DTRAF 01

Chapter 1

I Don’t Accept the Male Lead’s Love Advice!

It was one week before the grand opening of the café’s second branch, where I had worked my way up from a part-time employee to the store manager.

After finishing a farewell party with the coworkers I’d spent the last nine years with, I was on my way home.

I was clearly walking on the sidewalk when an SUV suddenly sped straight toward me.

Before I even had time to dodge, everything turned white. Then came an agonizing pain that felt like my bones were being torn apart.

Am I really going to die like this? What about my café?

Even as my consciousness faded on the cold pavement, all I could think about was my café.

It was the place I’d fought so desperately to earn after growing up in an orphanage.

I was heartbroken and full of regret, but there was nothing I could do except close my eyes and accept my fate.

Yet once I lost consciousness, all the pain disappeared. Instead, I felt strangely comfortable—almost as if I were lying in a soft, cozy bed.

Huh? This doesn’t feel like my imagination. This steady comfort…

Feeling an odd sense of warmth, I slowly opened my eyes.

What…? An angel?

I wasn’t sure at first, but the man standing before me erased all doubt.

This had to be heaven.

He had the golden hair and brilliant blue eyes people always imagined angels possessed.

And with his high nose, well-defined lips, broad shoulders, and flawless features…

There was no way someone this perfect could exist in the real world.

“What are you staring at?”

Whoa… Even his voice is amazing.

The angel frowned as though making eye contact with me was the most unpleasant thing imaginable.

But his deep, captivating voice was so attractive that even his scowl felt like a blessing.

So… I really did die?

Unfortunately, the excitement of meeting such a handsome angel didn’t last long.

Once I accepted that I was dead, thoughts of the café I’d left behind flooded my mind, and tears welled up in my eyes.

“Hah! Are you actually crying?”

So much for angels being kind.

He was mocking someone who was grieving.

The realization that I couldn’t even receive comfort from an angel made me feel even more miserable, so I pulled the blanket over my head.

“Drop the pathetic act, Amelie Garnet.”

Amelie Garnet.

The unfamiliar name the angel called rang in my ears.

There was no one else here besides him and me.

Did that mean… he was talking to me?

“…Me?”

I cautiously peeked my head out from under the blanket and asked.

“You’re truly exhausting.”

He clicked his tongue, stood up as though he couldn’t bear another second, and headed for the door.

The disgust in his eyes had gone far beyond simple annoyance.

“Don’t ever use Lysa to summon me again. This is your final warning, Amelie Garnet.”

“Lysa?”

Who was that?

My head was overflowing with questions, but the furious man slammed the door behind him and walked out.

“What… was that all about?”

Still stunned, I slowly got out of bed.

Looking around, this place resembled the bedroom of a noble young lady far more than heaven.

Wait… a noble lady?

A familiar plotline suddenly flashed through my mind.

Instinctively, I jumped out of bed and rushed toward the mirror.

“No… This can’t be…”

I desperately tried to deny it.

But the woman reflected in the mirror wasn’t me.

Instead, she had honey-blonde hair and calm light-brown eyes.

I’d only ever seen this happen in novels.

Did reincarnation or possession really exist?

Unable to believe what I was seeing, I reached up and touched the unfamiliar face reflected in the glass.

Poof!

“Customer! You must be terribly shocked, right?”

“W-What?!”

There was more?

As I stood frozen somewhere between panic and despair, a tiny long-tailed tit suddenly popped into existence.

The fluffy little bird rested one wing on its round belly and politely bowed.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m Mokki, your Possession Guide!”

“A possession guide? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re Han Yuna, correct?”

“That’s right! Han Yuna!”

Hearing someone call me by my real name instead of “Amelie Garnet” filled me with unbelievable relief.

So much so that the fact a tiny bird was talking barely even registered.

While I was still overwhelmed, Mokki somehow produced a tiny pair of glasses, put them on, and adopted a serious expression.

“I’ve been dispatched by the Romance Fantasy Love Company to explain our Special Possession Service to our valued customer, Han Yuna!”

So it was true.

The impossible had actually happened.

I’d been transported into another world.

I guess instead of the famous “Truck-kun,” I’d been hit by “SUV-kun.”

“Our Romance Fantasy Love Company selects customers who have fallen into comas and offers them our Possession Service!”

“So… you’re saying I’m in a coma right now?”

“That’s correct! But simply being unconscious isn’t enough to qualify. Candidates must also have nowhere to return to, and they must have finished reading at least one hundred completed romance fantasy novels!”

Who would’ve thought being an obsessive romance fantasy reader would finally pay off?

Whether the story was amazing or terrible…

Whether the plot completely derailed or not…

Once I started a novel, I always read it to the very end.

For the first time, I felt proud of that habit.

Mokki then pulled out what looked suspiciously like a TV remote and pressed a button.

A floating screen appeared before me.

★ Special Possession Service ★

Welcome to the Romance Fantasy Love Company! ♡

Why does this PowerPoint look so cheap…?

It looked exactly like one of those hilariously awful presentation slides people shared online.

Judging by the way Mokki puffed out his chest with pride, he’d probably made it himself.

“Were you devastated after suddenly falling into a coma? Don’t worry! Romance Fantasy Love Company is here for you!”

Ba-dum!

With an unnecessarily dramatic drumroll, the slide changed.

The next page was even worse.

The screen was completely packed with tiny text.

Just looking at it made my eyes hurt.

Mokki, however, enthusiastically read every single word aloud.

As my expression gradually darkened from the endless company introduction and its horrific formatting, he eventually started rapping through it.

“So! If you’re wondering why our Special Possession Service is absolutely incredible…”

Ding!

Survive, defeat the villains, and reach the ending!

You’ll receive a special reward that changes your destiny! ★

Who on earth taught this bird how to make PowerPoint slides?

Every page transition came with another ridiculously flashy sound effect.

I was dying to meet whoever had trained him.

“This special reward is the key!”

“So what exactly is the reward?”

“Hehehe… Prepare to be amazed!”

Ta-da!

★ Ending Reward (Choose One) ★

1. Return to reality as Han Yuna after waking from your coma and have one wish granted.

(Wishes that disrupt the natural order of the world are prohibited.)

2. Remain in this world and live happily ever after as Amelie Garnet.

I had to admit…

The reward was impressive enough to justify Mokki’s confidence.

If I returned to reality, I could finally open the café I’d dreamed of.

And on top of that, I’d even get one wish granted.

Why would I ever refuse?

“I choose Number One. Definitely Number One.”

“You’ll make your choice after reaching the ending! Choosing now might lead to regret.”

“I won’t regret it. The answer couldn’t be more obvious.”

“You might change your mind after living as Amelie Garnet. In any case, you can’t choose until you’ve reached the ending, so take your time.”

As if I’d ever change my mind.

I knew that for certain.

The joy of making coffee and desserts…

The owner who had believed in me…

The café I’d earned entirely through my own hard work…

There was no way I’d willingly abandon all of that.

“Oh, and one more thing. If you fail to reach the ending…”

“…Then what?”

“You’ll return to reality exactly as it is now.”

“What do you mean by ‘exactly as it is’?”

“You’ll go back to being Han Yuna… lying in a coma, with no guarantee of whether you’ll live or die.”

Mokki’s unusually blunt words left my mind completely blank.

Han Yuna.

Unconscious.

That was my real situation.

Just moments ago, I’d been overjoyed at the possibility of returning.

Now, the reality of it felt much heavier.

“Don’t worry too much. This is a novel you’ve already read, and Amelie Garnet is an important character, so it shouldn’t be difficult.”

“…A novel I’ve already read?”

“Yep! Our Special Possession Service only sends customers into novels they’ve previously finished.”

“But… I’ve never read this novel.”

“That’s impossible! Maybe you just read it a long time ago and forgot?”

I shook my head.

“Hmm?”

Mokki rummaged through his feathers before pulling out a smartphone nearly as big as his own body.

Tap. Tap.

A series of adorable button presses echoed through the room, followed by the sound of frantic scrolling.

Then…

“…Huh?”

The uneasy murmur escaped his beak and echoed throughout the spacious room.