Desperate for a Catch (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13
The next day at 9:30 a.m., Woo Yeon arrived at the broadcast station right on time.
The newspapers delivered daily to her home were also available in the newsroom.
After reading through all the papers from various news outlets, the morning would inevitably fly by.
Just as she picked up one newspaper she hadn’t yet read, returning from the makeup room,
“Senior!”
Her junior anchor, Jin Woo Sik, kindly brought up Kim Min Joon’s engagement news.
“Have you seen the Yusin Ilbo newspaper?”
“I was just about to read it. Why?”
“It says Managing Director Kim Min Joon of Hwedong Construction is having his engagement ceremony this week.”
Ah.
So that’s why Kim Min Joon rushed over last night—because he knew the story would break today.
Was he worried she might feel hurt if she saw the engagement news in the paper?
You really never change.
Woo Yeon let out a hollow laugh.
“Senior, but do you know who his fiancée is?”
“No idea. I’ll find out once I read it.”
“You’ll be shocked.”
“Hmm. The youngest son of Hwedong Construction getting engaged? That’s such trivial news—it’ll never make it onto my broadcast.”
Woo Sik pouted.
Aside from Seo Ji Woo and Reporter Yum, no one else knew she’d once dated Kim Min Joon—it was a secret to everyone.
So Woo Sik wasn’t to blame.
“But wouldn’t it matter if you knew who she was?”
“I said it’s fine.”
Just as expected, his engagement announcement didn’t appear on the front page or even the second page.
Only when she turned to the third page did she find a tiny photo alongside the name of his fiancée.
Woo Yeon felt goosebumps rise.
Woo Sik, as if anticipating her reaction, launched into an impassioned explanation to Woo Yeon.
“It’s Miss Jo In Young, daughter of Chairman Jo Se Hoon of Jang Kyung Group. Honestly, I was pretty surprised. It sounds silly to say, but compared to Jang Kyung Group, Hwedong is just on a completely different level. There must’ve been plenty of better suitors—why pick Hwedong of all places?”
“…….”
“I guess those rumors were true.”
Woo Yeon quickly asked,
“What rumors?”
“There’ve been all sorts of whispers about Jo In Young. She used to appear often with her father when she was younger, but this is the first time since she grew up that her photo’s been published like this. I get that her family shielded their only daughter, but she’s been way too hidden from the media. Maybe because I’ve heard strange rumors, but her face looks a bit different from when she was younger.”
“What?”
“They say she’s an artist. She’s been living in the UK all this time and only recently returned to Korea because of this marriage. Both families kept things so secretive that even reporters were completely out of the loop. Yusin Ilbo got the exclusive—it feels kind of sketchy, honestly.”
“Why does that matter?”
“Well… this is top-tier gossip, but there’s a weird rumor that Jo In Young isn’t Chairman Jo’s real daughter. Supposedly, his actual daughter drowned in a hotel swimming pool when she was little. Because his wife was devastated, the chairman supposedly brought in a girl of the same age from somewhere else and raised her as his own—even giving her his late daughter’s name. Ugh, it gives me chills. No matter how you slice it, how could he possibly reuse his dead daughter’s name? Right?”
“…….”
“Senior?”
“Woo Sik.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Where did you hear that story?”
“What? You don’t actually believe it, do you? Come on, surely not!”
“I—I need to step into the newsroom for a bit.”
Her head throbbed.
It felt as though someone was splitting open her skull with a hammer, demolishing every nerve cell inside.
At the end of the corridor leading to the newsroom, Woo Yeon couldn’t force herself another step forward and clung weakly to the wall.
“Haah… Haah.”
Her breath grew shallow.
It couldn’t be—Kim Min Joon’s fiancée couldn’t possibly be Jo In Young.
This truly made no sense at all. No matter how hard she tried to steady her breathing, the ragged air rising from deep within her lungs refused to calm her.
Reporter Park, who’d been in the newsroom, spotted Woo Yeon and asked worriedly if she was alright.
Only then did Woo Yeon finally regain control of her breath and return to her usual composure.
“I’m fine.”
Straightening her back, she returned to the anchor room.
What was there even to verify in the newsroom?
Kim Min Joon and Jo In Young were holding their engagement ceremony this weekend and would marry soon.
‘What are you even trying to confirm, Yoon Woo Yeon?’
Woo Yeon touched her disheveled hair and stared into the mirror at her own reflection.
Her face was twisted with bitter injustice and seething anger.
It wasn’t simple jealousy over Kim Min Joon sweetly dating another woman.
Nor was it the inferiority of having someone precious taken away by someone else.
Just hearing that name made some dark, hidden instinct deep within her guts writhe, and Woo Yeon clenched her fist tightly.
“Haah.”
When was the last time she’d seen her?
The year her father died—yes, that was it. Even though she knew she shouldn’t go, Woo Yeon had very few choices.
The moment she saw a news article saying Jo In Young had briefly returned to Korea from studying abroad, Woo Yeon went straight to see her—without a moment’s hesitation.
At first, she clung desperately to her mother, then later to Jo In Young herself, pleading tearfully.
“Unnie, please… I’m begging you. Dad only has less than two months left. Please, just see him once—let him pass peacefully.”
The words Jo In Young hurled back at the sobbing Woo Yeon were cruel—so harsh they carved a deep, knife-like wound into Woo Yeon’s heart.
“I already told you—I’m not your unnie anymore. My name is Jo In Young. Just go away! Get out of our lives already.”
Woo Yeon couldn’t hold back then and harshly slapped her sister’s face.
To both her mother and her sister, she screamed curses—the very same ones her grandmother often used—calling them all insane.
But Woo Yeon regretted that day, over and over again. She should never have done it.
‘……Woo Yeon.’
‘Grandmother, I’m sorry.’
‘Oh dear. Oh dear.’
At her father’s funeral stood only her grandmother, already over eighty, and a shabby twenty-three-year-old woman.
She remembered crying endlessly, hearing her grandmother wail in grief over losing her child.
After that heartless spring, Woo Yeon became a different person. She completely excised her mother and sister from her life.
That was when she realized:
The weakest thing in the world is the human heart.
So back then, Yoon Woo Yeon carved even that out entirely.
In any relationship, the one who gives their heart is always the one who loses.
That’s why Kim Min Joon was hurting now—and why Yoon Woo Yeon had once locked herself in an empty room, drowning in tears.
Thus, she had to protect herself.
A defensive line she must hold—against strangers and even familiar people—until the very end.
Since turning twenty-three, Woo Yeon had never once crossed that line.
Ding-dong.
Woo Yeon pressed the doorbell.
On a weekend evening, the place she visited was Seo Ji Woo’s house.
She hadn’t planned to come all the way here. She’d intended to just stay home, exercise, and relax—but she couldn’t keep ignoring Seo Ji Woo’s persistent calls.
Who is it?
“It’s me.”
Before she could even say her name, the door swung open quickly from inside, as if someone had been waiting.
The spring breeze was chilly.
Walking through the spacious garden and into the house, she was warmly greeted by Seo Ji Woo at the entrance.
“Come in.”
Woo Yeon smiled faintly at the mix of worry and sympathy on her friend’s face.
“If anyone saw you, they’d think your boyfriend’s getting married today.”
“Hey, Yoon Woo Yeon. Can you really joke like that right now? How can you be so perfectly fine after breaking up with your boyfriend? Was it really not hard for you at all?”
“If I said it was hard, would you believe me?”
“No way! Seriously, I’d sooner believe the sun rises in the west!”
“Right. So don’t bother with premature comfort. Truth is, I’m in a really foul mood today—but I don’t feel like explaining anything.”
Seo Ji Woo let out a deep sigh. She knew Woo Yeon rarely showed her emotions, yet her own heart ached anyway.
She could guess why they broke up—Yoon Woo Yeon likely initiated it herself.
She probably didn’t want to hurt Kim Min Joon anymore and knew they could never get married.
Even though she knew Woo Yeon wasn’t the type to cry her eyes out over a boyfriend’s engagement after two years together, Seo Ji Woo still felt an unexpected ache in her chest.
She knew very well that beneath a cold, composed exterior often burned a fiercely scorching fire.
Seo Ji Woo ushered Woo Yeon inside.
“Yeah, whatever. Life’s short—just sit down!”
It seemed she had no intention of letting Woo Yeon leave until she was drunk. On the long dining table sat various types of alcohol alongside light, oil-free dishes tailored to Woo Yeon’s preferences.
Woo Yeon pulled out a chair and set her bag down.
“I told you not to prepare so much food. I’ll only stay an hour, drink a bit, then leave.”
Seo Ji Woo rolled her eyes.
“Do you really have to set a limit like that?”
“Yeah. Otherwise, I might cross the line.”
“What line? On a night like this, you should drink your fill, get completely wasted, and go home like that. You didn’t drive, right?”
“Nope.”
She agreed with Seo Ji Woo—today of all days, she wanted to go home drunk.
Though she usually insisted she wouldn’t drink, Seo Ji Woo was the exception. It was okay to show vulnerability once in a while with her.
Maybe she’d borrow the courage from alcohol to speak—
…about Yoon Woo Yeon’s true, unguarded self.
The jumbled words stuck painfully in her throat, frustrating her.
Unaware of what was churning inside her, Seo Ji Woo busied herself pouring wine and offering comfort.
“Should I ask my husband to introduce you to a nice guy? Oh, what about Cha Tae Kyung? I think he’s still looking for someone to marry!”
Woo Yeon, sipping her wine, momentarily froze at her words.
“No, there’s no need.”
“Why not? Was he unimpressive? You two even did an interview together recently! Honestly, Yoon Woo Yeon’s drive was absolutely amazing back then.”
Woo Yeon smiled.
“It’s not that he’s unimpressive—just that I don’t like him.”
“Are you planning to grow old and die alone?”
“Yep. That’s the plan.”
“You really say the most impossible things.”
To Seo Ji Woo, Yoon Woo Yeon had always been unwavering.
No matter what happened, she never got flustered, overly excited, or reacted excessively.
She was the one who, as a rookie announcer suddenly dispatched to a fire scene, calmly reported the situation—even with soot smudged across her face.
Whether given an hour, five minutes, or even just one minute, Yoon Woo Yeon was always exceptional.
That’s why Seo Ji Woo sometimes found her intimidating.
Maybe it was because she seemed flawlessly perfect.
No matter how hard she stayed up preparing, Seo Ji Woo always felt utterly insignificant next to Yoon Woo Yeon—so she’d chosen instead to marry a wealthy man early on.
Even now, she never regretted that choice. If she’d stayed in the announcer’s room competing with Yoon Woo Yeon, her self-esteem would probably be scraping rock bottom by now.
Because Yoon Woo Yeon was too perfect—and thus disliked and abandoned by everyone—Seo Ji Woo had chosen to stand by her side.
That was simply Seo Ji Woo’s way of living.
“Woo Yeon.”
“Hmm?”
“Honestly, I still haven’t fully gotten over feeling inferior around you.”
“…….”
“I’m envious, annoyed, and it makes my stomach hurt—but exactly that much means I care about you.”
“Pick one. Either like me or hate me.”
“Nope. I’ll do both. Anyway, what I’m saying is—hang in there.”
“I told you not to comfort me.”
Despite Woo Yeon’s dry tone, Seo Ji Woo clinked her glass firmly against hers.
“Anchor Yoon.”
“What?”
“You’re not leaving until you’re completely drunk tonight. I’ve made up my mind.”
Absolutely not letting you go.
Seo Ji Woo smiled brightly.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
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So she is missing him so hoping what happens next!