However, at that moment, an inexplicable force grabbed hold of her, and she found herself hesitatingly sitting back down.
With Do Hyuk holding onto Jae In’s wrist, he whispered in a low voice.
The words she had heard in her dream.
“Don’t go.”
“Screams!”
Jae In screamed and forcefully pushed Do Hyuk’s chest.
As a result, Do Hyuk’s body fell backward and landed heavily on the sofa.
The problem was that Jae In, whose wrist was held, also lost her balance and fell on top of Do Hyuk.
The refreshing scent of the sea they had smelled in the elevator rushed into her nostrils.
In the next moment, Jae In realized that she was pressed against Do Hyuk’s chest, with her cheek against his bare skin.
Once again, a scream echoed throughout the house.
“Screams! I’m sorry! Team Leader, I didn’t mean it that way! I don’t like it! No!”
“Seo Jae In, what are you doing?”
A sharp reproach came flying.
Ah!
Jae In finally came to her senses.
And as she sat on the floor, hugging herself, she met Do Hyuk’s gaze, who was looking down at her with a bewildered expression.
“Explain in detail until I understand. What exactly don’t you like?”
Do Hyuk raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms while sitting up.
Here it comes again.
A clear sign that he would scold her leisurely.
Jae In broke into a cold sweat as she tried to find a model answer, but there was no appropriate response in this situation.
The only words that managed to come out of her mouth were vague and indecisive.
“Ah, it’s just that…”
“What is it that you don’t want?”
“…It’s not what I meant…”
“So, what does it mean then?”
Frustrated, Do Hyuk interrupted her with a probing tone.
“Well… Team Leader, you used your big hand to cover my face and shoulder, and then you… you kissed me!”
…In my dream.
Jae In, who couldn’t bring herself to speak, simply smiled awkwardly.
“They would probably laugh and think I’m delusional if I mentioned it for no reason, right? Seo Jae In, why did you do that? Even if I’m the team leader, it would be embarrassing and unfair.”
Then, a thought suddenly occurred to Jae In.
“No, isn’t it strange for someone to suddenly hold your hand and tell you not to go? It’s a clear distinction between genders, and it’s an unexpected physical contact! Moreover, we’ve even signed a contract to clearly differentiate between work and personal relationships.”
Fortunately, Jae In had something to say.
With a newfound confidence, she stood up from her seat.
“I was startled because the team leader suddenly held my hand and told me not to go. What’s the reason behind your actions, Team Leader?”
Despite being confronted, Do Hyuk didn’t even blink.
“There’s still unfinished business.”
Unfinished business?
Do Hyuk’s gaze on Jae In glinted sharply.
Her heart rate, which had finally calmed down, began to accelerate once again.
“What does that mean…?”
Instead of answering, Do Hyuk raised one corner of his mouth and pointed his chin toward the dining table.
“Are we still far?”
“Just a moment. It’ll be over soon.”
Around 1 a.m., Jae In sat at the dining table, vigorously typing on her laptop keyboard.
Do Hyuk, sitting across from her, diligently reviewed the piles of documents without even lifting his head.
The unfinished business Do Hyuk mentioned was,
“We have an urgent additional budget meeting scheduled for tomorrow. We need accurate data comparing the expenses incurred in the past five years for new product development. Seo Jae In, review and type up the data to ensure its accuracy.”
That was what he meant by “unfinished business.”
It turned out to be the real “task.”
‘Oh, how embarrassing! I caused a fuss for no reason.’
Jae In fanned herself with her hand to cool down her flushed face.
Suddenly, she remembered the previous night when she was dragged by Do Hyuk to have dinner.
She wondered why Workaholic Do Hyuk wasn’t working overtime, but it turned out he had this kind of personality.
He must have thought he could indulge in a hearty meal after feeding her well yesterday.
It’s obvious that from now on, whenever there’s a chance, he will relentlessly assign tasks as if it’s evident.
Oh, my patience.
Indeed, it’s Cha Do Hyuk.
A man who doesn’t enter into disadvantageous contracts.
But where is the bonus they promised?
“Seo Jae In?”
“Yes?”
When she heard someone calling her name, Jae In’s train of thought abruptly halted.
She looked up to find Do Hyuk staring at her intently.
“What are you daydreaming about?”
“Ah, I’m sorry!”
I can’t even take a moment’s rest.
Tap, tap. Tap.
Jae In pounded on the keyboard, making a loud sound.
“Seo Jae In?”
“Yes?”
What now?
Why do you keep calling me when you’ve already given me work to do?
Jae In swallowed the words she wanted to say, smiled sheepishly, and spoke.
“Team Leader, do you have any more tasks for me?”
“Don’t you find it suffocating to dress like that?”
“…!”
Indeed, Jae In was sweating profusely, as if she were sitting in a sauna.
She wore a training Tshirt over her Tshirt that reached up to her neck and finished it off with a hooded zipup jacket, completely sealed.
She even had three layers of bottoms, including thermal underwear.
“Well, it’s okay! I naturally feel cold a lot. Haha.”
As if that’s believable.
Only a crazy person would dress like this indoors.
After receiving a call from Do Hyuk, telling her to wait, she dressed for any possible situation.
Just in case.
Ha. Do Hyuk received her reaction with a bewildered expression.
“While at work, you manage just fine with a blouse?”
“Team leader, I’ve finished organizing the data. What should I do next?”
Jae In blinked her large eyes with a face that said, “I don’t know anything.”
When you have nothing to say, changing the subject is the best option.
Do Hyuk, who had been silently observing Jae In’s antics, turned his gaze back to the documents and spoke again.
“Send it by email. You must be tired, so go in and get some rest. Good job.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And don’t worry too much about things at home. Just relax and be comfortable.”
“What?”
With his head lowered and a voice that seemed to be audible, Do Hyuk murmured one more sentence.
“Because I won’t bite.”
…!
When Jae In, surprised by his unexpected words, looked at him, Do Hyuk casually handed over the documents with an indifferent expression, as if to say, “When did I ever?”
Jae In shook her head and covered her ears with her fingers.
“Ah, I must have misheard.”
Even when they were alone in the house, Do Hyuk, who didn’t spare her a single glance because he was so absorbed in his work.
Jae In, relieved from the tension, finally let out a sigh of relief.
“The team leader would never see me as a woman. Just make sure to lock the door? Yura, you worry about unnecessary things.”
She was just grateful that she could stretch out her legs and sleep comfortably.
No matter what the truth was.
“Was I too harsh from the first day?”
Do Hyuk looked at Jae In, who was sleeping with her head on the dining table, with a gentle gaze and whispered to himself.
On the first day of living together with Jae In, he felt it was a shame to just send her in like that.
Although there was indeed a need for extra help.
Even though I wanted to be together, I couldn’t find any other excuse besides work.
Even though I told her to go in first because it was getting late, she stayed until the end and helped with the work.
It was grateful and lovely to see her working hard without blushing once.
Do Hyuk gently covered Jae In with a blanket so she wouldn’t wake up.
As he withdrew his hand, the tip of his finger lightly brushed against Jae In’s cheek.
The soft and gentle sensation quickly faded away, leaving a sense of regret.
At that moment, when he looked at Jae In with eyes filled with longing, a timid voice escaped her lips.
“Um… Team leader…”
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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