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Chapter 1
At long last, she had reached the ending and returned.
‘…It’s really my home.’
When she opened her eyes, the dazzling chandelier was gone, replaced by the familiar floral wallpaper of her room.
The world she had returned to after ten years looked as though no time had passed. Not a speck of dust had settled anywhere in the house.
The reflection of Seoryeong in the mirror hadn’t aged either. She looked exactly the same.
And then…
Bzzzzt—
Because she had been transported into the game while playing it, her computer was still on.
The old monitor flickered for a while before displaying a single line of narration.
[…Are you saying Katrina Abiche is dead?]
‘What’s this?’
Seoryeong hadn’t touched anything, yet the screen began moving on its own.
It was showing events after Seoryeong—or rather, Katrina—had died.
[If I’d known that woman would end up like that, I would’ve had a little more fun playing with her.]
As if spellbound, Seoryeong stared at the screen.
The male leads had just been informed of Katrina’s death.
Each of them wore a different expression.
[Damn it. I haven’t even paid her back for what she did to me yet!]
[I should’ve locked that Katrina up from the very beginning.]
Every one of them despised the villainess, Katrina.
So when they heard the news of her death, their reactions were all similar.
They regretted not being able to take revenge.
‘…What terrifying bastards.’
Seoryeong was dumbfounded.
What are those guys even doing?
If she hadn’t managed to return, what would have happened?
She surely would have suffered a fate worse than death.
Just imagining it sent a cold sweat down her back.
Long ago, Seoryeong had transmigrated into the role of the villainess Katrina in a reverse harem game.
She had been told that if she reached the ending, she would be allowed to return home. So, in order to get back, she played her role as the villainess until the very end.
It didn’t matter that everyone in that world hated her.
After all, her real world was here, in Korea.
‘Now, goodbye.’
Without the slightest hesitation, Seoryeong shut off the computer.
She would never be dragged into that damned game again.
It was farewell forever to those detestable faces.
And so, three years passed.
[System]
It’s been a long time, Player Han Seoryeong.
You have once again been selected as ‘Katrina Abiche.’
…Huh?
Seoryeong stared blankly at the rectangular window floating before her eyes.
What is this?
She wasn’t asking because she didn’t know.
It was that thing.
The very same system window she had seen when she first transmigrated.
But why had it appeared again?
[An unknown error has been detected.]
For a moment, Seoryeong wondered if she was dreaming.
There was no other way to explain the floating window before her.
She had definitely fallen asleep in her own home.
But when she woke up, the floral wallpaper had disappeared, replaced by a magnificent chandelier.
That was when she realized something had gone terribly wrong.
But the most horrifying part was…
“Katrina Abiche.”
A familiar voice pierced her ears, sending a chill racing down her spine.
Something was wrong.
Pitch-black hair.
And…
Cold blue eyes.
A face she knew all too well stood before her.
Damian Abiche.
One of the male leads from the game she had played long ago was standing right in front of her.
“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”
Why… why am I seeing that face again?
‘Am I dreaming right now?’
Her body trembled with dread, and long black hair slipped over her shoulders.
Hair much blacker and far longer than Han Seoryeong’s.
What is this…?
With trembling hands, Seoryeong grabbed the long strands of hair.
“I thought you were never going to wake up.”
Leaving her frozen in confusion, the man continued speaking.
“Perhaps that would’ve been for the best, considering what awaits you from now on.”
Damian’s lips curved into a deep smile, as though he truly pitied her.
But to Seoryeong, everything felt so unreal that even his cruel words barely registered.
“It would’ve been better if you’d simply died. Why did you have to wake up?”
His icy eyes, devoid of emotion, curved slightly.
“I suppose I should admire how stubborn your lifeline is.”
“…”
“Still, this is rather nostalgic. How does it feel to wake up after three years?”
…Wake up after three years?
What on earth is he talking about?
Seoryeong stared blankly at his face.
Everything had happened so suddenly.
“Did sleeping for so long turn you mute? You haven’t said a single word.”
At Damian’s glance, another man entered the room, as if he had been waiting outside.
Seoryeong recognized him immediately.
The Abiche family’s physician.
He had examined her several times back when she had been Katrina.
These were people she had believed she would never meet again.
The physician calmly reported her condition to Damian.
“I have examined her, and there are no abnormalities in Lady Katrina’s health.”
“No abnormalities in a woman who was on the verge of death?”
“…Lady Katrina’s recovery is nothing short of miraculous.”
Her mind was so numb that their conversation barely reached her ears.
Then, Damian suddenly grabbed her chin.
“Katrina.”
Those cold blue eyes stared directly into hers.
“They say there’s nothing wrong with you. Then open your mouth.”
Everything was chaos.
“Hm? Katrina.”
When she still failed to respond, the hand gripping her chin tightened.
“L-Lord Damian. Lady Katrina may no longer be in critical condition, but she is still a patient.”
“Hmm.”
“Her strength has greatly diminished. I believe it would be best if you refrained from treating her like that…”
“Is that so?”
Following the physician’s advice, Damian released her chin.
“But this makes things rather boring.”
His blue eyes remained fixed on her.
“Why did you wake up, Katrina?”
His eyes curved as he relentlessly rebuked her before grabbing a fistful of her jet-black hair.
“Do you have any idea what kind of fate is waiting for you now? Hmm?”
Seoryeong couldn’t hear his words.
She simply couldn’t understand what was happening.
Am I dreaming? This can’t be real.
I definitely reached the ending…
As Damian watched her, he seemed to lose interest. Leaving her behind, he walked out of the room.
Only after she was left alone did Seoryeong finally find her voice.
“This can’t be happening.”
Three years ago, she had cleared the game and returned to her original world—Korea.
But…
Why?
Why had she come back again?
