"I swear if Adrian Vale smirks one more time, I'm uninstalling this app."
That was the last thing Ethan Whitmore ever said before he died.
Okay, technically he said it while crossing the street, phone in hand, rage-reading his favorite BL novel at 2:17 a.m.
Technically, there were headlights.
Technically, there was screaming.
And then—
Darkness.
…
Ethan opened his eyes to a ceiling that did not belong to a broke 26-year-old office worker living on instant noodles and regret.
Crystal chandelier.
Marble pillars.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a skyline that screamed "money."
"…What in the billionaire fanfiction is this?"
He sat up too fast.
The bed was enormous. The sheets felt illegal. His hands—
His hands were not his hands.
Longer fingers. Prominent veins. A silver ring on his index finger.
He bolted out of bed and stumbled toward the mirror.
The reflection nearly stopped his heart for a second time.
Sharp jawline. Cold grey eyes. Perfectly styled black hair. The kind of face that looked expensive even when breathing.
Ethan's soul left his body.
"No."
He leaned closer.
"No no no no no."
Because staring back at him was the face he hated most in fiction.
Adrian Vale.
CEO of Vale Corporation.
Billionaire.
Possessive psychopath.
The wicked male lead.
The man who emotionally wrecked the soft, sunshine protagonist before losing everything and dying alone in a penthouse full of regret.
"…I'm dead," Ethan whispered.
A pause.
"…And I got reincarnated as a red flag."
His gaze dropped to the bedside table.
A phone lit up with notifications.
**Board Meeting – 9:00 AM**
**Intern Selection – Final Candidate: Noah Bennett**
Ethan's stomach dropped so hard it might've reached the marble floor.
Noah Bennett.
The protagonist.
The sweet, hardworking, poor-but-dignified intern Adrian originally humiliated on their first meeting.
The same intern Adrian would later trap in a contract relationship.
The same intern Adrian would obsess over.
The same intern who would eventually walk away, leaving Adrian to spiral into destruction.
Ethan clutched his head.
"What chapter are we in…? What chapter are we in?!"
He lunged for the phone, fingers trembling, and scrolled through messages.
One caught his eye.
[Assistant:] *Mr. Vale, should I prepare the contract for the Bennett boy? The one you mentioned last night.*
Ethan froze.
Contract.
Last night.
He slowly turned his head toward the massive walk-in closet.
On the nearby desk—
A leather folder.
He opened it.
At the top, in bold letters:
[Personal Relationship Agreement – Confidential]
Under it.
Noah Bennett's name.
Ethan's soul tried to leave again.
"Oh my god."
This wasn't early plot.
This wasn't build-up.
This was the moment.
The humiliation scene.
The beginning of Adrian's villain arc.
And Ethan had woken up right before he ruined Noah's life.
He paced the room.
"Okay. Okay. Calm down. Think."
Option one: Follow the plot.
Be cruel.
Be obsessive.
End up bankrupt and dead.
Option two: Change the plot.
Be nice.
Risk cosmic backlash from whatever twisted universe thought this was funny.
His phone buzzed again.
[Assistant:] *The intern has arrived, Mr. Vale. Should I send him in?*
Ethan stared at the message.
This was it.
The first meeting.
In the original novel, Adrian had made Noah wait for three hours, then dismissed his qualifications, then slid the humiliating contract across the desk.
Ethan remembered screaming at his phone while reading it.
Now—
He was holding the script.
He inhaled slowly.
"No toxic CEO behavior," he muttered. "No smirking. No trauma. We are rebranding."
He typed back:
*Send him in immediately.*
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Ethan straightened his suit jacket.
He walked into the office portion of the penthouse, each step echoing against marble floors. The city stretched behind the glass like a kingdom.
He sat in the massive leather chair.
Tried to look less villainous.
Failed.
A knock came at the door.
Three soft taps.
And then—
The door opened.
A young man stepped in.
Simple suit. Nervous fingers. Bright, cautious eyes that didn't belong in a room this cold.
Noah Bennett.
In the original story, this was where fear began.
Ethan's chest tightened unexpectedly.
Noah bowed slightly. "G-Good morning, Mr. Vale."
His voice was softer than Ethan imagined.
More real.
More human.
And those eyes—
They were already wary.
As if they knew.
As if somewhere, deep in his bones, Noah could sense the version of Adrian who would hurt him.
Ethan swallowed.
The script screamed in his memory:
["Kneel."]
["Sign this."]
["You work for me now."]
Instead, Ethan heard himself say—
"You must be Noah Bennett."
Noah blinked, surprised at the lack of hostility.
"Yes, sir." Ethan stood.
Walked around the desk.
Stopped a polite distance away.
And extended his hand. "Welcome to Vale Corporation."
Silence filled the room.
Noah stared at his offered hand like it was a trap.
Honestly?
Ethan couldn't blame him.
Because somewhere deep inside.... Something cold stirred.
A whisper.
(You're changing too much.)
For a brief second, his vision flickered.
A sharp pain pierced his temple.
And a mechanical voice echoed faintly in his mind...
[Warning. Wicked Male Lead deviating from original storyline.]
Ethan's smile didn't falter.
But his heart pounded.
Oh.
So that's how this was going to be.
Fine.
He tightened his jaw slightly.
If the universe wanted a villain!
It was about to learn that villains could fall in love too.
And this time?
He would win.