The Young Boss (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
“You have to take care of yourself. If you get hurt, you’ll really get scolded.”
In front of Nonsan Training Center, the area bustled with young men who’d shaved their heads short and their families.
She’d sworn she wouldn’t cry no matter what—but hearing sniffles all around made Si Hyeon’s eyes grow hot despite herself.
“Eat well. And if anyone bullies you, call me right away.”
The twenty-year-old youth, nearly 187 cm tall, had always seemed like a child in Si Hyeon’s eyes—specifically, that frail, tiny nine-year-old boy she’d once seen being bullied by peers on the street.
“I’ll file a complaint and get them punished for you… Hic!”
Mid-sentence, Si Hyeon finally buried her face in her hands.
Tae Ha watched the woman seven years his senior—now so much smaller than he was—break into tears with a look of helpless concern.
“……”
His hand, raised hesitantly, wavered several times before ultimately failing to reach her hair, instead clutching tightly at the empty hem of his own jacket.
“Don’t do anything. Just stay put.”
All that reached Si Hyeon’s ears in the end was, as always, his usual blunt tone.
“I’ll finish my service quickly and come running back—just hold on until then.”
Leaving behind a sobbing Si Hyeon, Tae Ha turned away.
Si Hyeon watched his retreating figure disappear through the gate, beneath the large sign reading [Cradle of Patriots], as she wiped away her tears.
…That was the last time she ever saw Yoon Tae Ha, the boy she’d raised.
Six years later.
At nine in the morning, the strong aroma of coffee filled the third-floor lounge of Mirae Bank. Si Hyeon, already making coffee for herself, took the opportunity to prepare several cups for her teammates before heading back to the office.
“Here we go—who hasn’t had their morning coffee yet?”
She cheerfully entered, tray in hand, only to find her teammates’ faces inexplicably turned ashen. They hadn’t looked like this just five minutes ago.
Si Hyeon lowered her voice to ask her colleague at the next desk, Associate Manager Lee Mi Ju.
“What’s going on? Why’s the mood suddenly like this?”
“There was chaos in the U.S. stock market overnight. Just as expected, ours plummeted the moment trading opened. Why is every single stock flashing green?”
Mi Ju sighed, showing Si Hyeon her phone screen filled entirely with green numbers on the stock app.
“According to the financial news, there’s no chance of recovery anytime soon.”
Only then did Si Hyeon realize the reason behind this strange atmosphere. Now it made sense why everyone—from the team leader down to the newest staff—was staring gloomily at their phones.
“You said you don’t invest in stocks, right?”
These days, it was nearly impossible to find an office worker who didn’t trade stocks. Si Hyeon was the only one in her team without even a single share of the ubiquitous Samseong Electronics.
“I don’t even have a stock account.”
“But why don’t you, when everyone else does?”
“There was this one kid I was close to years ago—absolutely sharp as a tack.”
Back then, Si Hyeon had been obsessed with stocks. Her very first playful investment had quadrupled, turning five million won into twenty million, and that was what started it all.
Looking back now, it was pure luck—but at the time, she’d felt like Warren Buffett himself. Maybe she was just a natural-born investing genius?
So she threw in all her savings, took out a credit loan, and boldly invested another fifty million won—all into the then-booming Chinese stock market.
Exactly three months later, the Shanghai Composite Index recorded a historic crash that would be remembered forever.
Staring at stocks now worth only a tenth of their original value, Si Hyeon finally understood what Tae Ha had meant when he told her at enlistment, “Don’t do anything—just stay put.”
Ah! He meant don’t invest in stocks!
“Seriously? A twenty-year-old predicted the Chinese stock market crash in advance?”
“Well, he’s always been interested in economics and stuff like that since high school. Since you’re bringing it up anyway, why not tell us more details?”
Chastising herself for having been too foolish to recognize his warning back then, Si Hyeon took a sip of her now-lukewarm coffee.
“That’s why I haven’t touched stocks ever since.”
“What’s he doing these days? Did he become an analyst at some securities firm?”
“No idea. I don’t even know where he is or what he’s up to.”
Si Hyeon let out a sigh so heavy it felt like the ground might cave in. The last time they’d seen each other was at the training center on his enlistment day. They’d exchanged a few letters afterward, but right after he’d been assigned to his permanent post, all contact had abruptly stopped—and for six long years, she’d heard nothing.
Their idle chatter ended there as the team meeting commenced.
“A new managing director will be joining us tomorrow.”
At the team leader’s words, the team members swallowed hard.
People generally assumed working at a bank meant handling money, but Si Hyeon was actually a UX designer (a role that analyzes customer behavior and needs to design optimal user experiences for apps, ensuring all necessary functions operate seamlessly).
Currently, searching “Mirae Bank” on the App Store yielded a staggering seventeen different applications—each containing separate services for deposits/withdrawals, securities, insurance, credit cards, loans, real estate, and more.
A task force had been assembled to integrate seven of the core apps into a single unified platform—dubbed the “One-App” project—and Si Hyeon was part of this team, often referred to as the “One-App Team.”
Originally slated for completion in six months, the project was now nearly five months in yet remained stuck at the prototype stage. Rumors of drastic measures had been circulating for a month, and now, finally, a new Digital Strategy Managing Director—the overall IT leader—was arriving.
“Which department was he from before?”
“How old is he?”
Questions poured in, but the team leader just shook his head.
“No idea. They said it’s an external hire, but I haven’t heard exact details myself.”
After work, Si Hyeon had dinner with Woo Jin at a restaurant near the office.
She’d been dating Woo Jin, her boyfriend two years her senior, for six years now. They’d already promised to marry sometime this year and were actively discussing wedding plans.
Their workplaces were close enough to walk between, so meeting nearby for dinner together used to be routine.
Lately, however, Woo Jin had become increasingly busy, making it hard even to see each other. With constant overtime and even weekend work, she couldn’t even recall their last date—until today, when they finally met again after ten long days.
Pushing her seolleongtang around half-heartedly, Si Hyeon asked,
“Hey… how much would it cost to hire a private investigator?”
Since thinking about Tae Ha that afternoon, her chest had felt tight all day. With her wedding approaching, she felt Tae Ha absolutely needed to attend. Maybe she should just hire a detective agency.
“Hmm.”
Woo Jin absentmindedly glanced at his phone as he replied vaguely,
“I heard catching a cheater costs about three million won.”
Suddenly, he flinched and dropped his phone.
“What?”
Taken aback by his exaggerated reaction, Si Hyeon stared at him in surprise.
“If you’re going to cheat, at least give me some time first! How can you joke like that when I’m too busy to even eat?”
Caught off guard by Woo Jin’s sudden outburst, Si Hyeon stammered,
“When did I ever say you were cheating?”
“Then…?”
“I was just asking about hiring a detective to find Tae Ha.”
“Oh, sorry, sorry. I didn’t hear you properly.”
Only then did Woo Jin relax, quickly changing the subject.
“By the way, Si Hyeon—do you have time next Wednesday evening?”
Si Hyeon barely held back a laugh at his question. He hadn’t forgotten after being scolded last year, then?
Passion inevitably cooled with time. Last year, he’d even forgotten her birthday, sparking a huge argument.
She knew nothing could stay the same forever. Growing accustomed, becoming comfortable—those weren’t necessarily bad things. But still, forgetting your partner’s birthday? That felt like too much.
She answered with a gentle smile,
“Of course I’ve kept it free.”
But her smile vanished at his next words.
“It’s my mom’s birthday that day. My parents said they’d really like to meet you then.”
Now that he mentioned it, she faintly recalled hearing before that her birthday coincided with his mother’s. Back then, she’d just laughed it off as a funny coincidence—but now that it was actually happening, she felt flustered.
Setting down her spoon with a stiff expression, Si Hyeon said,
“You do know that’s my birthday, right?”
“Of course I do. But my parents specifically asked to see you that day. Since it’s their special day, they probably want to treat you to something nice.”
Complicated thoughts swirled in her mind. Would her birthday be forever overshadowed by her future mother-in-law from now on?
Noticing Si Hyeon’s sour expression, Woo Jin quickly added,
“If it really bothers you, I’ll tell them we’ll come another day. You can just say you have plans with friends—it is your birthday, after all.”
But she couldn’t just readily agree. This was her first formal meeting with his parents; declining because of “friend plans” might come across as impolite.
“Never mind. Let’s just meet them that day. It’s probably better to follow the elders’ wishes.”
“You sure?”
Woo Jin finally relaxed and grinned broadly, but Si Hyeon couldn’t bring herself to smile back.
At the start of their relationship, he’d chased after her passionately, insisting he couldn’t live without her. He matched her in university, career, and salary—and was even two years younger. Yet as the years passed, she increasingly felt like the weaker one in the relationship.
Since serious wedding talks began earlier this year, it had only gotten worse—like she was constantly being pulled along at his pace.
Unaware of her complicated feelings, Woo Jin glanced at her cautiously and asked,
“Nervous about meeting my parents?”
“A little.”
“They’re really kind people, so don’t worry. You know we only have sons at home—they’ll treat you like a daughter.”
Instead of replying, Si Hyeon picked up her spoon again. The once-hot seolleongtang now tasted even greasier, completely cold.
The next morning, as Si Hyeon entered the office lobby, she suddenly stopped in her tracks—someone standing by the elevator had immediately caught her eye.
At a glance, he stood well over 185 cm tall, with shoulders and a back as broad as the Pacific Ocean. Though his face wasn’t visible from behind, his build alone was arresting enough to draw attention.
‘Did someone that tall work here all along? How did I not know?’
She recalled hearing recently that new employee orientation had just ended. Ah, must be a new hire.
Curious about what his face looked like—given how striking his back view was—Si Hyeon quietly stepped closer and stood beside him.
The moment she peeked at his profile, Si Hyeon’s eyes widened in shock.
“…!”
It was hard to guess his age at first glance. His flawless skin and perfectly defined jawline clearly placed him in his twenties, yet his calm, composed eyes and solemn expression—paired with his classic suit—made him seem far more mature.
He was visibly mixed-race: jet-black hair, deep brown eyes, sharply contoured eyes, and a high, straight nose gave him an almost theatrical handsomeness, while his firmly closed lips lent an air of refined elegance.
He seemed sculpted from the best features of both twenties and thirties, East and West.
But it wasn’t his beauty that stunned Si Hyeon.
It was the boy she’d raised.
Yoon Tae Ha—the one she’d searched for desperately over six long years—stood before her, impossibly real.
“…”
While Si Hyeon stood speechless, the elevator arrived. She watched dazedly as the man stepped in—and just before the doors closed, she darted inside.
Without warning, she threw her arms around him, feeling him stiffen in surprise.
“You horrible brat.”
Hugging his enormous frame—too big to fully encircle—Si Hyeon babbled incoherently,
“Do you have any idea how much I looked for you? How could you just disappear without a single word…!”
Tears poured out uncontrollably.
She’d tried everything to find him, all in vain. The Ministry of National Defense refused to disclose personal information to non-relatives. When she visited his home after his discharge, strangers were already living there. Searching his name on social media yielded hundreds of namesakes but no trace of him.
So she’d carried a heavy stone in her heart ever since. On days she feared he might have been injured or worse during service, she couldn’t sleep at all.
“…It’s fortunate no one’s around to see this.”
Into Si Hyeon’s overwhelmed ears dropped an utterly composed voice.
“If you find me appealing, you could simply say so with words.”
Slowly, Si Hyeon lifted her head.
The face she’d never once forgotten in her dreams now gazed down at her with strange, distant eyes.
The eyes of a perfect stranger.
“Tae Ha…?”
She stared blankly as Tae Ha calmly straightened his collar. She couldn’t grasp what was happening.
The elevator stopped. As Tae Ha stepped out without hesitation, Si Hyeon called out desperately,
“Wait…!”
Just then, someone waiting by the elevator bowed politely toward Tae Ha.
“Managing Director, the CEO is expecting you.”
Si Hyeon couldn’t believe her ears. Managing Director…?
Tae Ha glanced back at her as if she were just another odd stranger, then turned away.
“Let’s go.”
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
_____
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Wants to marry Woo Jin or just wants to marry to get away from family pressure & feel as if she has a home and family?
So is the other woman Bo Ra? I feel like it is. Who would gush over lotion as a gift on a friend’s behalf?