I died because of instant noodles.
One second I was choking on steam in my tiny Seoul apartment, the next second I opened my eyes in a huge fancy bed. Red silk sheets, gold pillows, the smell of expensive incense everywhere. My heart was racing. I touched my face... long hair, smooth skin, a heavy gold choker around my neck.
This was not my body.
I sat up fast. There was a huge mirror across the room. The girl staring back at me was crazy beautiful... sharp eyes, red lips, the kind of face that looked like trouble. I knew that face. Everyone who read "The Blossom of Gyeongbokgung" knew that face.
I had transmigrated into Lady Seo-Hwa... the evil villainess who gets strangled to death in chapter 42.
No way. Not happening.
I jumped out of bed. My bare feet hit cold wooden floor. I almost slipped because the body was taller than mine and I wasn't used to it yet. First things first... find the poison.
In the novel, Seo-Hwa keeps nightshade poison hidden in her makeup box. She uses it tonight at the Autumn Banquet to try and kill the heroine, Lady Hye-Jin. If I do that, I die. If I don't do that... maybe someone kills me anyway.
I opened every drawer until I found the small crystal bottle. Clear liquid, no smell. One drop could kill a horse.
I walked straight to the small fire pot in the corner and threw the bottle in. The flames turned purple for a second and made a hissing sound. The poison was gone.
Good. Step one done.
Now... what to wear? The original Seo-Hwa always wore red to show off. Red meant danger. Red meant "I'm the bad guy". I didn't want that today.
I picked white instead. Pure white silk, high neck but completely backless. White was for funerals. Perfect. Let them think I already know I'm dead.
I left my hair down, painted my lips blood red, and practiced smiling in the mirror. The smile looked cold and scary. Nice.
A eunuch came to get me for the banquet. When he saw me in white, his face went pale.
"L-Lady Seo-Hwa... are you sure about that dress?"
I just walked past him.
The grand hall was huge. Thousands of lanterns, hundreds of nobles, music everywhere. At the very front, on a golden throne, sat Emperor Taehyun.
He was even more handsome than the novel described. Black robes, silver crown, cold face. Eyes like a winter storm.
As soon as I stepped in, everyone stopped talking. You could hear my footsteps echo.
I walked all the way to the front and stopped right in front of the emperor. Then I knelt down super low, forehead touching the floor like a perfect lady.
When I spoke, I made sure everyone could hear.
"Your Majesty... I have sinned. I kept poison in my room to hurt someone tonight. But I burned it all before coming here. Please punish me however you want."
Dead silence.
Then everyone started shouting at once. Some ladies screamed. Guards grabbed their swords. Lady Hye-Jin, the heroine in her pink dress, looked like she was going to faint.
The emperor raised one hand. Everyone shut up immediately.
He stood up and walked down the steps until he was right in front of me. He smelled like sandalwood and winter air.
"Look at me," he said.
I looked up. His eyes weren't black like the book said... they were gray with purple rings. So pretty it was scary.
"You planned treason... but you burned the poison and came to confess? And you wear funeral clothes?" he asked quietly.
"Because I'd rather die honest than live as a liar," I said.
He stared at me for a long time. Then something changed in his eyes. Not soft... but interested.
"Stand at my right side for the rest of the night," he ordered. "Pour my wine."
Everyone gasped. That spot was only for the most favored person. Never for someone who just confessed to almost committing murder.
I stood up and took my place next to his throne. My hands didn't even shake when I poured his wine later. But every time our fingers touched, I felt electricity.
Lady Hye-Jin ran out crying at some point. Nobody cared.
When the banquet finally ended, the emperor looked at me one more time.
"This is just beginning," he said quietly.
I smiled. For the first time since coming here, it was a real smile.
I was supposed to die in 41 chapters.
I planned to live forever.