When I Reach You (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
Eun Jae stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a bathrobe over her still-damp body.
After barely taking a single step, she bumped her forehead against the rock-solid bare chest of a man, and looked up, wide-eyed, at the towering figure standing motionless before her.
Since when had this man been standing here?
Only when she tilted her head as far back as possible did his strikingly elegant features—perfectly arranged in all the right places—finally enter her field of vision.
“Why…?”
She started to ask why he was standing here, but fearing his answer, she changed the question instead.
“When did you arrive?”
“Just now.”
His eyes were the same as last night—she could clearly sense, even in the darkness, what his gaze meant.
With eyes burning with raw desire, he slowly scanned every inch of her body.
“Dinner—”
“No.”
Anticipating her question even before she finished speaking, his curt reply left her unable to continue. She swallowed hard, her dry throat clicking.
From the start, it seemed he had no intention of answering her question at all.
Because clearly, dinner wasn’t what mattered to him right now.
“P-please, put something on.”
Under his blatant gaze, Eun Jae felt as though she were completely naked. She lowered her eyes and gripped the front of her robe, crumpling the fabric tightly in her fists.
All she could think was, *I need to get away—right now.*
Without a word, she shifted one step to the right—only for him to block her path in the same direction.
Then she tried one step left—yet again, he stood firmly in her way, refusing to yield an inch, this time closing the distance even further, making it hard to breathe.
In an instant, his hand shot out and braced against the wall beside her face—a gesture he surely knew was more than enough to threaten her.
His fingers, radiating heat, slipped inside the collar of her damp robe, tracing lightly along her delicate collarbone until they reached her shoulder.
As his palm gently circled and massaged her exposed shoulder, the robe’s front gradually parted.
Before she could even draw breath in surprise at his sudden move, it caught in her throat and vanished.
It felt as if last night’s events were replaying in exact sequence—her head spun with dizziness.
Desperate to stop his hand from wandering further, she clamped her own over it, and opened her damp lips to speak,
Though she couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice, thick with raw emotion.
“…Please move aside.”
Unlike her firm push, her eyelashes fluttered like wings—shaking delicately—and he reacted as if intrigued.
The slight lift of his lips, his half-lidded eyes—both brimmed with deep, unmistakable desire.
“It was only one glass of wine.”
“…”
“You couldn’t possibly have gotten drunk from just that.”
In even the smallest gesture, his murky eyes conveyed an intense possessiveness.
“You and I both know that, don’t we?”
“…”
He gently fiddled with a strand of hair slipping down her face, persistently chasing her gaze.
“Ji Eun Jae, we’re married.”
“Are we *just* married?”
When, in truth, we’re even worse than strangers.
Her heart felt like it might burst at any moment, yet she refused to let it show.
“I like hearing you say ‘we.’”
A smile as sweet as cotton candy melted onto his lips.
Last night—under the influence of alcohol,
Amid that thick, ripe atmosphere—
They’d shared a deeply intense kiss, drawn in as if by fate, replaying endlessly in her mind.
It wasn’t a mistake, just as he’d said.
It was physical intimacy guided solely by genuine emotion.
The day I lived most honestly with my own feelings, despite sharing a home with him.
If things continued like this, tonight might escalate beyond a kiss—into something far more intimate.
If you reached for me now, I wouldn’t even resist.
It wasn’t just my own thought—his eyes, fixed solely on me, silently confirmed it.
As he stepped forward, she stepped back—until her back hit the still-warm bathroom door.
There was nowhere left to retreat, yet he kept closing the distance.
Seon Woo grasped her chin just before it dropped, tilting her face up to meet his intense gaze.
At his touch, the towel wrapped around her head slipped and fell to the floor with a soft thud, releasing her long, straight hair down over her white shoulders.
“That kiss last night—”
Her chest warmed at the tender way he swept aside her damp, disheveled hair.
“Was it simply you fulfilling our contract faithfully?”
No—it’s because I’ve come to like you.
“Is that how you want me to interpret it, Ji Eun Jae?”
Because I felt I shouldn’t cross this line any further.
This searing heat—about to catch fire at any moment—whose is it? Yours? Or mine?
“Would this count as breaching our contract?”
Before she could push him away, his tilted face pressed hotly against her lips.
“I’ll take all your time.”
Her breath was drawn in so suddenly that her mind began to blur.
“Give it all to me.”
As she tightly shut her eyes, the memory of that day grew vividly clear in her mind—
The day we first met, three months ago.
[This is the timeline separator]Not a single day of my life has ever been peaceful.
My mother, confined to a hospital bed for years; my father, gambling until his death, then dumping all his debts onto me.
“Where’d she run off to? Spread out, search everywhere.”
Even a rat’s hole gets sunlight someday—I believed my life would eventually see light too.
Yes, Ji Eun Jae. Just hang in a little longer.
I lived by that belief for twenty-seven years—
Only to realize, too late, that my rat’s hole ran far too deep for sunlight to ever reach.
Now, debts had swelled beyond my control, and the loan sharks waiting outside had no patience left to spare.
“She can’t have gone far—search every corner.”
Inside a massive general hospital—
Somehow, they’d known precisely when my mother’s hospital bills were due, and lay in wait long before I arrived.
Now they were frenzied, desperate to catch me—pressed flat against the cold wall, barely breathing.
My parched lips had cracked and bled. Even my last reserves of moisture seemed ready to burn away.
I stood at the edge of life and death.
Perched at the very brink of a cliff, with nowhere left to step.
[This is the timeline separator]After finishing rounds, Seon Woo—visibly exhausted—was massaging his neck as he walked back toward his office,
When Hye Ji, a colleague, called out from behind and approached him.
“Professor Yoon, why do you look like that these days?”
“Guess I must be on my deathbed already.”
“That’s exactly why you should rest. Don’t think you’re invincible just because you’re young—you might really drop dead.”
The moment her hand brushed against his while joking around, Seon Woo’s eyes instantly hardened, icy cold.
Yoon Seon Woo—the youngest professor in thoracic surgery at Yeonlim Hospital.
Though his looks certainly helped, what truly made him infamous in the hospital were his sharp tongue and extreme germaphobia—utterly mismatched with his gentle face.
“Sorry—I didn’t touch you, I didn’t!”
Startled by his sharp glare, Hye Ji raised her hands in protest, asserting her innocence.
“It’s fine—I’m wearing gloves.”
Seon Woo shoved his hands into his pockets, his tone slightly sharper than before.
*How can someone like him even be a doctor? No wonder he’s still single.*
Though people clicked their tongues, their eyes followed him year-round—burning, unrelenting.
A man of towering height—rarely matched among adult men—with pale, almost translucent skin, red lips, mesmerizing eyes, and a perfectly sculpted nose—an artist’s ideal.
I hated to admit it, but Yoon Seon Woo was the kind of near-perfect man envied by all, regardless of age or gender.
Yet recently, something about his face looked deeply pained. Even his once-radiant lips seemed to fade, slowly losing vitality.
“Health isn’t something you start managing in your thirties—it begins in your twenties.”
Seon Woo halted mid-step, his brows furrowing sharply.
“What’s your point?”
“My point is—you should start *while* you’re still close to your twenties! While you’re still a year younger!”
Unmoved, Seon Woo strode straight into his wide-open office.
Even roadside trees wouldn’t be treated this way. Irritated, Hye Ji muttered her final words through the slowly closing door.
“We’re already thirty-three, damn it! It’s not too late yet—take care of your health, man!”
The moment the door clicked shut, her voice vanished completely.
“That idiot—really, I’m trying to worry about him.”
Hye Ji rolled the fatigue-recovery vitamins in her pocket for a long while, then turned and walked off in the opposite direction.
[This is the timeline separator]Inside the tightly sealed office, silence reigned absolute.
Seon Woo slumped onto the sofa, pressed both hands against his forehead, and exhaled deeply.
“Haah…”
He hadn’t slept at all.
Because just yesterday, he’d spectacularly ruined his 24th blind date.
“At this rate, I might actually hit thirty.”
Lately, one major concern had begun threatening his health—
Marriage.
When his grandfather’s grandsons started squabbling over the position of next director at Yeonlim Hospital, the old man issued a drastic ultimatum:
“I’ll give it to whichever of you marries first.”
His grandfather’s voice echoed relentlessly in his mind, like a final warning.
He wasn’t typically fussy about most things—but his extreme sensitivity to others’ touch made marriage feel like a death sentence.
Direct skin contact triggered goosebumps and vertigo. If he didn’t wash the spot immediately, he spiraled quickly into panic—a severe case of germaphobia.
Medication had improved it somewhat—or rather, brought it just barely within bearable limits.
Still, the discomfort of another’s bare skin against his remained stubbornly unchanged.
Fortunately, indirect contact—like wearing gloves—didn’t provoke such a strong reaction. That was the only reason he could function as a person at all.
“No way—I absolutely won’t let Yeonlim slip away.”
Though marriage wasn’t what he wanted, Seon Woo would do anything to secure the hospital.
To him, Yeonlim embodied the dream he’d watched take shape since childhood.
He’d only just grasped it within reach—how could he let it be stolen for such a reason? Especially not by Yoon Tae Gyu.
Yoon Tae Gyu was his uncle’s son—
A man who clearly lived for reckless indulgence, not someone likely to be bound by marriage either.
That gave Seon Woo some reassurance—
At least he’d buy time, until he found a woman he could tolerate touching.
After all, he’d need to at least hold hands—whether faking affection or truly falling in love.
Wait—love?
He cringed at the random thought that had slipped in unbidden, revealing clear disgust.
“What the hell am I thinking?”
His gaze drifted absently to the mirror, where his increasingly unkempt face stared back—then, as if making a decision, he swept his large hand across his face and stood up abruptly.
“Get it together, Yoon Seon Woo.”
[This is the timeline separator]His face, dripping with water, held no trace of color. Just as he rinsed with cold water—hoping to regain composure—he realized his phone was missing and turned back toward the last stall he’d briefly used.
He’d just stepped back in and reached for his phone—
*Tap-tap-tap-tap.*
The sound of sneakers striking tile rapidly echoed through the space. When he turned toward the noise, a young woman already stood inside, gasping for breath—and the door was firmly shut behind her.
For a moment, he wondered if she’d entered the wrong restroom.
What’s with this woman?
“What are y—mmph!”
He couldn’t finish his sentence.
Her small, pale hand clamped tightly over his mouth.
Her desperate, breathless plea instantly filled his vision.
“Please help me…”
Her whisper, meant to avoid being overheard, radiated sheer desperation from her eyes.
He should’ve already pushed her hand away—should’ve already felt suffocated by the pressure—
Yet even that had become problematic. His mind short-circuited; everything froze.
Strangely—unbidden—
The warmth of her hand resting on his lips felt impossibly comforting.
How long had it been since he’d felt another’s touch?
So long, in fact, that this faint warmth alone began steadying his previously shaky, collapsing body.
Why isn’t this bothering me?
How is this even possible?
This small, soft hand—uninvited, pressing against my skin—not only failed to repel me, but felt so warm tears nearly spilled.
“Please…”
Seon Woo quickly scanned the woman covering his mouth.
Aside from her pale neck peeking above a round-neck T-shirt, she was dressed head to toe in dark clothes—clearly fleeing someone.
Getting caught up in this could easily put me in danger too.
Yet words escaped—contrary to his thoughts.
“If I help you—”
If fate exists, is this what it feels like?
The absurdity struck him—and against his will, a faint, hollow chuckle slipped out.
“What exactly can *you* offer *me* in return?”
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.
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