Chapter 5. Am I Trapped? (1)

Translator: Lili

“What if I really have gone insane?”

“…What?”

“I’ve lost my mind, so I don’t care about Sungwon or whatever else anymore.”

Lee Rowoon’s eyes widened slightly, as if caught off guard. A sudden shift in behavior would naturally raise suspicion, but Sera didn’t care—she was planning to run away anyway. Holding her head a little higher, she continued.

“Haven’t you heard? I have amnesia. I don’t even know why you’re acting like this. So… can you move?”

She shot back at him, brushing past as if he wasn’t worth her time. Or at least, she tried to.

“…Ah!”

Rowoon grabbed her wrist and slammed her against the wall.

*Thud!*

Letting out a pained cry, Sera groaned and lifted her head—only to find Rowoon’s gaze locked onto hers, his face dangerously close.

“So? I don’t care what scheme you’re plotting but you should know that I’m the one who suffers every time you act out.”

“Ugh… let go.”

“You climbed to that position just to keep me in check. If that’s the case, then sit down and behave.”

“Damn it… I said it hurts.”

“Every time I get dragged down and treated like an idiot because of you—”

Rowoon’s voice dropped into a deadly whisper.

“—I want to kill you.”

The sheer malice in his eyes sent a chill down her spine. For a brief moment, she was completely frozen. Then, swallowing hard, she gathered her strength and shoved him in the chest with her free hand.

“I get it, so let me go already!”

Only then did Rowoon release her. Not wasting the opportunity, Sera quickly stepped back, turning away as if running for her life. The moment she stepped into her room, her knees gave out.

“Haah… What kind of lunatic is that guy?”

She had gone through a lot growing up, but this was the first time she had ever been physically threatened by a man. She had never been the type to cower easily, yet she was terrified. The original Shin Sera’s audacity—her sheer nerve—suddenly seemed almost admirable.

‘…I need to leave immediately.’

Steeling herself, Sera pushed herself off the floor. If nothing else, Rowoon’s deranged behavior had definitely made her realize she couldn’t stay here any longer.

***

“This should be good enough.”

Locking her large suitcase, Sera let out a short sigh. It was the dead of night, and she had successfully finished preparing for her escape.

Now that she had faced Lee Rowoon’s very real murderous intent, she had no confidence in surviving as Shin Sera any longer. More than anything, she desperately wanted to get out of this ridiculous drama.

Rowoon seemed more than capable of being the villain himself—if she disappeared, wouldn’t he make an excellent replacement?

Smirking at the absurd thought, she pulled a cap down over her face.

Her plan was to hide away in the countryside for now. Her sudden disappearance might cause a stir at first, but it would die down soon enough. After all, this was a lazy drama that conveniently disposed of minor characters.

Before leaving, Sera scrawled a halfhearted note.

—— Don’t look for me. I need time to reflect on my past mistakes and grow into a mature adult. You don’t need to worry too much. ——

Of course, she had zero intention of returning. This was just to throw them off her trail.

Closing the door behind her without hesitation, she carefully dragged her suitcase down the hall.

At this late hour, every small noise seemed deafening, making her heart race wildly.

Reaching the front entrance, she pulled out her phone. Among the contacts was her fiancé, Cha Jaeheon.

She considered ignoring him, but Madam Song’s voice kept echoing in her mind: What about Cha Jaeheon?!

The engagement had only happened because the original Shin Sera had forced it. That meant it was her responsibility to handle it.

Would breaking off an engagement over text be too much…? No, this was a trashy drama. It’d be fine.

— This is Shin Sera. I know this is sudden, but I think it’s best for both of us to live our own lives.

It felt like jumping straight to the point too abruptly, but there was neither the time nor the reason to be polite. After a moment of hesitation, Sera added one more line.

— I’m saying we should break off the engagement. Thanks for putting up with me until now.

‘That should do it.’

She set the message to send later, then powered off her phone. Placing it on a shelf by the door, she quietly opened the front gate.

For how tense she had been all day, the escape itself was almost disappointingly easy.

Rolling her suitcase across the well-manicured garden, she felt a brief flicker of relief. The pebbles under her wheels made a bit of noise, but not enough to wake anyone.

The grand front gate loomed closer.

Freedom was just within reach.

For the first time since arriving in this world, Sera smiled. She reached for the gate’s automatic button.

“…!”

A sudden pain clenched around her heart. The exact same pain she had felt before she died as Han Jia. Her vision blurred instantly. Her legs, which had been supporting her just fine, gave out. Staggering, she crashed onto the ground.

“Ah… ngh…”

The agony felt like it was tearing her heart apart. Terror gripped her. Gasping, Sera clutched her chest, struggling to stay conscious. But it was so much harder than before.

‘Am I… destined to die in this world, too? What kind of cruel joke is this…?’

But before she could think any further, her mind slipped into darkness. As if sinking into the abyss, Sera lost consciousness completely.

***