“Uh, Ina. Just a moment.”
As Juwon called Ina’s name in a soft voice, the other four people’s attention also turned to him.
“I’ll be back after making a call.”
Juwon, who had stood up, went upstairs after asking for permission, and the four people’s gaze followed him.
“Didn’t he say he… didn’t have a girlfriend?”
Han’s wife asked with narrowed eyes, causing Aeran to look flustered.
“Oh my, of course. Our Juwon doesn’t have a girlfriend now. Right, honey?”
When Aeran asked her husband, Youngcheol, he coughed and answered.
“Hmm, no. He clearly said he didn’t when I asked if he was dating someone last time.”
“Then who could that person on the phone be?”
“Hmm, I don’t know that.”
Youngcheol awkwardly answered, and Han’s wife laughed.
“Ayu. Well, maybe just a close friend. Ho ho.”
Subin looked dejectedly towards the second floor where Juwon had gone.
Seeing this, Aeran gently grabbed Subin’s arm and said.
“Subin, we’re going to have tea now. Could you go up and talk to Juwon oppa?”
“Me?”
Subin asked with wide eyes.
“Yes. Go up, talk to oppa, and come down together. That would be good.”
Pushed by her mother, Subin reluctantly stood up.
Then, with a pounding heart, she slowly went upstairs.
There, Juwon was leaning against the wall, talking on the phone.
His face, which had been expressionless throughout the meal, was now brimming with a joyful smile.
Seeing this, Subin felt a sudden surge of jealousy.
So, she immediately called out ‘oppa’.
Juwon turned around and after saying a few more words to the woman on the phone, he hung up.
“What’s up?”
His tone was polite, but the smile he had while talking on the phone was gone.
“The adults said to come down for tea…”
“Let’s go down.”
Juwon, back to being expressionless, turned towards the stairs.
“Hmm, this isn’t right. The other one looked more natural.”
Hyunju shook her head, pointing at the clothes laid on the bed.
An hour earlier,
Juwon had called to say he was leaving his father’s house, and Ina had panicked as soon as she hung up.
“Hey, relax.”
Hyunju calmed Ina and made her sit down.
“You can’t be excited now. It might be the moment of truth. So relax. Okay?”
Ina swallowed dryly and nodded.
“We’re just going for a simple coffee, so let’s dress moderately, naturally. That would be better.”
With Ina in a daze, Hyunju opened her wardrobe and scrutinized the clothes with the eyes of an eagle.
She then handed Ina two sets of clothes to try on.
Ina awkwardly stood up and tried on the clothes in turn.
Agreeing with Hyunju that the first outfit was better, Ina changed again.
“Since you’re just stepping out from home, keep the makeup as natural as possible, but pretty. Okay?”
Ina blinked and nodded.
Hyunju sat down the spaced-out Ina and worked her magic.
Her makeup was as natural as possible, highlighting Ina’s pale and clear skin tone while making her large eyes and lush lips attractively stand out.
“Wow. I did it, but it’s really a piece of art. Art! I should have been a makeup artist, not a web designer!”
Hyunju admired her work and praised herself.
Ina, looking at herself in the mirror, smiled blushingly, pleased with the makeup Hyunju had done.
“Let’s do the hair, make it cute and up.”
Hyunju took Ina’s hair, fiddled with it, and then made a cute updo.
With the updo, Ina’s charming face looked even smaller.
“I must have a daughter when I get married. Why is it so fun to dress you up? You look beautiful, Ina. So pretty.”
Hyunju hugged Ina and made a kissing gesture.
Ina laughed and thanked her.
“Okay, then I’ll be going now. Make sure to have a good talk with Juwon, okay? Remember, whatever the conversation today, you must come to a conclusion. Got it?”
“Yes… I got it.”
Ina tensely bit her lip at the word ‘conclusion’.
“Don’t be nervous. There’s nothing to worry about when both hearts are sure. And don’t forget to call me and tell me how it went, okay?”
“Okay, I will.”
“Then I’m off. Seo Ina, fighting!”
Hyunju cheered loudly and left through the front door.
Once Hyunju was gone, Ina, feeling nervous again, rubbed her palms.
Feeling anxious for no reason, she paced back and forth in the living room when her phone rang.
It was Juwon.
Ina answered the phone with a trembling heart.
“Hello?”
[I’m here] I’ve arrived. Come down.“Oh? Okay, I will.”
Ina responded in a shaky voice and hung up.
Then, taking a deep breath, she opened the front door and went downstairs.
As she went down to the first floor, Juwon was standing there, leaning against the car.
Thump thump.
Her heart began to beat rapidly at the sight of Juwon.
Ina, with a trembling heart, approached Juwon.
Juwon, who had been crossing his arms, looked at Ina with a smile.
“Hello?”
He greeted her in a playful voice.
“Ah, hello?”
Ina greeted him awkwardly and then lightly bit her lip.
Juwon uncrossed his arms and leaned down to look closely at Ina.
Startled, Ina looked up at Juwon with wide eyes, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
“Your hair looks really cute, you know?”
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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