At six in the morning, Daewon Construction’s building was quiet, with even the reception not yet arrived for work. It was a time when most employees were still in dreamland, yet a man of impressive stature, accompanied by his secretaries, appeared in the hushed lobby.
He was Kwon Seung-ju, the 33-year-old CEO of the company.
Moving briskly as if every second spent in transit was precious, Kwon Seung-ju’s path to the elevator was blocked by a woman of small stature, with a slender figure and pale lips quivering with nervousness. She seemed like a tiny rabbit standing up to a tiger.
“I am Yoon Eun-seo from the planning team. I have something important to discuss with you, sir.”
The secretaries, caught off guard and unable to stop her in time, watched as Eun-seo looked directly at the CEO and spoke.
“It will only take a moment. Please, I need a bit of your time.”
Kwon Seung-ju glanced at her employee badge and slightly furrowed his handsome brows.
“Contact me through my secretarial office,” he suggested, turning to leave. But Eun-seo, desperate, grabbed the hem of his coat.
“I’ve tried contacting several times, but you’ve never agreed to meet!”
The secretaries finally sprang into action, attempting to pull her away, but Eun-seo resisted with all her might and quickly said,
“Two years ago, Yeonsa-dong, on a rainy day.”
Noticing a fleeting change in the usually impassive man’s expression, Eun-seo realized he remembered. Emboldened, she continued,
“I fulfilled a request for you then.”
Kwon Seung-ju remained silent, neither confirming nor denying her claim.
“So I believe you can spare a moment to talk.”
After a moment of contemplation, Kwon Seung-ju inquired without turning to his secretaries,
“Do I have any free time today?”
“Today, you start with an executive meeting in the morning, followed by continuous external engagements from lunch onwards. Tomorrow, you have more meetings starting in the morning and lasting till about four or five in the afternoon.”
Kwon Seung-ju nodded and decided,
“Then, tomorrow afternoon at five, come to my office.”
Having successfully secured the appointment, Eun-seo returned to her office on the fifth floor, her heart racing. Her hands trembled so much that it took her ages to open a water bottle. After gulping down almost the entire 500ml, she slumped into her chair, exhausted.
“Haah…”
The encounter had drained her completely. Just being in the same space as Kwon Seung-ju, let alone confronting him, tensed every muscle in her body. Many employees joked about feeling physically ill at the sight of him, such was his intimidating presence.
Confronting such a man to force an appointment had required enormous energy.
But, she had no other choice.
[Ten days ago, Eun-seo received notice through a real estate agent that her landlord intended to terminate the lease.]For 15 years, she had lived in a house with the same unchanged rent, never having direct contact with the landlord. Suddenly, this landlord, who had only existed on paper for Eun-seo, delivered a bombshell.
[The landlord plans to demolish the house and build a new structure.]Despite Eun-seo’s shock, the real estate agent continued nonchalantly,
[It’s surprising that the place was left untouched for so long, given the value of that land.]The area had started developing about ten years ago. Now, surrounded by apartments, villas, and commercial buildings, Eun-seo’s traditional Hanok stood out, an old-style house with a spacious yard amidst the modern structures.
[Anyway, since it’s a legal notice three months before the lease’s expiration, you should start preparing to move out.]However, Eun-seo couldn’t just leave overnight.
“Hello?”
As soon as Haeyun got into her car, she took out her phone from her bag and made a call.
A low voice tinged with laughter filled the speakers, easily conjuring an image of its owner, Yunho, in Haeyun’s mind.
“Yes, it was really helpful. Thank you.”
[Don’t mention it. Besides, I got paid for that job, so you don’t need to thank me so much.]Two days ago, Haeyun had contacted Yunho again for assistance with the issue involving Team Leader Shin. It was embarrassing to ask for his help again, but he was the most reliable option she had. And it wasn’t just a one-sided request; it was beneficial for Yunho too. Through Shin, they could unearth evidence of Lee Suryeon’s involvement in industrial espionage.
Currently, Lee Suryeon was unaware that Haeyun was in contact with Yunho. If they acted before she realized, they could catch her off guard and obtain proof of her involvement in corporate spying.
[If it’s this kind of deal, I’m all for it.]Yunho’s final words resonated as Haeyun hung up the phone and started the engine, feeling lighter. Would Team Leader Shin still be at Dalli Coffee tomorrow?
Whether he stayed or left, he wouldn’t be able to make any decisions on his own from now on.
Exhaustion swept over her. Haeyun pressed the accelerator firmly.
[Star Icon]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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