“Finally got your appointment, huh? Which school? When do you start?”
Yeoreum answered Mirae’s excited, rapid questions more slowly.
“The school is Gamsan High School. I start next Monday.”
“Already?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s really great, Yeoreum! I was so busy today that I just saw your message.”
Mirae’s voice almost seemed to leap out of the phone in excitement.
“It’s the beginning of the semester, so there will be a lot of work, but it’s still exciting.”
“Of course. You waited over a year even after passing the teacher certification.”
Overlooking the night sea of Haeundae, the majestic Uarium Resort stood proudly. Yeoreum continued her conversation with her friend Mirae as she walked towards the resort.
Despite the chilly late February sea breeze and the time past 9 PM, many people were still passing by, likely because it was a Saturday.
“Your parents must be happy, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Why so nonchalant? Your daughter has become the top daughter-in-law material, a teacher, instead of doing all sorts of part-time jobs.”
“You know how it is. My parents are more interested in each other than in me.”
“True, your parents have a unique approach to education. They’ve been hands-off since elementary school, no allowance, and even collected a million won a month in living expenses from their semi-unemployed daughter. It’s not easy for parents of an only child to be like that.”
“Today, they went on a trip, just the two of them. They used to take me everywhere.”
“Anyway, they’re such a loving couple. And they both are so good-looking. Ah, I want to get married like them.”
“That’s kind of true. But seeing them every day can be a bit too much. It’s kind of cheesy.”
“How come you ended up like this, living under such affectionate parents?”
“What do you mean?”
“Still no boyfriend at 25. No, wait. Now that you’re appointed, good men will be lining up, right?”
“Maybe?”
“For sure!”
They both laughed heartily.
“But Mirae, your Seoul dialect has improved a lot.”
“Really? Do I sound like a real Seoul lady now?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve been working hard on my standard Korean before coming to Seoul. These days, I hardly use dialect anymore. It’s like perfect, isn’t it?”
“Right.”
They laughed together again.
Meanwhile, Yeoreum entered the resort and walked towards the pool villas, built separately like annexes.
Couples with arms linked strolled under the streetlights lining the forest path.
“Ah, it’s such a pity. Wouldn’t it be better if you got a job in Seoul? You even graduated from a university there.”
“My dad is dead set against Seoul. Remember how he and my mom had their first big argument over sending me to college in Seoul?”
“Your dad really hates Seoul, despite both of your parents being from there.”
“Exactly.”
“Yeoreum, we should really party on a day like today…”
Mirae sounded genuinely regretful.
“I’ll come up soon and we can set a date.”
“Let’s do that. I’ve got some great restaurants lined up. But tonight’s your last resort pool cleaning, right?”
“I just told the manager. I’ll have free weekends now.”
“Great! Yeoreum, congratulations on your school appointment, and come to Seoul soon. I’ll treat you to something special.”
“Thanks.”
After exchanging goodbyes, Mirae ended the call with a hint of sadness. Yeoreum entered the villa.
“Ah, has Teacher Jung arrived?”
People who had arrived earlier warmly greeted Yeoreum.
A contractor company handling pool cleaning comprised three middle-aged women, two men, and Yeoreum, a part-time worker only in the evenings, making a total of six who had worked together for over a year.
“Did you finally get your appointment? The manager mentioned it, right?”
Yeoreum, tying on her work apron and tying her long hair into a tight ponytail, responded.
“Yes.”
“Oh my, that’s wonderful. So you’re a real teacher now? Teacher Jeong Yeoreum!”
They were genuinely happy for her, as if it was their own achievement.
“Thank you. And, I won’t be able to work here anymore.”
“Of course, you have so much work to do as a school teacher.”
They wholeheartedly congratulated Yeoreum on her new appointment.
Then the manager clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention.
“We have three tasks today, so let’s move as quickly as possible. You all know what to do, right?”
“Yes!”
Everyone dispersed to their respective areas.
Yeoreum, holding a long-handled brush, went down to the pool.
She scrubbed the drained pool floor vigorously with the brush.
“It’s a shame, isn’t it? Yeoreum was our endorphin booster.”
“Don’t make her feel bad about leaving for a good cause.”
The manager immediately reproached them.
“It really is a shame. Yeoreum is such a good worker, meticulous and with a great personality.”
“It was strange for a teacher to do this kind of work in the first place. Stop chattering and focus on scrubbing the floor.”
Heeding his advice, everyone moved more briskly.
After thoroughly brushing the pool’s floor and walls, disinfecting, and rinsing with clean water, they filled it with comfortably warm water.
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
