Due to the person outside pounding on the door as if to break it down, both Yerin inside and Ihyeon furrowed their brows slightly.
Yerin pushed Ihyeon, who was standing in front of her, to get up.
“Did you have someone scheduled to come at this hour?”
It was late enough for Ihyeon to ask this.
Yerin bit her lip slightly as she hesitated to answer.
Although there was no one who promised to visit at this hour, there was one person who might come unannounced like this.
“Director, I’ll just step out for a moment.”
“That’s not okay.”
Ihyeon blocked Yerin’s way with his sturdy frame and shook his head.
“I’ll go check.”
“No!”
Yerin quickly grabbed Ihyeon’s forearm as he was about to open the door and step out.
His solid muscles were palpable, but that wasn’t important right now.
“I need to go.”
“You know who it is?”
“It seems like my father has come.”
“Ah.”
Hearing that it was Yerin’s father, Ihyeon gave a short answer and stepped aside.
“Director, even if you hear loud noises outside, please don’t come out.”
“What are you saying?”
“If my father sees you and me together at this hour, he might misunderstand.”
Misunderstanding.
That word made a wrinkle appear on Ihyeon’s forehead.
“I’ll send my father away quickly, so just stay here quietly…”
Meanwhile, the commotion continued outside.
“Han Yerin! I know you’re there, come out quickly!”
Just as Yerin was about to turn the doorknob,
Ihyeon’s soft bass voice came from behind.
“Hurry back.”
“….”
“I think I’ll miss you.”
As he said this, Ihyeon had a sly look on his face.
It was hard to distinguish whether he was serious or joking.
Seeing Yerin frozen in confusion, Ihyeon chuckled softly.
“I meant it because it’s my first time alone in someone else’s house.”
“Ah, right.”
Realizing the true meaning behind Ihyeon’s words, Yerin bit her lip.
Feeling foolish for getting flustered over a meaningless remark.
But there was no time to keep talking with Ihyeon.
Yerin’s father, Pyeonghun, was banging on the door outside as if he was about to break it down.
Ding-dong!
As the door unlocked and Yerin appeared, Pyeonghun, who was raging, became even more furious and pointed his finger at her.
“You’re always so slow!!”
Yerin quickly stepped outside and slammed the door shut, worried that Ihyeon might hear.
She gripped the doorknob as if it was her salvation, leaning her body against the door.
“Open the door! What are you doing?”
“Dad, let’s talk over there.”
Yerin wanted to talk far away from the door.
Pyeonghun followed her, still shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Your dad comes and you don’t even offer him a drink?”
“Dad, you know my place is small.”
“This is why raising a daughter is worthless. Pfft.”
Yerin led Pyeonghun to a secluded corner of the rooftop.
Even though talking there might still be audible to Ihyeon, she had no other choice.
“What brings you here so late?”
“Do I need a reason to visit my daughter? Huh. This is why daughters are useless.”
Pyeonghun’s rough voice continued, and the smell of alcohol filled the air every time he spoke.
“Dad, if you drink, who will take care of mom…”
“Do I look like I have time to care for a dying woman?”
“Dad!”
The thought of her mother alone in the hospital room made Yerin’s eyes well up with tears.
She regretted calling out to Pyeonghun and then quickly regretted it.
“Why. It’s not my fault your mom is sick. Why should I be stuck in a hospital smelling of medicine?”
“Ah.”
Yerin clutched her forehead, feeling a throbbing pain.
“Do you need money?”
At the mention of money, Pyeonghun, who was raging, calmed down.
He then half-closed his eyes and opened his mouth widely.
“Hehe. It’s not really about that.”
Yerin let out a short sigh.
“Did you already spend all the living expenses I gave you last time?”
“Of course. How do you expect me to live on that meager amount? I was once a successful businessman, you know.”
Pyeonghun was always like this.
Unable to let go of his glorious past, he constantly lived in the swamp of memories, unaware of the toll it was taking on his family.
“I have a really good business idea this time.”
“….”
“If this works out, we can move your mother to a VIP ward and she can be treated like a lady.”
As usual, it was just another empty promise.
The money Yerin earned at Jiseok Electronics went entirely to Pyeonghun’s allowance and her mother’s hospital bills.
“Dad, when I receive my salary this time…”
“Am I supposed to starve until then?”
Pyeonghun cut her off, raising his voice again.
“Don’t tell me you’re also looking down on your father because my business failed?”
“No, of course not.”
Yerin felt wronged.
Even when Pyeonghun’s business was thriving and they lived luxuriously, she was content without it.
She thought it was enough as long as her parents were happy, which is why she sent living expenses to Pyeonghun every month, despite her modest salary.
“Do you have any idea how much I spent raising you? You’re ungrateful.”
Yes, today was no different. Pyeonghun came looking for Yerin for money.
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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