A Beastly Boss (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“Come into my house.”
A simple suggestion. But it was so shocking that Seul Hee’s eyes widened.
“My house? You mean your house, Mr. Ok??”
Are you seriously asking me to… move in and live together… right now… with you?
Words failed her, and her lips moved soundlessly. Yet despite having just delivered such a bold line, Eun Woo’s expression remained calm.
“Yes. I think you’ll like it. It’s a building where you can keep a dog, and it’s close to the hospital too.”
“Even so…”
Of course, she desperately wanted to take Gom Gom home immediately. But still—how could she possibly live under the same roof as him? Slight panic made her pupils tremble.
“I don’t think I can do that. Not even in an urgent situation like this.”
The man standing before her—Ok Eun Woo—was unmistakably male. No, not just any man. To Seul Hee, who already found him intimidating as her superior, he was absurdly, unfairly handsome. He lowered his head slightly, as if trying to read what she was saying.
His face drew close to hers. Beneath slightly tousled hair—from the long consultation just moments ago—his eyes gleamed.
Even under the hospital’s harsh fluorescent lights, his beauty was merciless.
Live in the same house as a man like that? Cohabit before even getting married…?
Watching her flush with embarrassment, he tilted his head. The muscles in his neck flexed beautifully.
“Why? Do you really dislike me that much?”
Eun Woo frowned slightly and murmured.
“It’s not that I dislike you… It’s just that people might talk if we live together.”
Her heart was already pounding like this—how could she possibly survive seeing him twenty-four hours a day?
At that, Eun Woo’s expression shifted as if to say, “What on earth are you talking about?” He tilted his head first one way, then the other, then let out a short laugh. His previously furrowed brow smoothed out.
“Ms. Seul Hee.”
“Yes?”
“Crazy as I might be, I’m not so insane that I’d suddenly ask Yoo Seul Hee to move in and live with me.”
His lips twisted—as if suppressing either laughter or sheer disbelief.
“I meant for you to move into a house I own.”
“A house you own?”
“I have an officetel near the office. Like I said, you can keep a dog there, and it’s close to the hospital too. I’ll be moving out of my current place soon. That’s why I thought it’d be a good fit.”
“So… that house…”
“I won’t be living there. It’ll be empty.”
“Oh.”
Ah. Ahhhhh.
That’s what he meant. Now she finally understood. Her face burned with embarrassment over her ridiculous misunderstanding.
What was I even thinking? Even though Mr. Ok and I are pretending to be lovers right now, there’s no way he’d actually suggest living together. He’s not that kind of strange person.
Her lips moved soundlessly again, then she whispered hoarsely, as if forcing the words from her throat.
“I-I’m sorry. I misunderstood.”
He raised a hand and pressed it to his forehead—perhaps a headache was coming on. After covering his face for a while, he murmured softly.
“…It’s fine. I must’ve phrased it ambiguously. I didn’t expect you’d think I meant my own home.”
So he must’ve thought I’d lost my mind.
Actually, it was me who’d gone crazy.
“So… do you want to go see the place?”
“Oh…”
What should I do?
As soon as she recovered from the shock of her earlier misunderstanding, she calmed down and thought it through.
Mr. Ok owned an officetel. Dogs were allowed, and it was close to the hospital. She hadn’t asked about rent yet, but the conditions seemed decent.
But it was still Mr. Ok’s place.
Of course, he wouldn’t be living there—but he’d still be the landlord. Was that really okay? She was already entangled with him in too many awkward situations. And now becoming landlord and tenant on top of everything else?
That really didn’t feel right. The idea of her boss being her landlord didn’t sit well with her at all. Slowly, Seul Hee shook her head.
“I’ll look around some more. I don’t want to owe you that big a favor. I’m sure I’ll find something. It’ll just take some time.”
“Alright, then.”
He replied calmly.
“I’ll look around some more. I don’t want to owe you that big a favor. I’m sure I’ll find something. It’ll just take some time.”
She’d said it so confidently. Yet despite Seul Hee desperately searching everywhere and running all over town, she still couldn’t find a place. What should I do, what should I do—she worried endlessly until it was time for their weekend date again.
This would be their last date before meeting his friends. Since Eun Woo had chosen the location last time, it was Seul Hee’s turn to pick this time.
In the car on the way home, they exchanged their usual small talk.
“What do you feel like doing?”
“Hmm…”
“We meet your friends next Saturday, so we should get closer before then.”
She’d never really thought about what to do on a date in her entire life. And their last date had been so wonderful—the zoo he’d taken her to had been incredibly fun. She couldn’t think of anything that would top it.
“What do you think would be good?”
“What did you usually do on dates in the past?”
Past dates…
At his question, she tilted her head slightly and tried to recall. What had she done? Nothing special came to mind. Just grabbing food in busy districts, watching a movie once in a while, or going to a PC bang with Chan Jeong, who loved gaming.
Compared to their last zoo visit, those ideas felt boring. Seeing her hesitate, he asked again.
“Anything you like—I’m fine with anything.”
Anything, he said… Could she really choose freely, exactly as she wished?
Truthfully, Seul Hee liked things that were a bit childish—amusement parks, board game cafés, the kinds of places teenagers loved. Suddenly, an article she’d read about escape rooms popped into her mind.
Cafés where couples solve mysteries to escape a room within a time limit were apparently very popular.
“Wow, solving puzzles or riddles sounds so fun.”
As someone who loved mystery novels, the idea especially appealed to her.
If she ever got the chance, she’d love to try it.
But escape rooms required a group—she couldn’t go alone—and all her friends were busy with their own dates or work on weekends, so no one was available.
When she’d mentioned it to Chan Jeong, he’d flat-out refused.
“What adult goes to an escape room? So childish. Haven’t you outgrown that yet? Seul Hee, you really need to refine your tastes.”
His mocking voice still echoed in her ears.
What about Eun Woo?
She raised her eyes to look at his face. Dressed impeccably, sitting with perfect posture as he held the steering wheel—it was hard to imagine him jumping around impatiently in an escape room like that.
He seemed even more mature than Chan Jeong. There was no way he’d agree to go to something as juvenile as an escape room café.
If he called it childish, she really wouldn’t be able to stand it.
Finally, she made up her wavering mind.
“Hmm… how about a movie?”
Play it safe, she thought—and said it. At that, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
“A movie?”
“Yes. Is there anything you’d like to see?”
“Ah…”
While the traffic light changed, Eun Woo suddenly turned to look at Seul Hee’s face. He made a small sound, as if pondering, then tilted his head. Just his gaze alone made her strangely nervous.
Beneath long eyelashes, his eyes shone piercingly. She swallowed hard.
Whenever Mr. Ok looked at her like that, it felt as if he was seeing straight into her soul—and a strange warmth pricked her chest.
“Do you really want to watch a movie?”
“Huh?”
Unable to grasp his intent, Seul Hee blinked slowly.
Why was he asking? Did he dislike movies?
“I’m asking if you truly want to watch a movie. We decided to do things we genuinely enjoy, right? Since we’re deceiving our closest people, this shouldn’t just be killing time—we should really get to know each other.”
“Oh…”
Eun Woo continued.
“You don’t really like movies, do you? I thought you’d suggest something more dynamic. That’s why I asked again—it surprised me.”
He was right. Seul Hee didn’t particularly love movies.
She didn’t dislike them—sometimes she’d go see a hit film—but as he said, she never talked about them enthusiastically. And yes, she did prefer more active things, just as he’d noted.
“Oh… I just thought movies are what people usually do on dates. But… how do you know what I like?”
At her question, Eun Woo’s lips twisted faintly. As the light turned green, he pressed the accelerator and moved the car forward.
“I’ve never heard you talk about movies at the hospital.”
Impressive memory.
“You must remember conversations with people really well.”
“Well… not with everyone.”
He said that, then lowered his eyes.
“I actually know more about you than you think.”
“…About me?”
“More than you know about me.”
Now that she thought about it, everything about Eun Woo had been surprising. She’d never imagined he’d pay such attention to others or remember their conversations so carefully.
“Not the usual stuff—do you really have something you personally want to do? It’s our last date before meeting friends, so let’s do something you truly want.”
He was asking sincerely—not just to pass time or check a box, but genuinely wanting to know her preference.
After hesitating for a long while, Seul Hee finally whispered,
“…I’d like to try an escape room.”
“An escape room?”
At her words, Eun Woo shrugged.
“You solve puzzles to escape the room. I’ve never been either.”
“Is it your first time?”
“Yes.”
Before Eun Woo could answer, Seul Hee spoke first.
“It’s kind of childish, right?”
At that, he laughed.
“Sounds fun—why not?”
“…”
“And it’s normal to be a little childish when you’re in love.”
He spoke as if they were truly in a real relationship.
“Shall we go? To the escape room.”
“If you’re okay with it, Mr. Ok.”
“It might take a while, but let’s escape together.”
Then he smiled.
“It might take a while,” he’d said—but as beginners, they escaped so quickly that the staff was amazed, commenting it was an unusually good time. It was all thanks to Eun Woo, who solved the puzzles intuitively.
Finally, on Saturday, they went to the escape room together. Afterward, they took a commemorative Polaroid to celebrate their success, and Seul Hee looked up at him, flushed with excitement.
“That was so, so fun! Wow, I’ve never done anything this fun before!”
It was so thrilling her excitement wouldn’t fade.
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Very much. Next time…”
I want to come again.
But Seul Hee’s lips stopped mid-sentence.
There was no next time. This was their final practice.
Once all their arranged plans were over, their pretend relationship would end too. No more dates after this.
At first, it had all been overwhelming—being tangled up with the intimidating Mr. Ok, going on dates with a man she didn’t even have feelings for… she hadn’t known what to do.
Eun Woo, walking ahead, turned back when he noticed she’d stopped speaking.
“Ms. Seul Hee?”
At first, it had been awkward—but it had been fun.
Maybe because it was so enjoyable, the thought that there’d be no “next time” left a hollow emptiness in her chest. She couldn’t say anything at all as she looked at Eun Woo’s puzzled face staring back at her.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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