“So maybe he wanted his life to be filled with your life.”
“Uh…”
Baek Woojin gave me more explanation since I couldn’t understand well, but I still couldn’t fully comprehend it in the end. Then he smiled slightly and put the hair dryer back in its place.
“There’s a guest room at the end of the hallway, you can use it with Hyeol. There’s only one bed, but it’s big enough for two people.”
“Ah, yes…!”
I answered, startled as if I had woken up from a dream.
“…Thank you so much for listening to my story.”
I think this was the first time I had such a long conversation with Baek Woojin… Strangely, I already felt comfortable with him. Was that because he had a profession dealing with and treating many people? Even if it wasn’t just his profession, Baek Woojin seemed like a person with many things to learn from.
“Ah, and Woojin-ssi.”
I glanced outside the slightly open door, then whispered in Baek Woojin’s ear.
“Just in case… please don’t tell Hyeol about this story… If I tell him his dad is a possessed person, he might be greatly shocked.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
Baek Woojin, who spoke briefly, stepped back from me and headed toward the door.
“I’ll bring some medicine for your wounds.”
“Yes, yes, thank you so much…!”
When I answered with a bright smile, Baek Woojin approached me again, ruffled my hair once, and then left the dressing room.
*
“Ugh…”
It was the next morning. I couldn’t get up at all. My mind had awakened from sleep, but my whole body was as heavy as lead.
Rustle, rustle.
As I lay there unable to move, groaning, I heard bustling sounds near my ear. Only then did I open my eyes wide in surprise.
“Oh?”
Next to the bed, Hyeol was packing something from his kindergarten bag.
“Hyeol-ah, when did you wake up…?”
“A long time ago.”
Hyeol, who answered briefly, zipped up his bag and slung it firmly over his shoulder. As if he had really gotten up early to pack, Hyeol was already neatly dressed in his kindergarten uniform.
“Ah, that’s right…! Hyeol’s kindergarten…!”
I might not know about other things, but as a dad, I should take care of him going to kindergarten…!
With that thought, I bolted upright from my spot, but instantly felt dizzy and flopped back down on the bed. My whole body was heavier than I thought, to the point where it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, and my arms and legs hurt.
It seemed like I had developed muscle pain from the series of events I experienced yesterday. Right, no matter what, after experiencing all that in just one day, there’s no way my body would be fine… Especially if it’s Chae Seungyeon’s weak body, it would be even more so.
I realized once again that the owner of this body was Chae Seungyeon.
“You’re sick, so stay lying down.”
Hyeol also seemed to fully understand my condition as he pulled the blanket up to cover me to my chest.
“No… even so, when my son is going to kindergarten, I should take care of…”
I tried to move my waist to somehow get up again.
“I packed everything.”
“Gasp, did Hyeol pack everything by himself?”
“No, daddy’s friend helped me.”
Hyeol spoke bluntly and turned his head toward the half-open door. Kkotsu, who had been secretly peeking through the gap, was startled and hid. Just watching made me burst into laughter.
“Kkotsu-ya, did you sleep well?”
When I called softly, the door creaked open slightly and Baek Woojin appeared.
“You’re awake.”
“Oh, yes, I’m sorry. I think I woke up too late…”
“It’s not even 8 o’clock yet.”
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like I had overslept.
Phew, after sighing, I immediately tried to get up from bed. That’s when Baek Woojin stopped me.
“It seems like you’ve overexerted your body… Stay home, I’ll take Hyeol to kindergarten properly.”
“But…”
“It’s okay, the driver ajusshi will come.”
Just as I was about to decline Baek Woojin’s kindness, Hyeol spoke while hanging his kids’ phone around his neck.
“Driver ajusshi…?”
“I called grandma earlier. It seems like it’s too far from here to kindergarten. Also, it doesn’t seem like I’m the only one who goes to kindergarten…”
Glance. Hyeol turned his gaze toward outside the door again. Kkotsu wasn’t peeking like before, but as a sign that he was hiding, only one leg was visible above the threshold. Cutely, the socks he was wearing had rabbit faces drawn on them.
“Hyeol-ah, did grandma… say anything else…?”
It was natural to be worried. She was someone who would cause such a ruckus without thinking.
“She didn’t say anything else, but she was crying a bit.”
“……”
I was worried that she might harm Hyeol because of yesterday’s incident, but fortunately her love for her grandson remained unchanged, which was a relief.
“Ah, and she told us to bring my stuff and daddy’s stuff.”
“Stuff?”
“Yes, we’re going to stay here continuously, right?”
“……”
That’s not… the case though…
“Haha, there probably won’t be that much stuff…”
I felt embarrassed and gave Baek Woojin an awkward smile.
“It’s fine, there’s also a separate storage room.”
“Ah, no… First, Hyeol… ugh.”
As soon as I hurriedly tried to get up and put my feet on the floor, my legs started throbbing with pain.
“Are you alright?”
Baek Woojin grabbed my hand to support me. I wouldn’t have fallen, but I was more flustered by his overly quick reaction.
“Dad.”
That’s when it happened. Hyeol, who was next to me, called out to me and then grabbed my shoulders, pushing me down onto the bed. With a soft thud, Hyeol laid me down on the bed and pulled the blanket up to cover me to my chest.
“Sleep more.”
“Huh? Uh…?”
Pat pat. Then, placing his tiny hands like fern fronds on my chest, he patted me gently and said,
“I like it best when Dad is sleeping.”
“Is… is that so…?”
“Yes, because I haven’t really seen you sleeping much.”
“……”
I wondered how little sleep Chae Seungyeon must have gotten for his son to say he liked seeing him sleep. I felt a pang of sadness again.
‘Perhaps your life wasn’t the life Chae Seungyeon-ssi wanted?’
I naturally recalled what Baek Woojin had said to me last night.
What kind of life did Chae Seungyeon really want? The life I had lived wasn’t particularly good either—it was utterly ordinary. Had he wanted an ordinary life, just as Baek Woojin said?
Then whose life should I, who had possessed Chae Seungyeon’s body, be living? Rather than constantly looking back at Chae Seungyeon’s past, was it okay to steadfastly change it to my own life?
‘That’s why he might have wanted you to fill his life with your own life.’
I felt like I could finally understand a little of what Baek Woojin had said.
“Hyeol… Dad is…”
I removed Hyeol’s patting hand and got up from my position. My body still ached, but it was bearable.
“Chae Seungyeon-ssi…?”
Baek Woojin, who had been watching, looked at me with a worried expression.
“I’ve made up my mind!”
I shouted confidently.
If Chae Seungyeon wants it, I’ll live my life! Of course, I haven’t actually started working officially as a kindergarten teacher in the real world yet, but checking on his son’s kindergarten situation is a parent’s duty! It’s what a prospective kindergarten teacher should do!
“Hyeol! Even if Dad doesn’t know about other things, I’ll make sure to take you to kindergarten without fail!”
At my spirited cry, Kkotsu, who had apparently entered the room at some point, was startled and fell backward with a thud.
*
We were on our way to Hyeol and Kkotsu’s kindergarten in Baek Woojin’s car. When I was busily washing up and getting ready, I thought I could handle it well enough… but it seems it wasn’t just muscle pain—my body felt particularly chilly.
“If you’re having a hard time, let’s stop by the hospital first.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
