Amidst the raging storm, someone was tightly hugging the tree.
“Seungju!”
Eunseo, shocked, rushed outside.
“What are you doing right now?”
Seungju, wearing a raincoat and embracing the tree, was startled to see Eunseo.
“Eunseo, why are you out here without sleeping?”
The wind was so fierce that they had to shout to hear each other, even though they were right in front of each other.
“What are you doing right now?” Eunseo demanded.
“I was worried the tree might fall over because of the strong wind!” Seungju explained.
Eunseo was dumbfounded. It was absurd to think a person could support a tree during a typhoon.
“No matter how important the apple tree is, it’s not more important than a person’s life. Let’s go inside.”
She tried to pull him away, but Seungju resisted, shaking his head.
“Just a bit longer. The typhoon is almost passing.”
Eunseo wondered how long he had been out there. Despite wearing a raincoat, Seungju was soaked from head to toe.
“Are you crazy? You’ve just recovered from being sick!”
Angry, Eunseo yanked his arm harder.
“We don’t need to do this. I don’t even believe in what that shaman said.”
“But you should believe! We need to hold onto something, to have hope, and wait.”
As they argued in the pouring rain, Eunseo shouted in frustration.
“Are you stupid? Do you think he would have stayed away for 15 years if he was alive?”
Ironically, Eunseo was repeating what Seungju had once said to her. Realizing she shared the same belief, she had been so angry.
“Forget it, let’s go in. It’s all useless.”
No matter how hard she tried, Seungju, much larger and stronger, wouldn’t budge. Frustrated, she shouted.
“He’s not coming back, okay! There was never any hope to begin with!”
“Why make me say this?” Tears mingled with the cold raindrops on her face.
But the person who told her to give up hope, said the exact opposite.
“How can anyone live without hope?”
Hugging the tree tightly, Seungju exclaimed.
“You don’t want to give up, do you? You want to see your brother. You believe he’s still alive!”
Eunseo realized it was true. She wanted to believe her brother was alive.
“I haven’t given up on my mother either. I’ll never give up.”
Eunseo let go of Seungju’s arm and went to the other side of the tree, embracing it tightly, as if hugging her lost brother.
In the relentless storm, they both clung to the tree together.
[Star Icon]How long had it been? The violent wind and rain finally began to subside.
After drying off and changing clothes, Eunseo turned on a fan-shaped electric heater in the main hall. The warmth felt incredibly soothing. Lying close to the heater to dry her wet hair, Seungju, who had changed in his room, approached hesitantly.
“I’m cold… Can I come over there?”
Seungju, conscious of his adult body, seemed wary of making Eunseo uncomfortable. Eunseo found his cautiousness amusing.
“Come here.”
She patted the space beside her, and Seungju cautiously moved closer, maintaining a respectful distance.
“Cold, right? Come closer.”
Seungju approached close to where Eunseo was lying, looking like a big puppy finding a spot at her feet.
The narrow porch warmed up quickly. Seungju soon started to nod off. Understandably, he was sleepy after staying awake for hours outside in the middle of the night.
“If you’re sleepy, lie down and sleep. I’ll sleep here too.”
Seungju asked, surprised, “Can I sleep next to you, Eunseo?”
“Why, are you worried I might do something to you?”
“No!” Seungju quickly shook his head and replied, “Just thought you might be uncomfortable…”
“What’s uncomfortable about it? You’re my younger brother.”
Seungju murmured happily and then obediently lay down beside her.
“Okay, Eunseo.”
He must have been very tired, as he fell asleep as soon as he lay down. Watching his broad chest rise and fall rhythmically, Eunseo thought:
Life is full of surprises. Seungju, lying asleep beside me.
Had someone told this to herself a month ago, she would have never believed it. She would have sworn it impossible.
Eunseo gazed at his face. Still so impeccably handsome and refined.
Looking at him, her heart felt a pang. Mature, kind, and deep.
“People can’t live without hope.”
“The worst poison is hope.”
How had such a person become an adult who didn’t believe in hope…
Outside, the rain continued and thunder occasionally rumbled, but with Seungju beside her, Eunseo felt an immense sense of comfort.
To the lullaby of rain, she too drifted into deep sleep.
[Star Icon]The typhoon passed, but the rain continued for three more days.
Thankfully, the wind wasn’t as severe, so the apple tree remained intact, but the heavy rain eventually caused a corner of the roof to collapse. It was the opposite side of the part repaired last summer.
Eunseo called a local repair shop owner for an estimate. After checking around, he shook his head.
“The roof is very old. The pillars are weak. It might completely collapse, so it’s better to do a complete repair.”
The lawyer who came to announce the demolition had said:
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
