TNMN 01

Chapter 01

Everyone has probably imagined, at least once, what it would be like to suddenly wake up in another world for no reason at all.

But if it actually happened, anyone would surely be overwhelmed with confusion and panic.

Not Jang Hyojoo, however.

A romance fantasy novelist with six years of experience and multiple bestselling works across various platforms, she reacted quite differently.

“My goodness… Is this a dream, or am I actually awake?”

She hadn’t been hit by a truck.

She hadn’t fallen down a flight of stairs.

She hadn’t died from an illness.

Yet when she opened her eyes, she found herself in another world.

Having read thousands of novels and written dozens herself, Hyojoo instinctively realized what had happened.

She had transmigrated into a novel—the very scenario she had always dreamed of.

The readers of her own novels would probably be screaming in the comments about how the story made absolutely no sense, but fortunately, Hyojoo wasn’t around to read those comments anymore, so let’s just move on.

“If this is a dream, then never let me wake up. And if this is reality… thank you.”

Clasping her hands together, Hyojoo offered a heartfelt prayer to whichever god might be watching over her.

Then, following the universal rule of every transmigration story’s heroine, she walked over to a mirror to inspect her new appearance.

‘Please be beautiful. Please be beautiful…’

She didn’t necessarily need golden hair and sapphire or emerald eyes.

But if she was beautiful, that meant she’d at least been given an important role.

Extras like “Unnamed Girl No. 1, 2, or 3” simply didn’t suit someone as appearance-obsessed as herself.

Standing before the mirror, Hyojoo bit her lower lip as an ecstatic scream echoed inside her mind.

‘YES!!!’

She had thick, glossy brown hair.

Her skin was flawless without a single blemish.

Her green eyes reminded her of a lush forest.

Even without makeup, her naturally red lips gave her an elegant, composed beauty rather than a flashy one.

The fact that she couldn’t immediately recognize who this was meant one thing—

She wasn’t inside one of her own novels.

This isn’t bad at all.

She wasn’t stunning enough to be the female lead.

But she looked far too gentle to be a villainess.

With her slightly drooping puppy-like eyes, there was no way she was an antagonist.

She was almost certainly the heroine’s friend or a helpful supporting character.

“Exactly. A great author like me would never transmigrate into some irrelevant extra.”

Of course, an author might deliberately subvert expectations by making an innocent-looking girl the true mastermind.

But Hyojoo preferred congratulating herself on the incredible luck she’d apparently stumbled into.

Admiring herself, she tilted her head from side to side, continuing her analysis.

“Around eighteen… maybe twenty?”

Muttering to herself, she looked away from the mirror and examined the room.

It wasn’t extravagantly luxurious, but it was furnished with expensive materials.

The room was clean and elegant, free of overly cute decorations, bright pink furniture, or excessive lace.

If she had to describe it, it looked like one of those warm, cozy interiors she’d often seen after selecting “Scandinavian,” “Natural,” or “Lovely & Romantic” in an interior design app.

That meant she probably wasn’t the neglected daughter of the household.

Nor was she the poor, mistreated protagonist destined for character growth.

This also ruled out childcare stories.

Well… she could technically be a nanny.

But no noble young lady from a wealthy family would volunteer for that role.

So childcare was definitely out.

“Thank goodness…”

It wasn’t that Hyojoo disliked childcare novels.

She was simply terrible with them.

Her publisher had repeatedly tried to convince her to write one because they sold well.

But as someone who had grown up an orphan, those stories always touched wounds she’d rather avoid.

“Who cares what genre this is? What’s important is that I’ve come to another world.”

Hyojoo had made over a hundred plans for what she’d do if she ever transmigrated.

She could become fabulously wealthy using modern knowledge.

She could even date the handsome men she never had the chance to meet in real life.

As for profound questions like what had happened to the original owner of this body…

She chose to ignore them.

After gathering all the obvious information she could, Hyojoo suddenly felt something was missing.

“At this point, someone should show up and explain everything…”

The room had been noisy enough that someone should have noticed she was awake.

Yet no one appeared.

Just then—

Knock. Knock.

The door opened, and a red-haired maid in her thirties, her face covered with freckles, stepped inside.

“Miss Alosha, you’re awake?”

Alosha.

The name felt strangely familiar.

‘Even better.’

If it sounded familiar, that meant she’d read this novel before.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember the title.

Still, she could figure that out eventually.

“Miss?”

“Ah! I’d like some tea… and maybe some cookies too?”

“Tea and cookies? But, Miss, you don’t usually like sweets.”

The maid’s words hit Alosha like a blow to the back of the head.

So many romance fantasy novels featured elaborate tea parties filled with desserts…

And this Alosha didn’t like sweets?

‘How is that even possible?’

Something about that felt oddly unsettling.

Still, there were all kinds of characters in novels.

Compared to transmigrating into another world, becoming a noble lady who disliked sweets wasn’t exactly remarkable.

“Also, your older brother, Count Alexis, and his friend should be arriving at the estate soon. Wouldn’t it be better to have tea with them?”

Count Alexis?

Once again, an odd sense of familiarity stirred inside her.

‘Alosha… Alexis… I’ve definitely heard those names before. So why can’t I remember the title?’

She had read hundreds of romance fantasy novels.

Many she’d paid to read over a hundred chapters of.

Many others she’d dropped after fifty because they simply weren’t her taste.

She decided this was probably one of the latter.

“We received word two hours ago, so unless something unexpected happens, the Count should arrive within thirty minutes. Shall I help you get ready?”

“Sure… I’d appreciate it.”

She was wondering what to call the maid when she noticed the embroidered name on the woman’s uniform.

Marsha.

“Marsha.”

When Alosha called her by name, Marsha smiled warmly.

“Leave everything to me!”

Honestly, getting dressed up just to eat with family seemed unnecessary.

But she’d only just arrived in this world.

She might as well follow its customs.

Marsha walked over to a sliding door built into one side of the room and opened it.

Inside was an enormous walk-in wardrobe.

Dozens of luxurious dresses hung neatly inside.

‘No way… are those real gemstones?’

The sparkling jewels decorating the colorful gowns nearly brought tears to Hyojoo’s eyes.

‘Yes! This is romance fantasy! Gorgeous dresses! Precious jewels! Nobility is the best!’

She had briefly worried she’d somehow landed in the wrong genre.

But then Marsha pulled out a soft lavender dress and held it up.

“I know you always wear blue whenever the Count’s friend visits, Miss… but how about trying this lavender dress today?”

Alosha glanced toward the countless blue dresses hanging nearby.

‘She always wears blue when her brother’s friend comes?’

Not even thirty minutes after transmigrating, she could already smell romance.

She struggled to suppress the grin creeping across her face.

Her brother’s friend.

Always wearing the same color.

That was unmistakably the heart of a girl nursing a secret crush.

‘He probably once told her blue suited her… or maybe he gave her one as a gift.’

Though she’d never dated anyone herself, Alosha had accumulated plenty of secondhand romantic experience through novels, dramas, and years of listening to her friends’ relationship troubles.

Having reached her conclusion, she nodded confidently.

“Really? Then let’s go with that.”

If Alosha truly had a crush on her brother’s friend…

It was probably her first love.

And in almost every story, first loves rarely worked out.

‘But this isn’t my novel, and I’m not the heroine… so it probably doesn’t matter.’

She decided she’d judge whether her brother’s friend had potential as a future husband based entirely on his appearance.

With Marsha’s help, she changed into the dress.

Her long brown hair was neatly braided, making her look even more innocent than before.

Just as Marsha had predicted, the lavender dress perfectly complemented her fair skin and green eyes.

“I had to rush because of the time… Do you like it?”

“Well… it’s pretty.”

Her answer sounded calm.

Inside, however, she was practically screaming.

‘Holy crap… I’m ridiculously gorgeous. Is this what people mean by a Winter Cool Tone? How does lavender suit me this perfectly?’

She wasn’t even the heroine.

Was it really okay for a supporting character to be this beautiful?

As she admired herself, a terrifying thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

‘Then… just how beautiful are the heroine and the villainess?’

Even from the perspective of someone obsessed with appearances, Alosha was undeniably attractive.

So what would happen when she met the heroine or the villainess, who surely possessed the ultimate beauty buff?

“Whose side am I even supposed to take?”

She was busy imagining conflicts between a heroine and a villainess she hadn’t even met yet, wondering whether she should support one of them or simply convince them to get along…

When Marsha returned after opening the door.

“Miss, Count Alexis has arrived.”

“…Got it.”

Alosha descended from the second floor and headed toward the entrance hall.

There, she saw a man about six feet tall with brown hair, a warm and gentle appearance, and an easygoing smile as he handed his coat to the butler.

“My beloved little sister, Alosha! Did you come to greet me?”

The moment he greeted her in a sweet voice, she encountered the very first obstacle every transmigrator had to face.

‘Should I speak casually… or formally?’

She was still wondering how to naturally address a brother she’d never met before when the man beamed, strode over, wrapped her in a hug, and kissed her forehead.

Normal siblings definitely didn’t act like this.

‘Casual speech it is.’

Judging by her instincts as a writer, their parents had probably died when they were young.

Young Alexis must have grown up quickly while protecting his little sister from relatives unhappy that he had become the heir.

If he’d filled the role of both brother and parent, then Alosha would naturally have grown up either spoiled rotten…

Or unbelievably lovable.

“Hmm? You always insist on wearing blue. Why did you choose a different dress today?”

“Oh… I just thought it was pretty.”

“Isn’t that the dress I bought you last time? It suits you perfectly.”

Hearing Alexis speak so gently, Alosha felt a strange warmth blossom deep inside her chest.

It was a sweet, unfamiliar emotion that made her heart itch.

‘What was that? …Was that Alosha’s feeling just now?’