I was an ordinary exam taker in South Korea.
Failing repeatedly made me want to give up due to the crippling self-doubt that eroded my self-esteem, but the time and money I had already invested were too precious to abandon.
There were countless days when I barely slept two hours.
Sometimes, I tore up my study materials in frustration, only to tape them back together while sobbing uncontrollably.
Now, it's time to say goodbye to all of that. I can finally escape this 3 pyeong (approx 10sqm) hell.
I passed the exam. After five long years.
The first thing I did was call my mother. I could hear the noisy customers in the background of her voice. My throat tightened, and I let out a bleating sound.
“Mom, I… I passed.”
Thinking of my parents, who had sacrificed so much day and night to support me, brought a flood of tears.
I could confidently say it was the happiest moment of my life. Fortunately, my parents and friends believed in me and waited for me.
At least, that’s how it felt.
The trouble began when I stayed up until dawn after my celebration party. Maybe it was a mistake to browse random things on my phone and read a novel I usually wouldn’t touch.
Just as I dozed off reading, I suffered the tragedy of being reincarnated into the novel's world.
* * *
It was absurd.
There are so many people in this world who want to be reincarnated into a new world.
So many who wish to transmigrate into a novel world.
But of all people, why me? Just as I thought I had finally seen the light after 5 years of suffering. I never dreamed I would be the one to get reincarnated.
Summer clutched her head in disbelief at this bizarre reality when the door opened, and a lady with a gentle face entered.
“Summer, wake up. The sun is already high in the sky.”
“…Summer?”
Summer asked, bewildered. The woman lovingly stroked Summer's hair and replied.
“Yes. My season, my beloved daughter. Hurry and get ready to come down. We need to have breakfast together.”
Summer? Was this a dream? It felt too vivid, like a lucid dream. The lavish surroundings overwhelmed her, but more with bewilderment than fear.
With the help of maids, Summer went down to the dining hall, where a middle-aged couple who looked perfectly picturesque greeted her.
"Welcome, Summer! Today we have your favorite veal dishes. Let's eat."
They seemed to be Summer's parents. Summer curtsied awkwardly and sat, picking up the fork and knife clumsily.
Someone who had always eaten with a spoon and chopsticks in Korea couldn't suddenly master aristocratic table manners. Summer cautiously glanced at them, hoping not to seem out of place.
Luckily, it wasn't too difficult, and she soon managed to enjoy the meal.
“Summer, would you like to go for a walk with me today?”
“Uh… sure, I’d like that.”
Summer awkwardly walked alongside her mother in the garden. The garden was incredibly beautiful, almost fantastical. It was so vast, easily over an hour's stroll to circle it once.
In this early spring, green shoots were emerging and grass growing everywhere. Though the breeze was chilly, the warm clothing made even that feel pleasant.
"Summer, your debutante ball is coming soon. Is there anything you'd like?"
"Nothing in particular."
“Oh, didn’t you say you wanted a music box? I completely forgot.”
“Pardon?”
“My dear daughter. Mother will prepare a wonderful gift for you, so look forward to it.”
“Thank you.”
The walk was quite enjoyable. Although seeing the woman’s affectionate smile made Summer miss her mother in Korea, causing her nose to tingle, the conversation and scenery were satisfying.
After finishing the walk and returning to the mansion, the maids bathed Summer and gave her an oil massage.
This was a luxury like no other. On top of that, there were warm, cozy bedding and a soft nightgown.
“Sleep well, my dear daughter.”
“You too, Mother.”
I thought that if I fell asleep like this and woke up, the dream would end.
But when Summer woke up, the scene that greeted her felt a bit strange. The same scene, the same time as yesterday.
“Summer. Wake up. The sun is already high in the sky.”
Summer's mother, Countess Lindsey, entered and spoke warmly in a playful tone.
"I woke up too late. My apologies."
"Yes. My season, my beloved daughter. Hurry and get ready to come down. We should eat together."
Summer felt a bit odd. But she got up again and repeated the day. The next day, and the day after that.
The dream was peaceful and beautiful. The sunlight was always warm, the room was always clean, the maids were cheerful, and her parents were kind.
But Summer wanted to wake up from the dream as soon as possible. She wanted to wake up and live in the familiar reality.
When she lived in South Korea, she often fought with her parents. Her self-esteem, which had eroded during her exam preparations, made her react irritably to even the smallest things her parents said.
‘Are you telling me to quit now? Everyone else around me has already got jobs and promotions! I’m the only one, the only unemployed one!’
‘Mom just worried you’re having a hard time…’
‘Please, don’t say anything! I’m already struggling, so please don’t make it worse!’
As she drifted off to sleep in the cozy bed, wrapped in soft sheets, she couldn’t understand why that scene replayed in her mind. Tear drops rolled down her closed lids.
What are her parents doing now?
Are they trying to wake their unresponsive daughter? Or did she hit by "truck" into this world after dying in reality?
Summer’s eyes snapped open. Cold sweat ran down her spine. If this wasn’t just a simple dream, but something absurd happening?
Summer curled up.
She was getting increasingly scared that this world might never end.
* * *
Once the thought of fear took hold, she began to feel that something was wrong with this world. It felt like a play being repeated over and over again.
“Summer. Wake up. The sun is already high in the sky.”
Countess Lindsey always woke her with the same expression and the same words. Then they would always eat the same meals at the same time.
After the meal, they would go for a walk together.
The conversation was always the same as if it was scripted.
Then one day, a new topic finally appeared in their conversation.
“Your debutante ball is really coming up soon. They say there will be a grand banquet at the royal palace. Will our Summer find a husband there?”
“Don’t say such things, dear. Our Summer doesn’t have to get married.”
“But if she misses the right age, it will be hard to marry later.”
Summer didn’t understand what they were talking about, so she just focused on eating her veal. She was already tired of veal. She thought she would have no other wish if she could eat pork just once.
“Lancaster is coming to this debutante ball.”
“Lancaster?”
Summer perked up at the familiar name.
“Duke Lancaster is the same age as you, Summer, and he will be attending this debutante ball.”
“What’s his name?”
“Hehe, Summer. Are you already interested? Well, one must meet and decide for themselves. Even if he’s a war hero, you need to see if he’s good to his wife.”
“His name!”
Damn it. Countess Lindsey continued with her scripted lines, ignoring Summer’s question. Frustrated, Summer unconsciously tapped the table lightly, raising her voice. But there was no point in expecting an answer.
The disappointment was as great as the anticipation. She had hoped for some change in the conversation at the dining table, but it was a futile hope.
“Ah. How can the Duke attend the debutante ball? He’s your age, so he hasn’t attended one yet.”
“Ugh... I was foolish to expect.”
Summer sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair.
“Ian Lancaster. Don’t you know him? He’s a ruthless war hero who would even kill his own kin to become a duke.”
Ian Lancaster. That name, spoken by the Countess, clarified everything.
This wasn’t a lucid dream, fantasy, or reincarnation.
It was the romance fantasy novel *I Will Become the Emperor*, which she stumbled upon in an advertisement.
The name of the male protagonist in that novel was Ian Lancaster.
What she couldn’t forget was that it was the only work she had ever read in her life. And she was now incarnated into the first and last romance fantasy novel she had ever read.
Unluckily.
Luck had deserted her.
“Then, is Julian Dudley also having her debutante ball?”
"How do you know the Dudleys’s daughter? You haven’t even met her.”
Countess Lindsey chuckled. It was clear now.
Summer had entered the novel, and there was no mention of a Summer Lindsey in the books she had read.
She wasn’t a main character or a supporting character.
“Just... I want to get to know her. I heard she’s kind and cheerful.”
Summer poked at her tomato with her fork.
“If Dudley comes, it wouldn’t hurt to get to know her. I’ll introduce you at the party, so have a good time.”
“Thank you, Father.”
After the meal, Countess Lindsey suggested another walk. But Summer politely declined, needing time to think.
“I’ll rest in my room today.”
“…”
With a beautiful smile, Countess Lindsey slowly walked out of the room. Summer, without saying a word, watched her leave and then headed to her room.
“Ian Lancaster. Julian Dudley.”
Summer lay on the plush sofa, repeating the names quietly. Julian Dudley was the bright, cheerful female lead. That's why she liked her.
“And Summer Lindsey.”
A character she didn’t remember, who wasn’t a protagonist or a supporting character, but merely an extra briefly used to depict noble society.
“Could you bring some cold water?”
At Summer’s request, a maid quickly brought a basin of cold water. Without hesitation, Summer submerged her face in the cold water.
“If this isn’t a dream, what should I do now?”
The cold water stung her skin. It was an overly vivid sensation. Then she heard voices from afar.
Summer snapped her head up and approached the window. In the garden, Countess Lindsey was walking, just as she did every day.
As she opened the window, Countess Lindsey’s voice rang clear.
“Summer, your debutante ball is coming up. Is there anything you want?”
A shiver ran down Summer’s spine. Countess Lindsey’s laughter echoed in her chilled ears. She spoke again with a gentle face, but there was no one beside her.
“Oh, didn’t you say you wanted a music box? I completely forgot.”
Countess Lindsey was speaking to the empty air. To the non-existent ‘Summer’.
Summer staggered backward. Then she rushed to the basin again, burying her face in it.
“Please, let it be a dream…”
Summer sobbed.
Possession was terrifying. That was the conclusion Summer reached a month after her possession. Summer had to survive in this eerie world. In this life whose end she didn’t know.
Summer Lindsey found Countess Lindsey, who was loving and gentle, more terrifying than any horror.
“Ugh... Ugh…”
Mom. Dad. Our black cat at home. Friends. The diary where I wrote down things I wanted to do after the exam.
They filled her mind, but they were unreachable treasures. The separation was sudden, and Summer was not prepared to accept it.
In the grand and glamorous room, Summer’s sobbing continued for hours.
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