An Instinctive Proposal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10
Yet Min Hee suddenly stopped speaking, then gave a light laugh and shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, never mind that. If it involves Secretary Seo, he always acts unlike President Ki. So I just wondered… maybe?”
Min Hee tilted her head slightly in confusion and offered her a faint smile.
Yeon Woo instinctively lowered her eyes, avoiding her gaze. The look demanding an answer made her throat feel tight.
“President Ki and I have a boss and secretary relationship.”
“Yeah, thanks for the clear answer.”
Min Hee gave a quick smile and turned away.
Her back looked relieved, as if there was nothing more to ask.
* * *
Finally, the dinner event had ended.
But Tae Han was still standing in the same spot, now surrounded again by a crowd.
“President Ki Tae Han, I didn’t get to greet you earlier. We’re from Songwoo Construction…”
Many people were eager to make an impression and hand over their business cards. Yeon Woo accepted them on his behalf and stepped back a few paces from the group.
Yeon Woo checked the time briefly.
9 p.m.
It was later than she’d realized. Still, she didn’t feel tired. Min He’s words kept echoing in her ears.
“Yeah, thanks for the clear answer.”
Why did that simple farewell bother her so much, like a thorn pricking at her nerves?
“Secretary Seo.”
After what felt like a long while, Tae Han was finally alone. He beckoned her with a flick of his hand, and she quickly approached.
“The car is waiting at the back gate.”
“Get in and go with me.”
Yeon Woo looked up at him as though he’d just said something absurd. Tae Han stared back at her with dry, weary eyes, as if telling her not to act so childish.
“It’s late already. I’ll drive you, so just get in with me.”
“No, I…”
She planned to head straight to the terminal and catch the overnight bus to Cheonan.
Before she could explain, her phone suddenly rang from inside her coat.
After briefly checking the caller ID, Yeon Woo chose not to answer. It felt awkward taking a personal call right in front of Tae Han.
“Why not pick up? Is it your boyfriend?”
But the moment he asked that, Yeon Woo realized she could use this opportunity to her advantage.
She felt bad about it toward Gyu Bin, who was calling.
“Yes, it’s my boyfriend. Excuse me for just a moment.”
She gave a slight bow and turned to leave. Tae Han raised one eyebrow in clear displeasure.
“Hello?”
—It’s me. Are you done with work?
“Yeah. I’ll be leaving soon.”
She’d actually texted Gyu Bin a little earlier, right after returning from the restroom.
—Tell me your location. I’m nearby.
Gyu Bin had just finished his meeting too, and Yeon Woo felt relieved, thinking she wouldn’t be bored on the ride to Cheonan.
“I’m currently at…”
Unaware that Tae Han’s brow had furrowed slightly as he listened, Yeon Woo described her current location.
—Take a taxi; I’ll be there in no time. Hop in and let’s go to Cheonan together.
“Alright. That sounds best.”
Yeon Woo ended the call after saying she’d wait for him at the main gate.
She’d been dreading the walk to the terminal now that her tension had eased—but this worked out well enough.
When she turned back after hanging up, Tae Han stood watching her, hands tucked into his pants pockets.
His direct stare still weighed heavily on her, but she kept her composure and spoke plainly.
“My boyfriend’s coming to pick me up, so I’m fine.”
At that, Tae Han’s expression turned complicated.
It was the look of someone dissatisfied but unsure exactly what bothered them, leaving him visibly unsettled.
“Thank you for your hard work today.”
Yeon Woo bowed slightly to him.
Driver Park was already waiting, and since she wasn’t his personal attendant, she didn’t need to see him off any further.
“Aren’t you supposed to have your boyfriend greet me?”
“Huh?”
But Tae Han showed no sign of stepping back.
“About your boyfriend, Secretary Seo—if you two get married, I’ll send a congratulatory gift. Shouldn’t you introduce him to me in advance?”
Caught completely off guard, her mouth hung open.
He wasn’t wrong—only if Gyu Bin really were her fiancé.
But since he wasn’t, she couldn’t recklessly bring him forward.
“Next time. He had drinks at a company dinner and isn’t in great shape now. I’ll formally introduce him properly another day.”
“Tae Han?”
Just then, a voice called out nearby.
Tae Han turned, and Yeon Woo lifted her head as well. Min Hee was approaching from a distance.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Unwilling to watch the two of them together, Yeon Woo hurried away with quick little steps.
Tae Han watched her leave with clear displeasure, then turned back with a look full of things left unsaid.
* * *
“Ha…”
Only after stepping outside did a sigh of relief escape Yeon Woo’s lips.
She felt lighter.
But her heart sank.
Tae Han, who drew people to him like a magnet, and Min Hee, who called his name so casually and stayed close by his side.
Even though she knew there was no space for her between them, a sharp pang still rose up inside her.
She hated how their images kept overlapping in her head, yet she couldn’t stop it.
How long had she been standing there?
Just as she began to feel the evening chill, a taxi pulled up and stopped. Moments later, the back door opened, revealing a face both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.
Tall in stature, dressed lightly, his bangs fluttering in the wind, and broad shoulders wrapped in a checkered shirt.
He’d clearly grown into a man—but the smile he gave her was exactly the same as before.
“Gyu Bin!”
Yeon Woo called out in pure delight.
“Yeon Woo.”
Gyu Bin strode briskly toward her.
He was astonishingly grown-up compared to the childhood friend she remembered, yet she beamed warmly as he came closer.
“I’d recognize you anywhere. Seo Yeon Woo—you haven’t changed a bit!”
“Neither have you! Same face, just taller! How have you been? I missed hearing from you.”
Her voice rose involuntarily from sheer joy.
Without even realizing it, the two, reunited after ten years, clasped hands easily and warmly.
Gyu Bin had always been well-built for his age and used to be just a head taller than her—but now it seemed like two.
If she hadn’t been working so closely alongside the tall Tae Han lately, she probably would’ve been amazed by Gyu Bin’s height.
“Yeah, I never wanted to lose touch with you, but it just happened. I asked around among old classmates and finally found your social media—but it said the account didn’t exist, and I was really disappointed.”
“Really? I had a temporary account back then, but it’s gone now. It probably showed up as inactive.”
The two stood by the taxi, chatting excitedly and freely—remarkably at ease for people meeting again after a decade.
She’d always been curious about how he was doing. Gyu Bin had been the friend she matched with best, and she’d hoped they could reconnect.
She used to repay the kindness his parents had shown her by looking out for him whenever she could.
“Did you wait long? It’s cold—why didn’t you wait inside? I should’ve told you to just call when I was out.”
“It’s fine. I haven’t been standing here even five minutes. You really were close by, huh?”
“Yeah. Let’s get in.”
Yeon Woo continued the conversation with Gyu Bin as naturally as if they’d met just yesterday.
Just as she was about to get into the backseat of the taxi with a smile—
Her smile faded as she glanced casually to the side.
Behind the taxi, a familiar sedan had pulled up and stopped.
“What’s wrong?”
Gyu Bin looked at her curiously, wondering why she was staring fixedly at something instead of getting into the taxi.
Only when Gyu Bin’s gaze followed hers did the sedan’s back door open silently.
Thud.
The crisp sound of polished shoes hitting the pavement seemed to echo through the air.
The moment she thought she saw a long leg emerge, Tae Han appeared.
“Secretary Seo.”
He called out to Yeon Woo. Gyu Bin looked between them, utterly bewildered.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
His low, resonant voice filled the space between the three of them.
But his greeting carried less warmth than warning—a quiet, pressing intensity.
“Haven’t you left yet?”
“I was on my way out. Just happened to spot Secretary Seo while leaving.”
Since approaching, Tae Han hadn’t looked at Yeon Woo once.
His intense gaze locked onto Gyu Bin instead. Sensing it, Gyu Bin also looked between the two of them with a puzzled expression.
“I’m Ki Tae Han.”
Tae Han stepped forward and extended his right hand to Gyu Bin.
“I’m Choi Gyu Bin.”
Gyu Bin grasped Tae Han’s hand with both of his.
Though they’d never met, he’d surely sense it—Tae Han wasn’t an ordinary man.
“Gyu Bin, this is my company’s president.”
“Oh! It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Gyu Bin smiled and bowed politely. Yet Tae Han’s face remained as stiff and icy as ever, unmoved.
“If it’s not too much trouble—may I ask you to introduce yourselves properly?”
“Yes. I’m Yeon Woo’s clo—”
“President.”
Yeon Woo cut in quickly before he could say “close friend.”
“The taxi’s waiting, so we’ll be going now.”
She grabbed Gyu Bin’s arm and pulled him along.
Only now did Gyu Bin realize this situation was uncomfortable for her, and he followed her without protest.
“Use this for the fare.”
But Tae Han, acting as if that idea were ridiculous, reached into his blazer and pulled out his wallet.
He handed Yeon Woo a black card.
Still too stunned to speak, Yeon Woo just gaped at him—until he continued.
“Still, running into each other like this must be fate. However busy you are, you should at least exchange greetings. This is your boyfriend you’re planning to marry, right?”
At the word “marry,” Gyu Bin’s eyes widened.
Yeon Woo felt cold sweat gather on her skin. Her lips trembled in embarrassment.
No matter how hard she thought, no other solution came to mind.
“Yes.”
Having finally told the lie, Yeon Woo looked up at Gyu Bin.
I’m sorry. Please, help me out.
Praying he’d understand from her eyes alone, she turned her gaze back to Tae Han.
“I’ll send you an invitation when the time comes. But I’d rather not introduce him like this, President.”
A faint trace of mockery flickered across Tae Han’s lips—but when Yeon Woo flinched, the smile vanished instantly.
“Alright. If Secretary Seo insists.”
Tae Han immediately switched to a friendly, businesslike smile.
“It was a pleasure meeting you. I’d like to arrange a proper meeting sometime.”
Gyu Bin, shaking Tae Han’s hand again, looked unsettled.
“Secretary Seo is a valued employee of mine.”
Unlike their earlier handshake, Tae Han’s grip now carried firm, unmistakable pressure.
“I’d like to keep her with me to the very end.”
“…Yes, yes.”
“Then, Secretary Seo, see you Monday.”
Tae Han released Gyu Bin’s hand without hesitation and turned away.
Driver Park quickly opened the back door for him, and he disappeared inside.
Only after the sedan had driven off did Yeon Woo feel like her knees might finally give out.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
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aah, serim really messed up.
claimed to know everything but in reality know nothing.
allergic reaction could be really dangerous.