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Chapter 1
“Today’s clock-out time… 1:21 a.m…. Every day I set a new record.”
Seriously?
Is this really right?
Is this really the reality of office workers in South Korea?
“There’s actually a company that makes people leave work this late and doesn’t even reimburse taxi fare?”
That company would be ours.
At thirty-two years old, office worker Kim Haena was being thoroughly beaten down at her new job.
After finally managing to get hired during this terrible job market, she had thought, Now my life can finally get better!
Instead, it felt like she had escaped suffering only to arrive in hell.
“If the work is hard, at least pay me well…. The work is hard, but the pay is tiny…. Is the boss basically saying, ‘Since you can’t earn much money, don’t even have time to spend it’?”
The company was the kind of evil workplace that paid barely above minimum wage while squeezing every drop of labor from its employees.
Even so, Haena couldn’t quit.
Why?
Because Kim Haena had someone she needed to support.
That person was Kim Haena herself.
If she had anywhere to lean on, she would have stayed there temporarily while preparing to move to a better company. She could have improved her resume and searched carefully.
But Haena had absolutely nowhere to turn.
She was surviving entirely on her own.
Her parents had spent their whole lives struggling under debt. Then one day, they both died in a traffic accident.
After they passed away, she gave up the inheritance and the debts disappeared as well.
But she wasn’t happy about it.
She would have much rather continued struggling under debt if it meant staying with her parents.
The three of them had lived together in a tiny one-room apartment, constantly bumping into each other.
Yet Haena had loved it.
Her parents had never had much money, but they had always showered her with love.
Because of that, she had grown into a cheerful, healthy, and happy office worker despite being poor.
Though now I’m an office worker with neither money nor happiness.
I’m okay.
Because Mom and Dad promised me.
‘Haena, no matter how hard life gets, if you keep your head straight, you’ll be okay.’
‘…Really?’
‘Of course. They say that even if a tiger catches you, you’ll survive as long as you stay calm.’
‘That doesn’t sound right…. Some things just don’t work no matter how calm you are.’
‘No. If you stay strong and endure, your day will come.’
‘It never comes….’
“It will. It definitely will. And if it doesn’t, Mom and Dad will personally send the sun to you so that your day finally comes.”
Haena clenched her fist.
That’s right.
Her parents had said that even if a tiger dragged her away, she could survive if she kept her wits about her.
Even if poverty was beating her mercilessly, someday the sun would shine on her life.
And when I think about it, things aren’t that bad. At least I have a place to sleep.
Well, technically it wasn’t hers.
It belonged to the bank.
And it was a lease, not ownership….
Still.
Having a home to return to was wonderful.
As long as she had a place to go after work, that was enough.
More importantly, tomorrow was the weekend.
“…Excuse me? My apartment is going up for auction?”
“Oh dear, Haena! Haven’t you heard yet? This whole villa complex is in chaos!”
Saturday morning.
The one joy available to office workers.
The elderly woman from upstairs came rushing over with panic written all over her face.
And with the worst possible news.
“Wait a second…. I don’t understand…. If it goes to auction… what happens to us?”
“We get kicked out! Unless we participate in the auction ourselves and buy it!”
“What?!”
Crazy.
Haena grabbed her trembling hands and took a deep breath.
“Then this is… don’t tell me….”
“A lease fraud. We’ve all been scammed…. All that money is gone….”
No way.
Haena collapsed onto the floor.
Her 150 million won security deposit…
Gone?
Just like that?
“So, that money isn’t even mine…. It’s all borrowed from the bank….”
“Everyone here is in the same situation. It’s all debt…. Oh dear, what are we supposed to do?”
Mom.
Dad.
Can you really survive as long as you stay calm after a tiger catches you?
Because I’ve stayed calm this whole time, and now every demon in the world seems determined to come after me.
“Ahahaha.”
A half-lost voice escaped her lips.
“Ahahahaha….”
Empty soju bottles were scattered around the room.
The only snack was a single bag of chips.
Lying on a thin mattress topper—because she still couldn’t afford a proper bed—Haena held her phone while tears streamed down her face.
The screen displayed Cocoa Page.
When she was young, she practically lived in the library.
There had been nobody to watch over her until her parents finished work.
But she had never felt lonely.
Novels had become her precious friends.
As an adult, she rarely had time to read outside of commuting hours.
She needed every spare second just to get enough sleep for work the next day.
Reading outside of commuting time was unusual.
Why was she reading a novel at a moment like this?
The answer was simple.
Novels were her greatest comfort.
In the past, she would have run to her parents and cried her heart out.
But now she didn’t have a single person beside her.
No one to listen no matter how unfair life became.
So as soon as she opened Cocoa Page, she impulsively bought every chapter of the first novel she saw.
What’s the difference between owing 150 million won and owing 150 million plus another twelve thousand won…?
Honestly, none at all.
Haha.
Drinking straight from the bottle, Haena began reading.
“Fine. Since I’m already drowning in debt, another twelve thousand won won’t matter.”
The Chaebol’s Way of Love
That was the title of the novel she chose.
She knew absolutely nothing about it.
She had simply picked it because the title contained the word chaebol.
At the very least, rich people spent money freely.
She wanted some secondhand satisfaction from watching someone else spend lavishly.
And so she kept reading.
Until—
< The Chaebol’s Way of Love > END
The moment she finished the final chapter, she threw her phone.
“Are you kidding me?”
Whether the phone shattered or not, she didn’t care.
Her anger exploded.
Even the alcohol couldn’t dull it.
“They abandoned money and ran away for love? Are they insane? Completely insane? If they were going to do that, they should’ve at least taken a mountain of money in the divorce!”
That was exactly what happened.
The male and female leads had suffered every possible abuse from the villain.
Yet not only did they fail to receive compensation, they actually paid enormous divorce settlements.
And it didn’t end there.
They abandoned all their money and chose to run away together for love.
All because they couldn’t overcome family opposition.
“No, okay. The male lead grew up rich and never lacked money, so maybe he’s clueless about reality…. But you? You’ve never had money in your life! Why are you so detached from reality? Why run away for love? You should’ve gritted your teeth and inherited the company! If the male lead couldn’t come to his senses, then you should’ve smacked some sense into him and made sure he inherited everything!”
Her blood pressure was rising.
The novel was called The Chaebol’s Way of Love.
She had expected luxurious spending and rich-people indulgence.
Instead she got this.
Give me back my cash.
“The villainess is better. Way better.”
The villainess was another third-generation chaebol.
Her name was Hong Haena.
She shared the same name as office worker Kim Haena, but their lives couldn’t have been more different.
Hong Haena would throw away love without hesitation if money was involved.
Because of that, she remained rich until the very end.
More importantly, unlike the male lead who never seemed to know how to use money properly, Hong Haena knew exactly how to spend it.
Want something? Buy it.
Obstacle in the way? Buy your way through it.
Something money can’t solve?
No, just use more money.
“The villainess is honestly more likable. I can relate to her more….”
Ding!
Do you really think so? Do you find the villainess who chose money more attractive than the hero and heroine who chose love?
“…What is this?”
A game-like window suddenly appeared before her.
You who do not understand the value of love have chosen money! In that case, become Hong Haena, the villainous third-generation chaebol from <The Chaebol’s Way of Love>!
“Excuse me?”
Will you be able to obtain both love and money?
“Uh… actually, I don’t need love. I only want money.”
She offered a timid objection.
The message window completely ignored her.
Brilliant white light flooded the room.
“Aaaah!”
“Miss Haena. Are you awake?”
Good heavens.
“Which breakfast would you like today? Korean, Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine are all prepared.”
A dream?
Was this a dream?
It was a little sad that Kim Haena could only live comfortably inside dreams.
Chuckling awkwardly, she pinched her cheek.
It hurt.
A lot.
“…?”
Why did that hurt?
She pinched herself again.
The pain remained exactly the same.
Wait.
Then that strange game window…
It wasn’t a hallucination?
After ten years as a loyal Cocoa Page VVIP customer, Haena felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
This is literally the opening of a possession novel.
Could this be—
The famous romance-fantasy possession trope?
No, wait. This wasn’t fantasy.
It was a romance novel.
Slowly opening her eyes, Haena turned toward the owner of the gentle voice.
Standing there was an incredibly beautiful woman who looked to be in her thirties.
“The Chairman is waiting downstairs. Let’s wash up and go see him.”
“Y-Yes…!”
Hmm?
Wait a second.
Something felt wrong.
“Oh my, such a good girl. Miss Haena, I’m so happy you’re up early this morning.”
Good girl?
She hadn’t heard anyone use a word like that on her in almost twenty years.
And now that she thought about it, her own voice sounded strange too.
Haena raised her hand.
And—
“Holy crap.”
“Miss! Where did you learn such horrible language?! I told you not to secretly watch O-Tube!”
This hand…
It was a child’s hand.
“E-Excuse me. How old am I right now?”
“…Pardon? Miss, did you have a bad dream? You’re acting very strange today….”
“Please! Just show me with your fingers!”
“Ah~ You want to show off what you learned in kindergarten. You should’ve said that from the beginning. Of course, Miss is….”
The beautiful woman carefully folded down seven of her fingers.
Which meant—
“Seven… years old?”
I appreciate being reincarnated as the villainous third-generation chaebol.
But seriously…
“Did it really have to start when she was seven years old?!”
