Evelina’s POV

  'Did he—did he just—did he just talk to me?!'

  Not in a pre-recorded, passive system message kind of way—but directly?!

  No.

  No way.

  No freaking way.

  I stared at the glowing screen in front of me, my entire body locked in pce. My brain, usually sharp and full of overthinking, was currently blue-screening into oblivion.

  Because standing there, on the screen, casually smiling as if this wasn’t the most insane moment of my life—

  Was Mr. Beast.

  MR. FREAKING BEAST.

  I felt my soul physically leave my body and hover somewhere in the atmosphere. My legs twitched, my arms jolted, and my entire being vibrated with the sheer force of my disbelief.

  For a single terrifying moment, I thought I was going to spontaneously ascend like a rocket and crash into the ceiling.

  I barely stopped myself from filing out of my chair.

  "This has to be a joke," I muttered under my breath, rubbing my eyes furiously. Maybe I was hallucinating. Maybe all the stress of transmigrating into a fictional universe had finally snapped my st thread of sanity.

  But when I opened my eyes—

  He was still there.

  "Evelina? Hello?"

  I stopped breathing.

  Wait.

  Wait.

  My entire existence short-circuited.

  My heart pounded as I hesitantly whispered, "C-Can you hear me?"

  Mr. Beast’s grin widened.

  He nodded.

  I nearly flipped my desk.

  "WHAT—"

  My chair screeched as I shot up, hands flying to my head. I paced back and forth, every single nerve in my body tingling. This was real. This was actually happening.

  Mr. Beast was talking to me live.

  I forced myself to breathe.

  'Okay. Okay. Focus'. This is the second time you meet him, so chill out. 'Don’t embarrass yourself. Don’t say anything stupid'.

  After taking a deep breath, I turned back to the screen and somehow managed to choke out, "I—uh—I didn’t do anything yet."

  Mr. Beast tilted his head. "Oh?"

  I swallowed. "I didn’t want to cause a butterfly effect…"

  It sounded so reasonable in my head. Logical, even. I had been so careful, so meticulous in making sure I didn’t accidentally break the universe.

  But then Mr. Beast did something that sent chills down my spine.

  He chuckled.

  And then, with his usual bright, almost teasing smile, he asked,

  "Are you sure you haven’t already?"

  I blinked.

  'Huh?'

  "What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

  His smile grew wider. "Evelina, your transmigration itself is already a butterfly effect."

  I froze.

  His words hit me like a freight train.

  He was… right.

  I hadn’t even thought about it that way before. I had been so focused on not interfering, but my very existence here had already changed things.

  Mr. Beast leaned forward slightly. "So why are you so scared to make a difference?"

  I opened my mouth. No words came out.

  Why was I scared?

  Because I knew the story. I had read the manhwa. I had seen every struggle, every heartbreak, every painful moment that unfolded.

  And I know how things could get so much worse.

  A single change could ruin everything.

  But at the same time… hadn’t I already made a difference?

  I thought back to the first time I saw Daniel getting beaten.

  I had turned away.

  I had chosen to do nothing.

  Because I was scared.

  And it had destroyed me.

  Mr. Beast let out a small ugh, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I’m not condemning you," he reassured me. "I just wanted to wake you up to reality." His expression turned serious. "This world isn’t fiction anymore, Evelina. Every person here is real—they have emotions, dreams, and struggles. They’re human."

  I clenched my fists.

  He was right.

  I wasn’t just a reader watching from the sidelines anymore.

  This wasn’t a story.

  This was reality.

  I nodded, feeling something inside me shift—like a heavy weight had been lifted, but a new kind of responsibility settled in its pce.

  But even then, hesitation still lingered.

  Mr. Beast sighed—not in frustration, but as if he had finally decided something important. He looked at me seriously and asked,

  "Do you know why, out of everyone, you were the one sent here?"

  I frowned. "Because I was the first one to answer the poll?"

  He chuckled. "No."

  I blinked.

  "You were chosen after a thorough discussion with my team."

  '…What?'

  I tensed. "Then… why?"

  His smile returned, but this time, it was gentler. "Because you have a good heart, Evelina."

  I stared at him.

  "You have compassion for everything," he continued. "Animals, pnts, humans—even fictional characters. You care about all of them."

  My heart pounded.

  I wasn’t expecting that answer.

  Mr. Beast smirked. "Well, except for bugs… and—"

  He suddenly stopped.

  I understood immediately.

  'He knew'.

  He knew about who I detested the most.

  A heavy silence filled the room.

  After a moment, he continued, "That’s why you were picked."

  I swallowed hard.

  Then, softly, I asked, "If I change the plot… what will happen?"

  Mr. Beast’s smile turned mysterious. "I don’t know."

  I frowned. "What?"

  "When you transmigrated here, this world stopped being just Lookism. Sure, things will still follow the manhwa, but now? It's not the original Lookism anymore, let's call it an alternative universe." His eyes gleamed. "Therefore, there are no consequences if you decide to change it."

  I sucked in a breath.

  No consequences.

  This was my reality now.

  Then, he said the words that sealed my fate.

  "The very goal of your transmigration is to save as many characters as you can."

  I clenched my fists.

  I took a deep breath, steadying myself.

  "I can’t promise I’ll save everyone," I admitted. "But… I’ll try."

  Mr. Beast’s grin widened. "That’s all I ever wanted."

  And with that, the video ended.

  I colpsed into my chair.

  Everything… everything was different now.

  And then—

  [Ding!]

  A new notification popped up.

  [Mr. Beast will no longer be able to monitor you.]

  [Even if he could, he has no pns to do so again.]

  [He trusts you not to do anything reckless.]

  I exhaled slowly, a genuine smile creeping onto my face.

  "He doesn’t need to worry about that," I muttered.

  For the first time since coming here, I felt free.

  Then—

  My stomach growled.

  …All that emotional turmoil had made me starving.

  I perked up, sniffing the air.

  Time to see what the chef had cooked!

  With a new sense of determination, I grabbed my clothes and practically skipped to the bathroom.

  This world was mine to change.