An Instinctive Proposal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 21
The insurance claim was quickly settled.
After changing the tire and finishing the paperwork, Yeon Woo headed straight to the site where Tae Han was.
While doing so, she informed her company that she would be taking annual leave, and as soon as she hung up, Sung Won called her again.
It was a message saying he’d finished visiting his mother and would now head over.
She felt relieved. If she were alone, she wouldn’t have known how to face Tae Han.
Earlier, she hadn’t even dared to look at him before getting out of the car, so she wondered what expression he’d had.
Was he panicking too, like her? And if he didn’t believe her claim that it was his boyfriend’s child, what would she do then?
‘Anyway, I’ve already decided to resign.’
But Yeon Woo had steeled her resolve.
Even if he didn’t believe her, she didn’t care—it wasn’t a problem since she’d be quitting anyway.
Upon arriving at the site, Yeon Woo located Tae Han with the help of a staff member.
“What’s the exact area of this site?”
He was thoroughly focused, carefully examining the site.
She’d expected him—though perhaps not as flustered as her—to at least seem distracted, but he looked completely unaffected.
“It’s 268,000 square meters. That’s over 81,000 pyeong—about eight times larger than the sites you looked at earlier.”
“Eighty-one thousand pyeong. I was told the entire site has been approved as an industrial complex—what part is currently incorporated, and who’s managing it?”
His intense focus on work was just as usual, and Yeon Woo suddenly realized anew that she still didn’t truly know Ki Tae Han.
How foolish of her to have thought of him as an ordinary person.
He didn’t even spare her a glance, as if he’d completely forgotten their recent conversation.
Maybe that was for the best.
Yeon Woo fell into thought as she watched Tae Han, fully immersed in his discussion.
“We should first address the change in the site’s designated use…”
Just then, Tae Han casually turned his head and their eyes met by chance.
Unlike Yeon Woo, who flinched, he simply turned back to continue speaking with the site manager.
Yeon Woo suddenly felt a cold wave wash through her stomach.
She stood frozen behind him for a moment, then snapped out of it and pulled out her phone.
‘This isn’t the time for that.’
She couldn’t afford to wallow in her thoughts. As his secretary accompanying him on this trip, she needed to focus on work.
She opened the saved site information file and joined the conversation. In her absence, she learned Tae Han had already reviewed two other sites—this was the third.
“Then I’ll guide you to the final site.”
Following behind him as he walked, Yeon Woo quickly jotted down the brief explanation she’d just overheard over his shoulder.
“Was everything handled well?”
Tae Han’s low voice suddenly rang out. She looked up from her notes to find him watching her.
For a moment, her throat tightened with flustered panic.
“…Yes, everything’s settled. Sorry for the delay.”
Tae Han silently gazed at her. Not understanding his expression, Yeon Woo wondered if she needed to give a more detailed report and added quickly,
“Director Kim said he’d handle the additional procedures. He’s on his way here now.”
“Good work.”
His reply felt unlike his usual self.
Leaving Yeon Woo staring blankly at him, Tae Han turned back to continue his conversation with the site manager.
Yeon Woo quietly caught her breath, unsettled by a strange feeling.
About an hour passed.
Just as the site managers’ energy began to wane under Tae Han’s relentless questioning, he finally wrapped up the schedule.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Fortunately, their responses seemed satisfactory—his earlier suspicion had noticeably eased.
“President!”
Just then, Sung Won arrived, having returned after visiting his mother.
Checking the time, Yeon Woo figured they’d need to leave for the hotel now to catch their flight.
“I’d also like to take a look at the back area there.”
“Excuse me?”
Unexpectedly, Tae Han gestured toward the rear of the site.
The site manager briefly looked crestfallen—thinking it was over—but quickly forced an awkward smile and spread his arms wide.
“Of course! I’ll show you. Though it’s just empty land back there.”
“Secretary Seo, stay here.”
Before Yeon Woo could move, Tae Han ordered her to wait and walked off alone with the site manager.
And so, Yeon Woo was left alone.
Well—not quite. Sung Won had just parked his car and approached from a distance.
“Director. I plan to return to Seoul tomorrow.”
Seeing his face reminded Yeon Woo of the report she’d forgotten to give.
“I think only you and the President need to take today’s flight.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“I’d like to stay one more day.”
Sung Won blinked and studied her.
Though taking the next day off after a business trip was common, it was still basic etiquette to request leave in advance.
“I’m sorry for the last-minute decision. I already informed the President.”
She didn’t get a direct reply.
Sung Won rolled his eyes, mentally reviewing Yeon Woo’s tasks for the next day, then readily nodded.
“Alright. There’s nothing urgent for you back in Seoul anyway. But did you actually file your annual leave request? You still need to do that even if you told the President.”
“I just called Section Chief Ko. He kindly said he’d approve it.”
He’d even generously suggested she rest well in Jeju for an extra day—but Yeon Woo had no peace of mind to do so.
“Oh, lucky you. I wish I could stay like you and leave tomorrow.”
Sung Won clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.
“After seeing my mom for the first time in a while, I feel more unsettled than ever. Visits are only once a week anyway, so I can’t see her again tomorrow. Leaving felt like I was doing something wrong.”
Yeon Woo stared at him blankly. She hadn’t even known his mother was in a nursing home.
“What’s wrong with your mother?”
“Dementia.”
“Oh…”
“That’s why we moved her into a nursing home—she couldn’t live alone safely anymore. At least there, she gets meals, caregivers, and someone to talk to.”
“I see.”
Yeon Woo nodded.
She sometimes imagined Sun Ok’s future too.
Though Sun Ok was healthy and young now, nothing was guaranteed thirty years from now.
That was partly why she wanted to go down to Cheonan this time—to find a stable job there, even for a lower salary, and raise her child alongside Sun Ok.
“Didn’t you say you’re an only child?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll be the only one responsible for your parents later—better earn a lot.”
Yeon Woo gave a bitter smile and nodded.
She couldn’t bring herself to say that before even thinking about caring for Sun Ok, she first needed to earn money to raise her child.
“But does the President have a busy schedule tomorrow?”
“No, only desk work.”
Then Sung Won didn’t really need to rush back today—but Yeon Woo stayed quiet.
If he stayed another day in Jeju, it would mean Tae Han was staying too.
“He’s coming.”
At that moment, they spotted Tae Han returning from afar.
Sung Won straightened his posture from his crossed-armed stance, and Yeon Woo quickly sat up straighter and turned toward him.
Then she stared, mouth agape.
Even in a crowded city street, Tae Han stood out—taller than most by a head.
But seeing him walk across this vast open site felt like watching a scene from a movie.
“No wonder people sometimes say our President would’ve made a great celebrity.”
Sung Won must have shared her thought, letting out a genuinely awed sigh.
Yeon Woo tore her eyes away from Tae Han. The less she saw of him looking handsome, the better.
“President, we’ll head to the hotel right away.”
As Tae Han drew near, Sung Won hurried over to brief him on the next steps.
“It’s not far to the airport—if we leave now, we’ll arrive on time. We could tidy up some work in the lounge…”
“We need to have lunch.”
Tae Han checked his watch and said something unexpected.
“No rush. We can leave after lunch—it’s already way past mealtime.”
“But if we don’t leave now, we’ll risk missing our flight. We scheduled to eat onboard.”
“Not going today.”
“Not going today…?”
Sung Won instinctively repeated the words but abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
Yeon Woo, who’d been listening, widened her eyes in shock.
“Not today. I plan to go tomorrow.”
For a moment, silence fell among the three.
Sung Won, who grasped the situation slightly faster than Yeon Woo, opened his mouth to speak—
“Is there anything urgent for you to handle in Seoul today?” Tae Han asked calmly.
“Not really.”
“Then what difference does it make whether you go today or tomorrow?”
Faced with this unfamiliar side of his boss, Sung Won’s Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.
“Are you… really sure it’s okay?”
“Director Kim needs some rest too. You’re a workaholic.”
Sung Won looked momentarily flabbergasted—accused of being a workaholic by someone even more obsessive—but quickly composed himself.
“Then let’s have lunch first.”
“What about the hotel? We need to check out.”
Yeon Woo spoke up.
“Don’t worry. Since our flight was late anyway, I already changed the reservation to check out tomorrow.”
That meant Yeon Woo didn’t need to switch accommodations either—she’d been considering moving to a guesthouse instead.
“President, is there anything specific you’d like to eat?”
Sung Won quickly perked up.
Although stunned by Tae Han’s uncharacteristic choice, he was genuinely happy—after all, this was exactly what he’d wished for.
“I heard Jeju is famous for its black pork.”
Tae Han tossed out the suggestion casually, then turned to look at Yeon Woo.
“Secretary Seo?”
“Yes?”
The weight of Tae Han’s gaze made her cheeks flush involuntarily as she answered.
“I’d also like black pork.”
“Then I’ll take you to a place I know well! It’s a local favorite—the meat is tender, and their stew is amazing.”
Sung Won’s cheerful voice cut through the awkward tension between them.
Moments later, Yeon Woo headed toward the passenger seat, leaving Sung Won getting into the driver’s seat.
“Secretary Seo, sit in the back.”
But a dry voice stopped her just as she reached for the door.
Startled, she turned to see Tae Han nodding toward the rear seat.
“We need to go over things.”
Her heart dropped. Though he likely meant reviewing the site inspection notes, to her, it sounded like something else entirely.
“Oh, come on—give her a break on the way to lunch! Haha!”
Sung Won joked, in high spirits, but Yeon Woo’s expression remained tense.
She finally sat beside him.
And then she remembered his usual temperament.
His decisive, no-nonsense nature and his uncompromising precision—even the smallest margin of error was unacceptable.
Ki Tae Han was the kind of man who never let an issue fester past a single day if it bothered him or needed resolving.
Which meant he intended to finish their unfinished conversation right here—instead of dragging it all the way back to Seoul.
To him, her pregnancy was merely an issue that needed clearing up.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
aah, serim really messed up.
claimed to know everything but in reality know nothing.
allergic reaction could be really dangerous.