TRIU 1

Chapter 1

Where did everything go wrong?

As she fell from the terrace, Lee Yewon asked herself that question.

The Nation’s Niece.
The Nation’s Little Sister.
A child actress beloved by the advertising industry.
The youngest-ever winner of the Best Actress award.

Despite carrying all those titles, Yewon had never once been happy.

No. That’s not true. I was happy… until a few years ago.

…Until her only family, her mother, died in a sudden hit-and-run accident.

Until she met her so-called “relatives”—a man introduced as her uncle and his daughter, her cousin Jeyeon—people she had never seen before.

Yewon had been only seven years old back then. She needed a legal guardian, so there was no real choice.

Yes.

That was when her life began to go off the rails.

“You want me to reduce your schedule? Your mom left behind this much debt. How do you plan to pay that off?”

Whenever Yewon said she wanted to rest even a little because of the brutal schedule, her uncle would say that.

“Hate comments? Unni, why do you care about that? If you do well, those will disappear. Isn’t it your fault for not being careful with your behavior?”

When she begged to be protected after being tormented by excessive personal attacks and curses, Jeyeon said that.

“The director keeps harassing you? Just go along with it a little. How are you going to make money if you’re that weak? That’s how the entertainment industry is. Just endure it.”

Even when she said she couldn’t work anymore because a director old enough to be her grandfather was harassing her, both of them said the same thing.

She could somehow endure all of that.

But what she truly couldn’t endure was—

That.

“What? You’re going to expose everything now? Do you even have proof? Proof that we’re fake?”

The truth that neither of them was her real family.

“With nothing in hand? Do you think I’ll just give up? Do you have any idea how much money that girl brings in every month?!”

They had been deceiving her under the name of “family” for money.

“Well, there’s no point hiding it now. I’ll be honest. Your real family exists elsewhere. They kept sending us child support regularly, trusting us like fools and asking us to take good care of you.”

She had believed that her uncle and Jeyeon were her only family, and that as long as she endured, things would be fine.

That this was what family was like.

When she realized that all of it—

Every single thing—

Had been a lie.

…But now, none of it matters.

She was being shoved off by her fake uncle and fake cousin.

“Now that you know the truth, you’re completely useless. Goodbye, Unni.”

Soon, her neck would snap, and she would die.

Just like the role she had played most recently.

Yewon closed her eyes and calmly accepted death.

Yeah. Maybe this was for the best.

If she died, she could finally rest. She could see her mom again.

…Then why was it taking so long?

Sensing something strange, she opened her eyes.

—This is a new one. A child actress? Haven’t handled an actor before.

Something unfamiliar appeared before her eyes.

…A… fluff… ball…?

White, soft fur—and eyes filled with unmistakable malice.

Everything about it was bewildering.

And it was talking.

—Still, I quite like this talent and this rage. Hmm. What should I do?

The fluff ball grinned so widely its mouth seemed ready to split.

—Hey, kid.

Kid? I’m not a kid.

I’m fourteen!

—Aren’t you angry?

I am.

—Of course you are. If you’d been raised by your real family, things might have been different.

What are you talking about?

My real family?

Are you talking about the people who left me with them?

They’re not my real family. I don’t even know who they are, but they’re no different.

—Oh? You think so?

…Yeah. What’s the difference?

—Let me tell you one truth. Your real family didn’t abandon you. They entrusted you to someone they thought would be a better guardian, because they didn’t believe they were good enough adults themselves.

…I get that.

But they should have checked on me later. Even once. If they had, they would have known I wasn’t okay.

—You’re not wrong. That’s what adults should do.

Right?

—But unfortunately, your real family died before they could come check on you.

…!

—Very, very complicated adult circumstances. Died just like that. Such a waste. They were my VVIP client. Tsk. Died before I could squeeze them properly.

They… died?

So that’s why they never came?

No—wait. VVIP client?

—Anyway, explanation’s over. Let’s get to the point.

The point?

Yewon frowned in confusion.

—Make a contract with me, kid. I’ll give you a second chance.

But—

The moment she heard the words second chance, all her doubts vanished.

“A second… chance?”

—Yes. I’ll send you back to the day everything started to go wrong. The day of your mother’s funeral. I can’t bring your mom back—but you can live a different life.

A different life…

If she were given a second chance, could she live differently?

Yewon looked back on her life.

Of course.

She could live a completely different life.

Most of all—

She could get revenge on those people.

Flames sparked in Yewon’s eyes.

“What are the terms?”

—Oh? You’re not stupid enough to bite without checking the conditions.

“…I’ve already been tricked once.”

By her uncle.

Yewon gave a bitter smile. After her mother died, she had signed a contract her uncle presented—one that was practically a scam. Once she signed it, there was no escape.

—Only one condition. Win the Best Actress Award before you become an adult. There’s a penalty if you fail, so be careful.

Best Actress?

Not a child actor award?

Did he have any idea how hard that was?

—So? Will you do it?

But—

Yewon grinned.

“I’ll do it.”

She’d succeeded once before. Why not twice?

—Good! Contract accepted. One last thing. If I give you one ‘benefit’ for your revenge… what do you want?

A benefit.

Nothing could be more unfamiliar to Yewon than that word.

She smiled darkly.

Then—

Something flashed through her mind.

“Tell me who my real family is.”

She wanted to know.

—Why?

If the fluff ball’s mouth seemed to twitch into a smile—

Was it just her imagination?

Yewon stared straight at it.

“I’m curious. If I had lived with my real family… would things really have been different?”

—Excellent choice, Lee Yewon!

With the creature’s sly voice—

The world faded to black.

—Your real family is… [-]!

“…!”

What?

Yewon was shocked.

Because it wasn’t someone she didn’t know.

It was someone she knew all too well.

—Do your best. With your ‘real family’!

When she opened her eyes again, she was in the middle of a nightmare.

“Oh dear… that poor child.”

“…Who’s taking her? Didn’t they say her mother had no family at all?”

No—more precisely, she was standing in the place that appeared in her nightmares every night.

Her mother’s funeral.

Yewon looked down at her body.

A very small body, dressed in mourning clothes.

…It’s real.

I really came back.

To seven years old.

To the time right after my debut as a child actress—when I’d only appeared in one project and was still unknown.

It wasn’t a dream.

That contract… was real.

As Yewon stared at her small hands, realizing it wasn’t a dream—

A very familiar voice came from behind her.

“Who says she has no family?”

“!”

“I’m her uncle. Please step aside.”

Yewon whipped her head around.

“…!”

The fake uncle.

Much younger than the last time she’d seen him, the fake uncle smiled kindly and held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Yewon. I’m your uncle. Your mom’s older brother. I lived overseas, so we never met before.”

“….”

Instead of taking his hand, Yewon looked at him coldly.

Then she looked around, as if searching for something.

“Y-Yewon?”

“Unni…?”

Someone appeared behind the fake uncle.

Jeyeon.

The fake cousin who had stolen everything from her.

“You have to come with Uncle. Hurry—”

“I don’t want to.”

Yewon shook her head as hard as she could.

“!”

Everyone in the funeral hall froze.

“You’re a liar. You’re not my uncle.”

At her words, murmurs spread.

“What? A con artist? Trying to take the kid by lying?”

“Exactly. A child wouldn’t fail to recognize her own uncle.”

As the murmurs grew louder, sweat poured down the fake uncle’s face.

“L-Liar? Yewon, you’re just unfamiliar with me—”

“No. You’re not my uncle. My uncle is—”

Yewon didn’t wait any longer.

She stood up.

“He’s over there.”

Everyone turned to look.

“Uncleee—!”

Yewon ran.

Toward her real family.

“…!”

—Your real family is… Lee Doha of !

The leader of , the greatest male idol group in Korea.

“Uncle Doha. Take me….”

She ran straight to him.

“You have to raise me…!”

This life—

You really have to raise me.

This time, you must.