As soon as she became an adult, she left the orphanage with 2 million won in support money. With a nursing aide certificate she earned in high school, she worked at a hospital and earned a degree through a credit banking system. She later transferred to a nursing college.
After graduation and obtaining her nurse's license, Ji-hye was fortunate to be employed at a university hospital.
Ji-hye lived her life with utmost dedication.
She toiled away, paying off her student loans, working overtime every day, and frugally saving money.
Even dating, a common luxury for others, felt extravagant for Ji-hye, so she never even attempted it.
Thus, without ever experiencing familial affection or romantic love, Ji-hye filled her void with romance fantasy web novels.
On a typical late Friday night after a shift change, an exhausted Ji-hye stopped by a convenience store before heading home.
Sipping pack soju through a straw, she walked, her eyes glued to her phone.
'Is this really that popular?'
The novel had been number one in the Sirius X romance fantasy web novel category for six weeks.
People praised the story for its twists and turns. As a novel that sharply divided opinions, it had a strong fanbase.
After a sip of soju, Ji-hye read the novel's introduction.
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In the Soltarius Empire, the Crown Prince's fiancée has been mysteriously murdered three times.
Even the notorious young lady of the Credion Duchy couldn't escape her fate on her 24th birthday, the day she became the Crown Prince's fiancée.
ㅡ
With ten years of reading romance novels, Ji-hye thought, 'The intro suggests that this insane Crown Prince is undoubtedly the male lead, who's killed three fiancées? A crazy, tyrannical prince?'
Her brow furrowed.
Sure enough, when she opened the review section, it was a mess of comments.
"Writer, this crazy Crown Prince isn't the male lead, right?"
"Trashy name for a trashy male lead? There's a difference between a bad boy and trash, you know."
Ji-hye's skepticism grew as she read through the comments.
ㅇㅇ(xxxx ) I'm the vanguard here. I've read up to episode 50, and the male lead is a lunatic. He's beyond redemption, how can this even be a romance… I bought it because it was on sale, but what a waste of cookies.
Ji-hye chuckled as she scrolled through the fiery comment section.
"Wow, such a guy is the male lead? And there's not even a regretful man tag. If he doesn't even repent, what's the fun in reading it?"
While continuing to scroll, Ji-hye noticed another comment.
ItchyCat(xxxx ) Even if it's in the middle of nowhere, doesn't the Duke's villa have any staff? Does it make sense for an injured Duke to die from excessive bleeding? It's clear the Duke is the male lead, but if he dies, the story's over.
└ ㅇㅇ(xxxx ) Total lack of logic. I'm dropping this~
The comments suggested that even after 50 episodes, it was unclear who the male lead was.
'As expected.'
"I can tolerate anything but a story with no logical consistency. I'll pass on this one."
The last thing Ji-hye wanted was to get stressed out by a web novel meant for escapism.
Feeling somewhat down, she turned off her phone screen.
While others were enjoying their Friday night with family, friends, or loved ones, there she was, sipping on a pack of soju alone. It felt pathetically sad.
Watching others seemingly happy and getting lost in her thoughts, Ji-hye was about to cross at a traffic light.
Screech, crash. They say time flows differently at the moment of death.
She felt her body floating, and her gaze landed on her phone screen.
The lock screen was open, displaying the novel's introduction she had read earlier.
As time stretched out like a panorama, one line caught her eye.
ㅡ On her 23rd birthday, she became the Crown Prince's fiancée. It was a fate she could not escape.
Why, at the brink of death, did that line stand out to her?
In a brief moment of thought, the next time Ji-hye opened her eyes, it was the year 296 in the Soltarius Empire calendar.