The Kids Have Changed - Chapter 1

Prologue

At the age of 20, in the flower of her maidenhood, Sharon thought of her imminent death.

She caught sight of Julien’s cold gaze as she stood in front of the masses who condemned her. Sharon couldn’t help but smile, bitterness exploding in her mouth.

If I get another chance… I want to be born in a place where you don’t exist, Julien.

Sharon had fallen in love at first sight. From that moment, Julien had started to slip away from her mind and her heart.

Sharon thought that she died. But when she opened her eyes again, she had entered a new world—with the name of Nara Lee.

***

The scene before my eyes could not be real.

“Thank you to everyone who came today to honor the lives of the Count and Countess of Atrina. Count Atrina will always…”

I was brought to a funeral site by a lady named Madame DeJoue. I didn’t even understand the situation I was in. Where was this? …Also, who am I?

“Then, we will begin the eulogies. Those of you who offer condolences…”

Reality was crumbling around me. I couldn’t hear any words—it was as if the sound had been cut off or muted. Like the buzzing of a fly, the sounds bothered my ears, but I could not comprehend it.

“My lady, are you all right?”

Madame DeJoue looked at me sadly, and in her eyes I saw pity, compassion, and sympathy—and perhaps confusion.

“My lady? Lady Sharon?”

Does this mean that I am Sharon? The Sharon that you’re calling…is me?

The Sharon that I know is a side character in my favorite novel, The Queen’s Extravagant Outing.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” I mumbled. I stared blankly at the scene in front of me. While this situation was unbelievable in and of itself, it just so happened that the parents of the child named Sharon died today. “But… I’m Sharon…?”

Hahahaha. I’ve finally gone insane. Ah! Is this a dream? That’s right. I just need to wake up.

Earlier today, as soon as I opened my eyes, Madame DeJoue’s hands washed me, changed my clothes, and brought me here… Now, the funeral had nearly finished.

Since I was a 35-year-old adult, I decided not to make a fuss here. This vivid and life-like dream will be forgotten in a moment when I wake up. Honestly, I’m ridiculous. I should read novels in moderation. How could I dream about something like this?

“My lady, did you say something? My lady?”

“It was nothing,” I said. Soon, Madame DeJoue’s faint and worried looks will disappear. Yep, that’s what will happen.

“…still so young… How could they leave behind a young child like you…?” Her voice was filled with tears.

The Count and Countess of Atrina were archaeologists. While excavating pottery, the couple became ill with a disease in a lesser-known continent in the West. There was no cure or treatment, and so they died within a month—according to the story that I read.

“My lady… You won’t be able to see your parents from now on. They went to a place far away from here.” Madame DeJoue pointed to the sky. I looked up to the sky and nodded.

Sharon’s parents died when she was only 8 years old. Madame DeJoue’s explanation was the best way to explain their deaths to a child.

“That’s right. You have to be kind, my lady. Nevertheless, your parents will always watch over you.”

“…Okay,” I said gently. What else could I say? The mourners looked at me with pity, offered me words of consolation and flowers. I kept my mouth shut until they retreated.

I just had to endure a little more, and then I would wake up from this dream. If you don’t want to hurt your back, you sleep for a moderate amount of time and then wake up.

So, as Madame DeJoue led me to, I scattered the dirt on the coffin and prayed.

Though I don’t know you well, I hope you ascend to Heaven.

Under Madame DeJoue’s care, I changed my clothes and went to bed. However, I could not wake up in the real world.

“Sleep tight, my lady. I’ll stay here with you tonight.”

She kissed my head. Her lips felt so vivid on my forehead that my heart jumped.

No. This wasn’t real. I’ll be at home when I wake up, of course.

I closed my eyes tightly. It was time to go home.

***

When I opened my eyes, I was still Sharon.

“Aaaaaagh!”

A woman in a maid outfit burst open the door and ran toward me. “What happened, young miss?” I was sitting in front of the mirror, observing my face. “Should I call Madame DeJoue? Where does it hurt? Or… Is it that you want to see your mother?”

I quickly glanced at her nametag before replying. “It’s not that. I, I want to be alone right now, Joanna.” Was this too mature? But it wasn’t as if I could do anything about the fact that I wasn’t eight years old.

From what I remember, Sharon was an immature 8-year-old brat. As expected, Joanna looked surprised, but then her eyes narrowed and she began to cry. Why was she crying? For the record, this was not my fault.

“Our young miss… You’ve grown up too much in just one day. It must have been a great shock to lose your parents. Oh, but I forgot—you said you wanted to be alone. I’ll leave right now, my lady. If you need anything, please ring the bell.”

…I guess she did cry because of me.

Rather than being suspicious of my words, she accepted them like they were a piece of cake. I ought to thank her. I smiled awkwardly.

After confirming that Joanna had left, I turned to the mirror again.

Aaaaaagh!

I bit my lips tightly and internally screamed. I still needed time to figure out this situation.

So… something that should never have happened, happened. Actually, let’s say it’s something that can only happen by making a hundred concessions. This sort of thing happens often in the romance-fantasy novels I’ve read. So, let’s say that it is something that could happen in real life.

But…

“Why does it have to be you? Why… is it… you!?” I put my fist in my mouth and screamed. No matter how many times I looked in the mirror and tried to deny this reality, I had become Sharon. In a novel that was so popular it was adapted as a webtoon, Sharon was a friend of the villainess. To be precise, she was a side character who died alongside the villainess.

I entered this novel with a death flag.

“Is this because I read the novel all night?”

I collapsed.

“Ow!”

I pinched my cheek, hoping for the best, but it just hurt.

Hahaha. I should start accepting this now… It was enough that I denied the situation yesterday. I don’t know how long this will last, but I think I have to live with being Sharon for a while.

Despite thinking that, I sat in front of the mirror for a long time.

I am not Sharon.

My original name is Nara Lee.

As soon as I graduated from college, I lost my parents in a traffic accident. I threw away my ticket to an academy to make money.

I was 35 years old. You can say I lived a lot, or you can say I died young. I worked hard to the point I had chronic gastritis in order to buy a home. It was only a rooftop apartment, but it was my home. The very first home I had in my name!

I was so excited that I bought chicken and beer to celebrate. I took out my smartphone and relaxed, finishing off the day.

I missed my friends. I couldn’t connect with them because I was so busy, but I wished there was someone to tell me that I did well, that I worked hard. With that gloomy thought, I couldn’t sleep. So I opened a novel that I’d already read several times. I think it might have been around dawn when I did that. The title of the novel was The Queen’s Extravagant Outing. The characters I liked the most were Carol, the female protagonist, and the male protagonist. Sharon didn’t even count among the characters I liked.

But…

I’d like to live that kind of life. If I were her, I wouldn’t have lived like she did…

Looking at Sharon, I thought she had enough time and money to live carefree, but she let everything slip away, like sand grains in her hands.

That was my last memory as Nara Lee.

“Why would you grant that sort of nonsense wish? Since when did you grant my wishes so well?” I bit at my fingernails and thought about the past. “God is bored,” I concluded. “Why else would he change 3D objects to 2D? Does this make sense to you? What about my wish to be rich?”

Ha. I’m screwed.

God did grant all of my wishes, even my wish to be rich. Sharon was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her parents had discovered a diamond mine and bequeathed it to her.

“Drat. But even if you did that.. Why does it have to be this kid?”

I stared at the mirror, tears in my eyes. The girl reflected in the mirror had pastel mint eyes. Light violet hair framed her face, which looked like a white rice cake: pleasantly plump and pale.

If my memories were correct… Rather, there was no way my memories could be incorrect. This girl was destined to die before she turned 20.

“I have no luck at all!” If I was going to die like this, why live at all?

I fell in front of the mirror. But once I ran out of tears, I had a sudden thought.

“Wait… Isn’t it fine if I just don’t die?”

Could I save this side character, who lived only for her death? It should be fine if I don’t die. This was my opportunity to act out on my fantasies of what I would do differently as Sharon. Now, there was some hope. I wanted to kiss my past self, who carefully read the webtoon every time a new chapter came out. I could find the rewards of my excessive nature here. I had collected everything, including the ebook and the paid content.

Good job, past me.

“Now, let’s organize this again…”

Sharon was an extra that was a little special.

The writer directly stated that Sharon was an unfortunate character who died only because she was a close friend of the villainess. However, the writer did endow her the greatest beauty in the world.

“Rather than being special, isn’t this a character who is especially unlucky?”

No, it wouldn’t do to think so negatively. Now, this friend’s name was…

Sharon Tort von Atrina.

The only child of the Count and Countess Atrina, she lost her parents when she was 8 and inherited their territory. Of all people, she fell in love with the prince, who the villainess loved as well. She ended up marrying a flighty man, as if she was sold to him. Furthermore, like an idiot, she was manipulated by the villainess and died with her “friend”. This is the new me.

After grasping this concept, I wanted to start crying. Maybe I should just hang myself now? I examined the ceiling.

“No! I’ve already decided not to do this!”
Once again, I cleared my mind. Even if my future is bleak, I couldn’t give up at this bright young age. Also, I don’t know if I could go back to living as Nara Lee.

“That’s right. Even if the sky collapses, there will be a hole through which I can escape.”

Soon, the young lady Carol will come here to pick me up. She’s the same age as Sharon, but she has a worthless personality. Since I will die because of Carol, it would be better to avoid her—but that was impossible.