Chapter 2
Sohyun sat there with her mouth slightly open, rereading the note from beginning to end—twice.
The author’s reply was as follows:
“Nothing was forgotten. It was never part of the plan in the first place. And the reason Arken did not appear midway is because he died. Have a nice day. ^^”
Never part of the plan?
And what? Died?
After a while, Sohyun’s expression went completely blank. Then she slowly cracked her fingers—pop, pop.
She clicked the reply button and began typing at lightning speed. Her last shred of rationality had long since flown away.
“Author-nim. I’m the reader who just sent you a message. I honestly can’t stay quiet after reading that. From a human standpoint, this is not okay. What do you mean Arken was never planned for the epilogue? You made even minor background characters with a single-line mention feel alive, and now you’re telling me you just left out a major supporting character like Arken? And he died? He already disappeared without explanation in the middle, and now you’re saying you literally killed him off? If he was going to die, shouldn’t you have at least shown how? Don’t you feel even a little attachment to your own characters as a writer? You can’t just mistreat unpopular characters like they don’t matter. Even if there are only a few readers who like Arken, they still exist⋯.”
She kept writing a long, furious complaint, her words packed tightly with question marks.
And then—
Crackle.
The monitor shut off with a sharp sound, and her vision went completely dark.
When she came to her senses again, Sohyun found herself inside Karin’s body.
As she stared at the beauty reflected in the mirror, one thought filled her mind the moment she realized she had possessed her:
I have to save my favorite character!
She would save Arken—the character the careless author had killed off no matter what.
She would make sure he was alive and well until the ending of the story.
However, despite her burning determination to save him, there was one major problem:
She had no idea how he died.
How was she supposed to save him if she didn’t even know the cause of death?
“Ah, wait.”
Then, like a bolt of lightning, a sentence from the original novel flashed through her mind.
“Flowers were in full bloom. As he looked at the beautiful scenery, Arken gave a bitter smile. Perhaps it was because the flourishing flowers contrasted with his own fate. But it was something he had to accept, something he had to bear alone. Until his final moment, he had no intention of revealing his secret to anyone. Unless it was a companion for life.”
It was Arken’s inner monologue during the festival he attended with the duke and the female protagonist.
After that, Arken never appeared again.
It was clearly his final thoughts right before disappearing from the story.
At the time, she had assumed it was just a forgotten foreshadowing detail.
But now that she thought about it, it was suspicious.
The melancholic tone woven into every word, the phrase “final moment,” and the “secret he could not reveal”—
What exactly was that secret?
Sohyun instinctively realized that Arken’s death and that secret were deeply connected. If she could uncover the truth behind it, she might be able to save him.
And in order to find that secret…
Well, there was only one option.
It wasn’t that she particularly disliked it or anything…
But she would have to become his “life companion.”
After all, if he only told his secret to a life partner, what else could she do?
She couldn’t just walk up and ask him directly. And guessing his death without information was impossible.
Thus, Sohyun reached a conclusion:
To save Arken, she had to make him hers.
And strangely enough, she found that conclusion… not bad.
In fact, she quite liked it.
That was the reason she had rushed to the ducal estate in the first place.
Sure, there was a bit of a personal desire to see her favorite character up close—but deep down, she intended to win Arken’s favor and become his “life companion.”
Back in reality, Karin straightened her posture as she recalled her purpose.
Her earlier nervousness had already transformed into burning determination.
One day, I’ll make this man mine.
Of course, she also had to figure out his secret and save him.
After organizing her thoughts, she lifted her head—
Arken looked like he had already grown tired of waiting.
She had clearly made a wrong move.
“…Did I come on too strongly?”
Too late for regrets. Arken’s face was already stiff.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again, clearly annoyed.
From his sapphire-like eyes, Karin could read exhaustion.
She realized she had definitely chosen the wrong approach.
“Lord Duke will return in the evening. Will that be alright?”
His tone was cold. He clearly assumed she had come here to get close to the duke.
It was understandable—given how she appeared, the misunderstanding was natural.
“I don’t mind,” Karin replied calmly.
She told herself first impressions weren’t permanent.
“Very well. Please come in.”
As if expecting that answer, Arken opened the door.
The mansion was large and complicated—easy to get lost in.
Karin quietly followed behind him.
His golden hair swayed with each step, like rippling waves. She had the strong urge to touch it—but she restrained herself with inhuman willpower.
Someday, she would make him hers and touch it all she wanted.
Lost in such thoughts, she soon arrived at a spacious hall that looked like a reception room.
“This is where you can wait,” Arken said.
After confirming she had sat down, he turned away as if he had no further business.
“Wait a second! Hold on!”
“What is it?”
“Ahaha, well…”
She had rushed here without a plan. Now she needed to buy time.
“What do I say…?”
Then she remembered something from the original story.
“You’re a mage, right?”
Mage, scholar, archivist, prime minister, advisor—these were the professions that fascinated Karin. And Arken held two of them: mage and aide to the duke.
He was extremely rare.
“Yes,” he replied reluctantly.
“Ah…” she realized she had asked something obvious.
Still, she needed to continue the conversation.
“I heard you’re incredibly skilled. Top of your academy class, right? And excellent at your work too…”
No reaction.
Her face grew warm from embarrassment. She fiddled with her hair and continued.
“I wish I had a secretary like you. Honestly, I’m not even jealous of Lord Duke except for that.”
Still no response.
An awkward silence fell.
“…I see,” Arken finally said.
Then he added coldly:
“Even if you try this, nothing will change.”
“Huh?”
“What you’re doing will not affect the relationship between the duke and the lady.”
Karin froze.
That was his polite way of saying:
Don’t think you can get close to me to reach the duke.
“No, that’s not—”
“I will take my leave.”
Too late. He had already turned away.
If he left now, this entire visit would be pointless.
“Wait—just a moment!”
“Yes?”
“I mean, that’s not it…”
She panicked. Think. Say something.
Then, in desperation, she blurted out:
“I don’t like the duke!”
Her voice echoed through the hall.
It worked—Arken stopped.
He turned back, confusion in his eyes.
“…Then are you saying you like me instead?”
