Chapter 02
A New Beginning
Beep-beep-beep—
“……Gasp!”
I jolted awake, sucking in a sharp breath.
I shot upright and panted heavily, feeling the cold sweat that had soaked my entire body.
‘W-what was that?’
I blinked and looked around in confusion.
My room was decorated entirely in pink lace, from the wallpaper to the bed.
It was the room I had lived in for as long as I could remember, ever since I was very little. And yet, for some reason, it felt strangely unfamiliar.
I turned my head and looked down at my hands.
What I saw were small, delicate hands.
They were my hands, just as they had always been, but for some reason, they felt unfamiliar.
How should I put it? They looked especially…… incredibly tiny.
“……”
Oh, right.
Come to think of it, my forehead had also been……
‘Bleeding so much.’
I pursed my lips and instinctively touched my forehead.
But the skin beneath my fingers was smooth and soft, without a single wound.
As if nothing had ever happened.
Well, actually, it was true that nothing had happened.
“Th-that was a really strange dream……”
I let out a breath and muttered weakly.
Was it because I had fallen asleep late last night after watching television?
The events I had seen in my dream were still vividly etched in my mind.
In that dream, I had been a girl named Seo Yujin.
A mother and father who always looked exhausted from work. A cramped one-room apartment that smelled of mold.
Then, the nervous excitement of standing in front of a camera for an audition at my mother’s suggestion.
And the overwhelming joy of smiling as I received an award beneath dazzling stage lights……
“……Huh?”
I tilted my head.
Wait a minute.
Was that really a dream?
Something felt…… strange.
A shiver ran down my skin, and I hugged the teddy bear beside me tightly.
What…… were these memories?
Sensations and memories that were far too vivid swirled chaotically through my mind.
As if everything I had experienced had truly been my own life.
It was at that moment.
“Wow, this child’s name is Yujin, too?”
“Yes, haha. The surnames are different, but she has the same name as our Yujin. Maybe she was destined to play this role?”
“Exactly! Don’t you think this role suits Yujin perfectly? She’s so cute, just like a little princess!”
“Huh?”
A scene flashed intensely through my mind.
My eyes widened before I even realized it.
That’s right. The role Seo Yujin had played in my dream.
The granddaughter of a chaebol family……
Baek Yujin.
That was……
“Th-that’s my name!”
—Correct!
“Eek!”
S-scared me!
A strange woman’s voice suddenly rang out from somewhere.
I swallowed in alarm and frantically turned my head from side to side, searching my surroundings.
……But I couldn’t see anything.
Absolutely nothing.
‘A-a-a ghost?’
I gulped and hugged my teddy bear even tighter.
And then, at that very moment—
Poof!
“……?”
A sound like a cartoon’s magical transformation effect broke the silence.
Then, with a soft plop, a fluffy white ball of fur dropped onto my blanket.
“……”
W-what was this?
I stared at it with trembling eyes.
A snow-white ball of fur.
A creature about the size of a soccer ball wriggled around on my lap, settling itself comfortably.
A p-puppy?
No, judging by its excessively bushy tail……
“A…… fox?”
The moment I murmured those words, the ball of fluff shook itself with a flap-flap, finally settling into place. It raised its head and met my gaze.
Silvery fur as smooth as silk, and brilliant blue eyes that gleamed like precious jewels.
—A pleasure to meet you, Seo Yujin! Or should I say, Baek Yujin now!
“Gasp.”
……And it could talk, too.
I stared at the fox with trembling eyes, huddling in on myself.
“……”
It didn’t take me long to figure it out.
This fox wasn’t an ordinary fox!
—Now then. Do you understand, my contractor?
“……”
The story told by the fluffy white creature, which introduced itself as a fox god, was even more unbelievable than anything in a fairy tale.
After sleeping for an incredibly long time, the fox had happened upon Seo Yujin by chance when it awoke.
Feeling pity for the dying child, the fox had helped Seo Yujin begin a new life.
……And that child was me, Baek Yujin.
In other words, everything I had seen in my dream had actually been my past life!
“W-wow.”
My mouth hung open.
The dream I’d had today hadn’t been a dream at all. It had been a life I’d actually lived!
And apparently, the world of the drama I had acted in back then was the very same world I had been reborn into.
One shocking revelation after another.
I’d read about situations like this in books before.
“Th-then…… is this something like transmigration?”
—Hmm. Transmigration? I suppose it’s not quite the same.
I reached for a term I remembered from my past-life memories, but the fox shook its little head.
—This life is your new life. It’s an entirely different world from the one you knew.
“A-an entirely different world?”
—Think about it. Aren’t the people around you different from the faces in your memories?
That was……
After thinking for a moment, I awkwardly nodded.
“……Yeah. They are.”
It was true.
The faces of the actors who had played my mother and father in the drama from my memories were clearly different from those of my current parents.
But the biggest difference was how they treated me.
Whenever the director called cut, they would smile warmly at me. But my current mother and father……
“……”
They never smiled at me.
I remembered the cold expressions on my parents’ faces, the ones I saw every single day.
Their faces overlapped with those of my parents from my past life.
‘They’re exactly the same.’
At that moment, my heart gave a painful squeeze.
I had spent my entire life longing for that kind of love from my mother and father.
And I had died without ever receiving it.
“Then…… why did you let me be born again?”
After remaining silent for a while, I finally managed to speak.
My voice had begun to tremble ever so slightly.
But the fox, seemingly oblivious to my distress, declared with even greater vigor—
—Because you were born with a brilliant destiny, one that would allow you to receive the love of countless people!
“……Huh?”
I froze at those words.
……I had a destiny that would let me be loved by so many people?
—That’s right! Unfortunately, in your previous life, the threads of your fate became tangled with those of your family, and that unfortunate tragedy occurred.
The fox clicked its tongue as it continued.
I couldn’t say anything. I could only stare at it blankly.
—But that was never supposed to be your fate! And that is precisely why the great Fox God chose you!
With that triumphant declaration, the fox raised its fluffy white tail.
Its single tail, which still looked rather small, swayed gently in the air.
—Although the great Fox God currently has only one tail because I’ve lost so much of my power, I’ll be able to regain my strength if you become an actress and receive the love of many people!
“……”
An actress.
The moment those words left the fox’s mouth, my heart began to race.
For an instant, I remembered my past self lying on the ground, covered in blood.
The moment my breathing had begun to fade was unbearably cold and lonely.
But even more overwhelming than those feelings had been the sadness and regret.
The thought that I would never be able to act again had devastated me.
Because acting had been the one time I could receive love and feel happy. And now, that time was gone forever.
‘Could I really…… do it again?’
But now, the fox was telling me that I could become an actress once more.
Not as Seo Yujin, but as Baek Yujin.
‘……Huh?’
W-wait a minute.
The moment I repeated the name Baek Yujin in my mind, a memory suddenly flashed through my head.
I blinked several times before cautiously calling out to the fox.
“U-um. Hey, Mr. Fox?”
—What is it?
“……Isn’t my character supposed to die young?”
Since it had been my very first role in my past life, I remembered it clearly.
In the drama, the little girl named Baek Yujin…… had died in an unfortunate accident at a very young age.
I looked at the fox, desperately hoping I was wrong.
—……Ahem.
But the fox betrayed my hopes, quietly averting its gaze.
—Well, you see…… granting you a complete life required far too much of my power, so……
“……”
At that answer, my mouth fell open.
The new year had only just begun, and I was now seven years old.
And Baek Yujin, as I remembered her……
Died at the age of ten!
“Wh-what do you mean?! You said I could become a really famous actress!”
I couldn’t help shouting in outrage.
I’d already died once, only to die again so soon?
At my outburst, the fox hurriedly scrambled to its feet.
—D-don’t worry, my contractor! If we gain enough power, we should be able to change that fate!
“R-really?”
—Of course! However, um…… it will require a considerable amount of effort. Changing one’s destiny is no easy feat, after all……
The fox finished in a timid voice, stealing glances at me to gauge my reaction.
My heart sank once again.
In other words, there was no guarantee that my future could be changed.
‘I…… I’ll die again?’
My fingers clenched tightly around the blanket.
The memories of my dying moments from my previous life came rushing back.
The loneliness, the cold, and that final moment filled with nothing but regret and sorrow.
‘……I don’t want that.’
I didn’t want it.
I never wanted to go through that again.
I didn’t want to die so pointlessly and sadly, just as I had before.
Sniffling and steadying my breathing, I raised my head and looked at the fox again.
“……I don’t want to die like that this time!”
—Y-yes! Of course, the great Fox God has absolutely no intention of letting my contractor die like that!
As if responding to my determination, the fox began bouncing excitedly in place.
—And that’s why I’ve prepared something for you, my contractor!
And so, alongside the fox’s gently swaying tail……
[A New Beginning!]
Objective: Pass today’s audition and secure your first role!
Reward: The power of ‘Allure’
“……W-wow.”
A blue window suddenly appeared before my eyes with a flash.
