The way he said it was insufferably arrogant, asking not to be made to repeat himself.
A sigh of disbelief escaped Sang Hoon.
“How dare this brat…”
Infuriated by Jae Oh’s behavior, Sang Hoon, gritting his teeth, said,
“The way you’re acting now is…”
[Dash] “If you have more to say, please leave a message with my secretary. I have an important decision to make right now.”Sang Hoon’s eyes widened in shock, having never imagined being cut off in this manner.
“You…!”
Before he could launch into a tirade, the call ended.
Staring at the ended call screen, Sang Hoon was too furious to say a word.
Then, Ho Yeon, who was next to him, asked,
“Dad, what’s wrong?”
His enraged eyes turned to Ho Yeon.
At that moment,
Jae Oh, with a slightly annoyed face, put down the phone he was holding.
“How many times do I have to repeat myself?”
Annoyingly.
As Jae Oh turned toward his chair, grumbling, Woo Jong felt dizzy.
“Sigh, Director. How can you answer the phone like that?”
“Why?”
“It’s not just anyone; Chairman Kwon called you directly. You should’ve been more courteous.”
“I don’t have time for that.”
Was this really about time?
“Regardless of that…”
“Stop nagging and make a reservation at our hotel restaurant. For the course…”
While thinking about the options, his phone vibrated briefly.
It was Chae Yoon.
Merely seeing Chae Yoon’s name seemed to dissipate his irritation, and Jae Oh quickly checked the message.
“Sorry, brother. I don’t think I can join you for lunch today.”
Jae Oh’s wide eyes hardened.
His buoyant mood plummeted, and he lightly moved his stiff fingers to type.
“Why? What happened?”
“A friend I know wants to meet urgently. I’m sorry.”
His gaze fixated on the word “sorry”.
His dark eyes lowered.
[Star icon]After sending the cancellation message to Jae Oh, Chae Yoon pressed against her throbbing temples.
Despite the ups and downs, Chae Yoon had enjoyed a fairly good weekend and arrived at work in high spirits.
However, perhaps this irked her, because even before the morning meeting, Deputy Jung had been nitpicking, and right after the meeting, she began to criticize in earnest.
“Chae Yoon, didn’t I ask you to check the formula properly?”
It wasn’t Chae Yoon’s task; it was Deputy Jung’s.
If Chae Yoon had done work she didn’t have to and handed it over, wasn’t it Deputy Jung’s responsibility to review it?
However, since Deputy Jung got reprimanded by the team leader, she shifted all the blame onto Chae Yoon.
“Do you do this on purpose because I asked you for a favor?”
“No, I didn’t know.”
Chae Yoon clarified that it wasn’t intentional and that it was a mistake, but Deputy Jung was already convinced Chae Yoon had done it deliberately and continued her tirade.
“How could you not know? This is obviously deliberate. It’s such a basic thing… Chae Yoon, you’re really cunning.”
Chae Yoon’s patience snapped at that remark.
“But isn’t it the deputy, you, who didn’t review this ‘basic thing’ and reported it to the team leader?”
“What did you just say?”
“When someone does a task on your behalf, isn’t it normal for you to at least review it once before reporting it to the team leader?”
With that, Deputy Jung’s voice escalated, and eventually, the team leader heard about the incident.
A tiff between a newcomer and a deputy.
Regardless of being in the right, this wouldn’t have a positive impact on Chae Yoon’s performance evaluation. Thus, Chae Yoon felt worse than she had in a long time.
Facing Jae Oh in such a mood seemed like it would be even more draining. Right now, all Chae Yoon wanted was some alone time. Hence, after some hesitation, she made an excuse about an urgent appointment and cancelled their meeting.
“Haah…….”
Her feelings were a mix of unease.
She was once again struck with the thought that their timing was never quite right. With a sense of resignation, Chae Yoon let out a long sigh.
At that moment, her phone vibrated with a new message.
It was from Jae Oh.
“Where are you going for lunch?”
Chae Yoon, who had planned to relax in the break room, felt momentarily flustered.
She hadn’t expected him to ask.
“Why do you ask?”
“I’ll drive you.”
Her eyes widened at his offer. But more than surprise, it was the complication that weighed on her.
This is why she shouldn’t have lied. One lie led to an even bigger one.
As she felt the prick of guilt for having to perpetuate her lie, Chae Yoon bit her lower lip.
‘Should I just go for lunch?’
She briefly pondered, but Jae Oh wasn’t an easy person to be around.
Facing him, especially alone, and sharing a meal would surely be uncomfortable. Chae Yoon decided to stick to her excuse of cancelling their meeting.
“There’s no need. It’s within walking distance.”
“Really? Then let’s walk there, as a form of exercise.”
Chae Yoon’s mouth dropped open.
‘That’s ridiculous…’
This wasn’t something she could do under any circumstances.
“It’s near the office.”
She had made herself clear. At this point, she assumed he’d understood.
Thankfully, Jae Oh didn’t push further.
“Okay. Have a nice lunch.”
The slightly delayed reply, particularly the unfamiliar wish for her to enjoy her meal, was surprising. But Chae Yoon wasn’t startled.
It was because of the guilt and regret of having deceived him.
Feeling the heaviness in her heart, Chae Yoon quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts.
‘Let’s stop overthinking it.’
She had already told the lie, and she rationalized that even if she had cancelled on Han Jae Oh, he wouldn’t care and would be busy with his own matters. Chae Yoon turned her phone screen down and
Leaving the office on time, Chae Yoon headed straight for the break room.
As she walked in a daze, her phone vibrated for an extended period.
“Jae Oh Oppa”
Seeing Jae Oh’s name, a surprised expression rose in Chae Yoon’s eyes.
‘Why is he calling again?’
Thinking he wouldn’t need her for anything more, she hesitated to answer as the calls kept coming.
At that moment, the prolonged vibration stopped.
Just when she felt somewhat relieved, a message arrived.
“Are you on your way to lunch?”
Chae Yoon’s eyes widened in surprise.
She wondered why he was so fixated on lunch today.
Finding his persistent attitude curious, Chae Yoon tilted her head and moved her fingers.
“Yes.”
“What are you eating?”
The question made her hesitate, and Chae Yoon’s pace slowed.
“Hard to answer?”
Unconsciously, Chae Yoon nodded.
Then, a message arrived that made her doubt her eyes.
“You should reply, you know. How will I know if you only nod your head?”
Chae Yoon’s eyes bulged in disbelief.
She quickly looked around and found him.
There he was, standing right behind her: Jae Oh.
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
