Episode 1: Prologue

“Isn’t it insanely hot today? There’s even a heatwave warning, I really hope they tell us to work from home today.”

5 AM, the subway is filled with office workers commuting at an unusually early hour. Hearing someone’s genuine complaint during a phone call with a friend, everyone unconsciously nodded in agreement.

Even the news headlines plastered across portal sites were making a fuss about the “record-breaking heat,” underscoring just how unbearably hot this summer had become.

“And on top of that, my company doesn’t even turn on the air conditioning to save on electricity costs. I just want to live in the subway where the AC is blasting….”

As people were about to nod again in response to the joke mixed with faint laughter, an unexpected announcement shattered the moment.

[Next station is Gunja Station, Gunja Station. The doors will open on the… ]

On a day that’s already hot, with people crammed shoulder to shoulder, the thought of new waves of heat squeezing into the limited space made everyone grimace.

It took only 10 seconds for that mild discomfort to transform into fear.

“…Hey, I need to hang up. I need to contact my boss. I mean, I might not be able to make it to work. I’ll let you know once I’m out.”

“Yeah, it’s me. Sorry, but I think I’ll be a bit late. Yeah. Uh… I can’t explain right now. I’ll tell you later. Yeah.”

As the screen door opened, a woman stepped onto the platform, and she was the cause of the sudden change in everyone’s demeanor.

On this oppressively humid and hot summer day, when it felt like one could be slow-cooked like sous vide, the woman was wearing a high-necked turtleneck sweater that reached her chin and fluffy Ugg boots.

Since Espers—people with special abilities who suddenly appear around the world to defeat monsters—began to emerge, such people were categorized into two types.

Those who had lost their minds to the point where they didn’t care about the weather, or Espers on the verge of going berserk, no different from a ticking time bomb.

“Excuse me, I’m sorry. I need to get through. Excuse me.”

“…”

“I really need to get through too. I’m really sorry, it’s urgent!”

“Yes, go ahead….”

Given the woman’s overly calm and rational demeanor, she was clearly part of the latter category. Quickly calculating the situation, people started to rise from their seats one by one, hurrying to leave the train.

“Hurry, hurry, get off, Lady.”

“Huh? Why all of a sudden…? I’m still far from my stop.”

“Oh dear, the next train will come soon, so just get off for now.”

In the suddenly quiet subway car, the only sound that could be heard was the dry, monotonous announcement.

[The screen doors are closing.]

Just a few minutes ago, the subway, packed with commuters, had become completely empty. The woman, now with an entire car to herself, muttered under her breath, almost like a sigh.

“…I got on at this time because I thought there would be no one, but this is a disaster. I should’ve just walked like usual. Who commutes at 5 AM? There’s nothing I like about this world.”

The mysterious woman, whom everyone had mistaken for an Esper, was actually Maeng So-dam, someone who had suddenly found herself possessed and downgraded to an F-rank guide overnight.

“Ah, it’s cold….”

As the cold from the air conditioning seeped into her bones, causing her teeth to chatter, So-dam vigorously rubbed her arms to generate some warmth.

Now that even the people who had provided a bit of warmth were gone, So-dam was struggling to endure a cold that felt like she had been dropped stark naked into Alaska.

Too exhausted to form words, she leaned against a pillar with a blank expression, her eyes barely open. Suddenly, she felt the buzzing of her phone in her pocket.

“Bastard.”

“Where on earth do people learn to call before work hours, seriously?”

With a deep sigh, So-dam squeezed her eyes shut and answered the call.

“Yes, Maeng So-dam speaking….”

[So-dam, what’s your estimated arrival time?]

“I just got on the subway. I’ll arrive right on time, so Esper Baek Ju-yul should also take his time, really, take his time getting there.”

[Oh dear. That’s unfortunate. I’m already at the association.]

“…”

[You still remember our contract, right? If you arrive more than 10 minutes after your assigned Esper… ]

“I was just about to get off at the next station and take a taxi. I really was.”

[Ah, but given your financial situation, wouldn’t an Esper taxi be too expensive? I can just come pick you up.]

“…I’ll take a taxi. See you soon.”

So-dam quickly ended the call and squeezed her eyes shut. It’s not easy to thoroughly irritate someone with such a brief conversation, but for Baek Ju-yul, it seemed as effortless as breathing.

She swallowed the curse words that were on the tip of her tongue and patted her shoulders, as if to congratulate herself for holding back the string of expletives that had almost burst out.

“Baek Ju-yul, if you weren’t the main character, I swear I wouldn’t have let this slide. I would’ve run off, ignoring any consequences or rampages…”

Yes, Baek Ju-yul, her assigned Esper and the only SSS-ranked Esper in the world, was also the male protagonist of the modern fantasy novel she had been deeply engrossed in before she became possessed.

At this point, one might assume that the body So-dam was now inhabiting belonged to the female protagonist, or perhaps a villainess. But that would be a mistake.

The character “Maeng So-dam” was such an insignificant extra that her full name hadn’t even been mentioned in the original work!

“Now that all the Sub female leads have appeared, shouldn’t the main female lead be showing up soon? Why does this keep happening to me?”

So-dam’s instincts, honed over three years of living in this novel’s world, screamed that even the appearance of the harem’s main female lead wouldn’t change Ju-yul’s strange behavior. But she forced herself to ignore that thought.

It wasn’t because she was clinging to the old-fashioned idea that the original story couldn’t change. It was because she feared that if things continued like this, she might suddenly collapse and die one day.

“…This is all because I broke two of the forbidden keywords I’d set for myself as a possessed character. But, really, did I break them because I wanted to?”

On her first day in this world, So-dam had engraved a small tombstone in her heart, meticulously carving out the forbidden keywords.

▶ Forbidden Keywords for the Possessed ◀

1. Contract
No contract relationships, no contract marriages—avoid anything involving contracts!

2. Terminal Illness
No falling ill because of the male lead. Especially no coughing up blood in front of him!

3. Escape
No disappearing suddenly. Absolutely no leaving behind just a letter and vanishing without a trace!

From the moment she inscribed this stone tablet in her heart until now, she could confidently say one thing:

So-dam had genuinely done her best to avoid those three keywords whenever the situation allowed. …The only problem was that she couldn’t avoid the male lead, who was like a tank trampling over those landmines.

Despite the quite hopeless situation, she managed to endure all the absurdities with remarkable composure.

All for today, the last day of that “contract” Ju-yul had mentioned!

“Heh, heh heh… Those association bastards, they offered me up to Baek Ju-yul as a sacrifice and then washed their hands of it. Screw them all…”

The instincts she had ignored earlier as a possessed character now screamed that the resignation letter in her pocket was an act of stepping on the third keyword. But by then, So-dam was too consumed with the joy of flipping off everyone to notice.

“Let them all work themselves to death, staying late to find a new guide without me! Hah!”

If only she had known that this would be her last moment of happiness today, she might have been more careful with her words…

“Guide Maeng So-dam, say that again. What did you just say?”

“My resignation letter?”

“Why?”

“…Because I want to quit?”

Baek Ju-yul, the man who had heard So-dam’s dazed reply, let out a scoffing laugh.

Even though Ju-yul’s expression clearly showed that he was upset, So-dam still wore a bewildered look.

‘We won’t see each other again, so why should I care? Just play dumb, act clueless.’

She tried to think resolutely, but the sudden chill in the air was too much to completely ignore. As her eyes darted around in confusion, she witnessed an unbelievable scene unfold right before her.

Rip—tear—

“What… what are you doing right now?”

“Guide Maeng So-dam.”

“Wh-why?”

“Quite naïve, aren’t you? Did you really think you could escape from me with a mere piece of paper?”

With Ju-yul’s low voice, the torn pieces of what used to be her resignation letter scattered across the large desk.

The torn scraps, falling like snowflakes, were soon trampled under someone’s foot. Instinctively, So-dam tried to step back, but her retreat was blocked by a strong arm around her waist.

“Our contract is for life. Whether I die or you die, we’re together until the end.”

“No… isn’t that illegal?”

“Do you think there’s anyone who would dare accuse me of something illegal?”

“…”

“Make sure I don’t have to actually do anything ‘illegal,’ Guide Maeng So-dam.”

Ju-yul’s face filled her wide eyes, now enlarged in shock. Finding this reaction satisfying, he smiled darkly and lightly pressed his lips to the back of her neck, just above her collar.

As soon as his lips lifted from the heavy pressure they’d left on her neck, only one thought filled her mind.

‘Forget the forbidden keywords—just run. Now I understand why female leads in possession stories choose to escape.’

His words, dripping with obsession, were alarming, but what bothered her more was the unsettling touch. It wasn’t just a simple physical contact between an Esper and their guide; it felt as though he truly wanted something more serious.

In that moment, a heavy resolution settled in So-dam’s heart.

‘I have to escape, no matter what.’

TL/N:
Gunja Station” (군자역) is a real subway station in Seoul, South Korea.
Sous vide , also known as low-temperature, long-time (LTLT) cooking, is a method of cooking invented by the French chef Georges Pralus in 1974, in which food is placed in a plastic pouch or a glass jar and cooked in a water bath for longer than usual cooking times (usually one to seven hours).
The name Maeng is a surname “Maeng” (맹) is not very common in Korea. The hanja “孟” typically means “eldest” or “first-born. And So-dam (소담, 小淡 ) could be interpreted to evoke a sense of gentleness, calmness, or brightness, depending on the hanja used..
The surname “Baek” (백) means “white” in Korean. It’s a relatively common Korean surname. The character “白” can also symbolize purity, brightness, or clarity. 柱 (Ju): Means “pillar” or “support,” symbolizing strength, stability, or being a central figure. 烈 (Yul): Means “fierce” or “intense,” often associated with passion, intensity, or strong will. Baek Ju-Yul (백주열) as a full name could be interpreted as “a bright or pure person who is a pillar of strength and possesses intense or fierce qualities.”

TL/N: Hiii my ear readers I picked a new novel and it’s modern also smutt hope you enjoy!!!