An Instinctive Proposal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 32
Morning dawned.
Yeon Woo had spent the entire night wide awake, buried under her blanket.
It was because Tae Han from last night wouldn’t leave her thoughts.
“Just admit you’re tired now.”
She wondered what had made Tae Han change his mind. Yet, despite pondering all night, no clear reason came to her.
Lost in thought, Yeon Woo finally dragged herself out of bed only when her alarm blared loudly.
She ought to have been happy that her previously “on hold” resignation was now moving forward, yet her mood felt unsettled instead.
“Good morning.”
Yeon Woo greeted the colleagues already at work with a weary face and sat down at her desk.
“Assistant Manager Seo, did you get home okay last night?”
Someone approached her. She looked up, surprised to see Yoo Ra tapping on her partition so early in the morning.
They ate meals together, but had never been close enough for Yoo Ra to seek her out for a morning greeting—it was unexpected.
“Oh, yes. What time did you all finish singing last night?”
“We only stayed for about an hour and left early.”
How odd. Though she thought this, Yeon Woo brushed it off casually.
Ji Hyun might have gently urged everyone to wrap things up early.
“But Assistant Manager Seo, do you happen to know anyone at this company?”
“Know anyone?”
Yeon Woo stared at her, clearly not understanding the question, and Yoo Ra just shrugged as if it were nothing.
“Never mind if you don’t.”
Then, leaving behind a smile and an unusually cheerful morning greeting she normally never gave, Yoo Ra disappeared.
Though puzzled by her odd behavior, Yeon Woo didn’t have the bandwidth to dwell on it.
Her eyes briefly darted toward the CEO’s office.
She wondered what Tae Han was doing behind that firmly closed door.
Had he really instructed HR? If so, rumors must already be circulating through the office.
“Assistant Manager Seo.”
Section Chief Ko beckoned her over just then.
“Come to the meeting room for a moment.”
He stood up first, entering an empty meeting room as if expecting her to follow. Yeon Woo hesitated briefly before quietly trailing after him, feeling several coworkers’ eyes stick to her back.
“The resignation letter you submitted earlier has been approved.”
The news hit her the moment she stepped inside, and Yeon Woo momentarily held her breath.
Even though she’d already known this was coming, her heart still sank heavily.
“I know you’ve waited a long time for this, Assistant Manager Seo—but should I congratulate you or feel sorry for you?”
Tae Han must have personally approved the resignation.
The thought weighed heavily on her heart, yet Yeon Woo forced a smile.
“Please congratulate me, Section Chief.”
“Seriously, where are you planning to go? There’s nowhere as good as this place.”
Section Chief Ko clicked his tongue, clearly regretful about her departure.
“The CEO might seem prickly, but he never throws his weight around and actually has a good heart. You won’t find another boss like him elsewhere! Our CEO is truly exceptional.”
Yeon Woo simply offered an awkward smile. Even she had to admit he was right.
No matter where she went in this world, she’d never find another superior—or man—like Ki Tae Han.
“I’m glad it’s finally settled, at least.”
But that was precisely why she had to leave.
To go somewhere without Tae Han.
Only then could she raise her child safely, away from the watchful eyes of the Tae Sung Group.
Section Chief Ko watched her forced smile in silence for a moment, then furrowed his brow.
“It’s such a shame. Assistant Manager Seo, you’re capable and sharp—I’ve relied on you so much.”
“Thank you for always looking out for me. I’ve also leaned on you a lot, Section Chief.”
Yeon Woo gave a slightly awkward smile, then quickly asked the question on her mind.
“By the way, when did HR say they’d submit the candidate list? I heard the CEO wants to personally interview my replacement…”
“The list’s already been submitted—they’re starting interviews today. He’s probably reviewing them right now.”
Yeon Woo’s eyes widened.
It was barely morning—already?
“Didn’t we just hold campus recruitment recently? Almost everyone volunteered for the secretary position. Director Kim looked utterly drained because of it.”
Yeon Woo fell silent, at a loss for words.
Of course—everyone would want to work in Tae Han’s secretarial office.
“If it’s not urgent, let’s set the handover period at three months. You can stay that long, right?”
“Well, about that…”
In three months, her pregnancy bump would already be noticeable.
Since she was resigning specifically to keep her pregnancy hidden, she couldn’t possibly let anyone see her showing.
“Could it be two months instead?”
“Wait—earlier you sounded like you hadn’t decided on your next place yet. Do you already have something lined up?”
“I’m thinking of starting work back in my hometown. The sooner I head down there, even by a month, the better. I’d really appreciate it.”
Her urgency made the lie slip out smoothly.
Even after two months, her bump would show, but with winter approaching, she hoped she could hide it with clothing.
“Alright, fine. But make sure you prepare your handover documents thoroughly.”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
Yeon Woo answered as casually as possible in front of him.
At that moment, Yoo Ra, seated at her desk, stretched her neck to peek toward the meeting room Yeon Woo had disappeared into.
‘What’s going on so early in the morning?’
Her eyes, lined with apricot-colored eyeshadow, narrowed slightly.
‘Something’s off. There’s definitely something going on.’
She’d witnessed something suspicious at the karaoke room yesterday.
Drunk at the time, she’d been shaking a tambourine while Yeon Woo sang—until her throat got dry, prompting her to grab her bag for a drink.
Assuming it was her own bag, she was startled to find a magazine inside boldly titled “Childbirth and Parenting.”
“What the—this is Assistant Manager Seo’s?”
At first, she didn’t think much of it.
But right as she pushed Yeon Woo’s bag aside to search for her own, something caught her eye halfway between the folded pages of the magazine.
Curious about the hastily tucked-in item, she pulled it out—only to reveal a business card.
Worse yet, it belonged to Jeon Il Soo, CEO of Tae Sung Group—a man she’d never crossed paths with nor even heard news about since joining the company.
A headquarters CEO’s business card and a childbirth magazine.
Nothing about it made sense. She’d waited all night just to confront Yeon Woo this morning, only to find her entering the meeting room with Section Chief Ko after a clearly sleepless night.
‘She’s definitely got something going on with Director Jeon Il Soo.’
Now that she thought about it, even the private dinner Tae Han had shared with Yeon Woo alone, or the seniors’ comments about favoritism—it all added up.
If she was involved with Director Jeon, and Tae Han was giving her special treatment because of it, everything she’d seen and heard suddenly made perfect sense.
‘I can’t be fooled. Assistant Manager Seo Yeon Woo—I thought you were innocent, but you’re a total fox.’
Yoo Ra’s gaze toward the meeting room sharpened with suspicion.
“What do you think a secretary’s role entails?”
In the vast meeting room,
a low, dry voice resonated through the space.
At opposite ends of the table sat Tae Han and the applicant set to replace Yeon Woo.
By the entrance, Sung Won stood with a tired expression.
Last night, as soon as Tae Han received the candidate list from HR, he immediately ordered interviews to begin.
But nearly half of the new campus hires had applied for the secretary position, flooding them with far too many résumés.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get to meet CEO Ki Tae Han in person—I really want to pass!”
Sung Won recalled the previous candidate’s words, hands clasped together earnestly.
Tae Han was already a celebrity-level business figure, but among the younger generation especially, he was regarded as a unicorn.
His bold, aggressive leadership in the biotech industry, combined with striking good looks that wouldn’t seem out of place on an idol—and his complete absence of scandalous gossip—made Ki Tae Han an explosively popular figure.
Because of this, Sung Won had stayed up all night screening thirty applicants based on aptitude test results, and this was already the eleventh candidate.
“I believe the secretary’s role is a critically important position that provides essential support to their superior’s work.”
As the candidate spoke, Sung Won clenched his molars to stifle a yawn.
“Essential support meaning…?”
“Considering this is the CEO’s secretary position representing our entire company, even minor errors or inaccuracies could greatly impact operations, so…”
While the candidate rambled on, avoiding the core of the question, Sung Won carefully observed Tae Han.
Lately, he hadn’t been acting like himself.
He’d sensed it since Jeju, but looking back, odd signs had been piling up even before that.
Today was another example.
Because of the sudden interview schedule, they’d canceled all previously set appointments, throwing multiple departments into emergency mode.
And what about the candidates?
They’d surely stayed up all night after hearing last minute about the secretary interviews and arrived at dawn.
Just who was Yeon Woo to Tae Han that he’d go to such lengths?
“…therefore, I believe the secretary must handle those critical support duties.”
While Sung Won was lost in thought, the candidate finished her lengthy answer, looking quite pleased with herself.
But Sung Won already knew from just one glance at Tae Han’s expression.
Sure enough, Tae Han set down his fountain pen with an audible clack and rubbed his face wearily.
“A secretary doesn’t assist—they execute.”
“…Excuse me?”
“They execute.”
Realizing her mistake, the candidate hurried to correct herself.
“Oh, what I meant was…”
“You’re done. Please leave.”
Tae Han gave the pitiful applicant not even a sliver of a second chance.
After the disappointed candidate reluctantly left, Tae Han swiveled his chair and let out a sigh.
“Let’s take a short break.”
His words were music to Sung Won’s ears—he quickly pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Who even screened these new campus hires? Not a single candidate gives a proper answer.”
“Well, they’re all just playing it safe with generic responses. You know that.”
“Get me coffee.”
Sung Won handed him coffee from the tumbler he’d prepared.
Since Yeon Woo’s resignation hadn’t yet been officially announced, the interviews were being held in a separate meeting room.
Though even this wouldn’t stay secret for long.
“Director Kim.”
After taking a sip, Tae Han leaned his head back against the headrest and murmured,
“What’s my schedule looking like toward year-end?”
“Year-end schedule?”
“Can I clear about ten days?”
Only then did Sung Won, who’d just poured himself coffee, set his tumbler down.
“Or even a week, if ten days isn’t possible.”
“That would require massive, sweeping adjustments. Why are you asking about year-end plans?”
Tae Han was a perfectionist and results-driven, yet he’d always maintained a careful balance between work and personal life.
His rare sense of calm was considered one of his greatest strengths—an asset other executives lacked. But asking about schedules months in advance like this was completely unprecedented.
Even more so, clearing ten days was something he’d never done before.
“Do you perhaps have personal plans around year-end?”
“Yes.”
“No matter how personal, I’ve never seen anything you couldn’t manage. What is it? Something that absolutely requires you to free up time…?”
“Marriage.”
“Who’s getting married?”
“I’m thinking of getting married.”
“Pfft!”
Sung Won spewed coffee violently across the table.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[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.