“Of course. I’m human too.”
“Then why didn’t you do that when I first woke up?”
“When you woke up… it was so different from what I had imagined over and over again. Just the fact that you were awake—just that alone—filled me with so much relief. Betrayal, resentment… none of that mattered. I just felt grateful that you were alive. And in that moment, I realized—ah, I’m completely trapped. The one who falls in love first is always the loser.”
“No matter what, calling yourself a loser…”
“I am a loser. Even after knowing everything, I still can’t bring myself to leave. I want to completely ruin you so that no one can have you if it means losing you to Choi Sang-hyuk. I want to tell you that I’ll do everything that bastard did for you, so dump him and come to me. But if that’s not being a fool, then what is?”
Kim Min-seok was at a loss for words. No, he couldn’t even begin to find the right words.
“Anyway, I still thought I should say something. At the very least, I wanted to see what kind of expression you’d make when you saw both Choi Sang-hyuk and me standing right in front of you. But what do you know? You didn’t remember a thing. When you asked who I was, it felt like I’d been hit over the head with a hammer.”
“Yeah… I remember that. When I first woke up.”
“At first, I wasn’t sure. I even thought maybe you were just trying to escape a difficult situation with that sharp little mind of yours. But no. You really didn’t remember anything about being Seo Ha-yoon. That’s when I thought—maybe this is my chance.”
“Chance?”
“Yeah. A chance. From what I heard, you were with Choi Sang-hyuk for two years. Compared to that, I didn’t even last half a year. I was nothing more than a fleeting affair that could be thrown away at any moment. But if you don’t remember… things change. Choi Sang-hyuk and I—suddenly, we’re both starting from the same point. I finally got a chance at a game where I wasn’t at a disadvantage.”
Kim Min-seok let out a shallow sigh. In the end, what Ha Jun-seo was saying was that, despite the pain of betrayal, he was still grateful Seo Ha-yoon had survived—because he loved him that much. Both Choi Sang-hyuk and Ha Jun-seo truly loved Seo Ha-yoon.
“So, tell me, Ha-yoon. Have you started to like me, even just a little?”
Ha Jun-seo gazed at him with deep, searching eyes and then quickly added one more thing.
“Or… do you still like Choi Sang-hyuk more than me?”
“I…”
Kim Min-seok parted his lips, but his breath caught in his throat under the weight of the question. Ha Jun-seo waited patiently for him to answer.
“I don’t think I have the right to answer that question.”
Kim Min-seok finally forced the words out.
“You don’t have the right?”
“No. The person you both love is Seo Ha-yoon, not Kim Min-seok. The right to say who he loves, who he likes, or even who he wants to break up with—that right belongs to Seo Ha-yoon. Not me.”
Ha Jun-seo blinked a few times. Then, with a small smirk, he poked Kim Min-seok’s forehead with the tip of his finger.
“So, is that why you’ve been looking so troubled these past few days? Not because you were struggling to choose between Choi Sang-hyuk and me?”
“Of course. Even though I’m in Seo Ha-yoon’s body right now, I am still Kim Min-seok. If I make a choice on my own and Seo Ha-yoon eventually comes back, then how am I supposed to deal with all the resentment and consequences that follow?”
Hearing Kim Min-seok’s incredibly serious response, Ha Jun-seo suddenly covered his eyes with one hand and burst into laughter. Kim Min-seok stared at him in disbelief. He had just poured out a massive concern that had been weighing on his mind, yet Ha Jun-seo was laughing like it was nothing. This was too much.
“You think this is funny? My body, my soul, and my entire life are at stake here!”
Frustrated, Kim Min-seok smacked Ha Jun-seo’s back with a sharp slap. Ha Jun-seo caught his hand midair and gripped it tightly, finally managing to stifle his laughter. Then, turning his gaze toward him, he gave Kim Min-seok a look full of amusement.
“You’re right. I was an idiot. These past few days, I kept thinking you were agonizing over choosing between us. It never even crossed my mind that this was what had been tormenting you… When I think about it, your concern is far more pressing and obvious. I should’ve realized that.”
“How could you not realize that? Having someone’s soul switched is a huge deal! And talking to me about serious matters like that is completely pointless. It’s Seo Ha-yoon who needs to hear those things, not me.”
“Hmm…”
Resting his chin on one hand, Ha Jun-seo stared at Kim Min-seok, his eyes narrowing slightly with a playful glint. Kim Min-seok glared at him, wondering if this man still hadn’t grasped the severity of the situation. Seeing his annoyed expression, Ha Jun-seo let out a small chuckle before suddenly ruffling Kim Min-seok’s hair.
“Ugh, I was being serious, don’t mess around like that!”
Kim Min-seok grumbled in irritation, and Ha Jun-seo withdrew his hand from his hair. Instead, he took Kim Min-seok’s hand in his own and spoke.
“I can help you solve that problem.”
“…How? Do you know where Seo Ha-yoon is?”
Kim Min-seok quickly asked, his voice urgent. Now that he thought about it, Ha Jun-seo had spoken before as if he knew something about Seo Ha-yoon’s whereabouts, about how he was doing. Choi Sang-hyuk had too.
“Tell me. Do you know?”
Kim Min-seok couldn’t bear to wait for an answer, pushing for a response. Ha Jun-seo let a faint smile linger on his lips before slowly nodding his head.
Kim Min-seok’s head spun. His vision blurred as if the world were tilting off its axis. It felt as if a massive hammer was pounding against his skull, sending deep, echoing vibrations through his mind. His breath caught in his throat. His heart pounded so violently it felt like it might burst. A sudden fear gripped him—was he about to have a heart attack? His vision wavered, darkening at the edges, and he instinctively pressed both hands against the bed to steady himself.
“Ha-yoon? Ha-yoon! Ha-yoon-ah?”
Ha Jun-seo grabbed him in alarm, shaking him as he called out his name. But instead of clearing, Kim Min-seok’s mind only grew foggier, the world tilting even further out of reach.
“Ha-yoon. Ha-yoon!”
“…I feel dizzy. I think I’m going to throw up…”
As Kim Min-seok groaned in distress, Ha Jun-seo hastily overturned the bowl of popcorn beside him, dumping its contents onto the floor. Then, bringing the empty bowl close to Kim Min-seok’s mouth, he tried to offer it as a makeshift solution. But when Kim Min-seok weakly shook his head, rejecting it, Ha Jun-seo sighed as if realizing there was no other way. Without hesitation, he slipped his arms under Kim Min-seok’s knees and back, lifting him effortlessly.
Still cradled in Ha Jun-seo’s arms, Kim Min-seok was carried into the bathroom and placed in front of the toilet. The moment he laid eyes on it, nausea surged violently within him.
“Uwegh— Uugh—”
His body convulsed with dry heaves, but for some reason, nothing came up. The frustration of not being able to vomit made him pound his own chest in desperation. But all that dribbled from his lips was saliva and snot—his stomach refused to cooperate.
“Do you think throwing up will help? Will you feel better if you get it out?”
Ha Jun-seo asked as he gently patted Kim Min-seok’s back. With what little strength he had, Kim Min-seok gave a weak nod. He was sure that if he could just vomit, his breathing would become easier.
“Hold still for a moment.”
With that, Ha Jun-seo unceremoniously shoved two of his fingers deep into Kim Min-seok’s mouth. The sudden intrusion made Kim Min-seok gag as the fingers roughly prodded at the back of his throat. His body lurched forward, and with a deep retch, his stomach finally gave in.
“Ugh— Uwegh—”
Everything he’d eaten—the popcorn from earlier while watching TV, the doenjang bibimbap from breakfast—spilled out in a watery mess. Strangely enough, Ha Jun-seo didn’t seem disgusted at all. He simply kept rubbing Kim Min-seok’s back, encouraging him to get it all out.
Thanks to the violent purging, it didn’t take long for his stomach to completely empty itself. As he gasped for breath, Kim Min-seok reached out weakly and closed the toilet lid, flushing everything away. Ha Jun-seo supported him as he helped him to his feet and guided him to the sink. Squeezing toothpaste onto a toothbrush, he handed it over. Still leaning on Ha Jun-seo for balance, Kim Min-seok brushed his teeth and washed his face.
Once he was done, Ha Jun-seo carefully wiped his face with a towel, making sure to clean every last trace of sweat and tears. Then, despite Kim Min-seok’s insistence that he could walk on his own, Ha Jun-seo scooped him up again and carried him back to bed.
The housekeeper, who had been standing outside the bathroom with a worried expression, hurried over and handed them a cold bottle of water along with a damp towel. Kim Min-seok took the bottle and drank nearly half of it before finally letting out a relieved breath. Ha Jun-seo placed the cool towel on his forehead.
As he lay there, taking slow, deep breaths, he finally started to feel human again. The suffocating tightness in his chest, the frantic pounding of his heart, the splitting headache—all of it was beginning to ease.
“…Sorry. Jun-seo, your hand… it must be covered in vomit.”
Kim Min-seok muttered weakly, guilt lacing his voice. Ha Jun-seo frowned.
“That’s what you’re worried about right now? Don’t apologize for something like that.”
“…Okay…”
“What exactly were you feeling? Did you eat something bad?”
“I don’t know… My vision just went black, my heart was racing like crazy, my head hurt, and I felt like I was going to be sick.”
Hearing his feeble response, Ha Jun-seo clicked his tongue in disapproval. Just then, the housekeeper re-entered the room, looking somewhat hesitant. She spoke cautiously.
“I thought Ha-yoon seemed really unwell just now, so I called the young master of this house. He’s demanding to speak to you immediately.”
With that, she handed over a phone. Ha Jun-seo let out a short, irritated sigh before taking it from her. The housekeeper, looking slightly embarrassed, quickly left the room.
It was clear that Choi Sang-hyuk had given strict orders to be contacted immediately if anything happened.
“Oh. No, He’s fine now… He just threw up a little. From the way he was talking, it seems like he had a slight panic attack from the shock. No, fuck. Do you think I did it on purpose? …What the fuck did you just say, you son of a bitch? Do I look like some obedient mistress playing along with your bullshit, just because I’ve been quiet?!”
Whatever Choi Sang-hyuk had said, it had pissed Ha Jun-seo off completely. Though Choi Sang-hyuk’s voice wasn’t clearly audible, it was obvious from Ha Jun-seo’s words that the two were exchanging expletives without holding back.
“Jun-seo.”
“This motherfucking bastard—Oh, Ha-yoon, what is it?”
Despite cursing just moments ago, Ha Jun-seo quickly turned to Kim Min-seok with a bright smile. Kim Min-seok weakly lifted a hand and pointed at the phone. Ha Jun-seo let out a small “Ah,” before handing it over.
