An Instinctive Proposal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 40
A kind-hearted man, huh?
Tae Han recalled Gyu Bin, whom he’d run into not long ago.
The image of him holding Yeon Woo’s hands with a bright smile, speaking gently to her, and even being with her on that weekend morning at their Cheonan house—all of it flashed through his mind in sequence.
If someone so sweet and gentle was her ideal type, then he could never possibly measure up. Even if reborn, he’d surely be born again with this fiery temperament.
Then, was Ki Tae Han somehow inferior to Choi Gyu Bin in Seo Yeon Woo’s eyes?
While he couldn’t accept that notion, Yeon Woo asked him with a puzzled look.
“What did you come here to find out today?”
Since they’d just been talking about dinner and suddenly jumped to discussing ideal types, her confusion was understandable.
“Both.”
“So you haven’t eaten dinner yet, and I’ve already answered your question about my ideal type.”
“Let’s go eat dinner.”
“No.”
Yeon Woo had actually been meaning to bring this up herself.
She’d realized she’d been accepting too many meals from him compared to other employees.
While she couldn’t be blamed before realizing how close they’d become, now that she was aware of it, she needed to create distance.
Especially these days, when the other staff were paying so much attention to her.
“I wasn’t planning to eat dinner anyway—I’m not feeling well. Did you not get anything to eat either, Director?”
Just as she tried to recall if there was a decent restaurant nearby, since she couldn’t just let him skip a meal—
“Is it because of morning sickness?”
“I just don’t have an appetite.”
“Then don’t starve yourself. You don’t have to eat with me—just tell me what you feel like eating, and I’ll get it takeaway for you.”
As he said that, Tae Han actually turned the ignition as if ready to leave immediately.
Why go this far?
No matter how much he favored her as an employee, proposing marriage and offering to buy her meals crossed a line.
Yet, considering he was simply the type of boss who took excellent care of his staff, the situation wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
Still, if there were another employee he liked, he’d probably treat them the same way.
Imagining him someday behaving this way toward Se Rim, Yeon Woo gave a bitter smile before replying,
“There’s nothing I want. I’ll just make do with something at home.”
“…….”
But Tae Han didn’t respond.
Now that she looked, he seemed intensely focused on something ahead, so Yeon Woo turned her head—but with so many parked cars, she couldn’t tell what he was staring at.
“President?”
At that moment, Tae Han sharply turned the steering wheel and said,
“Buckle your seatbelt.”
“What?”
“We’ll eat dinner later.”
Before Yeon Woo could even ask why, Tae Han pressed the accelerator.
Squeeeak!
The tires screeched loudly from the sudden acceleration as the car shot straight out of the parking lot.
“Kyaaah!”
While Yeon Woo hastily fastened her seatbelt, she noticed another luxury sedan—just as high-end as Tae Han’s—racing ahead at an alarming speed.
“Hold on tight.”
Even in the midst of this, Tae Han checked that her belt was properly fastened before pressing the accelerator even harder.
Yeon Woo’s eyes widened.
Just as she wondered if this could really be happening, the sedan disappeared into a side alley to the right—and Tae Han immediately followed, swerving his car in the same direction.
An unexpected chase erupted in the narrow alley.
Whenever the car tilted sharply, Yeon Woo clung tightly to the door handle.
It felt like they’d raced through every alleyway in the neighborhood.
Finally, the car came to a stop right where the road dead-ended—at a point where Yeon Woo began wondering whether this was real life or a movie scene.
“He’s here.”
Tae Han quickly got out of the driver’s seat.
The sedan he’d been chasing had also stopped, having run out of places to go.
Watching Tae Han stride steadily toward the sedan, Yeon Woo gulped nervously.
Could the driver be Jeon Il Soo? He’d tailed her before—it wasn’t unthinkable he’d tail Tae Han too.
A moment later, she saw Tae Han sharply rap on the sedan’s front window.
When the driver still didn’t respond, Tae Han kicked the driver’s door forcefully with his shoe and growled,
“Get out.”
Only then did the driver’s door slowly open, and a large man in a suit stepped out, bowing deeply.
“I’m sorry, President.”
Though clearly not Jeon Il Soo, the man’s submissive posture made it obvious he’d been sent from Tae Sung’s side.
“What the hell were you doing?”
Tae Han’s voice from outside was sharp.
“First tailing me, now taking photos—you’ve lost your mind?”
“I’m sorry.”
Yeon Woo, eavesdropping from the car, widened her eyes in shock.
Was this some kind of paparazzi stunt?
“Who sent you?”
“I can’t say.”
“If you thought provoking me would get you something, tell whoever gave you that idea that he made a huge mistake—right in the head.”
As the man stood there, bowing silently without a word, Tae Han held out his hand.
“Hand it over.”
Hesitating, the man finally pulled out his phone from his right pocket and offered it without daring to look up.
“That’s not it. Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Only then did the man reluctantly pull a small camera from his other pocket, looking uneasy.
After turning on the camera and checking the photos, Tae Han tucked it into his own pocket and jerked his chin.
“Get out of here.”
Then, as he started walking back toward Yeon Woo’s car, she quickly lowered her head she’d stuck out and rolled up the window.
A moment later, Tae Han got back into the driver’s seat.
“Who was that?”
“Our family’s idiot.”
Yeon Woo blinked, not fully understanding his answer—then he turned to her and asked,
“You okay? Didn’t get scared or hurt, did you?”
She had been startled, but knowing Tae Han had held back his speed because of her, she shook her head.
“I’m fine.”
Only then did Tae Han fasten his own seatbelt and grip the steering wheel.
“Decided yet? About dinner, I mean.”
After such a chilling incident moments ago, his casual mention of dinner left Yeon Woo speechless.
Maybe sensing her thoughts, Tae Han glanced at the rearview mirror while holding the wheel.
“I get it. My top priority is making sure you eat.”
Soon, the sedan reversed with a low hum, backing out of the unfamiliar alley.
Yeon Woo sat across from Tae Han.
A small tonkatsu restaurant near her home.
Since she couldn’t decide on anything else, she’d chosen tonkatsu with cabbage salad.
While waiting for their food, they simply looked at each other—so lost in their own thoughts that neither noticed how long their eyes had been locked.
“Those photos earlier… they were of us together, right?”
“Yeah.”
Tae Han answered without denying it.
“Are you okay with that?”
“I’m fine. I took them, didn’t I?”
He lightly pulled the small camera from his pocket to show her.
She knew he was avoiding the real issue—not answering what she truly wanted to ask was so like him.
Maybe it meant he didn’t want to talk about it right now.
Now that she thought about it, she actually knew nothing about his family—nothing about the environment he’d grown up in or currently lived in.
“Your order is ready.”
Their tonkatsu finally arrived.
His was cheese-topped; hers was tenderloin. Both came with generous heaps of cabbage salad.
After thanking the server, Yeon Woo picked up her chopsticks and said,
“I’m treating you today, so please enjoy your meal.”
Tae Han gave a soft chuckle and popped a piece of tonkatsu into his mouth as if testing it.
“How is it?”
Though she hadn’t cooked it herself, Yeon Woo watched him nervously—only relaxing when he gave a slight, approving shrug.
Then she finally took a bite of her own tonkatsu.
The crisp sound, followed by warm, savory juices filling her mouth—despite her lack of appetite, the tonkatsu was delicious enough to win her over completely.
After eating in silence for a while, unable to bear the quiet any longer, Yeon Woo finally spoke up.
“Is yours tasty too?”
“Try it.”
More to break the silence than genuine curiosity, she asked—and Tae Han broke off a piece of his tonkatsu and placed it on her plate.
It was the first time he’d shared his food with her. Knowing he hadn’t grown up in a culture that encouraged this, Yeon Woo stared at him in surprise.
“What, is it dirty?”
“Oh, no! Thank you—I’ll eat it.”
Afraid he might mistake her silence for refusal, she quickly picked up the piece.
The perfectly crispy-fried meat, the rich melted cheese oozing out, and the subtly sliced perilla leaves created a flawless harmony of flavor.
“It’s delicious.”
Watching her with a knowing glance, Tae Han gave a relaxed, slight upward curve of his lips.
“Eat more.”
“What about you?”
“I get full just watching you eat.”
“…….”
Flustered, Yeon Woo barely managed to swallow the bite in her mouth and forced a smile.
“I’m full too, so it’s fine. Please eat yours, President.”
For the rest of the meal, she couldn’t bring herself to look directly into Tae Han’s eyes.
Time passed, and it was a weekend morning.
Having plans with Gyu Bin, Yeon Woo got up early to get ready to go out.
Since it was their last meeting before he returned to the U.S., she wanted to treat him to something special today.
[Ready?]A message from Gyu Bin arrived just then.
[Yeah, I’m coming down now.]He’d offered to drive to pick her up, so they’d agreed to meet in front of her apartment.
After finishing her makeup with a swipe of tinted lip balm, Yeon Woo tidied her hair in the mirror, grabbed her bag, and headed out.
Outside, Gyu Bin was already waiting by his car.
“Gyu Bin-ah.”
“Sorry. Did I make you wake up early and lose your weekend rest?”
“No, I usually get up around this time on weekends anyway.”
Gyu Bin said he wanted to go somewhere outside the city—that there was a place he’d always wanted to visit while in Korea.
Since he claimed the scenery was best when there were fewer people, they’d arranged to meet early.
“Here, hop in.”
Gyu Bin personally opened the passenger door for her. She thanked him and got in.
“What’s this? Smells delicious.”
“I packed a burger breakfast set—just in case you hadn’t eaten yet.”
His thoughtfulness remained unchanged.
“Thank you. I’ve already picked out a great place for lunch over there, so my treat.”
“Really? I’m touched.”
Gyu Bin, gripping the wheel, turned to her with a bright smile.
“Then I’ll treat you to dinner with something delicious.”
At that, Yeon Woo froze, her eyes widening.
She’d ultimately given in and agreed to have dinner with Tae Han.
She hadn’t expected to spend the entire evening with Gyu Bin since they were meeting so early in the morning.
“Oh… Sorry. I actually have plans for dinner.”
Gyu Bin looked taken aback, gave an awkward chuckle, then quickly bit his lip with a disappointed expression.
“Can’t be helped. But I feel a little left out—I dedicated my whole day just to see you today.”
“I’m sorry.”
Before she could explain she hadn’t realized they’d be together all day until dinner, Gyu Bin asked in a low voice,
“Is it… your president you’re meeting?”
There was a strange sharpness in his eyes as he looked at her.
Yeon Woo couldn’t bring herself to answer—and Gyu Bin fell silent too.
Uncomfortable with the sudden tension, Yeon Woo opened her mouth to speak first—but he met her gaze with a serious expression and said firmly,
“Don’t go.”
Yeon Woo stared at Gyu Bin, her face full of surprise.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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aah, serim really messed up.
claimed to know everything but in reality know nothing.
allergic reaction could be really dangerous.