IPMPBB 2

Chapter 2

So, to briefly explain the situation—

That day, I had been studying until dawn, just like always, and was on my way home.

It had already been two years since I started preparing for the civil service exam.

People around me were starting to notice and talk.
The money I had saved up from tutoring during my prep days was running out too.

“Maybe this is my last chance.”

I mumbled as I stood in front of the crosswalk, flipping through my memorization notes.

“If I fail again, what do I even tell my family?”

I didn’t want to face my parents again—those same parents who yelled at me to use my savings for my younger brother’s tuition instead of wasting it on exam prep.

I had practically run away from home.
If I returned as a failure, how pathetic would I look?

It felt unfair. It’s not like I didn’t try.
But in this world, there are too many people who are desperate and talented.

Someone like me was just another face in the crowd—so ordinary that I couldn’t even count as real competition.

“Haa…”

I let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky.

A full, round moon caught my eye.
The clouds glowing around it under the moonlight were beautifully outlined.

It was a particularly bright moonlit night.

And also… an especially unlucky day.

“Miss, watch out!”

I heard someone shout just as the light turned green and I stepped into the street.

“Watch out? For wha—”

Honk! Crash!

Before I could even ask what I should watch out for, a loud honk and a powerful impact struck me.

My body flew into the air.

Everything moved in slow motion—the motorcycle that hit me, the horrified looks on people’s faces, the huge full moon above.

Thud.

My body landed on the cold asphalt.

“This is it. I’m going to die.”

I knew it instantly. My body was too broken to survive.

If I’d known I’d die like this, I would’ve spent all that money on things I wanted—food, clothes, fun.

“Oh no… they look so young!”
“Call an ambulance, now!”
“Somebody get the guy who was riding that bike!”

The voices grew distant.
My vision darkened.

I thought that was the end.
That I was dying.

—Drink! Drink up!

As the crash scene faded, a loud cheer replaced it.

—Drink! Drink!

Drink what?
Confused, I lifted my head.

Before me appeared a noisy, glamorous European-style tavern, like something out of a movie set.

“How long are we going to keep doing these training ceremonies?! Look at our swords—they’re rusting!”

The tune was familiar, but the lyrics were completely foreign.

When I came to, I had one foot on the table, holding a giant mug of beer.
Around me, drunken men stomped their feet and laughed hysterically.

Red noses, flushed faces, unfocused eyes, and wide grins.

‘There’s no bigger scoundrel than this lot.’

That’s what I thought… until someone shouted:

“The capital’s biggest troublemaker! The disgrace of the Elvington family—Elia Elvington is about to down a bomb shot!”

That name hit me like lightning.

Elia Elvington? The scoundrel? Could it be that character?

‘No way.’

I glanced at my reflection in the beer mug.

Golden blonde hair.
Eyes as blue as a lake.
A face beautiful enough to cause national turmoil.

But that beautiful face was flushed from drinking, hair a mess, and the jacket—clearly part of a uniform—was crooked.

In other words, it matched exactly the appearance of Elia from the fantasy novel The Radiant Golden Sword, my only joy during exam prep.

‘Wait… Did I really transmigrate?’

Was I sucked into the classic cliché of reincarnation after a car accident?

Into the role of a villainous side character, no less—one who appears briefly early on, causes chaos, and is killed off by the male lead, satisfying readers with her downfall?

Villainous side character.

That’s exactly what Elia was.

A spoiled brat from a prestigious family, causing chaos in the capital despite being injured and useless in combat—throwing her weight around just because of her family name and rank.

She becomes the male lead’s direct superior, abuses her power to the point readers left furious comments about her behavior.

“Yo, Elia! What’s wrong? Scared already? A bomb shot’s nothing for you!”

In a daze, I looked at the drunk guys trying to force alcohol on me.

From what I remembered, they were fellow noble brats—sons from families as powerful as the Elvingtons.

‘Most of them are second or third sons of noble houses—real headaches for the capital guards.’

Eventually, all of them get wrecked by the male lead, Carlos, and finally learn a lesson.

‘If I’m with this group at a bar… then that means…’

“Ah, my lord! You’re finally here!”

From the other side of the noisy room, the tavern owner suddenly welcomed someone enthusiastically.

The doorbell rang, and he appeared.

Carlos Ivach.

The main character of The Radiant Golden Sword.

The hidden son of the Emperor.
A man known for his bold, unfiltered personality that brought endless satisfaction to readers.

The hero who defeats the evil crown prince and ascends to the throne, bonding with the saintly female lead to save the empire.

He had red hair, brown eyes — though actually golden, disguised with magic — and a sharp, striking face.
He walked straight in and looked directly at me.

I recognized him first.
The drunk nobles were too distracted with their cheer to notice.

His eyes narrowed.
His mouth formed a tight line.

Cold sweat ran down my spine.

The way Carlos was looking at me… it wasn’t normal.

From the insignia on his shoulder, I could tell: he was now Deputy Commander of the Knights.

Which meant it had been over a year since he joined Elia’s order, and he’d already suffered a lot under her.

‘Damn it. Why now of all times?’

Why couldn’t I have transmigrated before all the red flags were planted?

Or at least when they were still fixable?

Instead, I end up here—surrounded by drunk noble brats, holding a bomb shot, right at the peak of villainy?

‘What do I do now…’

I racked my brain, but there was no escape.

“Oh hey, someone’s here.”

One of the nobles finally noticed Carlos.

“Heyyy, who’s this?”

At first, they didn’t recognize him.

They were too drunk to see straight.

“That’s a knight’s uniform, isn’t it? Green means Deputy Commander?”

But they were nobles after all.
It didn’t take long for them to figure out who he was.

“Whoa, if it isn’t Sir Carlos Ivach!”

Laughter erupted.

As I was about to step off the table, I looked at them with suspicion.

‘Something’s off.’

Their laughter… felt like it was directed at Carlos.

“So you’re still pretending to be a knight, huh? I thought it was something important.”
“Came to pay the bar tab again?”
“Try to write a nicer report this time, will you? You know how badly I got scolded by my father last time?”