Eun Chae felt her blood heat up with excitement.
“But what I’m protecting is Song Eun Chae. Nothing else matters.”
Eun Chae’s throat tightened, realizing the difficult path he must have gone through. The burden of his self-blame and turmoil must have been immense.
She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again.
As he kissed her forehead, Ki Joo said,
“Weakness. I told you out of purity.”
“…….”
As he kissed her forehead, he said, “Weakness. I showed it to you purely.”
“…….”
“Don’t say that again.”
Ki Joo bit his earlobe as he spoke, and Eun Chae buried her face in his shoulder. Though she still couldn’t quite believe it, one thing was now clear.
We are, at last, solid.
Without secrets.
Misfortune often comes all at once. That’s the reality and rule of the world.
Starting with the breaking news that Han Seung Yoon was the subject of a special tax investigation, a string of scandals from college admissions fraud to various other controversies followed. The internet was plastered with criticism and mockery of Han Seung Yoon.
The main instigator, Ki Joo, remained astonishingly calm. Sitting in front of his laptop, even though he had been summoned for acting unilaterally on a project, he remained undisturbed.
Skylark: Solo action?
Ki Joo glanced at the chat window.
It was a fair point from Chief Oh Geun Seok. The plan was to bring down Chairman Song Myung Hwan while implicating Han Ji Chang, but things had gone awry. Normally, this would warrant an internal investigation.
But he couldn’t just stand by and watch Eun Chae’s marriage happen.
Instead of words, he sent a file – evidence of Han Seung Yoon sneaking around behind him.
C: The project could have been exposed.
As he added a brief explanation, there was a knock on the door. Turning, Ki Joo saw Lee Kwang Il.
Was he here to reprimand or berate him?
Unfazed, Ki Joo firmly said, “I’ve just reported to the Chief.”
Standing up, Ki Joo was about to pass by Lee Kwang Il, who watched him go by. Ki Joo was ready for any repercussions, his attitude implying he didn’t care.
“Song Eun Chae.”
Lee Kwang Il mocked the name. Ki Joo reacted to it.
“Do you like her?”
Ki Joo turned slowly. His usual stoic face, but his eyes were sharp, trying to read the intent.
Having worked together for a while, Kwang Il could sense it. He smirked slightly, touching his stubbled chin. He had seen Ki Joo carry a sleeping Eun Chae from the annex, a scene they must have thought no one witnessed.
Chairman Song was traditional in his methods, usually communicating through documents, which were regularly destroyed. That day was no different. Kwang Il was returning after secretly extracting important documents.
It was just then, as they were returning to the main house, and he thought Eun Chae must have fainted from anemia – a condition she had since childhood. But his instincts didn’t let him think that way for long.
Even Kwang Il, who had been watching her from the opposition side for years, felt a sort of affection for her. What about Ki Joo, who had been closely protecting her?
After returning, Ki Joo’s inexplicable actions continued. Was this retribution against the security team? Clenching his jaw, Kwang Il’s suspicions intensified.
“Don’t try to deceive me about what you’ve just done. Are you genuinely invested in Song Eun Chae’s well-being?”
The question came with an almost certain assurance. Surprisingly, Ki Joo didn’t hesitate in his response.
“No.”
He smirked slightly, like Kwang Il, and leaned a hand on the desk.
“Then is it pity? You’re not mistaking that for affection, are you?”
Kwang Il asked incredulously. Being emotionally detached, Ki Joo shouldn’t have gotten involved with Eun Chae so much. And Ki Joo, fully aware of this, tilted his head in annoyance before throwing out an answer into the void.
“She is pitiable, indeed. I too grew up under non-biological parents, and they died as well.”
“…….”
“Ah, but Song Eun Chae is a well-raised lady, and I’m an adopted child, so I suppose that’s a bit different.”
Ki Joo flicked his straight fingers resting on the desk and then stood upright to face Kwang Il.
Kwang Il didn’t utter a word, seemingly shocked. Ki Joo, who had expected and even wanted this reaction, quickly shifted the conversation back to Han Seung Yoon’s recent blunder, severing any lingering doubts.
“Han Seung Yoon tried to dig into Song Eun Chae’s background through our team, asking for my personal information. I judged it better to divert attention rather than just play dumb. May I leave now?”
As Kwang Il furrowed one eyebrow in place of a response, Ki Joo bowed slightly and left the room.
Click.
As the door closed, Kwang Il, who had pulled out a chair to sit, reflected on Ki Joo’s words.
Non-biological parents. Adopted child.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
