Secret Baby (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“It looks like you and Ms. Yoo Na, who are rumored to be engaged, now have Ms. Seo Ha getting involved between you. Ms. Seo Ha is perfectly positioned to become gossip fodder for busybodies.”
Kyu Won spoke unusually seriously. Tae Kyung couldn’t find any words to retort.
Kyu Won was right.
Rumors that Yoo Na and Tae Kyung were already engaged had spread wildly, and people treated it as a settled fact.
Tae Kyung even wondered if that was why Seo Ha had been avoiding him.
“Only Ms. Seo Ha gets blamed. You’re the kind who deserves all the criticism, so I don’t worry about you—but she and Min Jun will get hurt badly. Watch how you act.”
“Got it.”
“I guess I must’ve sold my country in a past life—that’s why my luck’s pouring out like this.”
Seeing Tae Kyung lost in thought, Kyu Won sighed and left the CEO’s office.
The moment Tae Kyung’s workday ended, he headed straight to Yangpyeong. Yoo Na called, but he turned off his phone.
Unsurprisingly, the place he went was Min Jun’s hospital. While pacing outside the ward, he ran into Seo Ha.
“What brings you here?”
Seo Ha’s expression was icy cold.
They weren’t on friendly terms, yet seeing her standing there in the biting wind made Tae Kyung’s heart ache.
“It’s not like I’ve come somewhere I’m forbidden to enter.”
“Don’t come here. You have no reason to.”
“I need to ask you something.”
Though Tae Kyung usually came across as sharp-tongued, this time he stood calmly before Seo Ha.
“Did Min Jun’s biological father happen to have a watermelon allergy? Was his blood type Rh-negative?”
Seo Ha’s hands trembled involuntarily. Panic bloomed in her chest—had he somehow figured out the truth about Min Jun?
Yet just from Tae Kyung’s expression, she couldn’t tell if he actually knew.
“It’s strange—we share the same watermelon allergy and the same blood type. That’s too much of a coincidence…”
“He’s not your child!”
Seo Ha cried out in alarm. She absolutely could not lose her son.
The thought that if Tae Kyung learned about Min Jun, Hyun Young would find out too sent her into a panic. She sharply turned away, shouting,
“Leave! Don’t ever come back!”
Her prickly reaction made Tae Kyung’s chest tighten once more, and he felt his heart twist bitterly again.
He stepped in front of Seo Ha as she tried to walk away. Trapped beneath his looming shadow, Seo Ha felt her whole body freeze. Tae Kyung growled low, issuing a warning.
“It doesn’t matter whose child he is. I’ll keep you bound to my side. You won’t get away a second time.”
His gleaming dark eyes locked onto Seo Ha—like a predator’s eyes fixed on its prey.
Tae Kyung had already decided: as long as Seo Ha returned to being his, he would accept anything related to her.
Even if Min Jun belonged to another man, he’d accept him because he was Seo Ha’s child.
Seo Ha’s heart jolted at the burning intensity in Tae Kyung’s eyes.
She thought she might need to run away again—to protect Min Jun, her most precious child, she’d have to.
“Really? Well, I can do anything. I can abandon everything except Min Jun—even if it means giving up my own parents.”
She spoke with firm, fierce eyes.
And silently, she swallowed the words: “Even you, Tae Kyung—whom I once loved so deeply—I can abandon for Min Jun’s sake.”
Tae Kyung clenched his jaw tightly. Pressuring Seo Ha further wouldn’t gain him anything.
“No matter what you do, I won’t let you go. I’ll follow you even into the pits of hell. If you refuse to stay by my side, I’ll stay by yours.”
“Then go ahead. If you can find me.”
Seo Ha gave a bitter, mocking smile at the corner of her lips. Tae Kyung met her gaze with indifferent eyes.
Seo Ha wanted to avoid him again—but this time, she couldn’t. Not for Min Jun’s sake.
Women might be fragile, but mothers are strong. Seo Ha now believed that being a mother came before living as a woman. Tae Kyung turned and walked away.
“If you can do anything, then so can I.”
Only the steady clack of Tae Kyung’s shoes echoed down the hospital corridor. Seo Ha’s persistent stare clung to the back of his head, but he forced himself to keep walking.
The more time he spent near Seo Ha, the more Tae Kyung wrestled with his own destructive impulses—yet he couldn’t control his obsessive desire to keep her by his side.
As soon as he stepped out of the hospital building, he called Manager Kwon, Hyun Young’s chief secretary.
After just a few rings, a deep, mature male voice answered.
“Yes. This is Manager Kwon, CEO Han.”
“Manager Kwon. Have you been well?”
“I’m as always, sir. I hope you’ve been well, too?”
“Thanks to you, I am. But there’s something I’d like to ask you. Do you remember Ms. Kim Seo Ha?”
At Tae Kyung’s question, Manager Kwon fell briefly silent, then quickly recalled her.
“Ms. Kim Seo Ha… Yes, I remember her. Wasn’t she the woman you dated before?”
“Yes, that’s right. Do you happen to know what occurred between Chairwoman Park and Seo Ha?”
“That’s not something I should be discussing, sir.”
Manager Kwon’s tone dropped sharply and turned rigid in response to Tae Kyung’s request.
Tae Kyung sensed that Manager Kwon knew something crucial. He had to find a way to get it out of him.
“Manager Kwon, please help me. I absolutely must know.”
“Why the sudden urgency, sir?”
“Something’s been nagging at me. It feels like there’s something I don’t know. Please, Manager Kwon.”
Since Tae Kyung rarely asked for favors, Manager Kwon’s voice clearly betrayed his discomfort.
Besides, he couldn’t reveal anything about his superior Hyun Young—even to her own son. Yet he also couldn’t outright ignore Tae Kyung’s request.
He almost felt like he should be the one dropping to his knees and begging instead.
“Sir, it’s difficult for me to speak. I’d like to tell you, but… You understand my situation better than anyone. It’d be better to ask someone else about what happened back then.”
“Someone else?”
Tae Kyung raised an eyebrow, his eyes sharpening. So someone else knew the full story.
‘Who could it be? Every time I searched for Seo Ha, everyone claimed they knew nothing. Did someone lie to me?’
Manager Kwon sighed after hesitating at the end of his sentence.
“Yes—for instance, Ms. Kim Seo Ha’s mother… Beyond that, I really can’t say more. I’m sorry, sir.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize for asking something so difficult. Thank you for your help.”
“If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them.”
“So, it’s confirmed—Seo Ha’s mother definitely met with Chairwoman Park.”
“…”
Manager Kwon’s silence served as confirmation.
After ending the call with Manager Kwon, Tae Kyung scrolled through his phone’s contact list.
The person who’d know the most about Seo Ha.
The one who’d likely know about Seo Ha’s mother too.
The person who’d first connected him with Seo Ha.
“Right—Lee Hyo Jae. She’ll know.”
Just as Tae Kyung was about to call Hyo Jae, Yoo Na called him.
His expression instantly soured.
He considered hanging up immediately, but answered just in case.
“What is it?”
“Again in Yangpyeong?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“You went to see Kim Seo Ha, didn’t you?”
Yoo Na’s words spiked Tae Kyung’s irritation.
He wondered how she’d even found out about Seo Ha.
He’d spent five years unable to locate Seo Ha—what exactly had Kim Seo Ha been doing all this time?
Yoo Na, hearing his silence, warned him.
“It’s fine if you see Kim Seo Ha—but that’s where it ends.”
“What gives you the right to dictate what I can or can’t do?”
Yoo Na let out a light, mocking laugh. When her laughter faded, she spoke with clear disdain.
“I’m your fiancée. I’m going to enter into a strategic marriage with you. Whether there’s love or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’ll be Han Tae Kyung’s wife.”
“How ridiculous. Go ahead and try it.”
“Then that’s exactly how it’ll turn out. No matter how much you struggle, you can’t change it.”
Tae Kyung shook his head. Dealing with Yoo Na would get him nowhere.
He didn’t want to waste any more of his time on this.
“I might overlook you seeing Kim Seo Ha—for now, until we marry. After that, it’ll be problematic.”
“Your ambition is impressive. I’m hanging up.”
Tae Kyung ended the call before Yoo Na could reply.
His frustration boiled over. He should’ve nipped this in the bud from the start—this was clearly his own mistake.
[This is the timeline separator]Dressed in an elaborate gown, Song Joo was uncharacteristically excited for a bride.
Tae Kyung, whom she never truly expected to show up, stood before her wearing a polite smile.
“Congratulations on your wedding.”
“Oh my! I never thought Senior would actually come!”
“Of course I had to.”
Tae Kyung spoke in a way that anyone would describe as courteous and kind.
Song Joo’s friends all watched him tensely, unable to look away.
Han Tae Kyung, second son of HY Group, drew attention wherever he went—and the wedding venue was no exception.
“But seriously, thank you so, so much! Ms. Yoo Na came too—it looks like you both came together.”
“Yoo Na?”
“Yes. Since you both came… Ah! You must’ve planned to meet here! Makes sense—you’re quite the famous couple. Hehehe.”
Song Joo’s exuberance annoyed Tae Kyung.
But as usual, women who didn’t grasp Tae Kyung’s mood approached him everywhere—including here.
“Um, hello? I’m Yoo Seon Ah, Song Joo’s friend.”
“Yes, nice to meet you. Have I been keeping the bride too long? Well then, Song Joo—I’ll see you later.”
With a charming smile and a light bow, Tae Kyung left the bridal lounge.
Spotting the person he’d been looking for in the wedding hall, he walked straight over.
“Hyo Jae.”
“Huh? Senior Tae Kyung! What brings you here?”
Hyo Jae’s eyes widened at the sound of his voice, leaving her too flustered to greet him properly.
How long had it been since she last saw him? Five years.
She’d deliberately avoided Tae Kyung for Seo Ha’s sake.
Though Tae Kyung had asked her a few times about Seo Ha’s whereabouts, they’d had no contact since.
“It’s my junior’s wedding—and I need to ask you something.”
“Me? If it’s about Seo Ha, I don’t know anything.”
Hyo Jae, feeling guilty already, blurted out Seo Ha’s name before he even asked.
Tae Kyung immediately recognized her lie. He didn’t want to waste a single second.
“You know where Kim Seo Ha is.”
“…Then what do you want to ask me…?”
Hyo Jae’s eyes flickered nervously.
‘Seo Ha, why didn’t this woman tell me earlier that she’d met Tae Kyung? Or does she not even know he’s found her?’
“There are too many eyes here. After the photos, come to the café on the hotel’s first floor. I’ll wait for you there.”
Tae Kyung spoke flatly and disappeared. Hyo Jae’s face flushed.
She didn’t know what Tae Kyung had discovered—or what he was searching for—and didn’t know what to do.
After confirming he was gone, she hurried into the restroom.
She quickly pulled out her phone and called Seo Ha.
Seo Ha didn’t answer—she must’ve been busy with something.
“Oh gosh, what is she doing that she won’t pick up? What am I supposed to do?”
Hyo Jae stomped her feet anxiously, terrified she might have accidentally caused Tae Kyung to do something terrible to Seo Ha.
She nervously chewed her fingernails.
Thankfully, Seo Ha soon called her back.
“Yeah. Is Song Joo’s wedding over?”
“No, but Seo Ha—Senior Tae Kyung’s here. He suddenly said he has something to ask me. Do you know anything about it?”
“Senior Tae Kyung is here?”
“Yeah. He hasn’t found you, has he?”
“…”
Seo Ha’s unexpectedly calm reaction surprised Hyo Jae even more.
“He really found you? How?”
Hyo Jae’s voice unintentionally grew louder,
unaware someone in the restroom was listening closely to her words.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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