A Side Character's Guide to Surviving an Otome Game

Summary

Kim Rok Soo, age 36, was, in his opinion, nothing special. There wasn't really anything that made him "special", other than, of course, his Tragic Past™️, which honestly wasn't even that tragic, in the grand scheme of things. Sure, he was intelligent, and worked hard, but plenty of people were like him. Kim Rok Soo tended to be overshadowed by those he worked with, no matter how much effort he put into everything he did.
To put it bluntly, Kim Rok Soo, age 36, was sick and tired of life.
This was what was the main instigator for him deciding to listen to his coworker and play the romance game "Birth of the Soulmate's Hero".
Kim Rok Soo didn't have any real obsession or connection with any of the characters; after all, it was a game, it was fictional, and Kim Rok Soo was what he'd consider pragmatic. Though it was true that he enjoyed the game and the world building, as well as the characters' scripts, he wasn't delusional. He knew they weren't real, and he was okay with that.
But when he opened his eyes one Monday morning, he found himself in a very fancy room that was very much not his own.

Tags:

Depression

Chronic Illness

Chronic Pain

Not Canon Compliant At All

Otome Games

Romance

Heavy Angst

Kim Rok Soo Is Not Cale Henituse

Kidnapping

Nonconsensual Touching

Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault (but only really mentioned, nothing actually happens)

originally posted on my ao3 account.

for an up-to-date fic, please visit unreliablewordsmith on ao3