It looked like a mood lamp suitable for placing near a bed. The light fixture, a bit chunky made from thick glass, rested upon a dark wooden base.
It was a somewhat peculiar item for something bought in Chicago, especially to be given to a woman of interest.
“As expected, you can’t recognize it.”
Taken aback, Jae In’s gaze followed Tae Seo’s hand as he reached towards two small teddy bears quietly sitting beside the light fixture.
“Hmm, no matter how I think about it, it seems right for Jae In to have Santa. Santa’s little helper, I’ll keep this one.”
Tae Seo placed the red Santa-clad teddy bear back beside the light fixture and put the green elf-costumed teddy bear into his coat pocket.
What is this? Giving and then taking away?
Still not getting the gist, Jae In watched him again reach towards the light fixture. Tae Seo flipped a small switch on the backside of the light, and then…
“Ah…?”
A soft and warm light filled the space, strangely warming her heart. Alternating her gaze between the light and Tae Seo, who was silently smiling down at her, Jae In’s eyes gradually widened in realization.
“This, is it perhaps…”
Tae Seo’s laughter grew a bit richer. He took the box from Jae In and stepped back a few paces, looking around before he stood close to a fir tree and lifted the light a bit higher.
“Ah…!”
The instant she recognized what the gift was, Jae In burst out laughing. Tae Seo, holding the light and smiling at her, seemed to Jae In like a living Christmas tree.
The tree in front of the Water Tower, filled with her mother’s memories, had always been a light in her winters. Feeling as if that very tree had been transplanted right before her, Jae In suddenly felt overwhelmed. Tears came even as she laughed. Her heart swelled with a strange surge of emotion.
“Why such an expression? Is it better just to watch the good things?”
“…”
Approaching closer, having set the light on a nearby bench, Jae In met his gaze as she lifted her head. She didn’t hide the redness swelling around her eyes. Right now, she simply wanted to see him.
“That painting you liked, you said you wouldn’t want to have it because it would feel more precious. Thinking of that, I pondered. But seeing the workers dismantle it, it was fortunate it hadn’t broken all this time.”
“So, you stole it?”
With moist eyes and a flushed nose, Jae In finally spoke. She let him, who hesitated before slowly raising his hand to gently caress her cheek.
“At first, I actually thought about stealing it.”
“…That’s nonsense.”
“You know the word ‘moonstruck’, don’t you?”
Jae In laughed at his whisper. Tae Seo, asking about the adjective that meant to be crazily infatuated with love, looked endearing at this moment.
Yes, he looked endearing.
“As I get to know Yoon Jae In, I find myself turning into a madman.”
The man, confessing his feelings for Jae In through the word that signifies the inability to think or act normally due to being in love, said:
“It was like suddenly being struck by the moon.”
“……”
“It was an accident I never anticipated. To have my world shaken up like this, my gaze captured, my entire day occupied by none other than Yoon Jae In, was quite delightful.”
Jae In tilted her face, looking up at the man confessing his own madness, his tender hand caressing her eye. The look in his eyes was fond as he gazed down at her. She thought that if she closed her eyes now, he might kiss her. But at this moment, for the first time in her life, Jae In wanted to keep her gaze fixed on the person she coveted for as long as possible.
She knew that this moment of standing face to face, fully taking in each other, would remain a shimmering memory. That’s why even blinking seemed too precious to waste.
And then she realized, she couldn’t use this man. How devoid of strategy and foolish her selfish plan had been, to involve such a beautiful person in a sordid affair.
“Don’t worry. I changed my mind about stealing it. If I got arrested by the Chicago police, I might not be able to see the person I want to.”
At Tae Seo’s joke, Jae In couldn’t hide her deepening laughter, and he, in turn, closed his eyes and laughed along with her.
“I donated so that a new Christmas decoration could be purchased, and in return, I brought back the decoration from the top of the tree. If I could, I would have brought the entire Christmas tree.”
Jae In shook her head. This was more than enough. It was the best gift she had ever received. The man who had turned into a belated Christmas tree by lifting up the light for her was simply a blessing.
“Are you crying because you liked the gift?”
The touch wiping under her moist eyes was infinitely gentle. Jae In nodded with a smile on her face.
“Does that mean I can take your laugh as a sign that you liked my confession?”
Jae In bit her lower lip between her teeth, bracing her chin and the tip of her nose, pressing down on the overwhelming emotions that threatened to spill out.
Deciding to see his face and make her choice had thankfully led to this moment where she could let him go without showing him an ugly side of herself.
“Tae Seo.”
“Hmm.”
His response came in a low tone, somewhere between ‘hmm’ and ‘huh,’ which sounded pleasantly familiar.
Because of that, she wanted to say that we should stop here, that she was grateful for the thrill, that she was sorry for planning to use him.
Her sense of loss deepened.
Loss was too light a word for it. She was sad. Why did it have to be that you’re Jo Yu Ri’s fiancé?
Why are you associated with Cho Dae Hoon? Why do you have to be so wonderful? Why can’t I just nod to your confession?
“I have something to tell you.”
Jae In, who had tightly shut and then reopened her eyes, took Tae Seo’s hand from her cheek and slowly lowered it.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
