TFPOTRN | CHAPTER 01

CHAPTER 01

I opened my eyes.

When I came to my senses, I was surrounded by nothing but white clouds.

Where am I?

No matter how much I looked around, all I could see were clouds, clouds, and more clouds.

This wasn’t some kind of poem repeating “Mother, Mother, Mother”—why were there only clouds?

If there were stars, I could at least count them through the night, but the damn sky was so clear and blue without a single one.

All the clouds that should be in the sky were gathered around me.

So… am I in the sky right now?

Did I die?

‘Well, to be in the sky, dying is probably the only way.’

Wait, then what happens to all the insurance premiums I paid while I was alive?

Afterlife Possession Insurance.

It sounds like a scam just from the name, but it’s not. In an era full of truck reincarnations, game possessions, and building possessions, insurance companies made contracts with gods to send souls to another world after death.

Of course, I signed up too.

I even added a “Special Lead Role Possession” clause! Do you know how much I paid every month for that?

I nearly broke my back paying those afterlife insurance premiums. I froze through winters just to save on heating costs.

‘Didn’t the contract say no coverage unless I’ve paid for a certain number of years? I think I saw that clause.’

Let’s calculate. How many years ago did I sign up for this afterlife policy? Roughly…

I was still thinking when something that looked like a baby angel in a suit came walking toward me.

‘Wow, look at those wings.’

I really must be dead.

The baby angel was holding a stack of papers in its hands.

“Hello, dear deceased!”

Wow, it talks. And “dear deceased”? Should I call that polite or rude?

“I’m an employee from the Afterlife Possession Insurance company you subscribed to while alive.”

Holy crap. So I didn’t lose my premiums for nothing!

“First, please take this.”

Smiling sweetly, the little angel handed me the papers.

“I’ll go over each page with you. Just listen carefully and sign where I tell you!”

I nodded and accepted the stack. The very first page said, “Cause of death: hypothermia, overwork.”

Hypothermia? Don’t tell me I froze to death trying to save gas money.

I didn’t even notice the “overwork” part. Damn heating bill really killed me.

“So, you’ve checked your cause of death? Please sign there…”

The angel spoke smoothly, clearly used to this.

‘But this guy…’

He was starting to sound like he was skimming through.

He explained the first few pages carefully, then began to mumble through the rest, only emphasizing where to sign.

That mechanical, soulless attitude.

‘Perfect.’

Who wants to listen to a long contract anyway? The faster we get through this, the sooner I’ll find out what happens next.

The angel, eyes dull but efficient, eventually finished the whole explanation.

“Once you reach the ending in your possessed world, your life there will end, and you’ll return here. After that, you’ll move on to eternal rest! Any questions?”

“Do I get to know what novel I’ll possess into, or what kind of ending I should aim for?”

“Oh, that!”

The angel smiled brightly, like I’d asked a great question.

“You’re free to do as you wish!”

“Ah, free…”

So basically, they can’t be bothered.

“Yes! Of course, the gods might have their own preferences for how things play out, so if they don’t like your choices, they might apply… a little pressure. But it’s not too bad! Promise!”

Pressure, huh.

Well, “not too bad” sounds good enough.

“I see.”

The angel seemed pleased with my answer and handed me another paper.

“Please sign this last one.”

“Sure.”

“You barely met the minimum payment term. That’s lucky!”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“And you had the ‘Special Lead Role Possession’ option too! That’s amazing.”

“Really?”

“Yes! There’s exactly one spot open, so you can go right in without waiting. Shall we begin?”

Yes.

…Or so I almost said.

I steadied myself and looked at the angel. You should never trust an insurance rep too easily.

‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’

I narrowed my eyes.

“What’s the genre?”

You always need to know that before reincarnating.

I don’t want to end up in a horror or war novel by accident.

I paid good money for this; I’d prefer something comfy.

The angel smiled knowingly, like he’d been expecting that question. Beautiful smile or not, I wasn’t about to lower my guard.

“Don’t worry! It’s a romance fantasy!”

“Oh, a romance fantasy?”

Oops.

That came out too excited.

“Yes! You’ll meet your own male lead and live a happy romantic life!”

See, now he knows I’m hooked.

You should never show interest to a salesperson.

‘Still…’

Romance fantasy is a classic.

“You’ll enjoy tea, desserts, and sweets while living a sweet, dreamy life. How’s that sound?”

This little guy knows I’m tempted.

His sales pitch was as smooth as butter.

But tea and tea? Dessert and cookies? What kind of redundant phrasing is that?

“As a special lead, you’ll have the happiest life imaginable! How about it?”

“Hmm…”

“Well, if you’re not interested, we can give this opportunity to someone else and you can just hang out here counting clouds for a few decades or centuries…”

“I’ll do it.”

Count clouds? I’d die again from boredom.

Even if he’s an insurance salesman, he can’t outright lie, right? And being a romance heroine sounds amazing.

I clenched my fist. When else would I get a deal like this?

“I’ll take it. Romance fantasy possession.”

“Excellent! Then let’s begin!”

Begin where, exactly?

He didn’t lead me anywhere—just smiled and patted my shoulder. Then…

“Huh?”

The ground disappeared beneath me.

I was falling.

“Enjoy your new life!”

The last thing I saw was the angel waving cheerfully at the hole I fell through. Then everything went dark.

***

“Ugh…”

My head was pounding. Maybe it really cracked.

Then again, falling from heaven would probably do that.

I grabbed my head, relieved to find it still intact.

‘A strange ceiling.’

Wow, I always wanted to say that.

It really was like a romance fantasy ceiling—ornate, elegant, and expensive-looking.

Wait, is that… a painting?

Something felt off. Shouldn’t romance fantasy ceilings have angels or happy families or something?

I blinked, but the image didn’t change.

It was a burning village, a dried river, and dead fish.

What kind of noble lady has that painted above her bed?

Bad feeling. Very bad feeling.

I sat up. There was a large cracked mirror beside me.

‘Who keeps a broken mirror? That’s bad luck!’

Maybe I’m the mistreated daughter type. The one who later meets a male lead and turns her life around?

“I’d rather be an independent heroine though. Someone who thrives without a man—but still gets tons of attention.”

I muttered and looked into the broken mirror.

The center was shattered, but the remaining pieces showed enough to see my face.

Wavy black hair, shining like silk. Red eyes like rubies.

Black and red combo? That screams villainess. Still, she’s gorgeous.

Seems like I landed a pretty good body. A romance heroine should look the part.

I smiled and brushed my hair back—

Then the door burst open. A crowd rushed in.

They saw me awake and immediately bowed deeply.

“You have awakened, Your Majesty the Demon King!”

…What the hell did they just say?

And that was the miserable start of my possession.

Since then, countless days passed.

After that chat with the baby angel, I woke up in the Demon King’s body and lived through endless deaths and regressions.

That’s how I came to live my twelfth life as the Demon King.