As Bi Young often came to the palace to meet Ryu Rim for matters related to the Gwangho Army or family affairs, his visit was not unusual.
“Why did you come to the palace?”
“Well, to see Lord Gwangho and the tiger…”
Before Yeon Woo could answer Bi Young’s question, she hesitated at the end of her words.
Even when Yeon Woo had hunted a wild boar, Bi Young had cautioned her against doing dangerous things.
At that time, they had even made a promise not to undertake risky ventures, yet now he had volunteered to hunt an even more dangerous tiger.
Since Bi Young would surely have been alarmed under normal circumstances, Yeon Woo hesitated to answer.
However, Bi Young’s reaction was unexpected.
“Did you go tiger hunting?”
“H-How did you know?”
Surprised, Yeon Woo stammered, and Bi Young responded as if it were nothing.
“If Lord Gwangho went tiger hunting, it’s a story known to everyone in the capital.”
“Ah…”
I thought there would be a confrontation, but surprisingly, Bi Young showed no particular reaction.
If someone who usually reacts in a certain way doesn’t, it only made Yeon Woo more uneasy.
Bi Young’s gaze shifted towards Geon, who had been following him just now. Then, Yeon Woo recalled Geon’s gaze that had been trailing after him.
Thinking about that gaze, she couldn’t understand why her heart was clenching and her fist was involuntarily tightening.
“But you were also there.”
Thinking about it, it wasn’t an unexpected revelation.
The dates Yeon Woo took her leave and Geon went on a tiger hunt coincided, and just today, Yeon Woo appeared with Geon, carrying tiger skin.
So, it was quite evident that she had accompanied Geon on the tiger hunt.
On the day Yeon Woo returned during the Baek Jungnori, she had a hunch that it had something to do with Geon.
“Well… I mean, that’s…”
When Yeon Woo was perplexed about how to respond, Geon, having finished his duty, returned with tiger skin draped over his shoulder.
Geon and Bi Young exchanged formal greetings.
Bi Young’s attitude inquiring about Geon’s well-being was quite relaxed.
“Congratulations. You’ve caught quite a big one.”
“Thank you. It would have been difficult without his help.”
When Geon pointed at Yeon Woo, who had been watching them even when he didn’t, she was startled.
Bi Young, without caring, added, “Private Hong Yeon Woo seems to have been a great help.”
“Yeah, even in a life-threatening situation, he did his part excellently.”
“Oh, no! I didn’t do anything!”
Yeon Woo retorted, feeling disgusted by Geon’s self-praise.
Bi Young, who had already been concerned about Yeon Woo getting involved in dangerous situations, tried to emphasize that she had done nothing.
She wanted to make it clear that she had tried her best not to throw herself into danger.
“I just hid and watched, and didn’t my lord do everything?”
Bi Young thought that Yeon Woo, who was just being modest, was trying to be humble.
“You did nothing? Didn’t you shoot an arrow at the head of the leaping tiger?”
At the mention of hitting the tiger’s head with an arrow, Bi Young flinched.
Meanwhile, Geon didn’t let up on praising Yeon Woo.
“Since the head is a difficult target, you’ll surely receive a high reward.”
“…I look forward to it.”
Now determined to throw in the towel, Yeon Woo replied weakly.
It was fortunate that the story of the tigers remained a secret.
At that moment, Bi Young gave a gentle smile.
Then, he spoke in a calm voice that didn’t disturb the calmness.
“You’ve accomplished something remarkable, Yeon Woo.”
“…Thank you.”
In response to Bi Young’s praise, which felt like the calm before the storm, Yeon Woo replied in a subdued voice.
Despite Bi Young’s usual tender tone, there was a subtle difference in temperature.
During their conversation, one of Bi Young’s words pricked at Geon’s heart.
‘Yeon Woo?’
To call Yeon Woo’s name without hesitation, when did their relationship become so intimate that he would call her by her name without the honorific?
Come to think of it, Yeon Woo recalled the subtle glances exchanged between him and Bi Young during the Gwangho Army’s exam.
There were also days when Yeon Woo wasn’t feeling well, and she was put to rest in the training camp’s barracks.
Geon had thought of himself as the person closest to Yeon Woo. At least, that was how he saw it.
However, an uncomfortable feeling arose in Yeon Woo, suggesting that she might not be the closest person to him.
Geon spoke in a cold, sinking tone, “Calling Private Hong Yeon Woo’s name without any hesitation, it seems like you two are quite close.”
“It’s not the typical relationship between a trainee and an instructor.”
At Bi Young’s leisurely smile, Yeon Woo’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
Of course, they were childhood friends, practically like siblings, so their relationship wasn’t typical for a trainee and an instructor.
However, considering that Yeon Woo was cross-dressing and keeping their relationship a secret, how was that elder brother going to handle the situation?
Yeon Woo was perplexed by the usually cautious and careful Bi Young’s behavior.
It wasn’t just Yeon Woo who found his behavior perplexing; Geon, raising an eyebrow, asked, “If it’s not typical?”
“Shall we say it’s special?”
“Special?”
At that moment, Bi Young took Yeon Woo’s wrist and gently led it towards himself.
Bi Young’s palm caressed the wound on Yeon Woo’s cheek that had been there last time.
“The wound from last time. Are you applying the ointment properly?”
“Yes…? I am applying it properly.”
“Good. You did well.”
As Yeon Woo and the affectionate-looking Bi Young conversed, Geon’s forehead flushed.
Geon wanted to brush Bi Young’s hand away from Yeon Woo’s face. He wanted to pull Yeon Woo to his side right away.
But they had made an agreement not to touch even a fingertip. So, instead of bringing Yeon Woo over, Geon sent a gaze that meant, “Come to my side.”
However, as soon as Yeon Woo met Geon’s eyes, she averted her gaze.
Finally, Bi Young withdrew his hand from Yeon Woo’s face, wearing a relaxed smile, and spoke.
“I heard about the tiger hunt. I was quite worried, but I’m relieved that you’ve returned safely. It’s truly fortunate that our Yeon Woo was of great help.”
Once again, Geon’s eyebrows twitched at Bi Young’s words.
‘Our Yeon Woo?’
Since earlier, Bi Young had been poking at Geon’s feelings, talking about their special relationship.
It felt as if Geon was being treated as a third wheel between Yeon Woo and Bi Young.
However, Geon, without a reason or justification to get angry, silently suppressed the rising anger.
Fortunately, Bi Young extended a farewell in his closing remarks.
“I seem to have taken too much of my lord’s precious time. I’ll see you later, Yeon Woo. Take care, Instructor.”
When Bi Young politely bid farewell, Geon reluctantly nodded his head.
Geon stared at the disappearing back of Bi Young from a distance and asked, “Is the author’s statement true?”
“What do you mean?”
“The part about having a special relationship.”
“Well, yes…”
Suddenly, for some unknown reason, whether it was the winds of change or not, it was too late to deny what Bi Young had confessed to after coming here.
“Are you talking about the friend like family you mentioned before, Ryu Bi Young, the instructor?”
“Yes.”
“How long have you two been that close?”
“Uh…?”
Seeing Yeon Woo’s puzzled expression, Geon tightly shut his mouth.
Geon was well aware of how childish his actions were, but he couldn’t just let it go like this.
“I also called you my friend.”
“Yes. You’re my friend too.”
After a moment of silence, Geon spoke again.
“Between me, you, and Ryu Bi Young, who is your closest friend?”
“… What?”
Yeon Woo, doubting her ears for a moment, wore a surprised expression.
The next question Geon threw at her was something that could have been heard from a childhood friend more than a dozen years ago.
“Between the two, who is your closest friend?”
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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