Strong only, Ebenkera Family, precious burden, Sigrin Ebenkera.... more>>

Among brothers who could chew stones, she held the disgraceful titles of weakling and dullard.

“Go to Panoplia Academy in the Aurum Empire. The admission procedures are already complete.”

Her father, the mafia boss, suddenly brought it up.

“Once you graduate, find a good job and immediately become independent from the family.

Regardless of the fact that I love you, you are a burden to the family.”

Along with the order to become independent.

“I don’t want to.”

When I opened my eyes, I found myself floating on the sea. Seagulls could be seen above in the sky.

Sigrin’s bed had been moved onto a yacht.

“Our princess!!! We love you!! Even in the Empire, make sure you eat your meals properly!!”

“Hey!!! Bring back souvenirs!!”

“Noona, live well! You have to be happy even in the Empire.”

Sigrin hurriedly ran to the edge of the boat and shouted.

“Are you kidding me right now???”

Yo-

Yo-

Yo-

After sleeping, I woke up to find the ship bound for the Aurum Empire already departing.

A terrifying new student arrived at Panoplia Academy!

Sigrin Ebenkera.

From Nifi Island, known as a lawless zone, daughter of the boss of a massive mafia family.

“I understand you want to hide your core, but don’t suppress your ether. It’s a procedure every Panoplia student has to go through.”

Excuse me, I have never hidden my strength!

“I’ve really made up my mind. I’m going to stay your underling forever.”

Excuse me, I clearly said we should be friends!!

“Luca Demuel!! A new student says she’s coming to fight you right now!!”

Excuse me, when did I ever say that—aaagh!!!

Will the sickly mafia young lady, Sigrin, be able to safely graduate from the academy and become independent from her family? <<less

I was transmigrated into a parenting game, ⌈My Little Noah⌋.... more>>

Into a little villainess who only knows how to elegantly slap others' cheeks.

But... what's going on here?

SLAP!

[The pain from the villainess becomes joy. If you want to raise someone's abilities, hit them.]

I just hit those who tried to block my path,

And I got a stinging growth buff that can turn them into helpers!

"Come here. Just take ten hits from me."

So I decided.

To educate those who interfere with Noah and me with my fists.

Calliphe, who was raising her filial piety score by helping Noah through this ability.

To obtain the 'helpers' essential for parenting,

She approaches Duke Lynen Ortega.

"You want to get rid of your magic thirst?"

"Can you solve it?"

"Let my hands hit you first, then decide."

She must avoid the death ending route at all costs.

To see the survival ending, she swings her fierce hands—

The struggling parenting method of the villainess Calliphe. <<less

When my old husband got caught cheating, he killed me. I devoted my entire life to him, and this is how it ends? Thrown away like tr*sh?... more>>

"God, please, just give me one chance to rip off that wig of his in the most satisfying way possible."

And then, Priscilla wakes up as an eighteen-year-old.

She hasn't gone back to the past; only her body has become younger.

With this second chance as "Claire," she resolves to ruin the lives of those who destroyed hers.

Stripping them of their wealth, their status, and their abilities—

She plunges headlong into her quest for revenge, only to have an unexpected man enter her life.

"I want you to be my fake lover."

Theodore, the Crown Prince and a friend of her ex-husband's son.

Weren't you supposed to hate me?

"We belong to each other, my love."

"Y-you must have misspoken, right?"

"My love."

His completely different attitude throws her off balance, and his acting is so convincing it’s almost unsettling…

Will this revenge succeed? <<less

‘Can letters come from the future?’... more>>

A mysterious letter arrives for Olivia Bianche, the beloved young lady of the Marquis of Frenchia.

「To My Beloved Olivia」

Who sent it and why wasn't important. It was the only happiness in her mundane life.

Then, on the day she learned who the sender was, she realized he was already dead. But it was already too late. She had fallen deeply in love.

“Madame.”

Olivia thought she had finally gone completely mad. Otherwise, why would a dead person be in front of her, calling her ‘Madame’?

***

‘Can letters come from the past?’

A letter without a sender arrives for Freddy Bin Hester, the respected Grand Duke of Silvest.

「To the Unknown Gentleman」

He could not understand who sent it or for what reason. Since there was no intent to harm, he did not consider it a major issue. He intended to ignore it.

Until that letter improved his relationship with his wife, Olivia. <<less

※ This novel is a work of historical fiction set in Goryeo, Joseon, and other historical periods. It contains keywords that may be objectionable due to the period and setting, such as coercive relationships. Please refer to them when reading the story.... more>>

Lee-Gwang — “How does it feel to be held by a man who was nothing?”

A limp wife of the Great Prince, Kim Yi-seo. She married the Prince at the age of twelve, and after a decade of indifference, she was beaten into submission.

Once she thought there was nowhere to fall.

Until the night he abandoned her and took a new wife, he sought her out, not as a wife, but as another.

Yi-Seo — “Lee, you can't do this. You can't. This can't be.”

Lee-Gwang — “That's why I'm doing this, because you're nothing to me now. You're not my wife anymore, and not your husband…”

Born to be the king's nemesis, his arrogant half-brother forced Lee-Gwang from the throne.

In the first place, he had no interest in the throne.

From his days in the past to now, there was only one thing he wanted.

“You promised me you would love me no matter what I did.”

In the darkness, only the man's eyes flashed like demons' flames. <<less

A rural police officer, Lee Su-jeong, possessed 'Marina Enchester,' the villainess from an R-rated dark romance fantasy novel, 〈The Villainess Defiles the Sun〉. She becomes the one who can stop the male lead's rampage suffering from [the power of the Sun] and the villainess who defiles him before meeting a burning at the stake ending!... more>>

'It's bad enough that I drowned to death, and now I have to face burning at the stake!?'

However, at the imperial banquet, she encounters Felix right before his rampage, and with her [power of Water] , she helps Felix just once before vanishing without a trace.

'I hope he forgets me...... Please.'

After that day, Felix persistently tracks her down and proposes a contract requesting her to suppress the power of the sun whenever he needs it.

"I need the power you possess. I want you to stay by my side whenever I desire."

"Whenever Your Highness desires...?"

But wait, the only way to suppress the power of the sun is to maintain skin contact, as much as possible, for as long as possible?!

A wholesome and happy future without Marina's burning at the stake! Can I do this? <<less

“Just forget me.”... more>>

The childhood friend who once asked me to forget him has returned to our hometown after five years.

[Helian’s New Hero]

And not just anyone—he came back a famous figure.

A handsome face, a strong build, and even a count’s title.

“Did you see it? Lady Claire and Sir Dante walking side by side!”

“They looked like the perfect couple!”

Even the noble lady I admired couldn’t tear herself away from Dante.

Just like that, my childhood friend became someone completely out of reach.

“Why do you keep avoiding me?”

Dante persistently followed after me, asking.

Though his tone was as blunt as ever, there was a strange urgency in his voice.

“I wasn’t… avoiding you.”

“Liar. You can’t even look me in the eye.”

As I stepped back, I flinched when my back hit a cold wall.

There was nowhere left to run.

“And why are you using formal speech?”

“W-Well… our statuses are different now, and you have a noble title…”

At that moment, Dante cupped my cheek and held my gaze firmly.

“So what’s changed? Between you and me?”

In his blue eyes, I saw anger burning. <<less

(Here we have a reader hopelessly obsessed with a second male lead.)... more>>

“This can’t be happening.”

My hands trembled as I clutched my phone.

My favorite romance-fantasy novel, "The Curly-Haired Grand Duchess," which had me laughing and crying for the past year, had just ended.

And with it, the death of my beloved character—the tragic second male lead,

Sion Luxior.

“This just can’t be real…!!!”

I was bawling my eyes out over how pitiful my favorite was—dying all alone after silently pining away in unrequited love.

Ding-

[Congratulations, dear reader Kim Lin! ^0^/

You’ve been selected for “Become Your Bias’s Devotion Fairy!”

A legendary event for true fans who care more about their favorite character’s life than their own!

Would you like to participate?]

And just like that, overnight, I found myself possessed by my favorite character’s “Devotion Fairy.” I made a decision.

Ding-

[Devotion Goal: Make sure your favorite, Sion Luxior, finds love and happiness!]

“…Alright dumbass. It’s over for everyone now.”

Until this ridiculous possession ends, I’ll complete all the fangirling I never got to do in real life.

***

So I went all in, doing everything I could to bring my favorite love and happiness (a.k.a. completely wrecking the original plot)…

But at some point, things started to go… strangely off-script?

Like—

“You must be mistaken. Stop clinging to me.”

My favorite treating the original female lead like some random roadside weed.

“Lin, why do you keep worrying about him?”

My favorite randomly getting jealous over the main lead.

“Don’t sit on anyone else’s shoulder but mine.”

…And now he’s weirdly obsessed with me?

I, Lin, the Devotion Fairy…

…Am I really doing this right? <<less

Se-bin Lee, a small citizen, died when her company collapsed while she was working overtime alone. ... more>>

But, did she possess a supporting character in the novel? For a moment she was happy to have a second life.

‘Why am I the villain!’ This time, I was in danger of dying again. There is absolutely no execution ending!

I hate it more, more, more than a building collapsing! “Starting today, my dream is to live long and healthy in this mansion!” However…

“Selenea, you are a daughter worthy of me.” I just asked him to take care of the employee’s welfare, but the dark father became kind and said, “Even though she is unlucky, Selenea is definitely strong, isn’t she?”

“No matter what happens to the destruction of the empire, I will protect it!” I even made friends(?) that I didn’t have in my previous life. Is that all?

Living as an unemployed person with a lot of money, I tried to see the relationships between the original characters.

“There was a time when I was even jealous of your maid. Make your bed, wash your feet... At the very least, I would have been able to do it with great joy.”

“You, you… Do you really like me?!”

“I will keep trying, Selenea. Until you look straight at me.”

Weren’t you originally a nonchalant male lead? Why do unplanned things keep happening? Look, I just wanted to live longer! <<less

“Someday, I will kill you.”... more>>

“Okay. Do it then.”

A life lived to die by Isaac’s hands.

However, something went wrong.

When faced with death at his hands, time rewinds.

“If it’s useless to kill me…”

Repeated regression.

In this tiresome cycle, Arietta makes a decision.

“It won’t work. I’ll just have to die on my own.”

For the happy future of her beloved Darling! <<less

Theodore Valencia.... more>>

The moment our eyes met, I felt a strong urge to do anything for that child.

The child would always hide and cry, so I wanted to make him smile.

He said he wanted nothing, so I gave him everything I could.

People said it would be hard to marry the boy because I had nothing to my name,

so I went to war, earned merits, and became a hero.

Looking at the despondent boy, Leiana made a vow.

She would make that boy smile, no matter what.

But tragically, in the last war, despite promising to return alive,

I ended up dying irresponsibly.

* * *

After my death, I opened my eyes in another person’s body. It was all so absurd.

Coming back to life was shocking enough, but the family of this body seemed hell-bent on killing me.

And if I were to choose the most absurd thing, it would be this woman’s name.

Theia Valencia.

Not only had I awakened 15 years after my death,

but I had also somehow become the wife of my young fiancé. <<less

Lady Natalie, a typical daughter of a baron, is in her third year of debut in high society.... more>>

In other words, if she doesn’t get married this season, she’ll be stamped as a “failed spinster”!

Natalie is determined to find a suitable groom, but instead of marriage, she ends up being scandalized for her secret activities as a “sensual novel” writer.

Three years later,

Natalie attends a peculiar masquerade ball and overhears the prince’s secret plan.

He says to her,

“The more I think about it, the more I realize that there is no woman who could be my bride except for you. What do you think about marrying me?”

Let’s get married and get divorced.

“You must not have met any man like me, either.”

Something must be wrong with the prince.

Natalie thinks the prince is crazy. <<less

“The Duke seems to truly adore you, Madam. I’ve never seen him make that kind of expression before!”... more>>

Kaiden? Loving me? That can’t be right.

Ours is just a contract marriage. Nothing more.

“These days, the Duke comes home early all because of you, Madam.”

“Honestly, I can’t blame him. If a wife as adorable as you—a real bunny—was waiting for me at home, I’d rush back too.”

They only said that because they didn’t know the truth behind our arrangement.

I joined hands with him to escape the Emperor, and he needed me to protect the North.

I simply believed he was treating me with the proper respect due to a wife.

“Don’t just sit there watching. Eat something. You’ve barely touched your plate.”

“You really need to put on some weight.”

“No more talking—open up. And don’t even think of leaving my side until you finish everything.”

But… why does it feel like he’s only ever this kind to me? <<less

“I need money.”... more>>

Her family went bankrupt and was completely ruined.

She went to the residence of the blind Duke, the male protagonist in the novel, desperate for money.

“How is life at the Duke’s castle?”

“I am living very comfortably, thanks to the great consideration of His Excellency the Duke.”

“You think it’s nice living here? Then, let’s get engaged.”

Now, what does liking living in the Duke’s residence have to do with getting engaged??

“Congratulations. Now you’ll be able to continue living in a place you like.”

“Could I possibly have the right to refuse, by any chance?”

Marin asked cautiously, with trembling eyes.

I hope I do. Please. <<less

The Cellie ducal family, known to take innocent lives at the Emperor’s command.... more>>

Hartbisa Cellie, the Radiant Lady of the Dark Family, a delicate young woman who stands out in the Cellie family.

“I’ll take care of the family, so you just focus on your behavior there. ”

Forced into marriage by her aunt, she returned only to hear news of her family’s extinction.

At the end of a dark and lonely life, Hartbisa miraculously travels back in time to before her marriage.

‘This time, I won’t be pushed around. I’ll live life on my own terms!’

To achieve this, she must first rescue her family from her aunt’s clutches.

“I think I have pretty eyes like Dad. Thank you for giving birth to me so beautifully.”

“If you’re unsure about something, don’t suffer alone. Come to your brother anytime.”

With her eloquence refined in her previous life, she even succeeded in healing relationships with her aloof father and th**ny younger brother. She thought she could now live a tranquil new life, but…

[If anyone dares to covet my daughter, I’ll wipe out their entire family line.]

[Sister is so naive, how will she survive in this harsh world? I have no choice but to protect her.]

As if it wasn’t enough that she began hearing the inner thoughts of those around her.

[Hasa, you can hear my thoughts now, can’t you?]

“……”

[Don’t feign ignorance. If you keep pretending, shall I take matters into my own hands again?]

She found herself entangled with the Grand Duke’s son, a character who never even appeared in the original story. <<less

Make a contract, come out.”... more>>

Adele, the troublemaker of the Marquis of Merryweather, receives a surprise offer from her genius cousin Clara—a girl who overthrew her own father and rose to power!

“Be my legal guardian.”

Why? Because minors can't inherit titles without one. But Adele, craving freedom and peace, says:

“I want to live without Merryweather.”

She’s ready to walk away... until her hidden power awakens.

“You saw something, with those eyes.”

Suddenly, she learns a dangerous secret—someone’s out to take Clara’s life! With no other choice, Adele flips the script:

“Marquis, make me your legal guardian.”

“Then, on the day I become an adult, you must leave the mansion.”

And just like that, a fake sister contract is born.

But the drama doesn’t end there…

Enter the Duke of Winchester — handsome and calculating, with yet another unexpected proposal:

“I’m so relieved that so many people are worried about and supporting my precious fiancée.”

Wait—fake sister… now fake fiancée?!

Will Adele survive this wild web of contracts, secrets, and unexpected romance?

Dive into a dazzling tale of loyalty, lies, and the unexpected price of freedom! <<less

On the way to the youngest sibling’s academy entrance ceremony, a carriage accident kills all the older siblings. What is the appropriate action for the lone surviving sibling to take?... more>>

1. Cry their eyes out.

2. Build a grave.

The correct answer is…

‘3. Bring them back as zombies.’

* * *

“To put it simply, your current state is… kind of like a zombie.”

It was, quite literally, a bombshell.

“…A zombie?”

“Yeah.”

“You mean, like, Grrraaaghh, biting people and… spreading infection when you bite someone?”

“They’re more zombie-like than actual zombies.”

At my gentle explanation, Yullia was struck speechless. Understandable, really.

It was already ridiculous enough that she’d died and come back to life after the carriage overturned. But now she was being told she was a zombie?

No—not even a zombie, but something zombie-like?

“I didn’t have a choice. It would’ve been better if I could’ve asked for your consent, but you were all already dead. I’m sorry for turning you into zombies without permission.”

“That’s not even the problem here!”

* * *

I had no other choice. I had the power to bring them back.

The problem was, necromancers were enemies of the entire continent—and if discovered, everyone connected to one would be sentenced to death.

“As long as no one finds out, it’ll be fine!”

…Or so I thought.

“You have the ability to sense necromancy, don’t you?”

Says the crown prince, who asks for help in hunting necromancers.

“You keep avoiding me. Like you’re hiding something.”

Says the too-smooth saint who keeps getting closer and closer to me.

“How did you do it? I definitely killed them all.”

Says a mysterious, suspicious man who has no business being this unsettling.

Can I please just live quietly like a mouse?! <<less

I possessed an extra rabbit in a Rofan novel, so I decided to be the guardian of ‘Kyle Roden’, a black hearted man abandoned in the polar region.... more>>

Kyle tried to kill the male lead who took away the female lead he loved.

He was a wolf banished to the polar region and was the villain of the original novel.

“I’ll give you whatever you want, so take me home with you.”

However, when he went to the female lead, he was abandoned and eventually died at the hands of the male lead.

I couldn’t let my favorite end up like that.

“I will be your guardian, so come with me instead.”

I honestly didn’t intend to be the lover of Kyle.

It’s just about opening his eyes to the presence of other people not just the female protagonist.

The goal was to make him let go of his obsession with the female lead and deviate from the original ending.

But despite all my efforts, I couldn’t change his mind.

In the end, I gave up and tried to leave his side..

“You’re leaving me?”

There was something strange about Kyle’s appearance when he came to see me. He stood in front of me and spoke with cool eyes shining.

“You can’t lure someone and then get rid of them like this.” <<less

Kata, once the subject of widespread public expectation, was now more famous as a fallen genius.... more>>

"If you're even a minute late, the entire rookie class will be summoned because of you."

From the very first day, life in the Knights' Order, where he had clearly been marked, was nothing but difficult.

"You're no hero, or anything of the sort anymore."

Xenon, who had once been a close friend, seemed to offer nothing but harsh words every time they met.

"Don't delude yourself into thinking people will be kind to you. Know your place."

"Yeah, thanks for your concern!"

"......."

Of course, Kata was far too spirited to be discouraged by such things. <<less

She fell in love with an immature young master. She, a commoner, with a young master from an aristocratic family that she shouldn’t have coveted recklessly.... more>>

Due to him being from an outstanding family, Yulia was killed at the hands of assassins sent by the marquis family, but it’s strange. She clearly met her death but her life didn’t end.

"Thank you for saving me." The beginning was always the same. While being chased by assassins, she was rescued by the one called the Wolf of the Empire. Then, she died. Again and again.

After experiencing death eight times, Yulia finally realized. The fact that she wouldn’t be able to enjoy the rest provided by death as long as she didn’t put an end to the outstanding family who ordered to kill her.

As a result, in her ninth life, Yulia decided to become a maid at the royal palace. In order to obtain the highest position one could rise to as a commoner.

"What is the reason you wish to become a royal maid?"

"To cut off the head of Marjoram with the hands of the royal family."

Will this life’s revenge be successful? <<less

"What kind of person was your husband?"... more>>

A genius pianist with strikingly handsome looks, a mysterious third-generation chaebol, an artist with sharp yet delicate expressiveness.

People called him by many names.

But to me, he was nothing more than an escape—a refuge from the stifling clutches of my oppressive family.

His life was so scandal-free that rumors once circulated he might actually be impotent.

One year after our sensational marriage.

"After the concert, can we talk for a moment? It won’t take long."

I already knew what he was going to say.

He wanted a divorce.

Thanks to a slip-up by his manager, I found out he’d booked a plane ticket and even bought a diamond ring.

If either party wanted it, the marriage could be dissolved immediately without any questions.

It was one of the terms of our contract marriage.

I had no intention of going against it.

The only thing that crossed my mind was how early it was, earlier than I’d expected.

And that night, on his way home, my husband died.

Was it fortunate or unfortunate?

Everything he had became mine.

Naturally, the public turned its attention back to his death.

"They say the wife killed him for the inheritance."

As I lived each day under the weight of suspicion,

a young man approached me, suggesting I write a book about him.

And then, my dead husband came knocking at the front door.

Completely transformed into someone else.

It wasn’t until my husband died that love truly began. <<less

Karina never expected to find herself inside the pages of a novel—especially as a villainess destined for ruin.... more>>

But that won’t keep her down!

Taking charge of her new life as an S-class guide, she strikes a risky bargain with Duke Robert Apharantes: her blood to heal his powerful but tormented son, Hedonia, in exchange for security and a mansion on a private island to call her own.

Determined not to overstep her precarious role, Karina sets out to help Hedonia, whose painful awakening could either make or break his future. Yet, things quickly spiral beyond her control when Hedonia offers her more than just his desire for revenge.

Thrust into a delicate balance between trust, survival, and loyalty, Karina must navigate the intrigues of noble houses, dangerous dungeons filled with menacing creatures, and the expectations placed upon her as Hedonia’s “substitute.”

Will Karina remain merely a substitute in someone else’s story—or will she rewrite her fate, claiming a destiny far more comforting than the one written for her? <<less

Ten years ago, Yoon Seo saved the world under the name Seo Chaeyoon, but now lives as an anonymous hunter.... more>>

He plans to die immediately after fulfilling all the last wishes of his deceased comrades, but these wishes, like “3 million squats,” “catching ten 9-kg sea breams,” and “baking 10,000 chocolate crack cookies,” are making it very difficult for him to commit su*cide.

One day, Seok-yeong, a world-renowned large guild, merges with Yoon Seo’s guild and forms a team with several hunters.

Kwon Ji-han, the world’s top hunter whom Yoon Seo meets in the team, immediately recognizes that Yoon Seo is special and approaches him.

Although Yoon Seo initially dislikes Kwon Ji-han due to his arrogant first impression, he soon realizes that Kwon Ji-han is a righteous and good person.

Yoon Seo, who abandoned justice long ago, feels frustrated and depressed when he sees Kwon Ji-han.

The past from ten years ago keeps resurfacing.

Kwon Ji-han keeps catching his eye.

Will Yoon Seo be able to fulfill the last wishes and die peacefully? <<less

I was South Korea's top assassin, but I was betrayed by the only person I trusted and died. In my next life, I hoped to trust no one and live a life unrelated to assassination.... more>>

"Wa?!"

Suddenly, I was reincarnated as a baby princess in the Joseon era?!

"Turn her over quickly!"
"Babies often die just from being laid on their stomachs. We don't even need to intervene."

And right from birth, I faced assassination threats as the "abandoned princess"!

"I don't want to be assassinated again this time!"

I must somehow gain strength and survive in the palace! I only tried desperately to stay alive.

"Seeing how clever you've grown, I believe you could become a great..."
"?"
"...general."

Even the merciless king, who killed his siblings to ascend the throne, thought so.

"Is it true that all you want is to live like a decent human being, not gold bars or power?"

My eldest brother, who is rigid and only recites Confucian teachings.

"Choose. Who do you prefer, me or our elder brother?"

My second brother, a psycho who played with me like a toy. All of them...

"Live. I will surely show you the world you dream of."
"Even if I can't continue writing?"
"It's fine."
"Even if I remain an unnamed abandoned royal?"
"Yes."

They all wish for me to live well. As if they were my real family.

'I decided never to trust anyone again.'

...My heart keeps fluttering.

But soon, I realized.
This place is actually the world of a novel I read in my previous life.

"Huh? I die when I turn ten?"

I am destined to die soon as an extra!
Can I survive in this bloodthirsty palace? <<less

Her mother was the only missing daughter of the Grand Duke of the Empire.... more>>

But when the Duke found her, she had already passed away.
All that remained was me, who had been left unattended for 14 years.

“I’m sorry, sir. Cornelia Crichton is dead.”

“Hey, what the hell is this? Cornelia is dead?”

I thought it would be revenge for her to disappear quietly without revealing my identity.

But before I could leave, I was killed.

It was right after she found out that it was her uncle who manipulated her mother into dying in agony.

‘This kid is a huge hindrance to my control of this mansion. Just die quietly.’

***

I wish I had died like that, but for some reason, I went back to when I was nine when my mother was still alive.

So that’s why I…

“There is someone in this mansion who stole letters from Mom.”

The 2nd round of her life.

She was determined to protect her mother and rescue her poor grandfather. Then-

“Baby, I bought a gold mine for you. All the gold from there will be used for you.”

Archduke Crichton, eager to buy anything,

“Baby, if the crown prince behaves rudely, tell me.”

“You’re my little sister from now on.”

A friendly uncle came with a cousin. That was not enough

I just wanted to protect my mother and live happily, but even the unplanned mercenary king came to me saying he would repay the favor? <<less