After finishing the academy class, Eunjae hurriedly returned to the annex to pack up. Upon encountering Sunwoo, he stopped in surprise.
Sunwoo was standing in front of the entrance, still wearing his shoes, and engaged in a phone call. He appeared remarkably unscathed, making Eunjae doubt if the person who had collapsed in the morning was indeed him.
Thinking he might still be lying down, Eunjae intended to take a quick look and come out. However, as his thoughts and plans became distorted, Eunjae felt his mind go blank in an instant.
“I’ll head over after work.”
Sunwoo, seemingly unaware that he would encounter Eunjae, briefly glanced at him with a cold gaze before refocusing on the call.
“Yes, please do that. I’ll see you later, Attorney Shin.”
Attorney Shin. That word landed heavily on Eunjae’s chest, echoing what Sunwoo had said yesterday.
“You don’t need to doubt; Attorney Shin will handle the annulment lawsuit. You have nothing to worry about.”
Quite fast indeed. It seemed as if someone had been eagerly waiting for this to happen.
Having such thoughts, Eunjae reproached himself. It was absurd. Did he hope for some comforting words for the person whose heart he had greatly disturbed with harsh words of farewell?
While lost in these thoughts, Sunwoo, who had ended the call without them noticing, now stood tilted, scrutinizing Eunjae.
There was a static silence, as if time had stopped. Seeing the difficulty in enduring the flowing silence, Eunjae keenly felt the growing distance between them.
“You said you were leaving, but you haven’t gone yet.”
He expected a somewhat different response, especially considering the words Sunwoo had said just before collapsing.
Maybe he doesn’t remember what he said earlier. Well, it’s natural; he was in such a healthy state that he collapsed.
At that moment, Eunjae had truly almost wavered. In fact, he was anxious about what would happen if he spoke those words again. However, it was secretly fortunate that he didn’t.
“I couldn’t take the luggage to the academy and came back for it. I came back… to get the luggage.”
“Okay.”
Without giving any eye contact, Sunwoo turned and entered the house, leaving his shoes behind. Feeling the distinct change in temperature, Eunjae slowly brushed off his shoulders.
Eunjae absentmindedly watched Sunwoo’s retreating figure.
“I love you.”
“…”
“There hasn’t been a single moment when I didn’t feel that way.”
Even now, it seemed impossible to provide any other response. Besides saying, “I love you,” he couldn’t offer any other reply.
Did Taekyu take good care of the nursing?
Even if that’s the case, how could he be so unaffected?
While climbing the stairs to the third floor, Eunjae’s mind was filled with thoughts. Worries continued to bite at his tail, elongating the chain of concerns.
Reaching the end of the stairs, Sunwoo, who had arrived first, took off the protective gear he was carrying and tossed it onto the sofa. While discreetly watching Sunwoo’s actions, their eyes met unexpectedly.
“Are you… going to work?”
“Well, are you willing to take care of the patient in my place?”
Raising one corner of his mouth, Sunwoo silently smiled and quickly removed the bandage while keeping his gaze fixed on Eunjae.
Placing what seemed like a cast and the removed bandage on the sofa table, Sunwoo rotated his elbows as if stretching. Faint scars, as if scratched, appeared on his arms.
Still not averting his gaze, Sunwoo slowly unbuttoned his shirt and said, “Ask.”
“…”
“You seemed curious since earlier.”
“I-Is it okay?”
When Eunjae’s lips finally opened, his extended smile drew a longer curve.
“Is it okay to remove the hand… that thing? Do I not need further treatment?”
Then, as if realizing something, Eunjae covered Sunwoo’s mouth with his hand.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just…”
Sunwoo, postponing his answer, unbuttoned all of his shirt. Then, without hesitation, he took off the shirt in that spot. Simultaneously, Eunjae turned his head as if avoiding seeing something he shouldn’t.
Despite having seen his bare body once or twice, now everything about him felt unfamiliar, and Eunjae averted his gaze as if it were something he shouldn’t see.
In a moment of distraction, Sunwoo, who had come close, swiftly grabbed Eunjae’s bag. Then, he pulled out an envelope that protruded from it.
“What are you doing?”
“I haven’t seen this before.”
Sunwoo ruthlessly tore the envelope into pieces right in front of Eunjae. I’m not sure how many pieces it became. The torn pieces of paper mercilessly fell onto the table like rain.
As the letters ‘marriage’ became distinctly visible through the gaps of the torn paper, Eunjae’s pupils trembled.
“How did you…”
How did he know? He probably thought it was a marriage contract that I took. While a few hundred might have tempted him to take it, he absolutely couldn’t take the shop.
She was more than just a wife for about six months, and receiving alimony seemed excessive.
So, in a rarely visited corner of the dressing room, he hid the envelope with documents.
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.”
