Chapter 12. Survive (2)

Translator: Lili

“What a stuck-up bastard. He’s completely different from how he was in the drama.”

Sera flipped off the top floor of the building as she walked away.

The more she thought about Cha Jaeheon’s arrogant attitude, the more she pitied the original Shin Sera for her poor taste in men.

Then again, in the original story, Cha Jaeheon’s devotion was reserved for Lee Seonkyung alone.

Since the drama had been told from Lee Seonkyung’s perspective, even a rude, cold-hearted man like him could be portrayed as a charming and affectionate lead.

‘What had Shin Sera seen in him?’

If she had been born rich, she would have just enjoyed life instead of throwing herself at a man like that.

She knew that Shin Sera’s role was to make the wrong choices and commit villainous acts, yet an unfamiliar sense of suffocation weighed on her chest.

“…Ah.”

Feeling somewhat down, Sera stepped out of the hotel, only to halt in place. As if it had been waiting for her, the warm afternoon sunlight poured over her entire body.

It was spring.

Sera glanced around, a strange sense of realization settling in. Lush green filled the scenery, painting everything in vibrant life. Spring had always been her favorite season. The more she thought about it, the lighter her once-heavy mood became.

Even if she was surrounded by looming threats, Shin Sera was born with plenty. At the very least, unlike Han Jia in the past, she would never have to worry about starving or facing the brutal realities of survival.

So…

As long as she survived, wouldn’t she eventually find happiness?

For the first time since waking up in this drama, a positive thought settled in her mind. Feeling a bit uplifted, she impulsively started walking with no particular destination in mind. Since she was already out, she might as well take a stroll.

But just as she stepped onto the crosswalk after confirming the pedestrian signal…

*BEEEEEP—!*

A sudden blaring horn pierced through the air, sharp enough to rattle her eardrums. Sera instinctively turned her head, her eyes widening in shock. A massive sedan was hurtling straight toward her.

Maybe it was the sheer terror, but her body refused to move. She had to dodge. She should dodge. But not even a single finger twitched. Time seemed to slow as she stood there, frozen, watching the car come at her.

*SCREEEEEECH—!*

The sedan screeched to a halt just inches away from hitting her. The tires left thick skid marks on the asphalt, evidence of the near disaster.

“…Haah, what the hell… That was insane.”

Letting out the breath she’d been holding, Sera staggered back.

Realizing just how close she had been to getting hit sent shivers across her entire body. Relief drained the strength from her legs, and she ended up collapsing onto the pavement.

This was Sejongno intersection. The signal had been green for pedestrians.

[TL: A major road in Seoul, South Korea.]

Yet, in the middle of a bustling street filled with people and cars, some lunatic had decided to speed through and nearly run her over.

“That psycho…”

Shakily pushing herself to her feet, Sera glared at the driver’s seat. But the car’s heavily tinted windows made it impossible to see the face of the would-be murderer. To make matters worse, the driver was just sitting there. Not even getting out to check if she was okay. Not even rolling down the window. The sheer audacity of it added fuel to her already burning rage.

“Hey, you!”

Storming up to the sedan, Sera banged on the driver’s window, hard. The smooth, spotless glass was soon smeared with fingerprints from her pounding. Only then did the window finally start rolling down—agonizingly slow.

And when it did, she was met with an unexpectedly striking face. Sitting inside was an outrageously handsome man, looking as if he was bored out of his mind.

Golden-brown hair and matching warm-toned eyes, sharp yet delicate features, and an almost foreign level of definition in his face—he was the type of man people would turn to stare at if they passed by him on the street.

“What?”

For a brief moment, Sera was momentarily thrown off by his appearance. But then his absurdly shameless response made her scalp prickle with disbelief.

“You almost ran me over, and that’s all you have to say? Aren’t you going to apologize?”

The man lazily dragged his gaze over her, then muttered indifferently,

“You’re not hurt, though.”

“…Ugh.”

The sheer arrogance of his words—and the casual informality of them—made her ears ring. Before she could process her fury, the man let out a deep, tired sigh and pulled out a business card.

“If you’re planning to claim psychological damages or whatever, contact my lawyer.”

“…”

Maybe it was the relentless stress since she ended up in this world. Or maybe it was just that this bastard’s attitude was that insufferable. Either way, Sera’s patience snapped.

She was already busy trying to survive death flags left and right— And now some lunatic had the audacity to test her nerves, too? There was no way she was letting this slide.