An Instinctive Proposal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 30
Yeon Woo couldn’t think of anything to say in her defense and froze in place.
Even in her own view, the situation was clearly open to misunderstanding, leaving her mind numb.
Unlike Yeon Woo, however, who was stunned stiff with embarrassment, Tae Han calmly flipped the meat with his tongs and spoke in a relaxed tone.
“If you’d like, sit down.”
“Thank you, President!”
Yeon Woo turned toward him with wide eyes, and the employees, as if they’d been waiting for this moment, instantly rushed over to fill the space between them.
The previously spacious table suddenly felt cramped.
With more people added, additional basic tableware and glasses appeared, filling the table to capacity.
“You’re too much, President! We like meat too!”
Yoo Ra, already seated, complained half-jokingly and opened the menu.
The employees huddled around the menu, and Yeon Woo glanced subtly at Tae Han.
Tae Han, too, was looking across the table at Yeon Woo through the crowd of staff.
But as always, his expression gave nothing away, so she couldn’t tell what he was feeling.
“But seriously, what were you two doing all alone together?”
The employees, who had just ordered more meat, all showed obvious curiosity toward the pair.
“We never really got why the team leaders kept saying they favored only Secretary Seo, but seeing you two today, I get it now. That’s so unfair!”
“Associate Heo.”
At Ji Hyun’s warning glance, Yoo Ra pouted.
Worried that the staff might start spreading rumors, Yeon Woo quickly spoke up.
“I haven’t been eating well lately, so the President knew and treated me to meat. This doesn’t usually happen.”
Since it wasn’t a lie, she decided to say it confidently.
“Really? So this is the first time?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, is that all it is? I’ve had no appetite lately either!”
Thankfully, they bought it.
After all, no one would assume there was any personal connection between the two of them.
Thus, the awkward atmosphere eased naturally, and Yeon Woo could finally relax her rigid shoulders a little.
Yet amid the sudden commotion, Yeon Woo felt her mood cool somewhat.
Only then did she realize how nice it had been to be alone with Tae Han.
“It feels strange having you here, President. It’s totally different from our usual office dinners.”
“Right. It’s like you’ve been photoshopped into the group.”
Besides, Tae Han wasn’t the sort of person who belonged in this kind of place, casually flipping meat.
“When I walked in, I was so surprised! So Secretary Seo turned down the movie because she had plans with you, President?”
Yeon Woo replied only with an embarrassed smile.
“But did you really miss the movie? Why’d you come so early?”
“Associate Heo seemed too hungry to focus on the film. Since our tickets weren’t pre-booked, I figured we’d just come eat first.”
“Oh…”
Had she known that, she would’ve chosen a different restaurant.
But it was too late to regret now.
As they chatted amidst the lively noise, more meat arrived, and the staff, claiming they couldn’t possibly hand the tongs to the President himself, took over grilling duties.
And so, the dinner resumed like a regular company gathering.
Yeon Woo kept stealing glances at Tae Han, wondering why she kept checking his reactions.
“But why are you drinking cider? You’ve gotta mix soju and beer—so-maek! Hey, over here!”
Yoo Ra, clearly in high spirits, waved her arm enthusiastically.
“President, I make the best so-maek you’ll ever taste. I’ll pour you a glass right now.”
But Tae Han simply drank water from his stainless steel cup in silence. Even that looked as elegant as sipping wine.
“By the way, Secretary Seo, Deputy Lee Kyung Ho asked about you.”
Ji Hyun, seated beside Yeon Woo, suddenly remembered.
She’d run into Kyeong Ho, who worked in another department, at an external event earlier that day. He was Yeon Woo’s cohort from when they first joined the company.
“Oh? Is Deputy Lee doing well?”
“Lee’s always the same. Don’t you two keep in touch? You’re cohorts, after all.”
“We have a group chat, but we haven’t talked one-on-one in a long time.”
Both had been busy adjusting to their respective departments, and after meeting once at Kyeong Ho’s request, other cohorts teased them about “what kind of relationship” they had, so they grew distant.
Since then, Kyeong Ho hadn’t really reached out either.
“He immediately asked about you the moment he saw me—it seemed like he misses you. You should contact him.”
“Okay.”
While Yeon Woo was talking, Tae Han’s quiet gaze briefly lingered on her before fading away, but she didn’t notice.
“President, try this!”
Just then, the ordered drinks arrived, and the so-maek was quickly mixed.
Yoo Ra, who’d never dared serve him during official dinners, now seemed thrilled to finally get the chance.
“It’s fine. I don’t drink alcohol.”
But Tae Han firmly declined the drink offered to him.
“Huh? It’s not even whiskey…”
Watching Yoo Ra awkwardly pull back her glass made Yeon Woo feel uncomfortable too.
The mood turned momentarily awkward, but Yoo Ra quickly shifted her attention to Yeon Woo.
“Secretary Seo, do you not drink either?”
Yeon Woo lifted her cider glass slightly.
“I’m okay. I haven’t been able to tolerate alcohol well lately.”
“Are you dieting? We’ve actually been saying among ourselves that you’ve lost weight recently.”
“I’m watching my diet.”
She figured it was easier to just say “dieting,” but Yoo Ra widened her eyes in surprise.
“Then you shouldn’t be drinking cider! Just when I thought Secretary Seo was so disciplined, there’s always this little loophole!”
She added with a laugh that this was part of Yeon Woo’s charm, but Yeon Woo couldn’t think of a reply.
In an instant, what had been a pleasant moment turned uncomfortable.
“Assistant Manager Heo Yu Ra.”
Tae Han called Yoo Ra’s name nonchalantly.
His low, languid tone made Yoo Ra—who rarely heard her name from him—break into a wide grin as she answered.
“Yes, President!”
“Go get some wet towels from the entrance—one for each of us.”
“…Huh?”
Caught off guard by the sudden errand, Yoo Ra’s expression stiffened, but she quickly forced her voice to sound cheerful.
“Oh! It’s because I’m closest to the entrance, right? I’ll be right back!”
She left the table, pretending to be cheerful.
Once she was gone, the atmosphere at the table settled. Yeon Woo shot a quick glance toward Tae Han and quietly sipped her cider.
It was the first time anyone had seen Tae Han ask an employee to run an errand like this.
***
Time passed.
The sizzling meat on the grill disappeared, and as empty bottles piled up, the mood grew lively once more.
Some tipsy employees got up en masse to use the restroom, leaving only Yeon Woo and Tae Han at the table.
Yeon Woo glanced at the leftover dishes and casually asked Tae Han,
“Are you ready to leave now?”
“Are you done eating?”
When Yeon Woo nodded, Tae Han nodded back as if he understood.
A cool breeze blew in, likely because it was getting late. Yeon Woo put her cardigan back on and asked,
“But why didn’t you drink? Associate Heo made it especially for you with such care.”
“So I can drive you home.”
At that, Yeon Woo was speechless and just stared at Tae Han.
Tae Han, too, looked silently into her eyes.
As their gazes locked, another breeze blew past.
The chill brushed against her cheek, yet Yeon Woo felt as if she were trapped in his gaze, every other sensation fading into the distance.
It was strange—she hadn’t taken even a sip of alcohol, yet she felt almost drunk.
“The HR consultation is scheduled for next week, right?”
Tae Han’s low, steady voice drifted to her.
Yeon Woo responded with a nod instead of words.
“When are you getting married?”
This time, when she didn’t react and simply looked at him, he tilted his head slightly and asked,
“You’ll definitely invite me, right?”
“…Of course.”
“Give me your wedding invitation first. No matter what, I’ll go see Secretary Seo’s wedding in person.”
Yeon Woo hesitated, unsure how to respond.
It sounded like he was probing her intentions.
“That’s only if you actually do get married.”
His next words made her heart clench with discomfort.
“Why did you reject my proposal to date?”
At last, the hidden main topic surfaced.
Could this question have been the very reason he treated her to dinner today?
Yeon Woo knew the excuse about getting married wouldn’t work anymore.
Because Tae Han kept crossing the boundaries she’d drawn, she finally had no choice but to reveal a bit of her honest feelings.
“Could you really date someone like me, President?”
Tae Han frowned slightly, as if he’d never considered such a question before.
“You absolutely couldn’t.”
Yeon Woo answered for him with a wry smile.
“Why are you so sure?”
“Because I know exactly what kind of person you are.”
“What kind of person am I?”
She recalled Tae Han from not long ago.
“You’re doing the one thing I hate most in this world right now—wasting my time with something pointless while I’m busy. That’s why you’re annoying me.”
“You’re someone who loves your work.”
So much so that even listening to her felt like a waste of time to him.
This time, Tae Han didn’t reply, his expression turning serious as if he had no rebuttal.
Yeon Woo didn’t resent him. She was actually grateful she could keep loving him to the very end.
“People are all different, and you’re just that kind of person. I don’t expect romance from someone like you.”
“What do you mean by ‘romance’?”
“Just… normal dating. Going to movies, traveling together, sharing meals.”
“We’re eating together right now.”
“But this is different.”
Tae Han stared at her, looking genuinely confused about what the difference was.
At that moment, an odd thought struck Yeon Woo.
Had she ever been looked at so intently like this before?
His dark eyes held her heart captive. After a brief pause, she decided to finally ask the question she’d always wondered.
“Why did you hold on to me so tightly back then, President? Honestly, my work is something any other employee could have done.”
“No, they couldn’t.”
“…”
“They couldn’t.”
Tae Han’s confident reply left Yeon Woo flustered instead.
“I appreciate that you think highly of me, but that’s not true. I’m not a particularly special employee.”
Another gust of wind blew. Yeon Woo thought that without this wind, her heart might’ve burst into flames.
“You’d be fine even without me…”
Just as she struggled to speak the final words—
“President, let’s go to a karaoke room!”
The employees returned from the restroom in a boisterous group, shattering the silence between them.
The atmosphere turned noisy again, and Yeon Woo seized the chance to stand and pretend nothing had happened.
But Yoo Ra, sensing the subtle shift in mood, looked back and forth between them with a suspicious glint in her eyes.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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aah, serim really messed up.
claimed to know everything but in reality know nothing.
allergic reaction could be really dangerous.