He also had in mind several good restaurants where they could have dinner together. He dreamed of a modest date, just like the first time they met on Christmas Eve.
But tteokbokki?
“Do you… perhaps dislike tteokbokki?”
Faced with Jae In, who looked up at him with round eyes, Tae Seo unwittingly shook his head.
Her face, asking if he disliked tteokbokki, was not expecting an answer of affirmation or denial.
He realized it meant, could there possibly be anyone in the world who dislikes tteokbokki? Unfortunately, it seemed that Yoon Jae In was fond of tteokbokki.
“Is there anyone in the world who dislikes tteokbokki?”
How spicy could it possibly be? Tae Seo steeled himself for the challenge.
“I mean, of course. But why… ah, have you never… tried something like this before?”
Jae In’s follow-up question subtly pricked at Tae Seo’s pride. It was as if she was asking if the wealthy don’t partake in such commoner’s food, which made Tae Seo furrow his thick eyebrows.
“How could that be? It’s just that, since we have to stand in line, I was worried about Jae In’s legs getting sore…”
“That means it’s a place worth the wait. If it’s this much on a Saturday, it’s not even a long line. Last time I came with my friend, even on a weekday, the line stretched all the way to the end there. I’m fine. If Tae Seo is okay, let’s wait just a bit longer, us.”
What to do.
Tae Seo had a weakness for spicy food. He went to England at the age of four and grew up there until he graduated from high school.
The spiciest thing there was the hot sauce sprinkled on fish and chips, and Tae Seo did not like it. He also detested ketchup with a hint of jalapeño and chili sauce.
It was the same while he attended college and graduate school in America. Accustomed to life abroad, he preferred unseasoned and bland Korean food when he did eat it.
But tteokbokki.
For a moment, Tae Seo wore a look of resigned defeat, but then his eyes sparkled.
“Ah. These days, jajang tteokbokki and cream tteokbokki are also popular. Have you tried those?”
“No. Those are heresies. I’m a traditionalist. True tteokbokki has to be red.”
“…Like me.”
Tae Seo, resigned, watched as the line shortened. His stomach already seemed to be churning.
“I should have come to greet you sooner; I apologize for being late.”
Looking into the rearview mirror, Yu Ri showed a decidedly demure smile, but soon a frown creased her brow.
“Do you like traditional snacks? I’ve been learning to bake, and today they turned out so well I just had to bring you some.”
Dressed in a tweed two-piece with black lines on a white background, Yu Ri checked her outfit again, adding a demure and elegant smile with a twinkle in her eye. However, not quite satisfied, she frowned again.
“When I bake delicious snacks, I think of Grandmother. Grandma, please may I have a warm cup of tea?”
She stretched her words, trying to add a touch of charm. It was a fox-like trick she could pull off when needed, but today it felt awkward, and there was a reason for that.
The place where Yu Ri had stopped the car was the spacious parking lot of the Kang Sun Art Center. Today, Yu Ri was here to meet Director Lim Hong Jin, whom she had no doubt would become her step-grandmother.
Director Lim Hong Jin was known for her strict and cool demeanor. Yu Ri had greeted her a few times in official settings with her mother, but this
“Mom, are you listening? Yoon Jae In is here in Korea?”
“…I’ll talk to your father and check, so just wait.”
“What’s there to wait for! That sly fox is with Tae Seo right now! Why should I wait? I hate it! Bring Yoon Jae In before me right now!”
“Jo Yu Ri!”
“You could find out if you stepped in, Mom!”
The very day Yu Ri heard that Yoon Jae In had appeared at the Kang Sun Art Center with Kang Tae Seo, she raged with bloodshot eyes, voicing her anxiety to her mother.
But all she got in return was a look that seemed to see her as an immature child and the usual placating words.
“Why are you so anxious? Do you think you’re less than what that Yoon Jae In is? Yu Ri, look at me. No. Has Mom ever not given you something you wanted?”
“…No.”
“I’ve given you everything you wanted, haven’t I?”
“Yes.”
“All you need to do is prepare for the wedding calmly. Don’t skip cooking classes, tea ceremony classes, and from now on, try to visit the director of Kang Sun Art Center whenever you can.”
“Get rid of her. You understand, Mom? Get rid of her.”
“Yu Ri, even if Tae Seo acts indifferent, the marriage is set. So no matter what anyone says or what rumors there are, you don’t need to worry. I will take care of everything.”
That day, Yu Ri called Tae Seo several times to confirm the truth and confront him. But he didn’t answer his phone, and her misguided anger was directed entirely at Jae In.
Surely as vile and loose as her own mother, flirting with another woman’s man.
With that thought, the anxious Yu Ri started clocking in at the art center, to win over the person she needed to impress most right now.
Director Lim Hong Jin could be the most influential person surrounding Kang Tae Seo to solidify this marriage.
Since she had never spoken with Kang Shin Jae, the chairman and her prospective father-in-law, at any official event, Director Lim Hong Jin, who would smile at young Yu Ri, seemed the easier target.
But after several futile visits due to Director Lim Hong Jin’s absences, Yu Ri came today having confirmed through a contact that the director was in.
Whatever happened, today Yu Ri had to make sure that Director Lim Hong Jin acknowledged her as Kang Tae Seo’s bride-to-be.
“It’s been a while, Grandmother. May I come to visit you more often from now on? Please treat me with ease, thinking of me as your granddaughter.”
Yu Ri, trying to relax her awkwardly risen smile, unconsciously bit and pressed her lips together, checked her smudged lip makeup, and clicked her tongue as she pulled out her lipstick.
Yu Ri, having retouched her makeup, looked towards the passenger seat. Lying neatly on the passenger seat was the traditional snack she had made that morning and let cool.
She had delicately wrapped the box in a beautiful patchwork of silk and adorned it with a sprig bearing red berries tied in the knot.
Taking a moment to gather herself, Yu Ri stepped out of the car. She straightened the collar of her coat and carefully picked up the elegantly wrapped gift.
“It’s me who’s going to marry Kang Tae Seo. Do you think I would just stand by and let others flirt around my man? If Mom and Dad won’t act, I’ll do it myself.”
Yu Ri, heading towards the art center’s main building where the director’s office was located, held her head high. Her round eyes glinted spitefully, her expression characteristically haughty.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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