Tying the hairband and not being able to turn around immediately, I momentarily stopped at the title following the other person’s words.
‘Dojang?’
Well, since I am a disciple of the Dao, it’s not strange to be called Dojang or Sodojang from the outside… but hearing it directly feels quite odd.
No, before that, this place is not the outside.
I quickly completed the knot and turned around nervously. What came into my view was a boy I had never seen before.
His age was roughly seventeen, or maybe fifteen.
‘…Handsome.’
Such was my thought at first glance, as he was indeed quite goodlooking.
Although the signs of youth had not yet completely disappeared from his cheeks and jawline, even so, an unusual elegance could be seen overall.
The clothes he was wearing were winter garments that ordinary commoners might wear, but even beyond the thick fabric, it was apparent that he was tall and had a broad frame. Anyone could see that his body was ideal for practicing martial arts.
It was just a few seconds of observation, but I could easily ascertain the other person’s identity.
‘This is him.’
The protagonist of the original work.
My prospective priest was unmistakable.
‘But why does the protagonist call me… Dojang?’
Not a priest?
Caught for a moment by a strange doubt, I soon came to my senses.
‘Ah, is that natural right now?’
Since my master had not said anything about this child and could not easily create another exception like me, it seemed that he had not yet told him to call me master.
But even so, the unfamiliarity was still unfamiliar.
The title of Dojang and the existence of the protagonist itself, the combination of the unfamiliar with the unfamiliar, created a feeling of ‘something really unfamiliar.’
‘It’s a sense only I can understand, I guess.’
Perhaps I had been staring at the other party too blankly, for the protagonist’s expression, faintly smiling, began to gradually become awkward.
I only then realized that I had not properly responded.
“Ah, I apologize. I was a bit startled…”
“No, it’s my fault. I suddenly spoke to you. Seeing a Daoist master of similar age here for the first time, I inadvertently greeted you out of joy.”
A long and sociable reply came back, sounding almost like an excuse. Halflistening to it, I took a closer look at the other person.
‘Something… He looks like a noble young master.’
Aside from that, his face was likely to give a slightly chilly impression, despite his young age. On closer inspection, his eyes were rather sharp. Perhaps that’s why.
Maybe the fact that he had maintained a faint smile since earlier was because he knew how he looked.
But even though his expression was smiling, his eyes were not truly smiling.
Even though he had said he greeted me out of joy, there was no real sense of pleasure in his appearance. Rather, there seemed to be a desire to uncover something about me.
Had I not been observing him at the same level of scrutiny, I would not have noticed.
I didn’t know what he wanted to uncover, but there was a thought that came to mind right away.
‘…He’s not acting his age.’
That was what I had often heard from adults here.
Master, the Great Priest, the Elders, and the priests might have felt the same way looking at me?
But the situation was different here, and I wondered what was going on. While my mind was genuinely adultlike, this one was just a teenage boy.
It was as if he had matured too early, knowing how he appeared to others and being able to present himself accordingly…
The youthful impudence, vigor, and such qualities that boys of that age commonly possess were replaced by opposite qualities.
‘Caution or carefulness, things like that.’
Seeing that I continued to keep my mouth shut, perhaps thinking that I was shy, the prospective priest softened his tone and words and spoke again.
“Dojang?”
“Yes?”
“Are you all right? If anything is uncomfortable…”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
Seeing that expression, I thought I didn’t know what was so curious that they were trying so hard to soften the atmosphere. On reflection, this approach itself was not ageappropriate.
I contemplated for a moment and decided to go along with it.
“If I throw out that I know who you are first, the answer will come.”
It’s a bit much to keep watching them struggle.
“Yes. So… you’re the one brought by the master? I heard about it.”
“Ah.”
As I thought, my counterpart did not miss the subject I brought up.
“Yes, that’s right. You were indeed the disciple of the Plum Blossom Sword King.”
“You know me?”
“I heard a little bit from the Plum Blossom Sword King.”
They added with a smile again.
“When I was being chased for personal reasons, I happened to meet him… I was at a loss for where to go, so I asked him to take me to the volcano. Thanks to that, I had a chance to hear about the dojo several times on the way.”
“I see.”
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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