“Why would it be my fault?”
Ji Na’s blood raced, her entire body pulsating with agitation. However, hearing Do Jin’s words oddly cleared her mind.
‘Think only of me.’
Seo Jin Woo’s words echoed clearly.
“I’m sorry, Manager, but this has nothing to do with me.”
Ji Na spoke louder, firmer. Do Jin’s twisted smile stiffened, his disappointment evident at her unexpected response.
“Huh… You’ve changed.”
Do Jin sighed deeply and muttered.
“Yes. I’m not living foolishly like before.”
Ji Na said, resolved not to be swayed by his manipulations.
Before Do Jin could say anything else unnecessary, Ji Na quickly turned to leave. Just a few steps away, a car pulled up in front of the funeral hall. The window rolled down.
“Unnie.”
It was Jin Woo. Surprised, Ji Na climbed into the passenger seat. The car with Ji Na inside swiftly left the funeral hall. Do Jin watched their departure with a dissatisfied gaze.
“How did you get here so suddenly?”
Ji Na blinked in astonishment at Jin Woo’s sudden appearance. He smiled slightly as he held the steering wheel.
“Just thought of you suddenly.”
“What’s with this car?”
It was unfamiliar, not the usual one Jin Woo drove.
“People at the company know my car.”
He must have brought a different car considering Ji Na’s wish to keep their relationship discreet.
“How many cars do you have?”
“Hah… Unnie always underestimates me.”
Jin Woo playfully lifted one corner of his mouth.
“I am a director, after all…”
“Why really are you here?”
Ji Na persisted, not willing to be swayed by his joke.
“Worried about Manager Kim…”
Ji Na couldn’t say much more, accepting Jin Woo’s calm response.
“Thank you.”
Though she had spoken boldly to Do Jin, her fingertips still trembled. Do Jin still felt like a mountain she had to overcome. The wounds he left were still fresh in her heart.
“But I’ll win now. After all, my boyfriend is a director.”
Ji Na playfully followed Jin Woo’s joke. He chuckled softly.
“Did the funeral go well?”
Jin Woo asked tenderly.
“Yes. Our company sent a wreath too. Only our team went, not the other departments.”
“You did well.”
Jin Woo smiled gently, aware that soon he wouldn’t be able to care for her directly.
His departure was scheduled for next Wednesday. The upcoming departure date cast a shadow of unease over both of them.
“I’ll take you home.”
“Okay.”
As their remaining time together dwindled, so did their words.
Even trivial conversations didn’t come easily.
“Rest well.”
Reaching Ji Na’s house, they climbed up to her rooftop room where Jin Woo bid farewell.
“You too.”
Ji Na barely managed to speak, her face void of energy. Jin Woo then said,
“Shall we sleep together?”
“Uh?”
Startled by Jin Woo’s sudden proposition, Ji Na’s eyes widened. Jin Woo gazed at her with deep, earnest eyes.
“I just wanted to hold you close.”
Though he didn’t explicitly say she looked drained, Ji Na understood the sentiment. Naturally, she yearned for him too.
In his embrace, she felt she could regain her strength, like a tiger recharged. However, with their impending separation, she feared becoming too attached. She had to slowly wean herself off his comforting presence.
“Maybe next time. I’m so tired tonight, I’ll probably snore loudly.”
Ji Na gently declined, her face showing regret. Jin Woo appeared equally disappointed.
“Can’t be helped.”
He opened his arms and held Ji Na tightly. Her heart pounded in his embrace.
“Get some good rest.”
Before parting, Jin Woo lightly kissed her and softly stroked her hair. His warm touch, reminiscent of his body heat, calmed Ji Na. As she entered her rooftop room and the light turned on, Jin Woo watched the illuminated window with a wistful gaze before walking away.
As soon as he got into his car, his phone rang.
“Yes.”
[Dash] Director, it’s Manager Kim.
“Hello, Manager Kim.”
[Dash] I’ve checked, and the son has a lot of gambling debts.“Is that so?”
[Dash] Should we proceed with the house purchase as planned, Director?Jin Woo’s fingers gently tapped on the steering wheel. His gaze, cold in the darkness, lingered on Ji Na’s villa.
“Hold off for now. They’ll probably be desperate soon.”
[Dash] Understood.The call ended. Jin Woo started the car. If Ji Na didn’t return to his place, he intended to buy the entire villa.
He hadn’t overlooked the landlord’s sinister gaze. From the start, he’d sensed something off about the man and had investigated him.
Although he found no criminal records, he discovered young women frequently moved out of the rooftop room. Jin Woo planned to get Ji Na into his house by any means. But before that, the man who dared to eye his woman…
‘He will pay a fitting price.’
Jin Woo’s car sped away from the alley.
In the funeral hall, almost empty in the wee hours, Do Jin sat at a table, continuously drinking.
“Stop drinking, Oppa.”
Yoon Ju, exhausted from entertaining guests all day, approached him with a tired face.
“Leave me alone.”
Do Jin’s cold response made Yoon Ju bite her lips.
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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