However, "Seo Heemin," who had been unaware of the past events or his father’s true nature, could only see Cha Iheon as the murderer who had killed his father. He had no idea that another force had played a role in Seo Jae-han’s supposed accident.
In the original story, "Seo Heemin" was supposed to have a panic attack upon learning the truth, forcing Dr. Hwang to administer a sedative. But now, instead of that scene unfolding, Iheon was planning to leave the house for some unknown reason.
Is this really okay?
The thought of the butterfly effect crossed my mind—the idea that a small change could set off a chain reaction, leading to massive, unforeseen consequences.
Just as my minor actions had already caused deviations in the story, perhaps, if I tried hard enough, I could alter the outcome entirely.
Maybe I could change this novel’s tragic ending into a happy one.
A true happily ever after—where justice prevailed and the protagonist found happiness.
I recalled that in all of the author's previous works, the story had always ended with the two main characters exchanging a symbolic token—a ring, a watch—a gesture signifying an eternal promise of love.
But this novel, Crimson Veil, had been written to break away from that pattern.
I vaguely remembered reading a comment from the author, saying that they had always wanted to write a version of the story where the characters didn’t suffer—where their love story wasn’t drowned in endless pain and tragedy.
And that’s when the idea struck me.
If even the author had lingering regrets about this novel’s ending...
What if I forced that wedding vow scene into existence?
What if I created the same kind of conclusion as their previous works?
Would that trigger the final page?
Would it allow me to return home?
In this world, Alphas and Omegas could marry each other without issue.
Whether it was a grand ceremony, a simple marriage registration at the government office, or even just a private vow between two people—if Cha Iheon and I promised each other eternal love, wouldn’t this damn novel finally end?
If we were fated to end up together anyway...
Wouldn’t it be better to steer the story toward the pre-obsession, gentler Cha Iheon instead of facing his terrifying wrath?
I didn’t want to spend the rest of my days walking on eggshells, constantly terrified of him.
If I had to play the role of "Seo Heemin" until the end, there was only one way to survive comfortably.
If I wanted to make it to the last page without getting killed—
If I wanted to live without being completely dominated—
I had to sacrifice myself and transform Cha Iheon from a rabid obsessive into a devoted lover.
...But the thought of lying under him still terrified me.
In the novel, Cha Iheon had been described as a man with a weapon between his legs, something blunt and massive.
Not only that, but as an Alpha, his base swelled up like a dog’s when he knotted his partner—
"I... I’m gonna die. Please, stop—!"
"You’re the one who got so wet from wanting me inside you. And now you want me to stop? That’s not happening."
"Ahhh—!"
My mind unwillingly conjured up a vivid, three-dimensional image of the scene.
I could almost see "Seo Heemin" sobbing as he was stretched open, begging for it to stop, while Cha Iheon ruthlessly filled him, pumping him full until his stomach swelled.
Just the thought alone made my entire face burn.
I buried my hands in my hair, groaning.
"This is insane."
But in this world—a high-explicit-content BL novel—if I wanted to shift the dynamics of their relationship...
Physical intimacy was unavoidable.
That was the only way.
Only by sharing a bed with him could I alter the emotional trajectory of the story and guide it toward a more manageable path.
In the end, I had one choice.
If I wanted to survive and push this toward a romantic ending—
I had to make Cha Iheon fall in love with me.
Starting tomorrow, I had to begin Project: Change Cha Iheon’s Character Keywords.
Cha Iheon might have shared my friend’s face, but he was a completely different person.
And besides, it wasn’t my body that would be losing its purity.
This wasn’t my reality.
"I just have to survive."
Knowing the future was like holding an ace in the hole.
I wasn’t the tragic protagonist of a sad ending.
I was the player of a BL game.
And I would clear it, one way or another.
Sleepiness crashed over me all at once.
The eyes that had stubbornly refused to close just minutes ago finally gave in.
And once again, in less than a minute, I drifted into the dream world.
***
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёwebnovel.com.
"Aaaaah!"
A sharp scream echoed from the bathroom.
Heavy footsteps pounded against the floor, and within seconds, Cha Iheon pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"What happened?"
"My face... My face..."
The author’s description of Seo Heemin as a peerless beauty was complete bullshit.
The person staring back at me from the mirror looked nothing like what I had imagined.
I had expected round, monolid eyes, slightly drooping corners, a small but well-defined nose, and soft, mochi-like cheeks.
Instead—
It was my own face.
A little older, but unmistakably mine.
Despite being in the body of a thirty-year-old Omega, my chestnut-brown irises, blood-red lips, and ghostly pale skin were exactly the same as they had always been.
Even the double eyelids that curved above my eyes and the sharp bridge of my nose remained unchanged.
Disappointment hit me like a truck.
I had actually been looking forward to this moment, even feeling a little nervous.
But instead of a breathtaking beauty, I was greeted by the same old face my sisters had always dismissed as average at best.
This was a disaster.
If I couldn’t even rely on my looks, how the hell was I supposed to seduce Cha Iheon?
I groaned, pressing my forehead against the sink in despair before straightening up and muttering,
"It’s nothing. I think I was just half-asleep and seeing things."
I couldn’t afford to ruin my plan on the very first day.
So, I forced myself to smile—the same eye-smile that Cha Iheon had once claimed was decent, at best.
But instead of being pleased, his face twisted into a deep scowl.
Did he really hate me that much?
Was I so unbearable to look at that even a forced smile disgusted him?
My confidence wavered.
"Finish washing up and come out."
"...Okay."
I scrubbed myself clean as if washing away "Seo Heemin’s" past.
After changing into a fresh set of clothes—ones that Secretary Jung had likely prepared—I finally looked a little more presentable.
"Where are we going?"
After a quick breakfast, we got into a sleek black sedan.
Judging by the fact that he had fed and clothed me properly, it didn’t seem like he was taking me out just to torment me.
But Cha Iheon, true to form, refused to answer my question.
Was it that hard to just tell me where we were going?
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
He sat in complete silence, brow furrowed into a deep crease, as if he had spent his whole life practicing looking important after a meal.
"We’ve arrived."
It had been a long drive.
Secretary Jung parked the car in the basement of an old commercial building, and I followed them up to the third floor.
[Haesong Psychiatric Clinic.]
As soon as we turned the corner, a tarnished brass sign came into view.
A psychiatric clinic.
Cha Iheon had dragged me to a psychiatric clinic.
Haesong.
Haesong Psychiatric Clinic.
The name rang a bell.
I tilted my head, puzzled.
I had grown up in a household that only went to the doctor for emergencies.
Hell, I didn’t even know the name of my local clinic.
So why did this place feel... familiar?
"...Ah!"
A memory flashed through my mind.
This was the clinic "Seo Heemin" had been visiting since childhood.
I let out a small exclamation, and Cha Iheon, standing beside me, looked down with his usual impassive expression.
"Surprised? That I knew about this place?"
Haesong had been "Seo Heemin’s" deepest secret.
Not even his closest friend had known he was coming here.
Even in the middle of the original novel, Cha Iheon still hadn’t uncovered the full extent of Heemin’s trauma.
And yet, he had known about this clinic all along.
"How did you find out about this place?" I asked, brows furrowed in suspicion.
His answer was chillingly casual.
"When we were in middle school, I followed you here."
"Ah..."
That made sense.
In the original story, "Seo Heemin" had skipped school once a month to come here.
Because of his social anxiety, he avoided the crowded weekend slots and only visited on quiet weekday mornings.
That detail had only been briefly mentioned in the novel, but now that I was living it firsthand, it made perfect sense.
Cha Iheon had stalked him.
Objectively speaking, that was horrifying.
But instead of reacting with fear, I simply nodded in understanding.
Of course he had done that.
There was no way someone like Cha Iheon would have been able to control his curiosity.
His gaze sharpened slightly at my lack of reaction.
"I asked your father about it," he continued. "He told me you had nightmares and needed medication for them."
"And?"
"He begged me not to tell you. Practically got on his knees."
...Huh.
That explained something.
There had been a scene in the novel where Cha Iheon greeted "Seo Heemin" at school by asking, ‘What did you dream about last night?’
At the time, it had seemed like a strange way to say good morning.
Now, I understood why.
It wasn’t just a random question.
Cha Iheon had known about the nightmares.
The Seo Heemin from the original story had been too sensitive, too exhausted, to question it further.
If only Cha Iheon had asked him directly—
‘Why are you hiding this from me?’
Maybe things wouldn’t have ended the way they did.
Maybe their relationship wouldn’t have crumbled into this suffocating obsession.
For the first time, I felt a flicker of resentment toward Seo Jae-han.
He must have thought he was protecting his son.
But all he had done was drive a deeper wedge between them.
Useless.
Completely useless.
I was in the middle of mentally cursing him when Cha Iheon murmured,
"Something’s off."
"What is?"
"Why aren’t you angry?"
"About what?"
"That I followed you."
"Oh. I don’t know. It just... makes sense, I guess. You’ve never been the type to ignore something once you’re curious about it."
Cha Iheon was relentless when he wanted something.
That was how he had survived in the underworld—
By lowering himself, by bowing his head, by swallowing his pride—
All for the sake of his revenge.
His obsession with "Seo Heemin" wasn’t random.
It was just another thing he had claimed for himself.
So, really—
Wouldn’t it have been stranger if he hadn’t followed me?
His lips curled slightly.
"...And why did you bring me here?" I asked, finally addressing the elephant in the room.