As they passed through the large gate entwined with rose vines, Sun Woo, who had momentarily stopped the car, turned towards Eun Jae as if he had been waiting.
“Ms. Ji Eun Jae, what if you say you like it there?”
“Then, should I say I don’t like it? You should have answered well before the question came back to me.”
It wasn’t a loud conversation. They both tried to keep their voices down and talk calmly.
Sun Woo slowly ran his hand through his hair, then took a deep breath to suppress his emotions.
“I’ll think about it, I’ll discuss it and decide. There are many good answers, why are you being so one-dimensional?”
“One-dimensional?”
“Like it, don’t like it. If that’s not one-dimensional, then what is?”
“Oh my.”
Eun Jae glared at Sun Woo with narrowed eyes and huffed. Sun Woo exhaled a sigh-mixed breath and lowered the driver’s side window. A cool breeze blew in through the lush green forest.
‘The weather is damn good at a time like this.’
In fact, he knew that whether Eun Jae said she liked it or not, if it came out of Grandfather’s mouth, it had to be done no matter what.
Once a month, sometimes two or three times.
He thought that would be enough to deceive them, but the plan had gone awry. In other words, it also meant that the woman would have more to do.
The other party was Grandfather.
The thought that they might be caught if things continued like this invaded his mind.
Until now, there had been no errors in his plans. He was accurate and calculating, and meticulous enough to prepare for any variables.
But why.
Why did nothing ever go as planned with this woman?
Even when he planned for A and prepared for B, C, and D, the end of that plan was always Z.
“Who do you think will be more tired when we go to the main house? Do you think it’ll be me?”
“I know, you said that because of me.”
“If you know that, why did you answer like that?”
“……”
A moment of silence passed. Sun Woo, who had pushed out a deep breath, pressed his throbbing temple as he started the car.
“I liked it.”
What exactly did she like? When he looked at the woman with an expressionless face,
“It was nice to be in a place that smelled of people after a long time.”
Her calm words made his chest feel tight.
A quiet and deep silence enveloped them, and that silence lingered around them for a long time.
[This is the timeline separator]Eun Jae, who had been looking at the scenery quickly passing by outside the car window, let out a small sigh that only she would recognize.
At that moment, she didn’t know why such words had come out. She had said unnecessary things to the man. On a topic she had no right to.
‘I tried my best to do well.’
Although she hadn’t expected to be appreciated, she couldn’t hide her hurt feelings.
Now it’s a story from childhood so faint it’s almost forgotten, but Eun Jae’s family also had times when they were so warm and lively.
She didn’t know when it was or what day it was. It was just an ordinary day.
Moments like laughing while having a delicious dinner, riding piggyback on Dad during a walk, or dancing in new shoes remained in her mind like photographs.
Days that were too vivid to be just a four-year-old child’s memories. Probably because they were the brightest moments in my life.
It could have been a peaceful life that could have continued if Dad hadn’t neglected the family and fallen into gambling.
Today, she smelled something similar at the man’s house.
The warm smell of delicious food wafting and laughter never ceasing.
That smell she had once known in her childhood home.
For just today, she felt like she had returned to being that innocent four-year-old child who knew how to be fed by Mom and act cute with Dad.
It felt like light was seeping into this lonely life where no one welcomed her.
So for that moment, sincerity crept in without her knowing.
That’s why she liked it.
The silence continued until they arrived home.
It was when Sun Woo unfastened his seatbelt with a click after raising the parking brake upon arriving at the parking lot.
“I know what you’re worried about.”
It felt like if she didn’t speak now, she would miss the chance. So Eun Jae gathered her courage.
“You said that what comes out of Grandfather’s mouth is like law, right? That’s why I did it. Because I thought I wouldn’t be able to defy it anyway.”
Meeting that often would naturally increase the chances of making a mistake. And we both know that even that one mistake is not allowed for us.
“I’ll be more careful, I’ll be cautious and speak as little as possible.”
“……”
Without answering, Sun Woo slowly turned his head towards Eun Jae after unfastening his seatbelt. Sun Woo found himself facing a gaze that looked at him with a very disappointed expression.
“Still, didn’t I do well today?”
Again, the man gave no answer.
She hadn’t expected praise, but she had hoped for just a ‘good job’ from him.
The man just looked at her, letting out an inappropriate chuckle.
As they entered the dark officetel, the sensor light in the entrance turned on. The man who was walking ahead with his index finger hooked in the tie that was choking him turned around and smiled.
Why do you keep smiling since earlier? When did you ever corner people like this before?
Or are you mocking me, asking what I did well?
“Rest, Ms. Ji Eun Jae.”
As he slowly pulled down his tie, there was a bright smile on his lips that could melt away a body that had been tense for so long.
Thinking he was really clueless, she turned her body towards the room when it happened.
“You did well.”
She felt annoyed.
Her heart that had been so hurt,
Melted away with that one sentence.
[This is the timeline separator]Sun Woo, who was letting the falling stream of water hit him, chuckled.
“I know what you’re worried about.”
Sun Woo, who was smiling with the corner of his mouth slightly raised, turned off the shower.
“What do you know.”
While knowing nothing.
“Still, didn’t I do well today?”
Looking at the woman’s expression that seemed to be begging for praise with sparkling eyes, he found himself boiling with heat, though he wasn’t sure where it originated from.
He wanted to hug her. He wanted to pat her head saying she did well, he wanted to comfort her saying she worked hard.
Ridiculously, he laughed. It felt unfamiliar.
“I’ll be more careful, I’ll be cautious and speak as little as possible.”
After saying her heart was pounding like crazy in just two hours.
That wasn’t what he was worried about. He might be fine just going to work, but the woman would spend a lot of time at home.
Isn’t that how it is in the in-laws’ house? It would be uncomfortable just to breathe, let alone having to pretend to be happy. So he was worried that it would be hard for her.
“No, I’m afraid you might run away saying you can’t do it.”
His mind was chaotic with feelings that changed back and forth even in a single day.
“Yes, this is right.”
Last night when he lay in bed, he couldn’t fall asleep easily. The image of Eun Jae limping in front of the elevator kept overlaying on the ceiling.
He had been worried about her reddened heel, possibly chafed by her shoes, even after coming home, but he couldn’t even ask if she was okay.
In the end, the next day. He called the chauffeur early in the morning.
Even while on the call, he kept feeling ironic. It seemed like he had never observed someone so meticulously before.
Many unfamiliar aspects appeared strangely in front of the woman. How should I put it. It’s like pulling out a me that even I don’t know.
When was it again, was it the day after this nurse came back from a blind date?
He remembered what Hee Won, a fellow doctor, had said to this nurse. It wasn’t something he had listened to so attentively at the time.
“You see as much as you’re interested. Men never do such useless actions to women they’re not interested in. It’s just instinct.”
Usually, he would listen and let go of words without scientific basis.
But maybe because it fit this situation perfectly, that saying kept lingering in his mind for some reason.
“You see as much as you’re interested……”
Had a single thought ever stayed this long? His answers were always certain and unobstructed.
Sun Woo pushed out a sigh as he brushed up his wet hair, at the answer that just wouldn’t become clear.
Even at that moment, what came to mind was the image of the woman looking anxious with a flushed face.
The low voice that whispered as if tickling his ear lest others might hear, and the flower scent that wafted when she came close.
Today’s Eun Jae was all clear to Sun Woo.
Is it a thirst for something he hasn’t felt for a long time? Or is it a different kind of yearning?
He still hadn’t clearly sorted out the emotions he felt in the courtyard. The woman’s voice brushed by again, taking advantage of the confusion. It was what the woman had added before getting out of the car.
“I take after my dad.”
He wondered why she suddenly said that.
“I’m much stronger than you think, sir.”
“They say a daughter who takes after her father lives well, right? So, I’m going to live well. Believe me, I’m confident.”
Sometimes she called him teacher, now she’s calling him sir.
“Well, sir is better than teacher.”
Grumbling to himself, Sun Woo put on a white gown over his well-maintained body. Sun Woo’s hand stopped as he was about to tie the gown.
The moment the gown touched his bare skin, he felt goosebumps as he felt the sensation of the woman entering his arms.
An absurd laugh burst from Sun Woo’s mouth. While thinking the stupid thought that even if they end up moving into the main house, they might not have to worry about being caught.
“You crazy bastard.”
At any rate,
It seems it might be better than the woman acting.
[This is the timeline separator]Early in the morning, Sun Woo turned the steering wheel towards the main house.
Sun Woo’s face was darkly shadowed. The suggestion to move into the main house was really an unexpected proposal. He had thought about it all night but decided that he should try to resist that as much as possible.
There was no plan. It was vague, but he thought that if he dragged out time and delayed the timing, a solution might appear.
For the first time in his 33 years of life, he was raising an objection to his grandfather.
As he entered the main house, Seongsan-daek greeted Sun Woo first.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
Sun Woo asked, lowering his gaze to his wristwatch pointing to 7:30.
“Has Grandfather coughed?”
“Of course, the Chairman is in the courtyard.”
“Thank you.”
After exchanging brief greetings, Sun Woo immediately headed to the courtyard. Grandfather was sitting in the courtyard reading the newspaper as usual. Sun Woo knocked on the glass door of the courtyard.
“Grandfather, it’s Sun Woo.”
It was a well-soundproofed place, so there was no way he could hear. Without answering, Seok Hee, who had pulled up his glasses that had slid down to the bridge of his nose with his index finger, nodded through the glass door as if understanding and gesturing for him to come in.
When Seok Hee gave permission, Sun Woo entered the courtyard. Confirming that Sun Woo was pushing the door open with a clear bell sound, Seok Hee lowered his gaze back to the newspaper.
“What brings you here, a three-hour round trip distance.”
“How can you say that?”
“Just get to the point briefly. If it’s about that matter, I have nothing more to say.”
As if he didn’t want to hear any more, Seok Hee let out a big, loud fake cough, looked Sun Woo up and down with a displeased expression, and lowered his head while nervously spreading out the newspaper.
“You didn’t say anything like this back then. I’m surprised.”
“You, who didn’t have a lady until last month, aren’t surprised?”
“I didn’t tell you because it wasn’t certain.”
He had proposed to the woman before but hadn’t received an answer. So rationalizing that it wasn’t a lie, Sun Woo convinced himself.
“There were no other conditions. Wasn’t it you, Grandfather, who said you’d give it to whichever of us gets married first?”
Although he was holding the newspaper, Seok Hee’s eyes had been directed at Sun Woo all along. Seok Hee, who had been closely observing Sun Woo, soon lowered his gaze back to the newspaper and spoke softly.
“Confucius said, when a bird is desperate, it will peck at anything; when a beast is desperate, it will harm people; when a person is desperate, they will lie.”
“……”
“It might have started as small as a fingernail, but later it will grow like a snowball.”
At words that seemed to see right through him as if he knew everything, Sun Woo was unable to give any answer, like a mute who had eaten honey.
That’s when it happened. The courtyard door opened with a bell sound.
“Um, Professor, would you like a cup of tea?”
Thanks to Seongsan-daek who appeared at the right time, Sun Woo avoided the crisis and caught his breath for a moment.
“It’s fine.”
“I’m about to leave, what tea? If you’re going to keep saying the same thing, you can go now, my decision hasn’t changed.”
From the beginning, deceiving Grandfather itself was an adventure. He might already know everything, just not showing it outwardly.
So he had to follow that intention.
Yes, isn’t there a saying that to catch a tiger, you have to enter the tiger’s den?
He strongly felt that he should rather give definite trust in plain sight. He couldn’t give up now when the goal was in sight. Sun Woo stood up as if he had made up his mind.
“I’ll move in a week later.”
Grandfather, do you know how far I’ve come?
“It’s one month. You must keep your promise.”
Now I can’t stop either.
__________
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation (Female-dominant)
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.
Synopsis:
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.
He even had his eyes on another woman.
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.
Su Mu expressed her disdain.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
She also wanted to embrace Xie Yi, who had silently stayed by her side in her previous life and committed suicide by taking poison after her death.
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.”
[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.