The prince who was sleeping in the forest, or rather, the prince of the infirmary, Sunwoo Jin, woke up at the noise.
I closed the curtains and hid my body. Then, looking at Sunwoo Jin, I raised my index finger to my lips, indicating to be quiet.
Sunwoo Jin, who had just woken up, blinked his eyes, seemingly in a daze, and furrowed his brow.
“…What is this, is it a dream?”
Sorry. It’s not a dream. It’s reality.
I gestured again for Sunwoo Jin to be quiet and peeked outside the curtain to observe the situation.
Men rushed into the infirmary.
“Teacher!”
Indeed, it seemed to follow a similar pattern as last time.
But the difference was that this time Yoon Yeo-ho didn’t seem as relaxed.
“Don’t cause a commotion, everyone out!”
Perhaps because it was the second time, Yoon Yeo-ho calmly dealt with the situation without being flustered.
In response to Yoon Yeo-ho’s firm words, my ‘challengers’ all left the infirmary.
Thanks to that, the infirmary quickly regained stability.
“Phew, we survived.”
I sighed with relief.
Then, suddenly, I felt someone’s gaze and looked up. Sunwoo Jin was looking at me with a puzzled expression.
“What’s going on today again?”
Somehow, the atmosphere of that night came to mind, and I felt slightly tense.
I awkwardly smiled.
“Um… hello.”
“And now you greet me?”
Really, how rude. Is it so hard to return a greeting?
When Sunwoo Jin returned to his usual self, somehow it felt refreshing.
I grumbled as I sat on the bed.
“Ah, something happened.”
“Something happened?”
Sunwoo Jin raised an eyebrow. I reluctantly began to explain.
“There’s a rumor that I’m ranked first in the world. That’s why people I don’t know keep chasing after me.”
“Why are they chasing you?”
“To fight.”
Sunwoo Jin furrowed his brow.
A fierce expression, typical of the Sunwoo Jin I knew. I let out a small laugh.
“Relax your face. If someone sees you, they’ll think you’re ready to fight.”
Even so, Sunwoo Jin’s expression didn’t loosen. If you keep making that face all the time, wrinkles will form. I pressed my finger against his cheek, pulling up the corners of his mouth, and said.
“Smile a bit. Don’t be like that all the time.”
Upon hearing that, Sunwoo Jin looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Aren’t you worried at all?”
Of course, I’m worried. But I haven’t lost my composure to the point where I can’t make jokes about it. This kind of thing happens not just once or twice.
I said without much thought.
“If things get tough, you’ll protect me, right.”
Naturally, I expected a sarcastic remark in response.
But instead of answering, Sunwoo Jin just stared at me intently.
“Why do you see it that way?”
At that moment, Yoon Yeo-ho’s voice came.
“Joo-eun, you can come out now. The others are gone.”
“Oh, okay.”
I pulled back the curtain again.
When our eyes met, Yoon Yeo-ho suddenly asked.
“But, what’s going on again this time?”
Certainly, he wouldn’t let it go easily.
Awkwardly, I laughed and repeated the explanation I gave to Sunwoo Jin earlier, including the kidnapping incident at Haseong High School.
“What? You’re ranked first in the world?”
Yoon Yeo-ho burst into laughter, even banging on the desk, and laughed uncontrollably.
I know it’s unreasonable, but isn’t it too much that you like it so much? It somehow makes me feel ridiculed, so I get a bit annoyed.
Yeonho, who laughed and shed tears, said, “Hey, Jooeun. Your fate must be fierce. How did things get so tangled like this?”
That’s true…
I sighed and said, “But, Teacher, when did you come back?”
Certainly, Yeonho had gone on a business trip and a foreign tour. It had been quite a while, so it was reasonable to expect him to be back.
Yeonho answered my question, saying, “I arrived in Korea yesterday evening.”
“Then you came straight to work without taking a day off?”
Yeonho nodded proudly with a pleased expression.
“So, this place was open.”
For once, it seemed like Yeonho had diligently come to work. Well, it was fortunate for me, or else I wouldn’t have been able to handle those men.
“By the way, if Hamin finds out about this, it’ll be chaos.”
Yeonho’s words startled me.
“…Please don’t tell Hamin.”
Memories of Hamin considering himself my guardian angel flashed through my mind like a lantern. If he found out I had been kidnapped, he wouldn’t just let it slide.
“Okay, I won’t say anything.”
Yeonho chuckled and said, “But just because I don’t say it, does that mean Hamin won’t know about this?”
It was a piercing remark.
“Ugh.”
I buried my face in my hands and let out a scream. The thought of being tormented by Hamin again was horrifying.
“It can’t just be ignored, right…?”
“Hamin, he’s so quick-witted. I absolutely think it’s impossible.”
Damn it. My life is truly messed up.
While I was struggling with pain, Sunwoo Jin, who had somehow gotten out of bed, called me.
“Jooeun.”
I stopped sniffling and looked up.
“Let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“To your classroom.”
Why would you go there?
I looked at Sunwoo Jin in confusion, and his response came.
“To protect you.”
That was just something he said.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
