Acts We Shouldn't Do (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“Thanks to you, I discovered a great restaurant. I enjoyed the meal.”
“I’m glad it suited your taste. Thanks to you, I also had a delicious and satisfying meal.”
They had just finished paying separately. Tae Seo smiled gently and opened the restaurant door. Jae In followed him out onto the street.
Contrary to her worries that it might feel awkward, dinner with Tae Seo had been surprisingly comfortable. There had been no unnecessary chatter, and she never once felt the weight of uncomfortable stares.
Tae Seo had patiently adjusted his eating pace so Jae In could fully savor her cold noodles and dumplings. Jae In liked how he focused intently on his meal with quiet, composed manners.
She still couldn’t quite tell, but it seemed Kang Tae Seo wasn’t the type to be easily swayed by her looks.
As someone who needed to seduce him into calling off their engagement, she wasn’t sure whether to consider that fortunate—or unfortunate. Jae In felt conflicted.
“I rarely meet people around here who like Pyongyang cold noodles—it’s a surprise.”
“My grandmother loved it, so I remember eating it with her a few times. I didn’t appreciate the taste back then, but as I grew older, I started craving it every now and then.”
“Exactly. It really does pop into your mind once in a while. There aren’t any restaurants serving Pyongyang cold noodles in Chicago at all. I was so happy to have it again after so long.”
“Did you live in Chicago?”
“Yes. That’s where I’m from.”
“It must be freezing there right now.”
“Have you been there?”
At Jae In’s question, Tae Seo frowned slightly as if recalling something, then smiled.
“When I was in college, I went to Chicago in the dead of winter and suffered badly. I almost froze to death at Lake Michigan, trusting only a down jacket. I still can’t believe I had the audacity to brave minus thirty degrees Celsius.”
“Chicago winters really are harsh.”
“I used to think only New Jersey winters were cold—what a country bumpkin I was.”
“Did you live in New Jersey?”
“I graduated from a university there.”
Jae In already knew this. According to her online research, Tae Seo had followed an elite path even among elites.
He’d completed his middle and high school years in the UK slightly ahead of his peers. At seventeen, he’d moved to the U.S. and enrolled in Princeton University’s economics department—one of the most prestigious Ivy League schools.
After graduating, he’d gone on to earn his master’s degree at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
But something puzzled her. Though he’d entered both university and grad school with top grades, he’d graduated significantly later than his peers—and yet still achieved excellent results.
Just who exactly are you? Curious, Jae In stared openly at Tae Seo. He pretended not to notice her gaze fixed on him and kept walking straight ahead.
“If Chicago’s your hometown, then why Korea…? Do you have family here?”
“No. I don’t have any family in Korea.”
Tae Seo nodded at her firm reply. He sensed no dishonesty in her words—likely because Jae In didn’t consider her biological father, Jo Dae Hoon, as family.
Tae Seo was enjoying the moment. He already knew Jae In was from Chicago. He also knew about her biological father in Korea—but he deliberately played ignorant, asking questions on purpose.
Learning about her directly from her own words felt delightful. And the more he learned, the more curious he became about things never mentioned in the official report.
For instance, what kind of weather or season she liked, how she liked to relax, what songs she was listening to lately, or whether she enjoyed any other sports besides yoga.
He wondered what foods she liked besides Pyongyang cold noodles and dumplings, whether she had a favorite author, what movie had deeply moved her, and what she did first thing every morning. He found himself increasingly curious about the little details that made up Yoon Jae In.
But he didn’t ask. He didn’t view her as someone he’d see just once or twice. If he wanted to get to know her long-term, he needed to move slowly. He absolutely didn’t want to risk pushing her away by rushing things.
“Why were you alone at that café earlier? Were you supposed to meet someone?”
“No. After work, I had something on my mind and decided to take a walk. It got a bit chilly, so I popped in for a coffee.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. Surprised by Tae Seo’s answer, Jae In widened her eyes.
“Do you work nearby?”
“Not too far.”
“I teach yoga at the studio on the third floor of that café. You should come take a class.”
“Do you offer friends-and-family discounts?”
“There’s no such thing. But if you check in every day for a month during our opening promotion, we give you a yoga mat. It’s a high-end one—definitely worth aiming for.”
“Hmm, that sounds tempting. I was actually thinking of buying a good mat anyway.”
Tae Seo gave a faint smile at her natural-sounding sales pitch. Jae In glanced sideways at him and shrugged her shoulders.
“To be honest, I was a little surprised.”
“By what?”
“Judging by your clothing brand and the watch you’re wearing, you don’t seem like someone who’d care about saving money.”
Tae Seo burst into laughter at Jae In’s candid remark—a loud, hearty laugh that made passersby hunched against the cold jump in surprise. Jae In couldn’t help but smile along as she continued.
“That’s why I was surprised you suggested Dutch pay.”
“Did it upset you?”
“I’ve only ever met men desperate to buy me things. I don’t mean it badly—and it absolutely didn’t upset me. Honestly, I liked it. It felt refreshing.”
“Refreshing? That’s a word you use for fish, isn’t it?”
Being likened to seafood didn’t bother him at all. Tae Seo found himself unexpectedly examining a hidden part of his own heart—he realized he was perfectly willing to enter Jae In’s “fishing pond.”
“Since you studied in the U.S., I guess you don’t know Korean well. I meant ‘refreshing’ as in ‘novel.'”
“Actually, you’re the surprising one—claiming Chicago as your hometown yet speaking Korean so fluently. Did you live in Korea for a long time?”
“I lived here for seven years. But my Korean fluency has nothing to do with how long I stayed. My mom, who passed away last year, wasn’t fluent in English, so we always spoke Korean at home.”
Tae Seo fell silent for a moment. According to the report, Jae In’s mother, actress Yoon Se Na, had died last autumn from a chronic illness.
The death of a once-renowned actress had drawn surprisingly little coverage in Korean media—clearly someone had deliberately suppressed the news. And it was obvious without confirmation that the person responsible was Jo Dae Hoon.
“It must’ve been tough living in the U.S. with a mother who struggled with English.”
He deliberately avoided offering condolences about her mother’s death. He knew better than anyone that excessive sympathy could feel forced to someone who chose not to show their grief openly.
“Not at all. We were truly happy. Living just the two of us, I never once felt like anything was missing.”
“Then why give up that happy life in America and come to Korea? Was it… because you felt lonely after your mother passed away?”
Jae In paused briefly, then offered a gentle smile. For some reason, Tae Seo felt that her smile was forced.
“A close friend convinced me. Did you happen to see her? She was with me in the hospital room that time. We run the yoga studio together.”
“I don’t remember your friend. But hey—where are we even going right now?”
“Us? Oh…”
They’d been walking aimlessly from the restaurant for quite a while already. Jae In suddenly realized her officetel wasn’t far from here and met the man’s gaze head-on.
If she mentioned her place was nearby, it might sound like she was asking him to walk her home.
Should she suggest grabbing another drink, just because parting felt hard? But given her past experiences with men, that could easily be interpreted as a flirtatious signal.
She’d only intended to figure out what kind of person he was today—but according to her plan, she’d eventually need to seduce him anyway. So maybe making a move now wouldn’t be unreasonable, despite it being their first meeting.
But was that really the right approach? Was that the correct move?
“If you’d like to keep walking, I’m fine with that. I’m just worried you might get cold.”
He turned out to be unexpectedly thoughtful and kind—so much so that her earlier apprehension about how he’d treated Jo Yuri now felt misplaced.
Surprisingly, she actually felt quite at ease. His respectful distance showed consideration, and their shared conversation had been genuinely pleasant.
Even his slightly haughty gaze and demeanor didn’t feel unpleasant at all. The arrogance stemming from quiet self-confidence was, in fact, quite attractive.
She detected none of the entitled arrogance or sense of privilege typical of the second- or third-generation heirs she’d met countless times before. Kang Tae Seo, the sole heir of Kang Seon Group, was unexpectedly down-to-earth.
While Jae In gazed thoughtfully at the distant officetel building, Tae Seo spoke again.
“It’s snowing.”
“Oh.”
Jae In looked up to meet the lavender-tinged sky. A delicate snowflake landed softly on her seemingly tender cheek—then instantly melted, leaving behind a dew-like trace.
“Wow, it really is snowing… I used to hate it in Chicago, but seeing it here feels welcoming. Maybe because it’s been so long—it feels different somehow. It’s giving me strange feelings.”
Jae In murmured softly, as if to herself, her eyes fixed on the falling snow. Without noticing, she’d shifted her steps slightly, trying to catch different angles of the sky, until she stood facing Tae Seo.
Tae Seo had been watching only her, as she tilted her head upward toward the heavens. Suddenly, he raised his hand—he’d been wanting to gently cup her cheek since earlier.
“Wow, it looks like it’ll snow quite a bit. The roads will be a mess tomorrow.”
“…Yeah, probably.”
“Thinking about that first makes me feel like I’m getting old. Oh—does that mean we’ll have a white Christmas?”
His gaze slowly drifted from her flushed cheeks to her chattering lips.
The red lipstick she’d worn earlier had completely faded during their meal of cold noodles and dumplings. Her natural lip color, now fully revealed, looked irresistibly cute and pure—so much so he wished no one else could see it but him.
He clenched and unclenched his gloved hands several times before chuckling softly and firmly tucking them into his pockets. Then he took a step backward.
“Since we met by chance, let’s part ways here.”
“…Huh?”
Only then did Jae In turn her gaze toward him. The man announcing their sudden parting looked slightly uncomfortable, his brows faintly furrowed—but he still offered a bright, breezy smile that somehow felt oddly charming.
“I think this is just the right note to end on for today.”
His utterly unpredictable words made Jae In tilt her head slowly in confusion.
“If we meet again, I’ll treat you next time. I won’t suggest Dutch pay like I did today.”
There was something almost mischievous in his expression. Jae In found herself smiling back without even realizing it.
“Dutch pay is fine with me. Honestly, it feels more comfortable that way.”
“Hmm. No. Next time, I’ll pay. And earlier, when I suggested Dutch pay—it was on purpose.”
“Why?”
“Because I only spend money on my people.”
Jae In froze mid-breath, instantly grasping the meaning behind his words.
“So if we meet again, I’ll treat you—whether it’s a meal or anything else. Whatever it takes.”
As if worried she might miss his point, Tae Seo clarified it plainly. Jae In bit her lip softly. His sudden, bold flirtation hit her with an unexpectedly intense heat.
“So if you want to become my person, just step back into my sight again. If not, make sure you stay well-hidden and never catch my eye.”
“…”
“Once something’s mine, I never let go. I can be incredibly persistent.”
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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