The Book of Wishes—a thing that had never once appeared in the original story—contained every single event I’d experienced up to now, recorded in vivid, exacting detail.
[“How long are you planning to zone out like that? You think I’ve got nothing better to do? Hurry up and Guide me already!”
“…Guiding?”
“Ugh, get a grip. Forget it. Why would I need Guiding from a D-Rank like you?”]
[“You should be thankful. Do you know how rare it is to have someone like me explain everything and look after you?”]
[“Found you. Who’s the A-Rank Guide at this Center?”]
[“I’m Kim Seong-gyeong, S-Rank Esper.”]
[“The truth is… I traveled through dimensions.”]
From the moment I got the book from Dennis, read it, and then fell asleep—only to wake up in the body of Hwang Seol-bin.
Every encounter I’d had with the original characters—Kim Hyun-joong, Yoon Yi-hyeon, Kang Biso, Kim Seong-gyeong, Kim Yong-ha—was all there, word for word, without leaving out a single thing.
It was like someone had turned my life into a novel.
Why was my story written under the title Book of Wishes? The situation was suspicious, unreal even, but my mind quickly shifted into analysis mode.
They said there were five volumes of the Book of Wishes. So if this one is about me, maybe the others are too. And if I find all five, maybe I’ll learn what happens next—what my future holds.
Where could the rest be? One of them, I’d heard, was being studied by the government. That leaves three more. Could I find them?
…Wait. If this really is my story—
Something I’d completely forgotten suddenly came rushing back.
“…Hey. Wake up.”
I nudged the puppy sleeping on my lap. It yawned, eyes fluttering open, then slipped from my arms and transformed into a human.
Holding the Book of Wishes up to Baek Beom’s face, I asked, almost frantically,
“Baek Beom. Did you read this?”
If he’d read the contents and figured out I’d possessed someone’s body, it would be a disaster.
But Baek Beom, totally unaware of what was going through my head, just shook his head lazily, looking annoyed.
“Read it? How am I supposed to read that thing? You seriously woke me up for this?”
That couldn’t be right. If it was a book he’d cared enough to bring with him, there’s no way he didn’t check it out.
I pressed again.
“Don’t lie. Tell me the truth.”
“I am telling you. I opened it, but it was full of weird drawings. Read it? Yeah, right. And the stuff about granting wishes scribbled on the front? Looked like some kid’s doodles. …Wait, hold on. You can actually read it?”
“What are you talking about? It’s written in Korean… huh?”
Brow furrowed, I looked down and slowly scanned the page again. I’d been reading it so naturally, I hadn’t even noticed the truth.
What the hell…?
It wasn’t Korean at all. It was made up of strange, unfamiliar symbols—some kind of hieroglyphs I’d never seen before. And yet, I’d read and understood it like it was Hangul. So fluently, so instinctively, I hadn’t even realized it was something else. A chill ran down my spine.
“…What the hell is this thing?”
Could this book have been left out of the original story because it was about me? It really did feel like it had been made just for me.
Does it really grant wishes? Could this thing actually send me back home?
The thought threw my head into chaos.
“So? What does it say?”
“…You don’t need to know.”
That clearly ticked Baek Beom off—he scrunched his face in frustration.
“Seriously? You can’t just tell me? I went through the trouble of bringing it, and you’re gonna be stingy like that? You know you’re coming off really petty right now, right?”
But I didn’t care what Baek Beom thought. My head was too full of other things.
I couldn’t let anyone know what was written in this book. The moment I said it out loud, they’d realize I wasn’t from this world—that I’d possessed someone else’s body.
Which meant I had to hide it from Baek Beom most of all. I didn’t trust him one bit.
And honestly, he wasn’t even mad because the book grants wishes. He was just throwing a tantrum because I wouldn’t tell him.
While I kept quiet, trying to sort out my thoughts, an increasingly annoying sound started buzzing in my ear.
– Crunch
– Chomp chomp, crack
– Slurp
“….”
It had been bothering me for a while now…
What the hell is he eating?
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
At some point, Baek Beom had plopped down on the floor and was now happily munching away at something.
I stared at the thing in his hands and asked as he chewed with way too much enthusiasm,
“…Is that… good?”
“What? Of course it’s—”
Baek Beom froze mid-sentence. I turned my head away, trying not to look at him.
Understandable, really… Considering what he was holding in his hand was dog food. He was munching on kibble I’d poured into a bowl for the puppy—while in human form.
Well… I guess it’s fine. Kinda weird, sure, but if he’s enjoying it, who am I to stop him?
“T-This is just a habit! W-What?! What’s wrong with eating dog food, huh? People can try stuff like this if they want!”
But… you’re not a dog right now.
I kept my eyes carefully averted and said, “I didn’t say anything.”
“You’re saying plenty with your face! Stop looking at me like that!”
“R-Right, sorry. There’s a bunch more in the room, so help yourself. If it’s not enough, I’ll bring more.”
“I’m not eating it!”
Baek Beom shouted, threw the dog food away, and stomped off to the sofa, flopping onto it with his back turned to me.
I’d been wondering what to do with all the extra kibble I’d stocked up on. But if he’s willing to eat it in human form too, I guess I won’t need to worry about waste.
I turned back to the book in my hands. Just in case something didn’t match up with what I’d been through, I figured I should read through it again.
And if everything in this book lined up exactly with my experience…
I have to find all five volumes.
Especially if I wanted to make it back home.
***
“Yaaawn… I’m beat.”
After reading all night, I stretched and got out of bed. My eyes were dry and sore as I rubbed them, checking the clock—already past 8 a.m.
Time for work.
I rushed through my morning routine a bit faster than usual. Just as I was about to leave, I remembered the ring I got from Kim Seong-gyeong.
“Oh, right—the ring.”
No way I was leaving that behind. That thing could save my life in a pinch.
I did feel a little guilty about Kang Biso—he’d looked like he was on the verge of tears when I accepted it. But it should be fine if I just keep it hidden when we meet.
Speaking of which… what’s Baek Beom doing?
I walked over to the sofa and saw him sound asleep, the TV still playing in the background.
“Still sleeping, huh.”
No wonder it was so quiet. He looked ridiculously peaceful, sleeping like he didn’t have a care in the world. A bit annoying, honestly—but I had to admit, it was nice not having him interrupt while I read.
He looked… calm, even. If only he acted like this all the time.
I turned off the TV, picked up the now-empty dog bowl, and brought it to the other room. After filling it with kibble again, I placed it under the sofa and headed out. He’d probably eat it again if he got hungry, just like yesterday.
Yawning, I stepped into the morning light and headed off to work.
***
By the time I got to the Guide Center, I was still dragging from my all-nighter. I headed to the break room, hoping a coffee would bring me back to life. But the second I cracked the door open, I heard shouting from inside.
“Hey! What did you just say to me?!”
“I said make your own coffee. You don’t know how to do that?”
“You little punk—how dare you talk to a senior like that?!”
“Just being here longer doesn’t make you my senior. And if I remember right, you’re ranked lower than me, Yoon Yi-hyeon. I don’t feel like treating someone with less ability as my superior.”
“Have you completely lost your mind?!”
I slowly backed out and gently closed the door.
Morning drama… fantastic.
That was definitely Yoon Yi-hyeon and Kim Yong-ha. Yoon had always been a bit of a pain, so this kind of outburst wasn’t exactly shocking. But seeing Kim Yong-ha—normally so calm and sweet—blow up like that? That was new.
Should I just walk away? I really didn’t want to get caught up in their fight…
But the image of Kim Yong-ha popped into my mind. He was one of the few people who called me “sunbae” and treated me with real respect. If there was anyone I owed a little support to, it was probably him.
I took a deep breath and opened the door again.
Inside, the two of them were locked in a silent stare-down.
Yikes. The tension was thick enough to cut.
“…Good morning?”
“Sunbae!”
“Oh, Seol-bin!”
The moment I spoke, Kim Yong-ha’s whole face lit up like nothing had happened. Judging by his reaction, he hadn’t even noticed I’d peeked in before.
Yoon Yi-hyeon turned too, flashing a smug smile.
“Seol-bin, long time no see. We work in the same building, and yet you’re never around. What gives?”
“Well, I—”
“Actually, perfect timing. Would you mind making me a coffee? I asked the rookie here, and he glared at me like I asked him to donate a kidney. Unbelievable, right?”
“Sure. Just wait a moment.”
I was about to step away—it wasn’t a big deal, I’d done it before—but Kim Yong-ha blocked my path.
“You don’t have to do that, sunbae. Just sit. I’ll make it.”
“It’s really not a problem…”
“It is for me. I want to do it. For you.”
He shot a glance at Yoon Yi-hyeon, then headed off to make the coffee.
What the hell happened while I wasn’t around?
They’d never exactly been close, but this felt different. Something had clearly gone down recently. Otherwise, Yoon Yi-hyeon wouldn’t be eyeing him like he wanted to start round two.
“Here you go, sunbae.”
Kim Yong-ha came back with a steaming cup of coffee and handed it to me.
“…Thanks.”
He hadn’t even looked at Yoon Yi-hyeon, much less offered him any.
Then he casually sat down next to me and launched into cheerful small talk about the weather—leaving Yoon with no chance to interrupt.
And just like that, I started to understand why their relationship had deteriorated so fast.
While I nodded along to Kim Yong-ha’s chatter, I glanced at Yoon Yi-hyeon. His face was bright red, and his fists were trembling from how tightly he was clenching them.
Right now, Yoon Yi-hyeon looked like a time bomb waiting to blow.
And Kim Yong-ha? He knew it—and kept pressing.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if they went at it again any second.
Man, even when things go according to the plot, it’s still a total headache.
