Solhee suddenly remembered what Giwoo had said to her some time ago.
“Whether then or now, you only see other people’s emotions the way you want to.”
She had thought it was just blame thrown between lingering sentiments…
“Now, I’m curious why you’re talking about that. What would have changed if you knew back then?”
Solhee’s words were blocked by Giwoo’s cold expression and silence.
That one night, which happened only once, was somewhat reminiscent, even in the midst of a dizzying sight, of that face she had looked up at from below.
So, if she had known back then, would something have changed?
If she hadn’t heard such baseless rumors, what would have happened if they had had the conversation they had planned?
At least, in this way, it was certain that it wouldn’t have turned into the worst one-night stand, meaningless and worse than love.
“I apologize.”
Anyway, now was the timing to say this.
“I’m sorry. I believed it without asking you exactly back then.”
Without a response, Giwoo looked at Solhee and let out a shallow sigh. Then, he adjusted the steering wheel.
“I should go to the broadcasting station. It’s getting late.”
What kind of answer is that?
Suppressing the question that was about to burst out, Solhee barely kept her mouth shut.
A few busy days passed.
Even Juhan was busy, and the contact was sparse. Occasionally, only photos of items were sent.
“I’ll probably be back in about a week.”
Whether it was because of the cloudy weather or because it was a weekday, it was unusually quiet. The music Jaelim had turned on, saying it suited the weather, was also languid, and just before dozing off, the sound of the door opening was heard.
“Welcome.”
Jaelim, who was near the entrance, greeted the guest. Eunsoo, who was in the corner, turned to look at the woman who had come in alone and froze.
Hong Eunyoung.
The name was still vividly remembered. Even though ten years had passed, traces of time were evident, but her old face was still recognizable.
Eighteen, the friend who approached Eunsoo first when she transferred to a new school, the one who led the way with her back turned.
“Oh, the store is pretty. Actually, I’m a high school classmate with the owner here….”
Looking at Hong Eunyoung, who was happily looking around the store, somewhere in her chest felt warm. On the other hand, her fingertips became cold. Eunsoo, who unknowingly took a few steps back, stopped.
No, don’t avoid it. She’s so confident.
Although she didn’t want to see her, she didn’t need to run away. Eunsoo tightly squeezed her cooled hand, straightened her head, and turned away.
Then she started doing what she had to do.
However, some time later, Eunsoo heard Hong Eunyoung’s voice from behind.
“Sun Eunsoo?”
Eunsoo took a short deep breath and turned around. When Hong Eunyoung checked Eunsoo’s face, her eyes widened.
“Why are you here… I heard Juhan is the owner here?”
“That’s right. We work together. But Juhan is currently on a business trip to Europe.”
Jaelim, who was next to her, naturally added a word.
“Oh, come to think of it, if you’re a classmate with the owner, you’re probably also a classmate with the team leader.”
“Team leader? You mean her?”
Eunsoo responded with a short yes. Hong Eunyoung scrutinized Eunsoo up and down.
More mature than when she was a high school student, without any noticeable luxury but neatly and moderately dressed, and, above all, the large ring on her left ring finger caught her eye.
“Looks good, doesn’t it? Are you living well? Are you married?”
“No. This isn’t a wedding ring.”
Jaelim, looking somewhat proud of himself, whispered jokingly.
“Our boss has quite a large network.”
“Oh. Then…”
Hong Eunyoung’s expression changed noticeably. Jaelim, taking the opportunity, went to where other customers had just entered.
With a mischievous smile, Hong Eunyoung spoke.
“I never thought of it. Occasionally, the kids mention Juhan’s story, but you… I never thought I’d see you here. Anyway, nice to meet you?”
Eunsoo looked directly into Hong Eunyoung’s eyes.
“You don’t have to say empty words.”
“What?”
“There’s no need for you and me to be pleased to see each other.”
The laughter vanished from Hong Eunyoung’s face.
“…Look at you talking. Have you changed a bit?”
Above the cold expression that seemed like a lie, the face that used to easily spew out curses during school days overlapped without any discomfort.
“No, if you look closely, I’m still the same. Just pretending to be something out of nothing.”
Eunsoo calmly brushed it off.
“That’s how I looked to you in your eyes. Is that why you treated me like that in the past?”
Hong Eunyoung laughed and punched her lightly. Unlike worrying about whether such a response would return, she revealed her twisted feelings.
“Yeah. Everything you said was a lie.”
“Me?”
“You went around wearing luxury, pretending to be a rich family’s illegitimate daughter, right? Even though you were nothing.”
Only about two years had passed since the time when her father and brother appeared.
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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