Eun Ji Yeon was quite startled by the sudden request for a meeting from an unexpected person.
The one who requested the meeting was none other than Cha Min Woo’s secretary, Kang Ji Hyun.
They were not close acquaintances, having only exchanged emails a few times.
The only time she had seen her face was in passing, while greeting her in front of the elevator with Cha Min Woo.
She requested to meet somewhere other than the office if possible, so they agreed to meet at a quiet restaurant near the office during lunchtime.
‘I can’t even imagine why she wants to meet me. Especially somewhere other than the office, it doesn’t seem like it’s about work.’
Holding onto her persistent doubts, Ji Yeon arrived at the meeting place on time, only to find that the other woman had already arrived.
“Hello, Manager Eun Ji Yeon.”
“Hello, Assistant Manager.”
They greeted each other awkwardly and took their seats.
Even though they were now face to face, Kang Ji Hyun just hung her head, sighing, unable to easily start a conversation.
“I’m wondering why you wanted to meet… It’s completely unexpected for Assistant Manager and me to meet privately like this.”
Unable to just pass the time, Ji Yeon broke the silence and asked her first.
Kang Ji Hyun’s eyes, which seemed to be struggling to start talking, were wavering aimlessly.
After a moment of contemplation, she seemed to make up her mind and faced Ji Yeon.
“Manager Eun Ji Yeon.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“It’s extremely impolite of me to ask this of you, almost a stranger… but I’m too frustrated.”
“I need to hear it first to know if I can respond. Please go ahead.”
“Do you have any relationship with Executive Cha Min Woo?”
“Excuse me? Cha Min Woo? I don’t see why you’re curious… I don’t see why I should answer that. It’s a very personal matter.”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, a defensive tone slipped out of Ji Yeon’s mouth, and Kang Ji Hyun’s face flushed bright red.
Kang Ji Hyun had also gone to the hotel where Cha Min Woo was staying last night.
He had never arranged a meeting with her in advance and always contacted her suddenly.
At first, he had tried to clearly end their relationship, but at some point, he started contacting her and they began to meet quite often.
Usually, they met in his accommodations, or sometimes they went to a private bar together.
Ji Hyun knew his weekly schedule, so she could mostly align her time when he contacted her, but at some point, she was filled with doubts.
‘What is my relationship with Executive Cha Min Woo?’
As these thoughts crossed her mind, Kang Ji Hyun started to feel anxious.
Her relationship with him had begun out of affection, and they continued to meet because he sought her out.
However, neither she nor he had ever defined their relationship.
They couldn’t reveal it publicly, nor did they go on dates holding hands like other couples.
Even when they met, there were no sweet nothings exchanged between them.
Observing their relationship from a distance, Ji Hyun knew it didn’t resemble that of a typical couple, which likely contributed to her growing unease.
What had started as a casual fling had grown into deeper feelings for Cha Min Woo in Ji Hyun’s heart.
Her interest turned into affection, and then into a longing to be with him for a long time. Her feelings became increasingly fervent.
She wanted to know more about him and to get closer to him.
“What are we, Executive Min Woo?”
She could ask him this simple question, but she was afraid to.
‘What if he’s already married?’
Even when she inquired around, there was not much information about Cha Min Woo.
What was known? He was the youngest son of the chairman and illegitimate?
“Executive Cha Min Woo? Married? Not sure, there’s nothing known at the office.”
“I heard rumors that he’s divorced. But who he married and came back from? There’s no specific information.”
“Didn’t he marry a daughter of a major corporation? I’ve heard that. But why?”
Despite asking around colleagues and other secretaries sensitive to executive information, there was surprisingly no accurate information available.
Of course, the lack of exposure of Cha Min Woo’s personal life was due to his own strategy, not wanting to disclose his marriage with Eun Ji Yeon.
He had held the wedding in Bali with only family attending and had not informed the company.
While Cha Min Woo and Eun Ji Yeon’s wedding was well-known in social circles and at the Emerald Club, stories within these circles never leaked out, so it was impossible for the general public to know.
Kang Ji Hyun, naturally thinking he was single, felt her heart sink every time she heard these stories.
Without any certainty, and having heard nothing from him, she found it increasingly difficult to control her growing feelings for him.
Then, during their meeting yesterday, a name slipped from his lips.
“Ji Yeon, Eun Ji Yeon…”
At first, she thought she had misheard.
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
