“If my guess is correct, you’ve once again broken our private agreement over a very personal matter.”
Secretary Yoon calmly uttered words that forced me to lower my head without even looking in my direction.
It wasn’t entirely incorrect. In the end, it turned out that way. Since she had already seen me in the same outfit as yesterday, she probably had a rough idea of the situation. There seemed to be no need for additional explanations or justifications.
“I’m sorry. It’s my mistake. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again. I apologize.”
“Unless there’s a schedule disruption beyond our agreement, save the apologies for now.”
It was an ambiguous statement that made it unclear whether the issue was resolved or not. Such words, confusing the listener about whether the matter was settled or not, were, from my perspective, someone who believed in giving the listener the freedom of interpretation, a grateful response.
“Well, I appreciate you saying that.”
Only then did Secretary Yoon turn her head towards me. With a rather dumbfounded expression, I decided to continue without engaging in further conversation and made up my mind to go straight to the broadcasting station.
I just need to respond appropriately to the thrown words. Whether Secretary Yoon would like those responses or not, I didn’t know.
After about 10 minutes of driving in a quiet tension without conversation, the familiar ringtone echoed. Glancing at the screen, it was the name I liked. Haru.
Considering that Secretary Yoon was within arm’s reach, I contemplated whether I should pick up or not. However, if I didn’t answer at all, Haru might worry. So, I plugged in the earphones and answered. Haru’s clear voice, full of anticipation, was added to my ears, which were already filled with tension.
“Hey, Jun-ah, are you awake?”
“Yeah.”
To the affectionate question from Haru, I was about to respond at length but stopped. It didn’t feel comfortable with someone sitting next to me.
“By any chance, are you on your way here right now?”
“Yeah. But how did you know?”
“Ah, that. I just met Director Kang PD, and he mentioned that you have a meeting scheduled with him today. I just came in, wondering if you were still sleeping at our house. I was worried.”
We had slept until a similar time. I chuckled quietly at Haru’s voice filled with expectation.
“Oh. It’s okay. I’m on my way now. But more importantly…”
I glanced at Secretary Yoon, who seemed lost in thought as she stared out the car window. Since my voice wouldn’t bounce off Secretary Yoon’s cheek, turning in her direction, I thought I should keep the question I wanted to ask to myself.
“No. Haru, since I’m already on my way there, let’s talk later. I’m driving now.”
“Ah, okay. Sure. But, Jun-ah, I still…”
“Yeah?”
“I feel proud to have kept you asleep for a long time today. Be careful and come safely.”
The habit of speaking softly as the embarrassment grew was consistent.
“Yeah. I will.”
Even after hanging up the phone, a pleasant afterglow enveloped my whole body. Even though I’m on my way to you right now, I couldn’t bring myself to say that I’m dying to see you right now.
Perhaps because of that, the unspoken emotions inside me continued to grow.
“Now that the investment review is confirmed, everything has been so smooth since then. It’s unbelievable that I have an audition for casting that I only heard about. I’m so excited. What should I do?”
A bright smile spread across Mijeong’s face. It made me think that maybe youth refers to a sensitive period of heightened emotions, full of excitement and expectations for the first experiences.
Just like when Jun and I met at the age of twenty.
“Haru, how do you feel? You’re casting an actor to play your role from when you were twenty. Someone who will express the love and emotions you had back then. Someone who will briefly become the Haru of your twenties.”
Unlike Mijeong, Jeongeun calmly spoke without a trace of excitement, but the meaning embedded in her words wasn’t taken indifferently.
It felt like she didn’t know that the actor portraying my past in the movie we’re shooting was only portraying that specific time. I tensed up as if I could actually face the me from the age of twenty.
In the misplaced tension from the start, I suddenly thought. Maybe I want to ask someone to take my place and become the Haru of my twenties.
Please stay by Jun’s side until the end. Don’t let the spring of that year stop.
In the timing I missed to answer, Hyunsoo slipped in.
“But thinking about it, it’s quite strange. This is not just fiction; it’s making a movie about the actual stories that Haru noona and Director Kim Jun went through. They even wrote the script themselves. So, when we go into full production, you’ll actually see scenes that were only in memories unfold before your eyes.”
The feeling of scenes from the past unfolding in front of my eyes… The fact that it would be me in the third person witnessing those scenes.
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.]
