“Oh, I had a prior appointment today. With college classmates. So, I decided to just show my face and leave quickly.”
As I tried to lie, the words came out quickly. It felt like I had just spoken as if reading a book. It was a story I had put together in my head to make it sound plausible. However, due to excessive tension, I spat out the words, swallowing the latter part like an afterthought.
At that moment, Jun straightened up from leaning against the wall. Then, he slowly turned towards me. After pouring out lies, every action felt like it was under suspicion, and I was on edge. My anxious mind was chewing on the inside of my lips.
Jun, with an expressionless face, began to look at me leisurely. The tension was gradually escalating. He clenched his fists. At that moment, the corners of Jun’s lips curled up slightly.
“Alright. Instead, just come and show me your real face. I don’t feel like going back to Japan, and if the time we could be together is taken away, I might really get sick.”
With a soft voice matching his slightly raised lips, Jun spoke. The shoulders, pressed down by tension, relaxed as if relieved.
“You’re already sick. With a cold.”
“Not that illness. The one that hurts because you can’t see. ”
Meanwhile, the elevator reached the first floor. Just before the door opened, Jun spoke.
“If you come late, I might not go to work tomorrow. Seriously.”
“Yeah, I got it.”
Even the response of “I got it” felt apologetic. My boyfriend is leaving for Japan the day after tomorrow. Moreover, he’s not feeling well. And here’s his girlfriend, urging him to go in first because she has a prior appointment. This level of grumbling couldn’t even be described as grumbling.
Knowing all that, I couldn’t follow you. I was about to let go of your hand, planning to step out of the elevator and out of the building. But you immediately held my hand.
“I’ll take you, to the meeting place. We’ll go together in my car.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s a short walk. And there’s no alley big enough for a car. I’ll go quickly once I finish my work.”
You gently tapped the back of my hand with your thumb, then slowly released the grip of your fingers. It felt like I had received a handful of your regret.
“Now I’ll really go.”
As if acknowledging, you blinked your eyes slowly. Reluctantly, I moved my unwilling steps forward.
Turning into an alley where Yun Secretary had informed me of a café, questions lingered. What could be the reason for meeting separately from Jun? What could I do for Jun?
These were questions I couldn’t answer myself. Today was the reason to meet Yun Secretary in person.
Behind the transparent checkered café door, Yun Secretary’s familiar face appeared. It was a good location, in the corner of the café, to see the faces of customers coming in through the entrance.
Even though it was our first meeting today, the sensation that she found me familiar was strange.
It was a café with brown brick walls, creating a warm atmosphere.
As I opened the door and entered, Yun Secretary, who was staring blankly at a teacup, looked up. Her face was precisely directed at me. A faint smile returned. I returned a smile in kind.
Awkwardly exchanging greetings, I took a seat across from her. Without looking at the menu, I ordered an Americano. It was a meeting with a clear purpose. Time spent here was precious and better saved.
“I was worried because I suddenly asked for a favor, and if you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t know what to do. Thank you so much for making time.”
Upon hearing her words suggesting that I might not come, I wished that were the case.
Of course, it was Jun’s matter, not mine, that led me reluctantly here. In the end, I had no choice but to come, so her words sounded empty to me once again.
Her bright smile, aware of the relationship between me and Jun.
“No, I was actually thankful that you contacted me first.”
Regardless of what I would hear from her, it was clear that I would hear about what I could do for Jun.
Of course, my feelings were not favorably inclined toward her. However, if I learned what I could do for Jun, I thought there might be a moment when I would be grateful to her.
“Today was the casting audition evaluation period. I’m sorry; you must be tired.”
It was a formal and ceremonial greeting, barely breaking the ice.
“It’s okay. The actors who auditioned today must have had a harder time than me.”
The next words did not come in a timely manner. After all, it wasn’t a meeting initiated to build a friendship, so it was only natural.
I habitually lowered my head and waited for whatever words would come back. The silence lasted longer than expected. When I lifted my head, I met the gaze of Secretary Yoon, who was staring at me intently. Our eyes met. She spoke as my pupils trembled.
“It’s been about two years. I’ve been working with Director Kim for that long.”
Her eyelids, carrying a teacup to her mouth, momentarily drooped.
“In reality, it’s been much longer in terms of experience. Longer than the time Director Kim and Director Seo met in a day.”
It seemed there was a hidden thorn in her words, and she noticed my unease.
Of course, it wasn’t meant that way, a sentence immediately followed to clarify.
“Even though it’s a business relationship, the number of years doesn’t matter much.”
“I guess two years is a long time.”
There was nothing else to say. Unable to affirm or deny her words, I simply stated the objectively long period of two years. Her head shook up and down. My chest felt tight. She glanced at me in that state. Then, her tightly pressed lips slowly parted.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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