Suddenly, the Art Center, which had been buzzing with noise, fell silent. Jae In stood where everyone’s eyes were fixed.
“You, what are you…… What are you!”
Yuri, shaking with a sense of humiliation, glared at Jae In.
Despite being slapped hard enough to turn her head, Jae In remained calm. Leaving her reddened cheek as it was, she slowly turned her head towards Yuri.
She had no intention of just taking it. She was considering how to retaliate when she glared at Yuri.
“How dare you do this to me. What are you, what’s so great about you! How dare you, someone like you……”
Yuri’s mouth clamped shut as she spewed her anger mixed with disgust. What dropped onto her head, staining her white offshoulder dress red and trickling down to her toes, was a deep red wine like blood.
It was then that Jae In saw the man standing behind Yuri. Tae Seo, tilting the bottle with elegance, was as adept as if he were decanting wine.
A thin stream of velvet poured silently, as if sliding above Yuri’s head.
“I wouldn’t waste even a flat beer on you. But this is what I happened to have on hand.”
It was RomanéeConti, a top vintage of which only two bottles remained in Korea. Its deep and rich aroma spread throughout the corners of the Art Center in an instant.
“Who do you think you are, causing a commotion without understanding your place. How dare you hit someone, Jo Yuri.”
Tae Seo leisurely poured out every last drop and whispered into Yuri’s ear. Then, he handed the empty bottle to a nearby employee, his face expressionless.
A hint of softness was mixed into the eyes that had been so fierce just moments ago. Tae Seo reached out towards Yuri’s elbow, which was so pale it seemed she was having trouble breathing.
“Come here.”
The man’s outstretched hand towards her, Yuri glared at it as if she wanted to kill him.
And Jae In too, stared at that large and elegant hand extended towards her.
Suddenly, the hand moved as if to urge her.
Jae In’s gaze moved from his welloiled fingertips to his long, muscular arm, then across his arm towards his stronglooking shoulders. And finally, she met the warm gaze of the incredibly handsome man.
“Come to me.”
Jae In, unable to take her eyes off Tae Seo, was mesmerized and grabbed his hand. Then, she was quickly led across the large hall.
“Ah….”
She came to her senses only when something cold touched her cheek.
It was a space that seemed to be an office inside the gallery. Tae Seo sat Jae In down on a spacious desk and quietly applied a wet handkerchief to her cheek.
“Why did you just take the hit? That’s not like you.”
“I was going to hit her, but you beat me to it, Tae Seo.”
“I’m sorry. Honestly, I didn’t want you to hit her.”
“Why? You poured wine on your fiancée, but you can’t stand to see her get hit?”
Jae In looked down, lowering her eyes. In doing so, she didn’t notice Tae Seo’s lips curling into a smirk.
“Of course not.”
The man, who laughed as if it was inconceivable, took a strand of hair from Jae In’s cheek and tucked it behind her ear.
A hint of sorrow was evident in his careful touch and scrutinizing gaze.
“It would be a shame for you to hurt your palm hitting someone like that.”
“…..”
“Just wait. Jo Yu Ri will come to you, slap her own cheek, and beg for forgiveness.”
“Why would she do that?”
The words that just poured out of Jae In’s lips scattered like a sigh. Tae Seo simply looked at her cheek with a pitiful gaze.
“Are you being affectionate towards me?”
“Do you dislike it? Regardless, I can’t help it.”
For Tae Seo, he could not help but be affectionate.
Since the day they ran into each other at the café, he had been patiently waiting for Jae In to approach him. Unable to wait any longer, he set the stage for her to appear.
Perhaps he thought she might reject him. However, she bravely showed herself in front of him, even taking the risk. What’s more, she even took his extended hand.
Tae Seo was immensely pleased with this fact.
Finally, noticing her swollen, red cheek, he furrowed his brows.
“…Stay here for a moment.”
Jae In barely understood the swear word that the man had hissed. His voice, which had been gentle until just moments ago, was once again filled with rage.
“Where are you going?”
“I didn’t realize your cheek was swollen like this, I must go and….”
“I have something to say.”
Jae In barely managed to stop the man, who seemed ready to go after Jo Yu Ri right away.
Tae Seo, who had been looking at the small, white hand gripping the end of his shirt sleeve, faced her again.
“Speak.”
“…Tae Seo, you’re a capable man, right?”
“How do you see it?”
A slightly arrogant smile spread across his confident face. Even without his enormous wealth or outstanding work capabilities, Tae Seo was an irresistibly charming man.
“Can you guarantee that your interest in me won’t wane, no matter who I am?”
“Even if you committed murder, I would probably think you had a good reason for it.”
“This is not a joke.”
“What’s the problem? Do you have a lot of debt? Are you being chased? Are you being threatened? I can handle all of that.”
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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