Our entry into the gaming arcade was closely followed by the mothers, their faces shimmering with curiosity.
“Mom, do you have cash?”
My words instantly turned Mom into wideeyed surprise.
“Didn’t you just tell Seo Joon you would pay?”
“Ah, I’ll transfer from my account.”
“You expect me to fall for that again?”
Sure, I may have forgotten to pay a few times, but her words made me feel like a chronic offender.
“I’ll pay. Auntie, put your wallet away.”
As Mom was grumbling and rummaging through her wallet, Ji Seo Joon spoke.
“No! It’s okay. I’ll definitely get the money from Moon Da Yul. Don’t worry.”
While handing me a 5,000 won note, Mom spoke.
I twirled the banknote and exchanged it for 500won coins at the coin changer.
‘Clang, clang.’
What a cheerful sound. I stepped lightly towards the Pump It Up machine with the coins.
“What song do you want to play?”
As I put in the coin and asked, Ji Seo Joon, who was stretching his ankle, replied,
“The one we often play.”
How sincere he is, stretching his ankles and all. I can’t lose. I too got on the pump and twisted my ankles furiously. I twirled my wrists as well.
‘Ching, ching,’ the sound of coins entering was heard, and I found the song we always played. The song started, and both of our footwork became dazzling. Even though it had been a while, our bodies remembered.
Then, even the people who had been watching in the game room gathered. The mothers from the back exclaimed, “Oh my!” in a series of marvels.
After a song ended.
“Ji Seo Joon, you didn’t die, did you?”
“Of course not.”
I was again consumed with the desire to win.
“Why are you two so good?”
Aunt Yoon Hee asked with a girlish smile.
“We must have spent all our pocket money on gaming.”
Mom gave the correct answer.
Well, this is what happens when you practically live in the arcade with your allowance. I looked at Mom and Auntie and laughed.
The next song started, and then the one after.
“Hey, I can’t do it. I can’t anymore.”
I was panting due to my rapidly declining stamina.
But Ji Seo Joon was still doing fine.
“What are you doing? Come up quickly.”
As I shook my head vehemently, my mother stepped up.
“I want to try!”
“Can you do it, Da Yul’s mom?”
As Ji Seo Joon and I widened our eyes, Mom nodded and stepped onto the Pump It Up machine.
“So, all I have to do is step on these pictures with my feet, right? Right?”
The music started, and as a fastpaced song played, the arrows rushed up rapidly.
Though she barely pressed the correct ones, our mother was serious about the game and gave it her all.
And when she happened to press one correctly by chance, she laughed out loud and was delighted.
“You’re doing well!”
As I commented from behind, Mom participated in the game with even more enthusiasm. Ji Seo Joon, who had been next to her, stopped his swift footwork and coached Mom, pressing the sparse arrows for her.
Not long after, the game ended before even half a song was over.
“Mom, you’re truly the best.”
“It’s different than it looks. It’s very hard.”
Mom came down, panting heavily.
“You were so cool! What’s going on!”
Aunt Yoon Hee praised Mom with joy as if it was her own triumph.
“You did well. It was a very difficult version. If you had chosen an easier one, you could have lasted longer. Would you like to play another round?”
“No, there are young ones waiting behind us. Let’s do something else.”
After that, they played basketball games, drum games, and shooting games.
Inspired by Mom’s courage, Aunt Yoon Hee also joined in and started to enjoy the games.
I, along with Ji Seo Joon, found joy in the mothers’ small act of rebellion.
As we left the arcade, the ladies were quite ecstatic. Our cash quickly ran out. Just as we were about to leave the arcade with a touch of regret, someone acknowledged Ji Seo Joon.
“Oh, you’re here again. Bachelor.”
What? The ladies and I saw a man greeting Ji Seo Joon cheerfully. He was a stranger to us today.
“I’ve been at this arcade for a long time, and I remember seeing such a handsome bachelor. You were here 7 years ago, weren’t you?”
Ji Seo Joon had been here?
The gaze of the ladies and I quickly fell onto Ji Seo Joon.
“Huh?”
“You played a game here and left. I remember you even played the claw machine.”
The man’s memory was impressive. According to him, Ji Seo Joon had visited 7 years ago and he even remembered the game he played.
“Well, the machine ate your coin and your girlfriend called for you. Don’t you remember? Young people and their memory, haha.”
Girl… friend?
The eyes of the ladies and I who were looking at Ji Seo Joon grew wider.
It was then that Ji Seo Joon relaxed his furrowed brows and gave a slight bow as a greeting.
Oh my God. Was it true?
“Nice to meet you. You were so handsome that I remember you very well. I’m very glad to see you like this.”
“Yes. Then, I’ll be off……”
“Sure! Come again!”
Ji Seo Joon bowed slightly and started walking forward briskly.
“Are you not coming?”
When the three of us were just standing there in awe, Ji Seo Joon called out.
“Uh…… Let’s go. Go!”
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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