“Yes. I’m currently filming another project in Busan. Fortunately, I could see it.”
“Oh, is that so?”
The actors and the host sitting side by side nodded their heads. While the actors may have nodded, imagining the scent of the sea in Jiho’s words, the host deliberately imagined things not conveyed in those words.
The work he was filming in Busan and who he was working with—there was no one in South Korea who didn’t know.
“So, you didn’t watch it alone, right? Oh, I’d like to ask more directly. I’m sure the audience feels the same, right?”
A teasing voice once again caught Jiho’s attention. Speeding up because he was trying to pass the microphone to the next actor.
Loud laughter and applause erupted like fireworks from all over the audience. Jiho slowly raised the microphone with a subtle smile. Compared to the questioner’s concerns and efforts, the voice of his answer was refreshing.
“Yes. I watched it with my girlfriend.”
“Wow…”
Admiration didn’t only come from the host. The atmosphere in the audience escalated at the clear answer that left no room for ambiguity. Bong-gi, who was standing in front of the entrance, only shook his head with a subtle smile.
‘He’s really dating.’
He knew Jiho better than anyone, who not only avoided lies but didn’t even speak empty words.
Hye-yoon could only have her first meal after 6 PM that day. This place was a famous raw fish restaurant Min-ju had found. It took 10 minutes after placing the order for the side dishes, raw fish, and clear sashimi soup to be served.
During those 10 minutes, stories about what would happen a week later were laid out on the empty table. It might seem like an ordinary confession of love, but since the person in that relationship was extraordinary. Min-ju didn’t easily change the subject.
When Min-ju looked at Hye-yoon, who hurriedly started eating as soon as the food arrived, she thought, ‘I feel really embarrassed.’ So, she wanted to tease her a little more.
“So, where did you sleep yesterday? Miss Jang Hye-yoon?”
“…Min-ju, try this. It’s really delicious.”
Hye-yoon quickly reached a piece of raw fish toward Min-ju’s mouth. Since Min-ju was expressing with her whole body, saying, ‘I feel really embarrassed,’ she wanted to torment her a bit more.
“So, did you collapse as soon as you came in during the day? What were you doing until the morning?”
“Just looking at the sea… That’s it.”
Even when putting another piece of raw fish into her mouth, Min-ju didn’t take her eyes off. So, Hye-yoon had to divide this short sentence into two parts. She could be confident up to ‘just looking at the sea,’ but to conclude with the trivial ‘that’s it,’ she had to reach into the depths of her heart and stir it up. Hoping that even a tiny bit of the courage from yesterday’s somewhat bitter effort still remained.
Instead of the courage that seemed to be gone no matter how much she searched, she responded with cheekiness. What the answer was didn’t matter; simultaneously, the scenes that occurred after really seeing the morning sea flashed through her mind.
‘But still, thank you, Mr. Jiho. For showing me the sea as soon as I opened my eyes.’
It was a conversation around 11:10 when they met again in a separate room and in the car. Just by glancing, Jiho seemed to read her face clearly. The attempt to imitate the charming, slightly raised eyes, like a thin line, and the awkward expression as if trying to mimic a captivating woman.
Joy emanated from his face as he drove.
‘What’s this? It’s not a thankful look at all, is it?’
‘If I hadn’t seen it even for a moment then… I almost missed the morning sea.’
“Hehe. I made a big mistake.”
Even thinking about it made the low laughter vivid. Along with the laughter, there were intense and passionate scenes that had nothing to do with the morning.
‘Hye-yoon, you’re crazy. How long has it been since I nervously confessed shaking like crazy…’
Hye-yoon closed her eyes with all her might. The cat-like wrinkles caught at the corners of her eyes, and she shook her head. Her face briefly turned red, trying to shake off the rising thoughts, and then, opening her eyes again, she returned to reality. Minju observed her face intently throughout.
“Seems like you didn’t just see the sea, Miss Jang Hye-yoon. Have you seen many other nice things?”
“…”
“If they’re good memories, let’s share them together, sister. How about it?”
Minju started stuffing Hye-yoon’s mouth with whatever food she could find, trying to comfort her by chewing on something.
“That’s a green chili. Spit it out.”
“Yeah.”
Since her whole body was shivering so badly, excluding her mouth. You have to tease her when you’re bored. Minju made a resolution to play around by herself.
Ding[Dash]
At that moment, Hye-yoon’s phone screen, which had been placed on the table, lit up.
“Oh, a boyfriend? Don’t you want to be apart even for a moment?”
“Ugh…”
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.”
