I Taught You Carefully, So Why Are You Obsessed?

Ian Cloud was the typical “jerk” and a man of regret.

 

His actions throughout the novel went something like this:

 

Ignoring the confession of the female protagonist, Diana; returning her thoughtfully chosen birthday gift; leaving her waiting for over six hours when she visited the Grand Duke’s residence because he was “busy.”

 

I won’t even bother explaining how miserable Diana felt when he ignored her and accepted the arranged marriage his family had set up.

 

It’s no wonder Diana fled to the academy shortly after his wedding, practically running away.

 

At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder:

 

What’s wrong with you, male lead? What’s your deal?

 

Sure, he had his reasons. Unfortunately, Ian Cloud’s backstory involved childhood trauma, causing him to instinctively push others away and live without expressing his emotions.

 

But so what? Does that excuse all the jerk behavior? As a fervent fan of the female lead, Diana, I wanted Ian to suffer and grovel in the most pitiful and severe way possible.

 

That’s the real charm of regret-themed stories, right?

 

But sadly, my wishes were utterly crushed.

 

“What? Is this for real?”

 

I couldn’t hide my shock as I scrolled through my phone.

 

But no matter how much I scrolled, all I saw was a message on the screen saying, “This is the last page,” with no further content.

 

“This is how it ends? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

 

I let out a bitter laugh in disbelief. The story hadn’t even begun to show the “r” of regret, yet there was a scene where Diana forgave Ian, and the two of them ended up together. In the final scene, no less, Diana kissed Ian first while he cried and apologized.

 

“Ugh! Is the author insane?”

 

I stomped my feet in frustration, clutching my phone. After everything this jerk did to Diana, how could she forgive him like this? Sure, Diana is the kindest, gentlest, and prettiest person in the world, but this is too much! Her lips are precious!

 

“Ugh, no. I have to say something about this.”

 

Filled with rage, I reopened the screen and went straight to the comments section. But, sadly, even the comments section wasn’t on my side.

 

– IanForeverFan: “ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Author-nimㅠㅠㅠㅠ I love it so muchㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ It’s been a while since I read such a perfect novel… Please just keep writing…!”

 

– BuyMeIanPleaseMom: “It’s been a while since I read a story with such a well-structured plot. Thank you, Author-nim. I wish you continued success. When will the side stories come out?”

 

– TheEpitomeOfRegretfulMen: “Ha, the way all the loose ends were tied up so perfectlyㅠㅠㅠㅠ Author-nim, you’re so talentedㅠㅠㅠㅠ”

 

– AllIRedisRomanceNovels: “You’re going to write the side stories, right? I want to see Ian happyㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”

 

Over a thousand comments were filled with tears.

 

Eighty percent of them were praising the author and Ian, calling it the best masterpiece of the 21st century, the epitome of regretful male leads.

 

I felt dizzy and had to hold my forehead.

 

“Ugh… this is infuriating.”

 

That’s right. The author of this novel was annoyingly talented.

 

The Hemingway of web novels, a legendary figure, a rising star.

 

He was devouring the web novel scene in Korea.

 

But there was one major problem: he poured all that writing talent into Ian’s character arc.

 

Ian Cloud, the biggest jerk on the planet, was transformed by the author into a cold and elegant male lead, ignorant of love, sympathy, or guilt.

 

If you can’t feel emotions because of trauma, you should go see a doctor. Why would you sell that as a selling point? But the readers were obsessed with it. A man whose heart doesn’t race at the sight of beauty, who isn’t swayed by any temptation—a dangerously intriguing man, or so they said.

 

Isn’t Diana also a shining character created by the author? Nope, not at all. Diana was just a female lead in name; in reality, she was nothing more than a supporting role to highlight Ian. The author knew it, the readers knew it, and, sadly, I knew it too.

 

“This is just too much!”

 

Sure, it’s okay to love the male lead, but there should be some decency. How could they only make Ian shine? What about Diana? Diana!

 

In the end, I rolled up my sleeves and furiously typed on the keypad.

 

– MySweetDiana: “LOL, this plot makes no sense. The male lead acts like a total jerk, and he’s forgiven just like that? Did you really have to turn our girl into a lead with no self-respect? LOL, I knew the author was biased toward Ian, but come on, this is too much~ Poor Diana deserves better. Why don’t you just publish an Ian fanbook~~ Or better yet, just remove Diana from this novel altogether^^;;”

 

└ IanIsTheBest: “Here comes the drama queen again, LOL. Don’t you ever get tired? Go mind your own business~”

 

└ IanIsAdorable: “Why are you still reading if you hate it so much, ㅋㅋ? Must be a masochist.”

 

└ IanForeverFan: ――――――――Ignore this clown――――――――

 

“These people…”

 

Within seconds, a string of replies appeared. Not only that, but my phone kept buzzing with notification after notification. It was clear it was another round of cyberbullying from Ian’s fandom.

 

“It’s tough being a lone fan of the female lead!”

 

I put my hands on the keypad, ready to fight back, but in the end, I just shoved my phone into my pocket, fuming.

 

“Ugh, calm down. Just calm down. Inner peace.”

 

Standing at the crosswalk, I took a deep breath.

 

“But still, it’s all that jerk Ian’s fault!”

 

Unfortunately, calming down didn’t work. Suddenly, the wide, eight-lane road in front of me came into view. I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration.

 

“Why isn’t there a reincarnation truck or something?”

 

People always reincarnate into romance novel worlds when they get hit by a truck. If I could enter the novel myself, I’d give that male lead the punishment he deserves.

 

“…Ugh, I’m so worked up, I’m thinking all sorts of crazy things.”

 

If that were possible, I would’ve already taught Ian a lesson or two. Feeling deflated, I shook my head and stepped onto the crosswalk.

 

“I’ll just go home and sleep…”

 

But then,

 

Honk!

 

“…Huh?”

 

It actually happened.

 

❖ ❖ ❖

 

The sensation of my first traffic accident was absolutely horrifying.

 

A massive truck crashed into my body, and as I felt every bone in my body shatter, my vision turned black as if by some cruel joke.

 

People say your life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die, but having experienced death, I can tell you that’s not true.

 

I just resented Ian and the author who caused all this mess right up until the end.

 

Who knows how much time had passed?

 

I opened my eyes.

 

‘…Wait a second.’

 

I opened my eyes…?

 

‘What’s going on? Is this heaven?’

 

Still dazed, I quickly realized something was off.

 

The reason was that the scene before my eyes was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.

 

I was lying in a room that seemed to be a mix of artistic styles from the Renaissance of the 14th century to the Rococo of the 18th century, with even some modern and contemporary designs thrown in.

 

The room was filled with the subtle scent of roses, and my body exuded a fragrance that was a blend of sweet fruits and flowers.

 

And the voice I heard…

 

“What?”

 

It was as clear and beautiful as pearls rolling on a silver tray.

 

The setting was a chaotic mess historically, but familiar to a modern audience. And when I looked at a body that didn’t seem to be mine, I realized that this place…

 

“Oh my god.”

 

I got hit by the reincarnation truck and ended up possessing someone in a romance fantasy world? Really?

 

Just in case it was a dream, I pinched my arm.

 

“Ow!”

 

It hurt a lot.

 

As I sat there, dumbfounded, I jumped to my feet.

 

“Wait, wait. I don’t have time to just sit around.”

 

If I really got hit by the reincarnation truck, I must’ve been transported into the novel I was reading last. Now, the important thing was to figure out who I had been reincarnated as.

 

‘Please don’t let it be the female lead, Diana.’

 

I was a devoted fan of Diana, but I didn’t want to become her.

 

The reason was simple: wishing for your favorite character’s happiness from a distance is completely different from taking over their body.

 

When I finally saw my reflection in the mirror, I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

 

“Whew… Thank goodness.”

 

The person standing in front of me was a beautiful woman with ash-gray hair and teal eyes.

 

My goddess Diana had radiant cherry blossom-colored hair and lake-blue eyes, so it definitely wasn’t her.

 

“As expected, there’s no way I could be our precious Diana. Diana is too precious.”

 

I sighed with relief, but soon a question arose in my mind.

 

“But then, who is this?”

 

Ash-gray hair, clear teal eyes, a cold impression, unlike the warm and gentle Diana. Yet, her beauty was captivating.

 

As I stared at her reflection, I furrowed my brow.

 

“Hmm, she seems oddly familiar…”

 

‘If she’s familiar to me, she must be a character with a decent amount of presence in the story.’

 

Ash-gray hair, teal eyes, a cold face…

 

After pondering for a while, a passage from the novel flashed through my mind.

 

Ian Cloud accepted the emperor’s proposal to marry into the Alpheus Marquess family. His bride-to-be was ‘Eloise Alpheus,’ the second daughter of the marquess, with ash-gray hair and teal eyes.

 

It was a loveless marriage under the guise of a contract. Eloise, with hair as gray as ashes, was as emotionally dry as she appeared. But because of this, she was the most suitable partner for Ian.

 

“…What the—”

 

A curse slipped out as the name finally clicked in my mind.

 

No way…

 

“Am I seriously married to that guy?”

 

♧♧♧

 

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