Ha Jun-seo held Kim Min-seok in silence for a long time. He didn’t offer any words of comfort, but the warmth of his embrace and the gentle strokes of his hand were enough to gradually calm the turmoil inside.
“If my body is really dead… then where is the real Seo Ha-yoon?”
Kim Min-seok voiced the sudden question that had popped into his mind—and immediately flinched. He had taken over Seo Ha-yoon’s body. If his own body was dead, then Seo Ha-yoon’s soul had nowhere to go. Could it be… that Seo Ha-yoon was already gone?
“I—I’m sorry.”
The thought alone made him blurt out an apology. He felt guilty for even considering something so horrifying, especially in front of Ha Jun-seo, who loved Seo Ha-yoon.
“Should we go check?”
Ha Jun-seo suddenly suggested. When Kim Min-seok pulled away from his embrace and met his gaze, Ha Jun-seo was looking at him with a curious smile.
“The goshiwon where Kim Min-seok lived. Let’s go take a look.”
His heart dropped.
Seeing Kim Min-seok alive scared him. Seeing Kim Min-seok dead scared him even more. He knew he had to confirm the truth at some point, but the thought of going there right now filled him with dread.
“I have to… go to the hospital today…”
Kim Min-seok mumbled, as if making an excuse to himself.
Ha Jun-seo dismissed it casually.
“It’s almost lunchtime anyway, so you wouldn’t be able to see a doctor. You’ll have to wait for the afternoon session. We can check it out in the meantime—it’s not even that far.”
Kim Min-seok couldn’t come up with a reason to argue. He hesitated for a moment before finally nodding heavily.
“Alright.”
Yeah, he had to check sooner or later. It was better to face reality head-on rather than be consumed by endless fear and uncertainty. The sooner, the better—like ripping off a bandage.
“Well then, since we’re already talking about it, let’s head out now.”
Ha Jun-seo spoke cheerfully and got up from his seat. Kim Min-seok let out a heavy sigh internally before slowly following suit.
As they walked toward the front door side by side, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“What’s wrong?”
Ha Jun-seo turned back to look at him. Kim Min-seok held up his phone.
“I should let Choi Sang-hyuk know first. Just in case. If he follows me around again like yesterday, that’ll be a problem.”
“Ah, right. Can’t forget about the guard dog.”
Ha Jun-seo’s voice carried a clear trace of displeasure toward Choi Sang-hyuk, but Kim Min-seok pretended not to notice and typed out a message.
[Heading out for a bit to check on something. I’ll stop by the hospital while I’m out, so don’t worry.]
After sending the text, he slipped his phone back into his pocket. This time, without hesitation, he followed Ha Jun-seo out the door.
***
Ha Jun-seo approached a car in the parking lot, but it wasn’t the Porsche. It was a white Maserati.
“You changed cars?”
“Oh, the Porsche? Choi Sang-hyuk dented it, so I sent it in for repairs.”
At that, Kim Min-seok recalled the Porsche trunk he had seen yesterday—completely caved in.
“Wait… don’t tell me you bought a new one?”
“No. How would a new car be ready in just a day? This was always mine.”
“You have two cars?”
Forgetting his earlier heavy mood, Kim Min-seok’s eyes widened in shock. Owning just one luxury car was already unimaginable, but two? Rich people really lived in a different world.
Ha Jun-seo chuckled, amused by his reaction.
“Ah, seriously. You’re so cute.”
He ruffled Kim Min-seok’s hair before opening the passenger door for him.
These days, foreign cars were everywhere—Mercedes-Benz and BMWs were practically considered the Hyundai Sonatas of Gangnam. But for regular people, imported cars were still nothing more than an unattainable dream.
“I never thought I’d get to ride in a Maserati.”
Kim Min-seok looked around the interior, slightly excited. Ha Jun-seo smiled faintly as he started the engine.
The car set off toward Noryangjin. Once Kim Min-seok finished marveling at the vehicle, the weight in his chest returned. His fingers fidgeted restlessly.
What should he do if he found his body—alive and moving? And if it was dead… then what?
His mind was a mess, tangled up in those two terrifying possibilities. As if sensing his distress, Ha Jun-seo remained uncharacteristically silent, not attempting to start a conversation.
Part of him wished they would arrive quickly so he could get this over with. Another part desperately wanted to delay facing reality, even for a few more minutes.
While he battled with his thoughts, the car steadily made its way through the streets, finally entering Noryangjin.
“Where is it?”
Ha Jun-seo asked.
Kim Min-seok opened his mouth to answer—then blinked in confusion.
“Uh…”
A dazed sound escaped him, making Ha Jun-seo glance at him curiously.
“Ha-yoon?”
Sensing something was off, Ha Jun-seo pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to him. Kim Min-seok kept blinking, his mind frantically scrambling like a tangled mess of threads.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember where his goshiwon was.
“What’s the name of the place?”
Ha Jun-seo opened the navigation app on his phone as he asked.
Kim Min-seok swallowed hard. Then, slowly, he answered.
“…I don’t know.”
“What?”
“I… I can’t remember.”
Ha Jun-seo’s expression shifted into something strange. Kim Min-seok figured his own face must have looked just as bewildered.
“If you don’t remember the name, do you at least remember the general location?”
“No. I don’t. It’s in Noryangjin… I know it’s a goshiwon in Noryangjin… but suddenly, I can’t remember the name or where it is.”
Kim Min-seok felt as if he had been possessed by a ghost.
A heavy silence filled the car. He stared at the bustling streets of Noryangjin through confused eyes, desperately searching for something—anything—that looked familiar. But no matter how hard he tried, nothing triggered recognition.
“Why can’t I remember? No, why didn’t I even realize I wasn’t remembering?”
His voice trembled as he muttered to himself.
“Ha-yoon…”
Perhaps sensing his growing instability, Ha Jun-seo quietly reached over and clasped his hands.
“I… I am Kim Min-seok. I am the real Kim Min-seok. But I don’t remember where I live. I can’t even recall the name of my goshiwon. Why is this happening to me? Is it because I’ve been in Seo Ha-yoon’s body too long? Is my memory… disappearing?”
“Ha-yoon.”
Ha Jun-seo’s voice was calm, steady. But it barely registered in Kim Min-seok’s ears.
“If that’s the case… then what do I do? If I lose everything, if I forget who I am completely… what happens to me? Does Kim Min-seok just… cease to exist?”
His body began to tremble violently. Cold sweat beaded on his back, and his breath caught in his throat. It felt like plummeting from a cliff into a bottomless void.
Before he knew it, he was gasping for air, his chest heaving erratically.
“Calm down. You’re having a panic attack.” Ha Jun-seo’s voice remained composed as he rubbed his back gently. “Breathe in slowly… now exhale… That’s it. Just like that.”
Kim Min-seok clung to the sound of his voice, to the steady motion of his hand grounding him. He focused, inhaling and exhaling at Ha Jun-seo’s guidance. After what felt like an eternity, the tight grip on his lungs began to loosen. The trembling in his limbs gradually subsided.
Ha Jun-seo remained patient, whispering reassurances until Kim Min-seok had fully regained his composure.
“Should we find a café? Get something warm to drink?”
“…Yeah.”
It took a long moment, but Kim Min-seok finally managed a small nod. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, “But… not here.”
“Alright. Let’s get out of Noryangjin first.”
Reading his desire to escape this place, Ha Jun-seo started the car.
The vehicle made a smooth U-turn, leaving Noryangjin behind as it sped away.
***
After spending some time at the café, Kim Min-seok managed to convince Ha Jun-seo to leave first. Once he was alone, he searched for a nearby psychiatric clinic near the apartment. Initially, he had planned to return to the large hospital where he had been discharged, but since his real body wasn’t there, there was no reason to go back.
Honestly, he hadn’t thought visiting a hospital was necessary. Others might assume he had amnesia or dissociative disorder, but he knew the truth—his body had simply been switched. However, after what had happened in Noryangjin, his thoughts changed. Something was definitely wrong with him.
After taking a taxi, Kim Min-seok stood in front of the hospital sign for a long time, staring up at it. He tried multiple times to step inside, but his feet refused to move. What exactly was he supposed to say once he got in? If he told them everything, just as he had with Ha Jun-seo, what would the doctor say? How would he react if he heard such a story from someone else?
After standing there for what felt like forever, staring at the hospital sign, Kim Min-seok eventually turned around. Slowly, he began trudging toward a nearby apartment complex.
Thinking back, Ha Jun-seo was strange for taking his story seriously. No—he was incredible. If someone had told Kim Min-seok the same thing, he would have immediately told them to go see a doctor.
If they hadn’t already done an MRI scan, he would’ve told them to get one immediately. There was no other logical explanation for his memories disappearing unless there was something wrong with his brain.
Now, the only proof of his existence was his old phone. The fact that his calls connected meant that Kim Min-seok still existed. And since the phone remained on, someone had to be keeping it charged.
[This is Kim Min-seok. If you have this phone, please contact me.]
Kim Min-seok stopped for a moment and sent another text. Then, he resumed walking.
The distance seemed short on the map, but walking took much longer than expected. Still, there was no rush to get back to the apartment, and he didn’t want to sit around doing nothing at home, so he kept going.
Eventually, the apartment complex came into view.
Looking up at Seo Ha-yoon’s home, his thoughts became even more tangled.
Just as he was about to step through the entrance—
“Ha-yoon?!”
