Surviving A Novel I Don't Remember: A Tutor's Guide To Staying Alive

"If I can just stay under the radar, I might survive the final chapter." Kim Jowoon woke up in a novel world as the illegitimate fourth son of a marquis, Julian Von Astrea, and it looked like every single character hated him. It was a world where everyone looked like a protagonist—shining eyes, tragic backstories, destiny practically dripping off them. Everyone except him. He didn't even get a script. Then the Affection System popped up and crushed his hopes in one clean line of text: every so-called “hero” in the capital had a solid 0% interest in his continued existence. Naturally, Julian did the most reasonable thing possible—he ran. Straight into the safest job he could think of: tutoring the young son of the Empire's most reclusive (and famously cold) Duke. The plan was foolproof. Win over the kid, stay invisible, collect a fat paycheck, and live long enough to die of old age instead of plot relevance. It didn't go smoothly at first. The child never spoke, the Duke barely appeared, and Julian briefly wondered if he'd chosen the wrong kind of death. But somehow… it worked. The Duke's son quickly warmed up to him. Lessons became warm and fun moments, and silence turned into trust. And even stranger, the Duke's affection level didn't just rise—it skyrocketed into something Julian absolutely had not planned for. For the first time since transmigrating, he felt safe. Then the Emperor began to interfere, so much that he became a madman to Julian. Julian thought he could live quietly. Well... He thought wrong.