Desperate for a Catch (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2

The man didn’t avert his gaze from Woo Yeon, even though someone else stood right before him.

Woo Yeon felt the same way. Like shadows moving around a single subject, their gazes converged and showed no sign of fading.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Though the stare came from afar and wasn’t entirely clear, she was certain of one thing.

He was a dangerous man.

Of course, that was merely Woo Yeon’s intuition. Though her job demanded conveying only verified facts, such sensitivity often led to significant outcomes.

She couldn’t let their strangely entangled gazes linger any longer.

As Woo Yeon turned away first, the man naturally lowered his eyes as well—but she couldn’t possibly know that.

“Well, anyway, they said he was pretty impressive. I didn’t get to talk to him myself—just saw him from a distance. But honestly, it left quite an impression, you know? You just saw him yourself—pretty extraordinary, right?”

Woo Yeon kept wetting her dry throat as she stared at Seo Ji Woo, who still seemed lost in a daze.

“Yeah, let’s go with that.”

“Huh?”

There wasn’t a single name among the candidates for Myeong San’s next leader that Woo Yeon didn’t know.

Yet this name felt seriously unfamiliar. Still, the man carried the Cha surname.

Setting down her glass, Woo Yeon grinned.

“Then he must be the son of Cha Yoon Hwa, Myeong San’s illegitimate daughter?”

Seo Ji Woo’s mouth fell open in astonishment.

“Are you a ghost? Seriously, is there anything Yoon Woo Yeon doesn’t know?”

“I don’t know a lot. That’s why I really need your help—especially since you married into a chaebol family.”

“Whoa, no way. Don’t even think about using me!”

“It’s not using you—it’s asking for a favor.”

“Tsk! You sly fox.”

Seo Ji Woo lowered her voice so it wouldn’t carry over to the other table.

“So? What else do you want to know?”

“This seems bigger than I thought, doesn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“They went all the way to the U.S. to bring Cha Tae Kyung back—Myeong San did.”

“When you think about it, yeah. But I don’t know much myself—I just heard it from my husband.”

Cha Yoon Hwa was known as the secret daughter of Cha Jin Soo, Myeong San’s former chairman—born to a young woman he met after marriage, making her essentially an illegitimate child.

Cha Jin Soo had two sons and a daughter with his legal wife, but all three were notoriously greedy yet utterly incompetent.

Their sibling rivalry over corporate control ultimately caused the company to collapse entirely.

In short, various incidents led to the Myeong San family’s downfall, and the company was now temporarily managed by professional executives.

Cha Woo Kang, the second son, was currently the strongest candidate for the next leader, but even he faced serious opposition from shareholders—especially alongside his elder brother, who was imprisoned on embezzlement charges.

The late Chairman Cha Jin Soo’s family desperately wanted to restore the company’s honor and clearly needed a new figurehead to lead that effort.

Woo Yeon recalled her past investigation into the Myeong San Group.

Cha Yoon Hwa had wanted nothing more than to escape the chaebol family feud forever.

Although she never officially married due to Chairman Cha’s disapproval, rumors abounded that she’d eloped to the U.S. with her lover and had a son and daughter there.

So, her son was Cha Tae Kyung.

It certainly looked like a major storm was brewing at Myeong San.

Having quickly pieced this together, Woo Yeon hurriedly stood up.

Seo Ji Woo blinked and asked,

“Where are you going?”

“To the restroom.”

“Be quick.”

“Yeah. Go ahead and order food—pick something fitting for a madam like you.”

Seo Ji Woo nodded repeatedly at Woo Yeon’s playful remark.

As Woo Yeon turned toward the restroom, she slipped behind a wall where Seo Ji Woo couldn’t see her.

She swiftly pulled out her phone and searched for recent developments concerning Brighton Airlines and Myeong San Group.

If the appointment was already decided, the groundwork must’ve been completed by now.

But could they break the story on air before the official appointment?

Biting her lip anxiously, she swept back her hair and placed her hand—previously resting on her waist—onto her phone screen.

She typed a message to Director Song:

[Director, Cha Tae Kyung, son of Myeong San’s Cha Yoon Hwa, has been appointed as Brighton Airlines’ new CEO. I’ll prepare an exclusive report.]

Just as she hurriedly turned around after typing the message, she collided with someone she hadn’t seen coming.

“Oh!”

Thud.

Her phone flew from her hand and skidded across the floor.

She reached for it, but her high heels got in the way. He bent down suddenly and picked it up before she could.

Without looking up, Woo Yeon immediately thanked him.

“Thank you.”

At the exact moment he straightened his back, Woo Yeon finally lifted her head.

Her phone remained in his hand. The moment she saw it, she swallowed hard.

‘He’s the first man I’ve ever seen who radiates such an otherworldly aura.’

‘I nearly dropped dead on the spot—gosh, if only I weren’t married, I’d have gone right up to him!’

The man standing before her matched Seo Ji Woo’s description perfectly—and those were the very eyes she’d locked onto three seconds earlier.

A chill shot through her entire body.

At the same time, a memory resurfaced. Overwhelmed by an oddly familiar feeling, Woo Yeon found herself unable to breathe properly—just as she had seven years ago.

In her entire life, only two people had ever made her feel utterly insignificant.

They’d overwhelmed her instantly, leaving her speechless, with every cell in her body tingling from the memory.

This man was one of them.

She’d buried that feeling so deeply afterward, she’d thought she’d erased him from her memory entirely.

Or so she’d believed—until now, when she finally learned his name on this very day.

If she’d known they’d meet again like this, she should’ve said something sharp to him back then.

It took her exactly six seconds to recall the man she’d briefly encountered seven years ago.

She sometimes forgot what she did yesterday—so what were the odds of instantly remembering a man she’d seen only for a moment seven years prior?

He hadn’t changed a bit from that arrogant aura she remembered.

Though perhaps it wasn’t Cha Tae Kyung who’d changed—but Yoon Woo Yeon herself.

Straightening her neck with a newfound composure, Woo Yeon addressed him in a clear, bright voice.

“CEO Cha Tae Kyung?”

***

Tae Kyung, about to hand back the phone, frowned deeply.

It was late afternoon, and he’d come for a blind date—bored and restless—when his gaze had inadvertently tangled with a woman seated at a distant table.

He’d only meant to distract himself for a moment, yet her face felt oddly familiar.

Must be my imagination.

He’d intended to simply walk past, but found himself unconsciously following her as she got up to leave.

He told himself he just wanted confirmation—but really, it wasn’t worth going this far.

‘What a lunatic.’

He cursed inwardly, feeling pathetic for trailing after a woman like some lovesick fool.

“Thank you.”

He’d been ready to quickly return her phone upon her thanks—but his mood soured instantly.

On the screen was a two-line message clearly containing his mother’s name and his own.

What? She’s a reporter?

The relentless attention from people always chasing him filled him with unbearable irritation.

He straightened his posture and looked directly at her.

Double-checking again.

She definitely seemed like someone he’d never seen before—yet undeniably familiar.

Was that why his eyes kept drifting toward her?

Was he trying to figure out where they’d met?

His eyes darkened further. They stood so close it felt as if only a door separated them from complete strangers. She appeared slightly tense, just like anyone else facing him.

That gave him even more leisure to observe her carefully.

Her high forehead, sharp nose, and lips—neither too big nor too small—were as vividly colored as dried rose petals.

She wore a sky-blue blouse, an H-line skirt, and black heels—but what caught his attention most was her slender, pale ankles.

Tae Kyung, who’d never cared for such trivial details before, smirked bitterly to himself.

What am I even doing right now?

He’d only returned to Korea a month ago after leaving as an infant, nursing at his mother’s breast.

It felt absurd that he had to immediately find a woman to marry upon returning—but he couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

Meanwhile, she continued speaking.

“Hello, CEO. I’m Anchor Yoon Woo Yeon from UBC Broadcasting.”

Tae Kyung gave a fleeting smile at her introduction. Ah—so she’s an anchor?

He let out a short laugh, realizing now that he must’ve seen her not in real life, but on his TV screen. Standing tall, his expression turned icy as he asked coldly,

“How do you know me?”

“This industry’s small, CEO.”

She smiled lightly—but Tae Kyung didn’t return it.

“So, you’re planning to run an exclusive report about me and my mother—without even asking my permission?”

He expected her to look flustered—but instead, she appeared remarkably composed.

“I’d need your permission, of course.”

“How exactly?”

Tae Kyung’s eyebrows shot up as he stared at Woo Yeon. Even though she knew he’d seen the message, her audacity was shameless.

“I’ll have to persuade you by any means necessary.”

“Persuade me…? Fine, go ahead and try your best.”

Woo Yeon gave a faint smile—but it wasn’t her usual bright, innocent one. It was purely businesslike. Though that annoyed him again, she didn’t back down.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I intend to do. So, CEO—if you happen to have time—”

“I don’t have time for you.”

“If you’re busy this week—”

Tae Kyung cut her off again.

His expression had turned brutally cold—any trace of courtesy toward her completely gone. He recalled the name she’d just spoken.

Yoon Woo Yeon. Her name felt even more familiar than her face.

He remembered she was currently Korea’s most popular announcer.

He even vaguely recalled a company CEO he’d met for business once mentioning he was her fan—an association Tae Kyung found distasteful.

Had they met randomly, she would’ve been undeniably captivating—but her blatant intentions irritated him.

He lightly scratched under his chin.

“You said you’re an anchor, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you acting so shamelessly?”

“Excuse me?”

“Trying to steal someone’s time like that—it’s the kind of thing someone would do if they had a crush on me.”

“…”

“At least keep some dignity.”

Only then did Tae Kyung finally hand her back the phone.

As Woo Yeon let out an incredulous, hollow laugh, he walked past her and disappeared into the restroom—as if he’d never come for her at all.

His steps were painfully indifferent.