Chapter 1
Chapter 1
It was a damned day, no different from any other.
At the construction site, everyone was shouting that the budget wasn’t nearly enough and more money was needed. Meanwhile, my boss, Manager Park, barked at me, saying that since I was an assistant manager, shouldn’t I at least be able to coordinate something that basic?
A miserable situation where only the person stuck in the middle—me—suffered.
That was also why I was working overtime again today.
“Once I finish this, I’m throwing my resignation in that bastard Manager Park’s face and quitting.”
Then I’d move down to the countryside with beautiful mountains and water, live in a house I built myself, grow a vegetable garden, raise a dog, and read as many books as I liked.
Repeating that resolution—one I had already made countless times—I hammered at the keyboard as if I might break it.
“Ugh……”
How much time had passed like that?
Suddenly my vision blurred, and dizziness washed over me.
“Ah… it’s a nosebleed.”
When blood even started running from my nose, I hurriedly stuffed tissues against it.
All my life, I had been healthy to the point that health was practically my only redeeming feature. Yet here I was, getting a nosebleed from overwork.
Then again, I had already been working nonstop for ten days without even a weekend. It would’ve been stranger if I were still fine.
I meant to close my eyes just for a moment and then continue working.
But—
“Did you sleep well, Aileen?”
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a strange world—and inside the body of a woman I had never seen before.
At first, I thought it was a dream.
I assumed that if I closed my eyes and opened them again, I would wake up.
But that didn’t happen.
I pinched my cheeks and even slapped myself hard, but I didn’t return to reality.
Only after three days did I finally accept it.
This was reality.
And I had experienced what novels call possession.
The name of the body I possessed was Aileen.
The place I now lived was a small village on the outskirts of Belheim, the largest city in the northern region of the Monola Empire. My father, Tabin, along with everyone else in the village, were hunters.
I also learned various other things: magic existed, the imperial family existed, and so on.
But I still had no idea which novel I had possessed.
“Did I possess an extra whose name was never even mentioned?”
The thought that I had to live in this unfamiliar world, completely detached from reality, left me feeling lost.
As if reflecting my feelings, heavy rain was pouring down outside.
Drip. Drip.
“….”
It was raining so hard that droplets even fell through the wooden ceiling into the room.
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
How exactly had this house been built for water to leak like this?
As a temporary measure, I placed a bucket and some towels where the water was dripping.
“Sigh……”
Thinking I should inform the homeowner about this, I stepped outside—and was met with a shocking sight.
Water was leaking in the living room, the kitchen, and even the bathroom.
Other people possessed into noble daughters—princesses or dukes’ daughters—and lived luxuriously. Yet I had ended up in someone whose life was clearly full of hardship.
While I was sighing repeatedly, Tabin came out of the room.
“It seems like water is leaking from the ceiling.”
“Looks like it. Still, this is pretty good.”
“…Excuse me? This is considered good?”
The entire house was leaking.
Then what did it look like when it wasn’t good?
Staring at him in disbelief, Tabin let out a hearty laugh.
“Don’t worry, Aileen. Once the rain stops, we’ll cover the roof with grass and leaves.”
“What? What kind of nonsense is that?”
I raised my voice without realizing it.
“Then the roof might collapse, so absolutely don’t do that.”
“But the water will keep leaking…”
“It’s better if it just leaks. So absolutely—absolutely—don’t do that.”
After I emphasized it several times, Tabin looked bewildered but nodded.
The next day, as soon as the rain stopped, I climbed up onto the roof and clicked my tongue.
“It’s a miracle this hasn’t collapsed yet.”
The planks were spread apart, leaving large gaps between them, while the leaves and grass were soaked with rainwater and drooped heavily.
On top of that, the roof was perfectly flat, which meant water would inevitably pool.
Even more shocking was that every roof in the village was the same.
The village itself was a mess.
“I want to buy new eyes that never saw this.”
Just imagining that I would have to live in a place like this from now on was horrifying.
“First, let’s fix this.”
After all, this would be the house I lived in.
After that, I could think about what to do with the village.
Because of a personality like a chronic disease—one that couldn’t pretend not to see problems—I simply couldn’t ignore it.
“Even if I get possessed into a novel, I’m still destined to do this kind of work.”
Is this the fate of a Korean office worker?
“Aileen, what are you doing up there?”
While I was complaining but still diligently clearing away the soaked grass and leaves, Uncle Hanson, who lived next door, approached and asked.
“Why are you removing that? Tabin worked hard to pile those up during the last monsoon.”
“…There’s a monsoon here too?”
“Of course. It comes every summer.”
Uncle Hanson laughed, asking why I was talking as if it were my first time experiencing it, but I couldn’t laugh.
A monsoon meant several days of heavy rain.
If things continued like this, it would only be a matter of time before the house collapsed.
If only the house collapsed, that would be lucky.
The entire village might end up flooded.
I have to stop it.
This was a place I would continue living in. I had to prevent such a tragedy at all costs.
“Tabin, Aileen’s doing something strange—why didn’t you stop her?”
“I want to stop her too, but…”
“I have a favor to ask!”
Just then Tabin came outside, and I shouted loudly.
“Please gather all the villagers!”