She sneakily glanced at the side profile of a man who seemed to only consume black coffee and mineral water.
“Do you not like it, Ye Seul?”
Si Heon extended a plate of catoshocolate set in a black dish to Ye Seul.
“Of course, I like it. I’m sorry to my grandmother, but I fell for western desserts and decided to become a pastry chef.”
“You are lucky, Ye Seul. I wanted to be a pastry chef when I was young. After all, I’ve become the president of a large bakery cafe, so I suppose I’ve achieved my dream….”
Baek Si Heon wanted to be a pastry chef!
“That’s unexpected. I thought you would want to be a CEO from the beginning… Like being raised as a chaebol successor from birth.”
Ye Seul spoke, imagining a situation she’d seen in dramas.
“I wasn’t originally my grandfather’s successor.”
Ye Seul looked at Si Heon with a puzzled expression.
If his father had been someone who could earn Byung Suk’s recognition, then maybe Si Heon, as Ye Seul said, wouldn’t have even had the chance to dream of becoming a pastry chef.
‘Your father is punished. The sea has made your father pay for his sins. Look at the twist of your mother who left this grandfather and passed away. All are karmic consequences.’
The slander about his father and criticism about his mother, which he had heard enough to have it ingrained in his ears.
To Grandfather Byung Suk, his father was someone who deserved to die. It was only love, but Byung Suk ingrained into Si Heon over and over again how miserable the end of that love was.
“I was born not in Jeokseoljae but in a small city by the sea. My father worked on a boat. Naturally, I spent a lot of time with my mother.”
Ye Seul remembered that Si Heon was the adopted son of Chairman Baek. Byung Suk was Si Heon’s greatgrandfather but in the family register, he was his father.
“I made simple desserts with my mother. Like pound cakes or puddings.”
Si Heon ran his fingers over the handle of the coffee cup. Si Heon’s home was not affluent, they didn’t have an oven, but Kyeong Hee used an oven toaster she got from someone to make cookies or simple cakes for Si Heon.
When he came back from school, the sweet smell filling the house felt like a sanctuary to Si Heon.
“Sweets are quite tempting.”
Ye Seul nodded. She became a pastry chef because she knew the sweetness that made her brain happy. That sweetness was addictive enough to even cause the illusion of being in love….
“It always feels like I’m thirsty no matter how much I eat.”
Si Heon realized that it was the first time he had told someone about his childhood through his own words. He found himself recalling the small kitchen that seemed to resonate with the sweet scent of his mother from that time when they were together.
Perhaps, he felt at ease because of the delicious chocolate she made.
“Mr. Baek Si Heon?”
A woman approached Si Heon. She wore a black shirt and pants, an apron tied around her waist, and a red scarf around her neck, all part of the Petit Chocolat’s uniform. The red scarf signified that she was a chef of Petit Chocolat.
Si Heon lifted his head, narrowing his brows.
“Have we met before?”
The woman, with her red lipstick perfectly matching her look, gazed at Si Heon with a haughty smile.
“You’re Mr. Baek Si Heon, and we’ve been going back and forth on a marriage proposal… haven’t you heard anything about me from President Baek?”
Si Heon squinted his eyes.
‘She’s the youngest granddaughter of Hankyung Distribution. Even though you’re a divorcee, she accepts you. How generous she must be.’
The blurry image of the picture that Byung Suk had shown him before leaving for Paris came to his mind. That’s how she looked.
Si Heon had no intention of remarrying, as per Byung Suk’s orders.
Once the threemonth marriage contract ended, he planned to sever all ties.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”
“Well, we haven’t formally greeted each other yet. I was looking forward to the day we meet. I’m Juliet Choi, the chef of Petit Chocolat. My Korean name is Choi Moon Kyung.”
Juliet extended her hand for a handshake.
“Ms. Choi Moon Kyung, nice to meet you.”
Instead of a handshake, Si Heon bowed politely, revealing a hint of annoyance.
Ye Seul was surprised as Si Heon’s behavior was quite different from his usual polite and gentle demeanor at the company.
Ye Seul knew Juliet. They had worked together in Paris, and she was waiting for the right timing to speak to Juliet.
Juliet, with her eyes only on Si Heon, did not seem to notice Ye Seul’s presence.
“Can we meet personally next time?”
She asked, withdrawing her hand that was left hanging and blushing.
It had been two years since she had fallen for Si Heon at a party full of entrepreneurs.
She had nagged her grandfather so much to get a chance with Si Heon.
Though disappointed when she heard he was a married man, she had been waiting in anticipation upon hearing from President Baek that Si Heon was getting a divorce soon and he would arrange a meeting for her.
“I don’t think a personal meeting is necessary.”
“We have to discuss our marriage.”
Juliet stepped closer to Si Heon and leaned in.
“Looks like we will need to become a lot closer in the future.”
Si Heon’s eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.
It seemed his intent of refusal had not been conveyed to Juliette.
It was Byung Suk’s will to divorce Ye Seul and Si Heon and somehow make this marriage happen.
Seeing Ye Seul sitting uncomfortably, Si Heon wanted to quickly dismiss Juliette.
“Ms. Moon Kyung Choi. It is impolite to discuss marriage without basis in front of my wife.”
“Your wife? I was sure I heard you’re getting a divorce……”
Only then did Juliette turn her gaze to the woman sitting inside the couch.
The woman’s face, which had been obscured by Baek Si Heon’s presence, became more and more clear, and Juliette wore a surprised expression.
“Chloe?”
The speechless face with foxlike corners of her eyes, and the stubborn mouth shape.
The woman who had competed for the souschef position in the chocolate area during the year she studied at Cordon Bleu, was Chloe Jang.
‘Juliette may excel in technicality, but in terms of overall balance, concept, and creativity, she can’t surpass Chloe.’
She was always compared because she was a fellow Korean, competing in the same field.
The unfortunate Chloe. Juliette’s eyes went sharply up.
“Hello? Juliette. It’s been a long time.”
Ye Seul raised her hand slightly with an awkward smile.
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.”
