An Instinctive Proposal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13
“Yeon Woo, are you really okay?”
There was a knock on the door. But Yeon Woo couldn’t even bring herself to say she was fine.
“Yeon Woo will be alright.”
After a moment, Gyu Bin’s voice, comforting Sun Ok, drifted through.
“What on earth happened? The president’s gone off somewhere again, leaving Yeon Woo all alone…”
Even so, Sun Ok still sounded anxious.
She was even more worried because Tae Han, whom she’d expected to come along, hadn’t shown up either.
And understandably so—Yeon Woo had rushed home alone shortly after leaving with Tae Han and buried herself under the covers.
Though she knew she needed to shift attention away before drawing too much worry, Yeon Woo didn’t even have the energy to open her mouth.
Wrapped tightly in her blanket, she lay there replaying what had just happened.
Everything had been perfectly fine up until she was eating with Gyu Bin.
But the moment she caught a whiff of the sauce, nausea surged uncontrollably, and in panic, Yeon Woo abruptly left the table and ran straight home without thinking.
“Was that morning sickness?”
Yeon Woo gingerly placed a hand on her lower abdomen.
It still felt flat and soft, yet she could now vividly sense Tae Han’s child growing inside her.
She had wondered before why she hadn’t experienced any morning sickness yet—but she certainly hadn’t been waiting for it to hit at a time like this.
It was incredibly inconvenient in every way.
She also felt bad about leaving Tae Han behind at the café.
“I should… probably call him, right?”
But before she could bring herself to do it, she just sighed deeply, clutching her phone tightly.
Rrrr.
Suddenly, her phone rang in her hand.
[President Ki Tae Han]As expected, it was Tae Han calling. Yeon Woo swallowed hard and pressed the call button with trembling fingers.
“H-hello.”
Her voice came out small, burdened by guilt.
She’d braced herself for him to snap—scolding her for what she was doing, yelling at her for how she dared leave him alone in the café like that, and ordering her to come right back.
How are you feeling?
Instead, what came through was a low, concerned voice. Yeon Woo gaped in disbelief.
“…Ah, yes. I’m okay now.”
If your stomach felt bad, you should’ve said something.
Her stomach was actually fine—but since that wasn’t the real reason, she couldn’t explain her earlier behavior. She forced out an awkward laugh.
“I think I just got a bit of indigestion from breakfast. I’m really fine now.”
Did you take medicine?
“I already took some.”
If you’re okay, come out for a bit.
“Huh?”
Wasn’t he already back in Seoul?
Yeon Woo was flustered at the thought of seeing his face again so soon, yet she had no good reason to refuse.
She also still felt bad for leaving him behind like that.
“I’ll come out right now.”
After ending the call, Yeon Woo pushed aside the blanket, stood up, tidied her messy hair, and opened the door.
“Ah! You scared me…!”
She jumped, startled by two figures standing right in front of her—Sun Ok and Gyu Bin were standing far too close.
“What are you two doing, standing here like high-ranking officials?”
“Are you feeling better now?”
Sun Ok immediately grabbed her hand and asked.
Only now did Yeon Woo truly see her mother’s worry. Of course she wouldn’t be calm—seeing her daughter, who’d come home for a rare visit, rush in pale-faced like that.
“I’m fine, so don’t worry.”
Yeon Woo finally understood her mother’s feelings and squeezed her hand back.
“Anyway, I’ll just step out for a moment.”
“Where to?”
This time, Gyu Bin asked.
“The president is waiting just outside the house…”
She stopped mid-sentence. Gyu Bin’s expression had changed in a strange way.
Was it just her imagination?
“He asked to see me briefly.”
“Yeon Woo, did something happen between you and the president? It was already strange that he came here out of the blue today…”
“There’s nothing going on. I’ll be right back.”
To hide her inner turmoil, Yeon Woo quickly turned away.
Stepping out the front door, she spotted a familiar sedan parked at the bottom of the stairs.
Tae Han was already standing outside the driver’s seat.
Seeing his neatly combed hair made her heart skip a beat. She swallowed and slowly walked down the steps.
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
As she reached the bottom and spoke first, Tae Han turned toward her, his hands in his pockets.
They’d just been looking at each other in the café moments ago, yet somehow, meeting his eyes now felt impossible. Her heart pounded as if it were sinking.
After glancing briefly at Yeon Woo, who was avoiding his gaze, Tae Han wordlessly handed her something he’d been holding.
“Here.”
It was a white plastic bag, printed with the name of a familiar pharmacy.
The moment she saw it, Yeon Woo felt her throat tighten unexpectedly.
She’d been sick because she was carrying this man’s child—and receiving medicine from him stirred up emotions she couldn’t quite name.
“Did you buy this because you were worried about me?”
She should’ve just thanked him, so why did she feel compelled to ask?
“Take care of yourself before the business trip. Don’t get indigestion again, especially not in Jeju.”
His reply was so predictably practical.
Yeon Woo fell silent. It sounded like he was just telling her not to be a burden on the trip.
“You really don’t need to worry about me. I already have medicine.”
“Take it even if you do.”
Though his words weren’t wrong, Yeon Woo felt hurt and didn’t move. Tae Han, growing impatient, pushed the bag toward her again.
She reluctantly reached for it—and their fingertips brushed. Though it lasted only an instant, the contact burned like fire on her skin.
“I’ll go. Rest.”
As Yeon Woo watched Tae Han turn and head back to the driver’s seat, she bit her lip.
He didn’t look back at her even once—not even when he opened the car door.
“President.”
Was this hormones playing tricks on her?
She’d thought she could handle it until now, but ever since the morning sickness started, her chest kept fluttering uncontrollably.
“Why did you come to my house today?”
Tae Han, gripping the door handle, looked back at her.
If Yeon Woo was a surging wave, he was an unmovable rock—no matter how much she crashed against him, he stood firm.
“Be honest—you already know I like you, don’t you?”
It really must be hormones.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
Since she planned to tell HR she wanted to resign after the business trip anyway, Yeon Woo decided she needed to hear his answer.
Meanwhile, the moment Tae Han heard her question, his head throbbed.
“Be honest—you already know I like you, don’t you?”
Why? For a split second, his body went rigid. He’d known for a while that Seo Yeon Woo liked him—so why did this feel so different?
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
When Tae Han stayed silent, Yeon Woo pressed on firmly, making it clear she wouldn’t back down.
But as he watched her eyes slowly redden, Tae Han feared she might burst into tears at any moment.
And only then did he realize—his chest had felt heavy and tight ever since Yeon Woo ran out of the café earlier.
It was a strange feeling he’d never experienced before.
“Are you… keeping me on the hook or something?”
“Yeah.”
Tae Han answered before he even understood his own thoughts.
He’d only been worried about Yeon Woo rushing off like that and had bought every kind of digestive medicine he could find for her nausea.
There was no deeper intention behind his actions.
For the first time in his life, his body had moved before his mind.
“I’m just being nice so you won’t quit.”
Since he couldn’t explain his own behavior, Tae Han latched onto Yeon Woo’s words as if they were the truth.
Otherwise, he couldn’t justify to himself why he was acting so unlike himself.
“You said you can’t stand being in the same space as me—that I bother you.”
“…”
“So what else can I do? All I can do is struggle like this.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Tae Han felt the tightness in his chest suddenly ease.
Right. That’s it.
He still didn’t know exactly why Seo Yeon Woo was trying to resign with such obviously false excuses—but for now, he needed to understand his own position first.
Only then could he begin to understand her actions.
“…I see.”
Meanwhile, Yeon Woo’s chest rose heavily as she murmured the words to herself.
Even though Tae Han’s answer confirmed what she already knew, hearing it directly hit her far harder than she’d imagined.
Her throat tightened and her nose stung so badly she could barely speak—but she let out a quiet, bitter laugh.
“I figured as much. But this… it’s pointless.”
Careful not to let her emotions show, Yeon Woo met his eyes.
“Anyway, since you gave it to me, I’ll take it properly. And please don’t worry about me—I’ll handle things myself.”
“What do you know about handling things? If you really knew how to handle it, then…”
Tae Han bit his tongue, visibly holding back his words, then frustratedly ran a hand through his bangs.
“Never mind. Go inside.”
Then, as if he didn’t want to argue with her anymore, he turned away first.
Yeon Woo stood rooted to the spot, staring only at the red taillights until his sedan disappeared around the corner.
Was this storm of emotion merely the bitterness of a long one-sided love? Or was it shame toward herself for lacking the courage to speak the truth?
Yeon Woo stood there, motionless, for a very long time.
***
The morning sickness, once it began, showed no sign of stopping.
She couldn’t eat dinner that night, and the next day, she had to rush out without touching the meal Sun Ok had prepared for her.
Just the smell of food now made her stomach churn as if she were on a rocking boat. She wouldn’t have made it through the bus ride back to Seoul without the sweet-and-sour jelly Gyu Bin had bought her.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t even properly say goodbye to Gyu Bin.”
Back in her Seoul apartment, Yeon Woo was packing for her Jeju business trip the next day when Gyu Bin suddenly came to mind.
“Can you really manage going back to Seoul alone by yourself? What even gave you indigestion?”
He’d gone out of his way to get her both jelly and sparkling water at her request—it felt thoughtless of her not to acknowledge him.
As she reached for her phone to finally call him in Cheonan, Yeon Woo suddenly froze.
Her eyes fell on a small notebook sitting on the table.
It was her maternity notebook, its cover illustrated with a mother holding a baby—and her name was written on the front.
“…”
For some reason, an unfamiliar feeling stirred in her chest as she picked it up.
When she’d first received it, she’d been too afraid to even open it—but now it was filled with ultrasound images of her baby and daily notes she’d written.
The doctor had encouraged her to record every little change each day, so even the smallest details were noted.
The latest entry was about her morning sickness episode in Cheonan.
Tae Han’s face briefly flashed in her mind, but she quickly shook her head to dismiss it.
“Should I bring this to Jeju too?”
Yeon Woo fiddled with the notebook.
Ever since accepting the reality of her pregnancy, she’d never let it leave her side.
“Just in case something happens during the flight.”
Having made up her mind, she slipped the notebook she’d been holding into her business trip bag.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
aah, serim really messed up.
claimed to know everything but in reality know nothing.
allergic reaction could be really dangerous.