The sound of water that had filled the quiet room ceased.
The shower must have ended now.
Sitting at the end of the bed, staring at the bathroom door, Su Ah swallowed her dry saliva.
The door opened with a creak, revealing Ha Joon, who had come out of the shower drenched.
Solid chest muscles visible inside the bathrobe, and the water droplets still undried, running down over them.
Su Ah’s gaze slid down Ha Joon’s body, following the flowing droplets.
Gosh, Su Ah, get a grip! What are you going to do if you blatantly stare at a man’s body that you’ve seen for the first time?
Su Ah, who suddenly came to her senses, turned her head swiftly.
“Aren’t you going to take a shower?”
Ha Joon asked, looking at Su Ah, who was still sitting on the bed.
“Ah, no. I am going to shower. I was about to do so.”
At the sudden voice, Su Ah hurriedly rose from her spot.
Was my question that startling?
Ha Joon, who was tilting his head at her reaction, stepped away from the bathroom door.
That meant she could go in.
Su Ah headed towards the bathroom in a rush, as if fleeing.
With a creak, the door closed.
“Sigh……. To think I would end up sleeping with a man I just met.”
A heavy sigh leaked from her lips, standing in front of the sink.
“Of course. You should never do something you’ve never done before. Why on earth did I decide to climb the mountain!”
Her regretful monologue, carried by the steam, filled the bathroom.
Three days ago from now.
It was a fullblown spring day when cherry blossoms were falling like a flower rain.
HS Convenience store, located in a sparsely populated residential area.
“Damn! Why are so many petals falling! It’s not like I’m training a dog, they’re falling and making a mess again as soon as I sweep them!”
Su Ah’s brow furrowed instantly as she swept up the fallen petals in front of the convenience store.
“They’re just pretty. What’s the issue?”
Da Eun, who had been sitting at the outdoor table, looked up at the fluttering cherry blossoms.
“That may be the case for you, with your leisurely mindset. For a parttimer like me, they’re just pretty trash.”
Annoyance seeped through Su Ah’s tone.
“I can’t do this anymore! No, I won’t do it!!”
In the end, Su Ah impatiently propped the broom she was holding against the corner of the wall and sat down opposite Da Eun.
“Su Ah, is today the day the interview results come out?”
Given how particularly irritated she was today, it seemed likely.
Da Eun raised her eyebrows and asked.
“Huh? How did you know? Did I tell you?”
“No, you didn’t say anything, but seeing how you’re acting, it just seemed like it.”
“Why? What’s wrong with how I’m acting?”
“You’re asking because you don’t know? It’s written all over your face. It says, ‘I’m sensitive today, so no one should bother me’.”
Ugh. As expected, you, of all people, know everything about me.
Da Eun had been Su Ah’s best friend since middle school, through college, and they still spent every day together.
So, of course, she could tell what was going on just by her expression.
“Yep. They said they would announce it today, but I haven’t heard anything yet.”
Dingdong. A message arrived just in time.
[We apologize. You have been unsuccessful in the recent interview…….]“I failed again.”
Su Ah’s gaze dropped to the floor along with her selfesteem.
“It’s not like this is the first or second time you’ve failed an interview, why are you so down all of a sudden?”
“Hey! That’s exactly why I’m down. It’s not the first or second time.”
You, who has a secure home, wouldn’t understand how I feel. Su Ah pouted and rolled her eyes.
“You should’ve listened when I said to give up on the big corporations and go to a smaller company that would recognize your abilities. Tsk tsk.”
Da Eun, who had a habit of saying what she wanted to say even if it meant dying for it, didn’t care about Su Ah’s expression.
“You never know. There might be a big corporation out there that would recognize my abilities.”
“I’ve told you over and over, your chances of getting a job at a big corporation are slim, you know?”
“……”
“Why would they pick you out of all the other applicants with similar appearances and qualifications? They would choose someone prettier or with more accomplished parents.”
Hit with a barrage of brutal facts, Su Ah lost her words.
Who wouldn’t know that? She had been desperately ignoring it, thinking ‘just one more year. Just one more year.’ That’s why she had been trying her hardest.
It would be a blessing if, after all that effort, she got hired even by mistake.
“Those companies that can’t recognize talent like this. They should all go bankrupt!”
As she spoke, irritation welled up in Su Ah and she crumpled her face and raised her voice.
“Luckily, our convenience store won’t go bankrupt. We’ve hired such a competent parttimer.”
Ji Hoon, who had quietly approached, interjected.
“With Su Ah’s abilities, she could easily get a job at a big corporation and still have options. So don’t worry too much.”
Ji Hoon patted Su Ah’s shoulder.
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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