The title of the work by a painter who had just begun to receive attention was .
Whether it meant warmth, being lit, or something had arrived, it was unclear. It was a painting that reminded one of the night in a city bathed in light, with a blizzard raging fiercely.
Expressed boldly and roughly with a knife instead of a brush, it had a strangely warm feeling. It was also a piece to be auctioned off at an upcoming charity auction.
“What else is there in Chicago’s Christmas besides the cold?”
At Tae Seo’s rough words, Jae In squinted her eyes. While she glared at Tae Seo with her slightly opened eyes, her lips maintained a soft curve.
“Are you insulting my hometown right now?”
“I’ve seen the Millennium Park tree in Chicago, but it was smaller in scale than the Rockefeller Center tree in New York. And there were just an incredible amount of people around the ice rink. It was a bit disappointing. After all, I barely managed to go there, enduring the desire to stay inside the hotel because it was so cold.”
“You saw it with a guy.”
At Jae In’s accurate guess, Tae Seo chuckled lowly, bowing his head.
Indeed. If I had seen it with you, even that harsh cold would have been remembered beautifully.
Tae Seo remembered the Christmas tree at Millennium Park he had seen in the past. Perhaps among those many people, Yoon Jae In had been there too.
The thought that they might have been in the same place at the same time made him feel a bit better. The terrible cold and the annoyance caused by the crowd could have been remembered a bit more gently.
“Is scale that important? Actually, I prefer the tree at Millennium Park than…”
As Jae In was speaking softly without taking her eyes off the painting, Tae Seo reached out his hand sneakily. Without hesitation, he undid the hands that Jae In had clasped behind her waist and took one of her hands into his own.
Only then did Jae In’s gaze turn from the painting to Tae Seo. Just by meeting eyes, there was a thrilling tingling sensation, and Tae Seo winked, smiling with a furrowed brow.
“I prefer the Christmas tree in front of the Water Tower. Have you seen it?”
“No.”
“It’s not that big. But it looks pretty combined with the Water Tower. It feels a bit romantic because it’s decorated with subtle lighting. So, when I was in Chicago, I went there every Christmas.”
Jae In smiled subtly and returned her gaze to the painting. Tae Seo too, looked at the painting, imagining her looking at the tree in front of the Water Tower.
Probably, her mother had been with her.
He wished it so. Hopefully, she hadn’t been lonely on Christmas. That there was a good person by her side on days when she felt lonely being alone. Tae Seo, thinking of Christmas, a time when he had never been happy in his life, opened his mouth.
“Shall I buy it?”
“This painting?”
“Didn’t I tell you? If you become mine, I’ll buy you anything.”
At Tae Seo’s words, Jae In, who had wiped her smile away, gazed at the painting thoughtfully. Then, once again, she stared at Tae Seo for a long time. After a while, she lowered her head and raised the corners of her mouth.
“Do you not like it?”
“Yes. I don’t like it.”
Jae In’s belated smile looked somewhat bitter for some reason. Tae Seo was bothered by this. Could the gloom that I had briefly imagined have spread to her? His head tilted in needless worry.
“There’s no other reason. Just…, when the time comes, I just want to come and appreciate it. I don’t want to own it.”
“Why?”
“I think it’ll feel more precious that way.”
Tae Seo, mulling over Jae In’s words, nodded his head. She was right. Tae Seo too, would often contemplate for a long time when owning something. He didn’t casually make things his own.
“However, this painting will go up for auction in a little while. What are you going to do if someone else buys it? You won’t be able to admire it when you want to.”
“In that case…”
Jae In’s gaze, which had been looking around for a moment, stayed on Tae Seo’s large and warm hand that firmly held her own. Then she soon met Tae Seo’s eyes, smiling a bit mischievously.
How would she react if he wanted to kiss her again right here, right now?
It was when Tae Seo was gently pressing his tingling molar with the tip of his tongue.
“Tae Seo, you buy it. Buy it and hang it at your home.”
“……”
At her sly answer, the strength left Tae Seo’s jaw.
“I’ll come to see it.”
“……To my house?”
“Yes. To your house, Tae Seo. Whenever I want to see it.”
This woman, she’s going to ensnare a man this way.
Tae Seo, who had been staring at Jae In for a while, laughed louder than he ever had. People nearby all turned to look.
It was unfamiliar. His own desire towards Yoon Jae In, the heart that was rushing forward, and also this charming person.
Like swallowing a large balloon, his heart kept swelling up inside him. It felt like it was pressing on his heart and pushing out his lungs.
At that moment, Tae Seo didn’t want to show Jae In to anyone. But at the same time, he wanted to show her to everyone. Captivated by this strange feeling that he couldn’t define, Tae Seo eventually opened his mouth.
“Okay. Let’s do it that way. But Yoon Jae In.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t do things like ‘flirting’, especially after having kissed.”
A hint of hesitation flashed in the large eyes watching Tae Seo, who was trying to define their relationship. Tae Seo patiently waited for Jae In’s response.
“Hmm, what kind of person are you, Tae Seo?”
“Now you’re asking?”
“It’s a bit funny to ask after kissing, but I want to know more.”
“……Ask anything. And find out.”
We’ll have to spend a lot of time together then. At Tae Seo’s added words, Jae In laughed out loud.
Tae Seo knew that Jae In was beating around the bush. However, he decided not to push her. It was enough for now that she didn’t push him away.
The reason he decided to do so was simple. It was because Tae Seo felt that Jae In was certainly feeling some kind of emotion towards him too, unless she was a seasoned liar, adept at hiding her feelings.
Tae Seo realized that Jae In was not good at lying, unable to hide her feelings moment by moment.
Above all, Tae Seo hoped that Jae In would approach him at her own pace. He didn’t want her to come to him hastily, as if being chased by someone, or reluctantly, enduring what she didn’t want to do.
Of course, from Tae Seo’s perspective, who had to wait, it was agonizing, but in the current situation, Kang Tae Seo didn’t want to lose Yoon Jae In.
While waiting for Jae In to come to him fully, he intended to understand her approach and move in the direction she wanted. Willingly.
“Ah, today’s the only day for kisses. From next time, ask for permission.”
“Who are you treating like a fool? To ask for permission for such a thing.”
“Hmm……”
“It’s difficult once, but twice is easy.”
“I’m not an easy woman.”
“I’m an easy man. For Yoon Jae In.”
Jae In laughed brightly at the sincerity whispered in her ear. Tae Seo took Jae In’s hand and pulled her towards him. The gazes of the two people heading to the next piece couldn’t break away from each other.
Regardless of what the people in the art center were chattering about, it was a night when only each other could be seen by the two.
lu lu lo la ▪️ net (lululola.net)
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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