Given the circumstances, they should pretend to be lovers so that President Baek wouldn’t be suspicious of his identity.
“So, can’t you pretend to be crazy and love me?”
Yes. That was the problem.
Given Seo Rin’s character, she would need to act as if she was madly in love to convince others that she was dating during such a crucial time.
Of course, it was true that she felt attracted and thrilled by Tae Joon, but she didn’t love him. Moreover, she had never been madly in love with anyone before, so she didn’t know how to put on such a passionate performance.
Seeing her unable to respond easily, Tae Joon finally conceded.
“Ha, fine. Only one of us needs to be crazy. I’ll be the crazy one, then.”
As soon as he got out of the car and she followed, he pulled her in close and hugged her.
She tried to push him away due to the unnecessary physical contact, but just then, the car that had been following them entered the parking lot, causing Seo Rin’s hand to freeze.
Tae Joon, seizing the moment, kissed the top of her head as if he had been waiting for this, then planted more on her forehead and cheeks. These displays of affection continued until they got on the elevator.
He really seemed like a man madly in love.
The suite where Tae Joon was staying boasted a rather nice view.
When they were rebranding a dying Sungwon Hotel a few years ago, they had referenced this hotel’s suite to enhance their own.
Its location, its service, everything about it was on par with Sungwon, the hotel where she was working.
“Do you want a glass of wine?”
“No, I’m good. I’m not feeling well today.”
Watching Tae Joon pour a glass of wine, Seo Rin sat on the couch. As the soft yet luxurious fabric of the couch met the surface of her bottom, fatigue washed over her, spreading lazily.
Despite it being an ordinary day, it felt like a lot had happened.
“I’m sorry. I need to check some emails.”
Tae Joon took his glass of wine and went into the room.
Left alone, Seo Rin turned her gaze to the sparkling view of downtown Seoul under the dark sky.
Many thoughts came to mind.
She had wanted to hide not only the fact of their marriage but also Tae Joon’s existence until the temporary shareholders’ meeting, but she couldn’t.
Then she had to hope that their act of checking into the hotel that day, as per Tae Joon’s plan, would divert President Baek’s attention. So that he could never find out that she had secured a stake in The MG.
Could she really fool President Baek completely?
A migraine crept up. Seo Rin touched the area near her temples, turning her gaze. Suddenly, she found herself longing for a glass of wine she had refused earlier.
She went to the kitchen and poured herself some of the wine Tae Joon had left behind, taking a sip.
As the taste of cheap tannin and wellmatured sweet fruit filled her mouth, her tense nerves began to relax.
As she drained a glass of wine while looking at the spectacular night view, her body began to loosen up. She felt like she could melt away into nothingness right here if she wanted to.
In the end, she laid down on the long sofa with the intention of just closing her eyes for a moment, and soon fell asleep.
A short while later, Tae Joon, who had finished checking his emails, found her sleeping.
“You said you wouldn’t drink, but you ended up having a glass after all.”
He wanted to move her to the bed from the couch where she had curled up and fallen asleep, so she could rest more comfortably. But he knew that doing so would wake the sensitive woman immediately.
In the end, Tae Joon had to settle for fetching a blanket from the room and draping it over her.
But even after covering her with the blanket, he couldn’t bring himself to leave her side.
He propped his chin on the coffee table across from him to get a better look at her sleeping face. He stared for a while at the elegant shadows created by the dim lighting.
From her round forehead, through her thick eyebrows, to the shadows cast by her long eyelashes. There was not a single thing that wasn’t perfect.
He was reminded of the first time he had watched her sleep all night during their dating days.
How aweinspiring it had been to witness the only moment when she, who always seemed to be prickly and aloof, would let her guard down.
He had thought her sleeping figure would be as cold as her upgraded demeanor.
But whether it was then or now, when she slept,
“…You sleep like a baby.”
She was disgustingly beautiful.
Suddenly, her eyes flickered open in the darkness.
“Ah!”
What was supposed to be a quick nap turned out to be a deep sleep. Instinctively, Seo Rin knew a considerable amount of time had passed.
Startled, she sat up, and the blanket that had been wrapped around her fell to the floor. It seemed like Tae Joon had covered her.
Brushing her disheveled hair aside, Seo Rin looked around. Tae Joon was nowhere to be found.
Had he fallen asleep in the room?
Well, considering the late hour, that was a possibility.
Checking the time on her phone, it was half past two in the morning. They had arrived at ninethirty, which meant she had inadvertently slept for a whopping five hours. Considering she had slept on the couch, it was quite a deep sleep.
By now, the car that had been monitoring them might have disappeared. Even if it hadn’t, five hours was more than enough time to deceive them. Even if she went home now, it wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
Quickly grabbing her handbag, Seo Rin sent a message to Tae Joon. She felt it would be better to leave a message rather than leaving without a word.
I guess I fell asleep. I’m going home now. See you tomorrow.
After sending the message, she put on her jacket. She was about to slip out of the room without a sound when the noise of the door opening seemed unusually loud, and she felt a presence behind her.
Instinctively, she knew it was Tae Joon.
“Sorry. Did I wake you…?”
She should have asked, ‘Did you see?’ but she couldn’t.
Because Tae Joon, halfnaked, had come into her line of sight as she turned around. It was clear to anyone that he hadn’t woken up due to the message she had sent.
“Whether it’s then or now, you’re always sneaking out like a cat burglar.”
Water dripping from his hair and all over his body that he hadn’t managed to fully dry.
His hand barely clutching a towel that covered only his lower body, showing how hastily he had come out without even putting on a robe.
That’s when it hit her. What she had interrupted wasn’t his sleep, but his shower.
Caught off guard by his all too revealing appearance, Seo Rin was at a loss for where to look, and in the brief moment when she was lost for words, he closed the distance with his eyes more soaked than his damp body.
It felt as if time had stopped.
And in the stillness of that halted time, he whispered.
“It’s late. Go to sleep.”
It was an irresistible temptation.
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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