“Yeonju.”
At the gentle voice calling her, Yeonju opened her eyes.
She was lying in bed, and Mihyeon was sitting in front of her.
As soon as she saw her, Yeonju burst into tears.
“Mother…….”
Mihyeon looked at Yeonju with tender eyes and gently stroked her hair.
“Yeonju.”
Her eyes moistened further under the warmth of that touch.
“Mother… I miss you.”
“…….”
“I… want to go to you, Mother….”
Mihyeon slowly shook her head.
“No, Yeonju. You have your life to live.”
“…….”
“You need to find happiness now….”
How could she live her life without Mihyeon?
How could she be happy without her?
Yeonju shook her head.
“I can’t do that. I want to go to you too.”
“That’s not possible, Yeonju.”
The firm voice echoed.
“That’s the one thing you must never do, Yeonju.”
Her figure began to fade away. The warmth she had felt from the touch of her hand was also disappearing.
Yeonju’s eyes shook violently. An unbearable fear and despair enveloped her.
“No… Mother.”
Yeonju clung and cried like a child. But Mihyeon’s face only faded more.
“Don’t go… Mother….”
She shook her head violently, crying. Mihyeon’s face was no longer visible through her tear-soaked vision.
She felt like she was the only one left in this world. Alone, scared, and lost.
Amidst this terror, Yeonju suddenly opened her eyes.
“Gasp!”
The familiar ceiling was in front of her. It was her bedroom.
‘It was a dream….’
Yeonju looked at the empty space beside her and realized the unwilling truth.
She had just finished Mihyeon’s funeral yesterday, and she could no longer see her.
Mihyeon was gone from this world. It wasn’t a dream, but reality. She couldn’t meet her anymore, not even her sleeping face.
Uncontrollable anguish consumed her. Cold sweat formed on her forehead. Then, her chest tightened and she felt nauseous.
Yeonju headed straight to the bathroom. She held the toilet and emptied her churning stomach.
“Ugh.”
There was nothing to throw up but bitter bile. Eventually, it was just dry heaving.
After holding the toilet for a while, Yeonju rinsed her mouth and left the bathroom.
Then she weakly lay back down on the bed. Her head was spinning. She didn’t want to think about anything. She just wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep again.
As Yeonju was about to close her eyes, she heard the sound of the door opening.
Click.
Yeonju opened her eyes, saw Jinyook entering, and then closed them again.
Jinyook, dressed in a black suit, approached her. He was holding something in his hand—a tray with porridge and side dishes.
He placed it on the bedside table and said,
“You haven’t eaten anything.”
“…….”
“You’ll collapse if this continues. You might not have an appetite, but try to eat a little.”
Yeonju heard him but did not move.
Jinyook sighed as he looked down at her.
Jinyook was troubled as well. Ever since Mihyeon’s funeral, Yeonju had lost her expression and speech. Often she wouldn’t respond when he called, and she would stare blankly into space as if lost.
Jinyook opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry about your mother.”
“…….”
“I know what it’s like to lose a parent. I understand the emptiness.”
He spoke with more emphasis.
“But being sad like this won’t change anything. Mother won’t come back, and we can’t turn back time.”
“…….”
“I hope you don’t stay in grief too long. It won’t benefit you in any way.”
“No benefit from it?”
Do I have to consider the benefits even in the grief of losing a parent?
If that was meant to be a word of comfort, it was a failure. It was so absurd that it even made me laugh.
It seemed like the people in this house could do it. Even if parents or children passed away, they could quickly erase their sorrow if there was no benefit from it.
That’s probably why I always felt like an outsider in this family. I was forcibly fitting myself among people who were so different from me.
Yeonju closed her eyes tighter, not wanting to hear any more of his words.
“…….”
Jinyook looked at her small back and then spoke.
“I have a business trip to China for the next three days.”
“…….”
“You might not have an appetite, but make sure to eat your meals.”
“…….”
“Call me if you feel unwell or need anything.”
Jinyook turned to leave but then seemed to remember something and faced Yeonju again. He then took out a rectangular piece of paper from his suit jacket.
“If you can’t get through to me, call this number.”
He placed it on the bedside table and left the room.
Yeonju belatedly realized that it was someone’s business card and that the person was Minhee.
Her already gloomy mood sank further.
Really, this man had a talent for making her feel miserable.
Yeonju awoke from a deep sleep feeling thirsty.
Her mouth was dry, and her throat was parched. She wanted to drink some cold water.
Slowly getting up from the bed, she couldn’t tell if it was day or night. She didn’t know how many hours she had slept or what day it was.
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
