IBVCTGH Chapter 01

 

Chapter 1

"Today's clock-out time… 1:21 AM… Every day, I'm breaking a new record."

Is this right? Is this really how it's supposed to be?

Is this the reality of office workers in South Korea?

"A company that makes you work this late but doesn’t even cover taxi fare?"

Yep, that’s my company.

At 32 years old, office worker Kim Haena was going through a tough time at her new job.

She had barely managed to land this position in the middle of a brutal job market, thinking, Finally, my life is getting better!

But instead, it felt like she had escaped one hell only to enter another.

"If the work is this hard, they should at least pay well… But no, the work is exhausting, and the pay is pathetic. Is this my boss's way of saying, ‘Since you don’t earn much, you shouldn’t even have time to spend money’?"

Despite being a company that exploited its employees while paying them minimum wage, Haena couldn’t afford to quit.

Why?

Because the only person Kim Haena had to support was… herself.

If she had someone to rely on, she could’ve taken a break and looked for a better job while building up her skills.

But she had nowhere to turn.

She had to survive entirely on her own.

Her parents had spent their entire lives drowning in debt, and just when they had finally paid it off, they both died in a car accident on the same day.

After they passed away, Haena gave up her right to inherit their estate, which erased their remaining debts, but she felt no joy.

She would have preferred to struggle with debt if it meant she could still be with her parents.

Even though they had lived together in a cramped, one-room apartment, she had been happy.

Her parents hadn’t had much money, but they had always showered her with love.

That was why, even if she was broke, she had grown up to be a cheerful, healthy, and happy office worker.

Well… except now I’m broke and unhappy.

I'm fine.

Because… Mom and Dad made me a promise.

"Haena, no matter how hard things get, as long as you keep your wits about you, you’ll be okay."¹

"…Really?"

"Of course! There’s an old saying—'Even if a tiger catches you, if you keep your head straight, you’ll find a way to survive.'”

"That doesn’t sound right… No matter how much you keep your head straight, some things just don’t work out."

"No, if you hold on and endure, the sun will rise again someday."²

"But it hasn’t…"

"It will. I promise. And if for some reason it doesn’t, your dad and I will send you a sun ourselves to make sure it does."³

Haena clenched her fists.

Yes, her parents had told her that even if she got caught by a tiger, she could survive if she kept her wits about her!

Even if poverty was beating her down, as long as she held on, a bright new day would come!

And if I really think about it, things aren’t that bad.

At least I have a place to sleep every night.

…Well, it’s not actually mine—it belongs to the bank.

And I don’t own it; I’m just renting it.

But still…

Having a home to return to after work is something to be grateful for!

And most importantly—tomorrow is the weekend!

***

"…What? My house is going up for auction?"

"Oh dear, Haena! You haven’t heard yet? The whole villa is in chaos!"

On what was supposed to be the best part of an office worker’s life—Saturday morning—

Haena’s upstairs neighbor, Grandma Kim, came rushing to her door in a panic.

With the worst news possible.

"Wait, hold on… I don’t understand. If the building gets auctioned off… what happens to us?"

"Unless we buy it ourselves, we get kicked out!"

"WHAT?!"

This is insane.

Haena clenched her trembling hands and took a deep breath.

"Then… could this really be what I’ve only heard about…?"

"It’s a rental scam. We’ve all been scammed… All that money is gone."

No way.

Haena couldn’t take it anymore. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.

Her security deposit—150 million won—was just… gone? Just like that?

"B-But that wasn’t even my money… It was all from the bank…!"

"Sigh… Everyone in this building is in the same boat. It’s all debt. What do we do now…?"

Mom. Dad.

Can you really survive even if you’re caught by a tiger, just by keeping your wits about you?

I held on, but now it feels like the entire world has turned against me.

***

"Hahaha."

A hollow, dazed laugh escaped her lips.

"Hahahaha…"

Empty soju bottles were scattered across the floor of her room.

The only snack she had was a single bag of chips.

Haena lay on the floor, clutching her phone, tears rolling down her cheeks.

She still couldn’t afford a bed, so she was lying on a thin mattress topper.

On the screen of her phone, the CocoaPage app was open.

As a child, Haena had spent most of her time at the library.

Since there was no one to look after her until her parents got off work, she had practically lived there.

But she had never felt lonely.

Books had always been her dearest friends.

After becoming an adult, she barely had time to read outside of her commute.

She had no choice—if she wanted to make it through the next workday, she couldn’t afford distractions.

Even the tiny scraps of free time she had were dedicated to getting as much sleep as possible.

So, it had been a while since she last read for leisure.

Why was she reading a novel now, of all times?

To Haena, the answer was obvious.

Books were her greatest source of comfort.

In the past, she would have run straight to her parents, sobbing about how unfair life was.

But now, she had no one.

No one to confide in.

No one to share her frustrations with.

That was why, the moment she opened CocoaPage, she impulsively clicked on the first novel she saw and purchased the entire series.

"What’s the difference between being 150 million won in debt and being 150 million plus 12,000 won in debt? Honestly… it’s nothing."

Haha.

Haena let out a dazed chuckle, took another swig of soju, and started reading.

"Well, since I’m already in debt, what’s another 12,000 won?"

The novel she chose was [The Chaebol’s Love Story].

She hadn’t even checked the synopsis.

The only reason she picked it was because the word chaebol was in the title.

If it’s about a chaebol, then at the very least, there would be plenty of extravagant spending, right?

She just wanted to experience some vicarious satisfaction—

To watch someone else spend money recklessly, even if she couldn’t.

As she kept reading…

[< The Chaebol’s Love Story > THE END]

After finishing the novel, Haena threw her phone.

"Are you kidding me?"

She didn’t care if the phone broke or not. Fueled by frustration and alcohol, she fumed with anger.

"Running away and giving up money… for love? Are you insane? If you’re going to do that, at least take a huge divorce settlement first!"

That’s right.

The chaebol male lead and female lead had suffered countless injustices at the hands of the villainous characters—

And yet, instead of receiving any compensation, they had given up everything and paid a massive divorce settlement.

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

They had abandoned all their wealth to elope for love—

All because they couldn’t handle their families’ opposition.

"Okay, fine. The male lead has always been rich, so maybe he doesn’t understand how the world works But you, female lead! You’ve never had money! So why?! Why do you have no sense of reality?! Why would you run away for love?! You should have held on and inherited the company! If the male lead was too dumb to see it, you should have made him take control of the business!"

Her blood boiled.

Haena grabbed the back of her neck, which was throbbing in anger.

She had chosen this novel, The Chaebol’s Love Story, thinking it would be fun to watch rich people spend money recklessly—

But this?

This was a scam!

Give me back my cash!

"The villain is better. Way better."

The villainess of the novel was another chaebol heiress, Hong Haena.

She had the same name as Haena, but their lives couldn’t have been more different.

Hong Haena had thrown away love for the sake of money.

And because of that, she had survived till the end of the novel, never losing her status as a chaebol.

Most importantly, unlike the clueless male lead, Hong Haena knew how to use money properly.

Want something? Buy it.

Facing an obstacle? Solve it with money.

Something that supposedly can’t be bought? Nope. 

Just offer more money.

"Honestly, the villainess is more likable. I can actually relate to her…"

Ding!

A notification suddenly popped up.

[Do you really think so? That the villainess who chose money is more attractive than the main characters who chose love?]

"…What the hell?"

Haena blinked at the game-like screen floating in front of her.

[You don’t understand the value of love. You have chosen money! Then why don’t you try living as the villainess of The Chaebol’s Love Story, Hong Haena?]

"…Excuse me?"

[Will you be able to have both love and money?]

"No, wait! I don’t need love! I just want money!"

Haena tried to protest, but the message window ignored her completely.

A blinding white light filled the room.

"AHHHH!"

***

"Young Miss Haena, are you awake?"

No way.

"What would you like for breakfast today? We have Korean, Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine, all prepared and ready to serve."

Was this a dream?

A dream?

If this was the only way she could experience luxury, then… Haena's life was kind of depressing.

She let out a weak laugh and pinched her cheek lightly.

But—

It hurt.

A lot.

"......…?"

Why does this hurt?

Haena, still in shock, pinched herself again.

But the pain remained the same.

Wait.

Then… that strange game-like notification I saw earlier—was it real?

Having spent the past ten years as a loyal CocoaPage VVIP reader, Haena felt a strange sense of familiarity.

'This… this is exactly how transmigration novels start, isn’t it?'

Was this the infamous romance novel isekai scenario she had only read about?

No—this wasn’t even a fantasy romance. It was just a regular romance novel!

Slowly, Haena opened her eyes and turned her head toward the owner of the gentle voice speaking to her.

Standing before her was an unbelievably beautiful woman who looked to be in her 30s.

"The chairman is waiting downstairs, so let’s get you washed up and head down together."

"Yes…!"

Wait.

Wait a second. Something feels really off.

"Oh my, how energetic! Our little Miss Haena wakes up so well in the morning. It makes me so happy."

Energetic?

It had been at least twenty years since anyone called her that…

And now that she thought about it, her voice sounded weird, too.

Haena raised her hand.

And then—

"What the—?!"

"Miss Haena! Where did you learn such rude words?! Oh dear! I told you not to sneak and watch OTube, didn’t I?!"

This hand…

This was a child’s hand!

"Uh… excuse me. How old am I right now?"

"…Miss Haena? Did you have a bad dream? You’re acting a little strange today…"

"Just tell me! Show me with your fingers!"

"Oh, you wanted to show off what you learned in kindergarten? My, my. You’ve known how to count for quite some time now, Miss Haena. If you wanted to show me, you should have said so from the start.

Of course, you are…"

The beautiful unnie (probably) gently folded down seven of Haena’s fingers.

Which meant—

"Seven… years old?"

🌼; 

¹ Means that no matter how difficult a situation becomes, as long as Haena stays clear-headed and thinks rationally, she will be able to handle it and be fine.

²Means that if you keep going and endure tough times, eventually, things will get better—just like how the sun always rises after the night. It conveys a message of hope and perseverance.

³Reassuring someone that things will get better. The speaker promises that if the sun (a metaphor for hope or better days) doesn’t rise on its own, they're will personally make sure it does. It expresses deep love, support, and a commitment to ensuring the listener’s happiness.

- Chaebol refers to large, family-owned conglomerates in South Korea, such as Samsung, Hyundai, and LG. These corporations typically have significant influence over the economy and operate in multiple industries.  

- Unnie (언니) is a Korean term used by a female to address an older sister or an older female friend. It conveys familiarity and respect, often used among close friends or in K-pop culture.

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