Chapter 2
How did I, an ordinary Korean whose life was completely screwed up, end up in this absolute disaster of a situation?
There’s only one fundamental reason.
Because I wasn’t cute.
…Seriously.
If I had possessed the body of a cute little girl in a romance fantasy novel?
I wouldn’t have been abandoned on the street, wouldn’t have ended up in an orphanage, and definitely wouldn’t have been adopted by some villainous duke.
It wasn’t just about the body I ended up in.
If the original me—Han Seyul—had been cuter, maybe I would’ve had a family to take care of me. Maybe… things wouldn’t have turned out this way.
My real name is Han Seyul. It was given to me by the director of the orphanage. It means, “May your life be as stable as the tax rate,” never going down.
Just from that naming sense, you can probably tell—the director was a bit eccentric, but a good person.
You know how orphanages in novels are usually these evil institutions? Mine wasn’t like that. My life there was relatively peaceful. If anything, it was after leaving that my life became hell.
Damn it. Why are there so many scumbags out to exploit kids with only 5 million won to their name?
Originally, I planned to get a job right after high school.
But some guy I met at a part-time job convinced me otherwise. “You’ll be stuck in life without a college degree,” he said. He promised to find me a good prep academy and swindled me out of my resettlement funds.
I ended up wasting several months at some rural cram school before I ran out of money and got kicked out.
After that, I went to work at a dormitory-style factory. The pay was decent, but the older workers bullied me.
To win some sympathy and survive, I poured out my sob story about being scammed while trying to go to college. Ugh. It was basically a confession: “Hi, I’m a gullible fool.”
They sweet-talked me, saying I could still do fine without college.
“Wanna try stocks? I know this stock expert who just made a group chat. I’ll invite you in personally.”
And just like that, my wages disappeared into thin air, all in the name of “investment.”
When those so-called mentors started leaving one by one, I realized I had less than a million won to my name.
While desperately searching for them and trying to find another job, I ended up at a convenience store. The manager laughed after hearing my story.
“Why’d you fall for that? What, you gonna co-sign for someone next?”
“…No, of course not.”
That day, I learned something through experience: Co-signing—whatever that was—was something you should never, ever do.
Everything I knew, I learned through ridicule. Every lesson came with pain. It’s not like I never tried to fight back.
One day, I tried to claim my unpaid night shift wages. The convenience store manager said,
“Everywhere you go feels like hell? Then maybe you’re the demon. Think about it. If you were cute, would your parents have abandoned you? Would no one have adopted you by the time you turned twenty?”
I grabbed the bastard by the collar.
He called the police.
And I lost all my savings to a settlement.
What I learned while being ground down by the world: The only people who step up unconditionally are family.
My friends from the orphanage were struggling with their own lives—I couldn’t ask them for help. Eventually, we all lost touch.
There was one older brother I kept in regular contact with. But after I vented about the convenience store incident, even he ghosted me. Ha… I guess he didn’t want to associate with someone who almost got a criminal record.
On the day I got fired from a barbecue restaurant for talking back to a rude customer, I tried to escape reality by reading a healing romance fantasy novel. Even spent real cash on it—something I rarely did.
Maybe I had a feeling that would be my last day.
<To Save You>. The fandom’s nickname was <Rank 99>. A story about a heroine who saves everything. The world on the brink of ruin. A male lead twisted beyond repair.
Sure, a story where the heroine saves the male lead can be nice. But maybe because I was so twisted inside myself, I couldn’t buy into it.
Like—what are they? Cats? And she’s catnip or something? Just one conversation with her and everyone gets healed? Really?
…Should’ve just thought it.
But no, I had to leave a comment. I typed it out exactly like that.
In that moment, a strange voice rang out in my head.
“Jealous?”
“Huh?”
“If you’re so bitter, why don’t you try it.”
With that eerie voice, I lost consciousness…
✦ ✦ ✦
This kind of setup is common in romance fantasy novels.
When you wake up, some elegant lady should gasp, “Oh my, how adorable!” A crowd of family members should rush in, saying, “We love you, sweetie!”
…But nope. No such luck.
After getting fired and leaving a sarcastic comment, I passed out and woke up to—
A stained ceiling. The air reeked of mold. My nose felt frozen. I could hear children murmuring nearby.
…This feels very ominous.
When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by scruffy little kids.
No need to ask—this is an orphanage. A badly managed one at that!
I shivered and tried to sit up. But I lost my balance and flopped back onto the blanket.
What the—my limbs are tiny! This isn’t my body, is it? Is this what they call a transmigration?
I grabbed a nearby kid and asked, though I wasn’t sure what language I was even speaking.
“Where is this?”
“Huh?”
“The name of the continent, the country, the year, recent events—anything!”
No one answered. The kids just whispered among themselves.
“She’s the one the director brought in yesterday, right?”
“So noisy.”
“She sounds possessed or something.”
Thankfully, one black-haired boy responded.
“The country is Gephengrad. As for recent events…”
That was all I needed to hear.
Isn’t that the setting of <Rank 99>, the novel I died reading?
This is that damn story world.
Next step: check my appearance.
“Is there a mirror around?”
“…Bathroom. Out in the hallway, to the left.”
“Thanks!”
I patted the boy’s shoulder and dashed out. The room was cold, but the hallway was worse. My breath came out in puffs. The wind blew straight in through unsealed cracks in the wall.
The bathroom was just as dismal. A few basins on a dirt floor. If this is a bathroom, then the muddy stream back home must be the Nile River.
I found a single grimy mirror and looked into it.
“I’m screwed…”
The heroine of <Rank 99> had blonde hair and green eyes. The girl in the mirror had plain black hair and golden-brown eyes.
What the hell!
If you’re going to transmigrate someone with the phrase “Jealous? Try it yourself”, shouldn’t you at least put them in the main character’s body?
Or someone’s recognizable body, at least! Even a disposable villainess from a noble house would’ve been fine!
But instead… I’m some random orphan girl no one’s ever heard of?!
Damn it. In this situation, the only way to survive is to get adopted by a noble family and become one of those child-rearing story heroines…
But the girl in the mirror was scruffy, undernourished, and about ten years old. Way past the age where just existing is considered cute!
If I were two, people would be all “Oh, she’s walking!” or “Look, she drew her first picture!” Everything I did would’ve been adorable.
But at this age? No way I’m getting adopted.
Ugh, trauma’s bubbling up again.
In real life, the chances of adoption drop dramatically once you’re past four or five. Not just because you’re “not cute.”
Most people who want to adopt only want babies young enough to not remember they’re adopted.
I get that. Logically, I do.
But… watching a kid under ten realize they’re “too old” to be adopted?
Standing next to them when they realize it?
That’s soul-crushing. Truly, utterly soul-crushing.
With a sour look, I returned to the room. Still a mess.
What kind of facility is this? Don’t they clean? Air things out? Make the kids wash? If nothing else, at least give them haircuts!
I was just taking a deep breath to calm my rising anger when the black-haired boy from before came over.
He looked a year or two older than this body. Despite the dark circles under his eyes, he gave off a strange air of refinement.
“Hey, earlier you asked about recent events, right?”
“Yeah.”
“There was one.”
He pointed at me.
“A really weird girl showed up at the facility.”
Oh really?
“Next time you want to ask something, be polite. And let people finish talking.”
He turned his head sharply.
Hah. What a sassy little brat.
I grabbed his shoulder and asked,
“What’s your name?”
If you’re a named character from the original novel, I’ll spoil your whole future for you—so you can grow into a good adult!
His eyes widened. His blue eyes glimmered beneath his black hair.
But then he squinted and said,
“Isn’t it polite to give your name first?”
Fair point. But how am I supposed to know the name of this body?
After a quick moment of thought, I gave him my real name.
“Seyul. My name’s Seyul.”
None of the kids seemed to understand it.
“Se…il?”
“Seyul.”
“Soul?”
Before they started calling me after a car brand, I compromised.
“Sol. Like in do-re-mi—‘Sol’. What’s your name?”
“I-it’s… Bel.”
“Ebel?”
“No, just—Bel!”
I didn’t recall any character named Bel. Must be a background extra. Well, me and him both.
Thinking of us as nothing more than extras calmed me down a bit. No reason to take it out on the kids.
I changed my tone and held out my hand.
“Alright, Bel. Nice to meet you.”
“Uh…?”
He looked a little confused, but he didn’t reject my hand. Huh, not bad manners.
But just then, a loud kid shouted from nearby,
“Woooow—You two look good together! Are you dating?”
Probably the playground boss of the orphanage. Broad shoulders, tall for his age. His little gang whistled and made a fuss.
Seriously, kids… over a handshake?
Bel’s face turned bright red, and he tried to pull his hand away. I didn’t let go.
“S-Sol! Let go!”
“Nope.”
Bel’s face got even redder.
The boss kid looked surprised at first, then grinned slyly.
Oh? You think this is funny?
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“Uh—Jackson!”
“Alright, Jackson.”
I reached out and grabbed his hand firmly. He tried to pull away, but I had my foot on his.
He panicked.
“W-what are you doing?! Let go!”
“Jackson, you held hands with me too. That means we’re dating, right?”
“N-no wayyyy!!”
“Ooooh, it’s a love triangle—Sol, Bel, and Jackson~”
I started singing and the little minions joined in—until Jackson glared at them into silence.
Then he turned that glare on me. Pretty sharp, but still just a kid.
I winked. He flinched.
I’ve dealt with brats like you before, kids.
Now, time to wrap this up.
I raised both hands and declared,
“Starting today, the three of us—Day 1 of our relationship!”
