Seoha tightly closed her eyes, curled up, and wrapped her head with her hands.
She was 14 years old at that time. After school, she got off the academy bus. It was common for parents to pick up their children who returned home late.
Seoha walked home alone, while all the other children were accompanied by their parents.
At that time, Seungae often left the house empty, neglecting Seoha.
Finding no one at home was usual, and the house was always a mess. Myunghoon, at that time, worked at a construction company and often stayed out of town.
Seoha always waited for Seungae.
She was 14, a time when she still needed her mother.
However, Seoha couldn’t even complain to her mother.
That day, Seungae was at home for a change.
Seungae, unaware of Seoha’s arrival, was on the phone with a sweet voice.
“Mom.”
Even when Seoha called out, Seungae just glanced over and continued her conversation.
That day, Seoha tried to cling to Seungae’s skirt and acted childishly.
But Seungae irritably shook off Seoha’s hand, ended the call, and hurriedly put on her coat.
“Mom, where are you going?”
“You don’t need to know. There’s rice and stew, so just take care of yourself. You’re 14, you can eat, right?”
Seungae waved her hand dismissively.
Seoha stubbornly held onto Seungae.
“Mom, I want to come with you. I’m scared to be alone.”
“What’s there to be scared of? Just eat and watch TV, then go to sleep. Mom will be late, so let go of this.”
“No, Mom!”
“Why is this kid like this, really.”
Seungae frowned deeply. She brushed off Seoha and left the house. Seoha followed hurriedly, but Seungae had already gone down to the first floor by the time Seoha reached the elevator.
Seoha quickly pressed the elevator button.
Pacing anxiously, she barely caught the elevator.
She was scared to ride the elevator alone, but more afraid of being left alone in the house, wanting to follow her mom.
However, the elevator suddenly started shaking with a screeching noise and stopped.
It seemed like the power was cut off, and the lights went out, leaving Seoha alone in pitch darkness.
In her panic, Seoha forgot about the emergency button.
“Mom! Please save me! Mom!”
Seoha screamed until her voice was hoarse, but no one came. Overwhelmed by fear and terror, she eventually collapsed crying.
When Seoha woke up, a lady from the first floor was wiping her face with a wet cloth.
“Are you awake? Oh dear, student, are you okay?”
Seoha, overwhelmed with bursting sorrow and relief, clung to the lady’s skirt and cried for a long time.
After that incident, Seoha developed an extreme fear of darkness, to the point where she couldn’t sleep without the lights on. It took over a decade before she could bring herself to use an elevator again.
However, Seoha tried her best to avoid using elevators. The reason she lived on the second floor of the villa was due to that trauma.
And now, trapped in an elevator again.
As darkness enveloped her, Seoha felt suffocated, fearing she might die.
In her panic, Seoha felt like she was losing her senses. Her fingertips grew cold, feeling as if she was being sucked into the ground. Her heart pounded, and she broke into a cold sweat. Her whole body froze.
Then, she felt a familiar warmth and scent enveloping her.
“Breathe. It’s okay.”
A low and calming voice resonated. It seemed to cut through the darkness, wrapping around Seoha, protecting her from her fears.
Holding Seoha, the large and warm hands firmly cradled her head. Her trembling body gradually calmed in the familiar and comforting embrace.
“Focus on your breathing, take deep breaths.”
“Haa. Haa.”
Following Taekyung’s instructions, Seoha slowly inhaled and exhaled. Her mind, which had been slipping away, began to return to reality.
Tears welled up in Seoha’s eyes. The sound of her younger self’s voice ringing in her ears gradually faded.
“Breathe again. Slowly. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Hmm. Hooo.”
“Hmm. Hooo.”
As Taekyung gently led Seoha through deep breathing, she inhaled deeply and exhaled long, like a child following his instructions.
Meanwhile, Taekyung whispered reassurances in her ear, as if chanting a spell.
“It’s okay, it’s okay… Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid. It’s okay. Soon, people will come to get us out.”
“Ugh, ugh…”
As her breathing stabilized, the tangible reality of her fear, which had paralyzed her, became apparent.
Memories from her childhood.
The day that had become a trauma, binding her.
As she listened to Taekyung’s voice, Seoha tried to swallow her emerging sobs, but it was difficult. Taekyung continued to gently stroke her back with his tender hands.
As if encouraging the fear stuck in her throat to go down.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay even if it’s dark. You are safe. I will protect you. No matter what happens, I will protect you.”
How long had they been like that? Gradually, Seoha found stability.
Taekyung’s embrace was warm and cozy. Inside it, the crying child began to receive comfort and stopped crying.
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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