[Exchange Diary.]
Why is only the Exchange Diary placed neatly on the desk?
Even when I told them to tidy up, they only pretended to do so, but why is the desk so clean today?
“Did I clean up just to look at the Exchange Diary?”
Im Ha-yeon bit her lip slightly.
She must have written in the Exchange Diary after finishing her day’s work.
How much did she look forward to it that she cleared her messy desk to look at it in a tidy state? Without realizing it, Im Ha-yeon clenched her fists in frustration.
What could Miss Zhuge have written?
Could it be that there are slanders about herself written in there?
“If she truly is a ‘Fate-Laden Woman’, that might be possible.”
What if Kang Yoon-ho hears the slanders from Miss Zhuge and reconsiders things about her? What if his evaluation of her gradually deteriorates without her knowing?
Im Ha-yeon felt a moment of suffocation from the sense of helplessness.
If it wasn’t slander, it might contain Miss Zhuge’s feelings for Kang Yoon-ho.
What if he reads it and notices?
He might be so shocked he wouldn’t be able to close his mouth, then pick up the brush.
“What did he write?”
Could their relationship grow closer from today? Im Ha-yeon imagined Kang Yoon-ho and Miss Zhuge whispering sweet nothings in places unknown to her.
Sometimes with brushes, sometimes with whispers, sometimes with glances.
It hurts. So much that she doesn’t feel the pain of her bitten lip. Her heart aches.
[Exchange Diary.]
The Exchange Diary might contain Kang Yoon-ho’s innermost thoughts that he couldn’t express verbally.
It could hurt her. Perhaps it’s better not to open it.
But…
“It’s better than regretting not opening it.”
In the end, after much contemplation, Im Ha-yeon opened the Exchange Diary.
What could he have written?
[Not long ago, I read a precious book I found at the Man Geum bookstore. This book…]
“A book report?”
A book report in the Exchange Diary? No way that could be true. Is he trying to start lightly because the beginning is awkward? Soon, they should whisper sweetness.
Im Ha-yeon kept flipping the pages.
[The Head of Guards got some good books from the antique bookstore street. Do you know, Master Kang? Sometimes precious books like Martial Arts Secret Manuals come out at the Wuhan antique bookstore. Last year, there was a huge uproar at Mount Wu looking for such books. Ah, the book I saw…]
“It really is a book report.”
In the diary, there were neither slanders by a Fate-Laden Woman nor embarrassing sweet nothings for others. What was written was merely the daily life of a woman who loves literature and art.
So wholesome. It was so wholesome that if the Tea and Book Club members saw it, they would wonder what kind of book it was.
This cannot be. Even though she wants to think that, there are only a few pages in the diary. Most of them were book reports.
Of course, there was a line saying that she hoped Master Kang would read it. She wanted to read it together. The same words were written.
With this, it’s too ambiguous to call it sweet nothings.
Of course, there were some lines where he laid bare his feelings.
[I’m looking forward to living with Master Kang. And I hope I’m not too much of a burden to Ha-yeon unnie. She seems really angry because I made her move her residence because of me.]
Is it worry for her? Or is it a form of restraint?
It seems like a timid woman’s worry, but thinking of Miss Zhuge’s feelings, it also looks like restraint.
Im Ha-yeon momentarily paused her thoughts and began to read the part written by Kang Yoon-ho.
“Huh?”
[Ha-yeon So-ja is much more affectionate than she seems.]
Right from the start, there’s a compliment about herself.
[It may take time to open your heart. It also took me a long time to get close. Now that we’re close, she is someone I can trust more than anyone with the same goal.]
More compliments.
[There is no one who treats people with a warm heart like her. She denies it, but she is also my Martial Arts Master. She is learning the Rising Divine Technique, which is the vision of the Ha-yeon family.]
[I’m sure that if Miss Zhuge gains Ha-yeon’s heart, one day they will become like sisters. Also…]
The diary was filled with compliments about Im Ha-yeon that made her blush deeply.
“You really…”
Im Ha-yeon couldn’t lift her head, feeling shy as if she had heard Kang Yoon-ho’s love confession in front of many people.
The diary expressed his innermost thoughts so profoundly.
And because it’s an Exchange Diary, which he has to refrain from writing about other women, he openly wrote his undeniable feelings for her.
Where could there be sweeter sweet nothings than this?
With a crimson face, Im Ha-yeon returned the Exchange Diary to its original place and quietly approached his forehead.
“I’m sorry.”
She couldn’t wake him up, but she wanted to be by his side. Im Ha-yeon lingered for a while in front of his face, which draws her back no matter how often she sees it.
“It’s morning! Hurry and get up.”
“Umm…”
Morning, I rubbed my eyes and cautiously opened the door at the sound of a knock.
“Host prepared beef seaweed soup and sausage stir-fry. Come downstairs and eat with the staff.”
“Ha-yeon So-ja?”
At the door was Im Ha-yeon, who had come to wake me up, looking lively unlike yesterday.
“Why do you look different from others?”
Making a joke with a smiling face. She didn’t seem like the same person who had felt bad all day yesterday.
“Ah, no. I’ll get ready and come down.”
“I’ll save your seat, so hurry down.”
I nodded in agreement and closed the door again.
I slapped my cheeks to get my bearings back.
This is definitely that, right?
With a clear mind, I stood in front of the desk.
The window was closed, and everything was left just as it was before sleeping.
No matter how I looked around, I couldn’t find any traces of intrusion.
Except for the Exchange Diary, which was placed exactly like yesterday.
“I’ve seen enough spy movies to know what’s going on.”
I opened the book and smirked.
The position and angle of the Exchange Diary hadn’t changed at all from yesterday.
The only thing that was missing was a single strand of hair I had set aside at the end of the diary.
“Surely, expressing one’s true feelings is through the Exchange Diary.”
This time, the Exchange Diary wasn’t for Miss Zhuge.
Writing in a diary meant for Miss Zhuge, he poured out his feelings for Im Ha-yeon. Nothing could have been more comforting to her than that.
Im Ha-yeon has been getting bolder with her stealing lately, so I created a setup, and it hit the mark.
I feel sorry for Miss Zhuge. However, since it’s a contract relationship, and I wrote that I was worried about Im Ha-yeon, it turned into a good excuse.
In fact, since it was so close to a book report, I had nothing else to stamp, except my seal.
“From now on, I should think of this as an Exchange Diary for the three of us.”
I’ll have to work on a true Exchange Diary that satisfies both Miss Zhuge and Im Ha-yeon.
———————
“The mansion isn’t big, but it should have everything you need. Everything is ready, so you can move in with just a small amount of luggage.”
Upon arriving at the mansion where we would live together, someone from the Man Geum Battlefield started guiding me.
“The guards will be stationed around the clock. They will be stationed to an extent where it’s considered excessive; if you request it when you go out, they will follow immediately.”
“Master Man Geum said it’s a place where you don’t have to worry about the world’s gaze.”
“Haha.”
Why don’t they just tell me to make history with my granddaughter?
“Feel free to take a look around the inner courtyard later.”
The guide, who came from the Man Geum Battlefield, finished the tour quietly and withdrew to the outer courtyard.
“Two houses, the inner and outer. It’s a typical structure.”
“The inner house has two rooms, huh.”
Certainly, the mansion wasn’t just a grand mansion, but rather a size where a man and a woman could fall in love no matter where they were.
“Well, since the three of us are living together, how about we live separately in the inner house and the outer house?”
Master Man Geum, what a clear intention behind saying there are only two rooms in the inner house!
“Not bad.”
“Um…”
Miss Zhuge approached me, her head down, gripping my sleeve tightly.
“Yes, Miss Zhuge.”
Is there something she wants to say? If she wants a larger inner house, I’d gladly give it to her.
“I don’t think my grandfather would want that.”
Miss Zhuge said to me in a worried tone.
“I understand your concern, Miss Zhuge. However, living in the same inner house could put you in great danger if rumors spread incorrectly.”
Miss Zhuge probably wouldn’t actually want to live in the inner house.
She must have spoken out of her pure heart because of her concern for me and her fear of her tiger-like grandfather.
I appreciate her consideration, but we are in a contract relationship.
Living in the inner and outer houses provides a reason for an excuse later on.
If the two of them live together in the inner house, it would virtually be like a common-law relationship.
“When I… I’m okay.”
Miss Zhuge said to me, her voice trembling and her face turning entirely red.
This is awkward.
It’s the right choice for now, but if rumors spread later, it might lead to the Zhuge family playing their traditional game of tears with swords.
Then there’s Im Ha-yeon as well.
The inner house is originally for couples, while the outer house is for second wives or concubines.
If two friends sit in a car, with one in the driver’s seat and the other in the back, it turns into an awkward situation for the friend in the driver’s seat, so it’s a matter of etiquette.
I had just managed to change Im Ha-yeon’s mood, so I need to avoid raising any suspicions and making her angry.
I looked at Im Ha-yeon, worried.
“… You two will use the inner house.”
Huh? She’s not angry?
“Miss Zhuge, may I have a moment to speak? Ha-yeon So-ja, is that alright?”
I pulled Im Ha-yeon to a corner and asked.
Should I just tell them both to use the inner house?
“The Master of Man Geum might play more tricks. Let’s go with that.”
“If Ha-yeon So-ja agrees, then it’s fine….”
“What matters is where we sleep, but whether we have the same goal, right?”
Im Ha-yeon shrugged nonchalantly.
Could it be that the effect of yesterday’s diary is stronger than I thought?
Both Miss Zhuge and Im Ha-yeon are okay with this. After a moment of contemplation, I nodded.
“Then let’s move our things in and start living together from tomorrow.”
Immediate problems and future possibilities.
Resolving the immediate concerns is indeed the top priority.
—————————————–
“I thought my heart would burst!”
In the mansion of Master Man Geum, in Miss Zhuge’s room, the silver-haired beauty melted on the floor, exhaling a sigh of relief.
On a normal day, she would have nodded at Kang Yoon-ho’s suggestion to live separately, but today, she absolutely could not.
“I absolutely must get closer to Master Kang!”
The match proposal must not be nullified! To introduce another cousin to Master Kang is absolutely out of the question.
Miss Zhuge steeled herself and began imagining the future.
How can she get closer to Master Kang? First, imagining what situations will lie ahead.
When she wakes up in the morning, there’s Master Kang, with a gentle voice…
“Hmm.”
Unfortunately, the future plans quickly shifted to a blissful imagination.
She couldn’t hold back her laughter! She was glad she had the courage!
Thinking about living with Kang Yoon-ho in the same house, in the same room starting tomorrow, Miss Zhuge’s expression looked happier than ever.
And there’s the Exchange Diary. Though it was hastily written and largely focused on book reports, she managed to convey her feelings and received it within a day.
What contents would be in there?
Excited, Miss Zhuge opened the diary.
She found it quite enjoyable to read. “This was fun! Thanks for the recommendation.” His sincere reactions to the book report were filled in the diary.
Moreover, there were entries about daily life, revealing what Kang Yoon-ho usually does, which left Miss Zhuge satisfied.
Except for one thing.
“Why are there so many stories about Ha-yeon unnie?”
A bit of a sulky complaint slipped out of her lips.
If she were an average woman, she would have gotten furious. However, since she herself wrote concerns about Im Ha-yeon, being timid, she could only have a minor complaint.
Moreover, the diary was written with utmost sincerity by Kang Yoon-ho for her; her beautiful brows wrinkled slightly as she read about Im Ha-yeon, but she couldn’t stop reading.
“Huh?!”
Until she discovered a very strange detail in the text.
“Th-That can’t be true?!”
The fact that Kang Yoon-ho had brushed off so casually.
The detail that would be completely unimaginable if you were the youngest daughter of the Zhuge family was written in the diary.
The fact that Im Ha-yeon was learning the family martial arts from him, which was absolutely not disclosed to outsiders.
The vision for the family martial arts is never revealed to outsiders, unless one believes they have blood ties.
