“Deputy Seo, the president has summoned you.”
Yeon-woo faced reality as soon as she arrived at work, which was not easy to accept no matter how prepared she was.
After setting down her bag, Yeon-woo took a deep breath. It was time to start mentally preparing herself.
She knocked on the president’s office door and entered.
Tae-han, bathed in sunlight, looked as radiant as ever, almost to the point of lacking words to describe him. His hair was neatly combed, his shirt taut over his shoulders, and his fingers holding a fountain pen looked meticulous, yet his gaze was as intense as a predator’s.
Tae-han’s aura never became familiar, even after observing it for five years.
“Good morning, President.”
Yeon-woo, accustomed to hiding her nervousness, greeted him.
As usual, Tae-han didn’t lift his head, engrossed in his work even after calling her.
“When was the Future Bio Research Meeting?”
The reason for the call came after a long wait of standing.
“Next Monday.”
“Nothing special on that day?”
Confused by his ambiguous question, Yeon-woo didn’t respond immediately. Finally, Tae-han lifted his head. Though it was the same face, it felt different from the one she saw last night.
“If you’re asking about your schedule, President?”
“I’m asking about Deputy Seo’s schedule.”
“I don’t have anything special…”
“Let’s go together.”
Yeon-woo was startled and lost for words.
“To the research meeting, let’s go together.”
Tae-han made an unprecedented proposal while casually flipping through papers.
“You’re on the promotion list for this year, so prepare for that. You’ll be using a manager’s business card.”
“President…”
Yeon-woo, overwhelmed, finally spoke.
“I’m just waiting for the approval of my resignation from you.”
“Still on that? You haven’t convinced me yet.”
Tae-han, usually as mechanical as a machine, sometimes acted stubbornly like a child, a side only Yeon-woo knew.
“If this continues, I will have to consult with the HR department.”
Tae-han lifted his head again.
It was a clear message: it’s unreasonable for a company to ignore an employee’s wish to resign. Knowing this, Tae-han lightly curled his lips.
“Deputy Seo, you’ve grown a lot.”
“Thanks to you, President.”
Yeon-woo countered without backing down, prompting Tae-han to laugh.
“Attend the research meeting.”
But Tae-han, rolling his fountain pen around his finger, buried his face back in the documents, repeating the same statement.
“I’ll think about Deputy Seo’s resignation some more.”
“Until when?”
“I don’t know. I need time to think.”
“…”
“Attend the research meeting.”
Yeon-woo wanted to ask.
Why was he holding onto her like this?
“If you want to teach someone the work, it’s better to send another employee.”
“I need Deputy Seo.”
But Yeon-woo couldn’t bring herself to ask and just sighed silently.
After all, it was just a two-day event.
Yeon-woo had prepared and supplemented the materials for the meeting. Even though the work was still ongoing, it seemed okay for her to attend the two-day event. Moreover, the meeting was in nearby Jeju Island.
However, she was uncertain if it was safe to fly during early pregnancy, so she couldn’t immediately respond.
“Can I give you an answer tomorrow?”
“Are you kidding?”
Tae-han countered.
The idea that an employee’s consent was needed for company work was indeed absurd.
“Recently, I haven’t been feeling well. I was planning to visit the hospital tomorrow. If there’s anything wrong, I wouldn’t want to be a burden to you, President.”
Tae-han’s expression changed at Yeon-woo’s words.
Lifting his head, he even put down his pen.
“What’s wrong?”
Yeon-woo was inwardly flustered by the change in his voice.
“I’ve been feeling unusually tired, so I’m planning to get a thyroid function test.”
“Have you visited the company clinic?”
“No, it’s faster to go to a nearby internal medicine clinic.”
As Yeon-woo responded, Tae-han seemed lost in thought. After a moment, he picked up his pen again and spoke.
“Alright.”
He gestured briefly, indicating that their conversation was over and she could leave. But just as Yeon-woo was about to open the door, Tae-han’s voice followed her.
“Report back once you get the results.”
Surprised, Yeon-woo turned to find Tae-han looking intently at her.
“Didn’t you hear me?”
Making him repeat himself was one of the things he disliked.
“……Understood.”
Yeon-woo wondered if he was really interested in her thyroid test results, but instead of asking, she bowed slightly and left.
Friday morning dawned.
Yeon-woo woke up earlier than usual and briskly packed her bag.
It was the day to head to Cheonan. However, with the upcoming research meeting in Jeju on Monday, she had to return to Seoul by Sunday afternoon.
Surprisingly, the doctor had given her the go-ahead to fly, cautioning her to be careful.
She briefly reported to Tae-han that there was no issue with her thyroid levels. Tae-han, showing no emotion, merely nodded without any particular reaction.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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