10 minutes earlier.
As Mijoo entered the bathroom, Siyoon placed his hands on his face and roughly splashed water on it.
‘Haah.’
He let out a long breath and undid another button of his shirt to cool his heated body.
The sound of the shower water started from the bathroom.
Siyoon couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
How could someone carelessly open their door to just anyone, and instead of a quick wash, take a shower?
His heart started to pound like the sound of the shower water.
Images of her came to his mind – her cute, disheveled hair sticking out, the pretty back of her head with her hair tied up high, and her face glowing translucently in the morning sunlight.
The more he thought about it, the dizzier he felt.
The image of her standing under the warm shower, her slim figure accentuated as she wrapped a towel around her waist, made his fist clench on the table.
‘Phew.’
Siyoon flapped the collar of his shirt to create some breeze, trying to cool off the heat.
It was precarious before, especially when she was making coffee in front of him in her comfortable shirt and shorts, fresh out of bed. He didn’t know where to put his eyes.
If she realized he was conscious of her, she would have been embarrassed.
So, he looked at her openly, meeting her eyes brazenly, though it was difficult to endure.
Just a stretch of his hand, and she would have been within his grasp, standing like a picture before him. It was hard to act as if he didn’t see her.
Right, a picture. A work of art. Something not to be easily touched or damaged.
But seeing her pouty lips, slightly swollen from last night’s kiss, and sulking, made his body heat up and his heart constrict with a primitive urge.
‘And now she decides to take a shower.’
It was like an unsuspecting rabbit walking right into his trap.
‘What? Does she really not see me as a man?’
The thought that he, Siyoon Kim, had become insignificant in front of Choi Mijoo was infuriating yet spurred his determination.
Had he ever taken so many deep breaths and tried to control himself as much as today?
He struggled to calm down due to the chaotic sound of the water, but he tried his best. He sipped his tea, closed his eyes, took deep breaths, and waited for his heart to slow down.
When he felt his rationality returning, Siyoon slowly looked around Mijoo’s apartment.
There were art catalogs and unfinished manuscripts scattered in one corner. Siyoon stood up and looked over the desk from a distance.
“Exhibition planning? Or criticism?”
Growing up with an interest in art and culture, since his father was a potter, he could roughly guess what she was working on.
Mijoo, who entered the bathroom, initially intended only to wash her face, but as usual, she undressed and turned on the hot shower as soon as she stepped in. The tension eased under the warm water.
Relaxed in body and mind, she started thinking about her tasks for the day.
‘First, I need to check how much the car repair estimate is.’
Though Siyoon offered to handle the repairs, she couldn’t rely entirely on his help.
‘And I need to finalize the contract discussion.’
10 minutes earlier.
After Mijoo entered the bathroom, Siyoon rested his hands on his face and roughly splashed water on himself.
‘Haah.’
He exhaled a long breath and unbuttoned another button of his shirt to cool his heated body.
The sound of the shower water began.
Siyoon laughed in disbelief.
How could she just open her door to anyone, and instead of a quick rinse, she was taking a shower?
The sound of the shower water made Siyoon’s heart race.
He imagined her with her cute, messy hair, her beautiful nape with her hair tied up, and her face glowing translucently in the morning light.
Thinking about it made his head spin.
The image of her under the warm shower, her slim figure revealed, clenched his fist on the table.
‘Phew.’
Siyoon fluttered his shirt collar to create a breeze, trying to cool off the heat.
It was risky earlier, especially when she was making coffee in front of him in her comfortable shirt and shorts. He didn’t know where to look.
If she realized he was conscious of her, she would be embarrassed.
So, he boldly looked at her and met her eyes confidently. But it was hard to endure.
Just a reach away, she stood before him like a picture. Pretending not to see her made it difficult to breathe.
Yes, a picture. A work of art. Something not to be easily touched or damaged.
But the sight of her pouting lips, slightly swollen from last night’s kiss, sulking, made his body heat up and heart constrict with an instinctive urge.
‘And now she decides to take a shower.’
It was like an unsuspecting rabbit walking right into his trap.
‘What? Does she really not see me as a man?’
The thought that he, Siyoon Kim, had become insignificant in front of Choi Mijoo was infuriating yet spurred his determination.
Had he ever taken so many deep breaths and tried to control himself as much as today?
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.”
