Thrilled by Madness (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
“Hey! What the hell was that noise? What’s going on!”
Do Soon shouted loudly, startled by the sound of something shattering.
“Oh, uh—it’s nothing. I just dropped my teacup.”
“You! You! How many times have I nearly had a heart attack because of you?”
“I know. I’ll be more careful next time. Sorry.”
So Yeon, soothing the startled Do Soon, began hurriedly cleaning the mess on the floor with a disposable cloth. Just then, another voice suddenly came through the phone—someone other than Do Soon.
“Do Soon, lower your voice! Everyone’s staring at us!”
“So what? If they want to stare, let them stare.”
“But still!”
“Want to hit me or something?”
“Mom, did you see this? She’s being so rude to me!”
“Both of you, quiet down! Do Soon, your father and I are going ahead into the luxury department store, so you catch up as soon as you finish your call. Remember, our whole family has to attend Congressman Cheon’s dinner tonight—if you wander off anywhere else, you know what’ll happen.”
“I won’t, so don’t worry.”
Hearing the conversation among the three women, So Yeon let out a soft chuckle. Do Soon’s typically blank, unshakable expression was vividly clear in her mind, no matter what anyone said.
Somehow, Madam Ji Myung Sook had found out that Do Soon was lazing around alone at her place and had dragged her to the department store, stripping off her servant-like clothes and dressing her in a proper, elegant dress.
Do Soon, dragged around against her will by her mother and older sister, had immediately called So Yeon the moment she finished her call with Team Leader Joo of the planning department.
Thanks to Madam Ji Myung Sook stepping aside with her eldest daughter, Do Soon’s voice now sounded considerably more relaxed.
“So Yeon, I’ve got even more shocking news.”
“What is it?”
“Get this—my brother’s been cast as Nam Joo Ki Cheon Yul! You and Tae Seo Jun are working on the same project! Wow, this is absolutely huge!”
Though So Yeon had already learned this in the break room, there was nothing new about it—but she shared Do Soon’s excitement nonetheless.
“You’re that happy?”
“Of course! After all you’ve been through, it’s time for you to finally bloom, Eom So Yeon! You can do this, right?”
“Absolutely.”
After ending the call, So Yeon stared blankly at the break room wall for a long while.
Just minutes ago, she’d firmly resolved to confront this head-on—but already, the vigor in her spirit had visibly waned. Her pale face grew increasingly dispirited.
The voice of her conscience rattled inside her chest, protesting against burying the secret she’d kept hidden for so long. The longer she kept deceiving everyone, it warned, the more her own heart would ache and wither.
Yet, revealing the truth to Tae Seo Jun and those around her wasn’t an easy choice either. At worst, the repercussions would be far too immense to even imagine.
Since meeting him, she’d developed a tough heart—one tempered even further through giving birth and raising a child. But now, standing before Tae Seo Jun with no clear solution in sight, the grip that once held her heart firmly in place had gone completely slack.
Though So Yeon had tried to find common ground between her past, present, and future selves, she’d come up empty—leaving only a mind clouded with white noise and the certainty that, whatever she might eventually do, now was not the time to speak.
“Sigh…”
When her worries had piled up to unbearable weight, So Yeon looked down at her finger, startled by a sharp sting.
While hurriedly cleaning the floor, she’d grazed her finger on a sharp shard of glass. Now she saw that bright red blood had soaked through the tissue she’d hastily wrapped around it.
The pain wasn’t severe, but it stung.
Determined to clean up every last trace of the mess she’d caused, So Yeon meticulously wiped the entire floor, then bent her knees and waist to reach under the display cabinet and remove the final sliver of glass.
Just then—
Someone entered the break room.
At the sound of the door opening and closing, followed by footsteps that abruptly stopped right in front of her, So Yeon’s eyes quickly traveled from gleaming shoe heels up along unusually long legs. Her gaze finally halted on a face looking down at her—eyes half-lidded, expression unreadable.
The owner of that arrogant smile, resting on crimson lips…
Was Tae Seo Jun.
“Ah!”
An involuntary squeak escaped So Yeon’s lips as she hastily straightened her legs and back.
Her right elbow scraped hard against the sharp edge of a drawer. She’d pulled a knife from the storage cabinet to slice lemons for her tea but hadn’t fully closed the drawer—a clear oversight.
She’d assumed her long sleeves would protect her, but crimson blood was already spreading rapidly across her blouse.
“Your arm and your hand, too…”
Seo Jun, with a calm glance, instantly spotted her injuries. His brows twitched slightly as he drawled out a sarcastic remark.
“You’re quite a mess, Ms. Eom So Yeon.”
“…”
So Yeon stared fixedly at Seo Jun, biting down hard on her small, plump lips.
After all, she’d left the drawer open herself, and cut her own finger—so she had nothing to say in her defense against her own foolishness.
Without haste or delay, Seo Jun opened the break room door and took one step outside.
“What now?”
She thought he’d just leave—but instead, without turning back, he spoke.
“Aren’t you coming out?”
“Where to…?”
So Yeon asked with wide, inquisitive eyes. Only then did his tall, graceful figure turn around. The slight curve of his lips hinted faintly at amusement.
“You’re bleeding—you need to stop the bleeding, don’t you?”
“…”
With a low, beckoning glance, Seo Jun began walking ahead.
It was a bold, almost challenging invitation—but how could she possibly ignore it? It was an irresistible allure that would captivate anyone.
So Yeon followed him without a word.
Seated side by side with Seo Jun on the sofa in his director’s office, So Yeon couldn’t help but feel tense.
After all, sitting next to a man she both adored and feared—whom she longed to be close to yet couldn’t—was enough to make anyone nervous.
“…!”
Suddenly, So Yeon felt her hand tugged toward him.
She watched blankly as a bandage was placed on her fingertip—then felt the warmth of his palm seep into her own.
“Aren’t you a genius, Ms. Eom So Yeon?”
Still holding her wriggling hand tightly, Seo Jun applied ointment to her elbow—where he’d rolled up her blouse—and spoke with a faint smile.
“You always slip away the moment I let my guard down.”
“When have I ever?”
“Anytime.”
“…”
So Yeon pressed her lips shut tightly. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but his words sounded like he was digging up something from long ago. After all, hadn’t they once shared something deeply private? The memory of that embarrassing night they’d spent together in winter suddenly flashed in her mind, and her cheeks flushed instantly.
A gauze pad was placed over the scraped skin—but that wasn’t all. Seo Jun took a compression bandage from the first-aid kit and wrapped it around her elbow, then asked with concern,
“Have you had your tetanus vaccine?”
“Last year.”
Satisfied with her answer, Seo Jun raised his brows slightly and gave a small nod.
Yet his eyes remained edged with cold dissatisfaction.
Even if yesterday’s reaction could be excused as shock, she’d still been in a hurry to flee from him again today—as if she had absolutely no intention of fitting him into her life.
Seo Jun was thoroughly annoyed by Eom So Yeon’s distant, elusive attitude—so much so that he was still stewing over it. Unaware of this, So Yeon quickly shifted her gaze from his face to her own elbow, afraid he’d notice her staring.
Even that brief, stolen glance had left a vivid imprint of his sharp features—but it was useless. Her heartbeat had already soared far beyond normal limits.
What to do about this awkwardness?
“Thank you, Director. I should be going now.”
The treatment was finished, after all. So Yeon lifted herself off the sofa.
“Oh—and congratulations on landing the lead role.”
“That’s hardly something to congratulate me on…”
To her, being cast as the lead was simply the most natural thing in the world. But Seo Jun merely changed his phrasing slightly and replied concisely,
“Thank you. You may go.”
He crossed his legs indifferently and leaned back against the sofa.
“Huh?”
“I said you may go.”
“Oh—right.”
She had indeed stood up to leave—but now that he was telling her to go, she suddenly didn’t want to. Not knowing why she felt this way, and slightly irritated by the abrupt dismissal, So Yeon moved toward the door with a dazed gait.
Just as she placed her hand on the doorknob and turned to ask him the one thing she truly wanted to know—
“I…”
“Ms. Eom So Yeon…”
Seo Jun called out to her.
Since they’d both tried to speak at once, he gave a sharp, subtle tilt of his chin—gesturing for her to go first.
“I heard you were injured during deployment—have you fully recovered now?”
“…”
He asks so quickly.
In one swift motion, Seo Jun straightened up from the sofa with a stern expression, then strode toward her with long steps.
“Were you actually worried about my well-being?”
“Of course I was.”
“…”
Was this single sentence, this one voice, what I’d been so desperately craving to hear? Why did this woman make my ears—and my heart—tingle so?
It was unmistakable that Eom So Yeon genuinely cared for him.
Her deep, clear hazel eyes trembled faintly, and her large, gentle eyelashes glistened as if dew had settled upon them.
Seo Jun let out a soft chuckle.
The face that had been expressionless until now suddenly brightened with warmth.
It was the smile of a heart that had stayed frozen all winter, now gently melting under the first breath of spring.
“Ms. Eom So Yeon—do you like chicken?”
“I…”
She’d asked if he was alright—and suddenly he brings up chicken?
Though unsure why, So Yeon noticed his expression had clearly shifted from coldness to warmth. She paused briefly before answering.
An unexpected turn, yes—but sharing food, regardless of type, usually carried good intentions, so perhaps this was his indirect way of saying he was fine. And by asking if she liked it… was he hinting that they should eat together sometime?
If that was truly the case, the answer was an unquestionable ‘yes.’ So Yeon blinked slowly with wide eyes, then stammered out her reply.
“I do—I don’t just like it, I absolutely love it.”
“If I told you I cried every night in the Middle East because I missed Korean fried chicken, would you believe me?”
Surely Tae Seo Jun couldn’t be serious—over something as trivial as chicken? It had to be a joke. Yet So Yeon’s heart began pounding anyway, as if entranced by his gentle smile.
“You’ve been back quite a while now—haven’t you had any yet?”
“…”
Seo Jun released a silent, refreshing laugh.
Using such an absurd excuse—crying over fried chicken—just to impulsively hold onto Eom So Yeon. He’d been irritated by her disinterest, yet at this very moment, the feeling wasn’t unpleasant at all.
“If I said I haven’t had any yet—would you go with me?”
“Would I?”
Did he need someone to share chicken with?
So Yeon nodded readily. Her answer came faster than thought, driven purely by the fluttering hope of spending more time with him.
“I haven’t even had lunch yet. Is now okay?”
“Oh my—what time is it already? Let’s hurry! Honestly, I skipped lunch too.”
Just as she’d suspected. Reassured that her intuition had been right, So Yeon’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Then we’d better go even faster.”
Was it really okay for someone to make such lovely eyes over something as simple as chicken?
Seo Jun still remembered the Eom So Yeon he’d first met. Reaching for his jacket on the coat rack, he stretched his arm and let his lips curve into a wider smile.
Because her innocent eyes and gentle smile pleased him immensely.
So much so that he couldn’t help but grin.
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.
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Chapter Comments (4)
Inline Comments (1)
Though his gesture had been instinctive, So Yeon accepted it without resistance.
I wonder if Korean women really cry that easily. Wow, that’s exhausting.
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Finally…some communication. Love triangle at this point is surprising and yup it’s gonna be awkward 😑.
Why do I get the feeling that she’s not going to tell him? Haah
I know the revelation is not gonna happen😀, but the ml is just..🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️