Everyone in the medical department was sprawled out, exhausted, while Sori stood anxiously in front of Hyunwoo’s office, fidgeting like an impatient puppy. She was already late for her evening appointment.
She had already asked for understanding from Hwang Junsu for being late. Now all she had to do was go in and talk to Hyunwoo.
Worried that Hyunwoo might be as angry as Sehun, she hesitated.
Ah, forget it! I’ll use my face, hit by that guy with the buzz cut, as an excuse.
Sori took a deep breath, knocked, and opened the door to his office. Hyunwoo was setting up a sushi box from a nearby high-end Japanese restaurant on the coffee table.
“I was just about to text you to come here.”
“Oh, were you?”
Sori, slightly relieved by his calm voice, peeked at him hesitantly. Contrary to her worries, he didn’t seem angry.
“What are you doing? Come here. Sit and eat.”
Realizing this was for her, Sori sat on the sofa, somewhat surprised.
I have an evening appointment. Why sushi, of all things, today?
Then Hyunwoo suddenly put on his jacket.
“Professor, where are you going?”
“I have a quick dinner appointment. I’ll be back before 9.”
Professor Hyunwoo has a dinner appointment? This was an opportunity.
“Professor! Can I just take a break today, just for today?”
“……?”
Sori cradled her cheek as if she had a toothache, and her eyes narrowed.
“I’m quite shocked from being hit earlier.”
“Why did you even…”
Having fully dressed, Hyunwoo approached and inspected her face, frowning.
“Does it hurt?”
“No, it’s not that it hurts, but…”
It wasn’t a lie. Her right cheek was definitely more swollen.
“But if you ask what a swollen cheek has to do with studying, I wouldn’t have an answer.” Sori quickly added, “I’ve been so tired lately… I haven’t been able to rest…”
It felt somewhat ridiculous to talk about being tired in front of Hyunwoo, who was always busy, but still.
“I thought it would be nice for you to go to your appointment comfortably, and I want to rest at home early today.”
He straightened up, turned around, and chuckled.
Sori, usually so diligent and silent, must be really tired.
Hyunwoo had no intention of keeping her. He had prepared dinner because he couldn’t take her to his appointment.
“Eat and then go straight home.”
“Okay.”
“Make sure to apply a cold compress when you get home.”
“Okay!”
She brightened up at his response.
“That’s good then. Answer so cheerfully.”
He seemed reassured by her bright response.
“Take care.”
Waving back at her greeting, Hyunwoo quickly left.
As Hyunwoo’s tall figure receded into the distance, Sori watched him leave, then hurriedly headed to the medical department. There, she was sure that the luxurious sushi she had received would be eagerly devoured by many.
At a high-end Japanese restaurant in Cheongdam.
Hyunwoo was unwinding with his friends Ji Tae and Young Min. It was a long-awaited drinking session since their last get-together at a conference.
“Hey, Hyunwoo’s treating, so let’s order to our hearts’ content. More drinks too. How about some sashimi?”
“You’re ordering more drinks? Didn’t you say you have to go straight home?”
“Go home? You know how much trouble I went through to book this place.”
Ji Tae and Young Min were Hyunwoo’s close college friends. Ji Tae was a senior by a year, and Young Min was his classmate.
“Don’t even think about going home tonight, Hyunwoo.”
Ji Tae stubbornly shook his head with the menu in his hand.
Hyunwoo chuckled at their impatience. Before the course meal even started, they had almost finished a bottle of sake.
Drinking in quick succession, the bottle quickly emptied, bringing a quick buzz.
“But you said you’d bring your girlfriend today. Why did you trick us?”
“Something came up.”
For Hyunwoo, too, it had been a day of heart-flutters because of Sori.
“I think I know who she is. That nice doctor you brought to the hospital that time?”
Ji Tae asked with a grin.
“Hyunwoo, are you dating?”
Young Min’s eyes widened.
“If this guy gets hooked, he’ll marry right away. So much for being a bachelor.”
“Really getting married?”
Young Min, a bachelor at heart, looked lost.
Hyunwoo, however, remained indifferent.
His non-response was taken as an affirmation, and the two clinked their glasses, downing their drinks.
“She’s a resident at the same hospital. Really cute and doll-like. I saw her when he brought her to our hos
“Hey. Introduce us to your sister-in-law. Is she at the hospital now? Imagine how tough it is for a first-year resident. Huh? You can’t just enjoy delicious food and drinks all by yourself.”
“…….”
That’s why I bought Sori sushi to eat.
I didn’t see her eat it, though.
But she must have finished it by now.
“We’ll treat her well if she comes. No, we’ll pay for this occasion.”
“Stop it. You’re being noisy.”
Hyunwoo, who had been silently listening, spoke up in a low tone. He then picked up his phone and stood up.
The two men looked up eagerly.
“Oh, good, go outside and call her, huh?”
Why are they so excited?
Hyunwoo narrowed his eyes as he opened the sliding door of the room.
He slipped his feet into neatly aligned shoes, and as he lifted his head, he saw a woman resembling Sori and a man in a gray hat sitting side by side at the bar table, eating sushi.
Am I already drunk?
Seeing her so often, am I now mistaking other women for Sori?
The woman, who slightly resembled Sori from the side, turned her head towards the man.
They toasted with sake cups.
But on a closer look…
It wasn’t just a woman who resembled her.
That means… right now.
My little puppy, whom I left to rest, was secretly playing with someone else.
“Caught you red-handed, Yoo Sori.”
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
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Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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