Episode 1

It was common for any novel to contain a spicy sauce. The difference lay in whether it was just a slight touch on the tip of the tongue or  if it lingered throughout the day. I understood well enough that such sauce was necessary to give the novel its flavor.

As long as I didn’t become that sauce myself, I could enjoy it as much as I wanted. That meant I… the sauce.

“Why do I have to be the villain?”

Tae-seo clenched his fists in frustration. It was absurd enough that I found myself in the novel, but to be thrust into the role of a villain was beyond comprehension.

Tae-seo forcibly suppressed his boiling anger. There was no time to blame my situation now. Tae-seo’s circumstances weren’t great to begin with.

Originally, today he was supposed to attend a party to disrupt Seo Da-rae, the protagonist and main omega of this novel. He planned to secretly feed Seo Da-rae, the omega who was the partner of the protagonist and main alpha, Kang In-hyuk, a drug to induce heat during the party. It was all a misdeed born from Tae-seo’s jealousy as a beta. Since childhood, he had thought he would become an omega and naturally assumed his partner would be Kang In-hyuk. But somehow, Tae-seo didn’t manifest as an omega, and in the meantime, Seo Da-rae caught Kang In-hyuk’s eye.

Feeling like Seo Da-rae had been taken something away from him, whom he thought was rightfully his, Tae-seo found himself firmly established as the villain of the novel. Moreover, according to the contents of the novel,  if Kang In-hyuk were to rescue Seo Da-rae, who had gone into heat due to the drug Tae-seo had given, it would become an opportunity for them to become even closer.

It would be nice to hear a word of thanks for bringing them closer together, but Tae-seo was caught having administered the drug and suffered all sorts of torment. Moreover, seeing Kang In-hyuk completely smitten with Seo Da-rae, Tae-seo’s mind snapped, leading him to commit even greater misdeeds… reaping the consequences of tormenting the protagonist as a villain.

So, from the moment I possessed the body of this villain, it became an irreversible starting point.

“Where did the champagne… go?”

Tae-seo looked around. He had to somehow get rid of the drugged alcohol.  If he could dispose of it and leave, he might not have to continue down the path of a villain. Ah, no. Actually, there were a few more left from before, but anyway.

As Tae-seo busily scanned the surroundings while prowling around the party venue, his eyes caught sight of Seo Da-rae. With her small white face, large eyes, round and cute nose, thick lips, and slender physique, Seo Da-rae was strikingly noticeable even without asking  if it was her.

As a fellow university classmate, she had an impressive face with a gentle smile on her soft face. Additionally, Seo Da-rae’s well-groomed brown curly hair depicted her as a charming character.

“With such a face, no wonder Kang In-hyuk is interested.”

In contrast, Tae-seo himself…

Tae-seo looked at his own face reflected in the glass window.

With jet-black hair, moderately tanned skin, and long eyes with thick outer corners, he looked rather sullen, and the only redeeming features were his high nose and neat lips. Overall, he had the handsome face of a beta without any omega vibes, coupled with a considerable amount of mischief. Unlike Seo Da-rae, who was just over 170 in height, Tae-seo’s nearly 180-centimeter stature was not exactly welcoming for anyone to embrace. Well, I don’t know for sure since I haven’t stripped down, but just this height alone would likely be a turn-off.

“But why am I even thinking like this?”

Perhaps it was because Yoon Tae-seo himself naturally assumed such thoughts, but imagining being embraced by a man didn’t feel awkward at all. It was natural in this world, so he probably hoped to become an omega and be embraced by Kang In-hyuk.

“Oh, now is not the time for such thoughts.”

Regardless of my current thoughts, that was a matter for later. Tae-seo needed to make sure Seo Da-rae didn’t drink the drugged champagne.

“There it is.”

Tae-seo’s eyes sparkled as he eyed the champagne. At the same time, he slowly brought the champagne that Seo Da-rae was holding to her lips.

“No, don’t!”

At Tae-seo’s outcry, Seo Da-rae paused. In the meantime, Tae-seo, who had approached Seo Da-rae, wrapped his hand around Seo Da-rae’s as  if to restrain her and took hold of the champagne glass.

“Phew.”

It was fortunate that he discovered it before drinking. Tae-seo breathed a long sigh of relief. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to collapse.

“You…”

Seo Da-rae’s eyes, recognizing her, suddenly turned fierce. The accumulated torment he had inflicted on her made Seo Da-rae wary.

“Why are you here?”

Rather than feeling immediately upset by Seo Da-rae’s questioning, Tae-seo felt a sense of relief. Now that he had stopped Seo Da-rae from drinking the champagne, nothing else mattered.

“Of course, I came to see you.”

Tae-seo answered without much thought. It was unfair enough that he had been thrust into the body of a villain at the party venue, but he had to focus on the urgent matter at hand. He had been so tense, forcibly suppressing his racing heart, that he was relieved by Seo Da-rae’s surprising reaction.

“Why? To take everything away from me?”

“Yours? Oh…”

Tae-seo looked at his own hand, which had prevented Seo Da-rae from drinking the champagne. Despite both of them holding the champagne glass, the reactions were different.

“This was given to me by In-hyuk.”

“Oh, I see.”

It was Tae-seo who had intervened to make sure Seo Da-rae received it from In-hyuk. More precisely, it happened before I possessed this body.

“Am I not allowed to receive anything from In-hyuk?”

“That’s not it… But strangely, I’m thirsty, and I’m craving this champagne.”

He had intended to take away the champagne and dispose of it quietly, as it contained a drug to induce the heat cycle, but Seo Da-rae held onto it tightly, refusing to let go.

“I won’t give it to you, no matter what.”

“No, I’ll give you something better. I’ll give you a whole bottle of champagne, so give me this one. Okay?”

“As  if I’m supposed to be satisfied with just money. Anyway, I don’t want it.”

Seo Da-rae resisted, holding onto the glass firmly. Tae-seo sighed in frustration. He felt like smashing the fragile glass in his hand. But this was his parents’ party venue, and he couldn’t afford to harass Seo Da-rae any further.

“Stop it. Just give it to me once. I’ll really give you everything, okay?”

“Do you still think I’ll take anything just because it’s money? I’m sorry, but I don’t sell myself for money.”

“Who would want you to? Oh… I said that.”

He had insulted Seo Da-rae for being poor.

“But that’s not because of me. Ah, I’m going crazy.”

Tae-seo slapped his chest in frustration. Why did he say such things about Seo Da-rae’s poverty and dare to target In-hyuk in that context?

“I won’t let you take anything from me anymore.”

Seo Da-rae bared her teeth for the first time, trying to exert pressure. It was like watching a rabbit show its teeth while a tiger lurked behind, but  if ignored, the tiger behind would show its fangs.

But he couldn’t just give Seo Da-rae the champagne to drink.

Caught in this awkward situation, Tae-seo finally knelt on one knee. Amidst Seo Da-rae’s confusion at his unexpected action, Tae-seo put his lips to the champagne glass and tilted it, still in his grasp.

A drug to induce the heat cycle.

“Well, since I’m a beta anyway, I won’t get affected by the drug.”

Tae-seo straightened his leg, which he had bent, and wiped the champagne that had dribbled down his mouth with the back of his hand.

“You… to this extent.”

“Don’t be too upset just because I drank the champagne. I’ll tell you separately, okay?”

With that, Tae-seo took a step back from Seo Da-rae. He couldn’t find an opportunity to dispose of the evidence, so he had to discard it within himself, but well, it wasn’t a bad choice since it also eliminated the evidence. With an empty glass in hand, Tae-seo left the party venue, leaving behind a bewildered Seo Da-rae who couldn’t hide her strange emotions.

“Phew, that was close.”

Recalling what had just happened, Tae-seo fanned himself to cool down. His heart pounded heavily at the horrific thought of what would have happened  if Seo Da-rae had drunk the champagne.

“Now I need to go home and think about what just happened.”

It would be great  if he could find a way to return to his original body right away, but that was as vague as being possessed by this body. How could he return when he hadn’t possessed it by his own will?

“Only think about what’s going to happen next… sigh.”

Perhaps due to hastily drinking the champagne and moving around, his body continued to heat up. His heart kept pounding so fiercely that there seemed to be no sign of the heat subsiding.

Tae-seo wiped the sweat from his chin with the back of his hand.

“This is strange.”

He should have calmed down by now, but his heart was still racing and his body temperature rising. Moreover, now his vision was starting to blur. Was the champagne too strong? Or had he become intoxicated by the alcohol?

Unable to stand properly as the surroundings spun, he desperately tried to breathe out to release the heat. But the more he did, the stronger the heat became, and now…

“What’s this now?”

Feeling a tingling sensation in a part of his body, Tae-seo strained his blurry eyes. He couldn’t see the man clearly in front of him, but…

“To induce a heat cycle here, that’s quite audacious. Or are you asking just anyone to pick you up?”

Tae-seo’s head was buzzing, and the man’s words sounded muffled. When Tae-seo reached the point where he couldn’t regain his senses, he reached out to the man.

“Help me… pick me up.”

…No, not “pick me up,” but “help me.”