ETP Ch 2
by soapa“Kim Bokseung!!”
Seongyeon shouted, pointing at the window.
The reflection in the window pointed back at itself with its finger, mirroring his action.
“Wh, what is this?”
Bokseung raised both hands to examine them, then clenched and unclenched his fists. He tried wiggling his fingers, bending and straightening them from thumb to pinky, even counting them. Each time, the white fingers moved this way and that, changing directions.
After wrestling with his fingers for a while, he came to the conclusion that Bokseung’s body was moving according to Seongyeon’s will. And that perhaps Seongyeon’s soul had entered Bokseung’s body.
Then what about Bokseung’s soul?
A chill ran down his spine.
If his body and soul had been switched due to the accident, then Bokseung must have also experienced a body and soul swap.
Did that mean the poor boy’s soul had died along with his body…?
“No way.”
The words Seongyeon muttered flowed out in Bokseung’s smooth voice.
While he was making a bewildered expression at the unbelievable reality, Joohyun returned with the doctor.
The doctor briefly examined Seongyeon’s condition and gave a diagnosis.
“It seems like cognitive impairment due to the impact on your head. It’s also called post-traumatic stress disorder. Do you have any particular symptoms like slurred speech, decreased sensation, or weakness?”
“No, I don’t.”
“That’s a relief. However, there’s a possibility of cerebral hemorrhage or other symptoms, so we’ll keep you under observation for two to three days.”
The doctor ordered another vital check and left the room.
Even while the nurse checked his physical signs like blood pressure and pulse, Seongyeon couldn’t move. All he could do was nod appropriately at the questions and then try to go back to sleep.
🍑‧₊ ⋆˙
The two to three days the doctor mentioned passed. During those days, Seongyeon fell asleep and woke up six times, including naps. But no matter how many times he woke up, the place he opened his eyes to was the hospital, not the afterlife.
Today, the seventh time he woke up, was no different. Seongyeon stared at the white hospital ceiling and sighed.
The pain that had made his whole body ache was mostly gone now, and the throbbing headache had faded.
Seongyeon stretched long and got out of bed to take a shower. No matter how much he ached, he couldn’t stand the oiliness in his hair.
Seongyeon took Bokseung’s wallet from the cabinet and headed to the convenience store on the first floor. He felt a pang of guilt, like he was using a child’s pocket money, but he had no idea where his own wallet was, so he had no choice.
Seongyeon’s gait, shuffling along while pulling the IV pole, resembled a turtle.
“Ugh, really. This hurts like hell.”
Finally arriving at the convenience store, Seongyeon muttered to himself and looked for toiletries and underwear.
He naturally picked up size L underwear and was about to go to the checkout counter when he saw his reflection in the convenience store window, holding the IV pole in one hand and the underwear in the other.
Seongyeon was originally 183 cm tall, but Kim Bokseung, whose body his soul now inhabited, wasn’t even 170 cm tall, and his physique was more thin than slender.
The boy had a naturally small frame and didn’t gain weight easily. Add to that the fact that he presented as an omega a few years ago, and it was natural for his overall lines to soften.
He had found Bokseung so cute and pitiful that he had taken more care of him than other clients. How did he end up taking over the boy’s body?
Seongyeon looked at Bokseung reflected in the window, then at the size L underwear in his hand.
He’d have to change it to a size S.
He let out another sigh, he couldn’t even count how many he’d sighed by now. He picked up the smaller underwear with a miserable expression on his face.
🍑‧₊ ⋆˙
Even though he couldn’t fully immerse himself in the water, taking a shower with hot water made his stiff body feel much lighter.
Seongyeon looked at his clear face in the mirror and muttered,
“My skin doesn’t feel tight at all, even after showering.”
He pulled at his cheeks, flushed from the heat of the shower, and widened his eyes. The large brown eyes reflected in the mirror widened as well.
Seongyeon felt another wave of gloom as he put on the underwear he bought from the convenience store; the size S underwear he had bought with some doubt fit perfectly.
As Seongyeon returned to his hospital room, pouting, and caught his breath, the medical staff visited. The doctor who had examined him when he woke up was at the front.
The doctor explained the results of several tests and then allowed Seongyeon to be discharged in the afternoon.
“Ah, and since you’re an omega, we’ve been administering suppressants along with the IV fluids. Do you happen to know when your last heat cycle was?”
“Uh… no.”
Seongyeon shook his head. Observing his reaction, the doctor wrote something on the chart and explained the precautions.
“You haven’t shown any significant side effects to the suppressants we prescribed, and your pheromone levels are stable based on the test results, so we haven’t made a separate referral to the specialized secondary gender department. After you’re discharged, please visit the secondary gender clinic you’ve been attending for further consultation.”
Seongyeon nodded, listening attentively to the doctor.
‘Pheromones,’ ‘heat cycle,’ ‘secondary gender clinic.’
These were all unfamiliar words to Seongyeon, but they were inseparable from Bokseung’s life.
Seongyeon repeated the doctor’s words several times in his head, trying to get used to them.
After giving him a few more precautions, the doctor bid him farewell, saying he had worked hard, and left the room.
“Phew.”
A sigh escaped his lips involuntarily.
After the medical staff, who had only spoken in difficult terms, left, Seongyeon began to prepare for discharge on his own. The doctor had said he could leave in the afternoon, so he had to go. However, he had no idea what to do after leaving the hospital.
Just as fear washed over him and his moving hands slowed involuntarily, the curtain around his bed was pulled back, and a loud voice boomed.
“Kim Bokseung!”
Along with the resounding voice, Bokseung’s slender body was enveloped in a large embrace.
“…?!”
Seongyeon, who was in the middle of taking off his hospital gown, let out a short groan as he was crushed. But at the sound, the man hugging him only tightened his grip and started to wail.
“Sob, you little…! Sob… It’s okay, you’re alive! I, I was so worried, I just got here. I’m sorry! Waaah!”
The man buried his face in Bokseung’s small shoulder, tears and snot flowing freely.
Bokseung, initially startled by the man’s sudden ambush, gradually lost his composure.
He realized that the man clinging to him and talking was Hyungseop, Seongyeon’s best friend and the owner of the place where Bokseung worked part-time.
As if overcome with emotion, Hyungseop patted Bokseung’s back with his thick hands.
Since he hadn’t fully recovered yet and felt pain even with small movements, the sudden touch was burdensome.
With a mix of 80% pain and 20% welcome, tears welled up in Bokseung’s eyes.
Hyungseop released his tight embrace and briefly examined Bokseung’s face.
True to the words that he hadn’t been seriously injured, the boy’s fair face was unharmed. Seeing that, he felt even sadder, thinking of his friend who had shielded the boy and then hurriedly left.
Meanwhile, seeing Hyungseop sobbing in front of him, in Bokseung’s body, Seongyeon was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
Seeing Hyungseop, whose face was twice as ugly as usual, crying like a child, he felt sorry, grateful, and the urge to both tease him and pour out his own heart.
However, contrary to his complex thoughts, Seongyeon couldn’t say anything and just patted Hyungseop’s back with his small hand.
🍑‧₊ ⋆˙
Thankfully, with Hyungseop’s help, the discharge process went smoothly. He had only thought of his friend as mischievous and rough, but meeting him in young Bokseung’s body, he felt like he had the most reliable guardian.
“Let’s go.”
Hyungseop led Bokseung towards the parking lot. Seongyeon, in Bokseung’s form, quietly followed behind.
Hyungseop hesitated for a moment before getting into the car and asked Bokseung,
“Bokseung, um… if you’re okay with it, do you want to go see Seongyeon? I mean, you don’t have to go if it’s too hard, but still…”
Seeing Hyungseop mumbling, so unlike his large frame, was both cute and touching.
Seongyeon hesitated, then nodded.
Of course, it was a little scary to go see his own death. But to face the reality of the situation, confronting it directly was the best option.
Silence filled the car as they headed towards the charnel house where Seongyeon was. Hyungseop sniffled occasionally, but Seongyeon was too preoccupied to pay attention.
Seongyeon’s mind was filled with negative and frightening words: death, charnel house, soul, afterlife, cremation. His palms became clammy, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
After what felt like a long drive, clutching his trembling fingertips, Hyungseop’s car entered a quiet park.
After parking, Hyungseop led the way.
“Here it is.”
Hyungseop entered the building on the left. Inside were several rooms, each filled with ossuary niches.
Hyungseop patted Bokseung’s tense back and headed towards Room 6, where Seongyeon’s niche was.
[6-Sa-49]
Hyungseop stopped in front of it. Seongyeon, who had been walking listlessly behind him, stopped and saw the white ossuary niche.
[Lee Seongyeon, 19XX.06.09 – 20XX.09.13]
His name, date of birth, and the date of the accident were inscribed on the niche, and next to it was his picture.
Seongyeon stared intently at the photo.
It was the ID photo he had taken when he first wore a suit for his job interview at the counseling center. In the photo, a man with tanned skin, thick eyebrows, and rough features was wearing an awkward smile.
Tears finally gushed from his dazed eyes.
The handful of ashes contained in that palm-sized niche was Lee Seongyeon. The real Lee Seongyeon was already gone from this world.
It was so empty, so heartbreaking.
Unaware of the real reason for Seongyeon’s tears, Hyungseop was sweating, trying to comfort the boy.
“Bo, Bokseung. Don’t cry. Okay? You just got discharged today; it’ll be bad if you cry like this.”
Hyungseop’s thick hand wiped Bokseung’s white cheeks incessantly. Bokseung just kept shedding silent tears.
Knowing Bokseung’s difficult circumstances, Hyungseop understood how much the boy must be suffering from the loss of Seongyeon, on top of everything else.
That’s why he offered Bokseung such an absurd consolation.
“Bokseung, Seongyeon wouldn’t be too sad about this, knowing it was for you. You knew what Seongyeon’s dream was, right? The guy who always boasted about getting married and having three kids, he even gave that up to be with you. That’s how much he loved you.”
Bokseung’s eyes widened as he listened quietly to Hyungseop’s words.
Meeting the boy’s wide brown eyes, Hyungseop wiped his nose and continued.
“Um, what was it? You two were secretly dating, right? I heard he got into an accident while fighting with Seongyeon in the middle of the street.”
“Wh, what…!”
Bokseung’s face flushed instantly. It was from the absurdity and ridiculousness of Hyungseop’s words, but Hyungseop, who had completely misunderstood the truth, explained the situation in more detail.
“The police investigating the case said that, according to the CCTV, you two were hugging on the street and seemed to have missed a step. Sigh…”
After uttering those unbelievable words, Hyungseop let out a deep sigh and looked at Seongyeon’s picture.
Only after hearing Hyungseop’s words did Seongyeon begin to understand what had happened since he woke up in Bokseung’s body.
The reason Joohyun, and even Hyungseop, hadn’t been angry with the awakened Bokseung was because they didn’t know the real cause of the accident.
This absurd misunderstanding must have continued throughout his hospital stay, but he had been too out of it to even guess.
Seongyeon clutched his temples as his headache intensified. Hyungseop, startled, quickly supported him.
Even as he was being supported, Seongyeon gritted his teeth in frustration.
He could swear to heaven that he had never once looked at Bokseung with any romantic feelings.
As Hyungseop had just said, his life goal was to have at least three children, and he wanted to meet a spouse who shared that goal.
Furthermore, how could he have any romantic feelings for a child 13 years younger than him, let alone more than a full zodiac cycle apart?
Bokseung had never even talked about dating, always saying things like, “I hope you get married soon and have a cute niece or nephew for me,” every time he saw him.
To think he and that boy were dating.
He looked at Hyungseop with a dumbfounded expression, and Hyungseop, oblivious to his feelings, nodded his head.
“I, I know. What can I say to comfort you when you’ve lost your lover, but… don’t be too heartbroken. Seongyeon wouldn’t want that either. Right?”
Unable to bear Hyungseop’s continued misguided attempts at comfort, Seongyeon let out a deep sigh.
Still, he didn’t bother to explain the truth of the incident to Hyungseop. It was already in the past and couldn’t be changed, and he didn’t want the boy to be hated if his soul ever returned.
However, Seongyeon didn’t know. That this incident had been reported in the news and was circulating online. He couldn’t imagine that a time would come when he would regret not making a different choice.