Even though Park Inyoung had not shown it, she was also believed to lack affection for Seonwoo, a child her husband had with another woman.
‘Vice Chairman Park Inyoung, how much must you have suffered internally? Hiding your true feelings for 30 years is truly remarkable,’ Park Kyungmin and Park Suho seemed to sympathize with her, but Inyoung’s eyes, closely observing the meeting room, remained cold.
‘Sorry for being late,’ Seonwoo entered the meeting room, apologizing confidently and took his seat with ease.
‘The person who caused the entire company chaos seems quite unperturbed, Director Jin Seonwoo?’ taunted Park Kyungmin, Head of the Housing Business Division, who had always seen Seonwoo as a thorn in his side.
Seonwoo, with an expressionless face, turned to him and asked, ‘Are you referring to me?’
‘Ha! Are you asking because you don’t know?’
‘Yes, I am asking because I don’t understand.’
Park Kyungmin was slightly flustered by Seonwoo’s confident attitude.
‘Is it my fault for being an illegitimate child? Or did I spread the news about being an illegitimate child in the media?’
‘Well, that’s not it, but…’
‘Or, are you saying it’s my fault that my father met with a shaman, Mr. Park Kyungmin?’
Park Kyungmin, now at a loss for words, began to argue out of stubbornness.
‘Regardless, the entire company has been turned upside down due to Director Jin’s family issues. Isn’t indirect responsibility still a responsibility?’
‘I see.’
Seonwoo’s sudden agreement caught Park Kyungmin off guard. He wasn’t someone who would easily concede.
‘Then, am I the only one in this room who should bear indirect responsibility?’
Seonwoo, who had been staring directly at Park Kyungmin, slowly shifted his gaze towards Inyoung and Park Chanwook.
According to Park Kyungmin’s logic, the person who should be most questioned was Park Inyoung, who lived in the same house as Jin Youngcheol. She was the one who accepted Seonwoo, the illegitimate child, as her son.
In fact, Seonwoo was convinced that the person who leaked the news about him being an illegitimate child to the media was CEO Park Chanwook. He had already received a warning through Green.
‘I’m going to make things a bit difficult for you. But don’t hate me too much for it.’
He couldn’t be sure of Park Chanwook’s intentions in warning Green in advance, but it confirmed one thing.
The current situation was not his fault. That’s why Seonwoo could stand tall.
A strange silence filled the meeting room. No one could refute Seonwoo’s words. At that moment, Park Chanwook spoke.
‘Director Jin Seonwoo, let’s hear your thoughts.'”
Green wanted to confront Jin Youngcheol about why he had come to hate her so much. She wondered if her father-in-law would have despised her this way if Han Muntak hadn’t continuously stabbed him in the back with his petty actions.
“I’ll be there tomorrow morning too. You should have someone on your side. Green, don’t get discouraged. Like I said before, there are plenty of opportunities for you to remarry…”
“I’m hanging up now.”
Unable to listen to Han Muntak’s voice any longer, Green hung up and handed the phone back to Mrs. Ahn. She was deeply unsettled by the situation of being married and then pushed into divorce according to the whims of their fathers.
Was there any meaning to the rebellion of the contrarians? A sense of powerlessness and depression rose in Green’s heart.
When Seonwoo finished his urgent work and returned home, it was well past 11 PM.
Mrs. Ahn had stayed with Green as promised. Seonwoo, seeing the simple drink set up on the dining table, looked at Mrs. Ahn in surprise.
“What’s all this?”
“Madam wanted to have a drink before sleeping. She’ll be out soon after her shower.”
Seonwoo nodded. He understood that these last couple of days must have been very hard for Green.
Seeing the drinks, he too felt a strong desire for a drink. Sometimes, seeking solace in alcohol to fall asleep didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
“You’ve worked hard today. You can go home now.”
After generously giving Mrs. Ahn her taxi fare, Seonwoo saw Green emerge from the shower in comfortable pajamas.
Her hair damp and the sweet scent emanating from her made Seonwoo’s heart flutter. No, it was perhaps her scent that his body reacted to first.
Thinking about the night he spent alone without her, just having her in front of him now made everything seem delightful.
A beautiful smile bloomed on Green’s face when she saw Seonwoo.
“Seonwoo, when did you get here? I thought you’d be later.”
“Just now. Shall we have a drink?”
“Yes. I’m tired but strangely can’t sleep. Will you join me? Beer? Wine?”
“I’ll have whiskey. There’s a bottle on the shelf we started on. I’ll just take a quick shower and be right back.”
As Seonwoo went to the bathroom, Green found a nearly new bottle of whiskey on the shelf.
Initially planning to have wine, Green’s curiosity was piqued about the taste of Seonwoo’s whiskey.
“Ugh, it’s bitter!”
The whiskey mixed with ice was strong enough to wrinkle her face, but after swallowing, it surprisingly left no harsh aftertaste.
‘Is this what they mean when they say strong spirits have a clean finish?’
Curious, Green tried the whiskey straight this time.
The potent spirit sent a shiver through her body, but as the warm liquid passed down her throat, an enchanting aroma filled her mouth.
‘Wow, so this is why the wealthy drink expensive liquor.’
She nibbled on the snacks Mrs. Ahn had carefully prepared, emptying her glass in fascination.
“You’ll get drunk quickly drinking like that.”
Surprised by Seonwoo’s voice from behind, Green shrunk back like a child caught eating chocolate secretly.
Glancing up at Seonwoo, she saw him standing at the kitchen entrance, his hair wet and wearing a bathrobe. His expression was one of amusement as he watched her.
Seonwoo, like on the day he returned from abroad, was only wearing a bathrobe, thankfully with trousers underneath.
Trying to avert her eyes from his well-defined chest muscles, Green sheepishly showed him the whiskey bottle.
“There’s still a lot left. How do you drink it, Seonwoo? On the rocks? Or straight?”
“Straight.”
The two of them sipped their drinks while engaging in various conversations.
Green’s questions were lengthy, and Seonwoo’s answers were concise. Seonwoo’s questions were brief, and Green’s answers were detailed.
Thanks to this, time passed mostly with Green speaking softly and Seonwoo listening attentively.
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.”
