Ria scoffed. "It ended before it even started. I actually thought I'd be a Cinderella, but turns out I'm worse than the villain in those stories. He's a guy, right? So why the hell is he acting like an idiot?"
She slammed her spoon lightly on the table, the sound sharp in the quiet kitchen.
"I told you," Ria continued, her voice rising, "he saw me joining those people who needed charity—and his family happened to be the one doing the charity. Do you know how embarrassing that was?" She covered her face with both hands.
"But he didn't say anything. Didn't even change his expression. I thought he'd keep it quiet. I thought maybe it would even help me get closer to him."
She lowered her hands slowly, peeking at Ivy through her fingers.
"But guess what that idiot did."
Ivy tilted her head. "Did he mock u humiliate you or something?"
"Nope." Ria dropped her hands. "I wish he did."
She leaned back in her chair, waving her spoon dramatically. "Instead, he suddenly became nice I mean I think he became nice. I took my former classmates out to eat to show off and use my face status to make them pay and even take some money from them. Guess which restaurant they chose."
Ivy raised an eyebrow. "The expensive one."
"Of course." Ria snorted. "So I acted like a diva. Bragged that I was dating one of the elite boys. Said I was adopted by a rich family. Full performance."
She sat up straighter, lifting her chin arrogantly, flipping imaginary hair as she mimicked her past self.
"And then," she continued, " he walk in—and there he is. Matthew. With his friends."
Ria's shoulders tensed as if reliving it.
"Those stupid girls saw a hot guy and lost their minds. They rushed over like trained pigeons. Then they saw the school uniform."
"They started shouting my name. Over and over. Like I was some god they wanted to summon and that he should know my name cause I said I was popular yes I did say that but not everyone should know me right which celebrity do the whole world know about. Everyone turned to look."
Ria shut her eyes briefly. "I was already planning my escape route when one of his friends grabbed my collar."
She snapped her head up, her expression going cold.
"And then Matthew exposed my lie."
She straightened her posture, lowered her voice, and spoke with icy precision.
"It's one thing to be poor, and another to swindle people of their money. Tarnishing the school's name. Is charity money enough for you to spend like this? If you want to act fake, do it far away from me. I don't want those close to you touching me. Only God knows where they've been ."
Ria turned her head away sharply, face blank, perfectly copying his calm cruelty.
For half a second, the kitchen was silent.
Then Ivy choked.
She slapped the table, coughing as laughter burst out of her uncontrollably, nearly knocking her chair over.
"Pfft—!" Ivy gasped between laughs. "Oh my God—Ria—!"
Ria stared at her, unimpressed, slowly picking up her spoon again.
"I almost died socially," she said flatly. "And you're laughing."
Ivy wiped tears from her eyes, still smiling. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry
Ivy took a deep breath, forcing herself to stop laughing. "Tell me you're joking," she said slowly. "He didn't seriously—how could he say that? How did you escape?"
"I didn't," Ria muttered, stabbing her food with unnecessary force. "Those stupid ex-classmates kept shouting, making a whole scene. I had to use all my savings to pay for everything. Even paid extra, just to prove I had money." She scoffed bitterly. "I told them I only went to the charity for a friend. Whether they believe me or not is their problem."
"Damn." Ivy leaned back in her chair, studying her. "Now I know why you don't want to go to school. You're socially dead. Like, buried. Funeral held."
Ria shot her a look. "Thank you for the emotional support."
"So," Ivy continued, calmer now, "what are you going to do?"
"What can I do?" Ria snapped. "If he tells everyone, I still have to go to school. I'll just be more shameless. Skip classes. Avoid people. Avoid being bullied to death or mocked."
She slammed her fist lightly into her palm. "Damn you, Matthew Night. If I ever get the chance, I'll bully you until your legs shake and you can't stand for weeks!"
Thunk.
"Ow!" Ria yelped as Ivy knocked her on the head.
"What kind of dirty mind is that?" Ivy said flatly, rolling her eyes.
"Why?" Ria protested, rubbing her head.
"Men are allowed to make women's legs weak—why can't I say it too? And anyway, I didn't mean it like that you dirty minded." She paused. "Okay, maybe a little. But you get the point."
She resumed eating like nothing happened.
"I'm done," Ria said suddenly, standing up. "I'm going to school now. Fighting!"
She grabbed her bag and bolted out before Ivy could say another word.
Outside, the air felt heavier. Ria sighed as she left the compound, kicking a small stone along the road as she walked. It skidded ahead, then stopped—just like her mood.
If I had money, would I have to lie? Would I have to pretend? Would I have to do all this just to survive?
She clenched her jaw.
Why should I be scared because they're rich? Because they'll get revenge since I fooled them into thinking I came from a powerful family? Because I used their resources and accidentally caused trouble with the real elite?
So what?
Her steps slowed.
Even the rich get bullied. What about little, poor me?
Ria let out a quiet sigh.
"If only I could be rich for one day," she muttered, eyes fixed on the road ahead. "I'd do anything."
She paused, then added under her breath—
"Even sell my soul."
A cat suddenly darted across her path.
"—!"
Ria's foot caught mid-step. She stumbled forward, arms flailing uselessly before gravity won.
Face first.
Pain flashed—and then—
Darkness.
Minutes passed. Or hours. Maybe days. Weeks. Only God knew how long she'd been out.
When Ria finally opened her eyes, there was nothing.
No sky. No ground. No sound.
Just a vast, endless dark void.
She closed her eyes. Opened them again.
Still nothing.
Her breath hitched.
Tears spilled before she could stop them.
"Not only am I poor, now I'm blind too?" she cried. "Why not just kill me already! Damn cat—I'll curse you and your whole generation!"
Her sobs echoed into nothingness.
"You said you would sell your soul."
Ria ignored the voice and continued crying harder.
"Are you ready to sell your soul?" the voice asked again.
"Great," she sniffed. "Now I'm hallucinating too."
"I am real!" the voice snapped, clearly offended, then took a deep breath. "You are not imagining things. You are in my space. Time has been paused."
Ria wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Take me back home. My mom said I shouldn't talk to crazy voices. Selling my soul? If I sell my soul, wouldn't I be dead?!"
"Would you rather be poor?" the voice asked calmly.
Ria went silent.
Then she laughed—sweet, innocent sarcasm dripping from every word. "Wow. Die or be poor. Such a difficult choice. Truly a philosophical dilemma."
"…Are you mocking me?" the voice asked.
"So you're not dumb after all," Ria replied coolly. "Of course I want to live. soul-exchange contracts sound like too much drama with too high a price."
The voice sighed deeply. "I can't send you back. You're already here. But it's not selling your soul. You just have to complete a task. When you're done, you'll return to your body. Time will resume from the moment you fell."
Ria folded her arms. "Too stressful. I'd rather be the only unfrozen person. At least I could do whatever I want."
The void went quiet.
"…I'll give you 200 million dollars."
Ria straightened instantly.
"…Why didn't you say that sooner, you silly floating thing?" she said briskly. "Now the task sounds very important. I'm doing this purely for my heart. Definitely not for the money."
She paused. "Okay, maybe a little for the money. Send it first."
She pulled out her phone with practiced ease.
"…Hypocrite," the voice muttered.
"Send fifty thousand now," Ria said confidently. "Let me confirm you're not scamming me."
"Fine," the voice said. "Fifty thousand now. Five million every month upon task completion. If you fail, five million will be deducted. The task lasts five years—but when you finish, you'll return to the exact moment you fell."
Silence followed.
"So," the voice asked, "are you ready?"
Ria smiled.
"Of course."
"Let me explain the world you'll be entering," the voice said, sounding far too pleased with itself.
"It's a comic world. Your role?"
A brief pause.
"Cannon fodder."
Ria's smile froze. "Excuse me?"
"Your objective is simple," the voice continued smoothly. "Become the greatest villainess of all time. You will bully the male lead and the female lead. You will push them together. You will be punished hundreds of times by the protagonists. Elegant, tragic, repetitive."
Ria's eyelid twitched.
"You are the fake heiress," the voice went on. "A spoiled, arrogant child. The male lead is the son of your nanny. You treat him like a dog. You humiliate the real heiress whenever she gets close to him."
Ria crossed her arms. "Ah. Classic."
"Later, your real identity is exposed. The male lead loses his memory, becomes powerful, and you switch roles—pretending to be the female lead. His savior. He believes you. You steal from him. You get close to the villain because you can't stomach being with someone you once bullied."
"…Of course," Ria muttered.
"The truth is exposed. You suffer endlessly. The villain saves you—but only to use you to take the female lead away. Eventually, the villain kills you."
The voice paused.
"You survive. Seek revenge. And then die for real."
Silence fell.
Ria stared into the void.
"…Wow."
The voice sounded proud. "Aren't you impressed?"
"Impressed?" Ria clapped slowly, the sound echoing sharply through the darkness. "What a role model. Truly inspirational. A stupid villainess with zero dignity and a tragic IQ."
The voice bristled. "This is the canon plot."
"Relax," Ria said lightly. "Didn't you want a villain? I'll give you one. The greatest villain you've ever seen—as long as you pay me properly."
She smiled, eyes sharp.
"So what are you waiting for? Let's start. I can't wait."
There was a short pause.
"…Get ready," the voice said. "Three. Two. One."
"Blast off."
The darkness shattered.
Ria felt her body drop violently, like she was falling from space straight toward the earth. Wind tore past her ears. Pressure crushed her chest. Pain exploded everywhere at once.
She screamed—
And the world rushed up to meet her.