Aurora was about to hide her Nokia phone away when suddenly it buzzed in her hand.
She checked the screen and saw:
[Sora: Where are you?]
[Sora: We need to prepare the surprise for Hyacinth's birthday!]
Birthday… That's right—Hyacinth celebrated her birthday early at a banquet, but the others and I weren't invited.
Soren knew about it but didn't tell the two of us why.
Aurora had a hunch that something happened during Hyacinth's birthday back then—or more likely, they didn't celebrate it at all, knowing how her grandparents were.
Her grandparents never favored Hyacinth, and it had been known for decades.
Even by outsiders—that Hyacinth was the least favored in the family.
Her half sister, on the other hand, was treated much better and received all the attention without any effort.
Even so, no one dared to bully Hyacinth—not only because she was the designated heir, but also because, at a young age, she was capable of running her own company.
People were skeptical at first. A kid becoming a CEO? They thought the company was doomed from the start.
But Hyacinth proved them all wrong. Under her leadership, the company got on track quickly and had been booming ever since.
Still, her grandparents didn't see her that way. To them, she was still treated like air—completely ignored, as if she didn't exist.
It was still considered good news that her grandparents gave her money, because in most K-dramas, they wouldn't have given anything at all.
If anything, they would've treated Hyacinth more like a maid than an heir.
That's why, ever since Hyacinth was a child—after losing her parents and being ignored by her grandparents, Hyacinth focused on studying hard to gain their approval.
Meanwhile, her half sister received it all effortlessly.
Even back then, Hyacinth didn't give up—until Rose Sallow, the female lead, showed up and first brightened her life, only to destroy it with her own hands.
It was like a bottle that had been sealed tightly for years finally exploded.
After that, Hyacinth transformed into the typical rich, rebellious girl—a playgirl who seemed to stop caring about consequences.
Aurora couldn't blame her at all.
Even though she disliked and cringed every time she read the parts where Hyacinth acted flirtatiously, enough that it made her lose interest in the character—she still respected her.
Because despite everything being stacked against her, Hyacinth stayed strong.
And Aurora was amazed by her brilliance back then.
As she stood in the hallway, staring at the corridor door where Sora and Soren were busy decorating the room, something caught her eye.
A shadowy black figure stood at the far end of the hallway, partially hidden in the dim light.
It wasn't moving—just silently watching the door where Sora and the others were.
The figure's presence was unsettling, like a predator waiting for the right moment.
Then, as if sensing someone else in the hallway, it abruptly darted past—quick and silent, disappearing around the corner before Aurora could get a better look.
She narrowed her eyes.
In the novel, the bar was always where trouble began.
In the stage for Hyacinth's lowest moments, where she would sing when she was feeling down. And birthdays… they were never just simple celebrations in this world.
They always came with turning points, either wrapped in joy or unraveling into disaster.
Remembering how Hyacinth and the others fought in the novel, their conflicts weren't just arguments or petty drama—they were brutal, chaotic, and often life threatening.
Then it clicked for Aurora.
She silently cursed the author in her heart—how could she forget that this novel had an action tag?
By this time, if she remembered correctly, Hyacinth's late celebration for her 18th birthday was one of the major plot points in the novel—a turning point for both the main character and several side characters.
While it didn't seem all that serious at first, this was the very event where Hyacinth was poisoned and nearly kidnapped.
If she remembered correctly, it was a major turning point in the plot—both for Hyacinth and the surrounding characters.
This was also when Hyacinth's personality started to shift under the influence of the drug.
That cold woman was likely present at the scene too.
Thinking about how those two had such huge misunderstandings just because of poor communication gave Aurora a headache. If they had just talked things through properly, this novel probably wouldn't even exist
Even when she tried to interfere, the plot would shift in ways she didn't recognize from the original story—proving that waking these people up and telling them to just communicate properly could actually backfire.
If she revealed everything she knew, she wouldn't just lose her advantage; she'd lose control over what might happen next. Instead of helping, her knowledge could turn into a liability
Aurora would hate that—losing control of the situation.
But what should she do in this situation? To prevent those people from making Hyacinth drink those drugs, Aurora shifted her gaze to the stairs leading to the storage room
In a lively bar filled with shifting disco lights and dancing people, a waiter walked through the crowd, carrying a tray.
He passed the dance floor and continued deeper into the bar, toward the area where most individuals who preferred to be alone usually sat.
The big nosed waiter slightly bent to place the alcohol on the table. As he did, his arm brushed against someone else's.
In that brief moment, a folded silver paper was exchanged between them.
He didn't look up and simply moved on.