Chapter 03
About ten years ago, one day just before the college entrance exam.
I had spent the entire day either doing math problems or having snowball fights, utterly exhausted by reality, and briefly turned to romance fantasy novels. Before I knew it, I was completely hooked.
“Wow… I didn’t know something this fun even existed!”
Honestly, back then, I probably found anything interesting.
I clung to these romantic stories in another world just to forget, even for a moment, the reality of “100 days until the entrance exam.”
Things like masked balls with the crown prince, or tense tea times with tea and cookies where you spar verbally with someone.
Then one night, I spread out my notebook and started writing my own story.
The male lead’s last name was Cocoa because, by coincidence, I was drinking cocoa at the time.
Probably inspired by a dream I had dozing off the night before.
Anyway, I set up the heroine, imagined several villains, and began writing about the fated meeting between the male and female leads…
“Hey, Malhee! Finished studying?”
Suddenly, my mom came into the room, so I slammed the notebook shut.
After that, it was really time to focus on studying, and I completely forgot that I had even written the story.
“But what… is this?”
My head spun, trying to figure out how I had entered the story I had barely scribbled about the first meeting of the male and female leads. But right now, that wasn’t the problem—I had to save the man in front of me, who was intermittently groaning in pain.
I picked up the diary again and flipped through the pages.
The mansion is equipped with numerous supplies in preparation for any potential disaster.
First, there is about ten years’ worth of food.
Most of it can be found in the underground storage across from the kitchen.
Second, emergency medicines.
In case you or your companions are injured, potions have been prepared. You can find them inside my wardrobe, hidden in the underwear compartment.
I wondered why the diary’s owner had hidden emergency potions in the underwear compartment, but I pushed that thought aside and hurried upstairs to find the potions.
The dress room was quite large, so I wandered briefly, but it didn’t take too long. I quickly grabbed a potion labeled “for serious injuries” among the colorful bottles and ran back downstairs to sit beside the man.
His face was as white as a blank sheet of paper, sweat dripping down relentlessly.
He couldn’t be dying, right? I couldn’t handle disposing of a corpse right after possessing the story.
Especially in a world where I couldn’t even tell how many people had survived.
“Do you drink this potion, or pour it on?”
I knew I had entered the story I had only briefly written, but I didn’t remember setting up this part.
Who would have imagined that I’d actually be inside a story that hadn’t even been properly started—not even a full prologue?
I sighed and reluctantly unbuttoned the man’s shirt. I glanced at his straight collarbones and broad chest and sighed.
Even if he wasn’t the male lead, at least a secondary male lead could easily be imagined from these looks.
Had I ever created a black-haired character like this before?
“Sigh… whatever. Let’s just call it disinfectant.”
I poured the entire potion over the man’s shoulder, which was coated in blood. He wouldn’t be able to drink it in his current state anyway.
I wanted to wipe the blood off his shoulder too, but I wasn’t in a state to think that far ahead yet.
After pouring the last drop, I carefully watched his shoulder.
White froth began bubbling around the deep wound.
Was it working? It had to be, right?
“…Ugh! Kkkhh!”
I watched anxiously as the man started expressing immense pain.
His delicate face contorted as he shook his shoulder in spasms.
“Hang in there! You absolutely cannot die here!”
I held his hand tightly and spoke earnestly.
The only thing I could do now was cover the man lying on the cold floor with a blanket.
“…But who are you really? Why did you come to this mansion like that? When you wake up, you have to tell me.”
I carefully brushed the sweat-soaked hair from his forehead. No matter how handsome he was, I couldn’t spend all day just admiring him.
I glanced at him, grabbed the diary, and returned to the room where I had first woken up.
I entered the bathroom attached to the room, washed the blood off my body, and changed into a fresh pajama dress.
“This mansion really isn’t normal.”
The outside world had already been ravaged by a disaster beyond repair, yet hot water flowed freely from the taps.
Not only that, the bedroom was still bright as if the electricity hadn’t gone out.
Is it because this is a romance fantasy world?
Or maybe the mansion itself was enchanted with powerful magic.
The diary’s owner had mentioned that her father was a royal magician, after all.
If this world has truly collapsed as your father predicted, do not panic and go outside. Stay in the mansion.
You are the master of this mansion.
I lay on the bed, skimming through the diary. It was thick and filled with information, and reading it all would take a long time.
A sudden sense of isolation washed over me.
Apart from the man, I was completely alone in the mansion, and going outside was out of the question.
“Am I just depressed because I’m hungry?”
I washed my face and got up. I realized I hadn’t eaten anything yet.
Maybe some food would help me regain energy.
I decided to check the food storage.
“The kitchen would probably be in the basement, right? I’d have set it up that way if it were my story.”
I went downstairs.
Since I was now the mansion’s master, I had no reason to hold back.
Downstairs, I found a massive kitchen matching the mansion’s scale, wooden doors, and accommodations for the staff, including a laundry room.
So the staff had originally lived here. But why was no one here now?
“Because the world has collapsed?”
I pushed open the wooden door across from the kitchen, probably the storage room. Seeing the dark, cool interior, I immediately felt certain.
I fumbled for a switch. The yellow light illuminated a storage room as large as a school auditorium.
“Bacon! And eggs too?”
For the first time, I spoke with genuine delight. Having familiar food in front of me lifted my spirits a little.
Luckily, basic seasonings like salt and pepper were already visible and ready.
I took out a cast-iron pan and fried bacon and eggs. In a small pot, I boiled bread, water, and a pinch of salt.
I served the porridge in a bowl. I had prepared food for myself too, but somehow, I didn’t feel like eating.
“Ugh…”
And just as I returned upstairs, the unknown man gave a dying groan.
I approached him and touched his forehead with the back of my hand. It was soaked with sweat. I didn’t want to see anyone die.
Hesitating for a moment, I scooped some porridge and blew on it.
“Ugh…”
“Ah, sorry! Is it still hot?”
I knew he wasn’t in a condition to eat.
Still, I tried to feed him a bit, and he groaned, scrunching his eyebrows.
“Ugh…”
“It shouldn’t be hot anymore.”
“Ugh…”
I saw his lashes twitch. I scooped another spoonful and forced his lips open, holding his jaw.
“T-taste…”
“…?”
“Terrible…”
This damn guy… was he awake?!
I set the bowl down and studied his face. He frowned but didn’t move.
Had I shown him unnecessary kindness? Maybe I should have just eaten my own meal.
As I debated getting up, he twitched his uninjured shoulder and, in a flash, grabbed my forearm.
“Ah! You scared me!”
“Who… are you?”
Then he pressed my upper body to the floor and, in a hoarse voice, said:
“Stay still. I have a knife to your neck.”
