Fragile?
Ban hesitantly shared his feelings.
“It seemed like he had depression.”
“Was there anything strange written on his SNS?”
“The posts are open to interpretation, but the overall feeling was that behind his smiling face, there seemed to be immense sadness.”
“…”
“It reminded me of how you used to be.”
His casual remark hit her deeply.
She remembered Shin Hwi’s comments about suffering from nightmares and the weight of the bottle of sleeping pills.
It’s unlikely that a physician prescribed so many at once; he probably had been collecting them from several places over a long time.
Soon after, Ban showed her some photos he had taken of her.
“Want to see the photos?”
“Oh, sure.”
“What do you think?”
“…Is that the face I make when I work?”
“Yes. You have a habit of biting your lip when you concentrate.”
“I see. I didn’t realize.”
While she responded sincerely, her enthusiasm for the photos quickly faded.
Her attention was elsewhere, so she didn’t fully catch Ban’s subsequent words.
She glanced at Shin Hwi, engrossed in his script.
Perhaps due to fatigue, his eyes looked weary and hollow, as if they had lost their light.
She saw her past self in his current state.
Was it because of Ban’s remark about seeing his past self in her?
She began to be more concerned about Yang Shin Hwi.
That night.
Kang sat side by side with San on the sofa, discussing what had happened on the set.
“Iban said that?”
“Yes. He said he felt like he was looking at my past self.”
“So you’re concerned?”
“Of course, I am. I know how painful it is to be tormented by nightmares. And if it’s because of me… there’s nothing more to say.”
He sighed softly at her words.
“Always so unhelpful.”
If he came to take photos, he should’ve focused on that. It didn’t sit well with her that he just stirred up emotions and left.
If she had known, she would’ve left him to fend for himself at the hospital that time.
It wasn’t about helping him when he was ambushed at the bar.
However, Kang showed no reaction, even when San openly criticized Ban.
She seemed lost in thought.
Seeing her like this didn’t sit well with him either.
He could protect Kang from direct harm to some extent, but the emotional pain Kang had to undergo due to people around her wasn’t something he could intervene in.
Suddenly, he found his own thoughts amusing.
He realized that the reason he initially chose not to reveal his identity to her had been compromised.
What San wanted to prevent was Kang’s death.
For the spirits of her parents inside her to become a complete energy source, time was essential. For her to exclusively have high-quality nightmares until then, her survival was necessary.
Choosing to be a bodyguard was part of that.
There wasn’t a better job to approach someone covertly and fulfill an objective.
There was absolutely no reason for him to prevent Kang’s misfortune.
As long as she didn’t die, her suffering would only enhance the quality of the nightmares.
“…”
A nearly audible sigh escaped.
He couldn’t even understand why he kept coming up with seemingly valid reasons for something that shouldn’t be desired.
The air was heavy.
Kang was still lost in thought, and San decided to shake off his distractions and stood up.
“Where are you going?”
Only then did she, who had been in a daze, ask.
“To close the window.”
“It’s a bit stuffy, should I turn on the air conditioner?”
“That would be better.”
Stepping out onto the balcony, his gaze wandered into the distance.
Last night.
The person who had been observing from afar wasn’t there today.
But there was no telling from where he might be spying on Kang.
As San had been doing, he probably wasn’t planning to reveal his identity either.
He seemed like a careful type.
While observing the scenes with him and Kang, he seemed to be trying to deduce their relationship while carefully scrutinizing if he was a regular human.
There was a high chance that he already had secured a position close to Kang.
He could be a recent figure, or perhaps someone who had been by her side pretending to be a regular human for a very long time.
Considering the close associates of Kang, this seemed plausible.
That was why he never let his guard down around anyone close to her.
The moon in the sky tilted.
He thought he should mentally prepare for a potential attack.
To ensure Kang, who was oblivious to everything, wouldn’t be in fear for too long.
Leaning on the railing, San slowly searched for traces of Lomi.
Through the warm breeze, she, who was nearby, sent a signal.
Fortunately, everything seemed calm for now.
The task of patrolling the surroundings was something he had ordered himself for Kang’s protection, but there was no guarantee that this night would pass peacefully.
It was a night when a surprise attack could come at any moment, and it wouldn’t be strange.
With that thought, he was turning around when his steps suddenly halted.
His eyes, as he turned his head, glowed with a mix of red and blue, narrowing sharply.
A flash crossed his vision.
A golden light, as if lightning had struck from the sky, split the darkness, causing both heaven and earth to reverberate. That light soon settled on the ground with an intense aura.
It wasn’t a dream.
“…What is this?”
It was the energy of a celestial being.
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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