Desperate for a Catch (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3
At one in the afternoon, Woo Yeon brewed herself a cup of coffee.
She opened her phone just in case there was a message from Cha Tae Kyung, but the only notifications were from the editing room.
Even while enduring those humiliating words that day, Woo Yeon never forgot her duty as an anchor.
If she had to act pitiful to make it happen, she was willing to do that much to get Tae Kyung’s story on the news.
No matter how many people called her ruthless, she couldn’t ignore the fact that her persistent personality had earned her this position.
After asking Seo Ji Woo to find Tae Kyung’s contact information, she immediately sent him a message.
[This is Yoon Woo Yeon. Please contact me when you’re available for a call, and I’ll ring you right away.]For two days straight, not even the usual brief reply came from him. She was wondering whether she should give up when, while unfolding the newspaper delivered to her home every morning, a message arrived.
[Call me.]At the short reply that flew in, Woo Yeon’s eyes sparkled.
There was no time to hesitate.
If the opportunity presented itself, she wanted to intensively broadcast a story about Cha Tae Kyung and his mother—something the media had never properly covered before.
Without even time to prepare her lines, she immediately pressed the call button.
After a long ringtone, an unfamiliar yet familiar voice came through.
—Yes, Cha Tae Kyung speaking.
Woo Yeon put extra strength into her voice, more than usual.
“Hello, President. This is Yoon Woo Yeon.”
It was the usual preliminary call before asking for interview consent, but she was so nervous that she briefly held her breath.
—Speak.
“That day… I’m sorry.”
—You, Yoon Woo Yeon? For what?
“I acted desperately toward you, President. I will formally meet you and apologize.”
A laugh that sounded like he was letting out a burst of air came through the receiver. It wasn’t a clear-toned laugh, so it seemed like he was telling her to know her limits, but Woo Yeon couldn’t back down now.
“Please give me just one hour.”
—Well, I think I already told you once that I’m busy.
“If one hour is too much, thirty minutes is fine.”
—I’ll think about it.
“President.”
—I said I’ll think about it. So wait.
The call was unilaterally ended. Now the only thing Woo Yeon could do was wait, just as he said.
Yet somehow she felt an answer would come from him soon. Maybe because of the way his eyes had intensely locked with hers at the lounge bar—she had a good feeling.
That premonition wrapped around Woo Yeon.
***
Brighton Hotel, room 1901.
Standing in front of the door, Woo Yeon lightly bit her lip.
The call that came early the next morning was from him, and as if he’d been waiting, he told her this place.
Cha Tae Kyung said he would be staying at the hotel for the time being. Since he hadn’t officially taken office yet, they couldn’t meet at the company office, and he persuaded her by saying the outside wouldn’t be uncomfortable for Yoon Woo Yeon either.
Since it was a hotel operated by their own group, security would be stricter than anywhere else, and he wasn’t the kind of person who would cause a major incident the moment he entered Korea.
Even so, the venue itself carried an intimidating weight.
The biggest problem was that she couldn’t gauge what kind of man he really was.
In other words, behind that noble face he might be trash who calls a woman over and starts shaking his lower half. Plus, there was that incident seven years ago.
To prepare for any eventuality, Woo Yeon had informed Director Song in advance about her meeting with President Cha Tae Kyung.
She reported the schedule and location, but today’s meeting had to remain secret, just as Cha Tae Kyung had said.
No other broadcasting station could be allowed to catch wind of it and steal the scoop.
Knock knock.
She lightly knocked with a pause in between. Fortunately, he opened the door before the second knock ended.
Seeing Cha Tae Kyung’s overwhelming appearance through the gap in the door, Woo Yeon felt the back of her neck involuntarily stiffen.
When his pitch-black eyes spoke, she almost let out all the breath she’d been holding.
But Woo Yeon was a professional. Never showing emotion to the other person in any situation was her specialty.
Woo Yeon smiled faintly.
“Good afternoon, President. It’s good to see you again.”
“Come in.”
Unlike Woo Yeon who was formally dressed, Tae Kyung wore only a white shirt and black trousers.
She had thought he was quite large, but seeing him like this, he actually had a lean, toned physique with no excess fat.
No tie, and his hair was naturally tousled, different from the first day she saw it.
Perhaps he had just showered and roughly dried his hair—his bangs were still damp. A deep masculine scent, whether cologne or skincare, stimulated Woo Yeon’s nose.
Tae Kyung put on the metal watch that had been sitting on the table and turned to look at her.
“Coffee?”
Woo Yeon, who was setting down a fruit basket, nodded. It was just a simple gesture, yet he didn’t immediately turn away and instead stared at her meaningfully.
Her cheeks burned.
Was she afraid he might recognize her? No, that couldn’t be.
Woo Yeon glanced at the phone in her bag and sat on the wide, luxurious leather sofa.
If by some chance Cha Tae Kyung pushed aside his uncle Cha Woo Kang and took the top seat at Myeong San, this would definitely be the opening shot.
Woo Yeon wanted to etch her name into that historic moment.
Woo Yeon lifted her head and looked forward. The sight of him making coffee kept drawing her gaze.
She was the one staring at Cha Tae Kyung’s back, yet even though he was facing forward, it felt as if their eyes met.
He was an incomprehensible man. Beyond his striking looks, perhaps because of his dual aura, her heart was more agitated than ever. She couldn’t erase the feeling that he had the most ascetic face yet simultaneously exuded the thick scent of a male animal.
Every word he uttered, from their first meeting until now, had been arrogant and rude. Normally that should make her feel bad, yet apart from that, an unknown emotion that tickled a corner of her heart felt quite heavy.
Yoon Woo Yeon, what’s wrong with you?
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this nervous in front of someone.
Woo Yeon clasped her hands tightly on her lap to steady her shaking mind.
When Tae Kyung returned with two cups of coffee, she naturally unclasped them.
She smoothly shifted the atmosphere with casual conversation. For Woo Yeon, that was easier than eating cold soup.
“Thank you for inviting me. It’s my first time at the Brighton Hotel, and the room is lovely. How long will you be staying here?”
While placing the coffee on the table, he pushed Woo Yeon’s cup toward her with his long fingertips.
Her eyes were naturally drawn there as she waited for Tae Kyung’s answer.
The perfect man’s hand. The sleeve of his wrinkle-free shirt stretched, revealing the wristwatch he had just put on.
“I plan to stay until the end of April.”
Woo Yeon smiled broadly on both cheeks. The former CEO had resigned, and the long-vacant position was finally returning to its owner.
Once the final approval at the shareholders’ meeting was completed, the Cha family would likely become very busy.
She had a feeling he would reclaim his shattered pride and restore the glory built by the previous chairman.
“Then starting in May you’ll be even busier.”
“That’s about right.”
“The Brighton stock price will probably soar for a while too.”
After adding those flattering words, Woo Yeon took a sip of coffee.
She also let out a big breath. Now it was time for the important conversation. She judged there was no need to waste more time on formalities with a busy person.
In the first place, she had only asked him for thirty minutes. She sincerely hoped he would be persuaded by the end of this talk.
“I believe taking the position of president at Brighton Airlines this time carries special meaning. May I interpret it as you officially entering the battle for management rights at Myeong San Group?”
He lightly brushed back his disheveled bangs and lifted the corner of his mouth. His impassive eyes focused on her voice.
Woo Yeon’s words flowed naturally like water—strong yet gentle.
There was power between each word, and her sentences were concise and precise.
Thinking that being an announcer truly was her calling, Tae Kyung leisurely leaned back against the sofa.
There was no need to voice an answer he already knew. He opened his previously closed eyes and looked clearly at Woo Yeon.
“Yoon Woo Yeon.”
A heavy male voice broke the momentary silence.
Woo Yeon saw her own reflection in his eyes. Afraid her stiffened cheeks would be noticed, she deliberately added an even brighter smile.
“Yes, President.”
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“No. We haven’t.”
“I feel like Yoon Woo Yeon looks familiar.”
“It’s natural to feel that way. Except for weekends, it’s my job to appear on live evening news every day between 7:40 and 8:20 p.m.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Do you normally run around in the field like this?”
Woo Yeon lightly shook her head as if to say usually not, then quickly got to the point.
“Then shall we start with the apology?”
“The apology isn’t necessary.”
“……”
“Let’s move on to persuasion.”
Woo Yeon swallowed hard. Trying not to reveal her nervousness, she straightened her back even more, but she could read his gaze fixed intently on her.
She couldn’t beat those indifferent yet intense eyes, but on the other hand, they were nothing.
There was no chance he remembered their meeting seven years ago.
To the Cha Tae Kyung of that time, Yoon Woo Yeon had been less significant than a passing ant.
After a long conversation, Woo Yeon finally asked for Tae Kyung’s answer.
“So if you permit it, President, next time I come I’d like to make a formal reporting request instead of persuasion.”
She had expected a delayed answer, but he gave it readily.
“Fine. But I have a condition too.”
“What is it?”
“We’ll talk about that after the broadcast airs safely.”
It was a positive response and an offer she couldn’t refuse.
She couldn’t let this opportunity slip away at the threshold.
Woo Yeon answered that she would.
***
Tae Kyung applied wax to his hair. He put on a vest and jacket, chose a tie in the red family, and tightened it around his neck.
He felt the strength in his fingertips was excessive—and it was because of that woman.
Yoon Woo Yeon.
The name was full of the consonant “ieung,” so when rolled on the tongue it seemed like it would slide softly.
“…Yoon Woo Yeon.”
But when he actually pronounced it, it was different from what he expected.
It was a name that pushed out from the lips twice before finally curling the tongue on the last syllable.
Her face, strangely captivating, filled his mind in soft clouds.
To Tae Kyung, who had maintained an ascetic lifestyle for quite a long time, Yoon Woo Yeon was a woman he wanted to shake up at least once.
His judgment hadn’t clouded while she rationally laid out her words in front of him.
He was simply intrigued by those lips that boldly spouted potentially damaging content about Myeong San Group as if it were nothing.
To be honest, while she spoke at length, the right way to put it was that Tae Kyung had felt favorably toward Yoon Woo Yeon.
It wasn’t her looks or her voice that drew him.
The overall aura of Yoon Woo Yeon seemed to touch every single one of his nerves.
Saying he had a condition in exchange for the interview was simply a habit.
Give one, receive one.
Receive one, return one.
That was all it was supposed to be, yet he had to admit it anyway.
Yoon Woo Yeon was a woman who could drag a person into an uncontrollable whirlpool.
He tried to recall whether he had ever felt this drawn to any living, breathing creature in his life.
As if there were nothing to think about, he smiled bitterly.
Not knowing what he would demand, she had easily agreed.
“…What should I ask for.”
His troubles deepened.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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So she is missing him so hoping what happens next!