As her gaze fell, a cup filled with orange juice came into view. Due to the temperature difference, droplets of water hung on the surface of the glass like tears.
Seeing the moisture rolling down, a sudden wave of sadness surged within her.
Eun Soo clenched the glass tightly with both hands. At the same time, she bit her lip hard.
As time passed, the heat in her eyes gradually cooled down.
Breaking the heavy silence, In Woo spoke first.
“Have you told them at home?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Is it because it hasn’t been long since the accident?”
“That’s part of it. There are other things going on.”
Eun Soo vaguely mumbled. She couldn’t lay out all the complex circumstances she found herself in.
In Woo might have had a general idea, but still, Eun Soo didn’t want to tell him everything in detail.
“When do you plan to tell them?”
“……”
“Eun Soo.”
At the sound of her name spoken with such sorrow, Eun Soo let out a sigh. It was a sigh she hadn’t realized she had exhaled.
Did he understand its meaning?
In Woo took a sip of his coffee and spoke.
“To me, you’re like a little sister.”
“……”
“I’m somewhat aware of the rumors swirling around your marriage to Vice President Moon Hyuk Joo.”
Eun Soo turned her head to the side, avoiding In Woo’s gaze.
They were indeed persistent.
The rumor that she thought had died down was lurking like an unquenchable ember. And just when she thought she had forgotten, it revealed its presence.
Just like now.
“I don’t believe that all those rumors are true. From what I see, Vice President Moon Hyuk Joo doesn’t seem to be that bad of a person.”
“He’s not bad. It’s just that we…”
Eun Soo trailed off.
Hyuk Joo wasn’t a bad person. He had shared his circumstances first, and she had accepted them. It was her mistake to cross the line she shouldn’t have crossed and give her heart to him.
Strictly speaking, Hyuk Joo had simply lived faithfully along his own track.
And she herself was the one who had jumped onto that track out of the blue.
She had hoped he would notice her, been disappointed numerous times. It was an unrequited love she didn’t show. And she couldn’t even show it.
“Maybe we should break up.”
“What?”
“It seems like the right thing to do.”
“Eun Soo.”
“I know. It’s nonsensical.”
Eun Soo let out a deflated laugh through her lips and spoke again.
“I thought I was okay with it. I was fine with him looking at me indifferently, it didn’t matter if he didn’t say anything warm. Because I liked him. Anyway, it was me who liked him alone… I liked being by his side, so I thought it was okay.”
“You must really like Vice President Moon Hyuk Joo.”
“Yes.”
Eun Soo nodded briefly and continued.
“I can bear it. But when I think about my child experiencing the same situation… it’s just horrifying.”
As she pronounced the word ‘horrifying’, Eun Soo furrowed her brows deeply.
It really was horrifying.
Each time she had such thoughts, it felt as if the blood in her veins was chilling.
“What should I say when my child asks me why their father doesn’t tell them he loves them like other fathers?”
“……”
“Because he doesn’t love Mom, and because you are born to Mom…”
Eun Soo covered her face with her palm. Moisture spread across her broadly opened palm. Her shoulders shook.
In Woo quietly pushed a napkin towards Eun Soo.
It seemed like he understood what she was worrying about, what was in her heart.
A child born into a loveless marriage can only struggle to be loved.
If it were not for you, they would grow up much earlier than their peers, receiving such looks several times a day, striving to be loved.
That’s how In Woo was.
He had never experienced what is commonly referred to as maternal love. His mother was a person who loved herself too much to live as someone’s wife, and as a mother.
“It was a mistake. If only I hadn’t gotten drunk that day.”
His mother once said he was a child born out of a night’s mistake. The sense of loss and despair he felt when he heard those words were immeasurable.
In Woo could understand what Eun Soo was worrying about.
If they could not expect love from both parents, living with the presence of one side giving them complete love might also be a way.
In Woo thought that the choice his father made was not much different from the choice Eun Soo was trying to make now.
“Eun Soo.”
“…Yes.”
Eun Soo, who had composed herself, replied while wiping her wet face with a napkin.
“There’s no predetermined answer in this world. It’s right to do what makes your heart comfortable.”
“……”
“You will be a good mother, like Aunt Hye Yeon.”
Eun Soo touched the tip of her tingling nose with her fingertips and smiled faintly.
At that moment, the cell phone placed on the table rang. It was a call from the driver.
“Yes.”
— The chairman asked you to come home right now.
“Aunt?”
— Yes.
“Okay. I’ll go straight to the ward.”
Eun Soo hung up the phone and tilted her head.
She couldn’t guess why Young Ran would suddenly call her like this.
“Brother, I have to get up now because I have something to do.”
“I see.”
The two who got up from their seats walked to the VIP ward. The driver was waiting, tapping his foot at the entrance of the ward.
He, who looked anxious, greeted Eun Soo with a bow and opened the rear seat door.
Eun Soo sat in the back seat. And she opened the window and asked In Woo.
“You mentioned going to America, when are you going?”
“Oh, that?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you say you’d go around the summer?”
“It got cancelled. They said they didn’t need me over there.”
“Ah……”
Eun Soo sighed quietly.
She felt disappointed hearing that a good opportunity had been cancelled. But In Woo laughed lightly as if he didn’t care at all.
“Eun Soo.”
“Yeah.”
“If you need help, just let me know.”
“……I will.”
“Go in carefully.”
“Yeah.”
Eun Soo waved her hand.
As she raised the window, the driver moved the car.
As the car with Eun Soo slowly left the VIP ward, In Woo took out his mobile phone and made a call.
“Yes, Professor. It’s In Woo. I have something to discuss about the American training. I would like to see you right now.”
In Woo scratched his cheek with his hand and made an apologetic expression.
“I think it’s better for someone else to go for the American training.”
A voice, angry about him saying such a thing about a good opportunity, poured out over the phone.
To the voice saying that it was a foolish thing to do, In Woo, as if it were someone else’s problem, answered, “That’s true,” and gave an awkward smile.
In Woo lifted his head and watched Eun Soo’s car get further away for quite some time.
lu lu lo la ▪️ net (lululola.net)
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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