The original Korean paragraph contains 30 lines. Here is the English translation, maintaining the exact same number of lines:
Yoo-mi couldn’t take her eyes off Lee Soo’s necklace.
A few days ago, Ji-ho himself had said he had a girlfriend, so that necklace should be on his girlfriend’s neck by now…
It bothered her that, of all the necklaces, Lee Soo happened to wear the same one.
However, when they met at the restaurant a few days ago, Lee Soo and Ji-ho acted like strangers, hardly talking or even greeting each other properly.
Considering their behavior, there was no reason to suspect anything between them, but why was it so irksome?
If Lee Soo were Ji-ho’s girlfriend, she wouldn’t just stay quiet like this.
If there were any rumors at school, they would have surfaced by now.
‘Yeah, it must be a coincidence. That necklace is quite famous. I would have bought one too if I had the money.’
Yoo-mi dismissed her suspicions about Lee Soo.
More than that, Ji-ho’s words that she still couldn’t believe and didn’t want to believe occupied her mind.
“My girlfriend… she’s someone else.”
The only glimmer of hope was Ji-ho’s slight hesitation when he said that.
For some reason, he seemed to hesitate.
It seemed like an impulsive, not premeditated remark.
Could it be untrue then?
Seeing Lee Soo now brought back the vivid memory of that day, hurting Yoo-mi’s pride.
Attempting some recovery, Yoo-mi turned to Lee Soo and spoke.
“The earrings I got for my birthday are from the same brand.”
Revived, Yoo-mi pushed her hair behind her ears.
‘That must be the gift Ji-ho bought when he went shopping with mom.’
Lee Soo glanced at Yoo-mi and continued eating, uninterested.
“Ji-ho chose a pretty one for you.”
Soo-min chimed in with Yoo-mi, watching for Lee Soo’s reaction.
“If he seems indifferent, Ji-ho can be quite thoughtful. His birthday is coming up; don’t forget to take care of it.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t forget my brother’s birthday.”
Ji-ho’s birthday is soon.
That’s what stuck with Lee Soo.
Thinking about it, she realized she didn’t even know when Ji-ho’s birthday was.
There was still so much she didn’t know about Ji-ho.
What food he liked, his hobbies, what his childhood was like, his blood type, which season he preferred, and so on.
“Lee Soo, you know Seo Ji-ho, right? He goes to your school. He must be quite popular and well-known, with his good looks.”
Soo-min nonchalantly observed Lee Soo’s expression as she asked.
“Yes… I know him well.”
Lee Soo answered, wondering if Soo-min genuinely didn’t know.
Yoo-mi, a notorious mama’s girl, would have surely told her mother everything.
“Yes, I thought so. You know him.”
“Yes, we are in the same club.”
“Oh, then you’re not just acquaintances but close with Ji-ho.”
As Lee Soo nodded, Won-jin also showed interest.
“Who is that?”
“You know my friend Yeon-soo, right? Ji-ho is Yeon-soo’s son. I’ve known him since he was little. He’s such a good boy, I often thought it would be great if he and Yoo-mi got married.”
Soo-min revealed her true thoughts while glancing at Lee Soo.
The original Korean paragraph contains 30 lines. Here is the English translation, maintaining the exact same number of lines:
If there was any chance of something special developing between Lee Soo and Ji-ho, Soo-min thought it best to preemptively declare it.
She didn’t want to see a situation where sisters become awkward over the same guy.
“Is he that great a friend? He must have really impressed you.”
“Of course. He’s the ideal son-in-law that any parent would covet. Ji-ho is flawless in every way.”
Lee Soo was taken aback by Soo-min’s presumptuous comments.
‘Doesn’t she consider Ji-ho’s feelings at all? Drinking her wishful thinking like it’s reality.’
Listening to Soo-min, Yoo-mi’s face reddened.
They really were like mother, like daughter.
“Is Yoo-mi currently dating him then?”
Won-jin asked Yoo-mi.
As the conversation took an odd turn, Lee Soo began to feel uncomfortable.
She couldn’t just announce, ‘Ji-ho is actually my boyfriend.’
“No, not yet. We’re just like siblings for now.”
Yoo-mi answered in a slightly downcast tone, acknowledging the reality.
“So, nothing serious yet.”
Won-jin laughed dismissively at Yoo-mi’s response.
“You never know with men and women. They start as siblings and end up dating, then getting married. It’s just that Ji-ho has been like a brother for so long, he doesn’t see her as a woman yet. It’s only a matter of time before he sees Yoo-mi as a woman. It’s hard to find someone as pretty as our Yoo-mi.”
Soo-min laughed heartily, reassuring Yoo-mi.
Yoo-mi also cracked a hopeful smile, as if her spirits were revived.
Had she already forgotten being rejected by Ji-ho just a few days ago?
Lee Soo finished her meal, shaking her head at Yoo-mi’s self-delusion.
[Star icon][Star icon]The regular pub of the ski club.
It was the day of a meeting for a one-day pub event during the festival.
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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