Love is Madness (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
“You’re late. Just stay over.”
Tae Joon’s tightly restrained voice sharply tingled in her ears.
If voices had physical forms, his would surely be at its sexiest right now. In this moment, Tae Joon’s presence surpassed anything she could possibly imagine.
Unwiped droplets clung between the smooth planes of his skin, sparkling like diamonds embedded into his body.
Occasionally, one of those diamonds, unable to bear its own weight, would trace a slow, tantalizing path down the meticulously sculpted ridges of his muscles like a work of art.
His pectorals and abs seemed far more defined than before.
Could that be why? Even though she’d seen this body exhaustingly eight years ago, it now felt startlingly fresh—so much so she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
“No, I mean… there’s another room here. So you can stay over, that’s all.”
Embarrassed by her silent, fixed stare, he offered an excuse that wasn’t really an excuse.
At that, Seo Rin burst out laughing.
A man who ruled the night with the deepest desire yet knew exactly how to protect his woman.
Right. She’d forgotten.
That’s exactly the kind of man he was.
And it was she who’d been the one to reveal it.
“I know. I understand you didn’t mean it that way, Tae Joon.”
She’d just forgotten—briefly.
“But… why?”
“Because I’m afraid I’ll jump you. So I can’t stay.”
Without a shred of shame, her shameless reply slipped out effortlessly. His laughter rang out at her bold yet absurd answer.
“Then at least let me drive you home. That should work, right?”
“Fine. Wait fifteen minutes. I’ll just dry off and get dressed.”
At her nod, he quickly disappeared into the room.
Listening to him hurriedly getting ready, Seo Rin sank into lewd memories. Countless moments from eight years ago, when they’d made love, drifted through her mind one by one. Only then did she remember just how much she’d loved that body.
And memories awaken sensations.
“Let’s go. I’ll drive you.”
The moment Tae Joon, now ready, stepped out and casually wrapped his arm around her waist, every nerve in her body stood on end as if brushed against bare skin.
Back then, I wasn’t hot enough to melt you. But now… I’m overflowing with heat.
He was right.
He was seeping into her with a temperature far hotter than eight years ago.
A heat she’d never anticipated at all.
The next day, at the CEO’s office of Sungwon Group.
President Baek was unusually cheerful. Yesterday’s meeting had yielded a very positive signal.
The woman, not even thirty, was surprisingly easy to communicate with. Fluent in Korean, she understood his words perfectly—neither lacking nor excessive.
Then she left him with this statement:
We’ll review the materials you provided in a positive direction.
How was that any different from saying she supported him outright!
It was the kind of day when a silly smile escaped his lips even when doing nothing. Just then, an email alert chimed.
It was a message from the person tailing Seo Rin, forwarded to him by his Chief Secretary.
Opening the attached file, President Baek frowned in disbelief.
“Huh! What on earth…?”
He was too stunned to speak.
A crystal-clear photo filled his laptop screen—two people kissing inside a car.
To anyone’s eyes, this was undeniable proof that Baek Seo Rin was deeply in love. And the next photo showed them entering a hotel.
There was no room left for doubt.
Seo Rin was currently dating this man.
And if she was distracted by a man during such a critical period,
“Then he’s clearly not just someone she’s casually seeing.”
Their relationship might run deeper than he thought.
But the real issue was—when exactly had this relationship begun? Given how far things had progressed with Seo Rin, it couldn’t have happened in just a month or two.
Even her former fiancé, whose engagement had already been broken off, had complained bitterly that in an entire year, he couldn’t even hold her hand properly.
Despite having an attractive appearance that any man would glance at twice, she’d had virtually no romantic history—precisely because of her icy, ruthless personality, sharp enough to draw blood with just a brush.
No matter how beautiful or fragrant a flower was, if it had thorns that severe, all admiration would fade.
Yet with this man, she kissed so recklessly and even went to a hotel?
Nothing happened overnight. This must have been unfolding slowly for a very long time. President Baek simply hadn’t noticed.
He deduced that after Chairman Baek’s death, while Seo Rin was emotionally vulnerable, this man had firmly sunk his claws in.
“Yes, that’s it—that’s how the puzzle pieces fit together.”
President Baek smiled, quite satisfied with his conclusion. The key point was that Seo Rin had been significantly shaken by Chairman Baek’s passing.
“So much for acting so cold. In the end, you’re just human after all.”
Right. Although their father-daughter relationship hadn’t been particularly warm while Chairman Baek was alive, how could anyone remain completely unaffected by their father’s death—even someone as iron-willed as her?
Now, only one question remained for him.
Who the hell was this man in the photo!
President Baek summoned his Chief Secretary.
“Director Jung, tell them to stop sending useless photos like this and find out properly who this man is.”
“Ah, President… about that…”
Director Jung hesitated. A bad sign.
“We’ve already assigned someone to track him, but it’s proving difficult.”
“What do you mean?”
“Normally, background checks start with a person’s name and address. But this guy is staying in a hotel suite—at a rival hotel, no less. And he’s using an American credit card, not a domestic one. You know—the Black Diamond card, used only by the top one percent. Without a name or address, we’d have to start from his card or his contacts, but he meets no one, and that Black Diamond card is heavily secured, making information extraction extremely tough.”
“Still, the hotel must have some records, right? It’s not like he’s a ghost. How hard can it be to extract that much data—even from a rival?”
It made no sense—a living person being completely untraceable.
At his sharpened tone, Director Jung lowered his eyes behind his glasses, sweat visibly beading on his back.
“Well… it’s being specially managed by Executive Managing Director Han Jung Won himself. You know, Han Jung Won.”
Damn it—of all people.
Han Jung Won. Everyone knew him. After his Jiil Hotel lost the top spot to Seo Rin’s Sungwon Crystal Hotel, he’d been grinding his teeth, desperate to reclaim his reputation. Of course he wouldn’t leak his VVIP client’s information.
“But it’s not entirely impossible. Give me a bit more time, and I’ll do my best to find out.”
So it came down to a race against time to uncover the man’s identity. But he had no intention of giving up.
Just like when someone tells you not to do something, you want to do it more—or when told not to enter, you step in deeper—now that he couldn’t identify this man, he became even more curious.
His competitive drive flared pointlessly.
“Use whatever means necessary to find out who this guy is and what he does. As quickly as possible.”
“Yes, sir.”
After Director Jung left, President Baek’s eyes fell again on the photo of Tae Joon carrying Seo Rin through the hotel parking lot. With that radiant, model-like looks, he’d assumed Tae Joon was at best a model—but turns out, he was also incredibly wealthy.
Well, of course. The man chosen by Baek Seo Rin would naturally have exceptional credentials.
But no matter how wealthy he was, he couldn’t flaunt his money at the shareholders’ meeting in just two days.
Still, he couldn’t easily dismiss this man—because even if not now, his wealth might later empower Seo Rin in some way.
“That can’t be allowed.”
It was best to nip it in the bud.
“You’re home awfully late.”
Tae Joon, following her in after she opened the door, spoke in a low but clear voice. Only then did Seo Rin realize it was already past 9:30 p.m.
With the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders looming, her anxiety had been mounting. Even though the table was already fully set, she couldn’t shake the fear that some unexpected dish might still be added—and for good reason, given President Baek’s character.
At times like this, overworking herself was the best remedy. When her body was kept too busy to rest, her mind naturally emptied itself. She’d been reviewing a relatively relaxed project, unaware just how much time had slipped away.
“Yeah. I stayed way too late.”
As she turned to answer, his broad frame filled her entire view, almost consuming the spacious entrance.
His presence in her home didn’t feel unfamiliar. More than that—it looked utterly natural. On only his second visit, how could this man blend so seamlessly into her personal space?
“But what brought you here today?”
Jealous of his effortless ease, her words came out sharper than intended.
“Do we really need a reason to see each other? Not anymore. You should get used to it.”
Yet even her sharpness was absorbed by him like a sponge.
“Well, if you insist on a reason, I suppose I could make one up.”
Tae Joon pulled a file from a yellow envelope and placed it on her sofa table. Seo Rin’s dark eyes instinctively settled on the documents. A familiar logo pierced sharply into her pupils.
“This is…”
The Sungwon logo. So these documents came from Sungwon.
“I had a meeting with President Baek.”
“You did?”
“Not exactly me—my secretary, to be precise.”
“Why on earth?”
“I wanted to plant a false sense of security in President Baek beforehand, so he wouldn’t try any last-minute tricks.”
She was momentarily speechless. She couldn’t believe he’d resolved in an instant the pointless worry that had plagued her all day.
“Thank you. I never even considered that approach.”
If his strategy worked, President Baek would now be fully convinced of their intentions. And that overconfidence would imply no major surprises at the upcoming shareholders’ meeting.
Seo Rin skimmed through the file. It contained a highly systematic five-year plan for Sungwon’s globalization—ambitious and aggressively aligned with President Baek’s typical style.
Of course, it wouldn’t include all of President Baek’s strategies, and some parts were already known to her.
But it was still a better haul than expected.
“President Baek is more impressive than I thought.”
“I know. Just because he’s my rival doesn’t mean I want to belittle Uncle’s abilities.”
She nodded in acknowledgment. Despite personal dislike, it was undeniable that President Baek’s bulldozer-like drive had shaped Sungwon into what it was today.
As she read, her eyes began to feel heavy, fatigue finally catching up. Thanks to overworking herself, she’d probably sleep like the dead tonight. Right now, a warm shower felt absolutely essential.
But that was only possible if she sent him away first.
“Anyway, thank you, Tae Joon. But I’m so exhausted I can’t keep talking.”
“You want me to leave?”
As he asked, his fingers slowly began unbuttoning his suit jacket.
Wait—if he understood perfectly, why was he unbuttoning it?
“Sorry, but I really can’t do that. President Baek thinks we’re dating. The guy watching us will report every tiny detail to him. If I leave the moment I walk in, what will President Baek think of me?”
Before she could fully grasp his meaning, his voice, now even lower than before, slipped into her ear.
“…You know, once I start, I go all night.”
Now she understood.
“Even if I don’t go all night, if I rush through that wonderful thing in just thirty minutes and leave, that bastard will think I look good but am actually weak and useless.”
It was the most ridiculous excuse. Yet an involuntary laugh escaped her.
Who would ever look down on you?
He was the kind of man whose natural aura overwhelmed everyone around him. Even his smiling face couldn’t be taken lightly—every casual, tossed-off remark demanded attention. That was the man he was.
So even someone as seasoned and shrewd as President Baek wouldn’t dare underestimate him.
“This is a matter of male pride.”
As he took off his jacket and loosened his tie, the crisp shirt pulled taut against his frame, revealing the sharp outline of his well-built muscles without filter.
Beneath the thin fabric, the subtle movement of his muscles felt vividly present—as if he were barely clothed at all.
For a moment, Seo Rin lowered her gaze. At this very instant, if she met his black-hole-like eyes, she feared she’d be sucked back into the past once more.
Yes—even without him hammering it into her, she already knew far too well.
Just how intensely this man loved.
Or how fiercely he made love.
And because she knew, she was now taking one cautious step back.
She didn’t want to be swept away again. This time, if she got pulled in, she feared she wouldn’t be able to escape—she’d sink under, unable to even breathe. That fear made her twice as careful this time around.
Unaware of her inner turmoil,
“In that sense… can I…”
“…”
“…stay over here tonight?”
This man—striking without warning, anytime, anywhere.
An irresistible temptation.
“Fine. Go ahead, then.”
Today, she didn’t even have the energy to push him away.
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.]
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