Chapter Text
When Kim Rok Soo woke up, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder by a warm, gloved hand.
“Young master, it is morning,” a gruff voice dragged him out of dreamland. As he opened his eyes, he noticed an older gentleman dressed as a butler. Something in his eyes, however, was sharp and strangely familiar. He felt in his heart that he knew this person, but could not for the life of him place from where.
“It is surprising to see you rise after a single attempt,” the man continued. Kim Rok Soo felt like he knew this person, somehow, despite the unfamiliar room he woke up in. Past the man’s body, Kim Rok Soo could see the reflection of a confused red-haired man staring back at him from the mirror.
At the other’s continued silence, a concerned voice piped up, “Young Master Cale?”
The name triggered a memory, “Cale Henituse…?” The other looked at him with an even tighter pinch to his brow at his words. As quickly as the expression came, a new, benign smile took over. “Yes. That is your name, young master. I am assuming you are still a bit drunk.”
“...Vicross.”
“My son?”
“...Chef.”
“...Yes. My son is the chef, young master. Shall I ask him to make something for your hangover? Or would you prefer a wash instead?”
Kim Rok Soo could feel his surroundings start to darken as the room tilted. He lowers his head into both hands and huffs.
“...It seems this old man has neglected the possibility of an illness in the young master. Shall I call for a doctor?" Cale was sure that the concern was fake. Everything from the old man's face to his body language conveyed an old man's concern, but doubt brewed in his chest.
Only half-hearing the man’s words, Kim Rok Soo was more preoccupied with his thoughts. Cale Henituse… Vicross, and… Vicross’s father, Ron. These were characters in the Otome game [The Love of a Hero] the man was playing before… before what? Is he stuck in the game now? The bedroom around him seemed entirely European with extravagant decorations, completely different from the Korean bedroom design the man was used to. Thinking about it, Kim Rok Soo wondered how he was able to both understand and talk to Ron if this was another world… or game…?
“Young master?” Ron’s increasingly alarmed call took Kim Rok Soo’s (or rather, Cale’s?) attention away from his own thoughts. He finally responded to the man, “...Cold water.”
“Excuse me?”
He could see the face of Cale Henituse in the mirror behind Ron. The body didn’t look beaten up, so he figured this version of Cale had not met Choi Han yet, the protagonist of [The Love of a Hero]. The entirety of Cale Henituse’s purpose in this game is to serve as a low-tier villain that gets beaten by the main character to further the plot.
“Young master, I presume you are asking for cold water to drink, and not to bathe with?” Cale’s gaze turned to Ron. Ron may put on the face of a benign old man playing servant, but Cale knew better. He was actually hiding his true identity as a ruthless and cruel assassin. Even though this old man was asking a seemingly innocent question, Cale knew better. There was no way that Cale had asked for cold water to bathe in, and the assassin knew it too. This spiteful old man...
“Please get me some drinking water.” He needed something to cool his throbbing head.
“I will provide it right away.”
“Great, thanks.” As Cale turned away, Ron flinched at his statement with an odd look on his face. After he left, Cale walked into the bathroom to study himself further in the full length mirror. He was slightly shorter than he was used to, and thin on top of it. His skin was pale and unblemished.
“I really am Cale.”
Are people this calm when they are put in a situation like this? Cale doubts it. In [The Love of a Hero], the main character, Choi Han, was a Korean transmigrator as a freshman in high school. Furthermore, his lifespan became as long as a dragon’s making his aging process different.
“...This is bad!?” He was going to be beaten to a pulp by such a person. However, he has not been beaten up just yet! Hopefully, he can avoid that fate.
Cale walked towards the tub of warm water. “...It’s not like there’s much I’ll miss.” It was true. He was an orphan and didn’t have much money. No special talents and no special powers, either. He was a mediocre nobody with no attachments, no friends, and no support. It’s not like he’s particularly sad about his past life, it wasn’t particularly tragic or noteworthy. At least for the moment, at least if this is a dream, Kim Rok Soo wanted to pretend that Kim Rok Soo never existed. If only for a little bit. Just for a while, he promised. After all, he only lived because he could not die. Yes, he could not die and waste this new opportunity that the Otome Game has given him.
“Yes, I’ve decided. I’ll do everything I can to not get beat up.” The series of [The Love of a Hero] came divided into chapters. Before waking up as Cale, Kim Rok Soo had only managed to play up to five chapters of the game. Furthermore, since the game was about gaining affection with key love interests, there were multiple endings depending on your progress. Everything Cale does from now on would likely affect the story and route. Since Kim Rok Soo only got to play through one playthrough of the game, there is no way he can accurately guess how his decisions will impact the future. The best he can do for now is prepare for key events and threats he has seen in [The Love of a Hero]. He would do his damnest to live his dream of a laid back, wealthy life as Cale Henituse. Cale bathed himself as plans for the future floated in his mind.
—
“Young master, are you in the bathroom?” Ron’s voice called out to him from behind the door. Cale thought about Ron’s true identity. Ron was an assassin from the Eastern Continent who travelled over by sea with his son. He may pretend to be an innocent old father, but his true nature was a cold, calculating killer. The knowledge made talking with him a bit nervous, to be honest.
“Yes. I’ll be right out.” An informal tone would suffice in pushing the elder man away, Cale concluded. His ultimate goal was to have Ron, Vicross and Choi Han meet so that the Otome game can start properly and Cale can hide out or something while the war wages in the continents. Yes, this was the perfect plan. The old man Ron could kill Cale in a single blow, but mostly treated Cale like a misbehaved puppy. He may smile gently at the other, but Cale knew that no ounce of care resides in the man towards Cale. In fact, after Choi Han beats Cale in the game, Ron leaves Cale behind to follow Choi Han and serve as a helpful side character in the protagonist’s quest. A small twinge of loneliness brewed inside of him, and he quickly shoved it down.
Cale opens the door to meet Ron’s smile with a tray in his hands. “Here you go young master.”
“Great, thanks,” Cale said flippantly. Again, without Cale noticing, Ron’s face pulled strangely taut at the thanks. In order to secure his own safety and long life, Cale started to reason, he needed to be able to protect himself. [The Love of a Hero] is a story with an incredibly strong main cast and villains. Almost anyone you see in this world could be hiding a violent demeanor from your local librarian to your childhood friend. That was the kind of life this world lived.
In order to survive the war looming over the continent, you needed enough strength to defend yourself without too much to draw attention. In other words, Cale needed to get stronger.
“Young master, we will start to dress you now.”
At that, a strange feeling bloomed in Kim Rok Soo’s chest. “Ah, right. Thanks.” He didn’t necessarily feel self conscious, after all, he was in Cale Henituse’s lithe and pretty figure, and not his other body. He tried to hide his brief discomfort as more servants entered the door behind Ron to help dress him.
“Something simple for today.” He hated complicated clothing that restrained his movement. He decided to change Cale’s previous habit of dressing to exorbitant levels. After changing, his deemed ‘simple’ attire still seemed way too inordinate to him, but he did notice how the clothes made Cale look handsome. He examined his appearance for a socially unacceptable amount of time before turning to Ron.
“Ron, let’s go.”
“Yes, young master.”