In a dark apartment, the window stood open.
Heavy snow fell outside, covering everything in white. The wind howled softly as it pushed flakes of snow into the room. Some of them drifted through the open window, landing on the floor and melting slowly.
A cold gust swept across the room, carrying a biting chill.
Near the window, a man lay motionless on the bed.
His body was still, as if he had fallen into an endless sleep. A thin layer of frost had formed over his clothes and skin, making him look almost like a frozen statue.
The room was silent.
Then—
His eyes snapped open.
"Damn… why is it so cold in here?"
Luke frowned as he spoke, his voice slightly hoarse. He slowly turned his head toward the window.
Snow was still falling heavily outside.
"They said it would snow at the end of the week…" he muttered, confused. "So why now?"
He pushed himself up slightly and looked around the room.
Then he froze.
This wasn't his room.
The layout was different. The furniture looked unfamiliar. Even the walls and the small details around him felt strange.
Nothing matched his memory.
Luke slowly sat up on the bed. He expected to shiver from the cold, but strangely, he didn't.
In fact… he didn't feel that cold at all.
Instead, the chill felt different.
It wasn't painful.
It was… refreshing.
As if the cold air was gently wrapping around him, welcoming him.
A strange sense of comfort spread through his body.
Luke frowned deeper.
Something was wrong.
He stood up slowly and looked around again, trying to find anything familiar.
But there was nothing.
Then suddenly—
He felt it.
Something was off.
His body.
It felt… too light.
And slightly larger than what he remembered.
His movements felt unfamiliar.
Luke raised his hands and stared at them.
The skin.
The shape.
Even the small calluses on his fingers—
They were different.
"These aren't my hands…"
His voice turned low.
A mirror lay in the corner of the room. Without thinking, he walked over and picked it up.
He looked into it.
"What the…?"
His pupils shrank.
"Who is this?"
The face staring back at him was not his.
Before he could react further—
A sharp pain exploded inside his head.
It felt like something was drilling straight through his temples.
"Ah—!"
Luke staggered, clutching his head tightly.
Memories rushed in.
Not just one set.
But two.
They didn't come slowly or in order. They crashed together all at once, like a violent storm.
Images, voices, emotions—
None of them felt like his.
Yet they were all inside his mind.
Luke's breathing became heavy as he struggled to stay standing.
"Ah…!"
The pain grew worse.
It felt endless.
Time lost meaning as the flood of memories continued.
Then, slowly—
The pain began to fade.
Luke dropped to his knees, gasping for air.
"So…"
His voice was weak and uncertain.
"I transmigrated into someone… with the same name as me…"
He paused.
His brows tightened.
"No… wait… there's something else…"
Fragments of names flickered through his mind.
"Emily…"
"Sara…"
"Sera…"
He frowned.
Why do these names feel so familiar?
Luke's expression slowly changed.
Then suddenly—
It hit him.
"I remember…"
His eyes widened slightly.
After finishing work, he had been reading a novel.
It wasn't something he usually did.
But this time, he had made an exception.
A rare choice.
A story with a female protagonist.
The reason it caught his attention…
Was simple.
A side character had the same name as him.
Luke.
It was a modern fantasy story.
A world where supernatural powers existed.
A woman rose from a broken marriage and became one of the strongest agents in the Bureau.
She was guided by a mysterious System.
She grew stronger, faced enemies, and climbed to the top.
And him—
No.
Not him.
The original owner of this body—
Was just a side character.
The ex-husband.
A man who abandoned his family after gaining power.
A man who later became a pawn of a powerful corporation.
A man who was eventually used…
And then discarded.
Luke's expression stiffened.
He remembered exactly where he had stopped reading.
A specific chapter.
A death scene.
The ex-husband's death.
The room fell silent again.
Snow continued to fall outside.
Luke let out a slow breath.
"So…"
His eyes darkened slightly.
"I transmigrated into this novel."
Even as he said it, the words felt unreal.
Luke lowered his gaze and looked at his hand.
There was a faint mark on his palm.
It was subtle, almost invisible.
Like a seal carved beneath the skin.
The moment he focused on it, information appeared in his mind naturally.
Power: Ice Manipulation.
He could control ice.
He could shape it into shields.
He could form sharp spears.
He could release shards capable of piercing enemies.
It was a strong ability.
A useful one.
But Luke's expression didn't improve.
"This…"
He whispered.
"…is the root of his misfortune."
In the original story, this power was supposed to change his life.
It was supposed to give him everything.
Status.
Money.
Security.
But instead—
It became the reason for his downfall.
Luke took a deep breath as more memories settled into place.
The original owner of this body had once been a Bureau Field Agent.
A frontline enforcer.
His job was to control and handle dangerous superpowered incidents.
It wasn't an easy life.
He had joined at the age of twenty-four.
Every mission was dangerous.
Every opponent could be stronger, faster, or more deadly.
Death was always close.
But he was not alone.
He worked alongside his wife.
Luke's eyes softened slightly.
"That's right…"
They had met when they were young.
Around sixteen.
At first, they were just familiar with each other.
Then, slowly, that familiarity turned into affection.
Within two years—
They had fallen deeply in love.
Then came an unexpected change.
Emily got pregnant.
Twins.
Sara…
And Sera.
"They didn't run away…"
Luke murmured.
They didn't abandon their responsibility.
They chose to keep the children.
They chose to build a family.
Even though they were young.
Even though their future was uncertain.
Even though their jobs were dangerous.
For a time…
They were happy.
Luke could feel it through the memories.
The warmth.
The small moments.
The quiet joy.
At twenty-six, when he awakened his power, everything should have improved.
Life should have become easier.
Safer.
More stable.
But things didn't go that way.
A powerful corporation reached out to him.
They made an offer.
Something the Bureau could not give.
Money.
Resources.
Status.
And something even more tempting—
A connection to a powerful bloodline family.
Even a marriage proposal.
Luke's fingers slowly curled into a fist.
"He was seduced…"
Not just by wealth.
But by the promise of security.
A life without constant danger.
A life where he wouldn't have to risk everything every day.
A life that seemed guaranteed.
And so—
He made a choice.
A choice that changed everything.
He divorced his wife.
He abandoned the woman who had stood beside him through everything.
He left behind his children.
And stepped into a new world.
A world of corporations.
A world of hidden power.
Luke slowly closed his eyes.
"A safe career…"
He muttered quietly.
Then his voice grew colder.
"…that led him straight to his death."