“Is it for the Vice President…?”
His deep eyes met hers quietly. From his calm, patient gaze, she felt a strange sense of gentleness.
Finally, after hesitating, Da Jeong slowly opened her mouth.
“Have you heard about our situation?”
Tae Sang quietly shook his head.
“The Hope Orphanage was a place my father, the director, managed by himself without any particular help. The land was given to us for free by a sponsor. But the sponsor passed away recently…”
Her voice choked with sudden sorrow at that point. The image of her father bowing his head to this person and that, asking for help to save the orphanage, flashed before her eyes.
Da Jeong cleared her throat and managed to continue speaking.
“My father hid the fact that the orphanage was going to be evicted from me. He was struggling alone, and eventually, he was taken to the emergency room.”
As she neared the end, her voice trembled faintly, and then, a thick tear suddenly fell.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Da Jeong hastily bowed her head and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She thought she had run out of tears from crying so much, but it was strange that she was still crying.
“Don’t rub it.”
Tae Sang pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket. He slowly reached out and gently wiped Da Jeong’s wet cheek.
“Ah…”
It was a gentle touch. The light pressure felt like a cat licking her cheek.
She was blankly accepting his touch when he suddenly met her gaze.
“From now on, you can talk to me. This place is my responsibility.”
“Can we… really not be evicted?”
Da Jeong asked in a tearchoked voice.
“You won’t be evicted.”
“And you won’t raise the rent?”
“You don’t need to worry about such things, so stop crying.”
His stern eyes and serious expression suggested he wasn’t joking. Da Jeong stopped crying and let out a small laugh.
“Only the Vice President would refer to such a large sum as ‘such things’.”
“To me, it’s just that.”
It would have sounded arrogant if anyone else had said it. But due to his calm tone, the billions felt like it really was no big deal.
Da Jeong sniffled a few times, then opened her mouth again.
“Thank you very much. It sounds a bit fairytale like, but… I won’t forget what you’ve done to help us.”
“Will you be my magpie, then?”
“Of course, I’ll do even more than a magpie. If you need my help in the future, please let me know. I’ll do anything.”
“You shouldn’t make such promises lightly.”
Tae Sang said, frowning slightly. It was not that he didn’t believe her, but it was clear he meant she shouldn’t make such promises so casually.
However, Da Jeong, who felt indebted to Tae Sang, could not fully accept his intentions.
“Don’t dismiss it lightly. If my father knew about this, he would be so pleased. The same goes for our kids. I can really do anything.”
She meant it.
To the siblings who had lost their parents and had nowhere to go, Hope House became a warm home. She could do anything for him, who had protected the house and family.
Before she knew it, a clear energy was in the dried eyes of Da Jeong.
“So……”
As Tae Sang frowned and opened his mouth again, the door to the principal’s office suddenly opened.
“Big sister! I made a rice ball.”
The owner of the lively voice was Ye Seul. Ye Seul came in, shaking a huge rice ball.
“A rice…ball?”
“Yeah! You didn’t eat, so I made it.”
Ye Seul ran towards Da Jeong with a flushed face. The rice ball in her small hand wobbled precariously.
“Here. Eat.”
“Oh, okay… thank you.”
Da Jeong awkwardly received the YeSeulstyle rice ball.
She didn’t even dare to ask what was inside, as the seaweed was sticking all over the outside.
“Have you eaten, sir?”
Ye Seul, who was standing close to Da Jeong, now asked Tae Sang. It was clear she would make one for him if he hadn’t eaten.
“I ate.”
“Really? Then only big sister needs to eat.”
Ye Seul hurried Da Jeong as if to say eat quickly.
Da Jeong had no choice but to take a bite of the rice ball.
The plain rice without any seasoning was bland. She tried to smile somehow, but Ye Seul’s sleeve with a lot of rice grains on it caught her eye.
When she looked at the child slowly, the front of her dress was quite dirty.
Da Jeong let out a thin sigh. She didn’t need to see the kitchen to know the state it was in if the dress was like this.
“Ye Seul, I think I need to go to the kitchen for a bit.”
Da Jeong said as she stood up.
“Why? Is it not delicious?”
“No, there’s no water to drink together. I’ll be back soon. Just stay here, okay?”
“Yes. I understand.”
Ye Seul nodded her head big, and then jumped onto the sofa where Da Jeong had been sitting.
“Deputy director, I’ll go to the kitchen for a bit.”
“……You should come back quickly.”
His eyebrows tightly drawn and cheeks rigid with tension. Surprisingly, Tae Sang was nervous.
He, who was always fine even when surrounded by big men, was nervous. Da Jeong opened her mouth with a light laugh.
“Don’t worry. Ye Seul will take care of everything. Ye Seul, can you be friends with the man here?”
“Yes. Sure.”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
