An Instinctive Proposal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 18
That fleeting moment felt like an eternity.
Yeon Woo physically felt what it meant for cold sweat to trickle down her spine.
Even as her body stiffened from sheer embarrassment, she mustered all her strength and cried out again, fearing he might touch the notebook.
“Don’t touch it—it’s my friend’s!”
At last, his hand froze mid-reach toward the notebook.
Relieved that he seemed unlikely to press further, Yeon Woo clenched her fists tightly. Her palms were already damp with sweat.
“It looks like a prenatal notebook. Why would Secretary Seo have her friend’s notebook?”
He had, as expected, figured out what the notebook really was.
“I—I switched bags with my friend. I only found it inside my bag a moment ago.”
Her flimsy excuse earned her a suspicious glance.
Though it was understandable he’d find swapping bags confusing, she couldn’t think of any better excuse on the spot.
“My friend told me to take the more comfortable bag since I was coming to Jeju… I don’t own a bag like this.”
To gain his trust, Yeon Woo hurriedly lifted the bag she’d placed on the shelf.
She’d bought it on sale earlier this year at a mall near the office, but fortunately, she’d never brought it to work before.
Tae Han offered no reply.
The longer the silence stretched, the more nervously Yeon Woo’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“You get it now, so no need to be so flustered.”
He finally spoke again after what felt like ages.
As Tae Han withdrew his outstretched hand, Yeon Woo realized her cheeks had flushed bright red.
A moment later, he picked up a notepad and pen, wrote down his name and phone number, and handed it to her.
“I’m in charge of HR. Call me once you’re back in Seoul.”
Then he stood up and headed toward the door.
“Take a break.”
Yeon Woo stared blankly at Tae Han’s retreating back, clutching the note he’d given her tightly in both hands.
***
The next morning, Yeon Woo opened her eyes in silence.
An unfamiliar view came into sight. Bright sunlight poured through the window—she’d forgotten to close the curtains.
“Ahhh…”
She stretched out while still lying down.
Her restless mind had kept her awake until dawn, yet somehow she’d drifted off to sleep.
Checking the time, she saw it was already 8 a.m.
Having slept only a couple of hours, her body felt heavy and sluggish.
‘I’ll take a shower and go eat.’
Her decision after a sleepless night was simple: act normally—as she always did—both in front of Tae Han and for her own sake.
Many things would change as her child grew, and she would have to endure much more; she didn’t want to feel exhausted already.
Yeon Woo showered with fragrant body wash and dried her hair. For ease of movement, she wore dress pants and a blouse.
Her schedule today involved touring the Jeju branch site.
Though the idea of spending the day alone with Tae Han weighed heavily on her, she resolved to steady her nerves.
After dressing, she headed to the restaurant serving breakfast, thinking Tae Han and Sung Won—both early risers—had probably already finished eating.
“Oh? Ms. Yeon Woo.”
But just as she was halfway through serving herself, she ran into Sung Won.
“Good morning, Director. I thought you’d be up earlier—eating this late?”
“I did get up early. The CEO went for a morning workout, so breakfast ended up delayed.”
“Ah…”
Yeon Woo offered an awkward smile.
While she’d tossed and turned till sunrise, he’d apparently already sorted out his feelings—enough to have time for exercise, even.
He’d pleaded with her not to resign, yet letting go now felt instantaneous.
“Also, I heard from the CEO that you’re planning to resign.”
Yeon Woo looked up.
“I don’t know your reasons, but if you’ve told him directly, it must be final, right?”
“Well…”
“That’s a shame. I always liked our Deputy Seo Yeon Woo—you’re such a capable junior. Many colleagues will feel disappointed.”
Yeon Woo responded with a bitter smile and thanked him.
“I’ll let HR know ahead of time. Once your last day is set, we’ll hold a farewell party.”
“Thank you.”
“Grab your food and join us over there—the table at the far end.”
Yeon Woo turned toward where Sung Won pointed.
There sat Tae Han with his back to her.
Even the slight tilt of his head, seemingly reading a newspaper, radiated neatness and grace.
It seemed “born aristocrat” was another name for Ki Tae Han.
Yeon Woo slowly walked around the lavish buffet. With no appetite, she added only soup and a slice of bread before heading to their table.
“Good morning, CEO.”
Tae Han, who had been flipping through the newspaper, looked up.
Their eyes met, sending a jolt through her heart—but she gave no sign of it, simply placing her plate across from him.
“Nice weather today.”
He offered no response to her deliberate greeting.
“Yeah, it’ll probably get pretty hot by midday.”
Sung Won’s cheerful voice broke the awkward silence.
“Thanks to the CEO’s consideration today, I should be able to see my mom properly. I appreciate it, Ms. Yeon Woo.”
“Not at all. Have a good visit.”
As she replied, Yeon Woo glanced briefly at Tae Han.
He’d only briefly looked at her when she greeted him—otherwise, his eyes remained fixed on the newspaper as if utterly uninterested.
Yet for some reason, she couldn’t look away.
Though dressed in a shirt and trousers, the absence of a tie made him seem more relaxed than usual during work hours.
Her gaze drifted to his half-finished coffee cup before she quietly started spreading butter on her bread.
“Anyway, the view from this spot is absolutely stunning, don’t you think?”
Sensing the tension between the two, Sung Won tried again to ease the mood.
Only then did Yeon Woo turn to look out the floor-to-ceiling window. Beyond it, the Jeju village and ocean spread out like a picture-perfect postcard.
“Yeah, it really is beautiful.”
Contrary to her mood, the morning was dazzlingly lovely.
***
Right after breakfast, their schedule began.
Yeon Woo sat in the driver’s seat with the car key Sung Won had given her, waiting for the appointed time.
She sometimes drove Sun Ok’s car back in Cheonan, but this was her first time driving with anyone else besides Sun Ok as a passenger.
And now her passenger was none other than Ki Tae Han—her palms grew slick with nervous sweat.
Finally, the agreed-upon time arrived.
According to Sung Won’s instructions, she was supposed to drive up to the hotel entrance to pick up Tae Han.
Just as Yeon Woo rubbed her sweaty palms on her thighs and gripped the steering wheel tightly, she spotted a tall figure approaching under the parking lot lights.
He strode forward with long, confident steps—and it didn’t take long for her to recognize him as Tae Han.
Unlike at breakfast, he had reverted to his usual meticulous self.
His pomade-slicked hair was perfectly combed back, and his sharply tailored suit gleamed even under faint lighting.
Surprised that he’d come down to the parking lot himself, Yeon Woo reached for the door to get out—but Tae Han arrived first.
“Get out.”
Yeon Woo paused unbuckling her seatbelt and looked up at him.
“I said get out.”
“If you’re planning to drive, that’s fine—I’ll drive instead.”
Tae Han stared straight at her, his expression seeming to ask, “You know how you drive—what makes you think you can do this?”
“The roads here aren’t as complicated as in Seoul. I think I can manage.”
Though she wasn’t particularly confident in her driving skills, as his secretary during work hours, she couldn’t possibly hand the wheel to the CEO.
“I’ll get you there safely.”
After even uttering words a taxi driver might not say, Tae Han merely folded his arms with an indifferent look.
Uncomfortable under his piercing gaze, Yeon Woo finally broke the silence.
“If you’re really that uneasy…”
But before she could finish, Tae Han had already moved.
He walked around the hood and got into the car—but not the back seat; he took the passenger seat beside her.
“Let’s go.”
As Yeon Woo sat stunned, Tae Han calmly checked his watch and gave the order.
Only then did Yeon Woo snap out of it and press the accelerator.
As they exited the parking lot, a picturesque scene unfolded before them.
Just as Sung Won had said, the weather was brilliantly clear, and Jeju’s fresh air and bright sunshine eased Yeon Woo’s tension slightly.
“Director Kim said he prepared all the site-related documents.”
“I know.”
His reply was curt.
Yeon Woo was glad—this way, she could focus purely on driving. Otherwise, she’d surely be watching his every reaction.
Tae Han remained silent, as if they’d agreed not to bring up yesterday’s incident.
Yet Yeon Woo’s heart felt heavy at the thought that this was truly the end.
—Turn right ahead.
It would take about twenty minutes by car to reach the site.
Since the route wasn’t complex, Yeon Woo grew confident enough to turn the wheel without checking the map.
“That’s not the right turn yet.”
“Huh?”
—Route deviated; recalculating.
Right on cue, the navigation voice announced a reroute.
“Oh—it was the next turn…”
Embarrassed, Yeon Woo glanced at Tae Han and mumbled to herself.
“It’s fine. The roads are simple; we’ll run into it again soon.”
There was no rush. Thankfully, the new route took roughly the same amount of time.
Instead of replying, Tae Han opened his tablet. To avoid disturbing his work, Yeon Woo stayed quiet.
The road required only going straight for a while.
Finally relaxed, Yeon Woo began to truly notice the scenery ahead.
The endless road was empty of traffic, foreign palm trees swayed in the breeze, and golden sunlight streamed through their leaves.
That sunlight fell entirely upon Tae Han’s face.
His lowered lashes shimmered, his straight nose caught the light, and his tightly closed lips looked soft and warm.
For some reason, Yeon Woo’s nose stung.
Even as she forced her eyes back to the road ahead, she still felt Tae Han vividly present before her.
She knew she would remember this moment for a long time.
That this road—on which she drove Tae Han for the first and last time—was so breathtakingly beautiful, and that even the silence inside the car felt comforting, struck her as pure luck.
—Turn left ahead.
How long had they been driving like this?
The navigation voice sounded again.
This time, Yeon Woo double-checked the map before turning the wheel.
The car smoothly changed direction. Just five more minutes, and they’d arrive at their destination.
She was just thinking how glad she was to keep her promise of delivering him safely—
Wham!
Suddenly, a loud crash rang out; the car tilted, and Yeon Woo slammed on the brakes, filling the air with a jarring screech.
“Aaahh!”
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
aah, serim really messed up.
claimed to know everything but in reality know nothing.
allergic reaction could be really dangerous.