A Korean Office Worker Who Became a Nuisance Villainess in a Zombie Story - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 1. If I’d Known I Could Possess Someone
I wouldn’t have bought a car on installment.
Isn’t that right, all you office workers out there?
Six in the evening. Artificial Island near Capital.
An Imperial Villa owned by the royal family.
A social gathering attended by only a select few, including the Crown Prince.
Attendees: Crown Prince. Female Lead. Duke of the South. Supporting Character 1, 2, 3. Villainess.
Plus numerous attendants and Imperial Knights.
A gathering of those seeking quiet conversation, escaping the complex and noisy social scene.
‘Fine, whatever. It’s all good, right?’
But why am I here?
And possessing the villainess, no less!
‘I was just a regular office worker passing through Yeouido!’
Did I die?
Did I collapse from stress because of that gluttonous Manager Kim, always spitting while blaming others?
No, that can’t be it. I had a health checkup just last month. They said everything was fine.
I’ve been exercising regularly too.
How did I end up here?
‘I was definitely… so exhausted during lunch that I skipped eating and went to the Movie Theater to sleep.’
It was an art film showing during a weekday lunch hour, so I was the only one in the theater. The seat reclined backward when you lay down. I was settling in comfortably to sleep.
Suddenly my smartphone vibrated.
When I checked it.
[Imperial Security Bureau] Possession Warning in effect as of 12:07 today / Gate occurrence 8.5km south of Capital / Protect yourself from zombies, evacuate indoors, and be cautious of infection.
“What the hell, I’m dying of exhaustion….”
The moment I said that, I opened my eyes here.
High ceilings, elegant interior decoration. Antique furniture.
On my way to work this morning, a friend sent me a zombie thriller survival romance novel—some mashed-up story with a 19-rated rescue subplot—saying, ‘Hey, this villainess’s name and appearance are exactly like you.’
I’ve possessed the villainess who supposedly shares my name and face.
Q. What’s it like opening your eyes to find you’ve become a villainess?
A. What the hell is this?
‘And she’s not even a cool villainess. She’s a pathetic, annoying, troublesome villainess who spouts “Why do you treat me this way!” like it’s her catchphrase.’
I glanced around hastily.
Among people conversing with each other or reading books in the spacious room.
I stood alone, isolated.
A woman over there (must be Supporting Character 1) whose eyes met mine immediately frowned sharply and turned her head away. She leaned toward another woman beside her (this one must be Supporting Character 2) and whispered as if making sure I’d hear.
“What’s she plotting now, looking so sinister….”
‘Wait, what about me?’
Bewildered, I stared blankly when an attendant awkwardly stepped between that woman and me.
“Is it starting again? I thought today would be quiet for once.”
Beside him, some man (Supporting Character 3) sighed.
Just from this alone, I could tell what kind of person the villainess I’d possessed was.
A rotten, stupid character that everyone despised.
Whatever.
Whether she’s a villainess or a saint doesn’t concern me—but what about me in reality?
Am I actually dead? Or is this a dream?
Either of those would be better than this.
But if I’ve somehow crossed dimensions… if that’s what happened…
‘Then what about work?!’
If I suddenly wake up in reality and time has just passed with me missing, and I get fired from the company…
Who’s going to pay off my installments?!
[Deputy Manager Yusara.
Left work station during break and did not return. Subsequent continuous absence without notice. Unable to contact, failed to report for duty—termination processed.]
‘No, my credit card debt…!’
The scene of my termination played out vividly in my mind. I thrashed against it, but it was already too late.
There was nothing I could do.
Overwhelmed by despair, I buried my face in my hands.
‘If I’d known it would come to this, I should’ve just slept in the company rest room instead of dragging myself all the way to the Movie Theater for some fleeting luxury!’
But I couldn’t sleep in the rest room because of my coworker’s snoring!
And I hated the thought of sleeping with my mouth open in front of everyone!
“Sigh…”
I’d already booked a flight to New York for next month using my vacation days… I’d splurged on business class…
And that was on installment too…
If I don’t deposit money before the automatic transfer next month, I won’t get the preferential interest rate…
This is insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
‘No, Yusara. Calm down. This has to be a dream. Just wake up quickly.’
In fifty minutes, your smartwatch will wake you up.
Otherwise, a Movie Theater employee will wake you in ninety-three minutes.
What if I’ve really crossed dimensions?
Well, my mother will file a missing person report.
I folded my arms and closed my eyes.
No one would talk to me anyway, since I’m the villainess.
I needed to calm down and assess the situation first.
Three years into my career—that’s the golden rule of office survival.
When in doubt, shut up and gather information.
* * *
An hour had passed.
I was still possessed.
During that time, I’d kept my eyes closed and tried to recall the novel’s contents.
But honestly…
‘I barely remember it since I read it on the way to work.’
I can vaguely recall who this person in front of me is and what their relationship to the villainess might be, but the details escape me.
I never even finished reading that novel.
I skimmed through only the parts featuring the villainess Yusara, then stopped reading entirely when I reached the section where she met her tragic end.
I figured watching French conversation shorts on YouTube would be a better use of my time than finishing it.
‘What do I care if some troublemaking villainess character is like me or not? It must be a novel my Junior Colleague wrote.’
He’s the same age as me—showed up thirty minutes late to a client meeting a few days ago, got chewed out by me, and has been giving me the silent treatment ever since. The idiot.
‘I’m reporting this to the team lead the moment I get back.’
If nothing else, I had to break free from this possession and return just to take down that Junior Colleague.
Anyway, I’d only read the beginning of this ridiculous zombie thriller survival R-rated romance novel.
‘Reading an R-rated romance on a packed Line 9 Express Train would absolutely destroy my reputation….’
I only realized I was inside that morning’s novel because of them.
Them.
Those three people right in front of me, creating an exciting, innocent love triangle atmosphere.
Supporting Character 1 and Supporting Character 2 started whispering at just the right moment.
“The Crown Prince seems quite interested in Lady Yujein today. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this before.”
“Neither has the Grand Duke.”
“If this keeps up, one of them might actually become Lady Yujein’s lover….”
“Do you think that’s possible? No matter what, Lady Yujein is….”
“Shh. Lower your voice. That woman will hear us.”
‘They’re speaking loud enough that of course I’ll hear them.’
That’s right.
The exciting, innocent ‘them’ were the protagonists.
Male protagonist one: Praha, the cold and aloof black-haired handsome Crown Prince.
Male protagonist two: Cyprus, the golden-haired handsome Grand Duke of the South, flashing bright smiles beside him.
The one and only female protagonist: Yujein, the pink-haired girl nestled between them, cute and charming as a rabbit.
I recognized this place as the world from that novel because of those three people’s faces, their distinctive names, and the title people around me called me—the Duchess Yusara.
I’d never seen anyone with naturally pink hair in my entire life. Ha, ha, ha. Fantasy worlds really are something else.
‘They all look better in person than I imagined.’
True to the R-rated romance novel, the female protagonist sparkled, and the male protagonists were devastatingly handsome, tall, and well-built.
Though we were still in the early stages of the story, affection dripped from the male leads’ eyes whenever they looked at Yujein.
If I were truly the villainess Yusara, that gaze would have driven me mad with jealousy.
‘That stoic Crown Prince must have organized this social gathering specifically to meet Yujein.’
That’s why Yujein, who isn’t even nobility, is attending this exclusive gathering reserved for only the rarest of aristocrats.
And me?
I’m here to torment the female protagonist.
‘As the Duke’s daughter, no one can stop me if I insist on attending.’
In the novel, the Crown Prince dislikes me—he just doesn’t show it openly given his temperament.
The setting was that he’s been adamantly refusing engagement talks between myself, the Duke’s eldest daughter, and him.
Wounded by his rejection, the villainess (me) wanted to become engaged to the Crown Prince just to spite the Grand Duke, so I swallow my pride and cling to him desperately.
I probably attended today’s gathering for that very reason.
‘There’s nothing good about this gathering anyway.’
Yujein, whom I despise with every fiber of my being, is somewhere with the Crown Prince without my knowledge. That absolutely cannot happen.
Though the Crown Prince shows no interest in me whatsoever.
‘Your Highness, would you perhaps have time tomorrow…?’
‘I’m afraid not, Princess. My schedule is quite full.’
‘But you haven’t even heard what I came to ask!’
That’s the nature of our relationship, more or less.
The Grand Duke of the South, who was smiling at me just now and appeared on the surface to harbor affection for me, was no different.
He was like a childhood friend to me, and he was the only one who treated me kindly when everyone else despised me back then.
Then, when I mistook his kindness for love and confessed, he rejected me miserably.
‘Did you think I liked you? Why would I?’
‘Because you…!’
‘I hate you. Don’t confuse courtesy with affection, Princess.’
After that, it was predictable.
I came to despise the Grand Duke, and he didn’t care at all.
The protagonist Yujein fears me.
Because I, blinded by jealousy over Yujein receiving the attention of both the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke, tormented her.
‘How utterly typical…’
By the original script, I should have approached Yujein by now and started a confrontation.
‘What’s a commoner doing in a place like this?’
‘Princess…’
‘Silence. Don’t talk back to me. Don’t you know the basic courtesy that you shouldn’t speak without permission from your superiors?’
‘I invited her, Princess.’
‘Your Highness!’
That’s roughly how it would unfold.
But I didn’t act that way.
Why? Because I have a brain.
‘Stay quiet and assess the situation first’ was still in progress.
‘For now, I’ll keep my head down and watch how things develop. I can’t act rashly when I don’t even understand what’s happening.’
Workplace survival principle number two, year three of employment.
Don’t draw attention to yourself.
At that moment, the bell struck seven o’clock sharp.
Dong— dong— dong—
The bell’s chime, which sounded unusually ominous today and was genuinely ominous, rang seven times before people began murmuring softly among themselves.
The Crown Prince’s chief attendant, who should have arrived five minutes earlier to announce that dinner was prepared, had not appeared.
The outside was unnaturally quiet.
“It’s quite silent, isn’t it…?”
“Indeed. It feels unusually quiet today. Could it be because we’re on an island?”
“The chief attendant is late too.”
“Now that you mention it, where have all the attendants gone?”
At those words, everyone glanced around the room.
Nothing. No attendants. Not a soul.
Even the servant who had been refilling drinks and refreshments hadn’t returned since stepping out moments ago.
The only people in this room were the seven meeting attendees and two Imperial Knights.
A silence so profound it raised the hair on one’s neck.
One of the Imperial Knights standing guard stepped forward.
“I’ll go check outside.”
I watched with bated breath as he, having received the Crown Prince’s permission, approached the door.
The knight pressed his ear against the door, paused briefly, then pulled it open.
In that instant, something hurtled through the doorway toward us.
A guttural shriek tore through the air.
The knight instinctively shoved back whatever was lunging at me.
Blood sprayed across the room.
A severed head rolled toward us across the floor.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
Supporting Character 1 screamed.
Ah. So it’s beginning now.
[Imperial Villa 2nd Floor Secret Room]
– Yusara, Yujein, Crown Prince, Grand Duke, Supporting Character 1, Supporting Character 2, Supporting Character 3, Imperial Knight 1, Imperial Knight 2 (Surviving)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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