“You… You, already… got married…”
“What are you saying, grandmother? Did I get married?”
“Sleeping with that man… If you sleep, you… You…”
Boksoon’s hands, like dried bark, fell heavily under the faded hospital bed.
“Grandmother! Grandmother! Grandmother!”
Flashing. In the midday sun, Eunseo opened her eyes.
In the room where the winter’s intense cold spread through the opaque window, Eunseo pulled the blanket tightly to chase away the cold that was chilling her neck.
What kind of dream is this? I haven’t even had a boyfriend, let alone getting married.
“Is it because of grandmother’s will?”
Recalling the absurd will of her grandmother suffering from dementia, Eunseo erased the lingering image and turned her eyes to the wooden clock on the wall.
1:25 PM.
It was time to fulfill her grandmother’s delayed death report, which she had postponed for a month.
Eunseo stepped down from the makeshift bed, a low bed made by connecting several wooden boxes.
As the chilling air, akin to cold bones, pierced through her soles and rose up her calves, her hair stood on end.
To save heating costs, Eunseo meticulously covered every corner with blankets before opening the door. The bathroom and bath were outside, down the yard and two more stairs.
After washing roughly with cold water, she opened the cream lid, muttering, “Ah… There’s none.”
Since everything that could be applied to her skin had run out, Eunseo wiped her face again with a towel and wiped away the pale expression from the mirror.
Because it was quite cold, she put on the thickest jacket and muffler she had and left the house.
At the village entrance, a bus bound for the district office was waiting in front of a small store.
Passing by “Solnae Store,” Eunseo heard a rough sound as the sliding door suddenly opened.
“Eunseo?”
The one who called her loudly was the president of the women’s association, the owner of the store.
“Hello, ma’am.”
“Are you okay?”
“…Yes.”
“Your face is half gone, just like that.”
Eunseo only gave a faint smile to the woman who asked about her grandmother’s affairs. She didn’t know if she was okay either.
“Oh my, why is it so unlucky for you? You’re still young. Tsk tsk. Boksoon grandma was so healthy, how did this happen in just a few days? Come in. It’s cold outside. Have some tea at least. You have to wait 15 minutes for the bus to come.”
Unable to refuse the insistence, Eunseo went inside. In the store, people from the neighborhood were gathered, playing cards.
When Eunseo bowed her waist to greet, Jung Sil, who was playing cards with a hunched back, put down the card and came closer.
“How are you? Really no thoughts of marriage?”
“What are you talking about?”
As Eunseo blinked, the wife who was playing cards, holding a persimmon tea, leaned over and asked, “What’s really on your mind?”
“Is it about Seongtae?”
“…Seongtae? Mr. Jo? Why would Mr. Jo…”
As the words reached the end, the intention became vague, and the sentence faded away.
In the village, there’s a bustling concern about connecting the only maiden, Eunseo, and the single man, Jo Seongtae, who is forty-four.
Seongtae occasionally gave money for household expenses, treated the grandmother kindly, and won her favor. However, after the grandmother realized Seongtae’s ulterior motives, she quieted down only after causing a big scene, urging Eunseo to leave the town, revealing that there’s someone else for her to marry.
It seems the grandmother is no longer in this world.
“When I tidy up, I’ll leave soon.”
“Why? Your home is here. Where are you going?”
“I want to study again.”
“Study what! It’s not easy, even if you’re good at it. You know Seongtae is older, right? But twelve years old is really nothing.”
“I’m sixteen.”
Eunseo unfolded and folded her hands twice, smiling as she bit her lips. This smile was a kind of courtesy to those who had looked after her grandmother several times, even though it hurt.
“Either way, it’s the same, kid. Oh, oh. Grandma is gone, how can I live? After all, a woman needs a man to feel secure. Right? You go to a prestigious university, and Seongtae couldn’t even step into college. Can’t you see it?”
“That’s not it. I’ve never thought of Mr…”
Embarrassed to speak, Eunseo swallowed her embarrassment, then continued.
“Well, never thought of him as a man.”
“Gas. Look at the freezing wind blowing. If you do well, we’ll have a town celebration, and thanks to you, we’ll get some clothes from Seongnim. More than anything, if you go out, the town will suffer. That’s what this means.”
“Yeah. Eunseo, it’s not guaranteed you’ll meet a good guy in Seoul, and Seongtae has saved some money. It’s not easy to feed you alone. See? Those brawny arms. A man needs to be strong for the night job… Right, Seongnim?”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
“Stop teasing her. There’s nothing a maiden can’t do.”
Only then did the women’s association president, seeing Eunseo’s stiff expression, restrain the ladies.
“I’ll go now.”
“Isn’t there still time for the bus?”
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.]
