Love is Madness (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3
After finishing a brief meeting with Seo Rin, Tae Joon returned and cooled his heated body with cold mineral water.
As the cool liquid flowed down his throat, his overheated body seemed to calm somewhat—but not his racing heart.
He loosened his tie and sank onto the sofa, and his secretary So Dam stood beside him, unable to overlook the subtle yet unmistakable difference in his demeanor.
Tae Joon was a man of strong resolve. Even during that period when the investment market—handling unimaginable sums—plummeted drastically, he was the very person who turned crisis into opportunity through principled investments.
Gradually, he expanded his influence and had now become a young legend—the top Asian investor in the industry.
Yet now, he was shaken. It was the first time she’d ever seen him like this.
“If you couldn’t even handle it, why did you go out of your way to create and attend a meeting that wasn’t even necessary?”
At her calm reprimand, Tae Joon’s dark eyes lifted to meet So Dam’s, as if asking what on earth she meant.
“You know exactly who I mean—the woman who broke the CEO’s heart.”
“Secretary Shin, if your heart breaks… you can’t survive.”
He brushed it off with an easy tone, but his eyes had already confessed the truth. So Dam had been his closest aide and long-time junior, so of course she knew—how he’d lived through the past eight years since Seo Rin left.
Perhaps “his heart broke” was indeed the perfect description.
“When did you figure it out?”
“At the funeral of that respected business leader—you weren’t even invited, yet you went anyway. Instead of offering condolences, you kept staring only at her the whole time.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. With those dark, lust-filled eyes of a man. If lasers could shoot from your eyes, a giant black hole would’ve formed on her face that day!”
“Ha….”
“Please tell me you didn’t look at her like that again during today’s meeting?”
“What do you mean, ‘like that’?”
“Do I really have to spell it out? You know—the look that says you have so much left unsaid. The look of someone who hasn’t sorted out their feelings yet. The look absolutely dripping with lingering attachment.”
A pained groan escaped Tae Joon’s lips. He’d known it himself, but hearing it from So Dam made it far worse.
He was going crazy. What should he do?
He’d thought he’d grieved enough over the past eight years and finally moved on—but the moment he saw her, all that time meant nothing.
He’d even felt an absurd urge to protect her, seeing her standing so precariously, wanting to shield her for the rest of his life.
It was too intense to be just a fleeting emotion.
“CEO, this is the first time I’ve ever seen you so shaken.”
So Dam was flustered too, having never witnessed such vulnerability in Tae Joon. She couldn’t tell whether to respond as his capable secretary or as his close junior.
“Don’t forget—you came to Korea not because of Executive Managing Director Baek, but because of your mother.”
With that piercing remark, So Dam pricked Tae Joon’s conscience.
Right. He mustn’t forget why he was here—to finally confirm the truth behind his mother’s long-standing, unresolved death.
Yet Seo Rin’s image from today lingered in his heart like an afterimage, throwing his entire being into disarray. So Dam read his troubled expression instantly.
“It was already decided you’d support Executive Managing Director Baek anyway. So why replace William’s confirmed attendance at the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting and go out of your way to arrange an unscheduled meeting just to see her face?”
At her incisive question, Tae Joon’s brow hardened.
—If there’s a way for you to permanently secure your control over management… how about it? Would you like to hear it?
He’d blurted it out, knowing full well Seo Rin would have an episode. What had even possessed him to say that?
“Honestly… I want to know too. I really do.”
He’d only gone to see her face once.
But that single glance had turned to poison—confirming beyond doubt that his heart still beat for her.
His heart hadn’t broken.
It simply couldn’t beat for anyone else.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Auntie, could I please have a warm cup of chamomile tea? Oh, and would Director Park like one too?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine.”
Back home, Seo Rin requested chamomile tea and collapsed onto the sofa as if her body were crumbling. The tension from today’s meeting had left her muscles aching all over. As she winced while massaging her shoulders, Director Park couldn’t stay silent any longer.
“Shall I book you a spa appointment for tomorrow?”
“No. This isn’t the time for a spa.”
“Then how did today’s meeting go?”
At Director Park’s question, Seo Rin lifted her head and met his gaze.
“You’re awfully curious, Director Park.”
“Of course. If your position becomes unstable, it’ll be hard for me to protect my own rice bowl.”
“Heh. Don’t worry so much. You know my character—if I step down, I’ll make sure you keep your position. And besides, President Baek won’t easily get rid of you. He may be lacking in many ways, but he’s always been brilliant at spotting talent.”
“I hate that. President Baek and I just don’t have compatible humor.”
Seo Rin burst out laughing.
Of course she knew Director Park’s nature—that uncompromising integrity was exactly why she’d chosen him as her right-hand man. He absolutely deserved to know.
“To be honest, there wasn’t much progress. But the mere fact that he showed up probably means he’s planning to support me, right?”
That was the truth.
Tae Joon hadn’t stated his intentions outright. But as someone who’d known him as a lover, she knew he wasn’t the type to stab her in the back—not even if she’d betrayed him.
“He seemed quite young.”
“Yeah.”
“To be honest, I was surprised. Not just by how young he is for running an investment firm of that scale—but also his… unexpectedly striking visuals.”
“Striking?”
“Come on, it’s obvious, isn’t it? When he first walked in, I thought a model had entered. My build isn’t exactly something to sneeze at, yet I found myself shrinking a little.”
“Director Park, did you only notice his looks?”
“Yes.”
Director Park was truly honest. Truthfully, even Seo Rin herself had momentarily lost her breath the first time she saw him.
Seeing Tae Joon now—his already handsome appearance elevated to its peak—brought rushing back those memories she’d worked so hard to bury.
“But, Executive Managing Director—there’s one more question I have.”
Still not fully satisfied, Director Park hesitated before asking, watching her face carefully as if it were a monumental inquiry.
“Just ask already. Before I change my mind.”
“Are you… personally acquainted with CEO Kang Tae Joon?”
For a moment, Seo Rin was startled. How on earth had Director Park figured that out?
“When CEO Kang entered, you seemed really surprised.”
Having worked closely with her for so long, Director Park grasped situations quickly. Though she rarely displayed emotional ups and downs, today had clearly been an exception.
“It’s fine if you don’t answer. I was just wondering…”
“Yes. He’s my ex.”
Since it wasn’t a secret she felt compelled to hide, she stated the fact plainly—though her listener certainly couldn’t remain calm.
“Pfft! Cough—!”
“What’s so shocking? Did you think I’d never dated anyone at my age?”
“No, it’s not that… I just didn’t know you had that kind of taste.”
“That kind of taste?”
“You just scolded me for only noticing CEO Kang’s looks—and now you casually say he’s your ex? I don’t even know where to look!”
“….”
“Well, CEO Kang Tae Joon really is… exceptionally handsome…”
Just like always, anyone meeting Tae Joon for the first time was utterly captivated by his appearance. Even the usually composed Director Park was no exception.
But she was different.
When she first saw him, she’d assumed he was just another idle playboy blessed by fortune.
It hadn’t been his looks that changed her icy heart.
“It wasn’t Kang Tae Joon’s appearance I fell for.”
“Wha—… what?”
“…His name.”
“….”
“I just loved his name. Those three syllables—Kang Tae Joon.”
Yes—it was the name.
She remembered clearly the moment his name first pierced her heart and stayed there.
And as Seo Rin recalled that moment, waves of emotion began stirring once more in her eyes.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ten years ago, on a drowsy afternoon,
Seo Rin sat in a café on the outskirts of San Francisco, sipping warm coffee and reading a book.
The sunshine was gentle, the café air sweet with the scent of coffee beans, and her window seat, luckily secured, was perfectly cozy—a flawless day.
Thanks to this, Seo Rin could finally focus on her book. It had been so long since she’d truly had time just for herself.
She looked up from her reading when she sensed someone approaching—just as her once-hot coffee had started to cool.
Her casual glance locked onto an East Asian man who had just walked in. Sitting with the sunlight behind him, he seemed to glow with a halo-like radiance.
The problem? This complete stranger was now sitting at her table as if he belonged there.
“Oh, sorry if I’m interrupting. You looked like you were enjoying a really interesting book.”
“….”
“My name’s James.”
He spoke to her fluently in English, his skill polished and refined—clearly not his first attempt.
And understandably so—his looks were the kind that would easily catch any woman’s eye, and his sheer physical presence was impressive even among Westerners.
But this time, he’d picked the wrong target.
He was already the third man that week to approach Seo Rin, and she wasn’t the type to lose her composure over good looks.
With her coffee now cold, she closed her book without a word and stood up, ignoring his attention entirely.
That was her first meeting with Tae Joon.
But there was one thing she’d overlooked—his innate boldness and patience. What she thought was their final encounter was only the beginning. The next day, he was again sitting at her table, trying to talk to her.
“I’m sorry. Yesterday, I…”
But again, he couldn’t finish his sentence—she’d already stood up and left before he could.
Handsome, effortlessly charming—clearly a well-traveled playboy. To him, she was probably just an object of curiosity. And she had no interest in feeding his whims.
After that, Seo Rin deliberately avoided the café for a while. She suspected a third attempt wouldn’t be deterred by mere indifference, so she chose to stay away.
A week passed, and missing the café’s aroma, she returned.
Fortunately, the man wasn’t there.
But just as she sat down at her favorite window seat and opened her book, a large shadow fell over her. Instinctively, she knew who it was.
“Listen…”
She’d had enough. After being ignored so thoroughly, he should’ve gotten the message—but apparently, he didn’t know the meaning of “give up.”
This time, she’d have to be direct. Cutting him off mid-sentence, she lifted her eyes.
“Should I switch cafés, or will you?”
Her icy tone, laced with rejection, visibly flustered him. Seo Rin slammed her book shut with a sharp sound and stood up.
“Fine. I’ll switch.”
As she walked out the café door, he followed her outside. Without even glancing back, she hurried away.
She had no interest in men—nor the time or emotional bandwidth to spare for them.
But in that moment, clear Korean words rang out behind her.
“My name is Kang Tae Joon. I’m… I’m Korean too!”
Those Korean words sliced through the clear air and lodged painfully in her heart.
Her hurried steps came to an abrupt halt.
It wasn’t because she missed hearing Korean—it had been gratingly familiar just months ago.
Nor was it simply because she’d met a fellow Korean in a foreign land.
She stopped for one reason alone—his name felt strangely familiar, though she couldn’t explain why.
When had she ever heard that name before?
No.
No matter how hard she thought, she’d never heard the name Kang Tae Joon before. Yet something magical in those three syllables rooted her feet to the spot.
Her nose tingled, and her parched heart soaked up a sweet, sudden moisture—
as if she’d just heard the name of a long-lost lover sealed away in forgotten memories,
or as if she’d heard the name of a beloved from a past life she couldn’t even recall.
But Seo Rin had no lost memories, and she didn’t believe in past lives.
Then… why?
Why did a mere name—
make her turn back despite every irrational feeling she couldn’t even justify herself?
Looking up at Tae Joon, she murmured softly—
“A name that stirs the heart just by hearing it…”
“Kang… Tae Joon…”
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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