March’s dawn seemed no different than two months ago. The sky was still as dark as night. However, everyone could feel that something had changed overnight, perhaps the season.
Ji-ho slowly got up from bed. The air outside the blanket was no longer cold. It was 5:30 AM. He had been sleeping for four hours and working straight through each day.
“Ah… I’m tired.”
His voice still sounded somewhat sleepy.
Ji-ho was still spending busy times. Many postponed advertisements had been renewed, and there were still several ad shoots left to do.
Two months ago, “23 Centimeters” made history, achieving an impressive 19% viewership on the drama special, seemingly unlikely to be surpassed. It was a splendid second place.
Although there was only a 1% difference from the indisputable first-place drama on the next channel, there were moments when the ratings surpassed it. One was during the separation scene between Jong-soo and Hee-soo, and the other was Jong-soo’s crying scene, which was almost the climax of the drama. The latter was interpreted as a satisfying result, considering it was almost the end of the series.
The last episode, the momentary highest viewership in the last scene. It truly marked a successful end.
Of course, the most-watched video was undoubtedly the kissing scene between the two. Even though it was an edited scene with no suggestive feelings, the video’s views had been rapidly increasing even two months later.
Dash—Dash—
Ji-ho moved slowly. Even the slippers made a long sound following his slow steps. Holding the casually removed T-shirt in one hand, he entered the shower room.
Then, while pressing his shoulders and neck, facing the mirror, for a moment, it seemed like he could hear Bong-gi’s voice. Looking at the body in the mirror, he recalled the words he heard every time he saw himself lately.
As it was a face he saw every day, it was a story he heard every day.
“Wow… why does your body keep getting better? Are you doing something without me knowing? Taking some medicine?”
“Hehe. What medicine? It’s because I exercise.”
“I’ve been exercising for ten years. Lately, you’ve been getting too good. Doesn’t the trainer say something like me?”
“…He did say something similar.”
The face in the mirror nodded slightly.
“…I guess I got better.”
Feeling a bit unlucky, a wry smile escaped.
In terms of numbers, his weight had increased by 1kg, but his muscles had increased by 3kg. Although he worked out diligently, there was one reason he could clearly identify.
Because he ate deliciously.
From January to March, in the past two months, it felt like he had tried many foods he had never eaten in his life. There was time, there was money, and the woman who was eager to feed him new foods was so lovely. Hence, the rice tasted good.
There were foods that made me exclaim, and there were also foods that made me wonder if they could be considered food. The latter was like this, so whimsical that it made me question if it really was food.
“Hehe. Do people eat this too?”
“Yeah. Isn’t it incredibly cute?”
The Hanwoo omakase that Hye-yoon reserved a few weeks ago felt like playing house. Two pieces of meat, seemingly too high-end to be imported, were elegantly placed on each wide plate.
The places they had visited before were similar. A sandwich with only half of a palm-sized radish, sushi served on cute plates with just one piece each. Looking at the places Hye-yoon wanted to visit, Ji-ho felt a bit sorry. Until now, he didn’t understand women’s feelings and had taken her to places like old-fashioned diners and soup restaurants.
However, the more he looked, the more he laughed. How much of these cute, bean-sized foods did he have to eat to feel full?
“Ji-ho, eat a lot, a lot.”
And then, he couldn’t help but laugh more. How the pupils above the flower-adorned face sparkled. The gestures urging him to eat quickly from the opposite seat were truly like fluttering flowers swaying in the wind. So, he ate to his heart’s content as ordered.
Then, the conversations in the car on the way back home were always like this, with only the names of different dishes changing each time.
“Ji-ho, who eats 1 million won worth of Hanwoo omakase…”
“Hehe. They said to eat a lot.”
“But it’s true.”
From the adjacent seat, there was always a round-eyed gaze lifting up. If it was admiration or something else, there were several times when the eyes twinkled.
Hye-yoon had a unique sound every time she called my name from before. Like a fairy tale. It seemed like an effort to overcome awkwardness, but eventually, it became fixed. So, unlike others, Hye-yoon’s calling of my name had a cute tone.
But now, it seemed more comfortable to use casual language and call each other by name. And as she became more comfortable, strangely, there were moments when he felt intensely nervous.
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.]
