“What do you think about office romances?”
The man sitting across from her spoke in a solid, deep voice.
Yeon Woo froze in the middle of her chopstick movements, the spinning water cup in her hand felt exactly like a soju glass.
“Well, I dislike it.”
“Have you ever tried it?”
“No.”
“And you dislike something you’ve never even tried?”
The man’s eyes shone as he tilted his head and laughed. His overwhelming presence closed in on Yeon Woo, as if slowly teasing interesting prey.
Yeon Woo avoided his gaze, fiddling with the sushi in front of her with her chopsticks.
“What about a partner then?”
“Absolutely not!”
Had she panicked and shouted too loudly? Yeon Woo’s face, flushing red from the tip of her ears to her neck, fell downwards.
“So what is our relationship then?”
“Well… a lawyer and his dedicated secretary.”
“Have we slept together?”
“Ah, please, attorney…”
The composure lingering on the man’s face disappeared, replaced by a cold expression.
“So you don’t want to date, and we’re not partners. So, did you just play with me, Associate Kim Yeon Woo?”
“No, I didn’t… I’m sorry about the end of the year…”
“Sorry? You’re sorry for sleeping with me?”
“No, not that! I mean…”
Ah, she just couldn’t win a war of words with an attorney.
But she couldn’t just let things continue this way.
Yeon Woo’s hand, brushing her scattered hair aside, trembled slightly, but she tried her best to maintain her composure.
Come on, keep answering. The man’s eyebrow flicked in anticipation.
“It wasn’t playing around, and it’s not something to apologize for, I think we both share the responsibility. So, why don’t we maturely and cleanly forgive each other’s mistakes and try to prevent it from happening again?”
“Was it…only once?”
“Ah, seriously! Attorney Kwon Jun Hwi!”
Failing to maintain composure.
Yeon Woo looked up at Jun Hwi with a heart that was on the verge of crying out her true feelings.
“What do you want then?”
“Simple. I want to reach a conclusion.”
Having elicited a satisfactory reaction, Jun Hwi regained his composure.
With a rare smile in the office, he stretched his arm to move a piece of uni sushi from his plate to Yeon Woo’s.
Beneath the rolled up sleeve of his dress shirt, his welldefined arm muscles writhed pleasantly.
Ah, even in a situation like this, her gaze was drawn to his excellent physique. Yeon Woo cursed herself and tightly closed her eyes.
“Why don’t we officially date, Associate Kim Yeon Woo?”
What to do. What to do. What should she do.
As much as her eyes were rolling around, so was Yeon Woo’s mind.
“No, I don’t want to.”
“Why.”
“Well… why me, Attorney?”
“Does a man need a reason to like a woman? Because everything about her looks pretty.”
“There are plenty of pretty women other than me.”
“Don’t beat around the bush.”
Yet another failure.
“Honestly, it’s uncomfortable, lawyer.”
“Me? I’m uncomfortable?”
“Yes. Scary. And we’re not…compatible.”
“…”
“If we were to date and the rumors got out, I’d be the only one at a loss. I want to focus solely on my work at the office. No, originally, I was planning to quit the company. You know, right? You, lawyer, you prevented my resignation?”
“That’s right. I did stop you. But…”
Jun Hwi, who had been distantly sitting across the table, leaned in closer.
His sharp, emotionless gaze was filled with a savageness that seemed to slowly devour the prey he had been toying with.
“I’m uncomfortable and scary. And we don’t get along?”
But surprisingly, there was a hint of interest seeping through the words he softly spat out. He didn’t wait for Yeon Woo’s answer.
“Interesting. Let’s see how long you can endure.”
“What are you talking about”
Her hurried retort was cut off by the knockknock, the sound of a knock, followed by the arrival of dessert.
Without a word, Jun Hwi moved one more piece of sushi to Yeon Woo’s plate. This time, it was tuna belly.
Thanks to Jun Hwi, who had been graciously choosing and offering her expensive and delicious food, Yeon Woo felt embarrassed, but food is innocent, so she filled her mouth heartily and chewed it thoroughly.
“You look good eating well.”
He smiled pleasantly, draping one arm over the back of the chair next to him.
As Jun Hwi regained his composure, Yeon Woo’s bad premonition began to rise slowly.
…It seems like she inadvertently stoked his competitive spirit in the wrong direction.
Yeon Woo swallowed the sushi that had already melted in her mouth without even needing to chew it.
How did it come to this, how did she get so entangled with the top workaholic lawyer of the Law & Rule law firm?
South Korea’s top law firm, Law & Rule Legal Office.
The opponent law firms already prepare for defeat facing their overwhelming winning rate. Slaves of money. Traitors. National spec boasting contest.
Despite being shrouded in a lot of talk and mystery, to Yeon Woo, who has been working as a specialized secretary for Law & Rule for eight years, it was just a ‘good job to stay in for a long time’.
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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