Without any particular thought, Yuri opened the box, and a small sigh escaped her lips. Inside the box was a quite sophisticated wristwatch.
The watch wasn’t adorned with elaborate finishes or large jewels, but its unique design made it instantly recognizable. The watch inside the box was a luxury item that exceeded the annual salary of most ordinary workers.
As Yuri looked at him with surprise, Jeho gently smiled and placed the watch on her wrist.
“Do you like it?”
Just judging by the wristwatch, of course, she liked it. The design was so perfect and cool. However, it was too expensive a gift to receive without any reason.
“I like it, but… It’s burdensome. As you know, Jeho, I can’t afford to wear something so expensive.”
“Why? Because you’re Congressman Chae’s daughter?”
Yuri nodded lightly, locking eyes with him.
She had always been cautious since she was a child. Especially accessories like watches or bags had a set limit. If she wore even a slightly expensive product, sanctions came immediately.
After unwrapping the watch, Yuri put it back into the wooden box and handed it to Jeho.
“I’ll just take the sentiment.”
“Okay. Then, don’t wear it except when you’re with me.”
“Still, just having something so expensive is unsettling.”
“Unsettling?”
“For no reason.”
“Put it in the safe, and you won’t have to worry about it.”
At the mention of a safe, Yuri unintentionally shivered.
“A safe?”
“Come here. I’ll tell you where it is.”
Holding the wooden box, Jeho stood up from the sofa. But Yuri couldn’t follow him. She didn’t want to know where the safe was.
Enough is enough. Should I say it’s not necessary?
However, it wouldn’t hurt to find out in advance what might happen.
In the end, Yuri moved her steps to follow him. As expected, Jeho opened the door and entered the study.
The safe was positioned in the center of the bookshelf. When Jeho took out a book on the far left, a panel behind it descended smoothly, revealing the safe door.
“You don’t need a password. It opens automatically when it recognizes your face.”
As Jeho brought his face close to the glowing red light, it turned blue, and with a click, the safe door opened.
Yuri momentarily closed her eyes without thinking. She didn’t want to peek inside the safe. The moment she saw it, she felt she might cross a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
Jeho, as if finding Yuri’s closed eyes amusing, chuckled and hugged her warmly.
“It’s okay. There’s nothing special inside. Open your eyes.”
Yuri, calming her excited heart, slowly opened her eyes.
Inside the safe were documents that looked like contracts and a worn-out ledger.
Could it be the ledger that Vice President Kwon wanted to swap?
But what Vice President Kwon wanted would never happen. If the safe only opened when recognizing Jeho’s face, she would never get her hands on that ledger.
“Is it over now?”
After placing the wooden box on the ledger, Jeho closed the safe and asked.
“Yes.”
If she informed Vice President Kwon that she could never open the safe, there was nothing he could do. Jeho told her to swap the ledger right in front of him, but even if she were an agent from the National Intelligence Service, it was an impossible task.
At that moment, Jeho softly whispered in her ear as his lips approached.
“I programmed it to open with Yuri’s face as well, so you can open it anytime using the same method.”
“……Yes?”
“I did it when updating the security program last time.”
Why… Why on earth?
But she couldn’t bring herself to ask. Yuri stared at the old ledger inside the safe.
An irresistible temptation was sending languid gestures toward her.
That night, Yuri spent the night in the guest room.
Even though it was a quite comfortable bed, she couldn’t sleep properly. With her mind in turmoil, repeating between sleeping and waking, she suddenly found the day breaking.
Unable to lie down any longer, Yuri got up in a hurry and headed to the bathroom. After a quick shower, Yuri left the guest room and went to check the master room where Jeho was.
“Jeho, are you awake?”
As there was no answer, Yuri knocked and cautiously opened the door. Then, an empty bed came into view. Even after checking the bathroom and dressing room, he was nowhere to be found.
Whether he went outside for morning exercise or not, Jeho’s figure was nowhere to be seen inside the house.
Thinking of calling him, Yuri changed her mind and left a note on the kitchen island.
Although Jeho suggested going to the office together to get their things last night, now she needed some time alone.
Leaving the house, Yuri headed not to her office but to her hometown, contrary to what she had written in the note.
“Yuri, what’s going on so early in the morning?”
Mrs. Ahn welcomed Yuri with a somewhat surprised expression.
“Father, haven’t you left yet? Can I see you?”
“I’m on the terrace. Come. I’ll bring you some coffee.”
Hurrying to the kitchen to disappear, Mrs. Ahn’s back disappeared from Yuri’s sight, and Yuri walked to the terrace.
As Congressman Ahn, who was reading a newspaper on the terrace, saw Yuri approaching, he looked at her with a puzzled expression. Instead of saying anything, Yuri pulled a chair and sat down in front of Congressman Ahn.
“It’s early. Did something happen?”
“Unless it’s too early, I thought I might not be able to see you without contacting you. Is it okay?”
“What’s the matter?”
Congressman Ahn put down the newspaper and adjusted his posture. Instead of immediately opening her mouth, Yuri stared at Congressman Ahn. He would never know that Yuri was holding a knife in her hand.
All night long, she thought and thought again.
Certainly, what Vice President Kwon did to her was a threat. But viewed a bit differently, it could also be an opportunity for revenge.
Whatever decision she makes, it all becomes revenge for her.
Leaving Vice President Kwon to spread the adultery scandal to the media is a kind of revenge towards the family. Also, swapping the secret ledger to disrupt Jeho’s planned actions is another act of revenge.
Her father, who committed adultery, driving a nail into her mother’s heart. Congressman Chae Hyeong-sik, who approached her with false acting, driving a nail into her heart. Which of the two hurt more?
It’s strange. Having suffered like that…
Now that she was trying to hurt them, oddly enough, Yuri’s heart felt painful, as if it were being tightly squeezed.
Even though she’s the one holding the knife.
It should be easy to swing it freely against the desired opponent.
But why does it feel uncomfortable?
Is it because she’s not ruthless enough? Or is it because she’s too foolishly complacent?
“……Father.”
Yuri, locking eyes with Congressman Chae, hesitantly spoke.
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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