The cold dampness and the cling of wet clothes slowly pulled me awake.

“…What is this? Where am I?”

I was sure I had been on my way home after work—so why was my whole body soaked like this?

I glanced down at myself. Not just my bangs, but my clothes were completely drenched. Did someone dump water on me? Did it suddenly start raining?

I brushed aside the hair blocking my vision and looked around to figure out what was going on.

What… is this place?

My eyes widened in confusion.

Was I walking somewhere like this? That couldn’t be right…

I had been heading home, eager to rest, walking faster than usual—but why was there a luxurious corridor in front of me now? Why had I suddenly gone from outdoors to indoors?

What confused me the most was the strangely dressed woman I had only ever seen in comics. She stood there in the exact pose of having just splashed water on me, giggling. Without even apologizing, she turned and disappeared.

I frowned, staring in the direction she had gone.

“…What was that about?”

She looked like an adult, but maybe something was off with her mentally. Who throws water at someone standing still and then runs away?

Normally, I would’ve chased her down, grabbed her by the hair, and demanded an explanation—but the unfamiliar surroundings stopped me. I suppressed my temper. Figuring out this strange situation came first.

“…Let’s move for now.”

After the woman disappeared, I realized there was no one else in the corridor. Scratching my damp, sticky hair, I started walking wherever my feet took me.

Was I dreaming on my way home?

The more I walked, the more my mouth fell open at the unfamiliar sight.

Why was this corridor so long? Were those decorations really gold? Even the ceiling had jewel-like ornaments hanging down like chandeliers. Had I always had this kind of fantasy?

It felt like a palace straight out of a fairy tale—like the kind where princesses live. I couldn’t come to my senses.

“…This has to be a dream. There’s no way it’s not.”

I looked around again. The more I moved, the more convinced I became.

There was no way a place like this existed in Korea, and there was no way I’d suddenly be transported to a palace on my way home.

Thinking it was a dream eased my anxiety a little. With lighter steps, I decided to explore my imagination and continued walking aimlessly.

Then, I saw a door that felt oddly familiar.

I stopped and stared at it.

All the other doors felt ordinary, but this one—this one felt strangely familiar.

Without realizing it, I reached out and grabbed the handle.

For some reason, it felt like opening this door would reveal what was going on.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened it and stepped inside.

Fortunately, no one was there.

I looked around the room.

Compared to the lavish corridor, the room felt… lacking. It had a luxurious-looking bed, a vanity with a mirror, and an old wardrobe—but somehow, it felt bleak.

I wandered over to the unique-looking vanity.

As I examined it, my eyes landed on the mirror.

Without thinking, I looked into it—and froze.

“…Who is this?”

It looked like me, but…

I don’t look like this.

I stared at the woman in the mirror. She stared right back at me.

Long black hair that reached down to her hips. Deep red eyes, like rubies embedded in them. A delicate, doll-like beauty—pure and fragile-looking—stood there, completely drenched, radiating elegance.

I raised my hand and waved it in front of the mirror.

The woman did the same.

“Hah… haha…”

A hollow laugh escaped me.

Even for a dream, this was absurd. Did I even like faces like this? It was so different from the one I saw every day that it felt unsettling.

I turned away from the mirror. Looking at it any longer made me feel strange.

“…Everything about this is weird. And it’s cold. When am I going to wake up?”

My soaked body began to shiver.

Would I catch a cold like this? …Wait, can you even catch a cold in a dream?

Everything—the damp clothes clinging to my skin, the cold, the trembling—felt too real. It made me uneasy, like it was telling me this wasn’t a dream.

But there was no way it wasn’t.

Pushing away that thought, I lay down on the bed that somehow felt familiar.

“This feels awful…”

I thought about changing out of the wet clothes, but the realism of the dream made it feel like I was touching someone else’s belongings.

Whatever. When I wake up, this feeling will disappear.

I closed my eyes.

Pulling the blanket over myself helped a little with the cold.

And just like that, I drifted off, hoping to wake up from this strange dream.

***

I was an ordinary office worker—but ever since I was young, I had a terrible personality.

People often said things like, “You’re really unusual,” “You’re too blunt,” “You’re unpleasant,” or “You can’t read the room.”

I hated losing and had a short temper, so during my school years, I got into fights with friends all the time.

But as I grew older, I began to change.

Unlike school, where people excused things as childish, society was unforgiving. No one tolerated my personality anymore. I kept getting fired from part-time jobs and workplaces because I couldn’t control my temper.

At this rate, I’d starve to death.

So I decided to fix it. At the very least, I tried to suppress it during work.

I tried to soften my blunt words. When I got angry, I forced myself to smile brighter instead.

Little by little, I adjusted myself to fit into society—but it was stressful, like wearing clothes that didn’t fit.

My only way to relieve stress was reading romance fantasy novels.

Among them, the one I enjoyed most recently was.

Yes.

The very novel now flashing before my eyes like a panorama.

I stared blankly into the air.

The scenes from the novel passed by as if they were my own memories.

As I watched, I recalled the story.

The female lead was born as the youngest daughter of a prestigious ducal family known for its martial prowess. However, her mother—who was deeply loved by the duke—died giving birth to her.

Because of that, she was neglected by both her father and her two older brothers, growing up in misery.

Her quiet and introverted personality wasn’t just innate—it was shaped by her family’s neglect and the servants’ mistreatment.

She longed for attention. For love.

So she lingered around her family, hoping to receive even the smallest bit of affection.

But they ignored her completely.

Eventually, her pain festered, and she ran away from home.

That was where the real story began.

She met the male lead—the crown prince—and traveled with him. Through him, she healed her wounds and discovered her hidden talent with the sword.

With his constant support, she reached the level of a Sword Master.

Recognized for her abilities, she rose to success.

In the end, the crown prince became emperor, proposed to her, and they married amid everyone’s blessings. She became empress, and they lived happily ever after.

It was a bit slow at times, but the gradual growth of the female lead, both personally and in terms of abilities, was quite impressive.

There were frustrating parts early on, but once you got past them, there weren’t many villains or stressful conflicts. The overpowered heroine handled everything smoothly, making it an enjoyable read.

Whenever she smashed monsters’ heads, I imagined smashing my boss’s head too—it was great stress relief.

Sure, she was frustrating at times outside of fighting, but that contrast made her more charming.

Yes, I definitely enjoyed it, but…

…why am I, someone completely unrelated to the experiences of the female lead in the novel, witnessing all of this?