Aria stared at her reflection for a long time.
Even after hearing the system's voice, her mind refused to believe it.
She was inside the novel.
Inside the very story she had complained about.
"Great," she muttered. "Of all the characters I could become… it had to be the one who dies."
She rubbed her face, trying to calm down.
"Okay… think."
The system said she had to complete tasks to escape.
Which meant she had no choice but to play along.
Just then—
A knock sounded on the door.
"Miss Aria," a maid said politely from outside. "You're expected downstairs. The guests have arrived."
Guests?
Aria suddenly remembered.
In the original story, this was the day Luna first visited the mansion.
And where Chen appeared with her.
Her stomach twisted.
"Right… the disgusting couple."
Taking a deep breath, Aria walked out of the room.
The main hall was already full of people.
And standing near the center was the person Aria immediately recognized.
Luna.
She looked exactly like the novel described.
Soft eyes. Gentle smile. Perfect posture.
Anyone who saw her would think she was kind and fragile.
But Aria knew the truth.
Behind that sweet face was a liar who destroyed everyone around her.
Standing beside Luna was a tall man with warm features.
Chen.
The man Aria had loved in the original story.
The man who only had eyes for Luna.
Aria felt a wave of irritation.
"Seriously?" she thought. "This guy?"
She had expected to feel something because Aria loved him so much.
But instead…
She only felt disgust.
"Original Aria had terrible taste."
Chen noticed her and smiled politely.
"Miss Aria, it's good to see you again."
Aria forced a small nod.
Then—
Her eyes moved past them.
And landed on someone else.
The moment she saw him, she froze.
A tall man stood near the window, dressed in a black suit. His expression was calm and distant, like nothing in the room interested him.
Sharp eyes.
Cold aura.
Powerful presence.
Kim Min-jae.
The CEO.
The only character in the story who had ever suspected Luna.
Aria stared at him longer than she meant to.
"…Okay," she thought. "Now that's a decent character."
At that exact moment—
A voice echoed inside her mind.
[System Task Issued.]
Aria nearly jumped.
[Task 1: Sneak into Kim Min-jae's room tonight.]
Her eyes widened.
"What?!"
[Additional objective: expose two of Luna's lies in front of Chen and Kim Min-jae.]
Aria blinked.
"…You want me to start a war on day one?"
Across the room—
Kim Min-jae suddenly stiffened.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He had just heard something strange.
A voice.
But it wasn't coming from anyone in the room.
[Task failure will result in penalties.]
Min-jae's gaze slowly moved across the room.
Then it stopped on Aria.
At that exact moment—
Another voice echoed.
But this one sounded different.
Frustrated.
Annoyed.
"What kind of insane system gives a mission like that on the first day?"
Min-jae's eyes widened slightly.
He looked directly at Aria.
Her lips hadn't moved.
Yet he had clearly heard her voice.
Aria crossed her arms in her mind.
"Sneak into his room? That CEO looks like he'd throw me out the window if he caught me."
Min-jae blinked.
He could hear her thoughts.
His gaze sharpened as he watched her carefully.
Meanwhile, Luna noticed Aria looking at her.
She smiled sweetly.
"Miss Aria, it's been a while."
Aria looked at her calmly.
And for the first time—
Instead of being nervous like the original Aria—
She felt only one thing.
Annoyance.
"Oh," Aria said flatly. "It's you."
Chen looked surprised.
In the original story, Aria always acted shy around Luna.
But today…
Something felt different.
Luna's smile twitched slightly.
And across the room—
Kim Min-jae continued staring at Aria.
Listening carefully.
Because the strange voice in his head had just said something else.
"Don't worry Luna… your lies are about to get exposed."
For the first time in years—
The cold CEO looked genuinely shocked.