Chapter 1

After transmigrating into a redemption novel as the wicked female side character, I decided to lie low and let the plot do whatever it wanted.

In the dark room where the male lead was being held, I pointed to the whip on the floor and said, wounded, “Taking the most generous view, couldn’t it just fly up and whip him by itself?”

The system urged me to follow the plot.

【Hurry up and whip him! Across the chest! Over those abs! And down there, too—beep!】

I had no choice but to pick up the whip and give it a lazy flick, soft as a tickle.

The tip even brushed between the male lead’s spread legs.

The floor lost one HP.

And I went tumbling straight into his arms.

My cheek landed against something very warm.

I panicked. “【Is his asthma acting up? Don’t die on me!】”

System: 【……】

System: 【You idiot. He’s aroused.】

1

In the dim room, heavy breathing echoed through the stillness, leaving far too much to the imagination.

A dress shirt, slacks, gold-rimmed glasses.

The male lead of this novel: Gu Junheng.

A cold, untouchable flower on a lofty peak.

And I was the wicked side character who would drag him down from that pedestal, bind him with money, and force him to crawl at my feet like a dog.

Now Gu Junheng’s cheeks were flushed, and his hands were tied behind his back with my necktie.

A bead of sweat traced his sharply defined jaw—sharper than anything in my future—then slid over his collarbone and chest, down toward his lower abdomen, before disappearing.

The system said that still wasn’t enough. I was supposed to humiliate him with the whip, too.

But I was curled comfortably into my chair, too lazy to lift even a finger.

【What are you waiting for? He’s already taken off his clothes! Are you going to pull up your pants and run away?】

The system roared inside my head, urging me to get on with it.

I pointed to the whip on the floor and complained, 【Taking the most generous view, couldn’t it just fly up and whip him by itself?】

System: 【.】

System: 【Do I look like a whip to you? Or would you like to take a swing at me instead?】

I gave that serious thought.

【That might work, Great System. How about you take me through the whole plot? Then I won’t have to do anything.】

The system nearly fainted from exasperation.

【Which one of us is the system here, and which one is the host?!】

While I was bargaining with it, Gu Junheng lifted his head.

His handsome, campus-idol face appeared and disappeared in the shifting light.

“What game is Miss Shen playing today?”

“Trying to scare me with a whip?”

The system issued an ultimatum.

【You must stay in character as the wicked female lead, and you must move the plot forward.】

I took a deep breath and forced myself to look arrogant and domineering.

“Who said you could speak? Want me to whip you?”

System: 【That’s it! Keep that attitude! Now reward—no, whip him! Don’t stop until he submits!】

I had expected Gu Junheng to lower his head and speak softly to me.

Instead, he remained calm and neither arrogant nor servile. His amber eyes watched me from behind his glasses.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Good. Then you’ll listen to me like a good—huh?”

What did he just say?

The system leapt with excitement.

【Quick! Say the iconic line!】

【“Today, this young lady will train you to be her dog!”】

?

You really wanted me to say something that embarrassing?

But to keep the plot moving and complete the system’s mission…

I had to leave my beloved soft chair.

I picked up the whip and flicked it toward him.

“Th-this young lady is going to train you to be… to be her good dog.”

The tip of the whip brushed between his open legs.

“Mm!”

Gu Junheng let out a soft groan, his chest rising and falling hard.

Wait—what?

I hadn’t even hit him that hard.

Then I remembered.

Gu Junheng came from a poor family. He was an orphan from the moment he was born, premature.

His mother thought she couldn’t afford to raise him and abandoned him by a trash bin.

Luckily, a kind passerby heard him crying and took him to the police station. From there, he was sent to an orphanage.

My family later sponsored his education.

He had been in poor health since childhood.

Now he was burning up and breathing so hard…

With someone’s life at stake, I forgot all about taking it easy and rushed over, grabbing the open collar of his shirt.

“Is your asthma acting up? Don’t you dare die!”

If he died, how was I supposed to finish the mission and go home?

2

In the confusion, I even took the opportunity to feel his chest a couple of times.

I could lie low about anything else, but when a perk landed right in my lap, why not enjoy it?

Besides, wasn’t I checking his temperature to make sure he was all right?

I called to the system in my head.

【System, is he really about to die?】

【Is the male lead in this novel really that frail?】

System: 【……】

I could practically picture the enormous eye-roll.

System: 【You idiot. He’s aroused.】

I frowned.

【Aroused? What kind of reaction? An allergic reaction?】

The system didn’t want to talk to me anymore.

I had no choice but to untie Gu Junheng and lay him flat on the floor.

His head turned to one side. The pale skin of his chest showed through his open shirt as it rose and fell unevenly.

Sweat kept sliding down him.

System: 【Have you never learned first aid? Don’t you know you’re supposed to support an asthma patient’s head and neck to keep the airway clear?】

I was confused.

【Huh? They teach you that in first-aid class?】

【What a hassle. Why don’t you do it?】

System: 【……】

System: 【I must have done something awful in a past life to be bound to a host like you.】

I complained about the trouble, but my hands still followed its instructions.

I was just about to lift Gu Junheng’s head when he caught my wrist.

He opened his eyes, looking a little dazed.

“You know how to care for an asthma patient?”

I answered honestly. “I didn’t want you to die.”

“Ha.”

Gu Junheng gasped as he staggered to his feet.

From where I sat, I had a perfect view of the six-pack beneath his open shirt.

His muscles appeared and disappeared with each breath.

I swallowed.

To improve his health, Gu Junheng exercised every day without fail.

A thin layer of muscle covered his tall, lean frame.

He wasn’t built like some gym fanatic, but the lines of his muscles were beautiful.

Before he left, Gu Junheng turned back.

“What about the funding for my graduate studies?”

I curled back into the warm comfort of my chair and recited my line like a machine.

“Since you played along with this young lady, I’ll pass it on.”

“…Thank you.”

“You’re dismissed.”

I waved lazily, hoping to take advantage of the dark room and catch up on some sleep.

【You—! Did you seriously forget what you’re supposed to do today?!】