Jane, after a short silence, struggled to speak again.
“It’s not my fault… It just feels like I stepped in crap… It strangely feels like I’ve become so insignificant.”
A hint of sorrow echoed in her voice.
“Damn, my pride’s hurt.”
She turned away and swiftly wiped her tears.
“I don’t want to cry, but why can’t I control it? It’s so irritating.”
“Jane. Are you okay?”
“No. Honestly, I’m not.”
“……”
“I mean, who is he to judge me like that?”
Watching her shed tears, Kang quietly comforted her.
“Someone’s opinion doesn’t define you, Jane.”
In fact, what I just told her was something I heard from Samyoung in the past.
From my childhood days waiting for adoption in an orphanage to having a profession where I was constantly judged by the public, I had often recalled what Jane just said.
And Samyoung was the one who first told me, during my early days in the industry, that no one has the right to judge another’s journey or even the person themselves.
No one has that right, and no one should.
At that moment, Kang sincerely hoped that these words would provide comfort to Jane.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Right. I’m really popular among adults. I truly adore children and am really good at household chores. My mother taught me a lot since I was young.”
Jane poured out all her heartaches as if unloading a heavy burden.
Kang simply listened, offering silent support.
After crying for about ten minutes, with swollen eyes, Jane smiled as if nothing had happened.
“Ah. I feel relieved.”
“All cried out?”
“Yes. I won’t cry from tomorrow. I can always find another man.”
Brushing off her sadness, Jane said to Kang,
“Thank you, Honey.”
“What for?”
“If not for you, Honey, I might have drowned in the Han River today.”
“It’s ‘drowned like a dried pollack’.”
“Spot on. Dried pollack.”
Taking the correction in stride, she drew a deep breath and smiled.
“I realized something recently.”
“What?”
“I had a vast but shallow social network.”
The hundreds of contacts and the millions of SNS followers became just meaningless numbers in times of genuine need.
Jane calmly shared this recent realization.
Kang felt she could faintly understand Jane’s sentiments.
While my reserved nature played a part, I, too, didn’t have any close female friends.
“I’ve been backstabbed multiple times, but I can’t help but love people too much.”
Hearing Jane’s words about how sharing joy often leads to envy, and sharing sorrow can become a vulnerability in today’s world, Kang couldn’t just laugh it off.
While the specifics might vary, the pain that stems from relationships was something she had extensively experienced too.
“Next time, when you’re upset, Kang, I’ll listen. And come over anytime to exercise.”
“I will.”
“It’s free for you.”
“Haha, really?”
“Yes. Because you’re my friend.”
She smiled softly and stood up first, extending her hand.
“Let’s go home now.”
Without a word, Kang took Jane’s hand and stood up.
As they entered the building side by side, Kang saw a familiar man in the lobby. It was San.
He probably watched me from a distance and arrived ahead of time, timing it perfectly.
Upon spotting him, Jane’s eyes widened.
“Oh wow! Hot guy! Hi! Long time no see!”
She greeted him cheerfully, but he only gave a mechanical smile in response.
San immediately asked Kang,
“Were you by the Han River the whole time?”
“Yes! Han River!”
The reply came from Jane’s mouth.
“The two of you?”
“Yes! Just the two of us!”
Again, it was Jane who answered.
Finally, San, who had been fixedly staring at Kang, turned his gaze to Jane.
“I wasn’t asking you.”
He wasn’t even smiling.
Jane looked a bit startled at his cold response but soon shrugged and chuckled.
Seeing this, Kang had a complicated expression.
San’s indifferent attitude seemed universal, irrespective of who he was interacting with.
‘… He’s been like this with Ban as well.’
San was kind only to me.
Sure, he must have clear intentions with me, but regardless of the reason.
Turning his attention back, San softly said to Kang,
“I was about to come looking for you since you weren’t answering your calls.”
“Sorry, I had my phone on silent in my pocket and didn’t notice.”
“Always answer your calls. If you move locations, always let me know.”
It was clear that his statement also served as a warning to Jane.
Yet, Kang, unaware of this nuance, obediently nodded.
“Yes, I will.”
However, Jane, who had been observing the two, laughed as if she found the situation absurd.
Hearing her scoffing laughter, both San and Kang turned towards her.
With her arms crossed, she looked exasperated and spoke.
“He’s your boyfriend? You report every little movement to him?”
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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