Ep.01
🎶 IRONY (PROD. Primary) - Jeong Sewoon 🎶
As usual, Yoonseo Lee had been rereading her favorite novel—the one she claims to have read at least five times without exaggeration. But today had been so exhausting that she must’ve dozed off without realizing it. Maybe she'd been asleep for about eight hours? For someone like her, who can’t function properly after oversleeping, her body must have instinctively known it was time to wake up. Without even moving from where she was lying, she slowly pried open her heavy eyelids.
Still half-asleep, her eyes scanned the room lazily. Huh?
Why are the walls light pink instead of white?
Thinking it must be a trick of the half-conscious mind, she rubbed her eyes repeatedly and looked around the room again—this time, with clearer vision.
“…Where the heck am I?”
No matter how many times she blinked, this wasn’t Yoonseo Lee’s room.
Then… where was she?
Just then, a scene from a novel flashed through her mind.
“No way… Is this… Yu Jiyeon’s room? That extra in the novel?”
The thought thrilled her at first—being transported into her favorite novel was beyond exciting.
But then came the first wave of outrage: why an extra?
And then the second: why the villainess?!
Like, if you're going to be reincarnated into a novel, shouldn’t you be the pretty, sweet, lovable main heroine Kim Yeoju who has it all?!
Why did I have to become the mean girl?
“Sweetie, Jiyeon! What was that noise? Is something wrong?”
Startled by her own raised voice, her—no, Jiyeon's—mother opened the door and stepped into the room.
Seeing her made Yoonseo internally gasp. She looked nothing like her real mom.
‘Oh god, this really is happening.’
“Mom! Mom!!”
“Yes, Jiyeon? Do you need something?”
“What day is it today?”
“Hmm, just a second… Today is… March 7th.”
“…Mom!!”
“Goodness, you scared me! I’m right here—you don’t need to yell.”
“Ah, sorry. Something just suddenly popped into my head…”
“What’s got my daughter so worked up?”
“It’s nothing big but... how old am I?”
At that, her mom’s expression hardened noticeably.
Well, who wouldn’t be freaked out if their kid shouted for them like it was urgent and then asked something as random as their age?
“Ji… Jiyeon, are you okay? Are you still half-asleep? Do you want to go see a doctor with me?”
“No, no! Nothing like that. I just… suddenly got curious.”
“You silly girl. You’re a second-year in high school now, remember? You start school again tomorrow.”
“Wait, I’m not in first-year anymore? I’m a second-year?!”
“First-year ended ages ago. What, you already miss it? You’ve been whining about not wanting to get older for a while now.”
“So… I’m not 17. I’m 18 now?!”
“That’s what I said. Jiyeon, are you seriously doubting your mom right now? Or are you actually not feeling well?”
“No, mom. I just didn’t sleep well last night, that’s all.”
“Can I trust you on that?”
“Of course, mom. Aah—I’m hungry. Can we eat?”
“Knew you’d say that. I’ve already set the table. I’ll head out first, so come out soon~”
After her mom stepped out of the room, I moved my legs off the bed and sat on the edge, feet touching the floor. I sank back into thought.
Why did I suddenly get transported into this novel?
And why now—why not on April 7th, the day the story actually begins, but a whole month earlier?
In the original story, the main heroine transfers to this school on May 3rd, about a month after the novel begins. With a major variable like me, Yoonseo Lee, suddenly inserted into this world, I couldn’t help but wonder—will the heroine’s arrival date change?
One question led to another, and soon my mind was spinning with possibilities.
I must’ve been sitting there for quite a while, because I suddenly heard Mom calling from outside the room.
At that moment, Jiyeon—no, I—realized I’d been spacing out for too long. I quickly stood up and opened the door to step out.
“Sorry, Mom... I was just organizing my desk.”
“Well, would you look at that—my daughter tidying her desk on her own? All grown up now~”
“Ugh, Mom! I’m not a little kid anymore!”
“You’ll always be my baby. Now sit down before your legs get sore. You know your favorite japchae doesn’t taste good once it’s cold.”
Even in my real world, Yoonseo me loved japchae. And apparently, Jiyeon—the extra character I now am—loves it too.
Finding a common trait like this made me ridiculously happy.
If Jiyeon had loved something I hated, I might’ve blown my cover the moment the dish came out.
Even if I forced myself to eat it, my face probably would’ve given me away.
“Mom, do I... have any close friends?”
“Sweetie, you’re really not sick or anything, right?”
“I told you, I’m fine!”
“How could you forget Namjoon? That boy is always so good to you!”
To be honest, I barely heard what she said after that.
As soon as she mentioned Namjoon, a vivid memory flashed through my mind.
—
“Hey, Namjoon! What are you doing in front of my house?”
“What do you mean? I came to walk to school with you.”
“With me? Why?”
“Do I need a reason? Come on, we’re gonna be late.”
—
As I remembered that moment, it all came rushing back.
We’d become friends after being in the same class during our first year.
We got close enough that it never felt awkward being alone together, so we naturally started commuting to school as a pair.
Still, I always found it odd—back when I read the novel and even now—why Jiyeon had only one friend, Kim Namjoon, as if she never even tried to talk to anyone else.
While I continued chewing absentmindedly, lost in my spiraling thoughts, Mom’s faint voice snapped me back to reality.
“H-huh? What was that, Mom?”
“You really need to go to bed early tonight.”
“Ah… haha…”
“So, are you all packed and ready for school tomorrow?”
“Ready for school?”
“It’s Monday tomorrow! Don’t tell me you forgot again?”
“O-oh! Right! Monday, haha…”
“Did you finish eating?”
“Yeah! I’ll go finish getting my stuff ready for school!”
“Okay, honey. Go on.”
After saying goodbye to Mom, I returned to my room, half-heartedly packed my bag for school, and slumped into the chair.
My heart fluttered with a mix of excitement and nervousness as I imagined what school might be like tomorrow.
I let my imagination run wild until my gaze happened to land on the mirror in the room.
Staring back at me was a face that looked nothing like the original Yoonseo Lee I knew.
I slowly reached up and traced my eyes, nose, lips, and ears—one by one—as if to confirm they were real.
Unlike Yoonseo’s long, straight black hair, Jiyeon’s hair had a soft brown tint. Her eyes were big and bright, her nose sharp, and her lips small and cherry-like.
The way her appearance had been described in the novel didn’t match what I had imagined at all.
As a villainess character, I had expected her to look intense and cold, but she actually had a soft, puppy-like charm.
The kind of face that made you want to protect her, not fear her.
I was honestly surprised.
“Man… if she looks like this, now I really want to see what the male leads look like.”
The male leads’ looks and personalities had only ever been described in writing.
It was hard to fully visualize them just from text alone.
But now that I’d been transported into the novel, I could see them in real life—how exciting was that?
“…I wish tomorrow would come faster.”
With that thought, I got up, finished washing up in the bathroom, said goodnight to Mom, and returned to my room.
It hadn’t even been a full day since I entered this world, so there wasn’t much I could do in this house by myself.
So even though it was only 7 p.m., I was already in bed, completely one with the mattress.
• • •
“Ugh, so loud…”
The shrill sound of the alarm dragged my heavy eyelids open.
I reached for my phone to silence it and instinctively checked the time.
Judging by how I felt, I must’ve slept quite a bit.
“…Sleeping too much always gives me a headache.”
Oh, right. I’m Yu Jiyeon now.
I groggily got out of bed and started getting ready.
It didn’t take long before I was dressed and heading to the kitchen to grab a bite.
There, I saw a familiar figure.
“…Mom?”
“Oh! Jiyeon, you’re up early.”
“Uh… yeah. But why are you up already?”
“I’ve got to make sure my daughter eats a good breakfast, of course~”
“Breakfast…?”
“You say that like it’s a surprise. Come on, sit down. I’ll serve it up for you.”
I was genuinely taken aback.
This kind of morning routine was so different from what I was used to as Yoonseo.
My mom in the real world left for work super early every day, so breakfast usually meant a glass of milk or a slice of bread.
But here in the novel, it seemed Jiyeon came from a fairly well-off household.
Having a warm, home-cooked meal first thing in the morning gave me a strange but comforting boost of energy.
After finishing breakfast and brushing my teeth, I slung my bag over my shoulder, slipped on my shoes, and called out cheerfully:
“I’m off to school!”
“Have a great day, sweetheart!”
I smiled and opened the front door—only to scream in shock when I saw someone standing right in front of me.
“Whoa! You scared me!!”
“…Sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you.”
It was Kim Namjoon.