Chapter 1
I slowly opened my eyes to the sensation of cold dampness and the cling of wet clothes.
‘…What is this? Where on earth am I?’
I was definitely on my way home after work—so why was my body so soaked?
When I glanced down at myself, not only my bangs but even my clothes were completely drenched. Where had that splash of water come from? Had it suddenly started raining?
After roughly brushing aside the strands of hair blocking my vision, I looked around to assess the situation.
What is this place?
My eyes widened in confusion.
Was I really walking somewhere like this? That couldn’t be right…
I had been heading home after work, walking a little faster than usual because I wanted to rest—but why was there now an extravagantly decorated corridor in front of me? How had I suddenly gone from outdoors to indoors?
What confused me most, though, was a woman dressed in unfamiliar clothing—something straight out of a comic. The woman in front of me stood there in the exact pose she’d used to splash water on me, giggling to herself. Without even apologizing, she abruptly turned and disappeared. Frowning, I stared blankly in the direction she had gone.
‘…What was that about?’
She looked like an adult, but was something wrong with her? Who throws water at a complete stranger and then runs off?
Normally, I would have chased her down, grabbed her by the hair, and demanded an explanation—but the unfamiliar surroundings held me back. First, I needed to suppress my temper and figure out this bizarre situation.
‘Let’s move for now.’
After the woman disappeared, I realized there was no one else in the corridor. Scratching at my uncomfortably damp hair, I began walking wherever my feet led me.
Was I dreaming while walking home from work? The farther I walked, the more my mouth slowly fell open at the utterly unfamiliar corridor.
Why was it so long? And those decorations—were they really made of gold? There were even jewels hanging from the ceiling like chandeliers. Had I ever had such fantasies? This place, decorated like a palace from a fairy tale where princesses lived, left me completely dazed.
‘…This has to be a dream. There’s no way it isn’t.’
I looked around again. The more I walked, the more certain I became that I was dreaming. There was no way a place like this existed in South Korea, and there was no way I would suddenly end up in a palace like this on my way home.
Thinking it was a dream made part of my anxious heart feel lighter. With lighter steps, I decided to explore my imagination and continued walking aimlessly down the corridor.
Then, I spotted a familiar door.
I stopped and stared at it intently.
It was strange. All the other doors felt unremarkable, but this one alone felt oddly familiar. As if guided by something, I reached out and grabbed the handle. I had a feeling that opening this door would reveal what was going on.
After taking a deep breath, I slowly opened it and stepped inside.
Fortunately, no one was there.
I looked around the room. Compared to the lavish corridor, the room felt somewhat lacking. It contained only a luxurious-looking bed, a vanity with a mirror, and an old wardrobe. Despite the expensive furnishings, the space felt stark and desolate.
As I surveyed the room, I walked toward the peculiar-looking vanity. While examining it, my gaze fell upon the mirror in front of it.
Without thinking, I looked into it—
…and froze.
“…Who is this?”
The reflection looked like me, but… this wasn’t what I looked like.
I stared intently at the woman in the mirror. She, too, stared back at me just as intently.
Long black hair cascaded down to her hips, her deep red eyes gleamed like embedded rubies, and her delicate, doll-like features formed the face of a fragile, beautiful woman. Even drenched in water, she radiated an ethereal beauty.
Without realizing it, I raised my hand and waved it in front of the mirror.
As expected, the woman in the mirror mirrored my movement.
“Ha… haha….”
A hollow laugh escaped me. Even for a dream, this was absurd. Had I ever liked a face like this? It was completely different from the one I saw in the mirror every day—it felt alien.
Even though it was a dream, it didn’t feel like my face.
I tore my gaze away from the mirror. The longer I looked, the stranger I felt.
‘…Everything about this is weird. And it’s cold. When is this dream going to end?’
My soaked body began to tremble from the cold. At this rate, I felt like I might catch a cold… Wait, could you even catch a cold in a dream? The cold felt far too real—was this really a dream?
The wet clothes clinging to my skin, my damp hair, my shivering body—it all seemed to insist that this wasn’t a dream. Still, I brushed off the uneasy thought. There was no way this wasn’t a dream.
Since it didn’t seem like staying like this would wake me up anytime soon, I walked over to the oddly familiar bed and sprawled out.
“This is so uncomfortable….”
I considered taking off my wet clothes, but everything felt too real, and the wardrobe felt like it belonged to someone else, making me hesitant to touch anything.
Ah, whatever. Once I wake up, this discomfort will disappear anyway.
With that thought, I closed my eyes.
Pulling the blanket over myself eased the cold a little. And so, with my eyes shut tight, I desperately hoped to wake from this strange dream as I drifted off to sleep.
＊ ＊ ＊
I was an ordinary office worker, but I’d had a nasty personality since I was young. People often told me things like, “You’ve got a strange personality,” “You’re very blunt,” “You’re unpleasant,” or “You can’t read the room.”
I hated losing and had a hot temper, so during my immature school days, I frequently got into fights with friends.
But as I grew older, I began to change. Unlike school, where people would overlook my behavior as childish, the real world wasn’t so forgiving. No one tolerated my personality anymore. Whether at part-time jobs or in the workplace, I was constantly getting fired because I couldn’t control my temper.
At this rate, I thought I’d end up unable to earn money and starve—so I finally decided to fix this damned personality of mine. At the very least, I tried to suppress it in social situations.
I made an effort to soften my blunt speech, and when I got angry, I forced myself to smile even brighter to hold it in. Little by little, I reformed my personality and adapted to company life—but like wearing clothes that didn’t fit, the stress was unavoidable.
The only way I relieved that stress was by reading romance fantasy novels.
Among them, the one I enjoyed the most recently was <I Am the Overpowered Female Protagonist>.
Yes… the very novel that was now unfolding before my eyes like a panorama.
I stared blankly into the air. The contents of the novel passed before me as if they were real memories I had experienced myself.
As I watched, I recalled the story.
The female protagonist was born as the youngest daughter of a prestigious ducal family known for its martial prowess. However, her mother—the duchess beloved by the duke—died while giving birth to her. As a result, she was neglected by both her father and her two older brothers, growing up in an unfortunate childhood.
Her introverted and quiet nature was partly innate, but it was also shaped by her family’s neglect and the mistreatment of servants.
She longed for her family’s attention. She craved affection. So she constantly lingered around them, hoping that if she stayed close, she might receive even the smallest bit of interest.
But her family consistently ignored her. Eventually, her festering wounds burst, and she ran away from the family.
That was where the real story began.
After leaving, she met the male lead—the crown prince—and traveled with him, healing the emotional scars inflicted by her family. Along the way, she discovered her hidden talent with the sword. With the prince’s unwavering support, she eventually reached the level of a Sword Master.
Recognized for her abilities, she rose steadily. In the end, the crown prince became emperor, proposed to her, and amid everyone’s blessings, they married. She became empress and lived happily ever after with him.
It was a somewhat slow story, but I liked how the protagonist gradually grew, both as a person and in her abilities. There were a few frustrating parts early on, but once those passed, there weren’t really any major villains or overly stressful events. It was a satisfying story where an overpowered heroine handled everything smoothly.
Whenever she smashed a monster’s head, I’d imagine smashing my boss’s head too—it was oddly therapeutic.
Of course, aside from when she held a sword, her personality could be frustrating, but her overwhelming strength made even that feel like a charming contrast.
Yes, I definitely enjoyed reading it…
…but why was I now watching the events experienced by that female protagonist—when I had absolutely nothing to do with her?
