My heart rang. Jina, whose arms were wrapped around Jinwoo’s neck, blinked at Jinwoo.
“What is it, that…”
For a moment, her throat froze. Jina’s heart trembled at the sincerity in Jinwoo’s eyes. The room for jokes disappeared.
“I thought you’d ask for three.”
Barely overcoming the crisis, Jina casually said.
“Having Jiwoo alone is enough.”
Jinwoo smiled at Jina, looking straight into her eyes.
“I’ll do my best to endure.”
Jinwoo’s whispering voice was playful. This time, she could properly direct her gaze towards Jinwoo. Jinwoo straightened Jina. She was the woman he loved most, the woman he would never let go of, even giving his life if necessary.
“I love you.”
Jinwoo’s passionate confession pierced Jina’s ears.
“I love you too.”
Jina whispered softly.
“Oh, he’s awake.”
Their attention turned back to the baby amid the small commotion. The baby, who had opened his eyes after waking up, had bright, shining pupils.
“Oh, my baby.”
Jina’s mom exclaimed as she held the baby. Jina and Jinwoo couldn’t say anything more. The lovely eyes of the beautiful baby overwhelmed them.
Jinwoo’s arms, holding Jina, tightened. He would never let go of the woman who was his everything. Forever.
A cup of tea turned into a glass of alcohol.
“Director Yoo, you held up well.”
“…So did you, Yoonju.”
Director Yoo, with a bitter smile, let out a small sigh. He was betrayed by his wife. Only after the baby died did he realize it wasn’t his child. The man who had always been silent about everything couldn’t think of escaping from his own world.
“Surviving is living.”
Yoonju mumbled softly.
“I hope Director Yoo finds happiness too.”
“…Are you happy, Yoonju?”
Director Yoo’s deep gaze focused on Yoonju.
“I dare say I’m trying to be happy.”
Yoonju lowered her gaze to the empty glass.
“That’s the only way he’ll forgive me.”
Her voice sank. Director Yoo, who had silently watched her, emptied his glass.
“He seems like a good person.”
“Yes.”
“I also want to be a good person to you, Yoonju.”
“…?”
Yoonju’s gaze, which had drifted away, turned to Director Yoo.
“A good friend.”
Director Yoo drew a faint smile. Despite the smile, his eyes were profoundly lonely. Yoonju looked at him and smiled back.
“Okay.”
Meeting someone with similar wounds felt oddly comforting. Sharing the pain that each had suffered alone made them feel as if they had known each other from the beginning.
“I’ll be a good friend to you too.”
“Thank you.”
Laughter filled the gaze of the two who met. Perhaps it was a very small liking. So, gradually, the two began to cover each other’s deep wounds.
Seo, the chairman, met his fate. He was 69 years old.
At his funeral, Jinwoo, who stood as the mourner, did not shed a single tear. His composed reception of the condolence visitors made those who witnessed it feel the sadness.
As befitting the chairman, the funeral was grand. Jinwoo couldn’t find a moment’s rest due to the corridors filled with wreaths, extending even beyond the funeral hall, and the continuous influx of mourners.
Although Chairman Seo was disqualified as a father, he was a fairly respected figure as the chairman, and people from local small businesses who had received help from him came in droves.
It wasn’t until very late at night that Jinwoo could take a brief rest. Sehee did not stand as the mourner. Her name wasn’t even mentioned as the mourner. Throughout the funeral, she sat among the guests in her black mourning attire.
“Chairman never filed a marriage report with me.”
Recalling Iljun, who had been sorry to the end, Sehee smiled bitterly. She was not his official family. It was an agreement from the beginning.
“If he had a child, he might have acknowledged them. But in the end, we decided to live as we were, without having children.”
That was how Sehee, a woman who had lived as an unofficial partner of a man, spent her life. Jinwoo, who learned this fact late, couldn’t say anything.
“Jinwoo, that’s probably what your father wanted to protect you until the end.”
Just for that small thing…
He couldn’t replace the time spent together as a father and son.
“Grandmother…”
Sitting blankly on one side of the funeral hall, Mrs. Kang hadn’t eaten anything for two days. She, who had left harsh words for her only son until the end, seemed to have lost all her strength.
“At least have something to eat.”
“I’m fine.”
Mrs. Kang forced a smile towards Jinwoo with moist eyes.
“You, on the other hand, should eat something.”
Staring blankly at the portrait of her deceased son, Mrs. Kang seemed to have lost all the energy she had used to scold her son.
On the last day of the funeral, Jina came. It was after Jinwoo had repeatedly told her not to come after less than a month since she left.
“Noona, why are you here?”
“It’s your father’s final journey. Of course, I should be here.”
Wearing black mourning attire, Jina bowed her head in front of the portrait, placing a single chrysanthemum. Jinwoo looked at Jina like that and bit his lip.
“Thank you, Noona.”
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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