Spain in July.
The hot and dry wind blew under the scorching sun.
The sound of clinking echoed from the plastic bottle in her hand. The large chunk of ice had now shrunk enough to pass through the bottle’s mouth.
Swallowing a gulp of water along with the piece of ice, Da Jung once again took in the masterpiece left by the genius architect.
Casa Milà.
It was one of the many masterpieces left by Antoni Gaudí.
She had never dreamt that such a day would come in her life when she would see his works in person.
She hadn’t even dreamed of such a day in her life.
The creative value that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world, his genius in integrating his religious beliefs into every corner of the building.
To conceive and realize such a unique and beautiful architecture in the 19th century. It was so fantastical that it felt unreal.
While grand architecture like the Sagrada Familia Cathedral and Park Güell were impressive, Da Jung particularly loved the houses designed by Gaudí.
She liked the mischievous mystery of Casa Batlló, which seemed like it was straight out of a fairy tale, and she also loved the elegance of Casa Milà, which was like the hem of a lady’s dress.
Both buildings were on the same street, and she had been practically living on Gràcia Street for days now, but they felt new and never boring every day.
Da Jung loved houses.
Warm houses brimming with human warmth.
Would the day ever come when such a house would be born from her hands? It might just be a dreamlike hope.
So what if it’s an abstract dream. If she dreamed, someday it might come true.
The guesthouse run by a middleaged Korean couple was old and outdated. However, it had the advantages and charm of being affordable and offering two Korean meals a day.
Having returned to the accommodation early, Da Jung quickly headed straight to the shower. The rooms were private, but the shower facilities were communal, so the waiting time was long if she was late.
The dining room was always quiet after her shower.
Usually, only enough food is cooked for those who have made reservations, so those who did not make reservations cooked for themselves in the communal kitchen or ate out.
When you go abroad, they say you should eat local food, but Korean blood doesn’t go anywhere. So, Da Jung had said she would take care of all her meals at the accommodation during her stay.
Of course, the landlady’s cooking was also good.
The landlady, who had a hearty face, handed over the tray filled with food and smiled kindly.
“Miss 201, enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you as always.”
As Da Jung bowed her head with a clear smile, the lady waved her hand.
“Don’t mention it. All we do is add a spoon to our meals.”
“Anyway, I will enjoy the meal.”
Da Jung, who had said goodbye with a big smile, took her tray and sat down at an empty seat.
Today’s menu was clear soybean paste soup and stirfried pork rice bowl.
Just as she was about to take a big spoonful of the stirfried pork rice bowl sprinkled with sesame, and bring it to her mouth.
There was a scraping sound of a chair and a large shadow cast over her.
When she opened her eyes wide, a man was setting down his tray at a diagonal seat. It was an East Asian man she was seeing for the first time.
Dajung’s eyes swiftly scanned the bustling restaurant and returned to the man’s face.
He seemed to be a new guest, but she couldn’t figure out why he specifically chose to sit at the same table.
More than that, Dajung couldn’t close her mouth, as if wondering what she was seeing. The man’s beauty in front of her was so breathtaking that it was stifling.
It was more of a cold and profound beauty than a flower boy, but anyway, it was a rare and splendid figure, so it was hard to look away.
Dajung, who had put down a spoonful of rice, started counting the rice grains carefully from that moment on.
She glanced at the man, not realizing that her behavior had become noticeably shy.
185? 187?
A tall height with excellent proportions. Cool, deep eyes and a proud nose. And lips lingering on the border of prettiness and handsomeness. Even his skin was as smooth and shiny as porcelain.
Suddenly, the man’s cell phone vibrated.
The man, who slid his cell phone to his ear, started to speak fluently in English.
Because she was conscious, words and sentences were naturally heard. He was talking about a meeting with his Harvard classmates.
Harvard?
Ah, Dajung admired inwardly.
He was as perfect as Gaudi’s masterpiece, a genius architect. If his personality and character were good, it was a total fraud.
Whether he noticed her conscious gaze, the man looked straight into her eyes subtly. Soon, the man who finished the call put down his cell phone.
“Why? Does it look delicious?”
It was blunt informal speech. No, I was a little surprised that he was Korean.
Under the blatantly shot gaze, Dajung’s face felt like it was on fire.
“Do you want to eat it?”
Dajung’s eyes widened. She blinked her eyes blankly and looked around quickly.
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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