An Instinctive Proposal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 36
The place Tae Han took Yeon Woo was a steakhouse restaurant located inside a department store.
It was one of those high-end restaurants difficult to get into without a reservation, yet somehow they were immediately seated upon arrival.
“The director must’ve even reserved our meal.”
Moreover, their table was a prime spot offering a panoramic view of downtown Seoul.
Though she saw this night view every day, Yeon Woo still couldn’t tear her eyes away and took a moment to admire it—then grew puzzled when no staff approached, leaving only her lemon water on the table.
“Should I raise my hand to call someone?”
“We’ve already ordered.”
“When?”
“Don’t you know Director Kim hates waiting?”
Only then did Yeon Woo realize Sung Won had ordered their entire meal when he made the reservation.
And with that thought came a sudden concern.
“How did you explain this meeting to the director?”
“Told him I was going on a date with Secretary Seo.”
“…”
For a moment, Yeon Woo was speechless, and anger welled up inside her—but she no longer had the energy to argue with him.
After all, she’d be leaving in just two months anyway.
Besides, she’d already decided to allow herself to feel something for him before her resignation, so worrying about what others might think now was pointless.
Still, she couldn’t help but worry about how she’d face Sung Won tomorrow.
“So, what did the director say?”
“Do I really have to remember and recite every little reaction Kim director had?”
“Just tell me whatever you recall. It’s not that hard.”
“No idea. I don’t remember.”
Tae Han replied brusquely. He seemed especially prickly—perhaps still bothered by what happened earlier with Kyeong Ho.
Yeon Woo bit her lip, schooling her expression with patience, but she still wanted to ask one thing.
“Why are you being so kind to me?”
Not long ago, he wouldn’t even make eye contact with her unless it was work-related.
His behavior had only changed after she mentioned her intention to resign—and he himself had admitted it was just a desperate attempt to stop her from leaving.
But now that he’d accepted her resignation, there was no reason for him to keep treating her so well.
“Because you’re my welfare.”
“I know that’s not true.”
Of course, he might feel some obligation to treat a departing employee well, but Tae Han wasn’t the kind of generous owner who’d sacrifice his precious time out of pure kindness.
“I’ve already decided to resign, so you really don’t need to keep doing things like this.”
“I’m doing it because I want to.”
“Why?”
At that, Tae Han took a sip of his water with a lemon slice, then stared directly at Yeon Woo.
He always looked at her as if it meant nothing, yet every time she met his gaze, Yeon Woo couldn’t help but swallow hard.
She couldn’t stop herself from trembling.
But contrary to her expectations, Tae Han was far more thoughtful than he appeared.
If he were to say right now, “I’m thinking of marrying you,” Yeon Woo would surely bolt from the table and run away.
To achieve what he truly wanted, he had to know how to pace himself—but his naturally fiery temperament made restraint difficult.
Yet, because it was Yeon Woo—
Because it was none other than Yeon Woo—he had to proceed carefully.
“Why attach a reason to a date?”
“Don’t people usually have one? Because they think it’s special.”
“Do you consider this date special, Secretary Seo?”
Yeon Woo flinched slightly at his question, as if startled.
But after a brief pause, her expression softened, her lips parted as if to speak, then she let out a light sigh before finally opening her mouth.
“No. I came thinking it was just a thank-you gesture for my hard work.”
Her voice was remarkably flat—as if resigned to something.
Looking back, Yeon Woo had always been like this.
Even when shaken, she would quietly sort things out in her head and bring the situation to a close on her own.
He’d never paid attention to this habit of hers before, but now her discouraged look bothered him.
“Excuse me.”
Their food arrived at that moment.
It seemed Sung Won had requested everything be brought out at once—the table was quickly filled with many plates.
“I’ll pour the wine for you.”
Apparently, unaware of Yeon Woo’s pregnancy, Sung Won had ordered wine.
His usual belief was that sharing drinks was the best way to get closer to someone.
“No, non-alcoholic, please.”
Tae Han raised his hand, stopping the waiter from pouring wine into her glass.
The waiter immediately straightened the bottle, flustered.
“I’m sorry—I’ll double-check the order right away.”
“No need to double-check. Just replace it with non-alcoholic.”
It was unthinkable to serve wine to a pregnant woman—and besides, he had no intention of getting close to Seo Yeon Woo through alcohol.
“But we’ve already opened the wine bottle…”
“Are you trying to test my patience? Do you really think I’d ask you to cover the bill yourself?”
Frustrated, Tae Han furrowed his brow. Yeon Woo finally gave the waiter a gentle smile and stepped in.
“We’ll pay for the wine separately. If you have sparkling water, I’ll order that instead.”
“Understood.”
After the waiter left, Tae Han raised one eyebrow mischievously.
“Why look at me like that?”
“It’s a new order—maybe a little gentler request would’ve been nicer.”
“Got it.”
His immediate, obedient reply left Yeon Woo momentarily bewildered.
She’d expected him to scowl and ask, “Why should I have to?” as usual.
But today was different.
“Eat before it gets cold.”
Tae Han picked up his spoon and started on the soup.
He hated seeing her hesitate to touch her food out of nervousness.
“Thank you. I’ll dig in.”
Thankfully, Yeon Woo finally began eating.
A while later, after cutting a piece of steak and taking a bite, she murmured sincerely,
“It’s delicious…”
Unaware of the quiet satisfaction on Tae Han’s face, she remained busy slicing her meat.
He’d personally made the reservation for this place—it felt like somewhere that would suit her taste, since she loved meat.
“How’s your boyfriend doing?”
But his unexpected question made Yeon Woo look up with a displeased expression.
Why bring up something that was already over?
He clearly knew there was no boyfriend, so asking like this had to be intentional.
“He’s doing well.”
“And the wedding preparations are going smoothly?”
“What exactly do you want to ask?”
“I’m just seeing how far you’ll go with your lies.”
Yeon Woo pressed her lips tightly together.
“Thinking back, I was sincere that night.”
Tae Han spoke casually as he cut into his steak.
“It was an honest accident.”
Yeon Woo’s eyes flickered as she recognized which “night” he meant.
For a moment, her hand holding the knife trembled, and she gripped it tighter.
“I came to this date because I truly think it’s special.”
“President.”
“What do you think of me?”
“What…?”
“As a marriage prospect.”
Yeon Woo ended up dropping her knife onto the plate.
The clatter echoed, but she didn’t move her gaze from Tae Han.
Calm yet firm, he continued,
“If you feel you absolutely must get married—even if it means lying about having a boyfriend—then why not consider me?”
“Please stop.”
“Am I really that unacceptable?”
“I already told you I’m carrying my boyfriend’s child.”
“I thought I made it clear that doesn’t matter.”
“President.”
“In every way—wealth, looks, intelligence—how am I not clearly better than that man? There’s nothing I lack.”
His confident gaze pierced straight toward Yeon Woo.
“Besides, if you’re marrying because of the baby, wouldn’t choosing someone like me make you feel more secure? Don’t you think?”
His eyes were unreadably deep, yet for some reason, she could feel his sincerity.
“I can give your child anything.”
And that made her heart race.
“And you, too.”
Madly so.
“I’ll bring your sparkling water.”
Just then, the sparkling water Yeon Woo ordered arrived. After dismissing the waiter, Tae Han poured it into her glass himself and said,
“Think it over carefully. Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
His words sounded like a warning—that she’d regret it if she didn’t choose him.
***
Somehow, they finished their meal and headed to the cinema.
After Tae Han’s shocking proposal, Yeon Woo couldn’t even recall what the food had tasted like.
“It’s crowded.”
Unlike her, whose heart still hadn’t settled, Tae Han had already returned to his usual self.
He frowned as he looked at the throng of people lining up at the ticket counter. It was evening, so the crowd was natural—but it seemed unfamiliar to him.
“Is this your first time at a movie theater?”
“Yeah.”
When Yeon Woo asked half-jokingly, his serious “yes” left her speechless.
She started wondering if he had a private theater at home—
“I never had time to watch movies. Things like this were luxuries in my life.”
Surprised by his unexpected answer, Yeon Woo stared at him silently. Tae Han glanced around, then turned back to her.
The moment their eyes met, Yeon Woo flinched for no reason.
“What do you think of me, as a marriage prospect?”
His voice echoed in her ears like a lingering whisper.
“Don’t you want popcorn?”
“Do you want some?”
“Director Kim said people always eat popcorn at the movies.”
The buttery aroma drifting over did smell tempting.
But she was still too stunned to feel hungry—and worried about possible morning sickness, she stayed quiet.
“I’ll go buy some. You go ahead and get the tickets.”
“You know how to buy it?”
“I may be new to movie theaters, but I’m not helpless.”
After his curt reply, Tae Han disappeared toward the concession stand, and Yeon Woo stepped into the queue at the ticket machine.
While waiting, she drifted into thought.
“I can give your child anything.”
It almost sounded like a sweet proposal—but she couldn’t bring herself to feel happy about it.
Not only did she lack the confidence to stay with someone who didn’t love her, but she also couldn’t forget the day she’d met Jeon Il Soo.
“If it’s Chairman Ki Tae Han’s child, you should absolutely have it.”
Those words had left an ominous impression—as if foretelling future hardships.
‘Ugh… I still can’t calm down.’
Separate from those thoughts, Yeon Woo placed a hand over her pounding chest and took a deep breath.
It should be simple—just reject him like she always had. So why had she frozen up earlier, unable to utter a word?
Lost in thought, her turn finally came, and she entered the reservation number he’d given her.
The paper ticket soon printed out.
But as she turned around and glanced absentmindedly at the ticket, the title made her freeze in place.
[Let’s Be Together]A famously steamy 19+ romance film notorious for its explicit content.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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aah, serim really messed up.
claimed to know everything but in reality know nothing.
allergic reaction could be really dangerous.