‘This week’s broadcast will make a major announcement!’ They had announced it dramatically, but during the actual broadcast, the surviving trainees who passed the second round proceeded with their mission as usual, not revealing what it was.
This time, the mission was a music video showdown. When the mission song for the third team came up, the screen showed Yeonsa-dong’s house.
“Oh, our house!”
“Yeah.”
Surprised by the unexpected answer, she looked at him. Kwon Seungju was sitting next to her, watching TV together.
The assigned song for the third team was ‘Fate’s Apple.’ Looking at the lyrics, she understood why it was shot in a hanok, and why they intentionally hung leaves and fruits on the apple tree in the yard. The lyrics were about people who were lovers in their past lives and met again through reincarnation, with the apple becoming the medium of their reunion.
Since all the trainees are male, the music video was creatively produced, depicting a deep bromance between friends rather than lovers, which felt refreshing.
“Wow, it looks so pretty, like our house.”
Eunseo momentarily brightened up as she looked at the house on the TV screen, but she quickly became disheartened. It suddenly dawned on her that she could never see that sight again.
By now, the house was probably in the midst of being demolished. Afraid that tears might well up, Eunseo quickly changed the subject.
“That shaman, Dolpali. Mom deliberately went all the way to Busan because…”
“Why?”
Eunseo pointed to the apple tree reflected on the screen, covered with leaves and apples.
“Look. Despite so many apples ripening like that, Eunho never came back.”
On the day of the typhoon, the image of the boy determinedly embracing the tree trunk in the pouring rain came to mind, and her vision blurred.
“The wind was blowing too hard; the tree might fall!”
Even though Seungju tried so hard to protect her, it was all in vain.
She knew. Seungju was no longer in this world. However, even though she tried not to deliberately recall, thoughts of him kept coming back.
Can I forget you?
When will that happen?
“…I’m sorry.”
Suddenly, the thought that Seungju might be watching crossed her mind, and Eunseo quickly wiped away her tears. He was perceptive, so he probably figured out what she had just been thinking.
“I want you to see me. Not as the passing shadow of my past.”
Crying while thinking about Seungju again after hearing such words yesterday was impolite. At the very least, she shouldn’t cry in front of this man, who had confessed his feelings to her. Regardless of accepting or not, she should at least observe the minimum courtesy toward the person who liked her.
“It’s okay. If you want to cry, go ahead.”
He grabbed Eunseo’s arm and pulled her into his arms.
“After all, I’m the one holding you right now.”
Although his tone was gruff, the chest embracing her was so warm that the tears she had been holding back burst out all at once.
The house that had become ruins overnight.
A younger brother who might not come back even though the fruits had ripened.
A boy she loved but could never meet again.
With accumulated sorrow bursting out simultaneously, Eunseo buried her face in the wide embrace and cried endlessly. While she cried, he gently stroked her back.
“…”
After crying for a while, she felt embarrassed. Seeing the white dress shirt, which had been immaculate with no wrinkles, soaked with tears and messy, made her feel even more self-conscious. Did she cry too much without restraint when she asked for his chest?
Awkwardly, Eunseo blurted out unintentionally.
“We’re not dating, you know.”
“Hmm?”
“You shouldn’t hug me like this out of the blue.”
From the side where she borrowed the chest for crying, there was a look of disbelief. Kwon Seungju, who had been watching Eunseo sob with a clean slate, suddenly muttered.
“You said you wanted me to hold you.”
“Huh?”
“That’s how it was, you’re a woman too. You want to hug and kiss, right?”
What is she saying? Eunseo suddenly stopped breathing while thinking.
[Haven’t you held hands or kissed?]There had been a time when she had deliberately uttered any words to hurt Seungju because of Kwon Seunghyun.
[I’m a woman too. Don’t I have feelings to hug and kiss?]That was what she had said at the time.
“That’s…!”
She never expected those words to come back like this. Eunseo felt her face would burn away at any moment. Feeling too embarrassed, she blurted out anything again.
“I didn’t mean to say that I want to do that with the president!”
As soon as she spoke, she regretted it. No matter how embarrassing it was, she shouldn’t have said such things to someone who confessed his feelings to her.
However, instead of showing any signs of being hurt, he even grinned. His rarely seen smiling face seemed somewhat ominous. Then, unexpectedly, words she hadn’t thought of flowed out of his mouth.
“Who was the person who deliberately kept a distance from me, saying that they were too nervous and shaky just by looking at me?”
“…!”
“Who couldn’t even look at me, so we got off the elevator together, but halfway through, you quickly got off?”
Once, Seungju had been greatly dismayed watching Eunseo enthusiastically watching “Aften.”
[I’m her brother… Doesn’t she like a young and handsome guy like me too?]The words Eunseo had said to console Seungju at that time were flowing out of his mouth one after another.
“I was told by someone born to be the most handsome among those I’ve ever seen.”
There was no way to forget the damn 9th place in the national ranking.
“…!”
To the frozen Eunseo, he continued to speak. As if murmuring a poem, in a leisurely tone.
“Idols are not even comparable, and among actors, there is no one as handsome as me… Ugh.”
“Please stop!”
Eunseo, who had turned red all the way to her neck, with her hand covering his mouth, choked up.
“I understand, so please stop talking. Okay?”
However, he quickly grabbed Eunseo’s wrist and casually brushed it away.
“It’s not something you block with your hand.”
After muttering like that, he pushed Eunseo into the corner of the sofa, leaned in closely, and brought his face near.
His gaze was blatantly focused on Eunseo’s lips.
“I hugged you earlier.”
To the lips he had swallowed up a while ago.
“…Now I can even kiss you.”
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.]
