Ch. 18
The Girl named, Selene
The rain outside was steady, tapping softly against the wide glass window of Selene's room. The faint hum of thunder echoed in the distance so low, constant, like the world was whispering reminders she didn't ask for.
Yuna sat cross-legged on her bed, a half-open notebook resting on her lap. The familiar pen between her fingers trembled slightly as she stared at the blank page.
"So this is where I start again," she muttered under her breath.
Her handwriting was neat as she began to jot down the fragments of Love's Illusion she still remembered. But the more she wrote, the emptier she felt.
The story she had once read only revolved around Lina, the bright, fated protagonist. Selene Valen, on the other hand, was nothing but a shadow... a name that appeared only when the author needed a villain.
The girl who humiliated Lina in public.
The rich, cold daughter who stirred trouble just to make the heroine shine brighter. There was never a single mention of Selene's life outside those moments.
No hobbies.
No friends.
No dreams.
Just a pretty puppet for the plot.
Yuna dropped the pen and leaned back, exhaling through her nose.
"So that's it? I'm stuck being a side character with no purpose other than to ruin someone else's life?"
Her eyes flicked to the notebook again, frustration curling in her chest. She'd already lived through every chapter she had read, all twenty-four of them.
Every twist, every scene.
And now... there was nothing left.
No script. No guidance. No clue what would happen next.
"I swear, whoever threw me into this world—" she hissed, glaring up at the ceiling, "I hope you're having fun watching me suffer!"
As if mocking her, thunder cracked loud and violent shaking the windowpane. Yuna froze, then groaned and flopped back on the bed.
"Perfect," she muttered. "Even the weather's dramatic now."
For a long moment, silence followed.
Only the rain remained gentle, constant, almost soothing. She stared up at the ceiling, her voice softer now.
"Fine. If this is how it is... then I'll start doing what I want."
Her tone steadied, a quiet conviction rising within her chest.
"No more avoiding the script. Let the novel play out. It is what it is."
And with that thought that decision, something in the air shifted. A sudden weight pressed against her mind, heavy and warm.
Her head throbbed.
Flashes of memories; laughter, tears, foreign streets flickered like broken film reels before her eyes.
Yuna gasped, clutching her temples.
Names, voices, places unfamiliar yet heartbreakingly real, flooded in. She saw Selene sitting alone in a dim classroom overseas, quiet as the others whispered behind her back.
"Asian freak."
"Go back home."
She saw Selene crying in the bathroom stall, holding her phone like it was her only friend. Then she saw her mother, weeping quietly in the dark, whispering to her husband—
"She's breaking. We have to bring her home."
Her father's voice, firm yet filled with guilt.
"She needs time. We'll take her back to the city."
And finally, her mother's soft, trembling words.
"I just want you to be happy."
The images faded.
The pain lingered.
Yuna sat there, breathing hard, staring blankly ahead as everything finally settled. Selene's memories, her emotions, her entire being merging into one.
Tears welled up before she realized it.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"So... that's who you were, Selene."
The rain eased outside, leaving only the sound of her quiet breathing.
She wiped her tears and looked at the mirror across the room, her reflection gazing back with unfamiliar softness.
The next morning, Selene woke up feeling like a total wreck. Her eyes were puffy, her nose slightly red, and her reflection in the mirror looked more like a sad panda than the supposedly "graceful Valen daughter."
She groaned, dragging herself out of bed.
"Wow, Yuna. Real classy. You cry once and now you look like this."
Her mind still replayed fragments of last night flashes of Selene's memories, her laughter, her heartbreak, her loneliness.
She had cried, then laughed, then cried again. It was chaos but it made her heart ache for the girl she once called "the villainess."
"I'm sorry, Selene," she murmured softly, staring at her reflection.
"I misjudged you. I thought you were just some spoiled brat written to ruin the heroine's life... but you were just a lonely girl trying to survive."
The room felt still for a moment, as if the air itself was listening. Then she smiled faintly, a spark of mischief crossing her tired expression.
"Don't worry. From now on, I'll handle them for you. Every single person who made you cry. I'll make sure they regret it."
Her determination flickered to life, fierce and unyielding. The panda eyes didn't match the fire behind them, but she didn't care.
Just then, her bedroom door creaked open.
"Selene?" her mother's gentle voice called, followed by a soft gasp.
"Oh my goodness! What happened to your face? Were you crying again?"
Yuna froze, waving her hands frantically.
"No! No, Mom— it's not like that. I just— uh~ stayed up too late doing an assignment."
Her mother hurried to her side, worry etched all over her face.
"Sweetheart, you don't have to push yourself so hard. You know how worried we get when—"
Yuna quickly took her hands and squeezed them reassuringly.
"I'm fine, really. Just tired. I think I'll take a break today... maybe skip school?"
Her mother blinked, hesitant.
"Skip school? You never do that."
"Exactly," Yuna said quickly, forcing a smile.
"So one day won't hurt. Please?"
Her mother sighed, then smiled in defeat.
"Alright, I'll talk to your father."
When she left the room, Yuna let out a long breath and flopped back onto her bed.
"Good. I deserve a day off after a mental breakdown-slash-spiritual-merging moment."
She pulled the blanket over her face, muffling a tired laugh.
"I'm not stepping foot in that school looking like a panda. The last thing I need is people whispering, 'Oh no, Selene Valen finally broke down.'"
Her voice softened again, almost tender.
"But no... I'm stronger now. For both of us."
The sunlight slowly crept into the room, golden and warm as if the world was giving her a quiet nod of approval.