He could see Eun-su’s face turning embarrassed, and a desire to tease him arose in Eun-su.
“Is that really true?”
“Of course! Why else would he come back after the breakup?”
As Eun-su chuckled and nodded, Saetbyeol spoke firmly.
“Remember. Once shit, forever shit.”
At Saetbyeol’s serious words, Sangjoo held back a burst of laughter. However, she struggled to contain her laughter, and tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lips.
“Saetbyeol, you’re such an entertaining person.”
Sangjoo got up, and in a clumsy manner, she bowed slightly to Hyukjoo.
“Vice President, when did you arrive?”
“Just now.”
Startled by the voice coming from behind, Saetbyeol quickly stood up. Then, she politely greeted him.
“Hello. I’m Go Saetbyeol.”
“…Yes, nice to meet you.”
Though not very friendly, Hyukjoo nodded, lowering his head.
“I’m Moon Hyukjoo.”
After the short greeting, Eun-su approached Hyukjoo and asked, “How about dinner?”
“I ate before coming.”
“We were discussing the last meeting we had.”
Ah, with a short sigh, Hyukjoo lowered his head. Saetbyeol, who didn’t know that Eun-su was married, was the one who arranged the meeting.
It was too early to jump to conclusions, but after hearing the story from the meeting to the recent events, Hyukjoo suddenly felt uneasy. He had never encountered someone he could label as an enemy in his life. However, the moment he saw Go Saetbyeol, he wondered if they would become rivals.
“So, did you run into your ex-boyfriend and that man?”
At Sangjoo’s question, Saetbyeol nodded.
Since she had overheard the conversation from the middle, Hyukjoo sat down and roughly pieced together the situation in his mind. It seemed like she ran into her ex-boyfriend while she was with the man she had met during the meeting.
Though it seemed like an extraordinary incident, Hyukjoo, while trying to keep a straight face, found Eun-su’s expression more interesting. He was more intrigued by Eun-su, who, instead of listening to Saetbyeol’s story, was focusing on it so intently.
“So, did they drink together?”
Surprised by Sangjoo’s question, Saetbyeol nodded.
Because she had heard the story midway, Hyukjoo raised the corner of his lips, chuckling.
Saetbyeol stopped talking, alternately looking at Eun-su and Hyukjoo. Then, she clenched her fist against her chest.
“Well, O Eun-su, you just go inside with your husband.”
“Why?”
“I don’t feel like telling the story. I’m discussing a failed meeting, and you and your husband are blatantly flirting right in front of me.”
“What are you talking about?”
Eun-su turned to Hyukjoo, tilting her head.
In surprise, Hyukjoo raised the corner of his lips and laughed.
Saetbyeol paused, then Eun-su and Hyukjoo, who had met each other’s eyes, burst into laughter.
It couldn’t be helped.
As both knew each other’s sincerity and regretted the time they had spent meaninglessly, the moments they spent together now were happier than ever.
Aware of this, Sangjoo, who knew Saetbyeol well, advised her.
“Better than a married couple fighting, right? Don’t you think so?”
“That’s a valid point.”
“So, did you fight with your ex-boyfriend and that man?”
“Yes. There wasn’t even a proper fight, but it was such a mess. I’m too embarrassed to go home since that day because of the neighborhood. The police even came. Seriously, I never thought I’d set foot in a police station in my entire life. I didn’t know I would end up going to the police because of those two idiots.”
Saetbyeol finished the remaining juice and continued speaking.
“He has a criminal record for assault, you know? I couldn’t believe it myself. I haven’t been able to go home since that day, and I’m so ashamed.”
“You, and you didn’t tell me about such an incident?”
To Eun-su’s sarcastic question about why she didn’t talk about it, Saetbyeol answered quietly.
“I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d worry. If I cried and called you, how surprised would you be? And if you were surprised, it wouldn’t be good for the baby.”
“But still… it ended up with a visit to the police station?”
“That wasn’t the end.”
“If that wasn’t the end, then?”
Eun-su’s eyes widened.
Saetbyeol’s expression seemed to suggest that something even more significant had happened.
“It turns out that jerk had a history of assault before.”
“…”
Eun-su’s mouth fell open, at a loss for words. Hyukjoo, sitting beside her, furrowed his brow with a serious expression.
Trying to deduce who that guy was from Saetbyeol’s description, he speculated whether it was her ex-boyfriend or the man she had met during the meeting. Curious about this, Sangjoo quickly asked.
“Who is that guy?”
“The one I met during the meeting.”
When Saetbyeol mentioned that the guy with a history of assault had shamelessly pretended to be a good person, Hyukjoo seemed to boil with anger.
Though it was a hindsight story, he regretted not standing up and fighting right there, rather than enduring it and feeling remorseful afterward.
“Anyway, I’m only going to meet someone I know well from now on.”
With a sense of enlightenment, Saetbyeol clenched her fists.
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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