“It seems there’s a lot I don’t know about you.”
“What do you mean……”
Tae Yeon raised her head to look at Do Joon. His seemingly sharp eyes were staring at her.
As expected, his eyes were cold and cool today as well.
‘Will there ever be a day when those eyes are filled with warmth?’
Do Joon stared at Tae Yeon, who was looking at him silently, then strode over to the table placed in the center of the office.
He then placed the proposal Tae Yeon had submitted on it with a thud. Tae Yeon approached and sat in the empty seat.
“Is there a problem with the proposal I submitted?”
Do Joon smirked as he looked at Tae Yeon’s clear face.
“A problem.”
He muttered as he leaned back deeply into the sofa.
“Yes, there is.”
Tae Yeon gripped her hands tightly on her knees. She was very nervous as this was the first feedback she was receiving from Do Joon.
“If you tell me, I’ll revise and resubmit the proposal.”
Her voice was resolute, showing no signs of trembling, as if she wasn’t nervous at all.
‘When talking about work, it’s like she becomes a different person.’
Do Joon asked with interest, raising the corner of his mouth.
“Why suddenly a new product made from konjac rice?”
“I learned that new products should be something that makes people think, ‘Will this work?'”
She seemed like a completely different person from the woman who had been so intimidated this morning when asked to act like an affectionate couple.
She appeared to have confidence, and her clear dark brown eyes were filled with confidence in her proposal idea.
This sight stimulated Do Joon’s interest.
“Interesting.”
“If you tell me which parts you didn’t like, Director, I’ll fix them.”
“I’m asking this as your husband, not as the director.”
“……Pardon?”
Her eyes, which had seemed calm, wavered. She was curious about Do Joon’s intentions in asking such an unexpected question.
“Why do you continue to work at KK Foods instead of Chasin Dairy run by your father?”
Before Tae Yeon could properly find the intention behind Do Joon’s question.
Do Joon spoke again before Tae Yeon could answer, as if he had something else he wanted to ask.
“And why didn’t you come up with an idea using Chasin Dairy products for this new product?”
Tae Yeon answered without hesitation.
“Why are you curious about that?”
Do Joon let out a low sigh, as if he hadn’t expected to be counter-questioned.
“Because it’s not common.”
Do Joon pulled his body forward in the chair and stared intently at Tae Yeon.
“What you’re thinking, what you’re hiding from me.”
“Pardon?”
“That’s what I’m curious about.”
Tae Yeon leaned back as much as Do Joon leaned forward. She couldn’t understand what he was saying at all.
“I’m not hiding anything from you, Director.”
“From your husband.”
“……From my husband either.”
Do Joon still had his brows deeply furrowed, as if he hadn’t heard the answer he wanted.
“Alright. It’s your freedom to conceptualize whatever new product you want.”
Do Joon continued speaking as he flipped through a page or two of the proposal Tae Yeon had made.
“What I’m curious about is just one thing. President Jin must have been desperate to incorporate Chasin Dairy products into our KK Foods. Is it really okay to proceed like this?”
If at first it had been close to an interrogation, the words Do Joon just uttered were of concern.
It was strange. Maybe it was because she knew well that Do Joon wasn’t leisurely enough to care about such things.
Tae Yeon answered, raising the corners of her mouth.
“Yes. Because I’m an employee of KK Foods.”
It wasn’t pretense. After reading the sincerity in Tae Yeon’s clear eyes, Do Joon stroked his chin with one hand.
She was a woman whose true self became more intriguing the more he learned about her.
Just then. Along with a knock, Secretary Choi’s voice was heard from beyond the door, saying they needed to participate in an upcoming meeting.
Do Joon glanced at his watch and then fixed his gaze back on Tae Yeon.
“Let’s have dinner together after work today.”
“Dinner is……”
“Don’t think about refusing. We agreed to spend an hour together every day.”
Tae Yeon answered with a forced smile.
“Alright. But let’s meet at the promised location.”
“You don’t want to leave work with me?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to, I just don’t like drawing attention from others.”
Do Joon was originally tall and drew attention wherever he went, whether he wanted to or not.
It was an unavoidable choice because she wanted to hide the fact that Do Joon was her husband as much as possible at the company.
Do Joon stepped back and accepted Tae Yeon’s suggestion.
“Alright. Is it okay if I set the time and place arbitrarily?”
“Yes.”
After the business was concluded, Tae Yeon left the office first. As the door clicked shut, Do Joon pressed his fingers to his temples as if he had a headache.
He thought he would be able to quickly figure out what kind of woman Tae Yeon was by spending time together and having a few conversations, but that wasn’t the case at all.
The more they talked, the more he realized things he didn’t know, and she was a woman with unexpected charms.
“Tonight, I must properly figure her out no matter what.”
[This is the timeline separator]After work, Tae Yeon headed to the address Do Joon had given her.
She entered the restaurant, which was converted from a traditional Korean house, and upon mentioning Do Joon’s name, she was guided to a private space.
When she opened the door, Do Joon, who had already arrived, was visible.
“You came early.”
“In case I was late and our date time would be reduced.”
As soon as Tae Yeon sat down, various Korean dishes that Do Joon had pre-ordered were laid out on the table all at once.
Do Joon looked at Tae Yeon intently and asked.
“How’s your indigestion?”
“I felt better after taking the medicine you bought me. Thank you.”
“That’s a relief.”
Do Joon picked up his chopsticks first and placed a well-cooked rib on Tae Yeon’s plate.
“I can eat on my own.”
“We’re practicing.”
“What… Oh.”
Tae Yeon soon understood his intention.
That even the busy Do Joon’s suggestion to spend an hour together every day was to appear as a perfect couple in front of others.
He really was a man who didn’t move without a purpose.
“I’ll eat well. You should eat too, Do Joon.”
Tae Yeon also placed a piece of deliciously grilled eel on Do Joon’s plate. Do Joon chuckled as he stared at it.
“Do you know what it means to give grilled eel to your husband?”
“Huh?”
She had placed it without any thought, just because it looked delicious. After receiving Do Joon’s question, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Do Joon seemed to find Tae Yeon’s reaction amusing and raised the corners of his mouth.
“I didn’t know this was what you wanted from me.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Your strong denial is a bit suspicious too.”
Tae Yeon hesitated, not knowing what to say, then carefully asked.
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Ask me anything.”
“Are we… Never mind.”
It wasn’t a question to ask abruptly while sober. When Tae Yeon stopped mid-question, Do Joon urged her on, asking again.
“Ask. The question you were about to ask.”
“I was wondering how far our acting needs to go.”
“What do you mean?”
Do Joon seemed to find the conversation with Tae Yeon more interesting than eating, as he put down his chopsticks.
He rested his chin on his hand and looked at her. She carefully began to speak.
“Exactly what I said. Whether it’s just up to kissing like we did in front of Mrs. Choi earlier……”
“Or if we need to go beyond that?”
“……Yes.”
Tae Yeon’s cheeks flushed even redder as she said this.
As she fanned herself as if hot, Do Joon threw a low voice towards her.
“Do you want to sleep with me?”
Unable to answer the sudden question, Tae Yeon just widened her eyes.
Do Joon tilted his head slightly as if waiting for an answer.
Tae Yeon moistened her lower lip with her tongue, trying to relax her tension.
Although she was curious about what Do Joon had said, she was very flustered as she didn’t expect it to come so suddenly without any warning.
Tae Yeon repeatedly closed and opened her eyes tightly. Although they were a contract couple, it was also an unavoidable topic of conversation.
Suppressing her trembling voice, Tae Yeon asked.
“What about you, Do Joon?”
Do Joon raised one eyebrow as if finding it amusing. Unlike Tae Yeon, he answered without hesitation.
“If I said yes, would you comply?”
Do Joon’s eyes flashed like a predator hiding its claws and waiting for the right moment.
“I’ll try my best.”
Tae Yeon’s face was completely stiff, as if she had to deal with a difficult task. This properly touched Do Joon’s nerve.
She would smile brightly and even go to hotels with that man she said she loved.
Yet in front of him, she was pretending to be so innocent.
He poured the pre-ordered wine into her glass.
“I’m not good with alcohol. You drink it, Do Joon.”
“I’m disappointed. This is our first private dinner as a couple since I returned to the country.”
Do Joon also poured red wine into his own glass. Then he raised the glass to his face.
“I’d like it if you could drink just one glass with me.”
Tae Yeon reluctantly picked up her glass.
Clink- Their glasses met in the air.
Unlike the clear sound, Tae Yeon remained tense.
‘Right. Maybe if I drink some alcohol, it’ll be a bit better.’
In the awkward atmosphere, wine was the only thing to lean on. Tae Yeon took a sip of wine. The sweet yet bitter wine filled her mouth.
She meant to take just one sip to relax, but it seems she drank the whole glass, contrary to her intentions. As she put down the empty glass, Do Joon was as surprised as Tae Yeon.
“I thought you said you couldn’t drink well.”
“It’s delicious. The wine.”
Do Joon refilled Tae Yeon’s empty glass again.
They repeated clinking glasses and emptying them a few times. Tae Yeon’s eyes started to slowly loosen.
“Haa.”
She tried to gather her senses, but it wasn’t easy due to drinking too much in a short time.
“Are you alright. Why did you drink so much…”
Do Joon’s low voice grew more and more distant.
Just as her drunken face was about to fall onto the table-
Do Joon suddenly stood up from his seat and reached out his hand. His large hand cupped Tae Yeon’s small face and caught it.
Fortunately, he was able to prevent her face from hitting the table with a thud.
Do Joon let out a sigh of relief as he looked at Tae Yeon with her eyes tightly closed.
“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen asleep.”
Do Joon called her name several times. As if hearing his voice, Tae Yeon slowly opened her eyelids again.
Do Joon’s handsome face filled Tae Yeon’s view.
The tension from his close approach that took her breath away was momentary. Soon, she smiled brightly at Do Joon.
“Hehe.”
Do Joon stared at Tae Yeon expressionlessly. Tae Yeon reached out her hand to fiddle with his nose and mumbled to herself.
“It’s really high.”
After passing his nose, she poked his cheek a few times and mumbled again.
“The skin is soft too.”
And the last place Tae Yeon’s hand touched was Do Joon’s plump lips.
“This part is really hot.”
Tae Yeon stroked his lips a few times as if touching clay.
Do Joon’s eyes, which had been watching quietly, gleamed coolly and then he grabbed Tae Yeon’s wrist with a thud.
“I think that’s enough playing around.”
__________
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.