The Textbook of a Lover - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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31.
The air inside the Moer boutique seemed to plummet below freezing in an instant. A chill hung over the VIP Lounge.
Do Ah wore a cool smile at the corners of her mouth, but in truth, her toes inside her shoes had gone white with tension.
She had never been ashamed of her origins in the Welfare Facility, nor had she ever tried to hide it.
Yet all the same, she found herself in a position where she had to play the part of Cha Kyung’s lover faithfully.
The two of them had been kind and affectionate from their first meeting, but they would surely be less than pleased that their precious grandson and son had taken up with a girl from the orphanage.
Eventually, the truth that she was a fake lover would come to light anyway, and she already felt sorry for disappointing them ahead of time.
Na Hee, meanwhile, who had flinched momentarily at Do Ah’s frigid gaze, had regained her self-satisfied expression.
‘Accept an orphan girl—one with a recent ex-boyfriend at that—as a daughter-in-law in a Chaebol Family? Absolutely not.’
A strange thrill rose in Na Hee’s chest. She could almost hear the elderly woman’s command: “Break up with her at once!”
Sure enough, Na Hee’s prediction proved right as a deep sigh escaped from Gyu Seon’s lips.
“Do Ah, would you come over here for a moment?”
Do Ah approached Gyu Seon with careful steps. Each footfall felt like walking across thorns.
Just as she tensed for a cutting remark, Gyu Seon reached out her weathered hand and gently cupped Do Ah’s pale cheek.
“How did you grow up so beautiful and upright without parents?”
Against all expectation, Gyu Seon gazed at Do Ah with eyes full of tenderness and affection.
“That’s right, Mother. She’s truly admirable. What a blessing that such a lovely girl has come to our Cha Kyung’s side. I’m grateful.”
Jung Hye, standing nearby, took Do Ah’s hand in hers, adding her voice in agreement.
Do Ah’s eyes grew hot.
Instead of cold reproach, she received words of warmth, and the hollow space in her chest filled with a gentle, lingering heat.
“You’ve been wonderful company for this old woman today, and so helpful besides.”
“No, I was having such a lovely time spending the day with both of you. Really, I was.”
“We enjoyed it more, Do Ah. Would you be willing to spend time with us like this more often? I promise not to be too much of a bother.”
“Not at all! Not bothersome in the least! Please call on me whenever you’d like.”
While Do Ah’s face flushed warm with the affectionate words, Na Hee’s complexion drained to the color of ash.
What—what is this?
Are they filming some family drama here?
Their precious son and grandson is with a girl from the orphanage, and this is how they react?
Are they all out of their minds?
Without meaning to, she bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, consumed by bitter jealousy.
Jung Hye approached Na Hee slowly.
“Thank you for telling us about Do Ah’s circumstances that we hadn’t known. Now I understand how resilient and composed she truly is.”
She swept a gaze across Na Hee’s stunned face and added words sharp as ice.
“Of course, assuming you meant well in telling us. Surely you did? I can’t imagine you’re the sort with such a vulgar heart as to air someone else’s painful scars in front of others for ill intent. Am I right?”
The word “vulgar” pierced Na Hee’s heart like a blade.
Shame crawled up the back of her neck, painting her vision red.
The situation felt like a nightmare, anything but reality.
“Let’s go. Now.”
She seized Kyung Jun’s arm as he stood dumbly by and dragged him out of the boutique.
Even in the elevator heading down to the Parking Lot, Na Hee’s anger would not subside.
“Fine, you made a good call. With what we were about to spend on that purse, we could’ve bought several other nice things. I was going to use my original bag money on you anyway……”
“Can’t you just be quiet for a moment?”
Kyung Jun flinched at Na Hee’s irritation and fell silent. But it was only temporary; he soon revealed his shabby true colors.
Because of Kyung Jun’s thoughtless prattling, Na Hee shot an exasperated barb at him.
“W-what? Yeah. But why are you so angry? Is it because of Do Ah? I was pretty shocked too. How does someone like Do Ah land an executive like Cha? I hope she doesn’t spread weird rumors about this.”
“Oh, for God’s sake! Just stop!”
“You’re not the only one who’s confused here. Why are you taking it out on me?”
Na Hee and Kyung Jun emerged into the Parking Lot from the elevator with their hurt feelings festering between them.
When she had stolen Kyung Jun away from Do Ah for the sake of a stable future at a major corporation, she’d felt like she owned the world.
But the Cha Kyung she’d seen today and the Kyung Jun beside her now were as different as a stone rolled in dirt and a premium diamond of incalculable value.
‘How could that vulgar, shabby Do Ah be with a man like that! It makes no sense!’
Despite being far more beautiful than her, with a superior figure and even a family to boot, Na Hee had landed only someone like Kyung Jun.
It was as she strode along, swinging her arms irritably, that it happened.
Rip!
A tearing sound reached her ears.
“Hey, check the back of your jacket. I think it’s ripped.”
“What?”
At Kyung Jun’s words, Na Hee reached back over her shoulder to feel, and found the seam at the shoulder had burst open and torn.
“Oh, come on! Why is everything going wrong today!”
“I’ll buy you something at the Department Store that you can change into right away.”
“Is that the problem now? Do you know how much this cost!”
Na Hee seized the torn section and stamped her feet. The silk jacket stubbornly kept slipping from her grasp.
Kyung Jun was struggling to take off his own jacket when it happened.
Tap, tap.
Footsteps at regular intervals broke the silence and drew near. She lifted her head to find Cha Kyung standing there.
“S-sir……”
Cha Kyung ignored Kyung Jun’s greeting and looked down at Na Hee from a few paces away.
She was barely holding together the jacket that threatened to slide off.
Cha Kyung seemed to consider for a moment, then withdrew a small velvet pouch from his suit jacket’s inner pocket.
“As it happens, I received a sample today as a sponsorship request from Moer. Why not use this temporarily?”
“This is……”
“A brooch. If you fix it at the shoulder seam, it should cover the damage naturally. Please take care on your way out.”
Cha Kyung turned with elegant grace without waiting for a reply.
His departing silhouette left a powerful afterimage in Na Hee’s mind.
“What is this? How ridiculous. Who does he think he is, handing something like that to someone else’s girlfriend? Showing off his money, making people feel awful.”
Kyung Jun grumbled, tapping the ground with his foot.
“You’re upset?”
Kyung Jun answered Na Hee’s question immediately.
“Of course I’m upset!”
“What about it bothers you?”
“It seems like he’s interested in you, that’s what bugs me.”
So, you think the same thing too.
Right, that’s what it must mean.
He must have seen at a glance that Do Ah and I aren’t on good terms, yet he still went out of his way to give me this brooch.
“No matter if it’s a sample, he wouldn’t have given it to me unless he was interested, would he?”
Na Hee examined the brooch carefully. A soft luster emanated from the colored gemstones and platinum setting.
‘That’s right—if that vulgar, shabby Do Ah can have a man like that, there’s no reason I can’t. Or rather, how could anyone prefer her to me when I’m a hundred times more attractive?’
A delicious chill ran through Na Hee’s entire body. She had felt a sensation like this before.
It was the day she stole Kyung Jun, the boyfriend Do Ah had dated for seven years.
A cruel and thrilling sense of conquest—the feeling of taking something that belonged to another—flooded through Na Hee’s mind.
* * *
After Cha Kyung pulled the car over briefly and stepped out, the interior was filled with a heavy silence and only the faint lingering scent he had left behind.
That fragrance—a blend of the elegance of iris and the sharp bite of black pepper—tickled the tip of Do Ah’s nose and brought back memories of what had just transpired.
“How did you grow up so beautiful and upright without parents?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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