Pushing her toward the bathroom, Lee Jin-woo took over.
Korean dumplings were steamed, flat, and bun-sized, with thin, chewy skin.
"Jin-woo!"
As he set the dumplings in the pot, Kim Ji-yeon's voice came through a crack in the bathroom door.
"What?"
"No towel in here."
"Hang on."
He passed her the towel he'd just used.
Her annoyed voice followed. "Hey, this is the one you just… just…"
"It's that or air-dry."
"Aish!"
She slammed the door with a frustrated growl.
In the steamy bathroom, she scrutinized the two towels. Which was front, which was back?
Ugh, either way feels wrong!
Suppressing her unease, she washed the towel thoroughly.
Wiping down, she couldn't tell if it was real or her imagination, but a strong masculine scent lingered.
Seriously~
Emerging, she found the dumplings plated.
Slinking along the wall, she reached the low table, her legs shaky.
"Try it."
Lee Jin-woo sat at the scratched table, placing dipping sauce in the center.
Shaking out her damp hair, Kim Ji-yeon mustered her last strength to perch on a stool.
"Phew~"
Sighing, she stared at the table. "No dining table? Aish, what kind of life is this?"
"Don't like it? Don't come back."
Her slender legs, so close yet untouchable, were a daily test he didn't need.
Setting down her chopsticks, Kim Ji-yeon's expression fell. "Even you hate me now?"
Her pitiful look could melt any heart, urging you to shield her fragility.
"Stop acting. Not tired?" Lee Jin-woo munched on a dumpling, unfazed.
Her vulnerable facade flipped. "Ugh, you're not cute like you used to be. So annoying."
Nibbling a dumpling, she grinned. "Good, right?"
"Yeah, not bad." He nodded.
"Jin-woo, come shopping with me later!"
"Why me? Call your girlfriends."
"Girlfriends? I'm a loner now… Jin-woo, I'm no longer the popular Kim eldest daughter."
"A retired hero shouldn't be celebrated?"
"Haha, hahaha…" She laughed hysterically.
Hero? Celebrated?
The funniest joke she'd heard all year.
In their circle, there were no heroes or blessings—true luxuries money couldn't buy.
To them, she was a discarded pawn, given wealth but exiled from power.
Like ancient fiefdoms, this was her lot.
Her "rewards" ensured a comfortable life, but without power, what was her worth in their world?
"If you wanted, new friends would swarm you like bees."
Kim Ji-yeon smirked. "You mean men after my benefits?"
"Would you care about a woman like that?"
"I would." He nodded firmly.
"Meets needs, no strings. Perfect."
"Ahh~" She sighed. "That's men. Being a man's great, huh?"
Great?
Sure, for someone like him.
But for bottom-rung workers, raising kids that might not be theirs—how great was that?
"Jin-woo, that's dangerous thinking. Perverted."
"Really? You're the one making risky moves."
Studying her, her collagen-rich face glowed, not as sultry as standard oval faces but comforting.
Fortunate, husband-boosting—her type exactly.
Wow~
Hard to imagine how much Lee Seung-eun suffered losing her.
"What're you thinking?"
"Old days, getting bullied by Seung-eun."
She scoffed, inhaling. "You? Bullied by him?"
"No one told you? I was hopeless at sports as a kid."
"Really?"
Pointing at his abs, she marveled, "Now? Wow, what a change."
She'd seen it all—defined abs, broad back, explosive muscles.
Who'd believe he was ever unathletic?
Still, she didn't buy his story.
Back then, he was the Daegun faction's youngest son. Seung-eun wouldn't dare.
At most, he'd won a few sports matches.
That's bullying?
"Didn't know you were so petty." She laughed exaggeratedly. "What now? I like you even more!"
"Like me?"
Setting down his chopsticks, he said seriously, "Women who like me must worship me like a king. Can you do that?"
"What, a king?"
She gasped, incredulous. "What era is this? The Joseon Dynasty's gone."
"Kings, aigoo~ so childish. Where are kings now?"
He tapped the plate with his chopsticks, smirking. "No kings? When did class vanish from this country?"
Speechless, she fumed after a moment. "King, king, king… dream your grand dreams. Hope you never wake up."
Shrugging, he popped the last dumpling in his mouth.
He washed and dried the dishes.
Kim Ji-yeon, shaking her hands, eyed him lounging on the bed with a newspaper.
"Ready?"
Lowering it, he asked, "For what?"
"Shopping. You promised."
Sitting on the bed, she glared.
"When did I—go yourself!"
Shaking the paper, he had zero interest in shopping.
Soon, Yoon Hye-na would be back.
Tonight, Lee Joo-bin invited him for late-night snacks with a friend.
He was curious—who was this friend?
"Jin-woo, aahhh~" Kim Ji-yeon grabbed his arm, whining.
Seeing her relentless, he sighed, slapping his forehead. "Fine, but I have a condition."
"What? Anything!" She nodded eagerly, thrilled.
(End of Chapter)