Chapter 1

It had been ten years since Yvette Carter and I woke up trapped inside the pages of this twisted "redemption" romance. But finally, we'd found the exit.

Yvette stood on the rooftop, smiling at me. She called out, "Nora, this is no fun at all. I'm going home."

With that, she jumped off right in front of her husband, the A-list actor Zack Baker.

Zack, who had just accused Yvette of faking it and using dirty tricks, went pale as a ghost.

I looked past Zack to where Frank Lynn, the genius neurosurgeon, was gently comforting his beloved Iris Jennings. I smiled softly.

"Zack, I'm leaving with Yvette, too," I said.

Then I jumped, too.

Behind me, I heard a heart-wrenching scream.

I didn't know who that was.

But it didn't matter anymore.

I was finally going home with Yvette.

*****

Yvette and I were transported into a novel, where our job was to help the suffering supporting male leads.

My mission was to help Frank, a genius boy who'd been bullied and beaten by his family until he shut himself off from the world.

Yvette was tasked with saving Zack, a pitiful soul who was paralyzed and disfigured, left to rot in bed and abandoned by everyone, even his own mother.

After ten years of struggle, we finally helped Frank, who was once a withdrawn and troubled genius, become a renowned neurosurgeon.

We also turned Zack, who had been scorned and abandoned by everyone, into a dazzling superstar.

It looked like our redemption arc was about to succeed, and we could finally stay in this world, living happily ever after with the ones we loved.

But just as we were about to win, their irreplaceable Iris Jennings came back.

Everything we'd worked for was wiped out in a single night.

Ten years of struggle became nothing but a cruel joke.

Yvette wasn't ready to let go. She rushed over to see Zack.

But what she saw was Zack, the same movie star who'd promised her forever just yesterday, now gazing at Iris, who had just returned from abroad, his own eyes red with emotion and filled with obsession.

Zack said, "Finally, you're back, Iris.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you all these years."

During Iris's welcome party that night, Zack, the movie star who usually avoided the spotlight at these events, performed piece after piece on the piano for her alone.

My fiancé, Frank, put on a lavish fireworks show for Iris that lasted all night.

They gave Iris, the once-famous actress making her return, a truly grand welcome.

When I saw the city lit up with fireworks, it hit me all at once.

I remembered how, back then, I went through hell just to help Frank recover from the depression caused by all the abuse and bullying.

I spent a whole year living in a basement, eating nothing but instant noodles.

At night, Frank would hold me tight, his hand running over my worn-out pajamas, his heart aching for me.

He would say, "Nora, once I make it big, I'll make sure you never have to struggle again."

And now, he really was rich.

But the one he was showering with gifts and trying so hard to make smile wasn't me anymore.

The System ordered Yvette and me to redo our redemption missions, or else, three months from now, we'd be wiped out for good.

Yvette watched the viral video of Zack staring at Iris as if she were his whole world, forced a bitter smile, and shook her head.

She said, "Forget it, System. I quit.

"I'm just so tired. I don't want to do this anymore."

Yeah, she was truly worn out.

She'd transmigrated as Zack's fiancée, back before his accident.

To save Zack, the guy everyone had given up on, she lost her own family and threw away ten years on him in vain.

How could she not be exhausted after all that?

The System went quiet for a moment, then turned to me. It asked, "Host, what about you?

"Are you going to give up, too?"

I watched another video. Not sure what Iris had said, but my usually cold and proud fiancé, Frank, just took off the silver cross he never removed and handed it to her, with a look that was almost fawning.

I had given him that cross.

Back when Frank was so sick he nearly died, I, someone who never set foot in a church, drove three hours every Sunday for six months to sit in a back pew and pray for him.

I bought it with the last of my savings and had it blessed by the priest.

When Frank finally woke up and learned what I'd done, his eyes red with emotion, he promised me that even if it killed him, he'd never take it off.

But now, he went back on his word.

Suddenly, something inside me just died.

I turned to the System and said, "It's no fun anymore. I'm out, too."

I took Yvette's hand and said, "Yvette, let's go home."

Yvette nodded.

"Yeah, let's go," she said.