In an impenetrable darkness where not a single ray of light could penetrate, a young boy of about ten years, dressed in a stained sagyusam (a boy’s everyday attire), aimlessly wandered. His shoes and bokgeon, a headpiece, had been absent for a long time. His chubby cheeks bore heavy streaks of tears.
The barefooted boy, with a deeply sad face, cried out in a heart-wrenching voice, “Mother… Mother!” Yet, only his own echo returned, resounding through the darkness. Tears flowed down his cheeks like tiny pearls.
“Where are you, Mother?”
Though he screamed in almost a wail, there was no sign of his mother, not even a single strand of her hair.
Suddenly, in the distance, he spotted his nanny, standing with her back to him. Feeling a sense of relief at finding a familiar person in the endless dark, the boy quickly moved towards her with small steps.
“Nanny, have you not seen Mother?”
An unpleasant dampness was felt under his feet as he frantically grabbed her skirt. Looking down, he saw a pool of bright red blood staining his white socks.
Simultaneously, the nanny turned around slowly. Her pale, bloodless face confronted the boy.
“Young Master…”
Her eyes, entirely shrouded in blackness, struck terror into the boy, freezing him in place.
A chilling voice emanated from her bluish, almost deathly pale lips.
“Young Master…”
Her hand slowly reached towards the boy’s neck and began to strangle him.
“Cough, cough! Let go of me!”
The boy struggled, but he could not overcome the strength of an adult. As the grip tightened, his breath grew shorter.
“Didn’t I tell you to let go! Let go!”
“Young Master must…”
The tighter the boy struggled, the more constricted his airway became.
Black smoke began to emanate from the nanny’s mouth, engulfing the surroundings.
“Young Master must die for this nation’s laws to be set right!”
As she bellowed like thunder, a massive cloud of black smoke swallowed them both.
At that moment, Kwon Ki Joo awoke.
“Gasping!”
He sat up abruptly in his bed, panting heavily, his sharpened sword aimed at thin air.
His sword, which never left his side, whether out or in bed.
“Heaving… Heaving…”
Realizing it was another intense nightmare, he felt his neck, still feeling the vividness of being strangled.
“Again, this dream…”
It was a recurring nightmare ever since the tragic fire at Jeongbin Palace over a decade ago. The memories of that day had not faded but had become clearer with time.
Kwon Ki Joo sheathed his sword, lost in thought. When had he last slept well? Proper sleep had been a rarity for him.
Having seemingly slept enough for the night, he decided to step outside for some air.
The Kwangho Army camp was silent, except for the guards on watch.
By the training ground’s ditch, he took off his top, revealing a well-trained physique accentuated by the moonlight.
Next to the training ground, Kwon Ki Joo approached a ditch and, removing his top, revealed a well-toned body accentuated by the moonlight. He bathed his bare upper body in the cold water, the ice-like droplets striking his well-sculpted muscles, washing away any lingering fatigue.
Suddenly, he heard a noise from the training ground. Walking towards it, he saw Song Eun Chae practicing martial arts. She was diligently rehearsing for an upcoming test while others slept.
Sweat beads like dew formed on her forehead as she struck a straw dummy with a wooden sword. Kwon Ki Joo approached her quietly.
“You’re doing it wrong.”
Startled by his sudden voice, Eun Chae swung her wooden sword reflexively.
Ki Joo could have been hit, but he swiftly caught the sword with quick reflexes. Nearly hitting Ki Joo, Eun Chae was shocked to see him in front of her and quickly bowed her head in apology.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t realize you were approaching!”
“Your stance, it’s wrong.”
As Eun Chae raised her head, Ki Joo’s face was uncomfortably close.
Alarmed, Eun Chae almost fell backward.
Quickly, Ki Joo’s hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her slender form close.
“You react as if you’ve seen a goblin.”
Embarrassed, Eun Chae turned her head to avoid his gaze.
Ki Joo, observing her flustered face, thought she looked quite feminine, resembling his sister. He moved his hand to her back, straightening her leaning posture.
“Relax your body first, then straighten your spine.”
Eun Chae let herself be guided by Ki Joo’s hands.
His fingers delicately traced from the nape of her neck down her spine, causing a tingling sensation on her skin.
“Why are you more tense? Relax.”
“Yes… Yes…”
Taking a deep breath, Eun Chae managed to compose herself.
Unaware that his touch was the main reason for her tension, Ki Joo continued instructing.
“Widen your stance a bit more.”
His deep voice tickled her ears.
“Find your center of balance.”
Following his guidance, she felt more stable.
Ki Joo then turned his attention to how she held the wooden sword.
“Your grip is too tight. Start with a firm grip on your little finger, keeping the thumb and index finger looser.”
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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