prologue

Chapter 1: The Art of Dying for Goat Milk

"Here goes the plane—Vrooooom! And crash!!!" Even, my baby brother, shrieked with joy as he threw his toy airplane across the room.

"Agh! Even, can you please go play somewhere else?" I gritted my teeth, barely holding onto my patience.

It had been a few days since my dear, responsible parents decided to go on a vacation. Their excuse?

"You're an adult now, Elisa! Time to take responsibility!"

...Like hell! They just ditched us and ran off to have fun.

I grabbed at my hair in frustration—what little was left of it after my little brother had yanked most of it out.

When I got back from boarding school, the first thing I saw was a note stuck to the fridge and my baby brother sleeping on the bed.

I bet they wouldn't be back for at least a week.

I sighed, already exhausted.

"Agh, not again, Even! Be a good boy for once!"

And of course, he burst into tears.

Seeing him cry, I did what any responsible adult would do—I cried too.

"Why are you crying?! I should be the one crying!"

And thus, we sat on the floor, bawling like a pair of abandoned puppies.

"Hick... I em hungwy!" he hiccuped between sobs.

I wiped my tears and looked at my baby brother. He was just a kid; he didn't know anything. But damn, I was frustrated. Kids are exhausting.

I had barely been 18 for a month—how was I supposed to take care of a toddler?!

Still, I couldn't complain for too long. The kid was hungry, and we were out of milk.

I glanced at the kitchen. No milk. No snacks. Nothing.

'I can just go buy some from the convenience store, but I can't leave Even alone…'

I felt a tug on my clothes.

'Maybe I should leave him with the neighbor for a bit. Auntie next door is pretty nice.'

Operation: Dump the Kid

"No worries, dear, leave him with us. It's not his first time here—he'll be fine," my neighbor, Auntie Lin, reassured me with a warm smile.

She was one of those genuinely kind people who fed stray animals and helped everyone in the neighborhood.

She even offered to let me stay with her since my parents weren't home, but I politely refused. I wasn't about to mooch off her kindness for too long. I'd buy her some fruit as thanks later.

With that settled, I headed out to buy milk.

To pass the time, I pulled out my phone and started reading a new novel. If I had to walk, I might as well multitask.

----

I had barely gotten a few pages in before I was already annoyed.

"Oh, come on! Why is the protagonist shou so damn dumb?!" I muttered, my frustration growing.

This was another one of those BL novels. The kind where the main character is a weak little flower, and the male leads act like they own the world.

The story was as cliché as ever.

The protagonist shou was the fake son of the prestigious Gu family. When he awakened as a Guide at 18—way later than usual—they did a thorough check-up and realized his DNA didn't match his parents and they seemed to be swaped at Birth.

So they went and found their real son.

Cue dramatic reunion.

Turns out the real son was also a Guide, ridiculously pretty, and had spent his life growing up poor. The guy resented his biological parents, ditched the family that raised him, and moved into the Gu family's mansion.

And then he turned into a raging asshole.

He bullied the protagonist shou because he had a crush on the powerful S-rank Esper fiancé that shou was engaged to. He thought,

"I'm the real son! That hot, Esper should be mine!"

The Gu family, feeling guilty for abandoning him at birth, let him get away with everything.

Classic.

Anyway, things escalated.

The real son drugged the protagonist and almost sold him off to some gross middle-aged man.

The shou tried to jump off a balcony in despair but ended up landing in the ML's swimming pool.

Of course, the ML dramatically rescued him.

Typical.

But apparently, the real son wasn't even the main villain—just a pathetic little puppet a Canon Fodder. The actual mastermind was lurking in the shadows.

…A mastermind who, okay, was kinda hot.

cough My weakness for black flaged was showing....no that not what I ment ah!

----

I was so absorbed in the dumb novel that I barely noticed I had reached the store.

After grabbing the organic goat milk—because my brother had expensive taste—I picked up some fruit for Auntie Lin and headed back.

As I crossed the road, I was still fuming about the novel.

Seriously, why did that guy get away with so much crap?! And that mastermind… I wouldn't mind reading more about—

BEEP!

Huh?

I looked up just in time to see a massive truck speeding towards me.

Oh.

Before I could even react, I felt my body lift off the ground.

My milk!

I watched as the bottle of expensive goat milk flew through the air in slow motion.

Thud.

I hit the ground.

Everything was red.

Blood?

Shouldn't I be in pain?I didn't felt a drop of pain.

Did I just get hit by a truck?

Oh, come on. Is this how I die? I was I kinda cool about it...it was soo sudden. It still hasn't set in yet.

I could hear people shouting around me.

"Call an ambulance!"

"Someone had an accident!"

I didn't care.....I think I accepted it now. I was gonna die but I didn't know it would be this fast.

My last thought?

"That goat milk was expensive."

Even will be okay, right? Auntie Lin will take care of him. Mom, Dad… you guys were kinda irresponsible, but I guess I'll miss you.

As the world started to fade, I made a final wish.

'As I got hit by a truck, it's your responsibility to transmigrate me' I demanded justice for myself. But isn't had much time left.

I felt my consciousness slip away.

And then…

I woke up.

…In that novel.

Of all the places—

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME AND WHY DO I HAVE A FUCKING C*CK!!