How the hell would I know something like that?
“I don’t know.”
“You really don’t know?”
“I don’t. I told you already. I’m not the real Yeon Yu-jin. Everything that happened before I woke up in his body at the hospital—none of it is my memory. So there’s no way I’d know.”
I could’ve made something up—spouted any answer just to get out of it. But I didn’t.
The Secreti members wanted the truth.
And if that’s what they wanted, then it was only right that I give it to them. That’s what an adult should do.
Ra Ho-yeon mumbled with his head bowed.
“…You don’t know…”
“That’s right. I don’t. So can you just untie me alrea—”
“No.”
“And why the hell not?”
“Because I still can’t believe you’re not Yeon Yu-jin. I need to make sure. Whether you really are someone else… or whether Yeon Yu-jin’s just having some kind of severe mental breakdown.”
His eyes were red and swollen, like one poke would make them start bleeding.
Seeing that made my stomach twist—but I pushed it down and gave in.
“Do whatever you want.”
Test me all you like, until you’re satisfied.
As if that would change anything. Death is death. There’s no bringing back someone who’s completely gone.
***
The Secreti members unloaded a barrage of questions on me.
Most of them had to do with the messes Yeon Yu-jin had caused, or conflicts between him and the other members.
Sharp, sensitive questions. Things I wasn’t even sure I should be hearing.
Only the real Yeon Yu-jin could answer them—so I kept giving the same response.
“I don’t know.”
“I said I don’t know.”
“How the hell would I know that?”
“Isn’t it about time you accepted it? Now let me the hell out of these chains.”
I didn’t even have the energy to lie.
With each “I don’t know,” their expressions crumbled further.
They’d clearly been hoping—maybe just once—I’d say something that sounded like Yeon Yu-jin. But I couldn’t.
By the time the final question came and went, all of them were sitting down… crying.
Why are they crying?
Wasn’t Yeon Yu-jin the one they hated the most?
So why now, were they crying for him?
Did it feel the same way Je-ha felt when he lost me?
Regret, guilt, a choking sadness at not being able to protect someone. That bitter, lingering aftertaste.
Or maybe it was sorrow for having treated him coldly while he was still alive.
That aching, helpless grief that hits when someone you knew—however distantly—dies.
“…So he really is gone.”
Ra Ho-yeon’s voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s whisper.
“He’s really… not in this world anymore.”
The others wiped their tears with blank, vacant expressions.
I didn’t get it.
“Why cry? You hated him. You resented him.”
Didn’t they all wish he’d just disappear?
To my surprise, it was Seo Yoon-chae who sniffled and answered.
“…Still. It’s not like we ever wanted him dead. He was… part of our team.”
“……”
“Even if it’s someone you only know in passing… when they die, it sends a chill down your spine. No matter how much you hated them, when someone you spent years practicing with—living with—dies… who wouldn’t grieve?”
Huh. Look who’s suddenly spouting sense.
“Goddamn it…”
Seo Yoon-chae broke down completely, sobbing like a broken pipe.
The irony was rich.
The one I’d assumed had looked down on Yeon Yu-jin the most… was mourning him the loudest.
The others weren’t much different.
Snot-nosed and puffy-eyed, they cried their hearts out for Yeon Yu-jin.
Meanwhile, I sat there still tied up, surrounded by their wailing, and thought: Would be nice if they untied me now.
My arms hurt. Tingling—probably poor circulation.
But I can’t exactly cut into this moment, can I?
Even if this group was formed around an idol concept, Secreti was still a unit of Espers and a Guide—a team of ability users.
They deserved time to mourn a fallen teammate in peace.
Still… my arms really hurt. Also, I kind of really needed to pee.
That’s when Potato, rolling lazily above my head, muttered smugly,
[Looks like your bladder doesn’t care about the mood.]
Shut up.
[Just tell them already. Ask to be let go. What good’s your ‘consideration’ gonna do with these baby Espers? Honestly, you should be thankful they don’t start thinking you’re some malevolent spirit who possessed Yeon Yu-jin’s corpse.]
…He’s not wrong.
Even after I told them I was Ahn Ga-hyun, the Secreti kids had all reacted like, “Who?”
Not surprising, considering the government buried all info about my death.
Still, it stung a little.
These fledgling Espers were barely more informed than the average civilian. Their knowledge of ability users was shallow.
The more I thought about it, the more it hit me—my death was just a meaningless casualty in the end. Forgotten.
And suddenly, I missed Je-ha—my old comrade who’d fought beside me on the front lines.
[That’s enough moping. Just ask already—before they decide you’re some dangerous freak and lock you up.]
Fine, fine.
Getting scolded by my own damn ability… look at me now.
I let out a long sigh, lifted my head, and spoke to the members.
“If you’re done crying, can you please untie me now? My arms hurt. And I really need to pee.”
Shin Tae-beom snapped at me with a voice sharper than I’d ever heard from him before—cold, commanding.
“And why the hell would we do that? For some imposter parading around in Yeon Yu-jin’s body?”
“……”
I have a name, you brat. It’s Ahn Ga-hyun.
These damn kids were really testing my patience—speaking to me in banmal like they were the elders here.
[Pfffft…]
Potato was laughing his nonexistent ass off above my head.
I’m seriously gonna steam this thing and eat it one day.
Grinding my teeth, I looked up—just as Cha Si-yoon glared at me with his red, swollen eyes.
“How do we know you didn’t kill Yu-jin hyung and steal his body?”
That was so ridiculous I almost burst out laughing.
“I was the one who was beyond shocked when I woke up in this body.”
“What do you—”
“Use your damn head. I was a Guide at the frontlines. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that I could pick any body I wanted to come back in. Why in the hell would I choose Yeon Yu-jin?”
“……”
They all went completely silent.
Even they couldn’t come up with a reason.
“If I had that kind of godlike power, I would’ve gone for the youngest son of a chaebol family, not some guy with no family, no friends, and zero trust from his teammates—someone who tried to suicide.”
At the word suicide, their eyes lost all light.
I’d heard it clearly when I woke up.
Yeon Yu-jin had been hospitalized after a suicide attempt.
The public report said it was a car accident, but that was a lie. He wanted to die. And in the end, he succeeded.
Otherwise, there’s no way I would’ve ended up in his body.
“God…”
Cha Si-yoon, clearly shaken, choked on his words and started crying again.
So did Shin Tae-beom and Seo Yoon-chae.
Nothing left to say, huh?
The real Yeon Yu-jin had taken his own life.
My resurrection in his body had only been possible thanks to fate—or some absurd coincidence. And… it was probably those cold, unfeeling stares from his teammates that had pushed him to the edge.
But they couldn’t say it. Couldn’t admit it—not yet.
In the somber silence, I shifted and spoke again.
“If you understand now, untie me already. I really don’t want to piss myself in front of everyone. So please, cut me loose.”
“…Why should we trust you?”
Ra Ho-yeon was the one who responded—his voice trembling, but at least somewhat composed.
‘You’ again. That dismissive tone really rubbed me the wrong way.
“That’s kind of rude. Even if I’m not really Yeon Yu-jin, the time I’ve spent with Secreti since waking up in his body still happened, didn’t it?”
“…And what’s your point?”
“My point is, whether you like it or not, you guys are my Esper partners right now. My teammates. And I don’t betray my team. If I ever did something like that… I’d rather die.”
“…Are you saying we’re your teammates?”
Ra Ho-yeon’s voice trembled again.
“If you weren’t, I would’ve left already. I’ve got an old partner who’s still alive. He’s even asked me to go back to him.”
“……”
Ra Ho-yeon went quiet.
A few minutes passed in silence before Shin Tae-beom stood and walked over.
He summoned an icy blade and slashed through the chains binding me.
“You letting me go?”
“Not yet.”
“Then what’s this?”
“…I just want to hear the real story. From you. …Guide Ahn Ga-hyun.”
