chapter ~8( what's happening in the author' s world)

In real world, where Author is writing this story...

Mina had just finished her 7th chapter.

With a dramatic gasp and a tear of deep satisfaction glistening in her eye, she threw her hands into the air like a warrior returning from war.

"Finally! Finally, I finished my 7th chapter!" she shouted, almost ready to faint from emotional exhaustion.

She stretched her arms high above her head like she was embracing the universe.

"Now… I just have to post my novel WrongCue."

And just like that, she slipped into full-blown Daydream Mode.

Her eyes sparkled. Her face lit up like a thousand-watt bulb.

"After I submit this novel, they'll give me looots of money. I'll be RICH!"

She looked up at the ceiling dramatically, as if money would rain down any second.

Her voice grew louder, wilder, totally unhinged.

"All my fans will be crazy for my autograph! And boys—ha! They'll DIE just to take one selfie with me!"

And then came that smile…

That devilish, sneaky-cat smile.

"He he he…"

Suddenly, without warning, she jumped up onto her table, stood tall, and struck a full-on Superman pose.

"My fans, be ready! Your queen is COMING!"

If anyone had seen her right then, they'd 1000% have called a mental hospital. No delay. Full emergency.

She paused, took a deep breath, and muttered to herself like a sensible person—

"Okay, Mina. Control. Control yourself. First, submit it."

She grabbed her phone, opened the publishing app, took one final dramatic breath—

—and hit the SUBMIT button.

Done.

She burst into laughter. Mad scientist level.

But then…

"GRRRRRRrrrrrr…"

Her daydream cracked.

Her stomach made a sound so loud, it could compete with an earthquake.

Mina:

"Ohhh… I just remembered… I skipped breakfast today to write WrongCue."

She clutched her belly.

"Now the animals inside are doing dance. need food—fast!"

She thought hard.

"Let's order something!"

Then—click—reality slapped her across the face.

She had no money.

"Ughhh! My unlucky fortune!!" she groaned, like a cursed princess.

Dragging her lazy, starving body to the kitchen, she opened every shelf like it was a treasure chest.

"Cup noodles it is."

She boiled water with the seriousness of a MasterChef.

She poured it into the noodle cup like she was pouring liquid gold.

And then… every 30 seconds…

She opened the lid like:

"Is it ready now? No. Now? Still no."

After 7 minutes, the noodles were finally cooked.

She didn't wait a single second.

She ATTACKED those noodles like a wild monster.

Big bites. Huge slurps. Sauce everywhere.

She ate like she hadn't seen food in a decade.

When she finally finished, she leaned back like a victorious warrior.

Her face? Covered in noodle sauce.

Her belly? Round and proud.

And then—BUUURRRPPP!!

Mina:

"Ughh… I ate too much. I look like a 3-months pregnant lady now. I should start exercising… from tomorrow."

(Ah yes. That legendary "tomorrow" that never comes.)

She glanced at her kitchen shelf.

Empty.

"I need to buy more noodles."

She stood like a soldier on a new mission.

Then—reality part two—money.

She began to search the entire house like Sherlock Holmes on hunger mode.

Pillows were flipped. Drawers were raided. Bags were violated.

Finally—SUCCESS!

She found a crumpled note.

Mina:

"With this money… I can only buy three."

But still—another daydream unlocked.

"No matter. Once WrongCue goes viral, I'll be rich. SUPER rich!"

She smiled again. That same mental grin. The villainous "he-he-he" kind.

Suddenly she screamed,

"LET'S GO TO THE SUPERMARKET!"

She wiped her face, combed her hair with warrior energy, and marched to the door.

She locked it carefully before heading out.

But just as she stepped onto the road—

Mina:

"Wait… Did I lock the door? I think yes. I think no. No no—I definitely locked it… But what if I didn't? What if a thief breaks in and steals all my mo—"

Pause.

"…Wait, I don't have any money."

Deadpan face. 100% logic.

Still, the confusion ate her up. So she walked back and checked the door.

Locked.

Mina (proudly):

"See? I never forget anything. I'm PERFECT."

With a mental smile, she strutted back to the road.

Halfway down the lane…

Mina:

"Wait… Did I lock it properly though?"

She spun around like a possessed soul and returned AGAIN.

Checked.

Still locked.

She repeated the same line like a personal chant:

"I'm Mina. I never forget anything. I'm just… perfect."

Then, like a true mental queen, she laughed out loud in the middle of the road.

If anyone had seen her in that exact moment, they would've thought:

"She's possessed."

Or worse—"Haunted by an evil ghost.

She stepped toward the market once again, determined.

And after this much hard work—dodging dreams, surviving hunger, and having a personal debate with her own door—she finally, finally, reached.

She entered the supermarket like a warrior walking into battle.

As soon as her eyes met the shelves—BOOM!

A rainbow of snacks, shiny packets, chocolate bars, and juices danced in front of her.

Mina's soul left her body.

She wanted to buy everything. The chips, the biscuits, the fancy ice creams, the useless expensive snacks no one eats but buys just to flex—ALL OF IT!

But then—reality hit harder than her editor's insults.

She opened her fist and looked at the crumpled note in her hand.

Enough for only cup noodles.

Mina (whispering to herself like a motivational speaker):

"Don't worry. One day, you'll be rich. You'll buy everything in this market. Every shelf, every packet. Even the manager."

And boom—another daydream activated.

She closed her eyes and saw herself walking into this same supermarket in a red dress, paparazzi behind her, guards beside her, people screaming her name.

"Miss Mina! Miss Mina!"

She'd walk like a queen. Her guards would carry her bags with style. She'd swipe her black card, not even looking at the total.

"I'll take everything from row 1 to row 20. Bag it, boys."

But before her red carpet could roll out, someone pushed her cart.

Daydream: shattered.

She blinked, looked around like she just time-traveled, and quietly picked up her noodles from the shelf like a normal, broke person.

She stood in the payment line, head held high in delusion.

Still dreaming:

"One day I won't need to wait in line. One day people will wait for me. And when I enter, the scanner will scan my face and just say: 'Payment successful, Queen.'"

"Ma'am! Hello! MA'AM!"

The cashier's voice pulled her back into reality.

Everyone was staring. Even a baby.

She didn't even know when she had reached the counter.

With a face redder than tomato ketchup, she paid the bill, took her sad little bag, and walked out with quiet embarrassment.

Just when she reached the middle of the road, her phone bipped.

Incoming call: Editor Sir

She picked it up and switched to speaker mode.

And immediately regretted it.

Editor (screaming like thunder):

"What is this RUBBISH you wrote, you dumb girl?! It looks like you copy-pasted a Chinese drama in Google Translate!"

Mina (trying to defend herself):

"Bu—"

Editor (angrier):

"Don't 'but' me! Just CHANGE the storyline. Or else forget your payment!"

Mina (with a teary voice):

"But... I already wrote so many parts. How can I change everything?"

Editor:

"I don't care! You have only two days. FIX IT!"

Click.

Call ended.

Silence.

And then...

Mina (in full-on angry mode):

"HE said I'm dumb?! No, HE'S dumb! His entire family's dumb! His next seven generations will be dumb!"

She stomped down the road, noodles shaking in the bag.

"He said my story is rubbish?! He doesn't understand talent when it dances naked in front of him!"

"One day, when WrongCue becomes a bestseller, when people throw diamonds at me to sign their books, he'll be BEGGING to work with me again."

"But guess what?"

"That day... it will be TOO LATE!"

And there, in the middle of the road, surrounded by honking horns and aunties buying vegetables, Mina ranted like a rejected drama queen.

But then—reality returned like a slap.

She suddenly remembered.

"He gave me only TWO DAYS!"

Mina (full-on frustration explosion):

"Is this editor MAD?! Two days?! TWO?! I'm a human, not a robot! What does he think—I'll jump into the novel, slap the characters, and rewrite the whole plot from inside?!"

She flailed her arms around dramatically, noodles swinging from the plastic bag like a weapon.

"Maybe I should teleport into WrongCue myself and fix the mess like a magical author goddess! Maybe I'll ride a unicorn while I'm at it!"

She was so busy yelling at the wind, she didn't see it—

And then—BAM!

A car came out of nowhere and hit her straight on.

Her noodles flew, her thoughts froze, and everything turned blank.

To be continued...