Desperate for a Catch (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
Jingle. Jingle again.
Somehow, the two of them had already finished an entire bottle of wine. Woo Yeon’s unease wasn’t due to Kim Min Joon—it was because of Jo In Young.
Why did his fiancée have to be someone wearing Jo In Young’s name like a mask?
Just thinking about it made her head burn with heat, driving her nearly mad. At this rate, she might cross a line tonight.
She imagined blurting out all her secrets to Seo Ji Woo under the influence of alcohol.
But that was far too dangerous a thought. Woo Yeon slowly wiped the corner of her mouth with a tissue.
“Ji Woo.”
“Hmm?”
“I should go now.”
“Already?”
“Yeah.”
“But I told you not to!”
“I can’t stay either.”
Woo Yeon stood up abruptly, but Seo Ji Woo grabbed her arm and put on a playful pout.
The mood had just started heating up, and Woo Yeon wanted to run off after just a taste? Absolutely unacceptable.
“No way am I letting you go like this!”
“Stay just a little longer, pleeease? Huh?”
“No. I’m done drinking. I’m already dizzy. Besides, you know I sped things up just to match your pace, right?”
“Of course I know! How could I not? Still, just one more drink. You’re being so heartless!”
“If I drink any more here, I’ll break out in pimples.”
“Who are you trying to fool? I’ve known you for five years, and I’ve never once seen a single blemish on your face.”
“I go to the dermatologist regularly, get consistent skincare treatments, and even track my water intake down to the hour. You know how strict and exhausting I am about it.”
“Fine, then!”
Woo Yeon tried playing on Seo Ji Woo’s sympathy, but today it didn’t work at all. She gave a gentle smile.
“Chairman Park will be here soon. It’ll be awkward.”
“He texted he’d be late! You know how our guy is—he never comes home before six in the morning after drinking, so don’t worry about—”
Huh?
Seo Ji Woo cut herself off mid-sentence at the familiar sound of the keypad beeping from the front door.
“Oh, oh….”
The door swung open anyway.
Seo Ji Woo’s husband, Park Min Kwon, walked in first, followed by someone astonishingly familiar to Woo Yeon.
“Oh no! What do I do!”
Seo Ji Woo, eyes wide with panic, stomped her feet helplessly.
Woo Yeon quickly stood up too. If she’d known she’d run into him like this, she never would’ve come here today.
That went for both Park Min Kwon and Cha Tae Kyung.
“Ji Woo, I’ll head out now.”
“Huh?”
Just as Woo Yeon grabbed her bag and straightened up hurriedly, Park Min Kwon recognized her first.
He hadn’t expected a guest at home at all, yet his eyes lit up slightly with pleasant surprise.
“Where are you off to, Ms. Woo Yeon?”
Though the voice belonged to Park Min Kwon, Woo Yeon’s eyes met Cha Tae Kyung’s instead.
She had no idea why he was here, but one thing was certain—her heart pounded violently again.
Blaming it on the alcohol, Woo Yeon quickly averted her gaze from him.
Since Woo Yeon didn’t answer, Park Min Kwon shifted his questioning focus to Seo Ji Woo.
“What’s going on with you? You skipped your own important engagement today claiming you were sick, yet I find you hanging out with Anchor Yoon at this hour?”
Flushed all the way to her ears, Seo Ji Woo stammered a flustered reply. Her obvious lack of composure made her look exactly like the boy who cried wolf.
“I… I… honey.”
“Oh? Looks like you’ve been drinking too?”
“Huh?”
Amid the tense silence, Woo Yeon stepped in to answer for her.
“Chairman Park, please don’t scold her too much. I insisted we drink because she said she was home.”
Park Min Kwon’s gaze turned back to her. Though his eyes had been sharp when looking at Seo Ji Woo, they softened slightly when directed at Woo Yeon.
“Is… that so?”
“Yes. I didn’t realize she was unwell. She probably found it hard to refuse my sudden invitation. She did seem off earlier—I guess she didn’t want me to worry, so she kept quiet.”
“Well, our Ji Woo really admires Anchor Yoon.”
“Yes. Well then, I’ve caused enough trouble.”
“Since we’re all here, why don’t the four of us have a drink together? Ji Woo seems fully recovered anyway.”
“What? Oh, no.”
“Sit down. I know slipping away is Anchor Yoon’s specialty, but I’ve got a guest here today, so please indulge me.”
“….”
As he said this, Park Min Kwon pointed to Tae Kyung.
“Oh, this is Chairman Cha Tae Kyung. You two know each other, right? You even asked me for his contact info recently. Thanks to that, I’ve been enjoying the news broadcasts.”
“Yes… thank you.”
It was merely a polite, formal exchange—just a token reply to his comment about enjoying the news.
From past experience, Woo Yeon knew that the longer she talked to Park Min Kwon, the more likely something unpleasant would happen.
She wished they’d stop right there, yet he addressed only her—ignoring both his wife and his guest—with another question.
“Anchor Yoon’s on-air skills are still as impressive as ever. Do I get any credit for that?”
“….”
Instead of answering, Woo Yeon subtly glanced at Tae Kyung. Park Min Kwon’s face briefly twisted in displeasure before he added an explanation for bringing Tae Kyung along.
“We ran into each other at an alumni gathering today, hit it off instantly, and decided to continue drinking at my place. You see, capable businesspeople always have a good eye for others. We’ve got plenty to learn from each other—both of us are leaders giving our best, bound to meet again at the top.”
What nonsense.
Park Min Kwon’s rambling words sounded utterly meaningless—like the empty barking of a dog, neither pleasant nor offensive.
He had never made a good impression on Woo Yeon from the start.
Even when Seo Ji Woo first introduced him, she’d found his subtle flirtation deeply irritating.
His constant calls at random times, meetings disguised as “coincidences with Woo Yeon”—when she finally couldn’t take it anymore and planned to reveal the truth to Seo Ji Woo,
ironically, that very day Seo Ji Woo announced their engagement.
Beneath her bright, cheerful request for congratulations, Woo Yeon ended up saying nothing at all.
If there was any silver lining, it was that Seo Ji Woo seemed more interested in becoming a chaebol’s daughter-in-law than in love itself.
Woo Yeon had seen through this clearly, so she limited herself to a simple warning for Park Min Kwon:
“Are you really going through with this marriage?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Do you really love Ji Woo?”
“Marriage isn’t child’s play—do you really think I’d marry Ji Woo, who has nothing to offer, without genuine feelings?”
Hearing him casually say “who has nothing to offer” made Woo Yeon bite her lip and issue a quiet warning:
“Then you’d better be careful from now on.”
She still remembered Park Min Kwon’s twisted expression from that moment vividly.
Of course, Seo Ji Woo had lied—but the fact that he’d bring someone home to drink while claiming his wife was sick spoke volumes about his character, even without seeing it firsthand.
You really haven’t changed at all.
Fine wine is meant for noble people to enjoy freely. I’ll take my leave.
This time, as Woo Yeon turned to go, Seo Ji Woo grabbed her.
“Woo Yeon.”
“….”
“Sit down. Chairman Cha’s here now—just stay a bit longer and have another drink.”
Her tone was firm, but her eyes were frantic with desperate pleading.
If you leave like this, I’m done for!
Please, just stay a little longer!
Please, Yoon Woo Yeon? Huh?
Woo Yeon shook her head sideways.
No. I’m leaving.
Seo Ji Woo blinked rapidly, emphasizing her desperate plea.
Ugh—why, of all times, did Seo Ji Woo’s telepathy have to be so crystal clear right now?
Is it because I know you too well?
Or because you know me too well?
With no other choice, Woo Yeon sat back down—and right on cue, Cha Tae Kyung took the seat opposite her.
A slightly absurd thought crossed her mind.
Is he really tailing me? Why do we keep running into each other like this?
This scene had grown far too familiar—the sight of his beautiful face.
In the strangely charged atmosphere, Park Min Kwon returned with a new bottle of liquor.
Small vodka glasses filled with ice were soon brimming with drink.
As Woo Yeon quietly stared at her glass—overflowing more than the others—Park Min Kwon subtly pointed to it.
“Drink up.”
Woo Yeon picked up her glass with an indifferent expression and downed it in one gulp.
The harsh liquor burned down her throat, searing her esophagus deeply.
Just as her face involuntarily scrunched up from the intensity, her eyes met Tae Kyung’s unexpectedly.
Woo Yeon didn’t look away—she held his gaze directly.
“We keep meeting often.”
“Yeah. I thought you were busy, yet you don’t seem busy at all?”
It felt like lingering resentment over her rejecting his dinner invitation for the day after tomorrow.
Woo Yeon gave a silent smile before continuing.
“Were you already close with Chairman Park?”
“I’m thinking of making it that way starting today. What about you, Ms. Yoon Woo Yeon—are you close with Chairman Park?”
“Of course not.”
Tae Kyung accepted her cold reply at face value.
Noticing the meaningful glances exchanged between the two, Park Min Kwon tapped his fingers restlessly on the table—clearly irked by Woo Yeon’s answer.
“You talk about me so casually right in front of my face? But you two seem closer than I expected.”
An awkward silence settled over the table.
Sensing the tension, Seo Ji Woo rushed to lighten the mood on her own.
“Woo Yeon’s actually quite sociable in private—more than you’d think. She’s good at starting conversations and making people comfortable. That’s probably why she got along with Chairman Cha so quickly.”
At this, Park Min Kwon frowned.
“Really? Is that true, Ms. Woo Yeon?”
He raised an eyebrow as if to ask: Then why were you so rude to me?
“That’s strange. I heard you’re quite famous at the broadcast station.”
“….”
“Anchor Yoon, you’re selective about who you get close to.”
“….”
“I hear you’re extremely kind to some people and extremely rude to others.”
Just as she’d feared—whenever she talked to Park Min Kwon for too long, it always ended like this.
Feeling queasy, Woo Yeon stood up.
“I’ll be right back—just going to the restroom.”
When Woo Yeon returned to the table, only Tae Kyung remained.
She gave him a puzzled look, silently asking where the other two had gone. He quietly gestured toward the master bedroom with his eyes, still sipping his drink alone.
“Oh.”
Apparently, the couple was having an argument.
Park Min Kwon seemed to be demanding why she’d lied about being sick and skipped the engagement today, while Seo Ji Woo was reproaching him for being disrespectful to her best friend.
Seeing this as her chance to slip away, Woo Yeon glanced toward her bag—but Tae Kyung spoke up.
“Who are you kind to?”
“….”
“You know—‘extremely kind to some, extremely rude to others.’ So who’s the one you’re kind to?”
Woo Yeon didn’t answer. This time, instead of looking at her bag, she glanced toward the front door—the way out. Tae Kyung rested his chin in his hand.
“If you leave now, Ms. Seo Ji Woo will be in an even tighter spot. Why not just sit back down? Unless I’m making you uncomfortable.”
“….”
“They’ll probably come out soon.”
Woo Yeon sighed and straightened her posture. Regret washed over her—why had she even come here to witness this mess?
If this was how it was going to be, she’d rather have gone somewhere alone, somewhere no one knew, and drunk herself into a deep sleep all night.
She wanted to erase tonight entirely from her memory, so thoroughly that she’d have no clue who “she” wearing Jo In Young’s guise even was.
Noticing her eyes growing hazy, Tae Kyung spoke again.
“Should we just leave together right now?”
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[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!