He is a man so beautiful that it takes one’s breath away.
Under the plum blossom tree, the man stood, watching the flower petals flutter like snow and wearing a smile on his lips.
His appearance was so incredibly beautiful that I found myself staring at it in a trance.
The man, who caught the flying petals with one hand, clenched his fist tightly and turned his head.
Jinheon Dae-gun, he met eyes with him.
Eunseol, who had been secretly watching Dae-gun from behind the back gate, turned around without a moment to calm her rapidly beating heart.
Having reached the main porch, she sat down, breathing heavily.
Whether the sound of her heart pounding was because of the man or due to her hurried arrival, it was hard to tell.
“Have you seen a ghost?”
Startled by the voice from behind, she turned her head.
Before she could catch her breath, she was startled once again. With wide eyes, the surprised girl shifted her gaze to Kim Heegyeom, who was sitting behind her.
“What did you see that made you run so urgently? And why is your face so flushed?”
After calming her racing heart as best as she could, Eunseol, still surprised, smiled and greeted her teacher, who had been waiting for her on the porch.
She had forgotten that today was the day for art lessons.
“Teacher, when did you arrive?”
“Not long ago. I never thought that the guy who had never been late once would be late today.”
“I’m sorry. I forgot there was a lesson today.”
“This somehow feels disappointing. Also, if the bride-to-be runs around like a wild horse the day before the wedding, what should I do?”
A faint smile appeared on Heegyeom’s lips as he brushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen onto her forehead.
The tension in her heart, which had been tense, loosened as if it had never been there.
Kim Heegyeom was always such a presence to her.
Abandoned by her father from birth and living in the hellish life of scorn and abuse from her stepmother, she had come to know Heegyeom, a secondary scholar acquainted with her father. Under the pretext of teaching her writing and drawing, he had enabled her to distance herself from her stepmother.
Despite her stepmother’s opposition, she was able to learn writing and drawing thanks to Heegyeom’s persistent persuasion.
The time spent learning to draw was also a time when she didn’t have to be mindful of anyone’s gaze.
It became the one day she could breathe freely.
Heegyeom, who had stopped the time of suffering, was a respected teacher and a reliable family member to Eunseol.
Heegyeom was the one who gave her the light of the world, trapped as she was in a prison-like annex.
Thus, the teacher had protected her for ten years, making sure she didn’t suffer.
“Today must be the last lesson.”
“I’m sorry to part with a teacher who has so much to teach.”
“I never thought all of a sudden that you would be marrying Jinheon Dae-gun. So, how do you feel?”
Without answering Heegyeom’s question, Eunseol just lowered her head, smiling bitterly.
The sudden marriage ceremony with Jinheon Dae-gun was something she had never anticipated.
She had heard that her name was put on the selection list to fulfill the formalities, but for some reason, she ended up being the final candidate.
As a result, she found herself going through the marriage ceremony with Dae-gun without any say in the matter.
A deep sigh from her settled on the porch. It was a strange and unsettling wedding ceremony, despite being a joyous occasion.
“I still can’t believe you’re becoming a married woman. Does Dae-gun still visit this place frequently?”
“Yes, he occasionally comes by to have a drink with Eunju, no, Father.”
“What’s the use of coming now? I had hoped you would marry someone more ordinary.”
“If it bothers you that much, Teacher, you should have proposed first. Why didn’t you?”
“What? To you?”
Eunseol looked at Heegyeom’s surprised face, her face freezing in response to his light-hearted joke.
“It’s a joke. There’s no need for you to take it so seriously.”
“Huh, would I think about getting married if I proposed to you?”
“Well.”
When Eunseol hesitated to answer, Heegyeom looked at her with an incredulous expression and burst into laughter.
She laughed along with him at his laughter.
When her father put Eunseol’s name on the selection list instead of Eunju’s, Heegyeom was the one who expressed his anger the most.
It was understandable since anyone who heard rumors about Dae-gun wouldn’t want their daughter to be sent to him.
Jinheon Dae-gun.
The rumors she heard about him weren’t exactly flattering.
A libertine and lascivious man who was said to live in debauchery every day.
Such Dae-gun had been visiting her father frequently lately.
Father and Dae-gun always sat on the main porch, drinking, and she used to sneak a peek at them from behind the annex.
Eunseol learned about the rumors around that time, but still, she couldn’t help but keep looking at him. Somehow, he didn’t seem like a bad person as the rumors suggested.
She harbored feelings for him for no particular reason.
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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