My Husband's Scandal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
Yoon kept holding the door handle, hesitating.
“What should I do?”
She was in an awkward situation—she was the only one who hadn’t paid the group uniform fee for the school sports festival. After hesitating for a long while, Yoon finally seemed to make up her mind and stepped out, opening the door.
She carefully walked down the stairs and paused briefly near the living room where Kim Seo Jung was. Facing Seo Jung required a great deal of courage for Yoon. Just then—
“What are you doing here!”
It was Yoo Jin, her half-sister and the same age as Yoon. Surprised to see Yoo Jin, Yoon trembled uncontrollably.
“Ah….”
In truth, Yoo Jin had pocketed Yoon’s uniform fee. Yet Yoon was so terrified of Yoo Jin that she couldn’t even bring herself to ask for it back—the mere sight of her made Yoon instinctively shrink in fear.
“I told you not to draw attention to yourself, didn’t I? Get lost!”
Yoo Jin shoved Yoon hard and walked off toward the living room. Due to the sudden push, Yoon, who was much smaller than Yoo Jin, nearly stumbled.
Barely regaining her balance by grabbing the wall, Yoon stared blankly at Yoo Jin’s retreating back before turning around again. She had to avoid both Seo Jung and Yoo Jin whenever they were together.
“Dealing with one is hard enough—now I have to face two at once?”
Yoon shook her head. Her small shoulders, as she climbed back up the stairs, slumped even more than before.
Her room was at the very end of the second floor. In this huge house, this room was the only space permitted to her.
They had said it was a room that hadn’t been used before—too small and without much sunlight, so it had served as storage.
Consequently, there was no bed in the room. It was already crammed with just a small wardrobe and a desk. Still, this was the one place in the house where Yoon could truly feel at ease—a space she was grateful for.
Though the tiny window had no curtains and barely let in sunlight, it offered a nice view of the blue sky above.
At night, she could also see the twinkling stars and the moon. Every night, Yoon would gaze out at the moon and make a wish.
“Please let me go back to live at my grandparents’ house like before.”
That was Yoon’s only wish.
It had already been nearly two years since Yoon came to this house. Two years ago, after her mother suddenly passed away from cancer, she had moved in with her father.
Yoon was the daughter born from her father’s affair. As if sensing her own death, her mother had confessed everything about Yoon’s biological father just days before she died.
Her father was, astonishingly, a member of the National Assembly. When they heard this, Yoon, her grandfather, and her grandmother were so shocked their jaws dropped.
Even moving into this house had felt surreal—it resembled a palace she’d only ever seen on television. Yet despite living in this palace, Yoon didn’t even have a single won on her—not to mention allowance money.
School-related payments were handled by Seo Jung, and whenever cash was needed, Yoo Jin would pay on her behalf. In fact, last year, Yoon had briefly run away from home.
At dismissal time, she’d sneaked past the chauffeur and dashed into the nearest police station, desperately begging an officer to let her call her grandparents—only for the chauffeur to somehow find out and rush in to catch her immediately.
That day, Seo Jung scolded Yoon harshly for “bringing shame to the family,” and from then on, she completely cut off even the small allowance she’d occasionally given before.
“Ugh… if only I had twenty thousand won.”
Then she could go back to her grandparents’ house in Haesu City. But she had no one to borrow money from.
Because Yoo Jin had spread rumors at school calling her crazy, Yoon had become a total outcast with not a single friend. She didn’t even have a cellphone to contact her grandfather.
A driver always took her to and from school, and she was constantly forced to stick close to Yoo Jin—freedom was nonexistent, no matter where she went.
Yoon reminisced about living at her grandparents’ house. Though it had been barely two years ago, it already felt like a distant memory. In hindsight, those had truly been happy days for her.
Thinking of that time, tears suddenly spilled from Yoon’s eyes.
“Grandma… Grandpa…”
Upon learning that Yoon’s father was a member of the National Assembly, her grandfather had abruptly sent her to live in this house, reasoning, “Why suffer in poverty when your wealthy father is still alive?”
He’d dragged Yoon here without much thought and hadn’t expected much—but surprisingly, her biological father, Seo Ji Man, accepted her.
It seemed he’d decided it was safer to take her in himself rather than risk trouble after a DNA test. Thus, Yoon, who had previously carried her mother’s surname Jeong, became “Seo Yoon.”
Yet not a single day during those two years living as Seo Yoon had been peaceful.
“Shut up!”
“Don’t draw attention to yourself!”
“Get lost!”
These were the words Yoon usually heard in this house. They never accepted her as family—instead, they treated her worse than a dirty insect.
Consequently, Yoon’s eyes were never dry of tears. Alone in this tiny room, she constantly fought to hold back her sobs.
“How much longer do I have to live here?”
Yoon’s painfully thin shoulders hunched inward. At just fourteen years old, her reality felt unbearably bleak.
“Sigh…”
As she sighed while gazing out the window, she spotted her half-brother Kyung Ho entering the garden with his friends.
Yoon’s tear-reddened eyes fixed on one of them—Cha Kang Hyun, the most noticeable among Kyung Ho’s friends.
Wiping her tears, Yoon watched Kang Hyun. Since Kyung Ho and he weren’t particularly close, Kang Hyun rarely visited the house—it had been almost a year since she’d last seen him.
Last year, for Kyung Ho’s birthday, they held a garden party. Naturally, Yoon had stayed quietly in her room—she was never allowed to move freely around the house, especially when guests were present.
But she’d been so hungry that she’d crept into the empty kitchen to grab a single banana—only to be caught red-handed by Yoo Jin.
“Why are you wandering around?”
“I… I was hungry.”
Yoon stammered, trembling.
“You beggar—how long has it been since you last ate?”
“I couldn’t eat my meals, so…”
“Shut up! Put that down!”
Yoo Jin lunged forward, snatched the banana from Yoon’s hand, and threw it on the floor. Seeing the banana lying there, Yoon broke down crying.
“What’s with the waterworks?”
As usual, Yoo Jin had grabbed Yoon by the collar and started shaking her violently—when suddenly,
“Stop it.”
Kang Hyun approached and gently pulled Yoo Jin’s hand away from Yoon’s collar.
“Why are you bullying your younger sibling?”
He assumed Yoon was younger since she was so small compared to Yoo Jin. After glaring at Yoon, Yoo Jin abruptly stormed out of the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?”
Kang Hyun came closer to Yoon, who was still crying, and asked.
“Yes.”
“What do you want to eat?”
“A banana.”
Kang Hyun picked up the bunch of bananas on the kitchen counter and handed it to Yoon.
“You can have it all.”
“No, just one is fine. Thank you.”
Yoon bowed deeply to Kang Hyun and turned to leave—but he caught her arm.
“Take this too.”
He placed his handkerchief into her hand.
“Hey, kid, your nose is running.”
“What?”
Yoon, startled, quickly wiped her nose with her sleeve. Kang Hyun chuckled softly at the sight.
“Just kidding.”
Suddenly embarrassed, Yoon clutched his handkerchief and a single banana tightly and fled the kitchen as if running away.
Yoon still kept that handkerchief Kang Hyun had given her. At first, it had carried a faint, refreshing scent—but now the fragrance had completely faded.
Still, she somehow felt as if the scent lingered. Every night before sleep, she held the handkerchief tightly—just thinking of its scent cleared her mind and brought her peace.
Just then, she heard footsteps climbing the stairs—they must have come back inside.
Yoon pressed her ear to the door. They’d settled into the second-floor lounge and were making a raucous racket.
“Cha Kang Hyun, why did you suddenly become a model?”
“It’s seriously beyond imagination—you’re in the entertainment industry now…?”
Cha Kang Hyun had recently become the biggest topic of conversation. He’d started modeling last year, and in less than a year, he’d already risen to top-star status. His striking looks certainly helped, but his identity as a wealthy chaebol heir stirred even more buzz.
Every advertisement Kang Hyun appeared in reportedly sold out instantly. Even at school, everyone talked nonstop about Cha Kang Hyun, so Yoon knew the basics.
“What’s Eun Ju Ri really like? You shot an ad together recently, right?”
“I heard she’s amazing in person—what’s she actually like?”
But no matter how hard she listened, she couldn’t hear Kang Hyun’s voice. Yoon finally pulled away from the door and sat down at her desk.
“Could that older brother possibly lend me some money?”
He looked cold as winter wind, yet he was the only one who’d ever shown her kindness.
But how could she even approach him unless they were alone? It seemed almost impossible.
She sighed heavily and slumped into her chair, staring blankly at the open book on her desk.
Once a model student, Yoon had now completely lost interest in studying. Yet she had to keep studying.
If Yoon performed poorly, Seo Jung would beat her—but she’d also hit her if she did too well. So Yoon had to stay right in the middle.
“I want to leave this house.”
Yoon had truly reached her limit. Even if she could endure being treated like a bug, the near-constant hunger was unbearable—she hadn’t had a proper meal in ages.
Seo Jung claimed Yoon would “be in big trouble if she gained weight,” an absurd reason for her strict control over Yoon’s meals.
On school days, she at least got cafeteria meals—but on weekends like today, going hungry was routine.
Perhaps that’s why she was noticeably smaller and thinner than her peers—without her uniform, people often mistook her for an elementary student.
“I’m hungry.”
Suddenly, the noisy chatter outside quieted down. Everyone must have gone downstairs for meals.
Yoon quietly opened the door and peeked out. The second-floor lounge was littered with abandoned game consoles and half-eaten snacks they’d left behind.
She approached the living room table, glanced toward the stairs, then quickly grabbed a few pieces of fruit.
Suddenly, her hunger surged. She settled right where she was and began hastily scooping up bread and snacks.
“That kid again.”
Just then—so absorbed in eating she hadn’t noticed anyone approaching—Kang Hyun stood beside her, looking down.
“…”
Startled and embarrassed, Yoon couldn’t even swallow the food in her mouth and just sat there awkwardly.
“Hungry again?”
“N-no.”
Yoon finally managed to swallow and murmured in a tiny voice.
“Looks like you really love eating, kid.”
“I’m not a kid—I’m in middle school.”
Yoon bristled slightly.
“Oh, really? My apologies then—I didn’t realize you were already a middle schooler.”
He playfully ruffled her hair as if she were cute, and Yoon quickly smoothed it down with her hands, clearly annoyed.
“You’ve got some spirit, huh? Sorry if my pat upset you—I was just being friendly.”
He grinned and said. Before Yoon could even respond, he walked straight into the bathroom.
Yoon, deep in thought, glanced toward the stairs and then anxiously paced back and forth in front of the bathroom, waiting for him to come out.
She’d only seen Kang Hyun once before, yet he was her only possible chance to ask someone for a loan.
She didn’t know when he’d visit again—or if they’d ever be alone like this again.
“Please, don’t let anyone else come… Ugh, I should’ve spoken before he went in.”
A moment later, Kang Hyun stepped out of the bathroom and immediately startled upon seeing Yoon standing right in front of him.
“What the—!”
Yoon clenched her trembling hands tightly and cautiously opened her mouth.
“I… I’m really sorry, but… Hyung, could you lend me some money?”
She squeezed her eyes shut and blurted it out. There was no time for explanations—she had to ask before someone else arrived.
“What? Money?”
“…Yes.”
Still with her eyes shut, Yoon barely whispered her reply like a mosquito.
“Since when do we know each other that you’re asking me for money?”
“C-could you lend me just twenty thousand won?”
Yoon thought twenty thousand won would be enough to get her all the way to Haesu City.
“Twenty thousand won?”
“Yes. I’ll definitely pay you back later.”
“But who even are you?”
“A distant relative.”
Yoon repeated what Seo Jung had instructed her to say.
Kang Hyun gazed down at Yoon, who looked so small she barely reached his chest. He’d assumed she was an elementary student, so her claim of being in middle school surprised him.
Her posture—eyes tightly shut, head bowed deeply—looked incredibly pitiful. She seemed so desperate he almost thought she was asking for two million won instead of twenty thousand.
“You’ve got to open your eyes when you talk.”
At Kang Hyun’s words, Yoon opened her eyes—but suddenly swayed, dizzy from the abrupt light.
Kang Hyun gently held her small, frail shoulders, then flinched in surprise at how thin she felt.
“Why are you so skinny? Don’t they feed you in this house?”
“They do.”
Yoon kept glancing toward the stairs, looking at Kang Hyun with desperate pleading in her eyes. He seemed like the one person who’d surely lend her money.
“Alright, I’ll lend it to you—but you absolutely have to pay me back.”
Perhaps moved by the sheer desperation in her eyes, Kang Hyun pulled out his wallet without even asking why.
“Will this be enough?”
He handed her fifty thousand won.
“F-fifty thousand won?!”
Yoon gasped and covered her mouth in shock.
“But you have to pay me back.”
“What if I can only repay you much later? Is that okay?”
Yoon asked carefully.
“Whenever you can—it’s fine.”
“Thank you so, so much.”
Yoon gratefully accepted the money he offered and bowed deeply. Seeing her like this, Kang Hyun unconsciously patted her bony shoulders, feeling oddly protective.
Yoon looked up and stared at him wordlessly—her pitiful eyes brimming with tears.
Kang Hyun gently wiped her tears with his long fingers and asked,
“Why are you crying?”
“I… I just yawned.”
Yoon quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve.
“But what do you need the money for?”
“To go home.”
“What?”
“I—never mind. Anyway, thank you so much.”
Yoon bowed deeply to Kang Hyun once more and quickly slipped back into her room. After she disappeared inside, Kang Hyun stood for a moment, gazing at her closed door, before heading downstairs.
The next morning, just before dawn while everyone still slept, Yoon packed her few belongings and left her room.
Like most wealthy families’ homes, this house had tight security—but since Kyung Ho’s friends were visiting, the system had been temporarily disabled for free access.
Plus, she now had fifty thousand won. Yoon carefully opened and closed the front door, then tiptoed down the stairs.
Her small frame was weighed down by a large school bag containing her few worn-out clothes and the handkerchief Kang Hyun had given her.
The dim morning moon and stars brightly illuminated the small, shabby figure of Yoon as she quietly crossed the garden.
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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Maldito jefe de curso y maldito exnovio, son basuras, tratando mal a los abuelitos de Yoon, ojalá queden en vergüenza los dos. Por otro lado, pensé que Kang Hyun iba a tardar más en llegar, que bueno que no alargaron tanto el drama. Finalmente, sospecho que la madrastra de Kang Hyun estuvo detrás de esto.
Maldito jefe de curso y maldito exnovio, son basuras, tratando mal a los abuelitos de Yoon, ojalá queden en vergüenza los dos. Por otro lado, pensé que Kang Hyun iba a tardar más en llegar, que bueno que no alargaron tanto el drama. Finalmente, sospecho que la madrastra de Kang Hyun estuvo detrás de esto.