My workplace was a small event management company.
I often faced situations where I had to do things not part of my job, like designing, which I had never done before, carrying heavy loads, making outreach calls, and even accounting.
But cooperating with strangers on a project wasn’t all that bad. It was almost hopeful, as if I had finally found my calling.
That was until this morning, when the boss suddenly told me to quit.
“We’re wrapping up the event management business to start something new.”
“How can you suddenly tell me to quit like this?”
“Yubom, you know the economy is bad. It’s not easy to get work.”
“But still, to do this all of a sudden…”
“I’ll help you get unemployment benefits.”
“That’s not the issue.”
The boss sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead as if troubled.
“Yubom, you didn’t come into this job very seriously. Didn’t you say that during the interview?”
Stumped by his words, he brought up the past.
“I still don’t know what I want to do. I want to find it.”
“…”
“Well, you don’t have to stick with this, right? Anyway, take it as that and don’t come in from tomorrow.”
With just a few words, I lost my job.
Did my words about wanting to find what I liked not sound serious to him? I was more earnest than anyone.
I packed my things right away. He said not to come in from tomorrow, but what does it matter? I didn’t want to spend another minute in a company like this.
As I trudged out of the office building, a taxi seemed to be waiting, stopping right in front of the sidewalk.
“Hello, please take me to Hapjeong Station.”
“Yes.”
“…No, to Yanghwa Bridge.”
I could have brushed it off as just another crappy day, but today, I just didn’t have the energy.
I wondered where my life started to go wrong.
Was it because of this company I entered without much thought? Or was it when I decided to live independently?
Or was it due to my brother’s sudden disappearance? Or 15 years ago, when Mom disappeared in a dungeon?
When the ‘catastrophe’ known to humanity as Gates appeared, spawning dungeons from which ferocious monsters emerged.
These creatures came out through the Gates, attacking and threatening humanity.
Guns and missiles of the military were ineffective against them. People despaired, thinking the world was heading towards destruction.
But then, a few people began to ‘awaken’.
They learned of this fact from an unknowable entity called ‘the system’, and were granted incredible powers to rival the monsters.
Humanity quickly adapted to these changes and built a new civilization.
These awakened individuals were called ‘Hunters’, who fought the dungeon monsters with their newfound strength.
Among them, there was a Hunter who demonstrated exceptional skills.
SSS-class Jo Inyoung Hunter. My mother became the undisputed top Hunter as soon as she awakened.
“Bom, want to try this?”
“What’s this?”
Whenever she returned from a dungeon, she brought strange byproducts as souvenirs.
Synthia was a rare fruit that could only be found in high-level dungeons.
“It’s pretty.”
“Isn’t it?”
The fruit, the size of a thumbnail, had a translucent surface like a layer of glass, with white sap swishing inside.
It should be safe to eat since Mom gave it.
As a grade-schooler then, I didn’t hesitate to pop it into my mouth.
The surface tasted sweet like hardened sugar, and biting into it spread a tangy taste so intense that it made my nose wrinkle.
“How is it?”
“…Any more?”
“Tasty, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Next time, I’ll bring more. There are many delicious and fascinating things in the dungeon.”
“Really?”
“Then, there’s a place called ‘Blue Starlight Valley’ in the dungeon, known for its beauty. This fruit is from there. I thought Bom would like to see the beautiful sky there.”
“But dungeons are scary places with dangerous monsters. It’s dangerous.”
“It’s not dangerous at all. Mom is an SSS-class.”
Mom described dungeons as beautiful and fantastical places.
Looking up at the sky there, she said, it’s like peering into a mini-universe, with so many large stars.
She said it was a place full of new and thrilling experiences.
Thinking back, it seems she said that to reassure me, as I would wait up for her on nights she came home late from dungeons.
Because of the positive image Mom painted of dungeons, my perception of them gradually changed.
They weren’t dangerous places, but rather, enchanting places filled with magic, like something out of a fairy tale.
The reason I waited for Mom shifted from worry to anticipation of the new things she would bring from the dungeons.
Then, suddenly, Mom disappeared in a dungeon and never returned.
Following her, my brother also went missing in a dungeon.
Dad, in his quest to find them, immersed himself in his work, even rising to the position of Dungeon Research Center Director. With so much to do, he spent less time at home and our relationship grew distant.
It became even harder to see him after I became independent.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Thank you.”
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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