Jinwoo, who was looking at Jina with deep affection, chuckled softly.
“The matter was with Nuna.”
In an instant, Jina recalled the situation inside the hotel room and bit her lip.
Was he suspecting something between her and Dojin?
Fear suddenly surged.
“Well, you see…”
As Jina tried to make an excuse, Jinwoo tightly held her hand.
“I know everything. What Nuna was trying to do without my knowledge.”
Jina’s expression stiffened at his ambiguous words.
“I mean, it’s not about Kim Dojin and me.”
“Thanks for the USB.”
Ah.
Only now did vague memories she handed over resurface.
In the heightened state, the fragments of memory were chopped off abruptly.
“Sunyoung’s words alone weren’t evidence, but thanks to you, I could completely hand everything over to the police.”
“I see.”
Jina smiled proudly at the acknowledgment that she had been helpful.
“But hey, seriously, it’s not something you should suspect. Never misunderstand.”
Following her words, Jina said, “I don’t want to even make eye contact with such a guy.”
In response to her words, Jinwoo finally burst into laughter.
“Nuna, don’t say things like that anymore.”
“What things?”
“Bad things.”
“You should say bad things to a guy like him.”
Looking at Jina, who spoke quite seriously, Jinwoo lowered his smiling face closer.
“That’s right. Then, since the baby can hear, whisper to me only.”
“Huh?”
Surprised, Jina opened her eyes wide.
“A baby?”
What was that…
Instead of further explanation, Jinwoo looked at Jina with an adorable gaze.
“Huh? Really?”
She never thought about it.
“Really?”
Jina, without realizing it, made a startled noise and covered her mouth.
“Is it sudden? Surprising?”
Warm breath poured over Jina’s head.
“It’s sudden, but…”
Jina, nestled in Jinwoo’s arms, murmured.
“Good.”
“Really?”
Jinwoo, who had been contemplating where to start and how to say it, cautiously asked.
“Yeah, really.”
Jina smiled.
Her appearance was incredibly lovely, and Jinwoo, without realizing it, kissed her forehead.
“If Nuna doesn’t like it, I’ll follow Nuna’s opinion. So, you don’t have to force yourself.”
“I really like it.”
Jina squinted her eyes.
“Thank you.”
Overwhelmed with emotions, Jinwoo hugged Jina again. Now, it wasn’t just the two of them.
He had no intention of making her suffer any longer.
“I’ll be waiting just a bit. I’ll quickly finish the work in the U.S. and come back.”
“Yeah.”
For Jina and the baby, Jinwoo spoke with a determined voice.
“I’ll be waiting.”
When the day broke, Jinwoo had to take another flight to the U.S.
It couldn’t be delayed any longer. Due to news articles about the postponement of meetings with K Group and U.S. companies, related stock prices fluctuated.
“Do well and come back.”
“Yes.”
The gaze that touched the empty air was intense.
“This is a gift.”
Jinwoo extended a small box in his palm.
“What’s this?”
“Your phone was broken.”
Only now did Jina remember her phone shattered due to Dojin’s kick.
“I could have bought a new one…”
“If I can’t contact Nuna, it’s inconvenient for me.”
“Thank you.”
Jina whispered softly.
“Actually, there’s something I want to tell Nuna.”
Jinwoo spoke in a slightly lower voice. His eyes, which had become somewhat serious, trembled subtly.
“Will you listen after I come back?”
Whatever it was.
Jina answered confidently.
“Yes.”
Suppressing the words he wanted to say, Jinwoo smiled gently.
As soon as he saw her, he wanted to beg her.
Even if it was just for a moment, he doubted her.
But he couldn’t act on his inner fear.
He was too powerless. Driven by the desire to hold onto her somehow.
“I’ll be back.”
Finally, Jinwoo turned his body. It was the dawn with the crescent moon hanging in the west. Only when the sunlight stretching across the eastern sky became bright enough could Jinwoo move his feet.
A few days later, after being discharged from the hospital, Jina headed to Gangwon Province with her parents. Using up all her annual leave this year made her feel a bit bitter, but she couldn’t beat her mom’s persuasion.
In late September, when the autumn sunlight was strong, Gangwon Province was quite pleasant. Jina, wearing a thick cardigan every day, came out to the porch and basked in the warm autumn sun.
Since the last meeting in the hospital, there had been no contact from Jinwoo, who went to the U.S.
He was probably completely absorbed in his work.
Jina absentmindedly gazed at the sky. As if Jinwoo was there. The one who caught her attention was her mom’s voice.
“I’ll roast some sweet potatoes for you.”
Next to her mom, who was spreading red peppers in the yard, sweet potato leaves were sprouting green. After carefully spreading the last pepper, her mom stood up with a satisfied sound.
The sweet potatoes her mom successfully grew for the first time among the crops she personally raised tasted delicious. Among the foods Jina couldn’t tolerate most, sweet potatoes were somewhat acceptable, so her mom roasted sweet potatoes two or three times a day.
“Yeah.”
‘I’ll be back.’
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.”
