Jin Woo’s words took Ji Na’s breath away. For a moment, Ji Na could not say a word.
The weight of his truth, which she had been so curious about, was too heavy. She didn’t know how to accept it.
“I connected it to another printer since the one here was broken. The printouts will be out soon.”
The phrase ‘the broken printer’ sounded as if she was the one who was broken, not the printer. Ji Na abruptly pulled herself together and awkwardly got up. A consistent printing sound came from a printer a bit further away.
“Th, thank you.”
She felt like a robot with tangled circuits. Ji Na headed towards the printer with an awkward posture. The look in Jin Woo’s eyes watching such a Ji Na was indescribably deep.
He had come here solely to meet her.
He had tried so hard to forget her that it was laughable how she naturally came to mind every night. He tried meeting other women, but his heart did not beat as if she was etched into it.
He tried to forget her, but realized that he never once actually forgot her. No, he realized that he had endured a long time with the thought of meeting her.
From then on, he looked everywhere for her like a madman. He asked her friends, listened to news about her, and laughed at the terrible coincidence.
The father who had abandoned Jin Woo and his mother had hired her in his company.
Jin Woo, who wanted to get revenge on his father, gave up everything and joined his father’s company. All for her and her alone.
Jin Woo moved away from Ji Na’s desk. Ji Na seemed lost in thought for a moment, her face a bit blank. As soon as the printing was finished, she put the printouts in a file and placed it on Do Jin’s desk. Jin Woo quietly observed her.
It was already past 8 PM.
Feeling relieved that they were not leaving too late, Jin Woo crossed his arms, watching her with a contented look. Having finished tidying up everything, Ji Na finally picked up her bag and looked at Jin Woo with a serious face.
“Seo Jin Woo.”
Ji Na’s eyes quivered slightly.
“Do you like me?”
At Ji Na’s straightforward question, Jin Woo looked at her with a slightly surprised face. Without any hesitation, Jin Woo replied.
“Yes.”
Although it was an obvious statement, Ji Na’s heart dropped once again.
“I…”
Ji Na’s gaze that was on Jin Woo lowered.
“I won’t have an office romance.”
Her relationship with Do Jin ended up in a mess. She had no intention of doing that again.
“Even if it’s a secret, I won’t do it.”
Ji Na’s lips trembled.
“I’m sorry I can’t accept your feelings.”
It was a second rejection. Of course, Jin Woo hadn’t even confessed yet.
“I didn’t mean to call you, I was thoughtless.”
Why did she think of him first?
Seo Jin Woo came to her mind before anyone else.
Ji Na’s lips, which had barely finished speaking, trembled. Even that appearance looked heartbreaking to Jin Woo.
“I didn’t mean to burden you.”
Jin Woo’s voice resonated lowly.
“I just came because I wanted to be by your side.”
Upon hearing his sincere confession, Ji Na’s hand gripping her bag tightened.
“Actually, there was something I wanted to tell you on the mountain.”
Ji Na paused her words for a moment. Hot emotions surged and subsided.
“Don’t stay by my side.”
Jin Woo looked down at Ji Na without a word.
“When I’m with you, I constantly see my dark and insufficient parts. Compared to you, I feel infinitely inadequate. So, I constantly shrink back. I even make mistakes that I didn’t used to make.”
As if exhaling her breath, Ji Na spat out the words.
“So, until the internship. Just complete the internship and leave. Please.”
Her emotions became twisted. As if someone was squeezing her heart, it hurt.
To the point of making it hard to breathe.
Only a few minutes had passed, but it felt like an unbearable amount of time had elapsed.
Only the sound of Ji Na’s panting filled the space.
After quietly looking at Ji Na for a moment, Jin Woo slowly opened his mouth.
“Yes.”
It was her request. If she was having a hard time because of him, it was obvious that he had to leave.
Even if it meant killing his own soul.
For her, Jin Woo could bear anything.
“I will.”
So, please don’t hurt.
If just his existence made her suffer so much, Jin Woo could disappear into the darkness for her. He could live missing her, even if 10 years or even 100 years passed.
“I’ll leave work first.”
As Jin Woo obediently responded, Ji Na’s heart ironically collapsed.
She was the one who told him to leave, so why was her heart hurting?
But it was a fact.
Ji Na had been diligently trying to live her life properly. As Min Hye said, as her mother said.
And as Do Jin said.
She lived without being greedy, just as much as she was given.
Every time she was greedy, bad results followed. When she was greedy for her marriage with Do Jin, a breakup followed, when she was greedy for a promotion, she got scolded by her boss more often.
She didn’t know if being greedy for Jin Woo would lead to a bigger disaster. No, it was something she had already experienced once.
10 years ago, on the day he confessed his love. Ji Na was so happy that she nearly cried.
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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