Chapter 2
Waking Up in a Dark Romance (2)
A pair of vivid violet eyes stared down at me.
Crap. I messed up.
Odelia’s father, unable to have her inherit the family name, had adopted an heir from outside the family. That heir was Baizen.
Tormented by a father who demanded absolute perfection, Baizen eventually made a horrific choice driven by a twisted affection for the heroine and a desire for revenge.
And he did it right in front of Odelia.
So it was because of this bastard that Odelia’s father…
I never thought I’d wake up at this point in the story.
I’d hoped I’d opened my eyes during the early parts of the novel—while Odelia’s father was still alive—so I could live comfortably as the marquis’ daughter, avoid the rest of the cast, and figure out a way to return to my original world in peace.
But judging by Baizen’s words, we were right at the start of the novel’s middle arc—the part where the male leads start falling for Odelia and slowly descend into obsessive madness.
I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten such a crucial plot point and blurted something out! Come on, brain, work with me here!
But there was no taking the words back now. Maybe if I just acted shocked… No. Too late.
Baizen was already eyeing me with suspicion. No amount of acting would get me out of this now.
“…I don’t remember.”
“You don’t remember?”
The violet eyes swiveled slowly. When I read about it in the novel, I never thought it’d be that scary—but this was straight-up horror movie level. His eyes, half-lidded, moved so sluggishly that I could feel his gaze devouring me whole.
Still, there was no going back. I nodded.
“I never experienced anything like my father dying…”
“I see. So, you don’t remember… I wonder… what would bring those memories back…”
Baizen tilted his head this way and that as though deep in thought, and I swallowed hard.
Please, let him just say, “Oh well. We’ll talk about it later.”
…That’s what I hoped he’d say, as I clenched my fists in prayer.
But Baizen was Baizen—the early-stage obsessive male lead of Thorns in Bloom. Letting things go wasn’t in his character.
“Yes. This should do.”
With a smile that didn’t match the suspicion in his eyes, Baizen pulled the gun from his waist.
Before I could react, he aimed it at the maid walking ahead of us—and pulled the trigger.
It happened in an instant. I didn’t have time to stop his hand, didn’t have time to scream, even as the blood sprayed across my face and dress.
“…Huh?”
“KYAAAAAH!!”
The screams came from the maids behind us. The shrill sound pierced my ears, making my head spin. Before I could regain my senses, three more gunshots rang out.
When the horrific ringing stopped, there was nothing left.
Thick, sticky blood slowly trickled down my face, into my hair. It dripped down to my chin and stained the once-white dress in vivid red.
The remnants of someone—of multiple people—were cooling on my body.
Baizen looked at me with a smile that seemed to say, Now, what will you do? A smile as if he wanted me to remember this moment forever—along with my dead father.
His lips moved with an almost seductive grace as he pushed back his blood-drenched hair.
“Does it come back now, my beloved Odelia?”
“…”
“Oh dear, still no memory? If you still don’t remember… what shall I do…”
“I remember.”
His revoltingly satisfied smile deepened.
I thought of the Odelia in the novel—the real one.
Odelia, who had screamed through her tears, pounding her frail fists against Baizen’s chest.
She had watched this scene play out herself. Watched her father die in front of her, not a stranger’s father—her father. That kind of trauma… how could she bear it?
Even me, who had just possessed her body, was boiling with rage.
“Yeah! I remember! You sick, twisted psycho!”
I screamed straight into Baizen’s eyes. I wasn’t Odelia. The timid girl who collapsed at every little thing? She was gone.
Let’s see how this plays out now. I wasn’t some fragile novel heroine—I was just an average woman from hellish South Korea. When faced with a lunatic, I didn’t play dead—I fought back.
If anything, I was more suited to tearing this whole genre apart.
With a sharp bite of my teeth, I raised my middle finger. Baizen’s lips curled upward, like a child discovering a new function on their favorite toy.
“You dare open that filthy mou—ugh!”
Disgusted by his amused face, I bared my teeth—but before I could do anything more, Baizen scooped me up.
How dare he?!
I shoved his face, yanked his hair, but he didn’t budge an inch.
Of course not—he was a tall, muscular man, while Odelia’s body was so delicate it might fly away with a breeze.
Maybe I really did need to hit the gym.
Baizen carried me off, and the blood soaking my skin slowly dried. The warmth faded into clammy coldness, and it felt disgusting, more than I imagined.
I wanted to wash this nightmare off me now.
“Let go!”
“Didn’t you say you were hungry?”
Baizen giggled at my struggling, clearly enjoying himself. I seriously considered punching him in the face.
I told myself, I’m human. I need to act like one.
But before I could finish that thought, his hand landed on my shoulder.
“Let go, you lunatic!”
I punched him again—but instead of reacting, Baizen kissed the top of my fist.
Get me a hammer. I’ll crush his skull.
Fueled by rage, I wriggled in his arms, but Baizen didn’t flinch.
Eventually, he brought me to the dining hall. The rich aroma of food wafted through the closed door, making my stomach twist.
Once inside, he finally set me down and pulled out a chair. It might’ve looked gentlemanly—if you didn’t know the truth. Covered in blood, grinning like a lunatic, he looked more like a psychopath.
“Come, my princess.”
“Screw off, you nutjob.”
I flipped him off and turned away. The door was closed, but I didn’t want to be in the same room with him for another second. I grabbed the handle—of course, it was locked. Auto-lock, huh?
“You’ve got it wrong. The place you belong is over here.”
Baizen had already crept up beside me and grabbed my arm. In a flash, I was pulled toward the seat.
His gentle words and smile were at odds with his controlling actions. I was reminded, all over again, that he was one of the worst male leads who’d helped destroy Odelia.
I ended up seated against my will.
The feast laid out was beyond anything I’d ever seen—steak, roasted chicken, fresh vegetables, exotic fruits, fluffy bread.
“Here, have a bite.”
It was like Persephone’s pomegranate—dangerously tempting. Somehow, I knew: if I ate this, I’d never escape.
Whether that meant Baizen’s grip or this world, I didn’t know.
I clenched my fist in defiance. Baizen gently placed a fork in my hand—and that’s when I noticed the dried blood on his elbow.
My blood froze. I looked to the black wall, polished like a mirror.
A woman bathed in blood sat there.
Blood crusted like flakes on her face and skin, her hair soaked crimson. Her once-white dress was stained with splotches of red.
And the fork she held looked as if—
“—Ugh!”
My stomach turned. I dropped the fork. I didn’t care how good the food looked. I wasn’t hungry anymore. I just wanted to run.
“…I’m going to my room.”
“You said you were hungry.”
Baizen smirked like it was all so amusing.
Sick bastard. An irredeemable monster.
My mind was filled with nothing but the urge to flee. Baizen took my hand.
“You came all this way, holding my hand so tightly.”
“Only you could eat after watching someone die.”
“I doubt that.”
He picked up the fork I’d dropped and sliced a piece of steak with a clean one, bringing it to my mouth.
Red juices dripped from the seared surface.
“Open up.”
He tugged my jaw open, forcing the meat into my mouth.
The instant the juice dripped down my chin and onto his hand, I nearly blacked out from nausea.
“Stop it!!”
I shoved his arm away and fell under the table, spitting out the meat, the sauce, the saliva.
But the flavor lingered. The thick, savory juices clung to my mouth.
Disgusting.
“Guh—!”
Bile surged. I vomited up clear stomach acid—apparently, I hadn’t eaten the night before, either.
Baizen burst into laughter, delighted.
“…You sick freak.”
He eventually stopped laughing and sat down, grinning like none of this was a big deal.
“You really are different.”
“…What?”
“You rage and break down, but you’re still different from that woman.”
He reached out and wiped my mouth.
“You’re small, lovely, ephemeral. You feel like you were made just for me—”
Baizen licked his thumb, twisted his smile. That same twisted grin. But strangely… it looked a little sad.
Any flicker of pity vanished when he opened his mouth again.
“It’s okay to get mad, Odelia. Just keep looking at me with those beautiful eyes forever.”
That single line crushed any lingering sympathy.
He murdered an innocent man. Treated lives like bugs. And now he wanted me to watch him?
Unbelievable. The most deranged, delusional, perverted psychopath imaginable. And to say I existed for him—that was the most insane thing I’d ever heard.
I wiped my face clean and stood. Baizen rose with me. I braced myself, but he just sighed.
“This is getting messy. Let’s go to your room.”
“I don’t need your damn help.”
“Odelia, won’t you call me ‘broth—’”
“Eat shit.”
I slapped his hand away and stomped to the door.
The handle turned. Click. It unlocked. Guess it wasn’t always locked. I needed to figure out the mechanism if I wanted to escape more easily next time…
I had to learn the layout of this house.
Just as I stepped out, Baizen’s arm wrapped around my waist. Whether it was his massive hand or Odelia’s tiny waist, the way his touch confined me made me shudder.
Damn it. My waist was way too slim.
“If you touch me—”
Just as I was about to say “Don’t touch me,” Baizen’s hand brushed my shoulder.
Startled, I wriggled free from his hold.
Then I saw his face.
For a fleeting moment, Baizen’s eyes shimmered as they looked at me. When our eyes met, he quickly turned away—like he didn’t want me to see his expression.
“…I won’t hurt you.”
His words directly contradicted the chilling look in those violet eyes.
He opened the door for me.
“So please, don’t run away from this house.”
With that, Baizen left.
Silence fell. A new maid arrived and guided me to my room. I couldn’t even unwrap my arms from around my shoulders.
Once I was finally alone, the blood in my veins surged in reverse. My mind went blank.
If I hadn’t pulled away. If I hadn’t escaped his arms just then…
Baizen might’ve utterly destroyed me.
I thought of Thorns in Bloom. The 19+ novel where Odelia endured horrific things. Her body and spirit both shattered by what happened.
And the terrifying realization hit: that could’ve been me. That might’ve just been me.
A scream broke free from my lips.
“…You son of a bitch…!!”
