NOVEL NEXT WORLD After Resignation, I Refuse the Obsession from the Male Leads
Chapter 1
When is the happiest time for an office worker?
Could it be when they gather their small and precious 15 days of vacation to go on a trip? Or is it when they receive a small bonus compared to their efforts and shout, ‘For the endless glory of the empire and our proud department!’? ‘Whoo, that’s wrong. None of them.’ The answer is quitting. “I’ve finally resigned…!” I grinned as I looked at the neatly written resignation letter in the ‘Arfelt Imperial Palace format.’ ‘I’ve endured it all, waiting for today.’ I, Layla Lowell. A bottom-tier office worker in the world of romance fantasy novels. After a year of rolling in the most grueling department in the imperial palace, the ‘Black Magic Retrieval and Prevention Department’… also known as the ‘BM-RP Department’! I’ve saved enough money to swim in a pile of gold coins for the rest of my life. I also twisted the dangerous plotlines of the original work. I saved characters who were supposed to die. I’ve solved the last case! ‘There’s no need to stay here anymore!’ I’m heading to the land of happiness! Throwing away all the constraints and shackles of this world! To take that first step, I need to submit this resignation letter… to my mentor and the male lead of the original story. ‘Hmm, I’m a little nervous.’ The steps toward my mentor’s office felt heavy. I wonder if I felt regretful now that I thought about leaving. The minister (the original antagonist) kept smiling and saying I should speak comfortably about a decision I had already made. A colleague from the Wizard Tower who dresses like a gangster and has minus social skills, but whom I’ve helped raise (the original sub-male lead). And… “What’s going on, Lowell?” This workaholic Northern Grand Duke mentor (the original male lead ) who greets me. ‘I guess it’s because I developed some affection while working together, even if there were moments when I was treated like a dog…’ I looked at the mentor, the most handsome man in the world, with a nostalgic gaze. With black hair and red eyes that unmistakably say, ‘I’m the male lead.’ A cool-looking man with sculptural good looks and a spoonful of prettiness. A figure that perfectly suits a sleek black suit. But… ‘To me, he was just… another government slave in the same situation.’ I averted my eyes from the dark circles under those eyes and respectfully handed over my resignation letter. “Senior Carlyle, I have something to tell you.” “Why are you suddenly being polite? Anyway, all the reports you write are perfect…” But the male lead looked down at the document I handed him and froze. “Lowell, this…?” “Uhm, as you can see, I will be resigning, Senior.” “What…?” “I came here to talk to you first, senior, and then discuss it with the minister. Now that the goal of establishing the BM-RP Department has been achieved, I think it’s okay for me to leave.” “Lowell…” As I poured out the prepared words in a clear and organized manner like a presentation, a chilling silence settled in. ‘Yeah, it must be a bit shocking.’ When a junior says they’re resigning, it’s common to first be taken aback and then try to hold them back. But after reading the resignation letter, the male lead’s eyes flashed with… No, why does it flashed? “I’ve been waiting for this day, Lowell.” “…?” Wait, what? I almost let out a sound. I quickly shut my twitching jaw. ‘You’ve been waiting for the day your junior quits?’ It’s true that I spoke about resigning as casually as breathing, but hearing such words now feels a bit…? ‘Oh, it hurts a bit?’ But I tried to keep my facial muscles in check. Yeah, what can I expect from relationships within the company? ‘That’s enough. Cut off contact. I will also refuse.’ “Layla Lowell.” “Ah, yes?” I quickly came to my senses. Wait, has that person ever called me ‘Layla’? “You’re really the perfect junior.” “Ah, yes. Thank you?” “Every time I see you like that, I’m so touched that my heart races and I think I’m going to have a heart attack. It’s hard to find a bureaucrat with such a strong sense of ownership and perfection like you.” “Yes? Thank you?” “But now I know very well that it is not a disease.” The male lead, Carlyle Lupesque, shouted with a flushed face. “‘Please go out with me.’” “…Yes?” The day I declared my resignation in the world of romantic fantasy novels. “I want us to become the kind of relationship where we stay in touch even on weekends.” My mentor confessed to me. “But, senior.” I barely moved my trembling lips. “We already live in the same house, don’t we?” * * * About a year ago. On a beautiful spring day. “Ah, I’m doomed…” I muttered curses as I looked up at the brilliant golden front gate. ‘Is the title of the novel, 《Beyond the Golden Gate》, because of the color of the palace gates?’ Did they use my commute as the title for a romantic fantasy novel! Since I just recalled my past life in another world, I guess it’s okay to curse like this. ‘Even back then, was I an office worker?’ That’s right, an office worker who really likes office romances. Modern works tend to trigger PTSD, so I was deeply immersed in the romantic fantasy office novel 《Beyond the Golden Gate》. [It’s mild, so it’s really easy to read!] The pace of the romance development felt extremely slow, so I wonder if there were any other readers besides me. Anyway, it was a novel that suited my taste perfectly. The company I was working at back then was really awful. It was so bad that I needed to relieve stress through that novel. [The next meeting is Monday morning at 9 a.m. Manager Lee is responsible for the preparations!] [Why is this young person so uncreative? Sense of ownership! It’s all because of a lack of sense of ownership!] Living as a ‘sorry’ robot in that hellish environment… ‘Ugh, I died on the day I received my severance pay.’ The penalties for drunk driving are low, so there are many victims like me. …and all these memories came back to me on the first day I reported to work as a ‘Palace Official of the 218th Arfelt Imperial Court.’ I am Layla Lowell, who passed the 1,500:1 competition rate, and I am living in the world of 《Beyond the Golden Gate》. But… “This life seems a bit ruined.” I was an orphan when I turned twenty. I don’t even know who my parents are, and in the world of fantasy romance, my social class is at the very bottom as a commoner. Moreover, when I looked in the hand mirror, why do my pink eyes, which should be shining brightly, seem cloudy? Why does a platinum-blond beauty like me look like this? ‘Is it because the memories of a mentally exhausted office worker came back?’ Tap, tap. At that moment, someone gently tapped my shoulder. “Hey, hello?” “Eung? Huh!” “Are we on the same team?” Oh my, how is it that there are voices as delicate as falling petals? Cherry-colored hair and blue eyes. In a romance fantasy world where beauties are the default, what if she’s this beautiful with such a halo? “Oh, right. Are you by any chance Yuriana Crosswell?” “Wow! You know my name?” “Of course I know. You’re the top, right?” And the cheerful female lead, you’re even wearing a name badge. In the story, Yuriana was the epitome of a cheerful and kind-hearted female lead. As you can tell from the fact that she was the first to speak to someone like me, who was lost in thought. Yuriana smiled happily. “I wanted to talk to you because I think we’re about the same age. We might end up being in the same trainee group!” “…” At those words, I quietly took out the acceptance documents for the palace. <You will undergo a three-month training course. You will spend a period of time visiting various departments and experiencing them firsthand to see which one you would like to apply for. The department you will be finally assigned to will be determined based on the evaluation of the apprenticeship process.> PTSD came rushing back again. I’ve already done all the work and even resigned in my past life, but what? ‘An apprenticeship process, you say?’ I have to go through an internship to become a regular employee again? “We should work hard from now on… Huh? A, are you crying?” “Ugh…” “Oh, you must have worked hard preparing! What should we do? It sounds like it was so tough for you…!” No, female lead. These are the miserable tears of someone who has fallen to the lowest level in the ‘company’ food chain structure… However, even as I cried, my mind was going back to the terribly realistic. ‘I’ve been living in an orphanage until now, but I can’t continue living like this in the future.’ I hate the company, but I don’t hate money. ‘Starting from the bottom of the pyramid is horrible, though!’ Yeah, good. Let’s accept reality quickly. However, if I have to live at the bottom of the corporate pyramid again, I at least need to make sure of this one thing. I will go to the department with the easiest job. No matter what happens! I would greatly appreciate your continued support by leaving a positive rating on NU so I can continue translating this novel. Thank you.
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.