Seong-won glanced at the rearview mirror as he applied the brakes.
Sitting in the backseat, Taehan was silent. While he was usually reserved except when giving orders, lately, his demeanor seemed oddly different. He was often lost in thought, and then suddenly he would vigorously push forward with work as if trying to shake off those thoughts.
It had been six years since Seong-won formally started working for him, and ten years since he had known Taehan through Taeseong Group. Still, this unfamiliar behavior was new to Seong-won.
“Now Jeju Island also experiences traffic jams. I couldn’t have imagined this when I was young.”
Despite Seong-won’s attempt at conversation, Taehan remained unresponsive, indicating something unusual was definitely going on. Even today at the dinner, Taehan had ignored the attention from business circles, a first for him.
It seemed like Taehan was deeply engrossed in one particular thought, something significant enough to distract him from his work.
“President.”
Taehan’s gaze briefly met Seong-won’s in the mirror and then looked away.
“Do you have any concerns?”
For a moment, Taehan’s usually proud eyes wavered.
“No.”
His response was a cold denial, but Seong-won didn’t believe it.
“With all due respect, it seems like you do.”
Taehan didn’t reply.
The car was filled with a long silence until Seong-won lifted his foot off the brake as the light changed. Then, Taehan’s low voice casually floated from the backseat.
“Seong-won, was your marriage a love match?”
“Yes, it was. Isn’t that common?”
“Right.”
It was a foolish question to ask.
Hearing Taehan’s self-muttering, Seong-won looked at him in the mirror with curiosity.
Could it be that Taehan, of all people, had a problem with a woman?
“So, Seong-won, you’ve been in love before.”
Taehan’s question seemed to assert the obvious, and Seong-won, hiding his surprise, answered earnestly.
“Yes. We dated for three years before getting married, and now we have a two-year-old child.”
“There’s a woman who says she likes me.”
This unexpected turn into relationship advice took Seong-won aback, but he composed himself and responded.
“Yes, President. With your remarkable abilities and good looks, it’s no surprise that many women are charmed by you.”
“She suddenly says she will leave me.”
“Excuse me?”
Seong-won blinked, then gently turned the steering wheel at the intersection, asking.
“So, she confessed her feelings for you and then said she was leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ask her why?”
“She lied.”
She lied about the reason? Seong-won’s mind grew complicated with this brief and unkind explanation, but he soon recalled his own past.
His own love life wasn’t always smooth. There had been long-distance relationship challenges, opposite personalities, and even a period of unrequited love on both sides before they got married.
“I think I might understand why.”
For the first time, Taehan’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“Because she can’t bear it, right? If she’s someone you often see, wouldn’t the unreciprocated feelings feel like torture? You might not understand this, having never experienced it.”
Only then did Taehan narrow his eyes, as if deep in thought.
Seong-won observed his boss, whose expression had turned contemplative. Taehan, known for being indifferent to the numerous women who admired him, now seemed troubled by one in particular.
“Who is it…”
But before Seong-won could finish, Taehan closed his eyes, ending the conversation.
Could it be that Taehan also has feelings for this woman?
“But who…”
However, instead of answering, Taehan simply closed his eyes.
“President?”
Yeongwoo called out to him in surprise, a murmur.
Meeting Taehan unexpectedly at this place and time, he seemed serious about something.
“President?”
Hearing Yeongwoo’s murmur over the phone, Seon-ok inquired.
“Are you with the President right now?”
“Mom, I’ll call you back later.”
Yeongwoo quickly ended the call and faced him.
Although his face was not clearly visible in the dark night, an unusual vibe emanated from him, as if something unpleasant had happened at the dinner place.
After a moment, Yeongwoo forced a casual smile.
“Are you finished with your schedule already? I thought you would be later.”
But Taehan gave no response.
Yeongwoo wondered if he might have heard her conversation. But that didn’t matter much.
“Are you feeling alright?”
His calm voice unexpectedly asked about her well-being. She had braced herself for a sharp remark.
“Thanks to you.”
“Good.”
He said it was good, but he seemed lost in other thoughts.
Feeling a bit awkward, Yeongwoo looked around and asked.
“What about the manager? Did you come out alone?”
She asked because Taehan was not one to take romantic walks on the beach alone, but his answer was unexpected.
“I followed Secretary Seo. Where were you going alone?”
“Ah…”
Apparently, he had been in the lobby when she came down.
Realizing this, Yeongwoo was about to say something when he took a step closer.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
