OBNVZ C1

Chapter 1. If I’d Known I Was Going to Possess Someone

I probably wouldn’t have bought a car on installments.

Everyone in the workforce in this world—don’t you agree?

Six in the evening. An artificial island on the outskirts of the capital.
A villa owned by the Imperial Family.
A private social gathering attended only by a select few, including the Crown Prince.

Attendees: the Crown Prince, the female lead, the Grand Duke of the South, Supporting Characters 1, 2, and 3, and the villainess.
In addition, numerous attendants and escort knights.

A gathering for those who wished to escape the noisy, complicated social scene and enjoy quiet conversation.

‘Yeah, sure. All fine and good.’

But why am I here?

And not just that—I’ve possessed the villainess!

‘I was just… just an ordinary office worker passing through Yeouido!’

Did I die or something?

Did I collapse from stress because that gluttonous Assistant Manager Kim kept spraying spit everywhere while blaming others?

No, that can’t be it. I had a health checkup just last month. They said I was perfectly fine.
I exercise regularly too.

So how did I end up here?

‘I definitely… skipped lunch because I was too tired and went to the cinema to sleep.’

It was an arthouse film playing during weekday lunch hours, so I was the only one there.
The seats reclined, so I leaned back comfortably, getting ready to nap.

Then suddenly, my phone vibrated.

When I checked it:

[Imperial Security Bureau] Possession Warning issued at 12:07 PM / Gate detected 8.5 km south of the capital / Protect your body from zombies, take shelter indoors, and beware of infection.

“What kind of nonsense is that… I’m exhausted…”

And the moment I said that, I woke up here.

A high ceiling, elegant interior decor, antique furniture.

A zombie thriller survival R-rated rescue-something mashup romance novel my friend sent me this morning on my commute, saying, “Hey, the villainess has the exact same name and appearance as you.”

And now I’ve possessed that villainess—with the same name and face as me.

Q. How does it feel to wake up as a villainess?

A. What the hell is this?

‘And she’s not even a cool villainess. She’s the kind that constantly whines, “Why is everyone picking on me?!”—a nuisance, pathetic, frustrating character.’

I glanced around.

In the spacious room, people were chatting among themselves or reading books.

Only I was completely isolated.

A woman who made eye contact with me (Supporting Character 1, probably) openly frowned and turned her head away. She leaned toward the woman next to her (Supporting Character 2) and whispered loud enough for me to hear:

“What is she planning this time, looking so vicious…?”

‘What did I do?’

I stared at her in disbelief. She hesitated, and an attendant subtly stepped between us.

“Here we go again? I was wondering why she was so quiet today.”

A man nearby (Supporting Character 3) sighed.

Just from this, I could tell what kind of person the villainess I’d possessed was.

Mean, stupid, and universally disliked.

Whatever.

Whether she’s a villainess or a saint doesn’t matter to me—what happened to me in reality?

Did I really die? Or is this a dream?

If it’s one of those two, that’s at least manageable.

But if this is some kind of dimensional shift…

‘Then what about work?!’

What if I suddenly wake up back in reality, and time has passed while I’ve been missing? What if I get fired?

Who’s going to pay off my installments?!

[Assistant Manager Yoo Sara.
Left the workplace during break and did not return.
Continued absence without notice.
Unreachable. Terminated.]

‘No, my credit card bills…!’

The image of me getting fired played vividly in my head. I struggled against it, but it was already too late.

There was nothing I could do.

Despairing, I covered my face with both hands.

‘If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve just slept in the office nap room! Why did I drag myself all the way to a cinema for this?!’

But I couldn’t sleep in the nap room! The guy from the next team snores like a chainsaw!

And I don’t want people from work watching me sleep with my mouth open!

“Haah…”

I even booked tickets to New York for the month after next… used my annual leave… even splurged on business class…

And that was on installments too…

If I can’t deposit money into my savings next month, I’ll lose the preferential interest rate…

This is insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

‘No, Sara. Calm down. This has to be a dream. I just need to wake up.’

In 50 minutes, my smartwatch will wake me.

Or after 93 minutes, a cinema staff member will wake me up.

If it’s a dimensional shift?

My mom will report me missing.

For now, I crossed my arms and closed my eyes.

No one was going to talk to the villainess anyway.

I needed to calm down and assess the situation first.

Rule of a third-year office worker:

If you don’t know what’s going on, shut up and observe.

An hour passed.

I was still possessing her.

During that time, I tried to recall the contents of the novel I had entered.

But honestly—

‘I barely remember anything since I read it on my way to work.’

I vaguely remembered who these people were and their relationships with the villainess, but not the details.

I hadn’t even finished the novel.

I skimmed through the parts where Yoo Sara appeared, and stopped when I saw her die miserably.

I figured it’d be a better use of my time to watch French conversation shorts on YouTube.

‘Why would I care about some annoying villainess character, whether she looks like me or not? Probably written by my junior.’

He’s the same age as me, but he showed up 30 minutes late to a client meeting a few days ago, got scolded by me, and now he’s sulking and not talking to me. What an idiot.

‘When I get back, I’m reporting him to the team leader.’

If nothing else, I had to return just to deal with that guy.

Anyway, I had only read the early part of this zombie thriller survival R-rated whatever novel.

‘You can’t exactly enjoy an R-rated romance novel in a packed Line 9 express train without risking your social dignity…’

I only recognized this setting because of them.

Them.

The three people in front of me creating a fresh, fluttering love triangle atmosphere.

Right on cue, Supporting Characters 1 and 2 whispered:

“His Highness the Crown Prince seems quite interested in Miss Yoo Jein today. I’ve never seen him like that.”

“The Grand Duke as well.”

“If one of them ends up with her…”

“Is that even possible? No matter what, Miss Yoo Jein is…”

“Shh. Lower your voice. She might hear.”

‘You’re speaking that loudly—of course I can hear.’

That’s right.

They were the protagonists.

Male Lead 1: Crown Prince Praha, a cold, aloof black-haired beauty.
Male Lead 2: Grand Duke Cyprus of the South, smiling warmly beside him, a blond handsome man.
The one and only female lead: Yoo Jein, a cute, rabbit-like girl with pink hair.

Their faces, unique names, and the way people addressed me—“Lady Yoo Sara”—confirmed it.

I had never seen anyone with naturally pink hair in my life. Fantasy worlds are fascinating.

‘They all look better in real life than I imagined.’

As expected of an R-rated romance novel, the female lead sparkled, and the male leads were tall, handsome, and well-built.

Even at this early stage, their eyes were full of affection as they looked at Yoo Jein.

If I were the real villainess, I’d be burning with jealousy.

‘The Crown Prince even hosted this gathering just to see Yoo Jein.’

That’s why Yoo Jein—who isn’t even a noble—is here.

And me?

I came to bully her.

‘As the daughter of a duke, no one can stop me if I insist on attending.’

In the novel, the Crown Prince dislikes me. He just doesn’t show it openly.

He strongly rejects the idea of being engaged to me, the duke’s eldest daughter.

The villainess (me), who wanted to flaunt the engagement in front of the Grand Duke, gets hurt but still clings to him.

That’s probably why I came today.

‘Even though there’s nothing good waiting for me here.’

How could I allow the Crown Prince and Yoo Jein to be together without me knowing?

Even though he has no interest in me.

‘Your Highness, perhaps tomorrow—’

‘I’m sorry, my lady. I’m unavailable.’

‘You haven’t even heard my request yet!’

That’s basically our relationship.

Even the Grand Duke, who is smiling at me now as if he likes me, is the same.

He was like a childhood friend who was kind to me when everyone else hated me.

But when I mistook that kindness for love and confessed, he rejected me harshly.

‘You thought I liked you? Why would I?’

‘Because you…!’

‘I dislike you. Don’t confuse courtesy with love, my lady.’

After that, it’s obvious.

I hate him, he doesn’t care, and Yoo Jein is afraid of me.

Because I bullied her out of jealousy.

‘So cliché…’

Originally, I should’ve already approached Yoo Jein and picked a fight.

‘What is a commoner like you doing here?’

‘My lady…’

‘Silence. Don’t speak unless permitted. Haven’t you learned basic etiquette?’

‘I invited her, my lady.’

‘Your Highness!’

Something like that.

But I didn’t act that way.

Why? Because I have a brain.

‘Shut up and observe’ was still in progress.

‘Better to stay quiet and watch how things unfold.’

Rule of a third-year office worker, Part 2:

Don’t stand out.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling seven o’clock.

Dong— Dong— Dong—

For some reason, it sounded ominous. After seven chimes, people began murmuring.

The head attendant, who should’ve arrived five minutes earlier to announce dinner, hadn’t come.

It was eerily quiet outside.

“How strange…”

“It really is quiet today. Maybe it’s because we’re on an island?”

“The head attendant is late.”

“Come to think of it, where are all the attendants?”

At that, people looked around.

None. Not a single one.

Even the attendants who had been refilling drinks hadn’t returned.

In the room, there were only the seven attendees and two knights.

A chilling silence.

One of the imperial knights stepped forward.

“I will check outside.”

With the Crown Prince’s permission, he approached the door.

Holding my breath, I watched.

He pressed his ear against it briefly—then opened it.

At that moment, something rushed inside.

“Grrrgh!”

The knight instinctively shoved the attacker away.

Blood splattered.

A head rolled toward us.

“Aaaah!”

Supporting Character 1 screamed.

Ah.

I guess it’s starting now.

[Imperial Villa, 2nd Floor – Secret Room]

• Yoo Sara, Yoo Jein, Crown Prince, Grand Duke, Supporting Characters 1, 2, 3, Imperial Knight 1, Imperial Knight 2 (alive)