For now, he’d manage with painkillers and visit a hospital upon returning to Seoul.
Popping a few pills from the drawer into his mouth, Kang Hyun leaned back against the headboard, waiting for the pain to subside before getting up.
[Star Icons] [Star Icons] [Star Icons]Inside a smooth marble-floored room, a suitcase filled with expensive bags lay open.
Already the fifth fully packed suitcase.
Servants of the Seowon household, wearing white aprons, busily gathered Gu Se Hee’s belongings.
“Mrs. Gu.”
“Ah, Manager Kim. You came just in time. Take these out and bring in more empty suitcases.”
Se Hee, pointing to a line of suitcases, tied her nightgown’s waistband and sighed.
The system hanger, shaped like a letter ‘D’ on the wall, was still cluttered with items to be packed.
“Are you really leaving like this?”
“If Kang Hyun tells me to leave, I must. He’s the head of the house. Oh, be careful with that bag! Do you know how much it costs?”
A worker, wearing white cotton gloves, trembled while retrieving a leather handbag from a high shelf.
The fastidious madam didn’t lift a finger to pack her belongings, instead fussing over the workers.
Ah, she did lift a finger—to point and scold.
The faces of the busy servants these past few days were shadowed.
“Manager Kim.”
“Yes, Madam?”
“Has Kang Hyun contacted you about anything else?”
“No.”
Having left the dressing room for the bedroom, Se Hee sat at the bed’s edge, scratching her nails.
Leaving because Kang Hyun said so seemed a plausible reason.
Unaware of her desire to escape Kang Hyun’s scrutinizing gaze, the servants diligently packed, oblivious to her true intentions.
“Brother.”
“Oh, you’re here? Everyone, please step out for a moment.”
The employees bowed and exited as Se Jun approached.
“What are you packing so much for?”
“The money I got when your brother-in-law died is almost gone. I need this stuff to live.”
“That’s why I think…”
Se Jun, sitting beside Se Hee, lowered his voice.
“We should delay our departure.”
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
“There’s a financial issue at the company. We should secure that first.”
“But, Se Jun…”
“Look, we don’t know when we can come back. Can we live on the little money Taeseok Kyu gives us? I can’t.”
His teeth ground together.
Despite knowing the need to escape Kang Hyun’s presence, letting go of her possessions was hard.
Leaving her position as CEO of Seowon Enter and her politically influential in-laws was significant.
The years of groveling at her father-in-law’s feet seemed wasted, her indignation erupting dozens of times a day.
Though she had readily agreed to leave for Taeseok Kyu, the thought of leaving empty-handed felt unjust.
She needed to secure as much company money as possible.
“I’ll lay low for a few days.”
“Se Jun, I’ll just…”
Se Hee’s trembling hand grasped Se Jun’s arm.
Ever since hearing that Se Jun’s underling had fallen into Kang Hyun’s hands, her anxiety peaked.
Nightmares of Kang Hyun strangling her, vowing revenge for taking Seo Yoon, kept her from deep sleep.
“Leave before Kang Hyun arrives. I’ll follow once everything is settled.”
“No, let’s go together.”
Se Hee pressed her darkened eyes and shook her head.
She couldn’t leave her only blood relative behind, no matter how scared.
[Star Icons] [Star Icons] [Star Icons]After inspecting the construction site, Kang Hyun, with Jian waiting in the car, re-entered the resort complex.
“The snow really did fall heavily.”
The snow pushed to the sides of the cleared road formed walls, reminiscent of a Swiss mountain village Ji An had once seen in a video.
“That’s why the weather is good.”
“Can we see the sea in Gangneung?”
“Easily.”
Ji An nodded, her face bright with excitement. They planned to have lunch at the summit of Balwangsan, which they couldn’t ascend the previous evening due to sunset, and then return home.
“Is everything okay at the construction site?”
“The field team is doing great.”
After asking about work, Ji An felt somewhat embarrassed, her face growing warm. In the office, she felt helpful, but outside, she felt like a burden, unable to even drive.
‘I really should learn to drive,’ she thought, aware of Kang Hyun’s preference to be alone without a driver.
“Good day, Director.”
Upon parking and entering the resort’s main building, two staff members, informed in advance, greeted them.
“Yes, I’m Taekang Hyun. We just need to take the cable car, so no need to worry about anything else.”
Kang Hyun nodded politely to the courteous staff, wrapping his arm around Ji An’s shoulder as they passed through the crowded area.
“Director, about…”
Startled, Ji An lowered her voice so the leading staff couldn’t hear.
“We’re not at headquarters, but there are still eyes on us. Shouldn’t we be careful?”
“I don’t do secret relationships.”
‘Where do I have the leisure for that?’
Kang Hyun chuckled briefly and pulled Ji An closer with his arm.
Buried in his solid chest, Ji An looked up at him with widened eyes.
“I’ll do the same even at headquarters.”
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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