Tears began to well up in his voice. I quickly bid farewell to Jun. When Jun said let’s see each other at the broadcasting station in the afternoon, I responded that I would. Even though I wouldn’t. Even though I couldn’t.
I couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye while looking into your eyes. I didn’t have the confidence to watch you collapse unreservedly at the single word that should never have come out of my mouth. So, after Jun finished the final interview, I planned to quietly convey my decision through a text message.
I know. How terrible this act is. But I didn’t have the qualifications or the right to stay by your side, bearing in mind the dream you had carried since you were twenty.
I just hoped that this abominable act I was about to commit for the sake of your future as a director would be somewhat diluted with the words.
I hope you shine even more brightly in the future. So that I can witness your brilliance wherever you go. That would be enough for me to say someday to myself…….
The end of the words predicting an uncertain wind ended abruptly, feeling empty.
Wiping away the tears that were gradually welling up with the back of my hand, I suddenly thought that these tears wouldn’t dry up for a while.
Since coming to the broadcasting station until now, not a single word has been written in the Hangul window where I was holding onto the proposal, pretending to write it in front of the monitor.
Despite not being in a writable state of mind, I tried to forcibly insert different thoughts, but it was in vain. It feels like my heart, already filled with thoughts about Jun, is resiliently pushing away any other thoughts trying to enter.
Then it happened. Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I turned around. Jeong Eun was staring at me with eyes full of concern.
Instead of asking why, when I opened my eyes a bit wider, Jeong Eun spoke with a faint voice, “Come out now,” and left the seat decisively.
She wasn’t someone who would act like this without a reason. It seemed like she had been secretly watching me, who had only turned on the Hangul window and couldn’t write a single word.
My heart felt heavy, Jeong Eun’s attention felt burdensome, and even the thoughts of going out and saying something felt burdensome.
I followed Jeong Eun, who had left first, with quiet steps. I didn’t feel like trying to catch up with the wide-open distance. Jeong Eun, who had been walking ahead, opened the door. It was a door leading to the outside stairs.
It meant that she was deliberately looking for a place with few people. I didn’t want to have a conversation there. My unwilling steps slowed down even more.
As soon as the dull footsteps echoed out of the emergency exit stairs, Jeong Eun’s serious gaze stared at me as soon as she closed the door.
“What’s going on with you?”
“…….”
“I can’t say no.”
“…….”
“Don’t just stay silent like a guilty person. Why? What’s going on?”
“No, it’s just… There’s something.”
“Right now, your face, to anyone, looks like you’ve been through something. Oh my, Haru, your face is really swollen, too. Did you cry?”
Contrary to Jeong Eun’s concerned tone, I felt more and more overwhelmed by the feeling of not having a way to avoid Jeong Eun’s questions.
“…If we judge by the thickness of the swollen face today, this seems to be quite a serious matter.”
Jeong Eun deliberately added more casual words while examining my face with a pitiful expression. Knowing well my tendency to not express my inner feelings well in advance, Jeong Eun’s behavior was one of the usual ones. It’s worrying. Even in Jeong Eun’s eyes, my current state seems…
“A serious matter, indeed…”
I now realized that it was something I couldn’t handle alone. I barely held back the tears that were about to well up and managed to speak. Jeong Eun must have been the only person who could weigh my current feelings with a sense of relief and trust.
A feeble voice barely came out beyond my lips.
“I… want to break up.”
“…What?”
The stunned response reminded me of how awkward the words I had just spoken must sound to the listener.
“No way, are you saying you’re breaking up with Kim Jun?”
Even if she had heard correctly, Jeong Eun asked me again to confirm. I silently nodded my head. Jeong Eun, with a blank expression, couldn’t close her mouth and stared at me.
“Well, there is a reason… It’s a situation where it must be done.”
“…Haru, I don’t understand right now. Are you saying there’s a reason you have to break up with Kim Jun? Right now.”
While deliberately grasping the essence of what she had just heard, there was a nuance of questioning whether I thought this made sense. I could also hear the subtle hope that she had misheard. Hoping that I would deny it.
“Yeah, you heard right. I said I’m breaking up with Jun.”
In my deliberately nonchalant tone, Jeong Eun began to express her complicated feelings through her expression.
“What in the world…”
“It’s nothing. It’s the right thing to do because of certain circumstances.”
“Haru, I don’t know what happened in just one day. Do you want to break up, or do you have to break up? That’s how your words sound now.”
“…Seo Jeong Eun, you’re indeed sharp.”
“Then, is there a reason you have to break up?”
“Yeah… Jun, he’s a talented film director who could become much more famous than he is now. If he can’t unfold his dream properly because of me, I can’t be at ease beside Jun. If I stay by his side, I can only hinder him.”
“Haru, what you’re saying really doesn’t make any sense. It’s unclear, and above all, it doesn’t make sense.”
Perhaps Jun might show a similar reaction when he hears my words. Amidst the unwavering tone, there was a feeling of being swept away by the hot waves of emotion that could erupt at any moment in my chest.
“Today is Director Kim’s final interview, so he’ll be coming to the broadcasting station. Then…”
“Oh, I took a half-day off today. Kang PD said that writers can take half-days off since last month. So, I asked straightforwardly. Since I really can’t talk face to face. I still like Jun a lot, you know…”
“You still like him, but you’re saying you’ll break up. It’s all for the sake of Kim Jun. What exactly do you think, that what you’re saying makes sense?”
Jeong Eun’s forehead narrowed. It seemed more like frustration than anger. For a moment, Jeong Eun remained silent. I didn’t urge her to speak further. Jeong Eun suddenly spoke in a much calmer tone.
“First of all, I understand. Oh, I’m not saying I understand your decision right now, but I understand that it’s a serious situation.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, then. Just go off work as usual today. I’ll come near your place after finishing work, so come out for a moment. It’ll be a chance to hear what you haven’t said yet and to help you feel better.”
By that time, I might have already unilaterally ended things with Jun. A time when both the person who initiated the breakup and the person who heard the breakup news would be engulfed in the same intensity of pain.
At that moment, I selfishly thought it would be better to be with Jeong Eun. It could be seen as running away from the pain she had chosen or avoiding it altogether…
“Yeah. Keep in touch.”
I said in a small voice. Jeong Eun, who understood the voice, made a bitter expression. I lifted my head slightly, showing a similar expression.
It was a few hours before I broke up with Jun.
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
_____
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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