Nok Hyun, dressed in a black suit, left his house.
The place he arrived at, driving himself without a secretary or a driver, was a funeral home.
Avoiding the reporters waiting at the entrance, Nok Hyun entered through the back door and stared blankly at the smiling portrait of his wife, Tae In.
The factory of Taegang located in Hwaseong had exploded and, coincidentally, Tae In had an accident there.
Due to the heavy rains that had continued for several days, the cause of the explosion was unknown, and they couldn’t even recover the body.
Nok Hyun and Tae In were an ordinary windowdressing couple.
A relationship where they used each other for their own purposes, and if their value dropped, they could ruthlessly discard each other. There was no guilt or any other emotion involved.
The funeral home was quiet. There were neither close friends nor acquaintances. What kind of life had Tae In lived?
At least, Nok Hyun knew she had lived fiercely.
To become the owner of Taegang by stepping on her bloodless brothers, Tae In had made desperate efforts. She did everything she could. It went without saying that she also exploited Nok Hyun’s background without reservation.
All the things she tried to protect with all her might eventually went back to her brothers.
The lonely and miserable life of Tae In. Nok Hyun felt a faint sense of guilt, as if her life had become more miserable because of him.
Just as Nok Hyun was about to turn away from the portrait, he was stopped by a feeble force pulling at his coat.
Nok Hyun looked down at the small hand holding his coat.
“Why, why, our sis, ter, why…….”
Arin, whose eyes were red from crying, looked up at Nok Hyun. Arin was the daughter Tae In’s father had after remarrying.
Arin, who usually stuttered, couldn’t even form proper words due to her heightened emotions.
As if she was frustrated with herself, Arin beat her chest with her small fists and cried.
Despite Arin’s intentions, Nok Hyun seemed to understand what Arin was trying to say.
Arin was blaming Nok Hyun for not saving her sister.
On the night Tae In left, Arin had called.
When she couldn’t speak properly, she hung up and sent a text.
She might die, she said. Please save my sister, she begged.
Arin, who was sobbing pitifully, looked at Nok Hyun, who was expressionless, as if something was strange.
Nok Hyun looked down at Arin, and then stroked her head.
He found out Tae In had a sister after they got married.
Arin was treated as an invisible person in that house.
He had once seen Tae In’s sister Se Young yelling at Arin, calling her inadequate.
To Arin, who was only seven years old.
Nok Hyun pulled out his vibrating phone from his pocket and held it to his ear.
“Executive Director, I think you need to come quickly.”
It was Lee Kyung, Nok Hyun’s secretary. Lee Kyung never lost his composure in any situation.
But, unlike usual, Lee Kyung’s voice was subtly desperate.
“Are you awake?”
Yes, I’m awake. But there seems to be a problem.
Nok Hyun ended the call and immediately began to move.
He wondered if there could be a situation worse than this, but he had an ominous feeling.
Then, someone blocked Nok Hyun, who was busy at the time.
“Brotherinlaw, are you leaving already?”
Tae In’s second elder sister, Se Yeong, asked while gracefully tucking her hair behind her ears.
Her face was flushed, whether from forcibly squeezing out tears or for some other reason.
“Yes.”
Just facing Se Yeong was tiring. Nok Hyun curtly replied, suppressing his irritation.
“Will you be back soon?”
“Who knows.”
“Tae In would be upset. Even though it’s a strategic marriage…”
Se Yeong trailed off, pretending to wipe away a tear.
Nok Hyun frowned.
The ring on Se Yeong’s pinky, the bracelet that looked ready to burst, the necklace that seemed forcibly worn, all were Tae In’s.
“I have some urgent matters to attend to.”
Nok Hyun walked past Se Yeong, as if he had no more time to spare for her.
There were things more urgent than his wife’s funeral.
Nok Hyun arrived at the villa quickly. It was a place unknown not only to his own family but also to Tae In’s, purchased under his cousin’s name.
Ee Kyung sent him a reproachful look as if to ask why he only came now, and spoke in the smallest voice he could muster.
“She’s been causing a ruckus but is resting now after being sedated.”
Seo Tae In was causing a ruckus.
It was a word that didn’t match Tae In. Tae In rarely showed her emotions. She often said it was stupid and pointless to blatantly reveal and expend one’s emotions.
Nok Hyun looked at the firmly closed door over Ee Kyung’s shoulder.
Nok Hyun knocked cautiously before opening the door.
Tae In, who had been lying on the bed, opened her eyes groggily.
Tae In, who had always been immaculately neat throughout their marriage, was completely disheveled.
Half of her tangled hair was tied up, the other half was loose, and the dress was too large for Tae In’s body, revealing her shoulders entirely.
The various bruised and torn wounds were an addition.
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.]
