I Possessed the Villain’s Childhood Friend – Chapter 0

“…Huh?”

When I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me.

It was something only possible in a comic or novel, but I had no other way to describe it.

Gone were the LED lights I was used to. Instead, a chandelier that looked like it belonged on the internet hung above me.

“Where am I?”

As I slowly glanced around, my confusion only deepened.

It was a room much larger than I could have imagined.

The vivid decorations sparkled in a way that screamed opulence.

An elegant nightgown lay draped over me, something I had never bought or even worn before.

“What the heck is this?”

I was so bewildered that I sprang up from the bed.

And in that moment, I was genuinely shocked.

“Wait…?”

My body felt light.

Gone was the heaviness that always felt like it was soaked in water; I felt buoyant instead.

What on Earth happened?

I slowly and effortlessly got out of bed. There was no trembling in my limbs.

Then I stood in front of the mirror beside me.

“Who are you?”

Gone were the unkempt hair and haggard face. My limbs weren’t emaciated to the point of furrowing my brow in concern.

Even after just waking up, my chestnut hair was neatly arranged.

I had sharp eyes with a rather flat expression, and my pale blue eyes didn’t seem like they belonged to an ordinary person.

A body that looked healthy, as if I had constantly trained throughout my youth.

The mirror reflected someone I had never seen before.

At that moment, I realized.

“…Reincarnation.”

It was a common cliché in web novels, a shorthand for time travel, possession, or rebirth.

How did that happen to me?

So, does that mean I’m dead?

It wasn’t particularly shocking. I had been bracing for it for quite some time.

Every day was a struggle, and the doctor had told me that I wouldn’t live past twenty.

Honestly, I was grateful it ended without any pain.

And a new life starting with a healthy body?

I couldn’t help but feel a little giddy.

“First of all, the Middle Ages? Modern times? Is this body from nobility?”

The lavish decorations and the ambiance of this body revealed quite a bit.

“It can’t be reincarnation.”

Time travel was ruled out from the start.

Given that I had no memories of this body at all, it seemed more likely that possession was the answer.

So, which work did I get sucked into?

Usually, people end up in the last piece of fiction they read.

What was the last thing I read again?

“…I can’t remember.”

The last memories of my original body were of lying in bed, unable to move.

Just flipping through a book would leave me drenched in cold sweat, and even picking up my smartphone was nearly impossible. I had been quietly lying on a hospital bed.

It had been over a year since I last read anything.

“Well, whatever.”

Whenever I saw protagonists starting their stories with possession or reincarnation, I always wondered how they stayed so calm, but now I could understand a bit.

The anticipation of a new beginning felt much stronger than any immediate fear or astonishment.

At least, that’s how I felt.

My heart raced with hope that I could enjoy a wonderful life in a healthy body.

Ideally, it would be in a peaceful and ordinary world.

“Aike young master. Are you awake?”

As I marveled at my surroundings again, a woman’s voice echoed along with a knock.

The unexpected sound of Korean in such a mismatched ambiance felt like proof that I was trapped in some fictional universe.

Speaking of which, Aike.

That name seemed vaguely familiar.

I wasn’t entirely sure, but it felt like I might have heard it once.

Was there a character with that name in any of the novels I read?

“Hmmm.”

No matter how hard I tried to remember, nothing came to mind.

“I’m awake.”

“Lady Reina will be arriving shortly.”

…Reina?

That name was definitely familiar.

If I thought a bit more, I was sure I could recall it.

“Young master?”

But I couldn’t keep her outside waiting for my answer.

“Yes, I’ll be right out.”

“Alright. Should I lead Lady Reina to the reception room as usual?”

“Please do that.”

“Understood.”

With her quiet footsteps, she vanished from my presence.

Since it seemed like I didn’t have much time right now, I should make a move.

Meeting this Reina guest might help jog my memory.

“…I hope I’m not too late?”

I had spent too much time changing clothes.

In the end, I had to rely on the help of the maid who came back to find me, since I didn’t emerge even when I was supposed to.

Thinking of her awkward smile made my face turn red with embarrassment again.

“Is this it?”

I found myself stopping in front of a massive door.

The sign on it clearly read “Reception Room.”

“Seriously, this feels awkward.”

No matter how I looked at it, this place felt like a Western-style mansion.

Seeing Korean written in such a place was a level of awkwardness beyond anything I had anticipated.

How on earth did the protagonists from the novels endure this awkwardness?

Letting out a quiet sigh, I gently knocked on the door.

“I’m coming in.”

Although this was the home of this body, it felt best to maintain decorum until I learned who the guest inside was.

“Come in quickly.”

The voice that permitted me was calm and inviting.

It was a beautiful voice, like a pure melody glistening in the dew.

“Understood.”

Tension brewing in my body, I slowly opened the door.

Inside was a single girl.

She appeared to be around the same age as me.

However, there was a distinct air about her.

She exuded grace.

It was a feeling of nobility, overwhelmingly radiant.

Her long platinum hair sparkled as if it were kissed by moonlight.

Bright purple eyes suited her sharp gaze perfectly.

Her snow-white skin and red lips, despite starkly contrasting colors, were utterly harmonious.

She seemed like a doll.

No, she was so beautiful that calling her a doll was an insult.

I could only gaze at her in awe.

“What’s the matter?”

The girl named Reina tilted her head as if puzzled by my frozen state.

Finally, I snapped out of it.

“Ah, yes.”

As I awkwardly sat down, she frowned slightly, showing some displeasure.

“Is something wrong? Why are you using polite language, you don’t usually do that… Did you hear some news?”

“Ah, huh? No, what news?”

Did the owner of this body speak informally to such a girl? It felt bold just to think about it.

“Well, fine. I guess I can tell you. I’m engaged to the Crown Prince.”

“Engaged to the Crown Prince?”

“Yep.”

My mind lit up.

Clumsy as it sounded, that was the only way to describe it.

“…I remembered.”

Everything came flooding back.

Her look was beyond anything an illustration could even begin to capture.

The writer’s depiction failed to convey her charm at all.

Aike, the name of this body.

Reina, the beautiful girl’s name.

Engagement to the Crown Prince.

Sitting in front of me, with a cold expression, was Reina, a girl who would meet her demise by beheading in the future.

Aike, this body, played the role of her childhood friend, someone she had known for years.

I was the device explaining just how isolated she would become in the future.

She had dreamed of an ordinary happiness.

But she lived a wretched, lonely life where she couldn’t rely on anyone, an antagonist.

She was different from me, yet I empathized with her and felt a sense of kinship.

Reina Rozelia.

This place was the world of the story where she would fall all alone in the future.

The story I loved the most.

The world of “She Heals the Wounded World.”