The early dawn was still tinged with dark blue.
Seon Woo, who had just finished his vegetable juice, was heading toward the front door when Seongsan Daege followed him swiftly.
“Do you not need breakfast?”
“No, I have to go see an urgent patient at the hospital.”
“Wait a moment. I’ll make you a sandwich.”
Seon Woo, who was putting on his shoes, signaled for her to wait. Seongsan Daege was about to head to the kitchen when Seon Woo shook his head.
“No, auntie. I’m fine.”
“Oh, it’ll just take 5 minutes.”
“I’ll eat there.”
“Ah, you shouldn’t skip breakfast. Especially with your demanding job.”
Seongsan Daege looked at Seon Woo with a voice full of worry. Seon Woo, who had pushed open the front door, suddenly stopped as if he had remembered something.
Was it yesterday? The image of Eun Jae eating soup flashed in his mind.
“It’s hot!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah… it’s too hot.”
Thinking back, Eun Jae was always like that. Seon Woo turned around and called out to Seongsan Daege.
“Auntie.”
“Yes?”
“Please scoop out Eun Jae’s soup 10 minutes in advance. She keeps burning her mouth.”
“Ah, you’re right. She did mention she can’t handle hot foods well. I forgot. I’ll do that from now on.”
“Thank you.”
Seongsan Daege nodded her head, sending off Seon Woo with a pleased smile.
Eun Jae, who had been seasoning bellflower root, seemed to slow down, eventually coming to a stop.
Seon Woo, who hadn’t been around since the morning, was on her mind. According to her aunt, he had to go in early due to an emergency patient.
‘Why do I feel like it’s because of me?’
After discussing formalizing their relationship, it felt no different than his first date request.
She hadn’t outright refused, but his face seemed disappointed when he saw her hesitate.
Considering his personality, it must have taken a lot of thought to bring up the subject.
‘Am I the first woman to reject his date proposal?’
Eun Jae quickly stifled a laugh that almost escaped.
‘I should suggest we have dinner together this Saturday when I see him.’
She felt excited.
The time they’d spend together as a couple, whether real or fake, would be genuine if her feelings were. And this time, she intended to give it her all.
She had felt that his recent behaviors seemed rather calculated.
There used to be an invisible, sturdy wall between him and her, but now it felt like only a faint line remained.
A blurry line that could be erased with a pencil at any time. And it felt like he had given her the eraser to do it.
Maybe he had been sending various signals. Maybe it wasn’t her but him who had been maintaining that line.
In that case, she intended to start erasing that line little by little.
“Then please teach me well about what Ji Eun Jae likes and dislikes.”
‘Yes, of course. I’ll teach you every little detail.’
Having emerged from her various thoughts, Eun Jae hummed a tune as she bowed her head back to her bowl of bellflower root salad.
“Excuse me. Can I borrow a pen?”
It was the same student she had seen in front of the staircase yesterday. He’s been going on about pens since then.
Not really wanting to, Eun Jae took out a pen with her ungloved hand and handed it to him.
“Here.”
“Um, how old are you?”
The man who received the pen whispered with a smile. Eun Jae glanced at him briefly.
Why ask my age all of a sudden?
Eun Jae hesitated, sensing the man’s intentions, when he continued speaking.
“When I took the sushi chef class, there were no people my age, so I was really bored. I’m 26. What about you?”
The man who asked cheerfully seemed to have no ulterior motive. Maybe he was just glad to meet someone his age.
“I’m 27.”
“Wow, you’re older. I thought you were younger than me! Let’s get along, sis. I can call you ‘sis,’ right?”
“Ah… yes, yes.”
Eun Jae chuckled nervously. If he shows any strange signs, I’ll have to say I have a very handsome and cool husband. With that thought, she returned to chopping bellflower roots.
―In front of the academy.
After class, Eun Jae couldn’t hide her smile at Sun Woo’s concise text. She adjusted her bag and exited the academy’s main gate.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw Sun Woo’s parked car. Just as she took a step toward the car,
“Sis!”
Jung Ho, the 26-year-old, was sociable. Almost annoyingly so.
“The pen I borrowed earlier!”
“Ah…”
Just as Eun Jae reached to take the pen from Jung Ho,
Thump!
The sound of the car door slamming shut more forcefully than necessary was heard. At the sound, both Jung Ho and Eun Jae turned their heads.
Their eyes met: Sun Woo, who had been leaning on the car and watching, and Eun Jae.
Gasp. How long has he been watching? Am I going to get teased again?
“Wow. Who is that guy? He’s really handso—”
“Here, just keep this.”
As Jung Ho was admiring Sun Woo, Eun Jae quickly handed him the pen he was holding and hurried away.
Eun Jae didn’t see it. Sun Woo’s scathing gaze lingered on Jung Ho for a long while.
“When did you get here?”
“Not long ago. Get in.”
As the man circled to the front of the car, Eun Jae’s thoughts raced.
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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