An Instinctive Proposal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 31
“President, it’d be so disappointing if you just leave like this!”
The tipsy employees whined, saying it felt too early to go home just yet.
Standing in front of Tae Han, who handed them a card and told them to go home after having enough fun, the employees clasped their hands together, clearly not ready to let him go.
“Assistant Manager Seo, are you really leaving like this? Seriously? Just sing one song before you go, okay?”
“Everyone’s drunk. Let’s call it a night.”
Ji Hyun, still relatively sober, stepped in to manage the situation, but the employees—including Yoo Ra—showed no sign of backing down.
After a long tug-of-war, Yeon Woo finally stepped forward.
“Fine, I’ll sing just one song and then leave.”
From past experience at company dinners, she’d learned it was better to sing one song and slip away than to be held back indefinitely if she didn’t go along.
“President, please go ahead without us.”
Yeon Woo turned to Tae Han and spoke with determined eyes, as if telling him she could handle these drunkards herself—just trust her.
But Tae Han merely raised one eyebrow and kept his expression indifferent.
“By the way, which karaoke place are we going to?”
“Right here, right here! It’s our usual spot for company dinners, isn’t it?”
Overjoyed that Yeon Woo had agreed to go, Yoo Ra hooked her arm through Yeon Woo’s and snorted happily.
“You’re coming too, President, right?”
“No, not the President—just me—”
But Yeon Woo couldn’t finish her sentence.
Tae Han had already started walking ahead, as if urging them to hurry inside.
“Are you coming too, President?”
Yeon Woo called out loudly toward his back.
“Why? Am I not allowed to come?”
At that, Ji Hyun, standing nearby, widened her eyes as if witnessing something impossible, and Yeon Woo stood frozen with her mouth slightly open.
Only Yoo Ra and the other employees cheered loudly, shouting “Hooray!”
“It’s gonna be so fun! Let’s hurry inside!”
Only after the employees had rushed into the building did Yeon Woo grab his arm.
“Are you serious?”
“You said you’d sing one song.”
“That was me singing—not you. It has nothing to do with you, President.”
“I’m giving you a ride home anyway.”
Just then, a voice echoed from outside the building like a reverberation: “President, the elevator’s here!”
Responding to the call, Tae Han walked past Yeon Woo and entered the building.
Yeon Woo blinked in surprise, staring dumbfounded at his retreating back.
This place they always visited for company dinners was popular among the female staff thanks to its clean, well-maintained rooms.
“Who wants to sing the first song?”
“Should I go first?”
“Hold on, everyone…”
Ji Hyun, who hadn’t anticipated this turn of events, looked flustered.
Yeon Woo felt the same way.
Both women’s faces flushed awkwardly. Their only goal was to quickly wrap things up and separate Tae Han from the employees.
“I don’t want that! I want to hear the President sing first!”
“Associate Heo.”
But even if drunk, crossing that line would be the end.
While Ji Hyun tried to hold Yoo Ra back, Yeon Woo quickly grabbed the microphone.
“Then I’ll sing the first song!”
She frantically pressed the number still memorized in her head.
Familiar intro music immediately flowed from the speakers—the very song Yeon Woo had dutifully sung at every company dinner like homework.
[First Love]Her reason for choosing this song was simple.
Its melody was upbeat, had no high notes, and was easy to sing while effectively lifting the mood.
‘How long has it been since I last sang this?’
As the intro played, Yeon Woo licked her dry lips.
She hadn’t sung it since around her third year, it seemed.
She suddenly felt the weight of time passing—and chilled by the realization that her brain still remembered the number by heart.
Meanwhile, Tae Han sat cross-armed in the seat of honor within the room.
His gaze fixed on Yeon Woo’s back as she stood before him, holding the mic.
Ever since she’d submitted her resignation, he’d been like this—unable to take his eyes off her.
The sole reason he’d followed them here was Yeon Woo.
“My feelings I’ve held back—I can’t hold them in anymore— My love keeps growing—what do I do now—”
The song began.
The employees, now energized, started getting up from their seats, tambourines in hand.
Yet through all the commotion, Tae Han narrowed his eyes slightly.
‘This song…’
It was the very one she’d sung in front of him long ago—probably when she was a new hire.
Its childish melody and unrelatable lyrics had made it strangely memorable.
“You’ll want to see me again, you’ll wait for me again— Only me— all alone—”
Watching Yeon Woo sing passionately, Tae Han naturally recalled the Yeon Woo from five years ago.
Seo Yeon Woo, who had stopped him in the lobby with desperate eyes, pleading earnestly.
“I’m sorry for blocking your way. You might not remember me—I was the one who had the interview with you earlier.”
She’d worn a perfectly ordinary blouse, looking as if this were her last chance in life.
Back then, Tae Han had only one thought:
He was curious about Seo Yeon Woo.
“I smile well.”
Remembering the bright smile she’d flashed him then, Tae Han’s jaw clenched tightly.
Indeed, he couldn’t let her go—especially not now, when she’d ended up pregnant after spending a night with him.
“Hurry up! Now’s the time!”
While the first verse was still playing, an excited Yeon Woo handed the mic to Yoo Ra, who was dancing happily, and rushed over.
“What?”
“Quickly!”
With a nimbleness he’d never seen before, Yeon Woo grabbed Tae Han’s hand and dashed out of the room.
Only after they’d barely managed to get into the descending elevator did Yeon Woo let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew… we’re saved…”
“Was it really necessary to run away like that?”
“You say that because you don’t know. Once they start drinking, they’ll sing for at least three hours.”
And that wasn’t all. The last time she’d quietly tried sneaking home, they somehow found out and came running after her to make her sing again.
Though she worried about Ji Hyun, who was left alone, she’d exchanged a silent “see you tomorrow” glance with her right before closing the door, so it should be fine.
But as soon as she exhaled, Yeon Woo suddenly realized her bag was open.
“Why is this open?”
She must have taken out a coupon for prepaying at the karaoke and forgotten to zip it back up.
After checking that her wallet and phone were still inside, she hurriedly closed the bag, worried Tae Han might glimpse the magazine inside.
A moment later, they safely got into Tae Han’s car.
Getting through just one meal felt this exhausting—it truly felt like the official dinner had finally ended.
“You don’t have to sing anymore, right?”
“Me?”
Tae Han looked at her as he fastened his seatbelt.
His look clearly said, “Who else would I be talking about?”
Yeon Woo finally answered.
“Of course not. Can’t you tell from our escape?”
“Really?”
His unexpectedly surprised reply made Yeon Woo open her mouth to ask why—then she suddenly remembered something and fell silent.
Early in her career, she’d gone to a karaoke place with Tae Han.
The visiting client had wanted to experience Korean karaoke, so they’d gone along reluctantly. There, pressured by senior colleagues who insisted the youngest had to liven things up, Yeon Woo was pushed onto the stage with a mic in hand.
“Then let me show you what Korean karaoke culture is all about!”
She’d been brimming with rookie enthusiasm back then.
The song she’d sung that day was “First Love.”
She never knew he still remembered that day’s performance—when she’d pretended to enjoy singing against her will.
“Actually, I don’t like singing.”
Embarrassed, Yeon Woo answered sulkily. Tae Han glanced at her once, then pressed the accelerator.
“So all this time, you’ve been singing songs you dislike.”
“What choice did I have? That’s just how it is for office workers.”
“I thought you liked it. You sing well.”
Yeon Woo looked at Tae Han with an awkward expression.
But Tae Han said nothing more and just kept driving.
Now it felt natural for him to drive her all the way home. Finding that oddly unsettling, Yeon Woo turned her head.
Seoul’s night was beautiful.
Yeon Woo, originally from Cheonan, sometimes found herself captivated by the city’s dazzling yet calm nightscapes.
“I’ve been thinking.”
And so was Tae Han’s voice she heard every day.
Drawn as if hypnotized by his unchanged voice—still as captivating as the first time—Yeon Woo slowly turned toward him.
“What you mentioned earlier—I could do those things too.”
Yeon Woo briefly replayed her own words in her mind, trying to figure out what he meant.
Just as she began to wonder if he was talking about dating, Tae Han continued.
“But I don’t have the time. Maybe I could manage a movie, but a trip would be impossible.”
“What?”
His uncharacteristic offer made Yeon Woo laugh softly.
“You were actually thinking about that? I was just giving examples. I know you don’t have time for such things, President.”
Explaining this to reassure him, Yeon Woo received a reply.
“That makes it easier to say, now that you know.”
He seemed to have something important to say.
“You’re right, Secretary Seo.”
“About what?”
“I’ve been thinking only of myself.”
At first, she didn’t understand what he meant.
But gradually, Yeon Woo’s expression cooled.
He kept his eyes on the road, both hands on the wheel.
Even without seeing his face, she knew—he was about to say something difficult.
And it was probably…
“Just admit you’re tired now.”
An implicit agreement to let her go.
“Now that you’re pregnant, you probably want to start a new life. I understand your wish to return home and take a break.”
“…President.”
“You don’t need to talk to HR. I’ll personally instruct them tomorrow to prepare a list of candidates to replace you as my secretary.”
Right then, their sedan stopped at a red light, and Tae Han turned to look at her.
City lights cast shadows across his face.
Yeon Woo’s eyes, gazing at him, flickered like a candle in the wind.
“Just—don’t let anyone enter my office as my secretary without my approval. I’ll choose personally, so Secretary Seo, please cooperate at least that far.”
“Are you… serious?”
“I’m serious.”
Yeon Woo felt like her breath had been knocked out of her.
Even though this was what she’d wanted, his sudden change of stance left her mind in complete chaos.
Hadn’t he clearly stated that both she and the baby were under his authority, and that things would proceed as he decided?
Then why… all of a sudden?
“You’ve worked hard all this time.”
But Tae Han drove the point home.
“Coordinate with Section Chief Ko on the handover schedule and see it through to the end.”
Meanwhile, watching Yeon Woo’s expression crumble, Tae Han solidified what had been mere thoughts into firm resolve.
If words wouldn’t work and even revising company regulations couldn’t keep her, he’d use his own method from now on.
So long as Seo Yeon Woo loved Ki Tae Han.
And so long as the child growing inside her might be his.
When yandere male lead believes she loves him — but she never did
“How dare you!”
“How dare you make me love you, only to cast me aside as nothing more than a friend?!?
“I will never accept that.”
“I will never let you return to him.”
“Even if I have to burn myself to ashes.”
“Even if I must shatter my purity, my dignity, my very soul.”
“I will never let you escape me!”
This was the first novel that introduced me to the matriarchal genre. I’ve read it three times already!
At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.
Then, he suddenly discovered that she was kind to everyone in the same way, and there was already someone she cherished in her heart, and that person was not him.
The male lead couldn’t believe it, he became angry and crazy. He was determined to capture her body and heart by any means necessary.
Synopsis:
Want to see how a green tea bitch male lead falls in love with the female lead?
Want to see how he flirtatiously pursues the female lead?
Want to see how he gets slapped in the face repeatedly?
The male lead is a green tea bitch, a poisonous lotus, jealous, ruthless, unscrupulous, with a venomous heart, and he’s also a delusional maniac.
The female lead is righteous, positive energy-filled, kind, a holy mother.
Let’s see how two people with extreme personalities come together~
_____
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.