After the bath, Soo-ri, whose skin had become smooth, walked out of the bathroom. After the half-body bath, her whole body felt refreshed.
Hyun-woo, who had been sitting at the round table waiting for Soo-ri, lifted his head as he sensed her approach, and their eyes met in an instant. It made Soo-ri’s heart flutter as if it were the first night of a honeymoon.
Hyun-woo, standing tall next to the slightly nervous Soo-ri, approached her directly.
“Did you do well?”
“Yes, you waited a long time, didn’t you? I dozed off while taking a half-body bath.”
“I didn’t wait that long.”
He lightly kissed her lips as he gently embraced Soo-ri’s face with both hands.
“You’re just like Snow White.”
“Bath salts are really nice.”
Since she said they had a comfortable time, he seemed pleased.
“Were you working?”
“Yeah.”
Although he must be tired too, when did he even bring his laptop? Hyun-woo, who never wasted a moment, was admirable.
“Sit here.”
Sitting Soo-ri in front of the console, he unexpectedly picked up a hairdryer. It seemed like he was determined to do everything he could for her tonight.
His hands passed through her hair, gently blowing between the strands. It felt surprisingly skillful.
“Have you dried a lot of women’s hair?”
“I’ve dried quite a few.”
“Really? Who, Jee-woo?”
Soo-ri knew but wanted to confirm, so she asked. Instead of answering, he just widened his lips a little.
As Soo-ri stared at him, expecting an answer, he finally responded with a gaze prompting her to answer.
“Who else has done it besides me? Huh?”
“…Mom. And Jee-woo occasionally.”
“Ah…”
He felt a bit embarrassed for asking without reason.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“For making you bring it up.”
Smirking at Soo-ri reflected in the mirror, Hyun-woo said, “The time has come for the plaster, but it’s not such a painful story.”
“You must have had a hard time. Back then, Oppa wasn’t that much older than me.”
Seven years older than her, he became a caretaker for his sick mother and had to take care of his younger sibling even before entering middle school.
While there was someone else to take care of things at home, it wasn’t the age when an ordinary boy would want to take on responsibilities. Yet, he, like a superhero, always protected the house.
Like Superman, appearing whenever something happened.
Whenever Jee-woo lost something and cried or Soo-ri fell and got hurt, he was the heroic older brother who appeared from somewhere and solved everything.
An older brother I had always admired.
Temporarily immersed in a busy and tiring daily life, it seemed like she had momentarily forgotten the affectionate feelings she had held for him.
She felt grateful for what he was doing for her.
“When I was young, Oppa, do you know that I used to avoid you?”
“I know. You used to run away whenever you saw me. Did you think I wouldn’t know?”
Smiling wryly as he neatly arranged the hairdryer, he casually said, “I know you were avoiding me.”
“Why did you do that?”
Even so, she didn’t hesitate to secretly watch him from hiding.
In fact, the reason for her constantly stumbling was because of Seo Hyun-woo. While playing with Ji-woo in the backyard, she saw Hyun-woo heading home after school, stumbled, lost focus, and hit her butt. She also secretly watched him talking with friends outside the gate. While avoiding him and running away from him, she often stumbled on the entrance steps.
“Come to think of it, I think I knew he was a dangerous person, even when I was young.”
“Me?”
Soo-ri nodded with a bright face. Unable to understand the meaning, Hyun-woo raised his eyebrows.
“You’re a very dangerous man.”
Not easily separable.
“And bad.”
Always calm and composed.
He was a bad man who made her ride a roller coaster alone. Whether it was in the past or now.
As he casually let her pass him in the mirror with a smiling eye, this time he narrowed his eyes.
“So, it’s going to be a rumor. Seo Hyun-woo is a bad guy. No one should even breathe near Professor’s vicinity.”
It was childish, but she couldn’t help it.
“Absolutely off-limits due to danger!”
I wanted no one, no living creature in the world, to know the charm of this man.
“Childish, isn’t it?”
As he shook his head, he laughed and lowered his body slightly.
As soon as he sat down on the chair, Soo-ri slid her arms under his knees and hugged her lightly.
“It’s okay to be childish. Do whatever you want, as you wish.”
After massaging the soles of her feet and massaging her swollen legs, she gradually drifted into sleep.
Thus, a couple of hours passed since she fell asleep.
Hyun-woo, who was sitting in front of the round table inside the bedroom after putting Soo-ri to sleep, had a glass of whiskey poured while organizing data on his laptop, unable to sleep due to fatigue.
As he placed the bottle he poured on the table with a clunk, Soo-ri, who he thought was sound asleep on the bed, tossed a bit after a while.
He stopped all his movements, thinking she might wake up because of the clinking glass.
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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