Unaware of the project’s specifics, So-eun had little to say.
“Anyway, I’m envious of you, Supervisor. Participating in a great project and getting noticed by the director. It must be fascinating and enviable to talk to him. Isn’t his unpretentious yet kind manner wonderful?”
“Director Kim, kind? Kim Tae-jun?”
“Yes. He’s really kind. Remember last week’s fire incident? Worried about you, I mentioned to the director that Supervisor Han seemed too stressed. It wasn’t your fault. I think he heard and acted considerately.”
Consideration? Well… maybe?
So-eun couldn’t help but remember Tae-jun’s intimidating presence, though she recalled he was quite gentle when they met while she was drunk.
But still, he’s really scary right now.
‘Is it because I caused trouble? If I do better, will he be kind to me too?’
So-eun resolved not to provoke Director Kim Tae-jun anymore.
[Star Icon]But, as expected.
Gentle. Kind. Nonsense.
So-eun went up to the 7th floor right after finishing her regular work. Director Kim Tae-jun, who said he might drop by once, didn’t contact her at all. She diligently waited until 9 PM, left a note, and went home.
The next day, Tae-jun didn’t show up again. So-eun, left alone in the desolate ‘Future Service Team’ office, resented Tae-jun.
With nothing much to do, her thoughts wandered to her boyfriend, Hee-wook, who hadn’t contacted her since Saturday.
She was ready to forgive him if he just apologized, but the silence grew frustrating.
Amidst this, Hee-wook posted a photo on his SNS. It was a picture of Mal-hee’s hospital room with a short message, “To my hard-working mom, I love you.” The silhouette on the bed was barely visible, but So-eun felt a surge of warmth, perhaps inevitable compassion for someone she shared something so precious with. The sight of the flowers she had placed added to her sentimentality.
This person cannot just drift away from me.
So-eun hesitated continuously over whether to press the call button.
“No. If I call first, I’ll have to say I’m sorry.”
But she didn’t want to apologize. She had done nothing wrong.
Of course, if Hee-wook apologized, she was willing to say she was sorry too. But she didn’t want to ask for an apology first.
Hold on. Not now.
Determined, So-eun put her phone back in her bag.
[Star Icon]The next day.
It was the day of a meeting at the headquarters. There was a lot to prepare, as it was her first time greeting the executives. Arriving early at the office to prepare the presentation, Tae-jun got up from his seat an hour before the meeting.
“I’ll be off now. Leave when you’re done.”
Leaving a message for Secretary Song Moon-kyung, Tae-jun was about to leave when Moon-kyung, aware of his meeting schedule, quickly stopped him.
“Director, have something to eat before you go. It will be tough going through meetings continuously.”
In Moon-kyung’s hand was a tray with a lunchbox and sandwiches.
“It’s okay.”
“Then at least eat in the car.”
Moon-kyung picked up a sandwich from the tray, insisting. Tae-jun hesitated, seeing her worried expression.
There are 10 minutes to spare.
“I’ll eat before I go. Why don’t you join me, Director Song?”
Tae-jun and Moon-kyung ended up having a meal together in his office.
When Tae-jun was younger, he had often dined with his aunt Seok-hwa, Moon-kyung, and himself. Since then, Moon-kyung had been like a sister to him. He didn’t have a sister of his own.
Moon-kyung didn’t just see Tae-jun as a simple superior. Though she felt a certain distance due to their clear hierarchical relationship, which was different from the past.
While eating quietly, Moon-kyung cautiously mentioned So-eun.
“Supervisor Han So-eun worked overtime until nine yesterday and the day before.”
“That’s likely.”
“You told her to wait for you.”
“Yes, I told her to wait.”
“She waits every day until nine, without even eating.”
Getting no reaction from Tae-jun, Moon-kyung repeated herself, thinking he might not have heard her.
“She didn’t eat.”
“So?”
Tae-jun responded nonchalantly to Moon-kyung’s repeated comment, surprising her.
“Just leave it. Let it be.”
“……”
“Just let it be like that.”
After seeing So-eun and Hee-wook arguing in front of the hospital over the weekend and realizing that Han So-eun was an incredibly frustrating and foolish person, Tae-jun had been in a foul mood.
He no longer wanted to be a good person to Han So-eun. He thought it was okay to just leave such a fool alone.
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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