An Instinctive Proposal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
Tae Han, sunk into the back seat, had a grim expression.
The city’s night view flashed past his eyes, but Yeon Woo with that unfamiliar man wouldn’t leave his mind.
So, without even realizing it, he’d gotten out of the car—and after making eye contact with that man, his mood sank even further.
‘You’ve grown up a lot, Seo Yeon Woo.’
He knew she was lying even as she mentioned getting married.
Because Yeon Woo had never deceived him before, he recognized the falsehood even more clearly.
“I’ll go ahead first—the taxi’s waiting.”
Still, he was irritated.
Remembering Yeon Woo’s affectionate appearance with that strange man, Tae Han’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
Though he’d had her by his side for five years, he’d never seen Seo Yeon Woo smile so brightly or hold hands so warmly with a man.
After all, in front of him, she’d always been like an emotionless robot, merely reciting schedules.
What Tae Han saw with his own eyes struck him more shockingly than her words about marriage.
Recalling Yeon Woo from just a moment ago made him feel as though something deep inside him had reached its boiling point—like a pot lid violently rattling past its threshold.
“The company isn’t important to me. Honestly, I can’t understand why you, as president, would go this far.”
Her attempt to draw a boundary twisted his mood unpleasantly.
“Driver Park.”
“Yes, President.”
Moreover, not even a single won had been charged yet to the card he’d given him.
“My body feels stiff—let’s change direction.”
He didn’t know exactly why he felt so displeased, but Tae Han sensed he wouldn’t be able to sleep unless he shook off this irritating feeling.
Glistening lights briefly caught in his dark eyes before fading away.
The taxi heading toward Cheonan was quiet.
It was understandable—after all, Gyu Bin, whom she hadn’t seen in ten years, had abruptly become her fiancé.
Yeon Woo glanced sideways at Gyu Bin seated beside her. He stared straight ahead, unreadable in his thoughts.
“You were startled earlier, weren’t you?”
She gathered her courage to speak. Her mind still couldn’t sort out how best to explain.
“I didn’t expect the president to approach you like that all of a sudden…”
“It’s fine. Later on, I kinda figured it out myself.”
The more she met Gyu Bin’s eyes as he smiled gently at her, the more ashamed she felt.
They weren’t even close friends who’d kept in touch—they’d just reunited after ten years and yet she’d acted that way.
“I’m really sorry.”
She felt so embarrassed she wanted to stomp her feet, yet all she could do was offer a simple apology, which itself made her feel even worse.
“By the way, I heard from Auntie that you got a job at Tae Sung, but I didn’t know you were a secretary.”
“That’s just how it turned out.”
“It suits you well. You’ve always been meticulous, punctual, and had a good memory.”
Gyu Bin turned toward her and smiled softly.
He’d always been kind-hearted—often voicing what Yeon Woo couldn’t bring herself to say or steering the conversation so she wouldn’t feel awkward.
“But, Yeon Woo, that earlier incident is fine—but there’s something I want to ask you.”
Yet Gyu Bin seemed slightly different from how he used to be.
Had his features grown this masculine, his voice lowered this much, or his eyes staring at her become this firm?
“What’s the relationship between you two?”
Yeon Woo stared at him, breath held. Gyu Bin kept his gaze locked on hers, giving her no chance to look away.
“It didn’t seem like a typical boss-employee dynamic. It might just be my impression, though.”
His slight smile at the end probably meant he didn’t want to shock her too much.
Yet despite knowing that, Yeon Woo couldn’t soften her stiff expression.
“What kind of relationship does it seem like to you?”
She finally forced the words out through her tightened throat.
“I couldn’t say.”
Gyu Bin interlaced his fingers on his lap, as if buying time, then spoke calmly.
“But it didn’t seem like an ordinary relationship.”
Looking at him, Yeon Woo’s eyes wavered.
Why?
The moment Gyu Bin said that, emotions she’d barely managed to bury surged restlessly within her.
Startled by her own reaction, Yeon Woo clenched her fists on her lap as Gyu Bin continued.
“Why did you have to introduce me to your boss as your fiancé? Is there something… strange going on between you and him?”
“No, it’s not like that at all. The president and I are strictly boss and employee.”
She hated the thought of Tae Han being mistaken for some shady guy.
After finishing her sentence, Yeon Woo exhaled deeply.
“But I’ll admit it probably looked odd. There are just parts I can’t fully explain.”
Gyu Bin asked again.
“Then why did you introduce me that way?”
“Well…”
Yeon Woo swallowed hard. She had to navigate this situation carefully.
“Because you kept saying you’d introduce me to guys.”
“Guys?”
“Yeah. So I told you I had a boyfriend I was going to marry—to avoid the pressure.”
“Oh…”
Only then did Gyu Bin burst into an easy laugh, as if it finally made sense.
“So that’s why you did it?”
“…Yeah.”
“You should’ve just told me earlier. I was imagining all sorts of things.”
Watching Gyu Bin chuckle wryly, Yeon Woo felt a twinge in her heart.
“But are you really okay with me introducing you like that? We haven’t kept in touch, so it might be different for you.”
“It’s fine. Just because we’re dating doesn’t mean we’ll get married right away.”
Hearing that, Gyu Bin stared intently at Yeon Woo for a moment, then suddenly touched his jaw with a mysterious expression.
“Hmm, I guess so.”
He nodded slowly. Something about his tone felt different, so she turned her head—and saw Gyu Bin quietly lost in thought.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this without talking it over first. I really didn’t mean to—it just happened that I ran into the president at that exact moment.”
“It’s okay.”
Gyu Bin gave a faint, bland smile.
After that, no more mention was made of Tae Han—but the atmosphere remained oddly tense.
“So… you don’t have a boyfriend now, right?”
“No.”
Only after answering did Yeon Woo realize they’d talked only about Tae Han this whole time.
They’d just reunited after ten years—there was enough to catch up on that even a whole night wouldn’t suffice.
“Did you come here with your parents?”
“No, just with Mother. Father had a schedule conflict and couldn’t come with us.”
“I see. It would’ve been nice to meet him.”
“He’ll come next year.”
“What about you? How long will you stay this time? Isn’t this your first visit to Korea?”
Gyu Bin gave a brief smile and met her eyes.
“Actually, it’s not my first time. I’ve come a few times before, but I couldn’t contact you then.”
She assumed it was because he didn’t have her number—but Gyu Bin surprised her.
“I didn’t have the courage.”
“Courage?”
It didn’t seem like something requiring bravery for him to contact her—so as she asked, a ringtone interrupted.
Pulling her phone from her bag, she saw six clear characters glowing on the screen:
[President Ki Tae Han]Yeon Woo unconsciously held her breath.
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
The ring continued as Gyu Bin peeked curiously at her phone.
Finally, Yeon Woo swiped the call icon sideways.
“Hello?”
—It’s me.
She’d known it was Tae Han, of course.
Conscious of Gyu Bin’s gaze fixed on her, Yeon Woo turned her head slightly away.
“What is it?”
—The file organizing the personnel for the renewable energy hub project.
“What?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Yeon Woo blinked—and a low voice came through again.
—Where is it?
“Ah… The hub project personnel file is backed up on File Server 2. Should I give you the password verbally now?”
—Never mind.
Tae Han abruptly cut her off.
—But I know that guy isn’t actually your boyfriend.
His voice hardened, as if revealing his true intent all along.
Yeon Woo’s eyes flickered rapidly—her ruse had been exposed all too plainly.
—Still, there must’ve been a reason you felt you had to tell such an obvious lie.
Even in his absence, she could almost see his cold expression before her.
Yeon Woo wanted to deny it, but with Gyu Bin right beside her, she couldn’t bring herself to tell another lie.
—Starting today, I’ll be thinking about that reason.
The more Tae Han pushed, the more trapped Yeon Woo felt.
After taking a deep breath, she spoke.
“President, unless there’s anything else you need, I’ll see you on Monday.”
Before he could respond, Yeon Woo pulled the phone from her ear.
She knew it was rude—but she hung up first.
This was unprecedented. She might get called into the president’s office on Monday for a stern reprimand.
Her heart pounded, but until Tae Han approved her resignation, she had no choice but to stay firm.
“Are you okay? That was your president again, right?”
If Gyu Bin hadn’t spoken up, she might have sunk completely into thoughts of him.
“Yeah. Work stuff.”
She answered as casually as she could.
But she didn’t notice how long Gyu Bin’s gaze lingered on her stiffened expression.
At that moment, at the Tae Sung Group headquarters.
A slender man wearing glasses crossed the silent hallway.
The name on his employee badge read Jeon Il Soo.
He was a key figure overseeing group operations—the right-hand man of Chairman Ki Tae Sung and also the left-hand man of Vice Chairman Ki Tae Wook.
Moments later, Jeon Il Soo stood before a large door at the end of the corridor. As he knocked, a man opened it.
“Vice Chairman, Director Jeon Il Soo is here.”
The revealed space was vast yet desolate.
In this wind-swept-feeling room sat a man with black hair.
Facing the window, only his back was visible to Jeon Il Soo—but he still bowed respectfully.
“I pay my respects.”
“Isn’t it strangely beautiful, this night view?”
A rough yet languid voice drifted out.
Employees surrounding the man like bodyguards stood silently, hands clasped together.
“It’s disgustingly peaceful. I expected absolute chaos by now.”
Jeon Il Soo bowed his head, understanding exactly what the man meant.
“I’ll look into it.”
“If that bastard stays quiet, it fouls my mood. I’m uneasy—he’s always pretending to be righteous, and who knows what he’s scheming next.”
“There’s no need to worry.”
At that, the man let out a short, sigh-like scoff.
“Quietly check him out. See if he’s up to anything useless. He’s cunning—just keep an eye on his close aides.”
“Understood.”
Jeon Il Soo bowed deeply toward the man, whose face remained unseen to the very end.
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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aah, serim really messed up.
claimed to know everything but in reality know nothing.
allergic reaction could be really dangerous.