it is, wines have different alcohol content. Some can be strong.”
“Maybe I had a strong one then? But the person I drank with remembers everything?”
“You must have drunk more. Who did you drink with? Who was it that made you drink so much you blacked out?”
Curiosity sparkled in Mi-jin’s eyes. Such moments were precious gems in her routine life of wrangling middle schoolers.
“Just someone I know.”
“Who? Don’t tell me… you drank with that fisherman?”
“No.”
“Be careful with that guy Soo or Mal or whatever his name is! He seems alright but is a player. You know that, right?”
“Soo-senior is just a guy friend.”
“There’s no such thing as just friends between men and women. Be careful.”
Mi-jin, though the same age, always saw Soo-yeong as a naive, innocent girl. Especially since she was still unemployed and just hanging around…
“So, who did you drink with? Someone I don’t know? A guy?”
When Soo-yeong didn’t answer, Mi-jin’s eyes widened like a full moon.
“A guy, right? Are you dating someone?”
“No.”
“What do you mean no? Drinking wine with a guy is basically dating. Wow, are you next after Han So-ra?”
“Stop it, I told you no.”
But Mi-jin kept grinning, leaning closer to the table.
“Who is it? You know I can keep a secret. Just tell me. Please?”
Soo-yeong couldn’t recall if Mi-jin really was tight-lipped, but she felt the need to confide in someone and started to speak.
“The atmosphere was nice, right? We ate kimbap and drank wine. But then, completely ignored.”
“Ignored? Why? Did you get drunk and act up?”
“…I think so, but I can’t remember.”
“Uh-oh!”
“What should I do? He talks over the phone but won’t show his face.”
The situation of being nearby yet not seeing each other’s face was confusing to Mi-jin, but the real concern was something else.
“This is serious. What did you do when you got drunk?”
“…I kissed him.”
“Wow! And you didn’t remember?”
“I remembered that later, but I can’t remember what happened next. I was told I rolled him up like kimbap.”
“What?!”
Just then, their spicy pork stir-fry, soybean paste stew, and rice arrived.
Mi-jin, who had been starving, suddenly lost her appetite, captivated by her friend’s love story.
“Wait, did you… sleep with him?”
“We slept, but…”
“Slept?”
Mi-jin’s voice echoed loudly in the small restaurant. Soo-yeong gestured for her to quiet down, covering her mouth with her fingers.
“Just slept. Nothing happened. And only for a short time. Very short.”
Soo-yeong wasn’t sure how many hours she slept, but since it wasn’t all night, describing it as brief seemed appropriate.
“Rolled up like kimbap, and you say nothing happened?”
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that, does it?”
“Maybe not, but it’s close enough.”
Mi-jin decisively hit the table with her spoon.
“Close enough?”
Soo-yeong, with a dazed expression, asked back, and Mi-jin elaborated in a lecturing tone,
“You rolled that guy up like kimbap. He might have taken it as a sign of consent, especially since you initiated the kiss.”
“Right.”
“But! After rolling him up, you just spread out and slept, as if nothing happened. How would the guy, who was expecting something, feel?”
Soo-yeong began to understand Mi-jin’s point.
“How is it? Even you’d feel snubbed, right?”
“……That makes sense…….”
Soo-yeong nodded, lost in thought. But that didn’t mean she had to consent, right?
“But it’s not like I should’ve consented just to not disappoint the guy.”
“You shouldn’t have kissed in the first place.”
“Is that so?”
“Obviously.”
Soo-yeong suddenly felt guilty towards Woo-jin. She really hadn’t intended to… It made sense why he emphasized ‘drunkenness.’ He must have been disappointed! Poor Woo-jin!
“So, what should I do?”
Soo-yeong asked seriously, and Mi-jin, as if counseling a student on their future, replied sternly,
“Apologize.”
“Apologize for what? For not fulfilling his expectations?”
“No!”
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
