As she entered the house, a savory smell wafted from every direction. Ye Ryeong walked towards the source of the delicious aroma.
In the kitchen, Mrs. Hong, who helped with the household chores, and her mother-in-law, Mar Hye Young, were busily moving around.
The wide kitchen counter was covered with appetizing dishes, leaving no empty space.
“Mother, what’s all this?”
“What do you mean? It’s all for you to eat. I made a few side dishes.”
The quantity and variety were substantial.
It looked as if she had dried seeds from the mountain for herbs.
Bracken, spinach, crown daisy, perilla leaves, pumpkin tendrils, and eggplant salad, to name a few. Ye Ryeong knew her mother-in-law had a generous hand, but who were all these dishes for?
“Want to taste?”
“Yes.”
Attracted by the aroma of sesame oil, Ye Ryeong eagerly approached the counter.
She opened her mouth like a baby bird. Mar Hye Young picked up some seasoned chwinamul and fed Ye Ryeong.
“How is it?”
“Delicious. But why did you make so much?”
“This is nothing. There’s hardly any left once I take care of you, Tae Jo, and Mrs. Hong.”
“Are you sending some to the young master? He doesn’t take them even when you make them because he doesn’t eat at home.”
Ye Ryeong took a pair of chopsticks and began tasting the other side dishes.
During her time as the CEO of JK Food, Mar Hye Young had met famous artisans nationwide and learned cooking directly, making her culinary skills almost on par with professional chefs.
“This was Tae Jo’s request. He asked me to make some side dishes.”
“Tae Jo? That’s unexpected.”
“Right? I was surprised too. Tae Jo must be tired of eating out. He said he wanted to eat simply at home on weekends and asked me to send some side dishes. I was going to send him ganjang gejang, but he said he wanted dishes with mild flavors.”
Mar Hye Young shrugged her shoulders, having pondered since morning what to prepare.
“Tae Jo must miss your cooking since he can’t come home often.”
“That’s possible. If he came home, I’d cook something even more delicious. By the way, have you had dinner? If not, I’ll set it up for you.”
“What about you?”
“I ate earlier. Mrs. Hong, please prepare dinner for Ye Ryeong. I’ll tidy up here.”
“Alright, ma’am.”
“And take out some dongchimi from the kimchi fridge. Ye Ryeong, do you want some too? Sunim said the dongchimi turned out well this time. I’m going to pack some for Tae Jo, but I can pack some for you if you want.”
“Yes, please. Dongchimi noodles would be delicious.”
Mar Hye Young waved her to the dining table. As Ye Ryeong sat down, Mrs. Hong quickly set a lavish table.
“The ganjang gejang is full of meat and delicious. Why would Tae Jo refuse it? He’s not allergic.”
Ye Ryeong mixed the crab meat with rice. Adding crispy radish and the refreshing broth of dongchimi, the combination was a delightful mix of sweet, cool, and salty.
“When are you planning to send the food to the young master?”
“I’ll either go myself tomorrow or ask Driver Kim to deliver it.”
“There won’t be anyone at home during the day. Should I drop by on my way later?”
“You’re going to Tae Jo’s house? No need to go to such lengths.”
“Tae Jo has a dinner appointment today, so he’ll be home late. I might as well stop by on my way, see him if he’s there. I’m not sure if he’s home right now, though.”
“He said he was heading home from work earlier, so he should be there by now.”
“Then that’s perfect. Please pack mine along with Tae Jo’s.”
Ye Ryeong nodded as she finished her remaining rice. In the meantime, Mar Hye Young had packed various dishes for Tae Jo.
“Hm? Isn’t this a bit much?”
“I thought I might as well pack more. Should I just send it through Driver Kim tomorrow?”
Mar Hye Young laughed, a bit embarrassed. An additional large shopping bag had joined the three-tiered food container.
Ye Ryeong opened the shopping bag to inspect its contents.
“Is this for Tae Jo? What’s in this jar and that one?”
“Stir-fried gochujang. I added ground meat. I’ve also packed ganjang gejang for you.”
“Wow, we’re getting the royal treatment thanks to Tae Jo.”
Ye Ryeong smiled contentedly. As she headed down to the garage, she loaded the items into the back seat and looked back at Mar Hye Young.
“Please go in, Mother.”
“Alright. Drive safely. I’ll let Tae Jo know you’re coming.”
“No, I’ll call when I get there. Please don’t contact him separately.”
After bidding farewell to Mar Hye Young, Ye Ryeong got into the driver’s seat.
“It’s no fun if I contact him in advance.”
Muttering to herself, a mischievous smile appeared on Ye Ryeong’s lips.
[Dash] Young Master, I’m outside your house. Please open the door.Holding his phone, Tae Jo glanced towards the entrance. The sound of knocking and Ye Ryeong’s cheerful voice seemed to echo.
“Why are you calling instead of using the doorbell?”
Tae Jo chuckled in disbelief. Why call him when she was at the door and the bell was working fine?
He walked to the entrance and opened the door, stepping aside to let Ye Ryeong in. She peered inside the house.
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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