Hello, I'm Han So-Young.
Thirty years old. Single. Korean. And yes — a virgin.
...Yep, a virgin.
Hey! Don't laugh at me! Hmmp. I'm not interested in men, that's why I'm still a virgin.
...What? You don't believe me?
Okay, okay!
Maybe I am interested in men. Maybe. But my standards are sky high, okay?!
They need to be tall, smart, rich, emotionally available, morally gray, and look like they stepped out of a manhwa panel.
What? Still don't believe me?
Tch. That's your choice.
Anyway. It's Friday night. I'm at the grocery store. My dinner plans? The usual: ramen, tuna kimbap, banana milk. And maybe a chocolate bar. I deserve it.
I hum to myself while walking through the aisle, cradling a pack of instant noodles like a baby, when —
DING!
My phone lights up. A notification.
🔥 NEW CHAPTER RELEASED: Mystery You – Ep. 211: "The Tyrant Falls"
"EEEEEEEEEK!"
I scream. Loudly. In public.
Several ajummas stare at me like I just cursed in church.
I bow apologetically and whisper to myself,
"Arthur... Arthur you beautiful, deadly man—"
Let me tell you about Arthur Penrose.
He's the main character in Mystery You, my favorite action-fantasy webnovel. And oh my
GOD he is HOT.
Red-wine wavy hair.
Blue eyes like a frozen lake.
Six-foot-something of rebellion and justice.
A half-blood prince who's basically a slave-born revolutionary with a sword and a tragic backstory. He's angry. He's traumatized. He's perfect.
And he's got a tyrant for a dad, Emperor Leopold James Wexley. Ugh. That guy sucks. Like major dictator energy. I hate him so much I hope he dies in this chapter. And then there's me. Grocery store girl. Ramen slurper. Lonely.
Sigh.
"Arthur, I wish I could meet you." I mumble dreamily, staring at my phone screen.
And that's when I see it.
A puppy.
A tiny, white-furred puppy with a pink tongue and terrified eyes, running into the street.
"No!"
I drop my groceries and sprint.
Cars honk. Brakes screech. My legs burn, heart pounding — I grab the puppy, shield it with my body—
CRASH.
My last thoughts?
(What the—? Did I just... die?)
—
When I opened my eyes…
The sky above wasn't Seoul.
There were no buildings. No blaring car horns. No gray concrete or buzzing streetlights.
Instead, heavy stone walls surrounded me. The window beside the bed was open — and through it, I saw a gloomy gray sky, like an oil painting left in the rain. There was no sun. No wires. No planes.
Just… clouds. Old, medieval clouds.
(Huh? Where... where am I?)
The air felt colder. Crisper. Smelled like lavender and woodsmoke, not exhaust fumes.
My body felt wrong. Unfamiliar. I sat up slowly and instantly froze.
This was not my bed.
No ramen-stained blankets. No Pikachu pillow. No phone on my nightstand.
Instead, I was lying on a ridiculously huge bed draped in red velvet, with satin sheets and gold embroidery. A canopy hung above me like a crown.
And I wasn't in my hoodie and sweatpants anymore.
I looked down
Corset. Tight. Suffocating.
Lace sleeves wrapped around my arms like spiderwebs. My hands were covered in white silk gloves. I was dressed like I had just walked out of a historical drama no, worse a
European 1850s imperial funeral.
(What the hell is this?! What the hell am I wearing?!)
A gasp came from the side of the room.
I turned my head too fast and nearly fell over.
A young girl in a black dress and apron had her hand over her mouth.
A maid. A real one.
"M-My Lady! Are you alright? Should I call for a physician?" she stammered.
"My Lady?"
I blinked.
She was talking to me.
She bowed her head so fast I thought her neck would snap. Her eyes were wide. Fearful.
I stood up or tried to and immediately stumbled. The corset squeezed my ribs like a boa constrictor, and my knees wobbled like jelly.
(Okay, breathe. Don't panic. Deep breaths— No, wait, panic. Definitely panic.)
I ran. Or shuffled awkwardly. Toward the nearest door.
It led to a dressing room the size of my apartment.
Gilded mirrors lined the walls. I staggered to the largest one, clutching a pillar for balance.
And then I saw her.
The woman staring back at me was not Han So-Young.
She was tall. Pale. Regal.
Her blonde hair was coiled into perfect waves and pinned with crystal combs. Her lips were painted blood-red. Her eyes were sharp emerald green, the kind that saw everything and judged it all.
A single beauty mark sat under her lower lip.
"No..."
I reached up to touch my face.
The woman in the mirror did the same.
(No. No no no no no—)
I fell to my knees. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. The corset made it worse, like I was suffocating.
My hands shook. My mouth was dry.
(This can't be real. This isn't real. This isn't—)
"Lady Elizabeth Portalff Shelberg," a deep voice announced behind me.
I turned.
A butler in a pristine black suit bowed stiffly. His expression was unreadable, almost robotic.
"The Duke is awaiting your presence in the east chamber."
My lips parted.
"...Huh?"
My voice didn't even sound like mine. It was softer. Refined. British-accented?
(Wait. Wait. WAIT.)
Elizabeth Portalff Shelberg.
The villainess of Mystery You.
The daughter of Duke Shelberg. One of the cruelest, richest nobles in the empire. The woman who casually whipped servants and sold children like livestock.
The one who sent Arthur Penrose's mother to be executed.
The one who dies gets beheaded in Volume 3.
"I… I'm Elizabeth?" I whispered.
The maid looked up. "My Lady?"
(Oh god. I died saving a puppy... and woke up as the empire's top ten most hated war criminals?!)
This wasn't some fluffy romance novel. There were no prince proposals or cute tea parties.
This was a dark, bloody, anti-slavery revolution novel.
And I?
I was the villainess who dies screaming.
The puppy was saved.
But I?
I was completely, undeniably...
Screwed.
"My Lady, are you feeling unwell?"
The maid's voice was timid, worried.
I didn't even notice I had been sitting in front of the mirror for who knows how long.
I stared at the reflection of Elizabeth Portalff Shelberg, my new face. Her lips were painted, her skin flawless. But the eyes? They were mine. My eyes. I couldn't deny it.
(This is messed up. This is SO messed up.)
I ran a hand over my forehead, still trying to process what had happened. The thought of being trapped in some historical, high-stakes novel as the villainess no less made my head spin.
"You're the maid... right?" My voice came out softer than I wanted, but it was all I could manage.
The girl bowed again, her cheeks turning pink. "Yes, My Lady. I am Maria. Is there anything I can assist you with today?"
I blinked, processing her words. Maria. She sounded like she was straight out of a period drama. (Great, now I'm in a period drama.)
"Um... yes, I guess." I stood up shakily, pushing the dizziness aside. The tight corset was suffocating me, but I couldn't exactly rip it off and scream "I'm Han So-Young" in the middle of a mansion. "I… don't know what to do. I don't even know where I am. This is insane."
Maria's expression faltered for a second, almost like she was about to say something, but then she straightened up. "My Lady, the Duke is awaiting your presence in the east chamber. He said it was of utmost importance." She hesitated, biting her lip. "You must prepare yourself."
"The Duke...?" I repeated the name like a lifeline. It was a clue. Something to latch onto in this madness. The Duke could be anyone.
But I already knew who he was.
Duke Shelberg. My so-called father. The man who ruled this house. The man who had power, wealth, and cruelty at his fingertips. A key figure in the story who, from the few chapters I remembered, didn't exactly treat Elizabeth with any affection.
And from my deep, dark recollections of the novel, the Duke was going to make my life miserable. Even worse, he was one of the antagonists who helped perpetuate the slavery system Arthur was fighting against.
I swallowed hard.
"Fine. Let's go to the Duke."
…
As I made my way to the Duke's chamber, my mind raced. I didn't belong here. This wasn't my life. I was just a 30-year-old woman who lived in Seoul, minding her own business, watching dramas, and reading novels. I hadn't asked for this hadn't asked to be thrown into some twisted historical novel as the villainess.
(Focus, Han So-Young. Focus.)
I was trapped. There was no other way to describe it. One moment, I was trying to save a puppy from being run over by a truck, and the next, I woke up as someone who was supposed to be cold, calculating, and evil. A woman who caused pain and suffering for people. The very opposite of everything I stood for.
But now... now I had to survive this.
The maid, Maria, walked quietly beside me, her soft footsteps echoing through the grand halls of the Shelberg mansion. Her nervous energy was palpable, and I could tell she was trying her best not to look at me too closely. She knew exactly who I was — Elizabeth Portalff Shelberg, short for Elizabeth Port Shelberg the infamous villainess.
(Just stay calm.)
I squared my shoulders, doing my best to act like Elizabeth.
The door to the Duke's chamber loomed ahead, massive and imposing, like everything else in this twisted world. I could already feel the weight of it, the pressure that came with being a Shelberg. And not just any Shelberg. The villainess.
To be continue