The next morning, Sun-ok clapped her hands in delight.
“It feels like old times, seeing you two sitting together like this!”
Kyu-bin had arrived early at Yeon-woo’s house.
Yeon-woo, who had just woken up and looked disheveled, pulled out a chair and sat next to him, making Sun-ok smile fondly, reminiscing about the past.
“It feels surreal to be having a meal with Yeon-woo here.”
“Right? It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, but it feels like we just met yesterday.”
Kyu-bin smiled at Yeon-woo, who was sipping water and looking at him with a still-unwashed, haggard face.
“What about your mother?”
Sun-ok, placing two bowls of soup in front of them, answered instead.
“She couldn’t come today. But she insisted that we must have a meal together at least once, so Yeon-woo, you should come too when we do that. You can make it on the weekends, right?”
“Yeah, on the weekends.”
“Seeing you two together makes me so happy. Go ahead and eat.”
Sun-ok always seemed happy whenever Yeon-woo visited, but her joy seemed to double upon reuniting with Kyu-bin, whom she had cared for like a son for ten years.
The table was laden with food, looking as if its legs might break under the weight.
“I’ll enjoy the meal. This soup was my favorite among your dishes.”
“Do you remember? Right, Kyu-bin always loved my beef soup. I made plenty, so eat a lot.”
Yeon-woo silently spooned the soup into her mouth, suddenly thinking of Tae-han, who also liked Sun-ok’s beef soup.
The absurdity of thinking about Tae-han even in such a situation made her laugh. She felt both ridiculous and pathetic.
“But Kyu-bin has changed so much since he was a child, hasn’t he?”
“Do you think so?”
“He’s so tall. Both his parents are good-looking, so no wonder. He looks like an actor on TV.”
Yeon-woo shook her head while chewing, and Kyu-bin covered his mouth and laughed.
“You flatter me. Yeon-woo doesn’t seem to agree, though.”
His eyes curved as he looked at Yeon-woo.
His appearance, always popular since childhood, hadn’t changed as an adult. In fact, as Sun-ok said, he now had a deep, actor-like aura.
“Yeon-woo always had high standards.”
“Yeon-woo has become prettier too.”
“Right? She’s my daughter, but even I have to admit, she’s really pretty.”
Yeon-woo focused on eating, feeling awkward about this kind of conversation.
The phone rang in Sun-ok’s room.
She excused herself from the table, and Kyu-bin quietly spoke to Yeon-woo.
“It’s so good to be back in Korea.”
“I feel the same. Whenever I come down from Seoul, it’s just so relaxing.”
“It’s better because I’m seeing you.”
Their eyes met as Yeon-woo was holding her chopsticks.
“I should’ve contacted you sooner. I worried too much.”
He smiled slightly, lifting the corners of his mouth, making Yeon-woo look at him with a complex expression before joining in the laughter.
“Yeah. You did well.”
She felt strange, but it was something she could say to an old friend.
But there were no signs of morning sickness yet. She could eat all sorts of food without feeling nauseous, even feeling hungrier than usual.
“Oh my, Mr. President!”
Sun-ok, who had gone to answer the phone, returned, sounding surprised.
“Did you have a good trip?”
Why is Tae-han here?
Yeon-woo, who had gotten up to see what the commotion was about, couldn’t hide her astonishment either.
Dressed as immaculately as he was at the office, Tae-han stood at the entrance in an all-black outfit, appearing unfazed.
Or should it be said, shameless?
His expression, smile, and gestures were as natural as if he had casually dropped by on a whim.
Only Kyu-bin seemed to notice Yeon-woo’s discomfort, his gaze alternating between Tae-han and her.
Yeon-woo felt increasingly awkward.
“I’m always well, thank you. If it’s alright, please come in. We were just having breakfast.”
“Mom.”
Yeon-woo tried to dissuade Sun-ok from inviting Tae-han inside.
“I think he’s here for work. Let me talk to him. Mr. President, can we have a word?”
After forcibly ushering Sun-ok and Kyu-bin back inside, Yeon-woo quickly shut the front door with a loud bang.
“What brings you here?”
Yeon-woo turned sharply to face Tae-han, her eyes determined.
“How can you just show up like this?”
Despite her obvious discomfort, Tae-han, arms crossed, remained composed.
“I called, but you didn’t answer.”
“When…?”
Yeon-woo stopped mid-sentence, remembering she had neglected her phone since arriving in Cheonan.
“I’m sorry. I forgot to charge it.”
But it was the weekend.
“I didn’t expect a call on the weekend.”
“Even on weekends, if there’s urgent business, I might need an employee. Haven’t you experienced this before?”
Unable to refute, she closed her mouth. She knew that secretarial staff, in this sense, had higher salary increases than other departments.
Still, she hadn’t expected a call from him in Cheonan, nor did she imagine he would visit her home.
“Let’s move somewhere else. There’s a café up this alley.”
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
