Ju Won lay sprawled on the bed, staring at his phone.
“Oh Hyeju, did you make it home? Why haven’t you contacted me?”
He had been in this state since he saw Hyeju disappear with a strange man earlier. Throughout his journey home, he had debated whether to make a phone call or not, but he hadn’t done anything so far.
Normally, Ju Won wouldn’t be so anxious about a mere phone call. But now that he had confessed and was waiting for a response, he couldn’t help feeling disheartened.
“What should I say when I contact her?”
Ju Won glared at the motionless phone and then suddenly flipped his body. Then he fiercely started rolling his head.
[What are you doing?]“Well, this seems a bit off.”
Click. Delete.
[Are you home right now?]
“This lacks context.”
Click. Click. Delete. Click. Click. Click. Delete.
His expression as he repeated writing and erasing messages on the blank screen was undeniably serious. He pondered what message he should send to appear elegant, noble, and chic, and it felt like his head was going to explode.
[Did you go straight home after work?]“Nah, this seems too forced.”
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Delete.
Ju Won sighed as he wrote and deleted messages he couldn’t send. He couldn’t understand why sending a simple message that didn’t cost anything could be so difficult. He even wished he had some unfinished work to use as an excuse to naturally contact her.
[Who was that guy just now?]The only thing he was truly curious about, and yet, as he wrote it down and looked at it, it felt incredibly pathetic. Ju Won shook his head with frustration and lay back on the bed.
“That guy earlier was a real loser.”
Maybe he shouldn’t send anything. He thought that if he went to the office tomorrow, he would be able to gauge the atmosphere and figure it out.
Click.
Ju Won erased the text and set his phone down. As he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, a sudden chill ran through his shoulders.
“Ding?”
If he had erased it properly, he should have heard a series of “ding ding ding.” But why… why did it end with a “ding”?
“No way.”
Ju Won tremblingly picked up his phone.
His tense eyes gradually filled with astonishment.
The message had been sent without a single mistake. And not only that, it was sent accurately and swiftly.
“Damn it.”
A low groan escaped him. Seeing the sent message, his toes tingled with excitement.
“This is crazy, Kang Ju Won. Argh!”
Ju Won kicked the blanket while clutching his head.
How could I, Kang Ju Won, be such a pathetic loser? And on top of that, did 1 really disappear from the chat?…
I feel like I want to become a speck of dust in the universe and disappear.
I should have sent the initial one instead. As I looked at the message filled with obsession, my stomach churned. Imagining Hyeju’s reaction to the message made me feel insane.
Ziiing!
While writhing in selfcontempt, my phone vibrated. The moment I saw Hyeju’s name appear on the screen, I tightly closed my eyes.
This is clearly a call to mock me.
Once I was certain, for the first time in my life, I wanted to reject Hyeju’s call. After taking a deep breath, I answered the phone.
“Uh, why?”
The obsessionfilled message from earlier seemed like something from another world. It was a very chic and haughty voice.
Well done, Kang Ju Won. It was natural.
Did you see me earlier?
Hyeju’s voice on the other end sounded a bit melancholic.
I thought she would laugh sarcastically as soon as I answered. But in this unexpected atmosphere, Ju Won stood up from his seat.
“Why does your voice sound like that? What’s wrong?”
“If you saw it, why didn’t you say anything? If you did, I wouldn’t have missed the call.”
“Missed call?”
Ju Won’s voice instantly sank.
“Where are you?”
“Why? If you knew where I was, would you come running?”
Ring!
The answer was the sound of the door opening. Without even putting on his coat, Ju Won rushed down the stairs and said,
“Oh, just like that.”
Surprised, Hyeju waved her hands, but Ju Won’s ears couldn’t hear anything.
The receiver was filled with the sound of footsteps and heavy breathing.
As I recapitulated the path I had just taken from work, I didn’t feel tired or exhausted.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Ju Won grabbed Hyeju’s shoulders as soon as he saw her and checked her condition. His expression was so serious that it couldn’t be taken lightly, as he examined her for any bruises or swelling.
“I’m fine. I’m really okay.”
“You said you missed a call. Oh Hyeju wouldn’t let it go so easily. Did something happen?”
“I’m really okay. I just lost some money. 100,000 won.”
“100,000 won?”
Ju Won’s pupils vibrated, as it was a smaller amount than he had expected.
Imagining a neighborhood delinquent taking Hyeju to a back alley and demanding money. Imagining them emptying her wallet and then forcing her to give them her card’s PIN number. Imagining Hyeju trying to escape and getting hurt.
His mind, filled with all sorts of frightening thoughts, suddenly went blank.
“Who was it?”
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.”
