Ha Joon, satisfied with his tie, asked Ji An.
“I’ll give you a lift. Let’s go together.”
“No. I can take the subway. I was going to stop by the convenience store on the way. I have something left there.”
“Alright. Then.”
He nodded, thinking about the dandelion Ji An had left at the convenience store.
She must have been curious.
Ji An pushed her chin up, signaling to Ha Joon to hurry.
Due to his absence over the past month, neither of them felt awkward or overly conscious. Ha Joon naturally pointed towards the house and said,
“I’ll be back. Take a rest and go slowly.”
“Okay.”
Ji An left the Happy Officetel, waiting for the sunlight to spread widely.
She walked along the sidewalk blocks, past the communal flower bed. As soon as she saw the GX convenience store, she stopped and took a long breath.
Whether it was due to fondness or not, seeing the sign made her feel down. As she opened the entrance door, Min Chan, who was arranging the merchandise, greeted her loudly.
“Sister!”
“Have you been well?”
Ji An threw back her long, letdown hair and waved one hand.
Though her hair wasn’t done up in a bun, her thick padding, jogger pants, and bulky slippers clearly identified her as Ji An.
Min Chan asked with a look in his eyes that said, ‘it really is sister’.
“Are you back?”
Instead of answering, she smiled slightly and headed towards the window.
The pot of dandelions, fully soaked in sunlight, welcomed her. Ji An sat down, legs together, hands politely placed on her shoes, and opened her mouth.
“My babies. Have you been well?”
Min Chan asked, approaching Ji An.
“Can’t we keep the dandelion here? Customers really like it.”
“Really? Do they like it?”
“Yes, they do. … But are you really back?”
“No. I’m not exactly back.”
Ji An fixed her gaze on the floor of the convenience store. The convenience store’s logo lay long in shadow, cut out by the sunlight seeping through the window.
As she looked back at the familiar scenery, her time here flashed before her eyes like a lantern show.
The time when Ha Joon was soaring as a lawyer, the day when So Min opened her academy, and the day when Yu Jin graduated from law school. This place existed in those memories.
The day she finished the translation manuscript, and the day when the family had to leave the country for Zenith’s overseas performance, were no different.
On such days, she often sat here alone with a canned beer, like it was the end of her journey.
It was only natural to feel a sense of loss, as this was the place she’d visit whenever she was confronted with the loneliness that crept up on her just when she thought she had forgotten it.
She added to Min Chan as she looked back at him,
“Sis is moving to another neighborhood. I won’t be able to come by as often as before. I’ll visit when I miss this place.”
Ji An brushed her hand over the seat that had become her designated spot, a sanctuary for solo diners. Min Chan, who had approached, extended a coffee to her.
“It seems like your long, long wandering has come to an end, no matter where you ended up. This is a welcome gift.”
“I’ll enjoy it. Ah! How is your grandmother?”
Ji An asked about Min Chan’s grandmother, who had undergone hip surgery due to an accident last month.
“Thanks to you, sis. Thanks for covering the convenience store that day. And also for the surgery fees.”
“….”
“Do you know that you’re really sloppy, sis? How do you expect to remain anonymous when you sign with your real name?”
Ji An, who was pretending not to understand what he meant, blinked and asked Min Chan.
“Did I do that?”
“Look at this. If you’re going to feign ignorance, you should stick to it till the end. I was planning to take a year off, but thanks to you, I’m returning to school this semester. …Thank you. I’ll definitely repay the money.”
“Do it later. …Repay it when you succeed.”
She smiled warmly and added to Min Chan.
“I lived hard, there should be some giftlike events.”
She said, recalling Jeju. Ji An’s heart was still in Jeju. After all, only a day had passed, so it was understandable.
She was still grateful for the new owner of the stone wall house and Dan Woo’s consideration, and the conversations she had shared with Dan Woo felt like a large bundle. They were like a source of strength and comfort when she sorted through them one by one.
She couldn’t forget the odd response that had come back to a subjectless statement on a night of heavy snowfall.
‘Why did she give birth?’ It was a resentful remark about her mother, and Dan Woo had replied, ‘Indeed.’
They barely knew each other. But that unexpected sympathy was a comfort to Ji An.
The resentment, hatred, anger, and sadness towards her mother felt like they were being scratched. It felt as though she could gradually carve out the lingering affection towards her mother if she confronted these feelings bit by bit.
“You’re going back to school, so I can leave with ease. Are you going to continue working here?”
“On weekends and nights.”
“I’ll visit occasionally. …Take care.”
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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