After Do Hyuk’s film team left, the drinking party continued to buzz. The atmosphere had only reached its midway point, but Hye Yoon only enjoyed up to there before returning to her lodging. Her eyes, heavy with sleep, were quite a bother.
After a quick shower back at the lodging, she walked towards the bed. The fatigue that had piled up from the early morning seemed to be giving its last struggle. Even though it was just a few steps, it felt so slow and heavy.
[Still at the dinner party? I hope you haven’t drunk too much. (9:50 PM)]The message and missed call were both from Ji Ho. Her heavy eyelids faintly crinkled. It always felt good to see the sincerity of someone accustomed to burying their emotions deep down.
He must be worried.
Then, she naturally thought of Do Hyuk’s last farewell. She must have seen the same sincerity, but the sincerity she saw from Ji Ho must have been very different from hers.
“Please tell Senior Ji Ho for me. About that day… I’m truly sorry. He’ll understand if I say it like this.”
“I will.”
“And… I trust in the promise to definitely watch it through the film.”
“Mm, if you trust, I should work even harder.”
The two parted with light laughter as if they had a future together. To Do Hyuk, it felt like a real goodbye, and Hye Yoon sincerely wished for his farewell.
Swooosh[—]
“Wow, thought the waves were crashing.”
When she slightly opened the window, the sound of rain poured in. It felt like the sea she hadn’t seen since arriving in Busan was right outside her window.
Hye Yoon returned to bed and grabbed the remote. She wanted to turn off the TV and fully enjoy the sea-like sound of rain.
“…Huh?”
However, even if there was a real sea outside, it couldn’t beat the fake Ji Ho on TV. While intending to turn off the TV, her hand accidentally changed the channel and found a treasure-like scene. It was Ji Ho’s movie interview.
His delicate and profound masculinity seeped through the subtle freshness. The deep olive-green knit he was wearing now complemented it well.
Ji Ho was gently smiling at the actor seated beside him, processing every word before nodding in agreement.
“Oh, so I was with such a wonderful person.”
She was slightly impatient, fearing that people would only recognize his picture-like appearance. It was truly nothing compared to what he possessed.
Hye Yoon moved her thumb that was resting on the power button to increase the volume. Somehow, it seemed the interview was ending, and she felt regretful. He always seemed to know how to not leave room for regrets.
A voice more romantic than the rain filled Hye Yoon’s room.
“So, lastly, Ji Ho, can you tell us what you remember most from this film?”
“…The day it was released is the most memorable.”
“Oh, of course, nothing is more nerve-wracking than the release day, right?”
His voice filled her heart in an instant. On the screen, Ji Ho, reminiscing, appeared deep in thought for a moment.
“Yes. That day, I was truly… happy.”
Hye Yoon’s nose tingled at his faintly smiling face. An inexplicable sadness poured over her like rain.
“Yet… do you truly like me? Passionately and fondly?”
On a certain autumn night, just before midnight, Ji Ho’s question following his childish confession once again thudded in her heart.
Passionately and fondly. Back then, she couldn’t answer because she didn’t know or felt it wasn’t genuine, but now, she could confidently say it.
“It’s too passionate and fond…”
Hye Yoon turned off the TV where Ji Ho had disappeared and held her phone again.
[I finished the dinner party and came back. Ji Ho, let’s definitely talk tomorrow. I have something to say. (11:22 PM)]
Ji Ho seemed not to have read the message by the time she fell asleep, but it didn’t matter. She simply closed her eyes, hoping to dream of him tonight.
The next day. In the morning, Hye Yoon enjoyed her leisure, but the afternoon was different.
Having settled in a cafe with a laptop and a book for already an hour, she wrote and read with the rain as her background music. Switching between work and rest, the day felt quite pleasant.
Rrrr[—] Rrrr[—]
Of course, the best part was being able to quickly pick up the awaited call from him.
“You picked up really quickly, didn’t you?”
It was indeed her best speed in response to his earnestness. The hand that promptly hit the receive button couldn’t have felt light. Each letter was filled with excitement and joy.
Hye Yoon’s voice, bragging about how quick she was, was accompanied by Ji Ho’s soft laughter.
[—]How was the dinner party yesterday?“Yes. And…
[—]Yes, go on.“Cha Do Hyuk also came by. He wanted to sincerely apologize to you. He said if I said it like this, you’d understand.”
[—]…I see.Hye Yoon paused at his slow response. She wished Ji Ho would savor the apology that Do Hyuk had hard-pressed to deliver. It was clear to her eyes that it was filled with sincerity.
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.]
