The room was too quiet.
Too polished.
Too perfect.
Too far from everything she had known.
Seo Yeon-hwa stared at the trembling blue letters floating before her eyes, unable to blink, unable to breathe. The holographic system window shimmered faintly, as though waiting for her reaction.
[Your father, Chairman Seo Ji-won, is currently in a coma.]
Her heart twisted painfully.
She didn't know this man.
Not personally.
Not yet.
But the weight of the words hit her like a falling tower.
Her hands felt numb.
Her chest squeezed painfully, so tight she couldn't tell whether it was her emotions or the system's pressure.
Her father — the fictional father — the man who held the crumbling Seo Hwa Group together… was already unconscious. Already gone from her reach.
She swallowed, throat tight.
One maid stepped forward carefully, her voice soft.
> "Miss… Are you feeling dizzy again? Shall we call the family doctor?"
Yeon-hwa's eyes flickered toward the girl — no older than twenty, delicate, dressed in a crisp black-and-white uniform. The maid's gaze was full of concern, but also something else.
Pity.
Fear.
Confusion.
As if expecting another breakdown.
Another crying episode from the spoiled villainess they had always served.
Yeon-hwa inhaled shakily.
She needed to act normal.
Or at least, normal for this body.
> "I'm fine," she whispered.
The maid blinked, stunned.
The villainess was never "fine."
The villainess cried, screamed, threw tantrums.
The villainess demanded things like a child.
Her quiet tone surprised them.
The second maid bowed slightly.
> "Miss… The household is preparing your breakfast. Also… Madam Seo requested your presence in her private room. She… she didn't sleep at all."
Her mother.
The fictional villainess's mother — the elegant, gentle woman described in the novel as slowly breaking down under the pressure of her husband's accident. The woman who lost weight and collapsed constantly from stress. The woman who adored her daughter but could not control her.
Real Yeon-hwa's pulse quickened.
She wasn't ready.
She wasn't prepared to face a grieving mother whose husband was in a coma. A mother who believed her daughter was on the verge of emotional collapse.
The maid added carefully:
> "Madam has been crying since dawn… She needs you, Miss."
The air felt impossibly heavy.
Yeon-hwa lowered her gaze.
In her old world, she had no parents left.
In this world, she had a mother whose heart was breaking.
Her throat tightened.
> "I'll go," she said softly.
The maids' eyes widened again.
The villainess never obeyed so easily.
Never acted calm.
Never accepted responsibility.
But they said nothing.
Just hurried to help her dress.
Her feet sank into the plush carpet as she walked down the hallway. The Seo family mansion was enormous, decorated with classical paintings, polished marble, and old money elegance.
Every step felt surreal.
Every breath felt too heavy.
Her heart pounded with a mixture of fear and disbelief.
Memories of the novel flickered in her mind:
The heroine's perspective.
The gossip from society.
The description of the Seo mansion as "a palace built on luxury and pain."
And most importantly—
The villainess's downfall began right here.
Right inside these very halls.
A maid led her toward a large wooden door, pausing respectfully.
> "Madam Seo is inside… Please be gentle, Miss. She hasn't eaten anything since yesterday."
Yeon-hwa's chest tightened.
She nodded.
The door creaked open.
Madam Seo sat on a chaise lounge near the window, her long black hair loosely tied, her eyes swollen and red-rimmed. In her hands, she held a folded handkerchief soaked in tears.
The moment she saw Yeon-hwa, her expression broke.
> "Yeon-hwa…"
Her voice trembled, barely a whisper.
Yeon-hwa stood frozen.
This woman was supposed to be a character.
Ink on paper.
A fictional mother.
But the grief in her eyes was too real.
Too human.
Madam Seo rushed forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Her hands shook violently as she held her daughter.
> "I'm so glad… you're awake… you scared me so much…"
For the first time since transmigrating, Yeon-hwa felt tears prick her eyes.
She had not been hugged like this in years — not in her previous life, not by anyone.
Slowly, awkwardly, she lifted her arms and embraced the woman back.
A sob escaped Madam Seo's lips.
> "Your father… h-he's still unconscious… The doctors say there's swelling in the brain… He hasn't opened his eyes for three days…"
Yeon-hwa's heart twisted painfully.
She whispered softly:
> "I'm sorry… Mom."
Madam Seo froze.
She pulled back, staring at her daughter with disbelief.
> "You… called me Mom?"
Her voice cracked.
The villainess never called her mother that.
She threw tantrums, screamed at her, blamed her, and acted like the world revolved around her broken engagement.
Yeon-hwa's fingers trembled as she wiped the tears from the older woman's cheeks.
> "I'm here… Mom. I won't… leave you alone."
Madam Seo broke into tears again.
Her shoulders shook as she hugged her daughter tightly.
> "My baby… My poor baby… Everything is falling apart… and you… you fainted twice yesterday because of Min-joon…"
At that name, Yeon-hwa's stomach twisted.
Madam Seo stroked her hair, voice soft but broken.
> "Please… don't go near him anymore. It hurts you too much…"
Yeon-hwa closed her eyes.
System Notification Appears:
[Rule Reinforcement Activated]
[Do NOT chase Kang Min-joon.]
[Reward: +5 Mental Stability]
Her breathing steadied slightly.
She nodded slowly.
> "I won't."
Madam Seo pulled her close again, sobbing quietly.
No one in this household had expected this girl to become level-headed. Calm. Rational.
But in this world where everything was falling apart—
She needed to become the pillar.
She needed to become the version of herself she wished the villainess had been.
After comforting her mother, she left the room with heavier steps.
A maid hurried behind her.
> "Miss… Should I prepare breakfast?"
Her stomach churned.
Her mind raced.
What should she do first?
She needed information—
about her father's accident,
about Seo Hwa Group's finances,
and about the political attacks from Changwoon Group.
She needed to understand her situation better than the original villainess ever had.
But the moment she reached the grand staircase, voices drifted from below.
Sharp.
Gossipy.
Cold.
Two Seo relatives were speaking in hushed tones.
> "The engagement is probably broken now. How shameful for the Seo family."
> "Well, Young Master Min-joon made it clear he never liked her."
> "That girl always embarrassed us. Crying everywhere, creating scenes…"
> "If only Chairman Seo were awake. He'd disown her for yesterday's humiliation."
Yeon-hwa stopped on the step.
A strange calm settled over her.
She stepped forward so quietly the marble didn't echo.
The relatives froze instantly as they noticed her.
Their fake smiles were immediate.
> "Y-Yeon-hwa! You're awake…"
Yeon-hwa looked at them with a coldness the original villainess never possessed.
> "I'm not fainting.
I'm not crying.
I'm not embarrassing anyone."
She lifted her chin slightly.
> "So unless you're planning to be useful, get out of my way."
Both relatives paled.
They didn't move.
So she simply walked past them—
as if their existence wasn't worth noticing.
A maid stood nearby, eyes wide in awe.
Yeon-hwa didn't stop walking.
But she heard the whispers behind her.
> "T-That wasn't the same girl from yesterday…"
"What happened to her?"
"Sh-She looked… different."
Good.
Let them think that.
She needed space.
She needed to understand this world.
She needed to change everything the villainess ruined.
And as she reached the bottom of the stairs—
Her vision flickered again.
A new holographic window appeared.
[FIRST MISSION UNLOCKED]
Yeon-hwa's breath caught.
[Mission 1: Stabilize Your Mental State]
[Objective: Do NOT cry today.]
[Reward: +10 Mental Strength, +5 Reputation]
[Penalty for Failure: Emotional Breakdown + Public Embarrassment]
Her lips twitched.
The old villainess cried all day, every day.
But her?
> "That won't be a problem," she whispered.
Her new life had just begun.