Eun-su’s lips trembled tightly.
Her eyes, lost and aimless, swayed like the water’s waves in the wind. From Eun-su’s wavering reaction, Hyuk-ju was certain.
He had no reason to hesitate any longer.
“Let’s go to the hospital to check. To see if your body is healthy, if the baby is growing well.”
“…Hyuk-ju.”
“Just do as I say.”
“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”
Her voice, uttered in disbelief, cracked at the end. Unable to meet the piercing gaze of Hyuk-ju, Eun-su lowered her eyes.
Heat rose to her face instantly.
Swallowing hard, Eun-su tried to answer calmly.
“What kind of ridiculous assumption…”
But her eyes still couldn’t meet Hyuk-ju’s directly.
“Eun-su.”
Hyuk-ju softly called her name as if to console. He spread the coat in his hand and draped it over Eun-su’s shoulders.
He then reached into his pocket and produced the pill she hadn’t taken, laying it open on his palm.
“Why did you hide this?”
“… ”
Eun-su’s eyes widened.
“Why did you pretend to take medicine you didn’t actually consume?”
“That is…”
Unsure of how to respond, Eun-su bit her lip. She had thought she hid it well while Hyuk-ju was away, but it seemed his sharp observations had caught her.
“And what you had at the hospital earlier, it’s morning sickness, isn’t it?”
“… ”
“Thinking about it, you’ve been acting differently lately.”
Eun-su rarely napped, but even before he left on his business trip, she had fallen asleep in the study, unaware of his arrival. And that wasn’t the only change.
She started eating foods she previously avoided. Above all, she left as if she had a massive secret to keep. Hyuk-ju couldn’t help but be suspicious.
“Our baby, you’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
With conviction in his voice, Eun-su closed her eyes and then opened them.
Denying it further didn’t seem like something Hyuk-ju would easily accept. And it wasn’t something she could hide forever.
Finally, after Hyuk-ju’s repeated words, Eun-su admitted.
“Yes.”
“… ”
Holding back a wave of emotion, Hyuk-ju’s face tightened. He clenched his hand into a fist.
He wasn’t typically so uncollected.
Eun-su exhaled slowly and looked up at Hyuk-ju.
“It’s none of your business now.”
“Why isn’t it?”
“Because it’s my child, not ours.”
At her resolute words, Hyuk-ju’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m the baby’s father.”
“… ”
“And I’m still your husband.”
Hyuk-ju listed the undeniable truths. He was, indeed, the father of the child and, legally, still her husband.
No matter how much she pushed him away, if Hyuk-ju refused, it ended there. They would inevitably return to square one.
“Hyuk-ju.”
“Tell me.”
“I told you yesterday. We’re already over.”
“I’ll try.”
“… ”
“Just give me one chance.”
She should say she didn’t want to, but her lips remained sealed.
“Just let me be by your side.”
“… ”
“Please.”
Eun-su slowly closed her eyes at Hyuk-ju’s desperate tone.
It was unlike him. That’s why she couldn’t push him away.
In the end, Eun-su set a condition.
“Because you’re the father.”
“… ”
“That’s the only role you have.”
She wouldn’t permit anything beyond that. As if to emphasize her resolve, Eun-su tightly fastened the collar of her coat.
As she opened the door and stepped outside, a chilly wind blew.
Although it was spring, the wind still held remnants of winter’s cold, turning Eun-su’s nose red almost instantly.
“Eun-su.”
Hyuk-ju called out to her. When she paused momentarily, he wrapped the muffler he was holding around her neck.
“… ”
“Be careful not to catch a cold.”
The gentle touch of Hyuk-ju’s hand tying the scarf to shield her from the wind was affectionate.
She had thought it was all over.
She believed everything had been settled, but cracks began to form in her resolve. Ignoring the emerging rifts in her emotions, Eun-su withdrew her gaze from Hyuk-ju.
She still wanted to resent him more.
The car was silent after leaving the gynecologist.
Hyuk-ju drove without speaking, and Eun-su simply stared down at the maternal health booklet placed on her lap.
Breaking the silence, Eun-su’s cell phone rang.
It was a call from Saet-byul.
Perhaps she was passing nearby. Eun-su answered the call as soon as she recognized the caller ID.
“Hello?”
— Eun-su.
“Yes.”
— I’ve called to ask a quick favor.
“What do you need?”
— Remember when we talked about the rough translation? I have something urgent; is it possible to get it done by the day after tomorrow?
Eun-su had occasionally agreed to do preliminary translation work for Saet-byul.
Normally, she would have agreed immediately, but after what she had just heard at the hospital, Eun-su hesitated for a moment.
She was advised not to exert herself excessively as she wasn’t in the safe period yet.
— It’s a conference paper, eight chapters.
Urgency was evident in Saet-byul’s voice. It seemed pressing.
Saet-byul had been the person Eun-su relied upon the most since coming to Jeju. She didn’t want to turn down her request, especially since Saet-byul had even helped her find a new place to stay.
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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