When I returned home, my mom blocked the entrance, asking where I had picked up so much cat fur. She stood at the front door, preventing me from entering.
Wearing a black long padding, the cat hairs were especially noticeable. My mom found a lint roller in the bedroom, brought it out, stood me up, and began to sweep away the fur.
“The sick child went out in this cold, and the cat hairs stuck to her when she came back.”
“Ji Seo-jun took me. It was a cat cafe.”
Behind me, Ji Seo-jun froze, startled.
“Seo-jun went through a lot. Did he go there to cheer up Doyul?”
Looking at my mom, who immediately changed her attitude, I opened my mouth.
“I’m sorry. Even though I used a lint roller, there’s still a lot of fur.”
“No, it’s okay. It happens. Seo-jun didn’t get much fur on him.”
“The cats liked me more.”
“Must be nice.”
My mom, speaking in a low voice, tore off the lint-covered sheet from the lint roller.
“Seo-jun, let’s go home. Doyul needs to rest now.”
Yun-hee, who stood behind with a worried expression, grabbed Seo-jun’s arm.
“Yes. We’ll just see Doyul lying on the bed.”
“No, just go. I have to go to work again tomorrow.”
“I’ll stay at my parents’ house. It’s okay.”
Knowing his stubbornness, I quickly changed into pajamas and lay down on the bed. Seo-jun, after making sure of my state, left the house. I lay still, listening to the sound of Seo-jun and Yun-hee leaving the house.
“Feeling better?”
My mom, opening the door and coming in, asked as she touched the electric blanket on my bed.
“Yeah. But why aren’t you asking? Aren’t you curious about what he said?”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Then don’t. Why bother talking if it hurts your mouth?”
“Are you not curious, Mom?”
“Even if your body has healed…”
My mom clenched her fist at my words.
“You’ll get the cast off next week, and from the day after, you’ll be back to work.”
“Why the rush?”
“I want to tie up all the loose ends quickly. Mom.”
“…Alright. Do as you wish. Sleep soon.”
“Yeah. Mom.”
Before leaving the room, my mom turned back, looked at me, quietly closed the door, and left.
“Mr. Moon!”
As I entered the office, our team leader, who had returned from childcare leave, greeted me.
“Are you okay? Oh? You hurt your head. I’ll have a look, okay?”
“I’m healthy. I’ve taken off the cast.”
I waved my previously cast arm.
“That’s a relief. Really.”
“By the way, why did you rush back because of me?”
“What’s the rush? Buy snacks for us when you get back later.”
“Yes. I might have to open a snack shop.”
In truth, I was a bit worried. Returning to the company after being discharged brought various concerns and complicated feelings. However, thanks to this team leader, whom I met in the office after a long time, my heart became much lighter.
As I sat down, someone new entered the office, greeting people.
“Who…”
“Ah, I don’t know about Mr. Moon. We suddenly need to fill in the positions, so we urgently recruited someone. Here is our new employee, Mr. Lee Jeong-hoon. Mr. Lee Jeong-hoon, this is our capable Manager Moon Dayul.”
“Hello! I’m the new employee, Lee Jeong-hoon.”
“Ah, nice to meet you.”
As they exchanged greetings, the team leader entered the room.
“You were getting to know each other. Haha. Manager Moon, is your body alright?”
“Yes, it’s fine, Team Leader.”
“Well, that’s a relief. If anything is even slightly wrong, let me know. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Now that everyone is here, let’s head to the meeting room.”
“Yes!”
In response to the team leader’s words, Mr. Lee Jeong-hoon answered confidently. Then he returned to his seat, put down his bag, and started preparing for the meeting.
Naturally, Mr. Lee Jeong-hoon took the seat where Mr. Baek In-ha had sat.
The steps toward the meeting room felt heavy.
Even when I was in the hospital, the company continued to work diligently. There were many business trips for the researchers. It was fortunate that Manager Moon returned hastily; otherwise, it would have been a difficult situation for the team leader and the new manager.
“We have a new member, and Manager Moon has returned, so let’s gradually get back on track. Manager Moon might be feeling a bit overwhelmed, but please help train Mr. Lee Jeong-hoon.”
“Yes, understood.”
After a brief meeting, we returned to our seats.
I deliberately avoided looking at the vacant seat next to me. Instead, I focused on my monitor.
“Manager Moon, what do you want to eat?”
“Huh?”
“Lunchtime is less than 30 minutes away. We should choose the menu in advance.”
Even before childcare leave, the manager was my lunch mate. Seeing the careful side of the manager after a long time made me smile.
“Can I join you for lunch too?”
“Of course! We should entertain our new member!”
So, the three of us headed out to have lunch. People who knew me approached and asked if I was okay. Every time, I had to smile and assure them that I was fine.
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
