The two people walking along the Han River embankment were silent for a while.
“Doesn’t your foot hurt?”
“…I’m okay, why?”
“Over there.”
A brightly lit cafe was in sight.
“Sit here and wait for a moment.”
Without waiting for Eun Jo’s response, Jae Ha quickly walked towards the cafe.
And not long after, he appeared with drinks in both hands.
“There were many people inside. It was noisy.”
“Mhm.”
“Is milk tea okay?”
Eun Jo, who nodded her head, took the cup he was offering and bit her lip.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Huh? What, has?”
Jae Ha’s gaze, which was looking straight ahead, slowly shifted towards Eun Jo.
His deep, dark, tranquil eyes were like a gently swaying river. Their deep blue light suffocated her without fail.
Jae Ha, who had been staring at her silently, broke into a smile.
“Seeing the Han River.”
“Ah… I only saw it from afar too, it’s been a long time since I’ve been this close.”
Jae Ha’s gaze returned to the flowing river.
“Eun Jo.”
“…Go ahead.”
Although I have ten, even twenty times more things to say, Eun Jo first sipped her fragrant tea.
The tedious, regretful, stifling words, she wanted to delay them even just a little.
“Would you seize a last chance if you have one?”
“The last chance? What are you talking about? Are you going to cancel that strange contract….”
As if something might happen, without realizing it, my face that was beginning to smile turned blue instantly.
Right in the middle of Kwon Jae Ha’s wideopen hand. It was there!
The ring. Why.
How could he possibly have it? It was an absolute impossibility!
She was sure she had lost it. In New York 6 years ago!
“There’s no need to be surprised.”
“How… why….”
Her voice cracked in her suddenly dry throat.
“How, you say? You rejected it and insistently returned it.”
“…”
“I still have it because I didn’t throw it away.”
“….”
“How much do you think this is worth now?”
“…I don’t know. I never knew the original price.”
Eun Jo bit her parched lips.
“I paid over 500 million won for it.”
“….”
“Do you want it back?”
“…What do you mean by that.”
“What, does it sound like I’m proposing a marriage?”
“….”
“Take it. Sell it. You can get over 600 million won for it now.”
“…No.”
She needed to keep her wits about her.
Kwon Jae Ha didn’t know who Choi Seon Woo was. Which meant he didn’t know what happened to me either.
How did he have the ring? Did he only know that I went to New York?
Was he unaware of the other… events?
“So, you really won’t take it?”
“…Yes.”
It was scary and creepy. I didn’t understand why he had it, and it gave me the chills.
“If you won’t take it.”
It happened in a flash.
Just as it seemed he was putting his cup aside. As it seemed he was slowly standing up from his seat.
As it seemed he was reaching out his long arm.
The small glittering metal object. No, the diamond ring worth 600 million won described an arc.
…And disappeared.
“If you won’t take it, this is the right way.”
With a calm voice, Kwon Jae Ha was looking at the black river with an impassive face.
“The last chance has disappeared, too.”
“….”
“Unless you bring 600 million won within three months.”
“….”
“Sign the contract immediately.”
The first love that was more brutal than death.
That first love, unbelievably, led to a second cohabitation.
“…That’s a lie.”
“What?”
“The ring… it’s not real.”
“Why do you think so?”
Kwon Jae Ha’s gaze, which slowly returned to Eun Jo, was colder than the night air.
“Yun Eun Jo. Among the things I own, there’s only one thing that can be labelled as ‘fake’.”
“….”
“The two years I lived with you.”
“….”
The ring was thrown.
No, the dice was cast.
Act as if nothing is wrong. To survive this game, she needed to perform a proper play.
“I’ll sign. But promise me.”
“What kind of promise?”
“That you’ll… maintain the boundary. You know what I mean.”
“We had a similar conversation back then.”
At the age of 21, that summer.
Kwon Jae Ha let out a soft chuckle.
Three months ago.
New York J.F.K. International Airport, Uairline VIP lounge.
The certain place in the early hours was very quiet.
Scattered large, broad leather sofas. A wooden table and a lamp adding a subtle light.
The space, which had only two passengers, was so quiet that even the air seemed to have subsided.
Perhaps, because of this.
Regardless of his inner feelings, Kwon Jae Ha’s voice was soft and calm.
“Pierre, it’s troublesome if you keep crying like this.”
Kwon Jae Ha, who checked the time by lifting his wrist, rubbed his forehead with the tips of his long fingers.
The original plan was to move quietly without anyone knowing.
But from the beginning, things were a bit creaky.
Somehow, the guy knew and called like a ghost.
“This is troublesome in many ways.”
His dry and slanting gaze headed towards the blonde woman sitting across from him.
The woman, who had been stealing glances at him the entire time, hurriedly bowed her head, blushing for no reason.
Kwon Jae Ha clicked his tongue lowly and shook his head.
He was not like ordinary people, nor did he operate in their ways.
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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