That Night's Circumstance (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
“Today’s your ovulation day, so you can’t just let it pass like this.”
Soo Yeon said in a voice utterly devoid of emotion.
Just then, In Ho emerged from the bathroom, tousling his wet hair and shooting her a look of utter disgust.
Soo Yeon clamped her lips shut.
It wasn’t the first time she’d faced this kind of gaze, yet today it stung more than ever—painful and humiliating.
“I only just came back a moment ago. Did you say that without even knowing I’ve had barely any sleep because of filming and have to leave again in a few hours?”
“But still…”
“Let’s just cut it out, okay? Cut it out already.”
In Ho’s voice dripped with irritation and exhaustion.
That alone made her breath catch in her throat, but the heavy sigh that followed felt as if it were tightening around Soo Yeon’s neck.
“All you ever wanted from me was marriage—that’s it, right? Then why do your demands keep growing the more time passes…!”
As if all his pent-up frustration had finally exploded, In Ho snapped harshly.
But then he abruptly stopped mid-sentence,
his expression shifting instantly to one of regret, realizing he’d gone too far.
“Ugh, I’m just tired—my tongue ran off without me. Pretend you didn’t hear what I just said.”
Frowning, In Ho tossed the towel in his hand onto the dressing table.
Soo Yeon tightly squeezed her eyes shut.
Her neatly lined-up eyelashes trembled faintly.
Yet even seeing her like this, In Ho only shook his head as if thoroughly fed up.
With a shudder of revulsion, he turned away from the bed and headed toward the door.
“I’ll go over the script in the guest room and sleep there. You go ahead and rest.”
Bang—
A sharp gust of wind, along with the harsh sound of the closing door, slashed through Soo Yeon’s heart.
By the time she finally opened her eyes again, she was alone in the spacious room.
And yet, that sharp, biting voice kept piercing through her eardrums.
Slap—
“What on earth have you done right since becoming a daughter-in-law in our family!”
Though it had been a while since she’d been slapped, her cheek still burned hotly.
Slowly, Soo Yeon turned her head.
Her pitiful reflection stared back at her from the mirror on the dressing table across the room.
The black slip she’d put on for the night with In Ho, her straight hair left long just the way he liked it,
and her cheek, swollen and bright red.
After In Ho went into the bathroom, Soo Yeon had deliberately dimmed the lights, afraid he might notice her face looked different than usual.
She’d done it herself, with her own hands.
And yet…
“Huhh…”
It hurt.
“Ha… huhh…”
Her chest ached so badly, so tightly, that she couldn’t possibly hold back her sobs any longer.
She’d gone to such lengths just to hide the slap mark from her mother-in-law—apparently, she’d still hoped he’d notice.
She must have wanted to whine that she was suffering this much, that she felt like she might suffocate and die any second.
She must have wished to hear him ask when exactly things had gotten this bad, or why she’d endured it all alone without saying a word until now.
Soo Yeon couldn’t stop crying as she clutched her knees tightly.
‘…I really don’t want to live anymore.’
She repeated that thought—something she’d muttered several times a day—as naturally as a habit.
Yet even so, she couldn’t simply end her life on a whim.
Whenever In Ho wasn’t home, she was under the watchful eye of the housekeeper sent by her in-laws; and on the rare occasions she went out, her every move was monitored by the chauffeur her parents had assigned to her.
“Haa…”
Soo Yeon let out a heavy sigh.
She was utterly exhausted.
She’d already hit her limit long ago.
Still, each morning she’d barely managed to keep going by telling herself, “Just a little longer.”
But even that mantra had lost all its power now.
The small pouch deep inside her heart—the one that had quietly held every past wound—was now so overstuffed it was on the verge of tearing apart.
Knowing this, Soo Yeon still forced today’s pain into that already bursting pouch.
She didn’t care even if it tore open someday, leaving her unable to endure any further.
After all, she no longer had any desire left for this life.
Soo Yeon buried her face deeper between her knees.
Another unbearably lonely sleepless night began once again, just as expected.
🌟 🌟 🌟
“How—how could you say something like that to me?”
“…”
“Say something! How could you possibly do that!”
The woman pressed him sharply, but In Ho remained silent, lost in thought.
The woman’s eyes, fixed on In Ho, flickered briefly.
But only for a moment.
Quickly regaining her composure like the veteran she was, she struck In Ho’s chest reproachfully with her hand—
a clear signal to snap out of it.
Yet In Ho stayed lost in his thoughts to the very end.
“Cut!”
The director’s annoyed voice finally echoed through the set.
This was already the seventh take.
Yoo Ri let out a deep sigh and grabbed In Ho’s arm, shaking it gently.
“Oppa.”
He didn’t even flinch at her light shaking—lost in whatever he was thinking about.
“Oppa!”
She called out louder this time, shaking him more firmly.
Only then did In Ho’s unfocused eyes slowly regain their clarity.
“Oh—uh. Sorry. What did you say?”
“Oppa, you’re really…”
“In Ho, seriously, what’s going on with you today? Why can’t you focus at all!”
Yoo Ri’s worried voice was cut off before she could finish, as Director Jang approached and scolded him sharply.
A heavy sigh escaped through In Ho’s clenched teeth.
He turned toward Director Jang,
and naturally enough, Yoo Ri’s hand, which had been clutching his sleeve, was brushed away.
Yoo Ri’s expression darkened as she stared down at her rejected hand.
But even that failed to catch In Ho’s attention.
“I’m really sorry.”
In Ho bowed deeply toward Director Jang.
Though taken aback by his excessive politeness, Director Jang’s anger quickly softened; he roughly ran a hand through his hair and patted In Ho’s shoulder.
“Is something going on?”
“…No. I just haven’t slept properly for days, so I guess I’m too tired to focus. Director, would it be alright if I took thirty minutes to rest before resuming filming?”
“Will thirty minutes be enough?”
“It’ll be plenty.”
“Fine, alright. Let’s do better after that, okay?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Forcing a smile, In Ho bowed once more.
“We’ll resume filming in thirty minutes!”
The assistant director shouted loudly beside Director Jang.
In Ho quickly walked off the set.
He didn’t notice at all that someone’s eyes had remained fixed on his retreating back for a very long time.
🌟 🌟 🌟
“Hyung, here. Energy drink.”
“Thanks.”
As soon as In Ho climbed into the van, he took the energy drink can Myung Woo offered him.
His Adam’s apple bobbed roughly as he swallowed its contents.
Myung Woo stared silently at In Ho for a while, then cautiously parted his lips.
“Hyung… did something happen between you and Hyungnim?”
“What?”
“I mean… you were totally fine until yesterday, but today you suddenly can’t focus at all and keep making mistakes—totally unlike yourself…”
For a split second, In Ho shot him a sharp, piercing look—then immediately shut his eyes tightly.
What fault could Myung Woo possibly have?
Just as Myung Woo said, it was In Ho himself who’d lost focus and kept causing NGs.
“Haa…”
In Ho let out a deep sigh.
He really was a mess.
He wasn’t some rookie actor with just a year or two of experience—he’d been a professional for over a decade.
Not a single moment of all those years had he ever wasted.
Becoming the best actor possible had always been his creed and goal.
True to that creed, with every passing year he had shone brighter as a consummate professional, never once falling short of the “top star” label.
He was always welcomed warmly by both the public and his crew, and adored as a star.
But today was an exception.
In Ho couldn’t focus on the filming at all.
It was because Soo Yeon’s expression from last night—right before he’d headed to the guest room—kept flashing before his eyes.
As always, Soo Yeon had sat on the bed with that same emotionless, dry expression.
Dressed in a pitch-black slip, her usually neatly tied-up hair now fell loose around her waist.
It was undeniably an alluring look, perfectly designed to tempt a man.
But instead of desire, all In Ho felt was a heavy tightness in his chest.
He couldn’t even remember when it had started, but this scene repeated itself like clockwork once a month—as if it were some mandatory monthly ritual.
It was as though pregnancy had become her lifeline, driving her into incomprehensible obsession.
Watching Soo Yeon like this wore him down more and more each time.
Without a word, he walked past her indifferent face and into the bathroom.
As he washed himself, he calmly turned over the same monotonous thoughts in his head.
Once he finished showering and stepped out, his wife—still wearing that blank, emotionless expression—would inevitably bring up her ovulation day and request that they sleep together.
And then, as always, the same mechanical routine would follow.
It had already been going on for months, so predicting it wasn’t difficult at all.
That was all he’d ever thought.
He finished showering in his usual order, staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror, then stepped out wearing his sleep pants.
That was precisely when the problem began.
The moment he stepped out of the bathroom, Soo Yeon stood exactly as he’d anticipated.
But at that instant, a question he’d never once considered through all their countless nights together suddenly filled his mind:
‘Why do I have to spend one meaningless night a month with a woman who feels nothing for me?’
Even right before his shower, he’d looked at Soo Yeon with indifferent eyes,
and while showering, he’d foreseen exactly what would happen next.
Yet this shift in feeling had been utterly unexpected in every moment.
That was why.
In Ho couldn’t hold back—he’d spilled every raw emotion he’d just felt onto Soo Yeon.
“Huu…”
A deep sigh leaked through In Ho’s clenched teeth.
The expression Soo Yeon had made after his thoughtless outburst was burned into his mind, impossible to erase.
She’d looked completely lifeless—devoid of any will to live or any identifiable emotion whatsoever.
“That’s exactly why you had to make that face…!”
“…Hyung?”
In Ho snapped irritably, then immediately bit his lip shut.
Even hearing Myung Woo’s startled voice, he only clenched his jaw tighter.
He felt uneasy.
His insides churned with a mess of feelings he couldn’t possibly put into words.
And that kept scattering his concentration.
“Huu.”
In Ho sighed again—this time, he’d lost count of how many times he’d done it already.
He had to regain his composure somehow.
The reason for his discomfort was that he’d hurt Soo Yeon.
It was far too personal a thought for someone in the middle of filming.
Besides, the wound he’d already carved into Soo Yeon’s heart couldn’t be undone, no matter how much he regretted it now.
Ultimately, the only way to settle his feelings was to face Soo Yeon and apologize—
Realizing this, In Ho took a deep breath to calm himself.
He had to recover his condition first.
Only then could he finish filming as quickly as possible and go to Soo Yeon.
Moreover, he’d already caused far too much trouble for the entire crew gathered on set.
So he absolutely had to use these hard-won thirty minutes to regain enough mental control to film properly.
With that thought, he shut his eyes tightly.
But not long after, a knock came at the window.
His carefully faked calm shattered instantly.
An indescribable wave of irritation surged up inside him.
Instinctively scowling, In Ho turned his head toward the right-side window.
Yoo Ri stood there, reflected in his eyes.
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.
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