I placed the cursor between the lines of dialogue on the screen that depicted that scene. Despite the time it took to decide, typing on the keyboard was much quicker. It was easier to express my sincerity than to turn something untrue into truth.
Thus, I completed my first narration for Jun.
(Narration) It was decidedly intentional. The reason I sat down next to you right after showering, instead of going straight to my room upstairs. It wasn’t because I had some slightly mischievous intent, like wanting to kiss you. It’s just that I wanted to be near you, not to do anything in particular. Just being by your side was enough happiness for me back then. Sitting next to you, basking in the same sunlight, was my favorite thing to do back then.
A bit relieved but also complicated, I felt reckless, like a young girl foolishly confessing to someone she shouldn’t.
Kim Jun. If I tell you this was my true feeling, will you believe me? You’ll probably scold me for wanting to work together for this reason. Somehow, I think you would. You, as you are now.
There are still so many scenes left to add narration to, that even working all day wouldn’t be enough. But as if fulfilling my quota for the day, I hit the save button and closed the document. Escaping was always the easiest option, just like you often say to me, Jun.
“Haru, you have a meeting with Director Kim today, right? Shouldn’t you be leaving soon?”
Just as I was organizing and saving the finished documents into folders, Jeong-eun asked me.
“Yeah, I’m about to go once I finish this. But isn’t it way past quitting time? Why are you still here? There’s not much to do these days.”
“That’s true. These days, there’s not much for us to do. You’re the only one busy because of the film adaptation of the program. Working on the screenplay with Director Kim.”
My hand, dragging a document on the desktop, stopped midway. Knowing the hidden intent behind Jun’s proposal for the screenplay work, I couldn’t flaunt or calmly acknowledge my busyness. So, I simply brushed it off, saying it’s my story, so nobody else could write it for me.
But I was in front of Jeong-eun, who knew my situation better than anyone.
“Director Kim must want to hear something from you. Seeing how passionately he’s dedicating himself to this small program’s film, even though he’s such a busy person.”
I quickly shut down the computer and stood up.
“I did wrong by him a lot.”
I let out a bitter laugh and hurriedly said I should go ahead. Jeong-eun stroked my back, telling me not to exaggerate my mistake as ‘wrong.’ I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Not as an agreement, but wishing I could do that.
I promptly went down to the broadcasting station’s first-floor lobby. I was about to head straight for the main entrance but then turned towards the direction of the café inside the station. Planning to take out, I stood at a distance, looking at the menu.
“What will you have?”
Startled, I reflexively turned to the side. The first thing I saw was a smiling mouth, despite the covered face with a hat. Composing myself, I casually looked forward again.
“When did you get here? You startled me.”
“Yeah. You seemed really surprised.”
“I was about to go straight to the studio.”
“We can go together now. It’s the same path anyway.”
Of course, I couldn’t say how a path walked alone and one walked together with you could be the same.
“So, what will you have?”
“Just, I’ll have Earl Grey Grapefruit Tea today.”
“Two of what she just said, please.”
“No, it’s okay. Why are you paying?””I happen to have my card in hand.”
He seemed smug, as if he’d come up with a perfectly plausible excuse. I blankly watched his proud smile for a moment, then quickly averted my gaze.
Soon, Jun was holding two cups of grapefruit tea. The same colored tea sloshed around inside.
As I was about to walk ahead, receiving one from Jun, a hat was suddenly pulled down over my head.
“Don’t forget. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Quickly accepting, I walked with Jun to the main entrance. Outside, only intermittent short conversations occurred between us while hailing a taxi.
“You left work a bit late today.”
“Yeah, had some work.”
I felt the air around us quieten down. Jun then said,
“It’s sweeter than I thought.”
“Really? It’s fine for me.”
“You always liked sweet things.”
“Was I like that back then?”
“Yeah.”
After another lull in conversation, we continued walking.
Arriving at the studio by taxi was now familiar, having been there once before.
I thought his schedule might have relaxed a bit since he was waiting for me at the broadcasting station. But seeing him fall asleep in the chair as soon as he leaned back, I felt both amused and sorry.
Actually, the amusement and pity seemed to come from the same feeling. Probably a feeling of affection for someone…
We walked silently to the familiar studio door. Hesitating to enter first, I looked up at Jun. He was just taking off his hat he’d been wearing, casually patting his tousled hair.
I watched him blankly. In moments when he’s not conscious of me, I find myself gazing at him as if grasping onto him. Because only then can I look at you without being conscious of your emotions.
Just then, Jun met my eyes and gently lifted the brim of the hat he had placed on my head.
“This completes its duty.”
My eyes followed Jun’s right hand as it returned to my head.
Before I could say anything, I felt Jun’s hand gently pressing on my disheveled hair. His fingers glided from the crown of my head down to the side, carefully tucking the stray strands of hair behind my ear.
His touch was incredibly tender, but my heart, in contrast, pounded fiercely and erratically inside my chest.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
