Part 1: Toil and Paper (Night & Paper)
Chapter 1: The Villainess and Park Yu-Jin's Struggle
It was 10:00 PM. In a small, dimly lit shop on a lower floor in Seoul, named "작은 선물 - Jageun Seonmul" (Little Gift), the owner, Park Yu-Jin, was hunched over her desk. A pile of customized gifts lay before her, and her fingers quickly finished a complex paper-cut art piece.
Yu-Jin's life was an endless cycle of struggle. To afford her younger sister Park Da-Hye's college fees and rent, she barely managed four hours of sleep in twenty-four. She spent her days at her shop, and her nights were dedicated to her second and third part-time jobs.
To shake off the fatigue, she picked up her old phone. The title of the novel, "The Richest Husband: My K-Drama Life," was glowing on the screen.
She quickly opened Chapter 56, as she had intended to finish the novel today, even though she now disliked it.
Lee Yun-Woo, who had just sealed a major international deal, returned home with a special gift for his wife. But he searched for her late into the night. Finally, his housekeeper, Mrs. Choi, informed him that Madam Kim Ji-Su had called in the morning to say she would not be coming home tonight. Seeing the loneliness on Yun-Woo's face, Mrs. Choi said nothing more. She only mentioned, "Madam said if Baby Boy Ha-Joon and Ju-Won ask, tell them that Mommy had to attend an important Night Stand meeting."
As soon as Yu-Jin read the words "Night Stand Meeting," her anger flared to the heavens.
"That's it! Enough!" Yu-Jin slammed the phone onto the seat next to her. The novel's title was still visible on the screen.
"This Kim Ji-Su... how wicked she is! She has a husband like Lee Yun-Woo—so handsome, so rich, and so loyal! And two adorable Baby Boy! Yet she neglects her home and children, making excuses for 'Night Stand' meetings and attending clubs! She is no heroine; she is a total wicked woman (악녀 - Ag-nyeo)!"
Yu-Jin's eyes burned with resentment, as she had struggled so much in her own life to 'be good.' She was working day and night just for a little money, so that she and her sister could have a good life. And here was this fictional woman trampling on every good thing.
"I understand some people want freedom, but being such a bad wife and bad mother... this is too much! Why is she doing this to a Rich Man Have A Husband like Lee Yun-Woo?" she muttered to herself.
Finally, in a fit of rage, Yu-Jin 'deleted' the novel. She absolutely hated this story now.
🏃♀️ Night-Time Jobs
It was 11:00 PM. After pulling down the shutter of her shop, Yu-Jin had to rush to her first night shift—working at a 24-hour laundry on the outskirts of the city, washing and ironing clothes.
Walking quickly, Yu-Jin mentally calculated her expenses. She needed to buy a small birthday gift for Da-Hye next week, and the money she earned from this job barely covered rent and food. She needed to earn more for the gift.
After sweating it out for three hours at the laundry, it was 2:00 AM. Following the laundry shift, she started part-time work for a newspaper distribution company. Being a small girl, she lacked the strength to lift heavy parcels, so she was tasked with sorting the front pages of the Herald Paper and making small packets. She sat on a stool, and the cold wind pierced her bones.
Her hands ached, and her eyes were struggling to stay open from sleep. She had put a new, cheap SIM card into her old phone so her sister could easily reach her.
A 'New Number Activated' message popped up on the phone.
Between the fatigue and sleep, she thought: I wish I could find something that didn't require so much hard work. I wish... I could live comfortably like those who have everything.
The cold and exhaustion pulled her away from consciousness. Yu-Jin's head slumped, and she fell asleep right there in the cold room.
💫 New Number: The Key to a New World
At 5:30 AM, Yu-Jin suddenly woke up to the contact of something soft. A strange sound was buzzing in her ears that wasn't from her home—it was the ticking of an expensive clock.
She opened her eyes and gasped. She was in a bedroom that looked like a Noble Room—white silk sheets, vast glass walls, and a grand King Size bed in the middle of the room.
She was wearing an expensive, silky nightgown. She rushed to the mirror and was shocked.
The face she saw wasn't hers—it was Kim Ji-Su's!
And then, two small children rushed in through the door. They were twins, and they looked incredibly adorable.
"Mom! You're awake!" said one of them, while the other leaned his head against her leg.
Yu-Jin was stunned. She had entered the world of the novel, and in her arms were two प्यारे Baby Boy!
She was Kim Ji-Su, married to Lee Yun-Woo—South Korea Ki Sabse Bada Rich Men Man Rich Man Have A Husband!