Acts We Shouldn't Do (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
It was about an incident from the past—when he got an actress pregnant.
On the night Yuri learned she was Kang Tae Seo’s fiancée, she clutched a photo of young Tae Seo tightly in her hand while listening to her parents argue.
“Was that rumor true?”
“It doesn’t matter. It happened before I met you, and anyway, you’ll be the mistress of Hyun Yang Construction.”
“There’s really a child, right? What are you going to do about the kid!”
“Don’t worry—Yoon Se Na’s not the type to show up waving the child in your face. Focus on properly educating Yuri instead. Do you have any idea how rare it is to become in-laws with the Kang family? Make sure Yuri doesn’t hang around with the wrong crowd.”
Back then, being so young and utterly captivated by the handsome boy in the photo, she’d let their words wash over her.
Then, one day in middle school while preparing for a gayageum competition, Yuri suddenly came face to face with a girl named Yoon Jae In.
In that instant, Yuri instinctively realized that this pretty girl standing before her was the very reason her parents had been fighting since she was little.
“What are you spacing out about?”
“Mom.”
“Hmm?”
Yuri turned to face her mother, Seung Hee, who was lying with her eyes closed, receiving a back massage.
“Something feels off.”
“What does?”
“…Do you know where Yoon Jae In is or how she’s doing?”
“…Why bring up that name all of a sudden?”
Seung Hee sat up and gave a meaningful look, prompting the shop staff nearby to quietly close the door and vanish. Once she confirmed they were alone, Seung Hee furrowed her brow.
“Ugh, what bad timing.”
“Just look into it a bit.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Kang Tae Seo seems to know something about Yoon Jae In.”
“How would Tae Seo know anything about her? He probably just heard some old gossip floating around. And why ‘Kang Tae Seo’? Is that any way to address your soon-to-be husband?”
Seung Hee grabbed her daughter’s wrist just as Yuri absentmindedly brought her freshly manicured coral-pink nails back toward her lips. Despite being on the cusp of sixty, Seung Hee’s frown revealed a remarkably youthful face.
“And even if you find out, then what?”
Seung Hee lay back down again, closing her eyes dismissively.
“She’s nobody. Just someone with a passably pretty face. She’s living quietly in America with her mother. You don’t need to worry about her.”
“But still…”
“You’re at it again. If Tae Seo has any sense, he won’t get involved with trash like that. With you right here, do you really think he’d entertain some illegitimate child nonsense?”
“Right, Mom?”
“Call the staff back in to finish what we were doing. Don’t let silly thoughts ruin your mood.”
“Okay.”
Yuri opened the door and gestured; two employees waiting nearby reentered the room. Just as Yuri, having finished her nail treatment, was about to take off her robe and lie down on the massage bed next to Seung Hee—
“Seems like you barely get to see Tae Seo these days?”
“…I guess he’s busy.”
“He’s probably swamped adjusting to life in Korea and handling work. Don’t pressure him too much. I heard he lived alone overseas for so long that he’s become a bit distant. Try not to take it personally.”
“Okay.”
“Men are naturally indifferent about wedding preparations. You should take the lead and start getting things ready yourself. You’ve been engaged long enough—there’s no point delaying it. How about aiming for autumn? Why don’t you text him now, while you’re thinking of it?”
“…Okay.”
For proud Yuri, initiating contact with a man was unthinkable.
Yet she acknowledged she had no choice but to swallow her pride—after all, she’d fallen head over heels for Tae Seo the moment she first saw his photo as a child.
Her man, Kang Tae Seo, truly was that exceptional—a man so handsome and capable that it only made sense for Yuri to stake her whole life on him.
So perhaps this current unease was simply the price of having such an outstanding man by her side.
“Yuri, your nails.”
“Oh, right.”
She must’ve unconsciously started biting them again. As the phone rang on the other end, Yuri clenched her lips anxiously.
—Kang Tae Seo speaking.
“This is Jo Yuri.”
—Ah…?
Her lips had just begun to curve at the sound of his pleasingly deep voice—but then the man fell silent for a beat, clearly caught off guard.
Yuri briefly wondered if Kang Tae Seo didn’t recognize her number, but quickly dismissed the thought—it was perfectly normal not to check the caller ID when answering during a busy moment at work.
“How’s your schedule tonight? Let’s have dinner together. I have something to talk about.”
—I’m busy. I’ll be working overtime.
“Alright. Since I called you out of the blue today, I’ll let it slide. But you’d better keep Christmas Eve free. If you’re busy that night, I’ll be mad.”
—What does my being busy on Christmas Eve have to do with you?
“I’m your fiancée, Tae Seo. Isn’t it reasonable for me to expect something special then? Let’s have dinner somewhere nice.”
—Oh, so I’m supposed to have dinner with my fiancée on Christmas Eve?
“Looks like all that studying left you completely clueless about dating. How boring. I was actually trying to get in a bad mood.”
After a long pause, Yuri heard the man chuckle softly. Just that small sound made her press a hand firmly against her pounding heart.
—Dinner with my fiancée on Christmas Eve… Thanks for the tip.
“So we’re meeting that day, then. Where should we go?”
—Let’s just meet briefly tonight instead. I was planning to contact you sometime this month anyway—no need to put it off.
Just as expected. She knew it all along—Tae Seo did care about her. He’d simply been too swamped with work to find time. There was no point clinging to her pride with a man like this.
Convinced, Yuri decided to set aside her aloofness and accommodate his mood. After all, he was the man who would soon be hers.
“Alright. I’ll head over near your office. Is seven okay?”
—I’ll have my secretary send you the time and location. See you later.
She wasn’t thrilled he’d hung up so abruptly without proper manners. She figured she’d bring it up with him later, but for now, Yuri set her phone down with a noticeably brighter expression.
“What did he say? You’re meeting him?”
“Yeah. We’re having dinner later. He’ll get in touch.”
“See? When a man’s reserved, you just have to push forward. Tae Seo must’ve buried himself in studies and work so much he doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body. Honestly, men like that are easier to live with than overly affectionate ones.”
“Yeah.”
Yuri closed her eyes, now at ease, as she lay face down. Aromatic oil trickled smoothly over her polished back.
“I wanted naengmyeon and dumplings.”
“We’ll have that tomorrow. Since we just came from the hospital, you need to eat tofu.”
“That sounds like prison food.”
“…You’re right. But let’s have hot tofu stew today instead. It’s too cold for naengmyeon. A client recommended this place—they raved about it.”
It was the evening of Jae In’s discharge. Arm in arm with Sang Hwa, she walked into an alley nestled among towering buildings. After a long walk, a quiet residential area appeared, as if conjured by magic. Hidden within stood a small restaurant with a tiny sign.
“Owner, one small order of tofu stew… Hey, should we get grilled mackerel or stir-fried pork?”
“Mackerel.”
“We’ll have one grilled mackerel. And please, don’t skimp on the rice just because I’m a woman—load it up!”
“It looks just like any regular bapsang place?”
“This is supposedly a real gem. Word-of-mouth hit among Gangnam office workers—apparently, at lunchtime, the line stretches all the way to the bus stop out front.”
Jae In nodded and picked up her spoon. A pot of fiery-red stew, generously packed with thick tofu slices, arrived bubbling hot. Soon after, a perfectly golden grilled mackerel was served.
“Wow, the broth’s amazing.”
“Really?”
“Ha, good thing I wore elastic-waist pants.”
As Sang Hwa exclaimed, Jae In giggled and blew gently on a soft spoonful of tofu.
“What’s too much?”
The voice, laced with unmistakable anger yet oddly endearing, sounded strangely familiar. Jae In lifted her head toward the source.
The woman, dressed in an elegant designer two-piece incongruous with the setting and draped in a cream cashmere coat, was someone Jae In knew all too well.
Though they hadn’t seen each other in nearly ten years, Jae In recognized her instantly—after enduring seven years of Yuri’s contempt and loathing, how could she forget?
Instinctively, Jae In shifted slightly deeper into the booth. She’d never imagined running into Yuri here. She absolutely couldn’t let the Hyun Yang Construction family find out she was back in Korea yet.
“What? Someone you know?”
“…Yeah.”
“Who is it?”
“Don’t turn around. Let’s just eat.”
Her appetite vanished entirely. Jae In distractedly poked at the mackerel, trying to push away resurfacing memories. Merely seeing that face made her blood run cold.
“What do you mean, ‘too much’?”
But at the sound of the man’s refined voice—undeniably familiar—her ears perked up again.
“This is our very first dinner together! How could you bring me to a place like this? With your secretary tagging along, no less!”
“‘Bring you’? I came here for dinner with my secretary after working overtime. You’re the one who insisted on coming all the way here saying you had something urgent to discuss.”
While Yuri’s voice grew shrill with anger, the man’s deep, calm tone remained utterly composed.
“What do you…?”
“If you have something to say, just say it. I’ll listen while eating.”
“Tae Seo!”
“Let’s not make a scene in a restaurant. Order food if you intend to eat—or leave if you don’t.”
“What did you say?”
Jae In was stunned—someone actually dared shut Jo Yuri down like that. Curious about the face of the man who addressed Yuri so coldly in that low, resonant voice, she still chose not to turn her head.
“Was your ‘something to say’ going to take long? Come to think of it, what I needed to tell you could’ve been handled over the phone. If I’d known it would turn out like this, I’d have just called.”
A brief silence followed. Leaning over the stew pot, Sang Hwa whispered conspiratorially,
“Hey, I don’t know what’s going on, but this is juicy. Everyone in this restaurant’s probably eavesdropping on that couple’s fight. Which side do you know—the woman or the man?”
“The woman.”
“Really? Hmm… Wait, that man’s voice sounds so familiar—I can’t place it, but it reminds me of that radio DJ we listened to every night in senior year.”
Jae In quietly spooned up some broth from the stew Sang Hwa had served her.
“Let me ask just one thing—Kang Tae Seo, do you have no consideration for your fiancée at all?”
“Consideration for my fiancée…”
As Jae In listened to their exchange, she suddenly found the thread she’d been searching for—the direction her long-contemplated revenge should take.
The broken engagement of Jo Dae Hoon’s only daughter, Jo Yuri… what if the reason was none other than Yuri’s secret half-sister?
It sounded like a plot straight out of a melodramatic soap opera. Not Jae In’s preferred approach—but thinking of Yuri and her mother Ji Seung Hee, who’d called her and her own mother “filthy,” made her willing to give it a try.
Moreover, it would be a satisfying way to deliver a major blow to Jo Dae Hoon, who went to such lengths to project an image of a harmonious, picture-perfect family.
“Is it considerate to track down a busy man who barely carved out time for dinner just to disturb him?”
“…”
“Excuse the disturbance, owner. Executive Director Jang, is tofu stew okay with you? We’ll have two servings of tofu stew and one grilled mackerel as well. Two water glasses should be enough.”
Requesting only two glasses was a clear dismissal. Where in the world could you find a fiancé who treated his fiancée like that?
“No, that’s not it.”
“What isn’t?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Jae In shook her head, lost in thought.
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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