"I did it all for you, Abella! Everything...!"

Abella looked at him, lying on the ground on his bloodied knees, disgustingly.

She sneered, "Did I ever ask you to? How dare you commit atrocious acts in my name!?"

His eyes trembled looking at the only person he loved. He would do anything for her, yet...

"You are a monster."

She spoke coldly, piercing his heart into a thousand pieces. He became frustrated, and his frustration turned to anger.

His eyes darkened as he said in a low voice. "All my life, I've always loved you, Abella. Why, why won't you accept me!?"

He lunged forward to grab Abella, who was timely rescued by another man behind her who pulled her back with one hand. The other hand, wielding a sword, swung towards the groveling man, piercing through his stomach and body.

Dark red fluid shot out of his mouth like a fountain, staining his tattered clothes. His hands clutched the wound on his belly.

Looking at the woman, now embraced deeply by another man, for the last time, he smirked in defeat before his body collapsed on the dirt.

The kingdom's greatest archmage, Cassian Renderick Sioran, was dead.

•••

"What a fucking mess," Si-an sighed.

He closed the novel and casually dropped it beside the pillow, removing his glasses. He lay on the bed with the back of his hand on his forehead, staring at the ceiling.

Between a depressing life at work and the comfort of his cheap apartment, Si-an's only entertainment came in the form of novels, physical or not.

Earlier, he'd gone to an old bookstore a few steps away from the office and purchased a book called "Saint Abella", a romance fantasy book, for an insanely cheap price.

He normally wouldn't even spare that genre a glance, but this time he tried to do something different.

Unexpectedly, the novel was so interesting that he finished it within two hours — more accurately, he was intrigued that the villain, Cassian (카시안), had a similar name to his, Ga Si-an (가시안).

If only he could be a handsome, tall, blond-haired archmage... without being pierced in the stomach by a sword, of course.

While being subsumed by such thoughts, Si-an felt his body shut down. He yawned and pulled the blanket up.

"Guess I'll sleep..."

•••

"Cassian."

Si-an felt somebody nudging his shoulders.

He groaned, "Leave me alone..."

'Wait.' Did somebody get into his house?

Without hesitation, Si-an sprang up, startling the person beside his bed.

"Who are you!?" He asked in alarm.

The guy spoke in an unimpressed voice, "It's me, your roommate. Are you still sleepy?"

Roommate?

"I don't have a room-"

Si-an cut his words short when he saw his surroundings. Instead of his small apartment covered in dull peach wallpaper, he was inside a room twice that size with wooden furniture and exquisitely patterned green wallpaper.

The guy sighed, "Ah, I don't know what's wrong with you today... You're usually the diligent one. Anyways, I'm going. It's not my fault if you're late, alright?"

He left his bedside and waved as he disappeared behind the door, leaving Si-an frozen on the bed.

"Where the fuck am I? Was I... abducted!?"

Si-an looked down his body. He was wearing a white shirt with top buttons and black cotton pants. Beneath the white shirt, he noticed... abs?

"What the hell? Did I gain abs overnight?"

He noticed that his body was different and much bigger. This is all very fishy.

He jumped off the bed with full speed and ran towards the bathroom — inexplicably knowing where it was — straight to the mirror.

Reflected on the circular mirror wasn't his face, but a handsome blond man staring back at him. He cupped his face with both hands and squeezed it multiple times.

"That's... me?"

'Is this a dream? This must be a dream.'

Unfortunately for Si-an, it was not a dream.

•••

He didn't know what was happening, but while lost in thought, his body had moved on its own, taking a short shower, putting on a uniform, and dashing out of the room.

A persistent voice in his head told him to not miss the "midterm general assembly".

While on the way (absentmindedly) to the venue, he encountered a dark-haired boy who smiled at him.

"Cassian? Are you Cassian?" He spoke amused.

He giggled, "The Cassian is running late?"

The boy tried to place his hand on Si-an's shoulder, only to be swatted away.

"Tch. You don't have to be so unfriendly."

Si-an ignored the boy, keeping quiet as the boy babbled on about whatever. Eventually, they arrived at the venue.

A teacher was standing in front of the two large doors. He looked surprised at Si-an.

"You two. Why were you late?" He asked sternly.

"Ah, well, I got into some trouble," the boy chuckled.

"And you?" He looked at Si-an, snapping him out of a trance. 

"Me? Ah, I... woke up late."

The teacher looked at Si-an strangely before sighing. 

"Fine. Get in, you're lucky they just started."

The teacher opened the door slightly, allowing them to enter the wide hall. Si-an sat beside the boy on a chair in the last row, blending themselves into the sea of navy blue uniforms dominating the hall.

Five minutes had passed since the old man at the podium started speaking, yet Si-an was still in deep thought.

The boy started speaking, startling him.

"So, Cassian..."

Si-an turned his head. "Cassian?"

"Huh?"

"Cassian (카시안)? Not Ga Si-an (가시안)?"

"What? Wait, have I been saying your name wrong all this time?"

"...No."

The boy sighed. "Hm, okay."

The guy from the morning, and now this boy — they called him "Cassian". Not "Ga Si-an".

Looking at where he was, something snapped in his brain. He finally understood his situation.

'I transmigrated...' 

It seemed wacky, yet there couldn't be any other explanation. 

Cassian, and blond hair. 

'Don't tell me I'm–'

"Hey. You've been out of it since before, you know."

Si-an– Cassian turned his head towards the boy beside him.

He replied apologetically, "Sorry," and tried striking a conversation with the boy. "So what's your name?"

The boy looked at Cassian puzzlingly before smiling and answering, "My name is Mel."

Cassian tried to probe Mel for answers.

"Where is this again?"

Mel's smile was replaced by a dumbfounded look.

He told Cassian, "There is definitely something wrong with you."

He whispered, "Did you... drink last night?"

Cassian replied, "Shut up."

Mel pestered Cassian even more. "You didn't deny me! Did the great Cassian really drink alcohol?"

A girl from the row in front turned her head with her finger on her mouth at them, asking them to shut up.

Cassian nodded apologetically, ignoring Mel's persistent questions. Instead, he turned his focus towards the old man's speech.

"...and therefore you, honourable students of the Royal Academy of Magic..."

Hold on.

'Royal Academy of Magic'?

Cassian remembered the first few chapters of the novel, set in the "Royal Academy of Magic" – where Abella met Cassian and the protagonist, the Second Prince, during their last year at school.

'Then... I really am Cassian Sioran. The villain.'

Upon this realization, Cassian cupped his face and sighed loudly, drawing the attention of the others in the back. He silently apologized profusely.

Cassian stopped paying attention to his surroundings after that, wholly absorbed in thought. He made a single vow.

'Whatever happens, I must avoid that terrible ending.'