Without a single wisp of hair out of place and her makeup in bright colors, Yeo Woon, dressed in a hanbok hidden under padding, was quickly wolfing down her first meal of the day.
That’s when she heard the conversation from the women at the next table.
“Wow. Look at how sexy Seol Ji Oh is. How does he keep getting better?”
“Oh. I really just want to see him in person once.”
“Isn’t Seol Ji Oh continuously overseas these days?”
“He’s shooting something in Hollywood. It was all over the news. Something about becoming a world star.”
Yeo Woon lifted her eyes to look at the small television hanging from the restaurant ceiling. Inside the television, a sleeklooking man halfundid his shirt and was drinking coffee with a seductive expression.
Yeo Woon looked at the face on the screen as she chewed on a piece of meat thoroughly.
The worldfamous star, Seol Ji Oh.
‘I know his childhood.’
A small laugh escaped Yeo Woon’s mouth. It wasn’t the title of a horror movie.
It was a story no one would believe. That she and world star Seol Ji Oh were childhood friends.
Yeo Woon shook her head slightly. It was a long time ago.
Fifteen years old, the day she had to leave the neighborhood as if running away, she couldn’t meet Seol Ji Oh again.
Yeo Woon quickly shoved the remaining rice soup into her mouth and stood up from her seat. She had slipped out for a bit during the standby time for shooting and had to return quickly.
.
.
.
Arriving hastily at the shooting set, Yeo Woon halted at the odd atmosphere on site.
Why is everyone packing up? Has the shooting ended?
Yeo Woon looked for the face of the assistant director she was somewhat acquainted with among the busy moving people. The assistant director looked very busy packing up the equipment.
“Assistant Director!”
“Oh? Ms. Yeo Woon, you haven’t left yet?”
“Pardon?”
Yeo Woon looked at the assistant director with a stunned expression. She had a bad feeling. The assistant director glanced at her for a moment and then summoned a production staff member with a fierce look.
“Hey. Didn’t you tell Yeo Woon that her scene was cut?”
The summoned man seemed to realize his mistake just then. But after glancing at Yeo Woon, he responded as if he had something to say as well.
“How am I supposed to go around telling everyone individually, with so many extras here.”
“Oh my. If you don’t do it, who will? Apologize quickly and give her the appearance fee.”
“Yes.”
As soon as the assistant director disappeared elsewhere, the man turned to Yeo Woon with a deep frown. He handed her a white envelope from the bag he was carrying and gave her a formal greeting.
“You’ve worked hard. You can return the costume to the wardrobe team over there.”
“Yes, thank yo…”
The man turned and walked away before Yeo Woon could finish her words. Yeo Woon raised her bowed head and watched the man’s retreating figure.
It wasn’t her first time experiencing this, but she found it surprisingly upsetting. Yeo Woon shoved the white envelope she received from the staff into her pocket and moved to return her costume.
Starting from dawn, Yeo Woon had been at the filming site and shot barely two scenes. She had a brief appearance in a historical drama as a gisaeng.
She had been on standby all day for those few scenes, and no one had informed her that her scenes were cut.
Even if she was just a oneday role receiving the partial script, it was too much.
Yeo Woon shoved her hands, which felt numb from the cold, into her pockets. A cold hot pack touched her fingertips.
It was an incredibly cold day.
The distance from the set to Yeo Woon’s neighborhood was a twohour bus ride. As soon as she climbed onto the warm bus and sat down, an unstoppable wave of sleep washed over her. She fell asleep in a flash.
“…….”
How long had she slept?
Yeo Woon, her eyes gradually opening, peered out the window and then pressed the stop bell in surprise.
The bus had already passed Yeo Woon’s neighborhood.
Ah. It’s been quite a while.
Hurriedly, Yeo Woon got off the bus and, with a resigned laugh, heavily seated herself on the bus stop bench. From the look of the empty bus arrival sign, the last bus had already left.
Only then did Yeo Woon take out the phone she had forgotten about.
1:38 a.m.
Yeo Woon’s hand was so cold. She clenched and unclenched her fist as she opened her messages.
[Where are you? Forgot about the afterparty? Ga Ram] [Ms. Yeo Woon~~ Why didn’t you come~~ Teacher Baek] [Why aren’t you picking up your phone! Ga Ram]Only then did Yeo Woon check the date. The afterparty for the musical performance that ended last week was today. With her eyes widening, Yeo Woon hastily made a phone call somewhere.
[Hey, Yeo Woon! Where are you!!] At the clamor coming from the other end of the phone, Yeo Woon’s heart sank. It seemed the afterparty was still ongoing.“Sorry. I had a shoot. Where should I go?”
[Han Nam Dong. I’ll send you the name of the place. Hurry up!]
“Okay.”
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.
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