After changing into the T-shirt Ihyun lent her, Yerin sat awkwardly on the living room sofa.
Fortunately, the skirt she was wearing didn’t get very wet, so she could leave it on for now.
Earlier, when she heard about the murder in the villa she lived in, Yerin followed Ihyun in a state of shock, but now she was starting to worry whether it was the right choice.
“Why do you have that expression again?”
“If I’m here, I’m afraid Ihyun won’t be able to rest comfortably. Even now, it might be better to go to a nearby hotel…”
“Hanyerin.”
“Yes?”
“Your face is still pale with shock. Wouldn’t it be scarier to be alone tonight?”
“…”.
That was also true.
Nari is on a business trip and not in Korea, and besides, there was no one else she was close to.
So, it meant that there was no one to call at this late hour.
Just as Ihyun said, being alone at this late hour in an unfamiliar place might make her feel even more scared.
“We wrote a contract, didn’t we? We agreed not to do anything without each other’s consent.”
“That’s right.”
“So, you can trust me.”
As Yerin nodded slowly, Ihyun headed towards the wine cellar and spoke.
“It’s hard to find a man as patient as me.”
“Excuse me?”
Without providing detailed explanations for that statement, Ihyun returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“There’s nothing better than wine to relieve tension. Would you like a drink?”
Yerin, who had been hesitating for a moment, nodded her head.
She felt like she needed to drink something, anything, to fall asleep quickly.
The red wine poured into the glasses.
“Don’t drink too much. Just enjoy it enough to ease the tension.”
“I will.”
Yerin slowly raised the glass and took a sip.
It tasted different from the one she had at Ihyun’s house last time, with a different flavor and aroma.
It was an impressive wine with a robust body and a following sweetness.
“How is it?”
“Ihyun’s choice of wine seems to suit my taste perfectly.”
“Fortunately.”
With each sip, Yerin soon felt drowsy, and the terrifying fear that had complicated her thoughts and made her head spin gradually faded away.
“Hoo.”
Yerin let out a short breath.
“Thank you so much for today, Ihyun.”
If Ihyun hadn’t personally driven her, she would have been extremely shocked just witnessing that scene alone.
Even if she managed to get out of the house and go to a hotel alone, she would have spent the night in fear.
Although a lot of tension had been released, her heart was still beating faster than usual.
Seeing Yerin place her hand on the left side of her chest, Ihyun asked with a concerned expression.
“Why are you doing that?”
“It seems I’m still not fully recovered from the shock earlier. My heart is beating too fast.”
While talking about it, Yerin smiled weakly.
Ihyun, with a slight frown on his forehead, let out a low sigh.
“It seems that incident was quite a shock.”
“Yes. It’s hard to believe that a murder happened right in the villa where I live, something you usually only see on the news.”
Closing the distance between them, Ihyun approached Yerin.
“But is it really because of that incident?”
“What do you mean?”
Yerin’s pupils trembled.
Ihyun raised his hand to Yerin’s left wrist and gently pulled her hand, placing it on his chest.
Thump-
Thump, thump-
Yerin felt Ihyun’s heartbeats much faster than her own through her palm.
“I’ve been in this state since earlier too.”
“…”
“It’s because of you, Hanyerin.”
That’s because of Yerin that my heart is beating so fast,” he said, pinpointing it.
“If your heart is beating so fast, does that mean I have absolutely no share in it?”
Yerin hesitated a little at that question.
Could she really have no share in it?
Since earlier, the one piercing through the fearful and terrifying thoughts in her mind with great intensity was Ihyun.
After some contemplation, Yerin cautiously opened her mouth.
“It’s not entirely nonexistent.”
“Then, I’m relieved.”
Ihyun’s lips traced an elegant curve as they rose.
“Hanyerin tends to express her true feelings only a little, very slightly, after I confess my feelings first. Isn’t that right?”
Yerin, thinking that Ihyun’s observation was quite accurate, just smiled faintly.
“Have you ever thought that Ihyun is too honest and straightforward?”
“I hear that often. But isn’t Hanyerin a bit too cautious?”
“Maybe.”
Yerin, wanting to take Ihyun’s hand placed on his chest, exerted some force, but the arm wrapped around her did not budge.
“Why…”
“If I tell you one honest story, I’ll let go of this hand.”
Ihyun was tempting her with a passionate gaze.
Perhaps due to the effects of the wine she had drunk, the intoxication was gradually taking over, making her decision-making time shorter than usual.
Maybe she wanted to share the story, but perhaps she missed the right timing to say it, keeping it inside.
Until Yerin’s lips opened, it felt like the flow of air surrounding the two had completely stopped.
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.”
