THMLM Chapter 01

Chapter 01

—

“I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Pardon…?”

From where, exactly?
I almost said that out loud but stopped myself by taking a sip of tea.
My hand trembled as I held the cup.

Thankfully, the man sitting across from me didn’t seem to notice my shaking hand — he was just staring straight at my face, expressionless.
I couldn’t read what he was thinking.

I wanted to run away from this place as fast as possible.
But whether he noticed my feelings or not, he kept talking.

Our conversation didn’t go smoothly — actually, it wasn’t a real conversation at all.
I just couldn’t answer properly.
It was like being in a dream — every time he asked something, I stared blankly for eight seconds before stuttering out a reply.
Then came silence… and then another question.
This cycle repeated endlessly.

Ah, my face must look terrible right now.

From noon — when the sun was directly overhead — until sunset, he had been asking me questions nonstop.
Friends, hobbies, life goals — everything.
I felt like I was being interrogated.

I wanted it to end.
Who am I, where am I — seriously.

“Miss Yeong-ae.”

I was so lost in thought that I barely noticed him calling me.

“So, you’re giving your consent, right?”
“Eh? …Yes, yes. Do whatever you want…”

He finally lifted his teacup — the one he hadn’t touched all this time.
The tea had been replaced several times, so it was still steaming hot.
He didn’t even blow on it — just poured it straight down his throat.

I screamed silently.
He must have burned his tongue and throat!

When he finished, he smiled softly.
That sudden smile stunned me.
Why was he smiling?

I looked behind me — but there was no one else in the café.
Come to think of it, maybe there hadn’t been anyone here from the start.
I’d been too nervous to notice.

“Thank you,” he said.
His eyes curved beautifully as he smiled again — even deeper this time.

I forced a dry laugh and wiped my cold sweat.
What were we even talking about just now?

I closed my eyes tightly, ready to ask — but he spoke first.

“Then, starting today, we’re dating.”

“…”

I almost bit my tongue.
Please tell me I misheard that.
But in the quiet café, there was no way I did.

His voice was so smooth and sweet that under any other circumstances, I could’ve listened to it all day.
Even though I knew I should be cautious, I kept getting lost in his voice, and his words slipped past my mind.

He looked completely serious.
No hint of a joke.

My blood ran cold.
No — this can’t happen. Absolutely not.

The alarm bells in my head screamed run away.

“No, I don’t want to! I’m sorry, but I can’t!”

One apology would’ve been enough, but I somehow managed to say “no” three times.
I pushed my chair back, stood up, then hurriedly came back to push the chair in before running out the door.

I ran.

Today, I’d been betrayed twice — and I still couldn’t process what had happened.

Let me explain who I am.
A lifelong single. Yep — that describes me perfectly.
Feeling sorry for me, my friend set me up on a blind date… and this was the result.

‘What even happened just now?’

I kept running, breath burning in my throat.
When I finally thought I was far enough away, I stopped to catch my breath.

Let’s review.
My friend Bella introduced me to a man — someone I already knew well.
Jet-black hair, sapphire-blue eyes, delicate features like they were drawn by hand — it was him.

Kahen Lu Cherta.

The man my best friend Bella introduced me to was none other than the male lead of my favorite novel.
And Bella was the female lead.

Wait — what?

She was the heroine, and she introduced her own love interest to me?
I never messed with the original story! I swear!
All I did was become friends with her — nothing more.

‘So why did everything go so wrong?’

I possessed a side character in The Flower of Havelion about ten years ago.

—

When I first opened my eyes, I thought, Where am I? Who am I?

I was standing in front of a mirror — and that’s when I realized this body wasn’t mine.
There was only one girl in the room — the reflection staring back at me.

Pale pink-blond hair, light green eyes… definitely not me.
And she was tiny — about seven years old, maybe?

I stretched my arms, swung my legs, and pulled on my cheeks.
“Ouch! That hurts!”

The pain told me this was all real.
My voice sounded strange, too.

“Is this really me?”

I pressed my hand to the mirror, feeling laughter bubbling up from embarrassment.
After realizing how ridiculous I sounded, I cringed so hard I wanted to hide — but then, I understood.

This was possession!

And the last thing I had read before waking up here was my favorite novel, The Flower of Havelion.

Which meant — I was inside my favorite story!

I jumped around the room in excitement.
No one was watching, so I even danced — though apparently being inside a new body didn’t fix my terrible dancing skills.
My reflection looked awful, but I didn’t care.

There was only one regret.
The novel had ended a year ago.
I’d been too sad to read the epilogue right after it ended.

After a year of hesitation, I finally decided to read it.
I took a deep breath, held my phone — and just as I clicked the “epilogue” button…

I dropped my phone.

Two bright lights flashed before me.

‘Oh no. The reincarnation truck.’

That’s what people called the mysterious truck that hit people and sent them into fictional worlds.
I never thought I’d be one of them.

But here I was.

Well, no point crying about it.
If I couldn’t read the epilogue — I’d see it with my own eyes instead!
This was my chance.

If this was before the original story began, I could even witness my favorite couple’s childhood.

Just thinking about it made me breathless.
There had been a single black-and-white illustration in the novel showing them as children — they were so cute I wanted to hug them.

Their first meeting took place in a secluded estate, where both had gone to recover from illness.
The heroine, Bella, had been born weak; the hero, Kahen, had nearly died from poison.
They both chose the same quiet estate to heal — a coincidence, or maybe destiny.

During the local festival, they sneaked out at night and met under the fireworks.

“Lady Havelion?”
“…Lord Cherta?”

Since both came from noble families, they easily recognized each other.
Readers used to joke that Kahen’s memory was proof of true love.

That was where everything began.

Years later, they reunited at the debutante ball.
It was tradition for young nobles to dance with their chosen partners — usually arranged by family.
But both of them rejected their assigned partners.

Instead, they came alone — certain they would find each other there.

And when they did, surrounded by light and music, Kahen asked:

“Lady Havelion, may I have this dance?”
“With pleasure.”

It was the moment he first smiled softly at her — the moment love bloomed.

‘I wanted to be one of those lucky people who saw it! Even just a background extra watching them dance!’

I didn’t plan to interfere with the story — I just wanted to see it unfold.