Desperate for a Catch (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
“Woo Yeon, can we talk?”
As Woo Yeon returned to her officetel after work, someone knocked on the passenger-side window before she could even turn off the engine in the parking lot.
It was Kim Min Joon.
Although he’d been persistently contacting her even after their breakup—which annoyed her—she still felt indebted to him.
Reluctantly, she unlocked the door for him.
The moment he got in, he grabbed her and immediately said something far from interesting.
“Shall I say it again?”
She froze for a moment, recalling the man who’d been sitting beside her in the car ever since lunch.
Cha Tae Kyung, who’d simply handed her his jacket and told her to cover up. Cha Tae Kyung, who’d ignored her words and walked ahead into the elevator alone.
She quietly pictured Cha Tae Kyung in her mind—the Cha Tae Kyung who’d wanted to exchange some clichéd romantic banter while watching the sunset that day, the kind of person who made others feel small just by being near them.
How did he remember her? It had been less than five minutes.
Besides, seven years was hardly a short time.
Then again… I remember him too, after all.
He must have sharp eyes—or maybe it’s just a good memory.
“Woo Yeon.”
“……”
“Yoon Woo Yeon. Are you even listening to me? I said, shall I say it again?”
Her ears felt hot.
Only then, startled by Min Joon’s urging, did Woo Yeon snap back to reality.
His eyes, fixed on hers, were brimming with regret. Woo Yeon shook her head firmly.
There was no need to repeat himself. She’d understood perfectly well.
He was telling her that he was getting engaged this Saturday.
He must have been anxious all by himself, and today he’d clearly come seeking her out, revealing his vulnerability.
Given his indecisive nature, it was obvious he’d kept delaying things until now, trying desperately to fix a situation he’d let spiral out of control.
Woo Yeon stared blankly at the windshield, finally managing to erase the faint image of Cha Tae Kyung that had formed there.
“I understood you clearly enough.”
“…… Woo Yeon.”
“But you don’t need to explain anything to me.”
“Don’t talk like that. You know I haven’t moved on from you yet.”
“……”
“I’m sorry for telling you this. But about this marriage—I swear on my soul, it’s absolutely not something I wanted. Things just somehow ended up like this. Honestly, I don’t even know what to do anymore.”
Kim Min Joon was a kind man.
When her only remaining family—her grandmother—passed away, and she was going through the hardest time of her life, he was the one who stayed by her side.
Truthfully, she’d always known: aside from his kindness, everything else about him was utterly inadequate.
Right after her grandmother’s funeral, before she’d even had time to process her grief, she threw herself into work, staying constantly busy.
Director Song had told her she could take more time off, but Woo Yeon had stubbornly refused.
She’d believed that if she buried herself in overwhelming work, the unbearable sorrow would eventually pass.
Of course, her body couldn’t keep up, and two hours before a live broadcast, she collapsed and was rushed to the emergency room.
Even in her hazy dreams, she was alone. And when she finally opened her eyes and regained consciousness, there was no one left in Yoon Woo Yeon’s life.
Overwhelmed by crushing loneliness, she forgot she was even in a hospital and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
Kim Min Joon was the one who rushed into the ER late and cried with her the whole time.
He was the one who’d silently endured her indifference—her cold rejections of his date requests, her indifference to expensive gifts and bouquets from a self-proclaimed fan.
When he heard she’d collapsed, he ran over immediately and cried for an entire hour beside her in that ER that day.
Later, baffled, she’d asked him why he was crying too, and he’d scratched his head awkwardly and replied,
“Well… because you were crying… and there was nothing I could do. It felt embarrassing for you to cry alone, so… I’m sorry.”
If Kim Min Joon hadn’t cried with her that day, she might have canceled the live broadcast.
After crying her fill, Woo Yeon pulled herself together and completed the broadcast without a hitch.
She’d known he was hopelessly momma’s boy, terrified of his father and living exactly as he was told, always watching her reactions even during their prolonged relationship.
That’s precisely why she hadn’t been able to leave him for a long time—because he was the only one who’d witnessed her through her hardest moments.
But even then, hadn’t she already known deep down how this story would end?
Woo Yeon pressed firmly on her bloodshot eyes, raw from lack of sleep.
“Min Joon.”
“Yeah, go ahead. Please, just say something.”
She no longer harbored petty feelings like guilt or disappointment about not giving him the answer he hoped for—they’d been discarded long ago.
They’d endured two years together out of obligation, not some childish, passionate love, so she trusted Kim Min Joon would understand her words.
Woo Yeon blinked slowly.
“You probably already know, but since things have come to this, I’ll be honest: I would’ve been fine even without you.”
“What?”
“I just needed someone by my side—that’s all. It didn’t have to be you specifically. You know what kind of person I am. That’s why you don’t need to explain yourself to me like this.”
“……”
“If you come to me right after our breakup, saying you’re getting engaged soon, looking so apologetic—what am I supposed to say?”
“I wanted us to break up properly.”
“Huh?”
“It was too one-sided.”
“……”
“I knew you were busy. I knew you didn’t have feelings for me anymore. So when you said you wanted to break up, even though I hated it, I accepted it—because I know exactly what kind of person you are.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I thought that when I needed you again, you’d just be there for me like before. Yoon Woo Yeon is always lonely, after all.”
For a man just two days away from his wedding, those were shockingly rude words.
Especially to the woman who was supposed to become his fiancée—it was outright insulting.
Though his words about her eternal loneliness stung deeply, she knew she had to stay cold.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”
“……”
“To me, Min Joon, you were already over three months ago. When people say ‘let’s break up,’ it means ‘let’s never see each other again.’ Did I really need to teach you that when we parted?”
Woo Yeon could clearly hear him swallow hard in silence.
He’d always been someone whose emotions showed plainly on his face, and even now, he couldn’t hide it—making him seem almost ridiculous.
Woo Yeon drove the point home.
“Just leave.”
“I won’t go through with this marriage.”
“……”
“I can’t cancel the engagement ceremony at this point, but I won’t get married. Consider that settled.”
What kind of nonsense was this—engaging but not marrying?
What the hell?
Woo Yeon held the bitter taste in her mouth without swallowing it. Someone once said there’s no such thing as a good ending in this world—and now she truly felt it.
“Whether you get married or not has nothing to do with me anymore.”
“I’m staying with you till the end. You’re the only woman in my life.”
“Min Joon!”
“I’ll contact you again.”
Bang!
He got out of the car. As the door slammed shut—too hard, echoing loudly—Woo Yeon sighed deeply.
She barely managed to drag her exhausted body into the elevator and finally into her apartment.
Seo Ji Woo’s call came at the worst possible time.
She recalled Ji Woo’s earlier message, sent around lunchtime: “Heard some weird rumors.”
Though tempted not to answer, Woo Yeon eventually picked up.
“Hello?”
—Where are you?
“At home.”
—Be honest with me. Did you and Kim Min Joon break up?
“That’s how it turned out.”
—Damn it! When?
“About three months ago.”
—Ugh. Then you should’ve told me sooner! Do you have any idea how shocked I was today?
“Why? Is Kim Min Joon getting engaged the day after tomorrow or something?”
—What?!
Woo Yeon reassured Ji Woo that she was fine.
But Ji Woo seemed even more upset on her behalf, saying it must sting to hear your ex is getting married to someone else.
“I really am okay.”
—Let’s drink together the day after tomorrow?
“I’m busy.”
—What? It’s the weekend! You don’t have a broadcast.
“Anchors don’t distinguish between weekdays and weekends. If I say I’m busy, I’m busy.”
—Fine. We’re meeting—no excuses! I’ll call you, so wait for me!
Looking at her disconnected phone, Woo Yeon smiled. This is exactly why I like Seo Ji Woo—so stubborn, yet somehow not annoying.
As she sat at her vanity to remove her makeup, another call came through.
Recognizing the familiar name, Woo Yeon paused mid-reach for a tissue, hesitating briefly.
He was just as willful as Ji Woo—but in a way she didn’t hate.
Should she reject him again this time?
Would he back off this time?
But Woo Yeon changed her mind.
Considering he was the actual owner of Wedding Tower, taking his call was the right move.
He was undeniably the person closest to her own desires. Though Cha Tae Kyung himself wasn’t something she actively wanted, keeping close to him—whose ambition mirrored her own—made perfect strategic sense.
She silenced the ringing after just a few short vibrations and answered.
“Yes.”
—I just wanted to check if you got home safely.
Woo Yeon gave a low chuckle at his oddly formal greeting, which hid his true intent.
He’d dropped him off at Wedding Tower at 2 p.m., yet asking if she’d “gotten home safely” sounded just like something a boyfriend would say right after parting.
“I got home fine.”
—And did your broadcast go well?
His deep, cavernous voice wasn’t unpleasant—in fact, it was quite nice. She mused that Cha Tae Kyung could’ve easily been an anchor himself; his voice was that good.
His natural low tone was charming, but his innate vocal quality and timbre were equally impressive.
Woo Yeon absentmindedly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, amused by her own professionally biased thought.
“I suppose so.”
—Let’s have dinner. The day after tomorrow.
“Hmm, didn’t I clearly refuse earlier, saying I didn’t want to keep getting tangled up with you, CEO?”
—Did you? I don’t recall hearing that.
“Maybe you need to study our language more.”
—I’ll learn it if Anchor Yoon Woo Yeon teaches me personally.
She’d always thought slickness didn’t suit him—but oddly, it did.
Woo Yeon couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh before quickly shaking her head firmly sideways, even though it wasn’t a video call.
“No, thank you.”
—Ah. It seems Anchor Yoon Woo Yeon has a bad habit of rejecting everything. Have you ever thought about changing that?
“Yes, I dislike that idea too.”
His laugh—like a burst of wind—rang clearly in her ear. Beneath that laughter, Woo Yeon fell silent for a moment, as if at a loss, before finally speaking again.
“I already have plans that day, CEO.”
—Then another day? Will you say ‘no’ to every single day?
“Yes.”
Just as expected, Tae Kyung murmured quietly.
She waited for his next words, but all she heard now was profound silence.
“CEO?”
—Alright then. I’ll contact you again.
“……”
—Oh, and don’t just hop into anyone’s car carelessly.
Huh?
His final words filled her mind with confusion—but the call had already ended.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
So she is missing him so hoping what happens next!