14
The furniture, including the bed, looked luxurious even at first glance, and the clothes filling the closet were high-end pieces with prices difficult to estimate. The separately organized accessories were from brands I’d never even heard of—when I searched them on my phone, the prices were astronomical, and for more than half of them, I couldn’t even find prices online.
Good, very good.
I had expected this, but I was extremely satisfied with an environment that exceeded my expectations. No worries about making a living, able to have everything I needed—with all these expensive items stashed away, why had Cha Sukyung been thinking about suicide? I couldn’t understand it.
On the neatly organized desk sat several art books I didn’t recognize and a computer. Having graduated from high school recently, it seemed he had cleared everything out after securing university admission, as there were no textbooks in sight.
Where might the wallet be? He must have had it when he died, but since I didn’t remember seeing it at the hospital, someone must have put it away separately. While examining the desk, I opened the drawer and found the wallet sitting in the first one.
A glossy black leather wallet. With trembling hands, I picked it up and checked inside to find a small amount of cash, an ID card, and two credit cards.
Rich people really don’t carry cash, do they?
I took everything out of the wallet and laid it all on the desk. Setting aside the cash—less than 100,000 won—I looked down at Cha Sukyung’s ID card, which must have been made a year or two ago. Someone else’s resident registration number, someone else’s address, someone else’s birthday, someone else’s face. Everything was unfamiliar, but now I had to accept them as mine.
I put the ID and cash back in the wallet, then rolled the two remaining cards in my hand. I can use these, right? Cards I can use recklessly without worrying about paying them back. I’d have to casually ask about the credit limit later.
Is there nothing else? Physical assets are good, credit cards are good, but cash is best. I felt uneasy relying solely on credit cards, not knowing what might happen later.
I needed to check if there were stocks, land, or buildings in my name. Bank accounts too. I prayed desperately that there would be a lot of money saved in the account.
I carefully placed the two cards back in the wallet and searched the remaining drawers for anything else. The bottom drawer contained Cha Sukyung’s miscellaneous items, while the middle drawer held a notebook, a brown paper envelope, and the bankbook I’d been desperately looking for. Calming my racing heart, I opened the bankbook.
“…fuck.”
I wasn’t sure whether to consider this good or bad. The amount—just under 100 million won—would have been a large sum to the former Min Jaehee, but by the standards of the rich young master Cha Sukyung, it fell short of expectations.
It’s okay. Think positively. If something happens, I could rent a place with this money. As for buying a place… Seoul real estate is fucking expensive, so let’s not even think about it.
I tapped the desk while keeping the bankbook open.
I need to stockpile cash in case I need to run. Should I get a cash advance on the cards? If I withdraw a huge amount and put it in the bankbook, wouldn’t the rich fathers pay it back? Or should I buy valuable items with the card and then resell them for cash? But that would mean a big loss.
“Ugh.”
I groaned as my head started to hurt. No, it’s fine to think slowly. After all, I’ll be living as Cha Sukyung for the rest of my life, and nothing’s happening to this body right now.
No matter what crazy things I might do, others won’t know that I’m not Cha Sukyung. Since it’s not something that can be verified through tests, if I behave properly, I can live as Cha Sukyung without any problems for the rest of my life.
…Still, just in case, I should try to secure as much cash and assets as possible. People should always prepare for unforeseen circumstances. That’s the attitude of a forward-thinking person.
I carefully put the bankbook back in its place and took out the notebook and paper envelope that were with it. The notebook seemed to have been used as a scheduler, containing Cha Sukyung’s past schedules and short notes. Yeah, useless stuff. I could look at this when I had time without any major issues.
Finally, I held the remaining paper envelope in my hand. Could this possibly contain land or building documents? Saliva pooled in my mouth and my heart raced. I took a deep breath with a solemn mind for a moment, then opened the envelope and reached inside.
What came out of the paper envelope were only a thick stack of papers, some newspaper clippings, and several photos. I could easily guess what they were about just from the photos, without having to read the densely written text on the papers.
Photos of my real parents, family photos taken with me as a child.
I don’t know how he obtained photos I didn’t even know existed, but even if they were acquired through illegal routes, they felt like a surprise gift to me. These few photos made me happier, sadder, and more surprised than the money in his bankbook or the credit cards his parents would have given him.
Cha Sukyung. He talked as if he knew something about my parents’ accident, and it seems he even investigated my background. The paper envelope contained not just information limited to me, but also about my parents and the past accident.
My parents died in an accident when I was six years old. Being young, I went through an orphanage and then drifted into an organization, begging on the streets to survive.
The memories of my early childhood gradually faded, and all that remained was the vague memory that my parents had died in an accident.
For the first time, I learned the exact names of my parents, the date they died in the accident, confirmed my birthday which I had forgotten after being handed over to the organization, and understood why I had to go to an orphanage.
“The culprit… said they would never reveal who it was even if they died, and then just died, but at least there’s something helpful here.”
I carefully gathered the documents, newspaper clippings, and photos and put them back in the paper envelope. I thought about keeping the photos in my wallet to carry around, but since someone might find it strange if they saw them, I decided to keep them safely in the drawer.
I might lose them if I carried them around. I couldn’t get back the original photos I had since I didn’t know what happened to my belongings after I was processed as deceased at the hospital. I thought that was the end of it, but I was fortunate to have obtained these other photos at least.
I put the paper envelope back in the drawer where it belonged and closed it firmly. Surely the hired help wouldn’t clean inside desk drawers. Even if they cleaned, they wouldn’t arbitrarily take things kept in drawers. Still, I kept feeling anxious and thought I should either put a lock on the desk drawer soon or get a small personal safe.
Having finally finished exploring Cha Sukyung’s small treasure room, I straightened my hunched back. Without realizing it, I had arrived home and hadn’t even taken off my coat. I must have been deeply focused.
My neck hurts and my back is stiff. I should wash with warm water, change into comfortable clothes, and get some rest. As I was thinking this and getting up from the desk, there was a knock on the door outside.
How long had someone been outside? While tilting my head in confusion, I dutifully answered, “Yes.” The door opened gently, and one of the employees entered.
“The Gallery Director has just arrived, and the Hospital Director is expected to arrive in thirty minutes. The Gallery Director said that if you don’t have anything special to do, you should come down to the first floor reception room.”
“…He’s already back?”
“Yes, young master.”
Didn’t he just leave saying he needed to return to the art gallery? When I hurriedly checked the time on my phone, it was already past six o’clock. I had been so lost in thought that I didn’t even notice how much time had passed.
“Please tell him I’ll wash up and come down.”
“Yes, young master. Would you like me to prepare tea in advance?”
“Just leave it. We’re about to eat dinner soon, so why bother with tea. I’ll wash up and come down on my own, so don’t worry about me and go ahead.”
“Yes, young master.”
The title “young master” that followed every statement felt really strange. For some reason, it made me startle and gave me goosebumps. To say it was unfamiliar seemed wrong—it felt like a title I wouldn’t get used to even after hearing it for a year.
I grabbed clothes to change into from the closet and entered the bathroom. I put the clothes near the entrance to keep them dry and stood in front of the mirror.
I stared at the still-unfamiliar face of another person, as if trying to find Cha Sukyung who might be hiding somewhere.
He might be hiding somewhere in consciousness, holding his breath and staying still as if dead. Or maybe he’s looking down at me as a soul from above my head. Or perhaps he’s trapped in my corpse at the morgue, wailing.
“Why did you die anyway? They say even rolling in a field of dog shit is better than leaving this world. It’s your fault.”
I threw words of blame at the now non-existent Cha Sukyung. Although I hadn’t intended it, it was also an excuse for taking over Cha Sukyung’s body.
“You probably didn’t expect this situation either… but you’ll regret it. That culprit you tried so hard to hide, I’ll find them.”
The culprit wasn’t identified in the documents Cha Sukyung left in the paper envelope, but if it was someone he tried so hard to hide, it must have been someone close to Cha Sukyung. I desperately wanted to catch that damned person. I even thought that might be the reason why Cha Sukyung’s body and mine had switched.
“You should regret it. Pretending to care about me while not telling me the truth. Like you said, you’re a sinner too. …Whether you’re in heaven or hell or wandering this world, I don’t know, but look at me and regret.”
And I’ll make that damn culprit regret it too.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
