Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 1
I was an ordinary Korean exam taker.
After repeated failures that chipped away at my self-esteem, I seriously considered giving up—but the time and money I’d already poured in felt far too precious to waste.
There were countless days when I slept only two or three hours.
Over and over, I’d tear up my study books in tears, then painstakingly tape them back together again.
Now, I bid farewell to all of this. At last, I could escape this three-pyeong hellhole.
I’d passed the national exam—after a grueling five years.
My first call was to my mother. Through her voice, I could hear the noisy chatter of customers in the background. My throat tightened so much that I involuntarily let out a bleating sound.
“Mom… I… I passed.”
Thinking of my parents, who’d tirelessly supported me all this time, tears flooded my eyes.
I dared to call this the happiest moment of my life—thanks to the sheer luck of having parents and friends who believed in me and waited.
That’s exactly how it was.
But the trouble began when I stayed awake until dawn after my passing celebration party. Perhaps my mistake was picking up a novel I’d never normally read while idly browsing my phone.
I’d merely dozed off while reading—and yet, when I opened my eyes, I found myself horrifically transmigrated into the novel.
[This is the timeline separator]This was utterly absurd.
How many people in the world wish for a reincarnation truck?
How many dream of transmigrating into their favorite novel?
Of all people—of all times!—it had to be me, someone who’d just clawed through five brutal years and finally glimpsed a sliver of hope, who got transmigrated. It was something I’d never imagined, not even in my wildest nightmares.
Summer clutched her head in disbelief at this impossible reality—when the door opened and a gentle-faced woman entered.
“Summer, wake up. The sun’s already high in the sky.”
“…Summer?”
Summer asked dazedly. The woman stroked Summer’s hair with a fond smile.
“Yes. My season, my beloved daughter. Hurry and get ready; we’ll have breakfast together.”
Summer? Was this a dream? It felt too vivid—like a lucid dream—and despite the opulent setting, bewilderment outweighed fear.
Guided by maids, Summer descended to the dining room, where an impeccably beautiful middle-aged couple greeted her as though painted into perfection.
“Come in, Summer! Today we’re having your favorite veal dish. Let’s eat quickly.”
They seemed to be Summer’s parents. She bowed politely, sat at the table, and awkwardly picked up her fork and knife.
Someone accustomed to Korean spoons and chopsticks couldn’t suddenly master noble etiquette overnight. Afraid of seeming odd, Summer stole glances at them while eating cautiously.
Fortunately, the table manners weren’t too complex, and she soon finished her meal with some enjoyment.
“Summer, would you like to take a walk with me today?”
“Uh… Yes, sure.”
Summer walked side by side with her mother through the garden, feeling awkward. The garden was breathtakingly beautiful—so vast that it took at least an hour to circle once.
It was early spring; tender buds sprouted everywhere, and green grass grew lushly. Though the breeze was chilly, the warmth of her clothes made even that feel pleasant.
“Summer, your debutante ball is coming up soon. Is there anything you’d like?”
“Not really.”
“Oh, right—you mentioned wanting a music box! How could I have forgotten?”
“Huh?”
“My sweet daughter. I’ll prepare a wonderful gift for you—look forward to it.”
“Thank you.”
The walk was quite enjoyable. Every time she saw the woman’s affectionate smile, thoughts of her real mother back in Korea stung her nose—but both the scenery and conversation felt satisfying.
Back at the mansion, maids washed Summer and gave her an oil massage.
She’d never known such indulgence. Add to that warm, cozy bedding and a soft, one-piece nightgown—
“Sleep well, my daughter.”
“You too, Mother. Good night.”
She’d expected to wake from this dream when she opened her eyes the next morning.
But the scene greeting Summer upon waking felt slightly off. The same view. The same time as yesterday.
“Summer, wake up. The sun’s already high in the sky.”
The Countess Lindsey—Summer’s mother—entered, warm and playful as always.
“I overslept again. I’m sorry.”
“Yes. My season, my beloved daughter. Hurry and get ready; we’ll have breakfast together.”
A faint sense of oddness crept in, yet Summer got up and repeated the day again. And again the next day. And the next.
The dream was peaceful and beautiful. Sunlight was always warm, her room spotless, the maids cheerful, and her parents kind.
Yet Summer desperately wanted to wake up—to return to her familiar reality.
Back in Korea, she’d often fought with her parents. Her self-worth, worn thin by exam stress, made her react irritably to even the slightest comment.
“So you’re telling me to give up now? Everyone around me already got jobs and promotions! I’m the only freeloader!”
“Sweetheart, your mom just worries you’re overworking—”
“Please, just stop talking! I’m already struggling—don’t do this to me, Mom!”
In the soft bed, beneath smooth sheets, as drowsiness overtook her—why did that memory surface now? A tear rolled silently down Summer’s lashes as she closed her eyes.
What were her parents doing right now?
Were they shaking their daughter, trying to wake her from this endless dream? Or had she, like those struck by reincarnation trucks, already died in reality?
Summer’s eyes snapped open. Cold sweat trickled down her spine. If this wasn’t just a dream—if something truly impossible had happened?
She curled tightly into herself.
Summer grew quietly afraid that this world might never end.
[This is the timeline separator]Once fear took root, she began sensing something deeply wrong—like a play repeating the same act over and over.
“Summer, wake up. The sun’s already high in the sky.”
Countess Lindsey always woke her with the same expression and words. Then, at the same time, they’d eat the same meal.
After breakfast, she’d walk with the Countess again.
Their conversations always followed the exact same script.
Until one day—finally—a new topic surfaced.
“Your debutante ball is almost here. The Imperial Palace is hosting a grand ball—do you think you’ll find a husband there, Summer?”
“Don’t say such things, my lady. Summer doesn’t need to marry.”
“But if she misses marrying age, it’ll become difficult later.”
Summer, bewildered, focused solely on eating her veal. She was already sick of it—she’d gladly trade anything for just one bite of pork.
“I heard Lancaster will attend this debutante ball.”
“Lancaster?”
Summer looked up sharply. The name sounded familiar.
“They say Duke Lancaster is your age and will make his debut this season.”
“What’s his name?”
“Heh heh, Summer—already interested? Still, you must meet someone before deciding. Even if he’s a war hero, you must see if he treats his wife well.”
“His name!”
Damn it. Earl Lindsey was stuck reciting scripted lines and wouldn’t answer her question. Frustrated, Summer unconsciously tapped the table and raised her voice—though she knew it wouldn’t help.
The disappointment stung. She’d hoped the scripted dialogue might change slightly, offering a chance to truly communicate—but that had been foolish fantasy.
“Oh! How can a duke attend a debutante ball? Well, since he’s your age, apparently he hasn’t made his debut yet either.”
“Sigh… I’m such a fool to have hoped.”
Just as Summer sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples—
“Ian Lancaster. You know him, don’t you? The cold-blooded war hero who killed his own kin to become duke.”
Ian Lancaster. Hearing that name from the Earl confirmed everything.
This wasn’t a lucid dream. Not a hallucination. Not reincarnation.
It was that romance fantasy novel, , which she’d randomly clicked on and skimmed through an ad.
The male lead’s name had been Ian Lancaster.
She couldn’t forget it—it was the only novel she’d ever read in her life. She’d transmigrated into her first—and last—romance fantasy.
How unlucky.
Truly cursed by fate.
“Then… is Julian Dudley also making her debut?”
“How would you know the Dudley girl? You’ve never met her.”
Countess Lindsey tilted her head in confusion. That settled it.
Summer had entered the novel—and in the book she’d read, there had been no mention of “Summer Lindsey.”
She wasn’t a lead. Not even a supporting character.
“I just… wanted to be friends. I heard she’s kind and cheerful.”
Summer gave a vague excuse and stabbed a tomato with her fork.
“The Dudleys? It wouldn’t hurt to befriend them. I’ll introduce you at the ball—try to get along well.”
“Thank you, Father.”
After breakfast, Lady Lindsey again suggested a walk—but Summer politely declined, needing time to think.
“I’ll rest in my room today.”
“…”
With an impossibly perfect smile, Lady Lindsey slowly walked down the corridor. Summer briefly worried the Countess might be hurt by her quiet departure—but quickly returned to her room.
“Ian Lancaster. Julian Dudley.”
Lying face-down on a plush sofa, Summer quietly repeated the names. Julian Dudley was the bright, cheerful heroine—and that was comforting.
“And Summer Lindsey.”
A character never mentioned—not protagonist, not side character.
An extra, briefly inserted only to illustrate aristocratic society, with zero connection to the main plot—neither villain nor heroine.
“Could you bring some cold water?”
At Summer’s request, a maid quickly brought a basin. Without hesitation, Summer plunged her face deep into the icy water.
‘If this isn’t a dream… what am I supposed to do now?’
Her skin stung from the chill—too vividly real. Then, from afar, voices drifted in.
Summer jerked her head up and hurried to the window. In the garden stood Countess Lindsey, taking her usual stroll—as she did every day.
When Summer opened the window, the Countess’s voice came through clearly:
“Summer, your debutante ball is coming up soon. Is there anything you’d like?”
Goosebumps erupted instantly. As Summer stood frozen, the Countess’s laughter reached her ears. With a gentle expression, the Countess turned to her side and spoke again—though no one stood beside her.
“Oh, right—you mentioned wanting a music box! How could I have forgotten?”
Countess Lindsey was speaking to empty air—to a “Summer” who wasn’t there.
Summer stumbled backward, then scrambled to the basin and buried her face in it once more.
“Please… just tell me this is a dream…”
She sobbed.
Transmigration was horrifying. That was Summer’s conclusion after only a month in this bizarre world. She had to survive here—in this life that might never end.
Summer Lindsey found the loving, gentle Lindsey household far more terrifying than any nightmare.
“Hic… ugh…”
Mom. Dad. Our black cat. Friends. The diary listing all the things she wanted to do after exams.
All precious, all vivid in her mind—yet unreachable. The farewell had been sudden, and Summer was utterly unprepared to accept it.
In that grand, opulent room, Summer’s weeping continued for hours.
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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Hahaha what a stubborn male lead, leave her alone.
They’re always like this, thay think it is always about the male lead.