The Detective Agency for Regretful Male Leads Is Open for Business!

Chapter 1

I opened my eyes and discovered that I was lying under an unfamiliar ceiling.

When that clichéd sentence became reality for me, and I realized that I wasn’t in my own body, my extensive experience as a reader told me that I had been transported into a web novel. And it seemed like the story was just beginning. As soon as the realization struck me, I said the two words I’d always dreamed of saying.

“Status window!”

Complete… silence. There was no response. Apparently, this wasn’t the kind of story that featured hunters or transcendent beings. I certainly didn’t look Korean though, which suggested that the novel wasn’t set in the modern era.

A thought struck me, and to the empty room I cried out, “Mother! Father! Head maid! Butler! Anyone?!” There was a chance that I’d been transported into the western romance fantasy genre, and I hoped that one of these common supporting characters might be standing just outside my door. Still, there was no answer.

So there’s no surrounding cast of family members, then?

“I’m an adult, so this can’t be in the childcare fantasy genre, either. Am I just in an ordinary web novel where the protagonist takes over the body of an unimportant character? Hmm…”

There was another thing: At the beginning of most novels like this, one would wake up in an unfamiliar bedroom, but surprisingly enough, I had not found myself on a soft, plushy bed—I woke up on a sofa. I had been napping on a sofa.

I am obviously not a noble lady. Couldn’t you have let me sleep in a proper bed, at least?!

“Well, no matter,” I said, stretching my neck from side to side. It felt extremely stiff. Regardless of the genre, I wouldn’t have been all that surprised.

The reason being… My life up till now’s been exactly like the protagonist of a transmigration novel. I had been born an orphan, I’ve never had a relationship, and I had been a wanderer all my life, so I never found myself able to settle down anywhere. My life had been filled with work until the day I died—it was the perfect backstory for one of those novels. And so I’d always told myself that even if I woke up in a strange bedroom one day, I wouldn’t be spooked.

Though I never thought it would actually happen, of course. Even so, in the spirit of preparing for such an eventuality, I’d only chosen to read novels of a gentler sort, so I wondered whose body I’d ended up in.

Getting up, I took a look around. I noticed some old, nicked furniture and some documents scattered about. This was an office. One that had been neglected for some time.

These transmigrator stories have grown rather stingy, haven’t they? Is it because the economy’s bad? As I thought to myself, I moved over to a desk that seemed meant for work. There was a nameplate on it—the only thing that appeared to be new in this pathetic room.

“‘Selia Welfe, Head of Agency’… Is that my name?”

Head of what agency? I tried to remember if I’d read about a character who ran some kind of agency. I was certain there had been some, but there were none that I could place. Most of them were unimportant characters, so there wasn’t one that really jumped out.

As I stood there combing my memory for a match, I touched the nameplate and blue light began to pour out of it.

“Huh?”

Then something else happened.

Welcome! You have taken the first step in your new life as [Selia Welfe]. Follow the system’s lead. Gain occupational experience points and increase your expertise!

Your current occupational rank: F

The system’s lead? Occupational what? I stared vacantly at the words in the window.

“Wait…”

This was a status window.

Yes, it’s the very same status window that I know so well. Thankfully enough, it seemed like I had access to some kind of cheat code.

“Wait, why didn’t you show up when I called you earlier?” I asked.

※Warning! This is a system window, not a status window. Please use precise terminology. (thinking face emoji) (folded hands emoji)

Oh. I called it the wrong name. But it was an honest mistake… You shouldn’t shame a person like that!

Your first mission has arrived!

You have opened your eyes and encountered a strange and unfamiliar world. You are greeted by… a ramshackle office that is about to fall apart! What sort of life will you lead in this office? What is your role? Find some relevant clues!

Mission reward: New job, 500 Cash.

Soon after I was greeted by another message.

Come on… I just woke up. Give me a break. It seemed like this system was all about making a person toil away.

It mentioned a role. I took a look around the office, searching for the clues about myself that the system had mentioned. The place was a bit old, and dirty too, but it had all the essential supplies and furniture. I didn’t think it was half bad.

“Hm? What’s this?”

I was taking stock when I discovered a neatly placed document and a bouquet on a table.

What does it say, I wonder?

“A business license… and a deed?”

The name “Selia Welfe” was on these as well. I then checked the card that had come with the bouquet.

“Congratulations on opening your private detective agency. Missing You Dearly, R…’ What?!”

A detective agency? I’d never imagined becoming someone like this.

A private detective… In any fantasy world this character acts as an informant who’s never given the time of day and only exists to support the protagonist. Most of the time, they’re bullied and sometimes blackmailed… That sort of private detective? I’m not so sure I like this.

In any case, after putting together all the information I had gathered so far, all the clues pointed to a single conclusion.

“So my name is Selia Welfe, and I just opened this private detective agency, huh?”

Why did I have to be transported into a story like this, of all things? I hadn’t even expected to be anything like a well-loved nobleman’s daughter or a princess… But couldn’t I have at least been an ordinary corporate worker?

The system window flashed into view with a burst of light, as if it had heard my words.

Mission complete!

As a reward, you receive 500 Cash and a new case!

Thankfully, it seemed, I’d done the mission properly. As a result, I’d received a small amount of Cash and the promise of some new work. The “Cash” was obviously some kind of currency.

As for the case…

“A new case? Where can I see it?” I asked, puzzled.

As I stared at the system window, I heard the tinkle of a bell behind me. With a burst of cold, outside air, someone entered my office.

“Hmm…”

I turned around to take a look, and saw a tall man with a hat pushed down over his face. Judging by the way he was dressed and the way he carried himself, he was obviously a gentleman of high station. I hadn’t told him to come inside, but he’d waltzed in anyway without showing an ounce of respect. He looked me up and down, then frowned slightly.

“Talk about a shoddy welcome,” he said.

You’re the one who came in without asking. I was rendered speechless for a moment.

Wait, don’t tell me… Was he the new case the system had mentioned?

“I don’t care if you just got out of bed, or whatever it is you were doing. Just accept my case.”

“Ah, yes!” I said.

So I was right! Does this mean my business has just commenced operations? I waited for him to speak, my heart beating with excitement.

He begrudgingly began, “You were the only detective who was immediately available. I have no clue if you are worth your salt, but I must take the hand dealt to me.” The man quietly inhaled through his teeth, then tossed a large envelope onto the table.

“Go find her.”

“Her, sir…?”

“Chelsea Graydon.”

What? And who might that be?

“The foolish woman who left me without my permission.”

I heard his teeth clench and grind against each other. Dark thoughts seemed to swirl in his eyes.

What’s the matter with him? Those eyes were not the eyes of a man entirely in possession of all his marbles. I realized something wasn’t quite right. Something tells me I shouldn’t get involved with him…

“You have one week. I trust that will be enough?” he asked.

“Pardon?”

“Find her before the week is up. If you fail…” The man spun around as if he was done speaking to me. Then, in a dark, dreary voice, he declared, “Don’t expect to live to see another sunrise.”

His steely tone told me there wasn’t a whit of facetiousness in his words. My racing heart suddenly went cold, as though someone had poured a bucket of ice over it.

Your exciting first case as a private detective has arrived!

Find the missing wife of the marquess, the male protagonist of [The Contract Marchioness Requires a Divorce!]

Mission reward: 10,000 Cash.

Penalty for failure: Death by enraged, regret-ridden protagonist.

My jaw fell slack at the system window that appeared as soon as the conversation ended.

The penalty is death? That seems a little harsh for my first case! And the client was a man maddened by the fact that his wife had run away, no less. There would be no talking sense into someone like that. A heavy silence enveloped the empty office. For some time I glared at the spot where the man had been standing.

That’s the “regret-ridden” protagonist? More like a psycho. I have no doubt the tags on his novel included things like #maniacMC, #obsessiveMC, #regetfulMC, and #scummyMC.

I used to like novels like that. The problem was, of course, that I was just a lowly side character who was prone to fall victim to that very crackpot male protagonist.

“Ugh, this is driving me nuts!”

My knees went limp, and I slumped onto the sofa. Today was my first day in this body, and I’d just been handed a job I needed to complete on pain of death. I had just learned my own name, for heaven’s sake. How would I manage to find some stranger? A sense of overwhelming despair led me to close my eyes. Complete and utter silence raged around me.

Then, after ten seconds, I leaped up and shouted, “Come on. I can’t give up!”