PROLOGUE - NOT SO LUCKY AFTER ALL.
PROLOGUE - NOT SO LUCKY AFTER ALL
The grocery store was bustling, aisles crammed with hurried shoppers and chatter bouncing off the walls. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting a sterile glow on rows of fresh produce and packaged goods.
Ha-un stood near the checkout, dressed in faded pajamas and cozy slippers, her arms wrapped tightly around a bag of rice cakes. She was locked in a fierce price debate with a stout salesman, her voice steady despite the growing crowd.
Sir, I’m not paying full price for these almost-wilted spinach leaves,” she said, narrowing her eyes as she held them up like evidence.
The salesman’s smirk wavered. “But these are premium imports!”
“Premium my foot,” Ha-un shot back. “I worked three part-time jobs to earn this money. I know what it feels like to save every single won.”
Jiyoo, her best friend trailing nervously beside her, whispered, “Ha-un, please, you’re about to start a riot.”
Ha-un just smiled. “A riot for my wallet’s justice.”
After triumphantly securing her groceries at a discounted price, Ha-un hurried down the street. Outside, the sky threatened rain. Ha-un walked briskly, balancing her groceries, Out of nowhere, a sleek black car sped by, splashing muddy water all over her and her groceries. She gasped, clutching the bags tight to keep her precious rice safe. Ha-un’s favorite jacket was ruined, soaked in grime.
She immediately shouted after the car. “Hey! You could’ve at least stopped!” But the car didn’t slow down.
Far ahead, inside the tinted windows, the driver held a tablet in one hand, his wrist adorned with a silver luxury watch that gleamed under the sun. He glanced at the screen anxiously.
“Should we stop, sir?” the driver asked nervously.
From the back seat, a husky voice answered without hesitation. “No. Don’t waste time on this. Just throw money for the the laundry. We have bigger things to handle.”
She fumed but there was nothing She could do. Just another reminder that luck wasn’t exactly her middle name.
“Hello, my name is Ha-un,” she finally said, her voice carrying a mix of irony and quiet determination. “If you think my name means I’m lucky… well, you’d be wrong. Luck and I? We’re more like strangers who avoid eye contact.
Since college, I’ve juggled part-time jobs and odd gigs, all to save money and pay off the mountain of debts my parents piled up trying to keep their toebokki shop afloat.
Mom, So-yeon, runs the shop with a stubborn smile, cooking up spicy rice cakes that draw a small crowd — though the money’s never quite enough.
Dad, Min-ho, helps out when he’s not busy fixing whatever’s broken — chairs, doors, or sometimes my stubborn dreams.
And then there’s my sister, Ye-seul — delicate, allergic to basically everything, the princess of the family’s attention.
Oh, and my partner-in-crime? That’s Jiyoo. She keeps me sane, drags me out of bed on rough days, and somehow puts up with my stubbornness.
My goal? One day, I’ll pay off all those debts, see Ye-seul happily wedded off, and open my very own bakery shop. Because if there’s one thing I know, it’s that baking makes me happy.
Now, about love?
Let’s just say, I’ve been unlucky there too.
Every crush turned out to be a dead end. I’m too shy to make a move, and those who like me? Usually not my type.
But money?
Money doesn’t break your heart.
So if I have to choose, I’ll take the cash — at least it won’t ghost me at 2 AM.
As She was brushing and wiping off the
muddy water from her groceries.
The caller ID flashed: PyerixCorp — the company She’d been praying to get an interview call from for months.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Hands shaking, she answered. “Hello?……..
