EPISODE 0

Lee Shaun always said things without thinking. That was exactly why the universe decided to teach him a lesson. Or reward him.

Nobody knew. Not even Shaun.

"Okay, okay, okay! Last song before I end the live!"

"I got to feed my hamster and my tortoise or else it would be killing me in my beauty sleep." Shaun grinned at the camera, wiping sweat from his forehead. His TikTok live was currently flooded with comments moving faster than a bullet train.

LEE SHAUN. The 28-year-old choreographer was famous among idol groups. Some knew him as the strict dance teacher who could make trainees cry during practice. Others knew him as the energetic Zumba instructor who somehow convinced middle-aged mothers and random children to dance to K-pop songs every weekend. Most people simply knew him as:

Lee Shaun. Half Korean. Half Filipino. One hundred percent chaotic.

-"Oppa sing ballad!🥺"

-"Shaun-hyung please sing sad song!🙏🏻"

-"Teacher Shaun voice reveal!👀🥵"

-"PLEASE SING HEARTBREAK SONG😭🙏🏻"

The comments pilling nonstop.

Shaun dramatically sighed. "Y'all only remember me when you want free concerts."

The comments exploded with laughing emojis. After some playful complaints, Shaun finally grabbed a microphone.The room slowly became quiet.Then, he began singing.

A heartbreaking song. A tragic song. A song about losing someone you could never save.

And surprisingly...His voice was beautiful.

Not idol-level beautiful.

Not a professional-singer beautiful.

But emotional. Raw.

The kind that made people stop scrolling.

Thousands of viewers listened.

Then a comment appeared. It caught Shaun's attention.

-"This song reminds me of that novel where Duke Azriel dies...🫠🥲"

Shaun blinked. Another comment appeared.

-"OMG YES. Same vibes🥹"

-"Poor Azriel deserved better😤"

-"Still crying over his death."

-"Worst ending ever."

'Duke Azriel...'

The moment Shaun read the name— His soul left his body.

"DON'T REMIND ME."

The comments exploded again.

-"HAHAHAHA"

-"HE KNOWS THE NOVEL"

-"TEACHER READS NOVELS??"

Shaun immediately sat upright. "No."

He pointed aggressively at the screen.

"No."

"That novel?"

"That stupid novel?"

"The one where the villain died?"

The viewers instantly knew what was happening. Shaun was about to start yapping.

Again.

"Listen." Shaun stood up. "Listen to me carefully."

"Duke Azriel was the BEST character in the entire story."

"He's smart."

"He's handsome."

"Powerful."

"Rich."

"Dramatic."

"He carried that entire novel on his back."

Shaun continues his ranting and yapping.

Comments section flooded:

-"Facts."

-"Real."

-"You're so right."

-"Continue."

Shaun became even more passionate. "And what did the author do?"

The comments already knew. Thousands of viewers spammed laughing emojis.

BAM!

Shaun slapped the table dramatically. "THEY KILLED HIM."

"FOR WHAT?"

"CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT?"

"FOR WHO?"

"THE MALE LEADS?"

"THAT BLAND POTATO?"

The comment section became complete chaos.

Someone typed:

-"But the ending was beautiful."

Shaun looked offended.

"Beautiful?"

"BEAUTIFUL?"

"MY FAVORITE CHARACTER DIED!"

Another viewer wrote:

-"If you were in the novel, what would you do?"

Shaun snorted. "If I was inside that story?"

He cracked his fingers.

"Oh, trust me. I'd save Azriel myself. I don't care."

"He ain't dying on my watch." Shaun said confidently.

The comments encouraged him.

-"How?"

-"Tell us."

-"Fix the story?"

Shaun immediately launched into a twenty-minute rant.

"I would stop every stupid misunderstanding. I would expose the fake saintess. I would slap the emperor. I would beat up the corrupt nobles. I would become Azriel's best friend...Maybe even marry him."

The comments screamed.

-"HAHAHAHA"

-"HE SAID MARRY"

-"CLIP THIS!"

Shaun ignored them. "The point is..."

He crossed his arms.

"I'd make sure Duke Azriel survives."

"He deserves happiness."

"He deserves a vacation."

"He deserves therapy."

"He deserves ten dogs."

"He deserves a happy ending."

The viewers laughed.

Someone wrote:

-"Manifesting this happens."

Shaun laughed too.

"Yeah right. As if the universe would throw me into a novel."

Or so he thought.

_______________________________________

The universe heard that. And took it personally. The next morning, Shaun woke up. He feels different. Really different.

"...", Something felt wrong. Very wrong.The bed felt softer. The air smelled different.There was no air conditioner noise. No phone notifications spamming him. No alarm disturbing his eardrums. No traffic. No city sounds. Nothing.

Shaun slowly opened his eyes. A giant crystal chandelier hung above him.

Since fucking when my bedroom got this expensive bling bling bling lamp?

"...", Shaun stared.

"..." Then, he stared harder.

"Why is my ceiling rich?", he muttered underneath his breath.

He immediately sat up. Silk blankets. Golden decorations. Massive room. Luxurious furniture. A fireplace. An antique mirror.

A giant window overlooking an enormous estate. His brain stopped functioning.

"..."

He blinked once.

"..."

He blinked twice.

"..."

After a few moments later,

"OH MY GOD."

He jumped out of bed. In full panicking mode.

"OH MY GOD."

"OH MY GOD."

"I GOT KIDNAPPED."

He ran around the room. Checking the closets. Checking doors. Checking windows.

Checking under the bed. Because logic had already abandoned him right now.

"WHO KIDNAPS PEOPLE INTO A PALACE?"

"AM I IN NORTH KOREA?"

Then he froze. A mirror stood before him.

Slowly...Very slowly...He looked up. And saw a face.

Silky black hair.

Purple eyes.

Pale skin.

Sharp features.

Beautiful enough to make an entire fandom cry.

Shaun stared. The reflection stared back. His legs nearly gave up.

"No."

"No."

"No."

"No."

"NO!"

He grabbed the mirror. "DON'T DO THIS TO ME."

The reflection remained. Shaun recognized that face immediately. After all, he spent months screaming about him online. The most beloved villain. The most tragic character. The man who died protecting people who never appreciated him. The man Shaun swore to save. The villain himself.

Duke Azriel Valenhart.

Shaun's favorite character. And now—His body.

Silence filled the room. For ten seconds.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Then—

A horrifying realization struck him. The novel timeline. The plot. The future.The ending. The death scene. The execution order. The betrayal. The war. Everything.

How Azriel dies.

Azriel dies horribly.

Azriel dies in front of everyone.

Azriel dies alone.

Worse, Azriel only 19 when's he died. He's just a kid.

Shaun grabbed his head. "OH HELL NO."

He immediately pointed at the ceiling.

"UNIVERSE!"

"I TAKE IT BACK!"

"I WAS JOKING!"

No response.

Suddenly, a knock sounded.

"Young Master?"

A servant's voice came from outside.

Shaun froze. His eyes widened. His memories clicked together. All of those people who are responsible for Azriel's tragic ending. And according to the timeline...This scene should happen two years before Azriel's death.

Meaning—He still had time.

Not much.

But enough.

Slowly...

A dangerous grin appeared on Shaun's face. The same grin he used before creating impossible dance routines. The same grin that terrified idol trainees.

"Oh." He rolled up his sleeves. "Oh, we're changing the script."

If the universe wanted him inside the novel...Fine.

He would stay. But one thing was certain. Duke Azriel Valenhart was not dying. Not while Lee Shaun was living inside his body. And if anyone tried to kill his favorite villain—

They were about to discover exactly how terrifying an angry Filipino-Korean dance teacher could be.

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