A middle-aged woman and a young woman in her 20s, the first to speak was the older woman.
“Let’s talk for a minute.”
“Madam…”
The two women’s identities were 아린’s former mother-in-law 정 여사 and 민유진, the woman 재혁 was going to marry.
There were no greetings in this meeting of five years. 정 여사 didn’t, and 아린 didn’t feel like it either.
“I’m sorry, but I’m preparing the shop right now.”
Was it because of the news of 재혁’s engagement yesterday? 아린 found the visit of the two women less welcome than ever.
정 여사 crossed her arms and snorted.
“Arrogant thing. You’ve forgotten your place since we last saw each other.”
정 여사’s reprimand made 아린’s heart sink further.
“I don’t want to talk long with you either.”
아린 didn’t avoid 정 여사’s eyes.
Once, they were eyes too terrifying to look at.
정 여사 used to look at her as if she were the most contemptible and inferior creature in the world.
In her presence, 아린 felt infinitely small and insignificant.
But things had improved a lot now. She was still scared, but not so much that she couldn’t look at her.
Clutching her fists tightly, 아린 spoke.
“I’m sorry. I’m busy right now. Maybe if you come back later.”
“Impudent.”
정 여사, unable to contain her anger, slammed the counter.
아린’s gaze shifted to another pair of eyes. 민유진 stood with her arms crossed, looking at her leisurely with a smile.
It was 아린’s first time seeing 민유진 in person.
Even in such a situation, 민유진 showed no change in expression, draped in luxury from head to toe.
On her face was a confidence that seemed to place everything beneath her, a look so similar to 정 여사 that one might believe they were mother and daughter.
‘I’ve seen her in pictures from the news, but she’s much more glamorous and beautiful in person. Oppa loved someone like her. That’s why he couldn’t like me.’
Despite thinking she had let go of all her feelings for him, her heart ached.
아린 disliked 민유진’s gaze.
Then, 유현’s voice, noticing the small commotion, came from the kitchen where he was preparing for the opening.
“아린아, what’s going on?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“I heard some noise.”
“No, it’s nothing. Oppa. Just talking to myself.”
She didn’t want 유현 to see her like this.
아린’s expression wavered.
“I won’t back down until we talk. What are you going to do? If you resist, I don’t mind discussing it here.”
정 여사 saw her chance.
Although she didn’t show it outwardly, she was seething inside. To monitor her unruly son, she had blackmailed 신 Secretary, one of her son’s assistants, to be on her side.
정 여사 recalled the call from 신 Secretary the previous morning.
[Tomorrow, the Vice President is going to Jeju Island.] [To see that girl again?] [No, this time he’s meeting her directly.]
She had to interfere before 재혁 met 아린.
She wanted to come to Jeju Island immediately yesterday, but couldn’t leave Seoul due to an event she was hosting.
After hastily leaking the engagement news about 재혁 and 유진, 정 여사 took the first flight in the morning to find 아린.
“That vile thing. Daring to shake my son. I need to cut her off completely!”
정 여사 gritted her teeth.
“So, whether we do this now or in an hour, the situation won’t change. I don’t plan to see your face long, so let’s make this quick.”
정 여사’s eyes landed on 아린’s trembling fist. Her lips twisted into a crooked smile. 민유진, watching the entire situation, did the same.
아린 had no choice but to accept that she had no say in the matter.
“Let’s talk outside.”
She didn’t want 유현 to find out about this situation.
“Come out quietly.”
아린 took off her apron and walked towards the door, followed by 정 여사 and 민유진.
As the door opened, the two women stepped out first, and 아린 glanced toward the kitchen where 유현 was.
Fortunately, he didn’t come out and continued working in the kitchen.
“Oppa, the sign fell over in the wind. I’ll set it up and tidy the garden before coming in.”
아린 yelled towards the kitchen. Then,
“Okay. 아린아. Be careful not to hurt your hand.”
Relieved by 유현’s response, 아린 let out a sigh of relief.
The sound of her leaving was heard. The door closed, and 유현 walked out of the kitchen, his expression dark as he looked at the door through which 아린 had left.
Late that afternoon.
They were open later than usual.
“Oppa, I’m sorry.”
아린 had ended up making more than usual.
“It’s okay, I told you.”
A moment later, after finishing the closing preparations, 유현 turned to look at 아린.
“아린아, are you done over there?”
“……Ah, oppa. Sorry. What did you say?”
“What are you thinking about all day?”
Since 정 여사’s visit, 아린 couldn’t think of anything. 정 여사’s words kept echoing in her head.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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