Behind Five Willows
June Hur
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
4.56
· Steam/Spice level: 1 of 5
Glimpses and kisses [?]
· 8 ratings · 352 pages · Published: 26 May 2026
As the dutiful second-eldest daughter of a poor family, society would have Haewon believe that her only hope of a decent life is to marry well. But during a time of rampant government censorship and book banning, she instead works as an illegal book transcriber in order to make a little extra money. It's dangerous work, but she loves it - especially when she gets to transcribe the work of her favourite author, known as Black Lotus.
When her older sister becomes smitten with a wealthy young gentleman, Haewon is roped into chaperoning them during their courtship. Which wouldn't be so terrible, if it weren't for the young man's uptight and annoying best friend who also accompanies them.
As the only son of a noble, Seojun has a lot expected of him. Wealth. Status. Respectability. Certainly not frivolous and often illicit activities such as reading fiction. But Seojun loves to do something even more scandalous: writing. He's kept his work secret from his father and friends, but with each passing day, the pressure of being his father's son and the dispiriting actions of the government make Seojun question the purpose of it all. The only thing keeping him going are the encouraging letters he receives from his transcriber, known only as Magpie.
When his best friend falls hard for a girl of lower social status, Seojun finds himself forced to act as chaperone to the infatuated couple - along with the girl's younger sister, who is as irritating as she is judgmental. But as Haewon and Seojun spend more time together, they begin to suspect they may have judged each other too quickly . . .
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Tagged as:
- historical 2
- young adult 2
- m-f romance 1
- height difference 1
- good grovel 1
- class difference 1
- second chances 1
- enemies to lovers 1
- east asian mc 1
- competent heroine 1
- independent heroine 1
- take-charge heroine 1
- grumpy/cold hero 1
- rich hero 1
- early 20s fmc 1
- Add topics
- content warnings
- misogyny 1
- geography
- south korea 1
- asia 1
- Format
- audiobook
