“W-What…?”
The pounding sound of the heart seemed to resonate outside the body. However, Joo-han’s response was more indifferent than Eun-su had thought.
― What you did in my bed, is that a mistake?
“… I guess. Sorry.”
― If you’re not going to wear yesterday’s clothes to work, come home quickly before the employees arrive.
“Got it.”
The call ended. Eun-su sighed lightly and headed to the entrance.
A shopping bag was neatly placed in front of the shoe rack, and all her belongings were inside it. As Eun-su looked down at it, she slumped down. She buried her forehead in her knees and covered her head with both hands.
‘What kind of memory loss is this!’
Last night, she felt more dizzy than she thought when she got up from the rooftop bar. She tried hard not to show that her vision was spinning, but she was unsure how it would have been captured on camera.
Anyway, she entered Joo-han’s house and finally relaxed. Now that she thought about it, it was a wrong judgment from that point.
‘I shouldn’t have let my guard down until just before lying down on my bed in my house. I put it down too early…’
She drank water in front of the refrigerator, briefly sat on a dining chair because it was too bothersome to go to the sofa, and felt a little irritated because it was uncomfortable and hot.
After that, her memory momentarily blanked out… When she saw Joo-han in front of her eyes, she was confused. Although it was somewhat blurry exactly what was said, the stern expression on Joo-han’s face was vividly remembered.
And, the decisive words that made her completely awake were…
‘Please don’t say you’re leaving in front of me. If I hear that, I’ll dream. I’ll hear the sound of you leaving in my dream, staying there.’
Eun-su’s hand, which had been tearing at her hair, stopped weakly.
Joo-han’s body temperature, which had been hot enough to be frighteningly hot, still seemed to linger on her skin. As the sensation sharply tingled and repeated, even thinking about what she thought might be swallowed up, tiny shivers ran through her.
Neither of them was in their right mind. Having broken up three years ago and having been engulfed in that damn couple act for a concept was undoubtedly a mistake. Self-blame and regret boiled up.
‘…What a mistake.’
A mistake is tripping over something or dropping something. Calling it a mistake when you enter on your own, grab with your own hands, bite with your own mouth, and suck with your own lips is not a mistake. Not just blaming it on alcohol is also something she knew.
‘Yeah, I have to admit it.’
Eun-su, who had kept her head buried on her knees, lifted it. She pressed the swollen eyelids with one hand and stood up.
‘It was shaky, right. In fact, it still is…’
It won’t change by admitting it. It shouldn’t change.
Eun-su forcibly recalled the memory of their breakup.
When she heard from Sol-hee that Joo-han had left for the United States, she didn’t say anything, but it was a big shock.
She hadn’t thought that Joo-han would calmly sort everything out after forcefully pushing the subject. The first breakup was as clumsy, selfish, and foolish as it could be.
It wasn’t until facing the physical distance so impossible that even a chance encounter was unlikely that she realized, quite belatedly.
That she had lost the only stranger who knew her best in the world.
‘…Once is enough.’
She didn’t want that kind of relationship where she had to fear going through those feelings again. Although the phrase “it’s better when we’re friends” had a slightly different meaning when it was brought up for the breakup, it was still sincere.
The phrase “starting over” was no different from saying it could also end.
She wouldn’t ask for anything more here.
No matter how much she regretted it, no matter how shaken she was.
“…What’s this.”
As always, So-min, who came to work, put a chair in the corner and paused when she faced Jae-rim, who was crouching.
A face that seemed to ask what was happening.
Considering passing by with the usual frog-like appearance, So-min reluctantly opened her mouth.
“Why are you so down from the morning?”
Jae-rim, as if he had been waiting, straightened up. The corners of his eyes were still sagging.
“Recently, there was someone who was doing well, but it ended absurdly.”
A subtle interest flickered in So-min’s pupils. She wasn’t interested in other people’s love stories, but when it was about a failed relationship, she felt a little curious.
“First, let’s be clear that the part ‘was doing well’ is true. It wasn’t just your personal opinion, right? Both sides agreed, right?”
“Oh, of course!”
Jae-rim looked at her with unjust eyes and stood up.
“You didn’t just think that on your own, right? It was practically a state of dating without saying it out loud?”
“Yeah.”
“Really? Why do you look like you don’t believe it? Even though I didn’t plan to say this much, honestly, you kissed, right? Even with that, am I the only one who sees it as a relationship?”
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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