The sky was dark, as if rain would pour down at any moment. The only signs of life nearby were the wild weeds growing thickly in every corner.

Not even a dog’s bark could be heard in the crumbling, deserted village.

Whoooooosh!

A gust of wind swept through the narrow alley, pushing along a scrap of paper that had been rolling aimlessly. It was an old, yellowed flyer, its printed letters faded with age.

Seo-yi glanced down indifferently at the fluttering flyer beneath her feet—the words “WAREHOUSE CLEARANCE” barely visible—then looked forward again and signaled to the subordinates behind her.

Three figures in military uniforms moved silently between the decaying buildings, tension radiating from their movements. Despite being armed and alert, they didn’t resemble ordinary soldiers.

Without exchanging a single word, the trio arrived in front of a wrecked building with shattered glass and hinges barely holding on. It must’ve once been a wedding hall that brought countless couples together, but now it felt more like a funeral parlor—gloomier, even.

With a tense expression, Seo-yi motioned for the two behind her to enter the building first, then quickly followed.

“Target located.”

Han-sik knelt on one knee in front of a small explosive and gave a signal. The red dot on his wrist tracker matched the device’s location precisely.

The timer on the explosive had just passed the 3-minute mark. They were delayed by about a minute, but there was still enough time to disarm it.

“Just follow the training. What do you do first?”

Seo-yi asked in a cold voice, watching the two fumble in panic. Her tone carried a clear reprimand to stay calm, snapping Han-sik and Min-woo back to their senses.

Swallowing hard, Han-sik examined the ticking bomb in front of him. Even though it wasn’t cold, his lips had turned pale and chapped from the tension.

“Given the irregular form, it’s likely an IED—Improvised Explosive Device.”

As Park Han-sik gave his assessment, a thin smirk tugged at Seo-yi’s lips. Seeing their notoriously strict superior smile, Han-sik felt a faint sense of relief.

“Good. First, check the detonator and the wiring.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Watch and learn. Next time, it’s your turn.”

Seo-yi addressed Min-woo, who knelt beside Han-sik. Min-woo, a former special forces operative, was undergoing training as a special operations recruit. He was one of those rare juniors who could grasp ten things after being taught just one—Seo-yi found herself wanting to teach him everything she could.

“Yes, ma’am!”

“What do you disconnect first?”

“Uh… remote detonator, ma’am.”

“Correct. If you cut the wrong wire, the whole thing could go off—be careful.”

Han-sik tried to recall what he had practiced countless times and studied the tangle of wires in front of him. Meanwhile, the timer ticked down relentlessly and soon hit the 2-minute mark. Time, which usually crawled, was flying today. His heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it had jumped up to his throat.

Steadying his breath, Han-sik reached for the bright blue wire. Seo-yi watched proudly.

Click.

“It’s cut!”

Finally!

Just as their faces began to brighten—

Beep, beep, beep, beep!

A sudden warning sound erupted, and the timer display began flashing red. The countdown, which had shown over a minute, suddenly dropped to 10.

“Wh-What is this?!”

“Wasn’t this a training device?!”

Staring at Seo-yi’s hardened expression, the two asked with terrified faces.

8, 7, 6…

“Out.”

“Huh?”

“Can’t you see? Get the hell out—NOW!”

It was supposed to be a mock explosive—but something was wrong. The blinking device in front of them was very real. Seo-yi shoved the stunned juniors in the opposite direction, then grabbed the bomb and hurled it through the broken window with all her strength.

KWA-BOOM!

The explosive detonated outside—thankfully—but debris from the blast tore through the dilapidated structure. A chunk of concrete struck Seo-yi in the head with crushing force.

CRACK!

“Sergeant Seo!”

“Ma’am!”

Even as her mind faded, she found relief in hearing the two of them shouting, alive and well. But she quickly realized this was the end. She could feel something flowing from her abdomen, not just her head.

Fuck. This hurts like hell.

Eeeeeeeeeee.

A piercing tinnitus drowned everything else. The voices drifted farther away. And then—Seo-yi’s vision blinked out.

Someone was shaking her by the shoulder. Seo-yi slowly opened her heavy eyelids. The brightness made it hard to keep her eyes open, so she shut them again tightly. The moment she did, an unbearable drowsiness swept over her. She didn’t know where she was—but she just wanted to sleep more.

“Miss Yoon Seo-yi?”

A woman’s unfamiliar voice reached her ears, followed by another shake to her shoulder.

“Let me sleep… just… a little…”

Grumbling, caught in the grip of sleep, Seo-yi’s eyes suddenly snapped open. The last thing she’d seen flashed back in an instant.

“What… happened to Sergeant Park Han-sik and Sergeant Tae Min-woo…”

As she bolted upright and began asking, her voice trailed off. The place was just too strange.

Everything was white. She thought it was a hospital room—but there were no beds, no IVs, no doctors or nurses. Just white walls, everywhere. Seo-yi, suppressing her unease, looked down at what she was wearing.

The plain, white clothes felt so light and soft, it was like she was wearing nothing at all.

“Did I… die?”

“Yes. You died.”

“Huuhk!”

The same voice replied again, calmly. The shock of it made her stagger, nearly collapsing.

“A-An angel?”

The woman standing before her had golden hair and blue eyes. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks as she looked at Seo-yi. Seo-yi hated people who cried at the drop of a hat—she couldn’t even stand the sound of babies crying.

But seeing this stranger sob so earnestly stirred something in her chest. It was a feeling she’d never known before.

“Why… are you crying?”

It wasn’t the time to be worrying about someone else—but the question burst out of her anyway.

“Please,” the woman said.

“Please what…?”

“Live my life. In my place.”

“…What?”

Before Seo-yi could understand what she meant, the woman held out her hand like she wanted a handshake.

Seo-yi, almost entranced, took it.

—Contract confirmed. In accordance with Estella Cardeine’s wish, the soul of Yoon Seo-yi will now merge with the body of Estella Cardeine.

Fsssshhhhhh.

A sound like air being sucked away echoed from somewhere.

Behind the woman, a glowing blue hole the size of a fist had opened in the air, like a black hole.

Seo-yi’s short hair swayed like grass in the wind. Her white clothes flapped like flags.

The wind grew stronger and stronger—but strangely, not a single strand of the woman’s hair moved.

She was going to get sucked in. There was nothing to grab onto.

Panicking, Seo-yi reached for the woman’s arm—but the hand that had been solid a moment ago could no longer be grasped.

Her fingers flailed in empty air—then her whole body was yanked through the hole like water down a drain.

“What the hell is this?!”

Thump!

Seo-yi’s final scream echoed as the round hole sealed shut behind her.

—Are you satisfied now?

A gentle voice echoed in the empty air. Estella smiled softly and nodded.

Tears gathered in the corners of her aged eyes slipped down her wrinkled cheeks.

“Thank you… truly… thank you.”

—May your choice prove to be the right one.

“She’ll do well.”

Estella answered with a heavy voice, staring at the blank white wall.

“Aaaaaaaaah!”

Feeling like she’d fallen from the edge of a thousand-foot cliff, Seo-yi jolted awake with a scream.

She’d expected her body to be mangled—but strangely, nothing hurt. No injuries at all.

“What… the hell…”

Trying to calm herself, Seo-yi placed a hand on her chest. But something felt different.

“…Soft? A lot?”

Slowly, fearfully, she looked down.

“…Is it swollen from injury?”

Her chest was significantly larger than usual. Her hands and arms were plump—no, thick.

And—

“What the hell am I wearing?”

The lace-covered garment only made her confused thoughts even more chaotic.

Seo-yi scanned the room with only her eyes, too tense to move her head.

She wasn’t lying on a military mattress anymore. The bed beneath her was so soft, her body sank into it. The bedposts were carved with ornate flowers, and the fluffy blanket gleamed faintly like satin.

Was this a kidnapping?

Thump-thump.

Her nerves were stretched to the limit. Maybe the swelling was a side effect of treatment.

Fortunately, the room was empty. But what really bothered her—

—was whoever dressed her in these clothes.

Freaking pervert. I’ll kill him.

Seo-yi quickly examined the room’s layout. Everything was flashy, extravagant. The wind gently wafted through an open window.

Is there a camera?

She darted her eyes around the room, looking for a hidden camera—but found nothing obvious.

Ultra-small spy cams? These guys aren’t amateurs…

Holding her breath, Seo-yi slowly slid off the bed.

Beneath the swaying hem of the lacy dress, her feet were just as chubby as her hands.

She moved heavily—like her limbs were weighed down with 5kg sandbags at each joint. An unfamiliar sense of déjà vu crawled over her entire body.

But first, she had to escape. Dealing with the kidnappers would come after.

Her eyes landed on a full-length mirror propped against one wall.

Her movements were sluggish—but the tension overrode it.

The mirror, edged with glittering gold trim, looked like something out of a fairy tale.

“You sick freak.”

First, she needed to assess the damage.

Seo-yi strained her ears for any sign of movement, then cautiously approached the mirror. The plush carpet muffled her footsteps.

“…What the hell is this.”

In the mirror stood a young woman she vaguely recognized.

Golden hair flowed down to her waist, thick eyelids shaded glowing blue eyes, and her body—round and barrel-shaped.

She’d seen this woman somewhere.

—Please live in my place.

The woman from the white void.

But… she was old.

And at that moment, the memories of Estella Cardeine crashed into the mind of Yoon Seo-yi, former sergeant of the Republic of Korea Army Special Forces.

Chapter 1

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