“Move aside, lady.”
What? Lady? Ha-yeon, even though I’m a convenience store part-timer, turned her head abruptly, thinking she shouldn’t be addressed as ‘lady.’
It was intended as a sharp retort, but the moment she saw the person who uttered those words, she immediately lost her composure.
“Hey, kid, did you just say that?”
A cute little boy, still in his baby teeth, looked up at her with round eyes.
“I’m not a kid.”
The boy gave a rough reply and briskly walked past her towards the checkout counter.
Ah, I can’t argue with a little kid.
After suppressing her boiling temper, Ha-yeon forced herself to speak kindly.
“Oh, really? I’m not a lady either. So, we’re even. Oh, you don’t know what ‘we’re even’ means? Well, what I mean is…”
“Checkout, please.”
This kid…
Ha-yeon cut off her words and bit her lip as she looked at the boy offering his card. With just one hand, he was presenting his card. Why is he making things so complicated? Moreover, among the items he wanted to purchase was ‘cola.’
“Do you know this rots your teeth if you drink it?”
The boy stared at Ha-yeon with an expression that said, ‘What’s with this lecture?’
Yeah, I know what lecturing is. I even know I look like an old-fashioned person!
Ha-yeon, pretending to be cool, forced a big smile and proceeded to process the payment.
“Hahaha, well, don’t drink too much. After you drink, make sure to brush your teeth.”
What am I saying right now… holding onto this kid, I don’t know what I’m doing.
Beep. When the payment was done, the kid took the cola, swiftly walked away, and, somewhat out of place, bowed his head in farewell.
“Goodbye.”
“Ahaha, sure, goodbye.”
Despite his appearance, his manners are impeccable. Ha-yeon chuckled with a sense of emptiness, watching the kid, who, more than any other customer, absorbed her energy, walk away.
The next day, when Ha-yeon faced the little customer again, she furrowed her brow.
It’s you again…
“Checkout, please.”
And once again, it was cola.
What kind of parents let their child buy only carbonated drinks at a convenience store?
Moreover, she worked from 8 PM, and the kid showed up at 9 PM. It’s the time when children in this new world should be going to bed.
“Hey, aren’t you a bit young to be buying things alone in the dark like this?”
“Why does age matter?”
“Kids shouldn’t come out alone in the dark to buy stuff.”
“I’m not as young as you think.”
Not that young, huh? Where do you see that…
Unable to ignore the child’s words so blatantly, Ha-yeon asked again. Still, just in case, he might be much older than he looks.
“Okay, okay, so how old are you?”
“I’m six years old.”
“Oh, six years old…”
Seeing the pride in the child’s eyes, Ha-yeon couldn’t bring herself to say the rest. Well, if he’s six years old, he might be a big brother in kindergarten. From his perspective, he might not be that young.
He could be old enough. Nodding her head thoughtfully, Ha-yeon lowered her gaze a bit to deal with the child.
“Even if you’re six years old, it’s better to be at home when it’s dark. And cut back on cola a bit. Surely, you don’t drink it before going to bed, do you?”
“No, goodbye.”
The child, as always, with an impression that seems cold and distant for a child but polite, gave a farewell greeting and quickly disappeared.
‘Huh? But did my eyes deceive me?’
It seemed like the child just smiled and left.
Well, a little kid like that can’t smile like an adult. I must have seen it wrong. Ha-yeon shook her head, thinking it was something unimaginable, even after reconsidering.
At that moment, as always, Ji-hu, who had just bought cola from the convenience store, got into the black sedan parked on the street in his familiar manner.
“I’m back.”
Seeing the cola in the child’s hand, the driver Jun-won sighed and asked, “You’re not planning to come again tomorrow, are you?”
He seemed quite worried about Ji-hu’s unusual behavior.
“Dad asked me to help him give a gift to Mom.”
That’s right. Unable to refuse Ji-hu’s request and not just stopping his peculiar actions but assisting him was what Jun-won was doing.
‘This is all because of Kang Min-jae, you brat.’
Thinking of Kang Min-jae, his boss, a decade-long friend, and Ji-hu’s dad, Jun-won wiped his dry face. He lacked nothing in appearance, wealth, or fame. Only one thing was missing: humanity.
Because of Min-jae’s dry and rough personality, Jun-won accepted Ji-hu’s request, worrying that the child’s actions might be troublesome. However, honestly, he thought Ji-hu would give up after a few tries. But contrary to his expectations, the child showed no sign of giving up.
“How on earth do you plan to find Mom?”
“I’ve already found her. I just need to take the test.”
“Test?”
“Yes. I’ll continue not to listen to those who tell me not to. Anyone who says everything is fine, like the ajummas who used to take care of me at home, will be disqualified. Mom told me not to do wrong things.”
Listening to Ji-hu, who thinks and speaks more like an adult than his peers, Jun-won made a dry sound as he sighed.
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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