Their narrow staircase to the front door was already a burden; imagining Sun-ok and Kyu-bin eavesdropping from inside didn’t help.
“Let’s go.”
She impulsively grabbed Tae-han’s arm.
“Are you sure? You were in the middle of a meal.”
If he was worried about that, he shouldn’t have come in the first place.
“I’ve finished eating.”
Yeon-woo, still holding his arm, led him down the stairs.
In the café, Yeon-woo quickly ordered a cup of hot tea and coffee, sitting opposite him.
Confronted unexpectedly, her heart fluttered.
It was clear why he was here: not for official business, but a personal matter.
Yeon-woo took a deep breath and asked.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“I should be the one asking that.”
Tae-han crossed his arms, his posture slightly tilted.
“Seo Yeon-woo.”
Just hearing her name made her feel guilty without reason.
“My card?”
Confused by the sudden mention of the card, Yeon-woo soon realized what he meant. She remembered the black card he had given her the night before.
“It’s at home. I’ll return it when I go to work on Monday.”
“Why not use it? I gave it to you for that.”
“I couldn’t use a corporate card for personal expenses like taxi fare.”
“It’s not a corporate card. It’s my personal card.”
So he really didn’t understand that made it even more impossible for her to use it.
Yeon-woo hadn’t even thought of using the card since receiving it.
After a moment of silence, their ordered drinks arrived.
Lemon tea for Yeon-woo and a
Yeon-woo gazed at her tea cup, a slice of lemon floating on top. Sitting across Tae-han, sipping tea with him, was something she couldn’t have imagined over the past five years.
Lost in these strange thoughts, new customers entered, ordering their meal. It snapped Yeon-woo back to reality.
“Did you have breakfast? They serve brunch here too.”
“I didn’t come to eat.”
His curt response silenced Yeon-woo.
She had boldly asked him why he was treating her this way, but the longer she sat with him, the more her spirit seemed to diminish.
“Mr. President.”
She couldn’t let this situation slide. Gathering her last bit of courage, Yeon-woo looked him in the eye.
“Why did you come today?”
“I don’t know.”
His response was frustratingly empty.
“You don’t know?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not exactly close from Seoul to here.”
“I was at a sauna yesterday, fell asleep due to exhaustion.”
A sauna at his hotel with private rooms, beds, and robes – a usual spot for Tae-han’s rest.
“I woke up at dawn. And I thought of you.”
Hearing he thought of her, Yeon-woo’s heart raced despite knowing it wasn’t in the way she hoped.
Sensing her feelings, Tae-han, leaning his chin on his hand, said,
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not like that couple over there.”
At the next table, a couple was holding hands, deep in conversation.
“Look at your cold hands. Come here, I’ll warm them up.”
“Aww, so warm.”
Their conversation, clearly audible due to the close tables, showed a lovey-dovey couple.
Yeon-woo felt resentful towards Tae-han for pointing it out, but was also relieved he set boundaries, preventing her from delving deeper.
“Now that you’ve seen me, please state your real purpose.”
Yeon-woo steeled herself.
Facing him as she did in Seoul, she resolved not to waver.
“Tell me why you decided to resign.”
“As I said, I’m getting married.”
“Stop insisting on a lie.”
“Why do you think it’s a lie?”
Yeon-woo wasn’t in a position to be assertive.
If Tae-han asked Sun-ok, the lie would quickly unravel.
Still, if she didn’t stand her ground, she’d be swept away by him. She looked at him firmly.
“You like me.”
Yeon-woo forgot how to breathe.
“You wouldn’t have the guts to marry another man while liking me.”
His keen perception stiffened her shoulders.
Without wasting more time, Tae-han spoke directly.
“I’ll increase your salary by fifty percent.”
“It’s not about the salary.”
“Then a hundred percent.”
Yeon-woo’s eyes widened. An unprecedented offer.
For a moment, she imagined a future earning double her salary, lessening the burden of raising a child alone.
But she clenched her fists under the table.
“I’ll still resign.”
“What can I do to make you stay?”
She felt cornered by Tae-han’s relentless approach.
Unable to be honest about her pregnancy, or fabricate another excuse, she was at a loss.
“Would you stay if we dated?”
At this unexpected suggestion, Yeon-woo’s head snapped up. The conversation paused as the couple’s ordered meal arrived.
“Wow, looks delicious!”
Interrupted by others’ chatter, Yeon-woo took a moment to compose herself, picking up her tea cup.
Despite holding the cup handle, Yeon-woo couldn’t hide the trembling of her hand. As she held her breath, the neighboring table lifted their fork with tomato pasta on it.
The strong scent of tomato sauce wafted towards their table.
And the moment Yeon-woo smelled it.
“Ugh…!”
She immediately covered her mouth.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
