Like how, despite living diligently and honestly, he had risen to the executive board of Sungwon, but could go no further. And the fact that he, as a parent, seemed to have created that limit always bothered him.
But if it was Baek Seo Rin, she could give wings to his impressive son.
Because she was clearly a royal family from birth.
And that was not all.
Unlike other secondgeneration chaebol women who lived a decent life appreciating music and art, taking bride classes thanks to their parents, and marrying appropriately to balance income and expenses, she was a strong woman who jumped into management herself, threatening even Chairman Baek, who had rooted his entire life in this position.
It was a position he couldn’t even dream of under normal circumstances, but with the sudden death of Chairman Baek and her being cornered, he thought it was an opportunity.
He needed to act quickly.
If he could show his son directly, Seo Rin might change her mind.
He searched for ‘Beloved Son’ in his recent call list and pressed the call button. However, Director Kim couldn’t communicate with his son.
The moment the dial tone dropped, someone gripped his wrist tightly. Then, in the blink of an eye, they even snatched the phone from his hand.
“Uh, ugh… what is…?”
He tried to pull his wrist away, but he couldn’t move due to the tremendous grip and accompanying pain.
When he raised his surprised eyes, his small pupils were filled with a visual he had never seen before.
A neatly pomadestyled hairstyle, eyes seemingly carrying a hint of a smile, a beautifully lined face.
A radiant appearance, as if he had a halo glowing behind him, made him wonder if he was a celebrity or a model, but Director Kim thought that wasn’t the case, given the wrist he was gripping.
Despite his hot looks, the man was exuding a daunting aura, as if warning of danger with his whole body.
A force to knock down the opponent, an energy that one absolutely shouldn’t have to make a living as a celebrity or a model.
The man slowly turned his gaze and then softly spoke towards Seo Rin.
“Hi, baby?”
What? Ba, baby?
Director Kim’s eyes bulged out in disbelief. How dare someone make such a mockery in front of Baek Seo Rin! It was a situation he could never believe if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.
But what was even more surprising was Seo Rin’s reaction.
The worldrenowned Baek Seo Rin didn’t scowl at the man who lightly approached her, calling her ‘baby’, but responded softly.
“What brings you here?”
She even seemed to be smiling.
“I thought it was taking too long, and I came to see if you were in trouble….”
The man said this and casually placed the mobile phone, which he had snatched from Director Kim, on the table.
“…I didn’t expect such a comedy to unfold. It’s so funny, I’m at a loss.”
While the voice of his son, calling out in desperation to the silent Director Kim on the other end of the phone, could be heard, he couldn’t do anything. It was because he felt overwhelmed by the intimidating aura the man exuded.
“Even though retirement is only two years away, isn’t the severance pay for our Executive Director Baek too much? Unless you’ve gone mad.”
“Wh…what…?”
It was embarrassing to have his inner thoughts exposed, but Director Kim’s face turned red at the man’s straightforward manner of pointing out his predicament so blatantly.
He knew it was overstepping. Yet, he never thought that trying to show off his parents’ greed once would backfire so badly.
“It’s my secretary’s number.”
He released Director Kim’s hand and casually tossed a business card in front of him. Then, before he had a chance to glance at the card, the towering man bent down and warned in a low voice.
“If you still want to brag about your son, tell him to contact me directly. If you want to take that woman away, you’ll have to beat me.”
“….”
“But I’m the type who’s a bit possessive about what’s mine… so it won’t be easy.”
What dug sharply into his ears was more than a warning, it was a clear threat.
Overwhelmed by this force he was experiencing for the first time, Director Kim lost his nerve to the point he couldn’t even respond.
“Shall we go? Is there anything else to see?”
“No. We’re done.”
Seo Rin stood up, holding her handbag.
Director Kim had been spouting nonsense the whole time, but she, who had remained silent, didn’t forget to give a silent, icy stare that felt like it pierced the skin, a warning in the last moment before she left.
How dare, someone like you.
It felt like that gaze became a sound and seeped into his bones.
Even after the two left, Director Kim couldn’t move for a while. The wrist that had been held by the man still felt as if it was ablaze with an intense energy.
Director Kim reached out to the business card the man had thrown at him, rubbing his wrist.
The simple black business card had nothing but a name and a phone number, no affiliation or position.
However, Director Kim’s instincts warned him.
Never confront this man.
Despite having put Director Kim in his place, Tae Joon’s expression did not relax.
Under the black night sky, his humorless eyes were unmistakably those of an angry Tae Joon.
“Why are you upset, Tae Joon, when I’m the one who was wronged?”
“Of course, I’m upset. I feel disgusted.”
“……”
“No matter how cornered you are, those kind of guys looked down on you without a second thought. What’s wrong with you?”
He was still huffing as if his anger had not subsided, but unexpectedly, Seo Rin was extremely calm.
It was unheard of for her, whose selfesteem and selfrespect could pierce the sky, to be this unperturbed. It was a sight to see in a lifetime.
But soon, Tae Joon was able to understand why Seo Rin had endured that moment.
“I guess that’s what being a parent is like. You don’t see anything in front of your child.”
“What do you mean?”
“Forgetting your own duties and breaking the principles you’ve set for yourself, all for your child. I guess that’s what being a parent is.”
Seo Rin recalled Chairman Baek who had broken his principles and joined hands with Lady Son. Perhaps, in his lifetime, Chairman Baek wasn’t much different from Director Kim.
And such profound feelings were conveyed to Tae Joon as well. No, perhaps because he too had a mother he could fondly think of, he could understand it.
“When you put it that way, it makes sense. The heart of a parent with a child is all the same.”
He nodded his head.
But contrary to his generous understanding, if such a moment were to come again, he might be more infuriated than today.
Seo Rin is my woman, so he hated even someone daring to look at her.
He could never stay calm.
“Still, I can’t help but feel upset.”
“I’m not feeling too great either. But that doesn’t mean I can scream and throw a tantrum like a child. Sometimes, silence can be a scarier punishment for such people.”
Seo Rin was right. And Tae Joon once again felt the true worth of Seo Rin in her composed handling.
She didn’t say much. Therefore, the words she occasionally uttered held more power than a hundred words of others.
Not only that, she knew how to get angry quietly yet gracefully. Thanks to this, the aftereffects of her anger lingered for a long time.
So people said. They occasionally found her, who didn’t express much, scary. But Tae Joon didn’t believe those words. Because they always looked at Seo Rin with longing eyes while saying so.
As the cold wind blew past, Tae Joon took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
“No, you don’t have to do this, Tae Joon…”
He gently stopped her gesture of trying to hand the jacket back to him. Then he moved the hand he had stopped to her jawline, making her look at him.
Yes. A woman who’s beautiful in my eyes, wouldn’t she be pretty in others’ eyes too?
There was no rule that today’s event, like today, would be the end.
Then, there was only one solution.
“We can’t go on like this… I have to take you with me soon.”
In the wind, his sincerity quietly scattered.
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.]
