Two days passed.
Even though I said that, could he possibly have changed his mind? Maybe he’ll contact me, saying he’ll take the bribe if I offer it now.
“Ah, did I ask for too much? I should’ve just offered 500 million.”
A self-blaming touch messed up Kwon Seung-cheol’s hair.
Captivated by all kinds of lingering fantasies, he hadn’t been able to put down the phone he held in his hands for the past two days, even though he thought about it.
“Could he have known everything?”
Otherwise, it was difficult to explain Yoon Sun-woo’s behavior that day.
No matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t make sense.
The laughter that came out when he saw him drop the pen was only momentary; his subsequent actions bewildered Kwon Seung-cheol. His composure was so strangely calm that it felt awkward.
“On the day you went to see Eunjae, both you and I will be going to hell.”
Surprisingly, it was this side that was startled.
‘Why, do I seem incapable of doing it?’ – he had said, laughing, and that image of him hadn’t left Kwon Seung-cheol’s mind.
Thinking back to that time, his spine still felt chilly, and the hairs on his whole body stood on end.
“Sigh… what should I do now?”
When the golden lifeline he thought was his last chance was abruptly cut, Kwon Seung-cheol, who lost his way, couldn’t even dry himself properly after washing his face.
Sitting in the dimly lit single-room, Kwon Seung-cheol, who was chewing his fingernails, habitually fumbled for the shirt pocket on his chest and took out a cigarette pack.
The cigarette pack on his hand didn’t feel heavy at all.
As if to show the current situation clearly, the empty cigarette pack seemed to be mocking him, making his mouth feel dry.
Cheonha’s Kwon Seung-cheol,
Do you not have money to buy a pack of cigarettes?
After a bitter laugh, curses popped out involuntarily. Kwon Seung-cheol stared at the empty cigarette pack for a long time, then crumpled it roughly and threw it to the floor.
Suddenly, an unbearable craving for nicotine surged.
Kwon Seung-cheol crawled like a madman, quickly looked through the ashtray. He lit the remaining cigarette less harshly and inhaled. Kwon Seung-cheol’s hand holding the cigarette was shaking unusually.
Whoo—
After exhaling a thick smoke, peace finally came to his mind. Then, the image of himself searching through the ashtray a moment ago flashed back.
The desire for addiction sometimes laid bare even the most trivial parts that humans should enjoy.
Without thinking, like an instinct that follows only one’s instincts.
Kwon Seung-cheol suddenly regained his composure, extinguished the cigarette between his index and middle fingers. Without any hesitation, he called the contact he found in the recent call history.
As the call connection tone prolonged, Kwon Seung-cheol’s anxiety grew. While shaking his sweet legs, he heard the other person’s voice.
[What’s going on?]
“Hyung, send me some money.”
[What money?]“Are you going to walk all the way to the Philippines? You should at least pay for the plane ticket, right?”
“Did you gamble again?” Soonsuk’s nagging started with these words and continued incessantly. Kwon Seung-cheol switched the call to speakerphone and nonchalantly placed his mobile phone on the floor.
As Soonsuk’s scolding continued, Kwon Seung-cheol, who had been plugging his ears, slowly opened his mouth.
“No! Business hasn’t been going well lately. I paid off debts here and there while cleaning up the office, and in the end, I have nothing left.”
A deep sigh came through the phone, but Soonsuk asked about Seung-cheol’s account.
He’s weak to affection. And he knows very well that I value him more than he thinks.
No, rather than valuing, he seemed to be well aware that I’m the only one who can obediently follow him and do whatever he wants, like a faithful dog under him. That’s how it has been from what I’ve observed.
When Soonsuk’s nagging was about to start again, Seung-cheol interrupted him and said, “Hyung, have you seen Yoon Sun-woo?”
[What? Where?]
Looking down at the business card he received from Yoon Sun-woo before, Kwon Seung-cheol said, “He’s grown up a lot. He’s a professor at Yeonrim Hospital’s thoracic surgery department.”
How much did he caress it? The stiff edges of the business card began to curl inward.
“The little rascal who used to run around barefoot and wrestle with me now looks like he should hold his head high.”
[What do you care if you recognize him? Don’t go snooping around in the vicinity.]“Actually, we met a long time ago, but we didn’t recognize each other. So, I never dreamed that the little rascal was the same person as Yoon Sun-woo. And that little rascal’s face, even if it changed dozens of times as he grew up, it’s natural that I couldn’t recognize him, right?”
But you know what’s really funny, hyung?
Jitaekwang’s daughter got married to Yoon Sun-woo?
Kwon Seung-cheol couldn’t stop a burst of laughter that unexpectedly burst out. After laughing for a while, he barely stopped when Soonsuk’s cursing came.
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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