“Let me take a shower first.”
Kim Min-seok found it difficult to handle Ha Jun-seo’s gaze and affectionate touch, so he fled the room. As if running away, he entered the bathroom, turned on the shower, and stepped under the stream of hot water. The traces of last night still clinging to his body slowly washed away under the water. Standing beneath the steady flow cascading from the top of his head, Kim Min-seok let out a heavy sigh.
“I’m insane, Kim Min-seok.”
He muttered softly and roughly rubbed his face.
Sleeping with Choi Sang-hyuk last night, and just now, his heart wavering slightly under Ha Jun-seo’s gaze—both were acts of madness. This wasn’t even his body, and the affection from these two men wasn’t meant for Kim Min-seok. It all belonged to Seo Ha-yoon.
“There’s a limit to how desperate for affection you can be…”
Kim Min-seok scoffed bitterly at himself. Emotional deprivation—it was a chronic issue for children who grew up without parents. Just a little bit of warmth, and they would cling to it as if their life depended on it, getting drunk on that affection until they lost all sense of reason. Of course, he was no exception. Maybe that was why. Maybe that was why Choi Sang-hyuk and Ha Jun-seo’s attention and care felt as sweet as honey, even though none of it was truly his.
Either way, today, he had to start looking for his real body. Even if he lost Seo Ha-yoon’s body in the process, he at least needed to find out what situation his own body was in. As for what to do afterward… he could figure that out once he found it.
That was his resolve. But beneath it lurked a deep, dark unease.
What if, upon finding his body, he had no choice but to return to it automatically? What if, in an instant, he lost everything he had been enjoying until now?
‘Can I really endure the rest of my life in Kim Min-seok’s body?’
The overwhelming dread rising within him made him squeeze his eyes shut.
When he finally stepped out of the shower after a long rinse, Ha Jun-seo was sitting on the sofa, having neatly prepared some fruit. Kim Min-seok hesitated for a moment before moving to sit beside him.
“Here, have some.”
Ha Jun-seo offered. Since he had just finished a hot shower, the refreshing fruit was particularly tempting. Without hesitation, Kim Min-seok picked up a piece and started eating. Ha Jun-seo watched him with a satisfied gaze.
It seemed that he truly enjoyed taking care of Seo Ha-yoon, making sure he ate properly and looked after himself. He had said he loved Seo Ha-yoon, and from the way he acted and the way he looked at him, it was impossible to dismiss his words as empty.
‘You’re lucky, Seo Ha-yoon.’
Kim Min-seok thought to himself.
Setting aside appearance or ability, earning someone’s genuine affection and devotion was incredibly difficult. Yet Seo Ha-yoon had not just one, but two people who loved him. Kim Min-seok felt an honest pang of envy.
“What should we do for fun today?”
“Uh… I have to go to the hospital today.”
“The hospital? Are you feeling sick?”
“No. Choi Sang-hyuk told me… to see a psychiatrist.”
“…Ah…”
“He said… whether it’s amnesia or dissociative disorder, I need to get it treated. I guess he doesn’t believe me when I say our bodies have been switched.”
Kim Min-seok spoke with heavy eyes, carefully watching Ha Jun-seo’s reaction. Honestly, he didn’t expect Ha Jun-seo to believe him either.
“Hmm…”
Ha Jun-seo let out a faint sigh. He stared at Kim Min-seok for a long moment before finally speaking.
“So, what’s your real name?”
Kim Min-seok’s eyes widened.
He had told both of them multiple times already, but this was the first time someone was seriously willing to listen.
Now that he had the chance to say it, opening his mouth wasn’t so easy. A part of him wanted to hold on to Seo Ha-yoon’s life, while another part knew that returning the body to its rightful owner was the right thing to do.
Kim Min-seok licked his dry lips and finally spoke.
“I’m… Kim Min-seok. I’m twenty-two years old. And strangely enough, I have the same birthday as Seo Ha-yoon.”
“Kim Min-seok… Then, what kind of person is Kim Min-seok? Where do you live? Do you have family?”
“Kim Min-seok… I was born an orphan, so I don’t have any family. I live in a gosiwon in Noryangjin. I’ve been working part-time to make a living while trying to find a job. As for my appearance… I’m not as good-looking as Seo Ha-yoon. Just average.”
“I see. So that’s why you asked me to take you to Noryangjin that day.”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
Kim Min-seok nodded, carefully observing Ha Jun-seo’s expression. His usual smile had faded, but his face remained gentle. He couldn’t tell if Ha Jun-seo believed him or not. However, one thing was clear—Ha Jun-seo was seriously listening.
That gave him courage. Kim Min-seok continued.
“I don’t remember how I ended up in Seo Ha-yoon’s body. I just woke up in the hospital like this. Since Seo Ha-yoon was in a coma after falling from a building, I thought maybe my body had also gotten into an accident around the same time. So I wanted to check if my body was admitted to the same hospital, but…”
“But that’s when Choi Sang-hyuk and I showed up.”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
“Now that I think about it, you did ask me to check if there was a patient named Kim Min-seok at the hospital.”
“You remember that?”
Kim Min-seok’s face lit up. Ha Jun-seo smiled and nodded. Then, he said,
“I looked into it.”
The unexpected answer made Kim Min-seok’s heart plummet. The thought that he might actually learn what happened to his body sent a dark wave of fear crashing over him.
“…So? Is my body there?”
He asked cautiously.
Ha Jun-seo held his gaze for a moment before slowly shaking his head.
“No. There’s no record of him.”
“Not in the emergency room, hospitalized, or even discharged already…?”
“I checked everything. From the moment Ha-yoon was admitted to the hospital until he was discharged. At least during that period, there was no patient named Kim Min-seok.”
“…I see…”
Kim Min-seok slowly relaxed his tensed body. As the tension drained, a deep sigh escaped his lips. His thoughts were such a tangled mess that he couldn’t even tell what he was feeling anymore. Everything was just… complicated.
“Why don’t you try calling him?”
“Huh?”
“Have you tried calling Kim Min-seok’s phone?”
“I did.”
Kim Min-seok quickly nodded and added, “No one answered. So I sent a message saying I was the phone’s owner and asked them to contact me, but there’s still no reply.”
He pulled out the new phone that Choi Sang-hyuk had given him. There were no missed calls or messages. Staring at the screen, he licked his dry lips. The thought crept into his mind—what if he tried calling again now? Maybe this time, someone would pick up.
“Try calling again.”
As if reading his thoughts, Ha Jun-seo suggested it.
Kim Min-seok hesitated for a moment before pressing his original phone number in front of Ha Jun-seo. His fingers trembled slightly as he pressed the call button.
Rrrrrr
The dial tone rang. His throat felt dry.
What if someone answered with Hello? in his own voice? What should he say? How should he react? A flood of thoughts rushed through his head.
Then, Ha Jun-seo gently patted his shoulder, as if telling him to relax. Kim Min-seok took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but it didn’t help much.
In the end, nothing happened. The call went unanswered and was redirected to voicemail.
“…No one’s picking up.”
Kim Min-seok mumbled, lost in thought.
Was he… relieved right now?
“Yeah, they’re not answering. But you’re sure that’s Kim Min-seok’s number?”
Ha Jun-seo pointed at the number on the screen.
“Yeah.”
Kim Min-seok nodded, and Ha Jun-seo smiled in a way that was hard to read.
“They’re probably in a situation where they can’t answer.”
Ha Jun-seo gently ran his hand down Kim Min-seok’s back, as if trying to reassure him.
Kim Min-seok stared at his phone, lost in thought. His original plan for today had been to go to the hospital and find out where Kim Min-seok’s body was. But since the hospital had no record of him, he had hit a dead end.
Should he go to the goshiwon (a small, cheap dormitory) next? But if his body was perfectly fine and still living there, there was no reason for him to ignore his calls.
Unless…
What if Seo Ha-yoon wasn’t inside Kim Min-seok’s body?
What if Kim Min-seok’s body… was already dead?
A cold chill ran down his spine.
A vision flashed through his mind—his own body lying lifeless on the bed in his tiny goshiwon room.
Right. If it was Kim Min-seok’s body, with no one to visit or worry about him, who would even notice if he suddenly died in his sleep? Maybe the part-time job he worked at would try calling a few times, but if he didn’t answer, they’d just assume he quit and move on.
For all he knew, his body could be decomposing right now, alone on that narrow, worn-out goshiwon bed.
A shiver ran through him at the thought, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
“Ha-yoon. Ha-yoon? Are you okay?”
Ha Jun-seo wrapped an arm around his shoulders. The warmth of his touch made Kim Min-seok realize how badly he was shaking.
“What if… what if my body… What if Kim Min-seok is already dead?”
His voice trembled as he voiced his deepest fear.
Ha Jun-seo let out a quiet sigh before pulling him into a tight embrace. His arms were firm and reassuring, his hands rubbing slow, soothing circles on his back. It was so warm, so gentle.
Before he realized it, Kim Min-seok was pressing himself against that warmth, trying to steady the chaos inside him. But no matter how hard he tried, the fear refused to fade.
