PIA 132

In a darkened room, Ji-an sat motionless on the bed. Just moments ago, he had been watching his mother and grandmother squabble. Now, everything had changed.

“…”

Turning his head, he looked out the window. A road lined with yellow and red lights stretched out, and the black waters of the Han River shimmered below.

Ji-an slowly got up and approached the window. As soon as his feet touched the floor, the cold marble sent chills up his spine.

The foggy, dazed feeling that had lingered was gone, replaced by an acute awareness of his body. Overwhelmed, Ji-an ran his hands over his arms, shoulders, and his stomach—where the baby bump should have been.

Ji-an knew this feeling.

The sensation of entering another body across worlds. How could he forget this feeling?

This time, it wasn’t a different body, but his original one that he had returned to.

“No, this can’t be. This isn’t right…”

Lies, impossible! Ji-an muttered countless times while looking around the room. His frantic eyes caught a white paper on a small table. With a small desk lamp lit above it, it seemed to be saying, ‘Look at me.’

To me.

“This is crazy!”

As soon as he saw the beginning of the letter, his knees gave way. The forgotten panic attack threatened to return. Ji-an curled up tightly, trying to steady his ragged breathing. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat poured down his back, soaking through his shirt.

“Calm down… calm down, Seo Ji-an.”

Lying face down on the floor, Ji-an unfolded the crumpled paper. His hands were shaking so much that he had to place it on the floor to read.

I’m returning the original world I stole from you. Not the world Seo Ji-hyuk created, but the complete world you should have enjoyed originally. Yours.

I thought I should help you break free from the genre he set.

I tried my best to clean up and return your original world. It’s not much as a gesture of gratitude, but I’ve also prepared some money to make your future life easier.

I hope you live enjoying what you want to do in your world.

P.S.: I’ve completely ruined Seo Ji-hyuk and your family. I don’t think you’ll have any lingering attachment, but if you’re displeased, that’s unfortunate. Well, even if it’s unfortunate, nothing can be done. You knew that was my purpose, right?

I recommend you go and see for yourself at least once.

“…”

After reading it all, Ji-an was at a loss for words. No matter how many times he thought about it, it was difficult to understand that Seo Ji-an’s way of thinking. Was this the result of experiencing countless regressions and deaths? Had ‘Seo Ji-an’ finally gone mad?

“I clearly said I wanted to live in that world.”

Or had he not been clear enough? Or worse, had the person simply refused to listen? Ji-an ruffled his hair furiously. No one had ever taught him how to deal with possession or regression. His head felt like it was about to explode.

He had spent months struggling, just barely finding happiness at last.

And now, this?

This couldn’t be happening.

He couldn’t just sit there like a fool and accept it. Ji-an clenched his fists and stretched his legs to stand up.

He carefully looked around the house. From the inner bedroom to the living room, the luxurious officetel with a Han River view through floor-to-ceiling windows on one side was exactly the place where he had seen him in his dream before.

Ji-an approached the wall and reached out his hand. There were traces of photos that had been plastered there. As he peeled off a piece of tape that hadn’t been cleaned up properly, sticky adhesive clung to his hand.

…That ‘Seo Ji-an’ had really brought him back.

He turned on all the lights in the dark house and searched frantically for anything that might help. In the wardrobe, as lavish as ‘Seo Ji-an’s’ room in the drama world, he found a phone, wallet, and car keys.

A wallet stuffed with crisp cash, car keys with a familiar luxury brand logo, and when he checked the banking app filled with notifications, an account balance with a dizzying number of digits.

He had indeed made things convenient for living, just as he’d claimed.

Ji-an looked at the phone and impulsively dialed Jeong Hee-seo’s number. As he pressed the 11 digits one by one and was about to hit the green call button, his fingertips trembled.

He was scared.

What if… What if it wasn’t his Jeong Hee-seo but a different one?

“…”

What should he do?

What could he do?

His mind went blank.

After spending a sleepless night, Ji-an headed out with his car keys. It wasn’t that he had come up with a clever plan or figured out a way to return. He just desperately wanted to see Jeong Hee-seo.

He drove aimlessly to the front of the JM building where Jeong Hee-seo would be. Parking haphazardly on the shoulder in front of the massive building, he walked purposelessly towards the main entrance. A place he used to frequent, yet now it felt so unfamiliar.

“…Hah.”

He was stopped right at the entrance with its tight security. A building one can’t even enter without an employee ID. He couldn’t even remember how he first entered in the drama world. Of course not. The moment his possessed mind had fully awakened was inside Jeong Hee-seo’s office.

Should he barge into the information desk and try to call someone? If so, who? Jeong Hee-seo? Secretary Yoon?

As he was just pacing anxiously, he saw Jeong Hee-seo coming out of the main entrance with his staff, crossing the lobby.

“…”

Ji-an was at a loss for words. His lover, dazzlingly handsome, looked exactly the same.

He couldn’t even remember feeling scared when he saw him. All the defenses in his body crumbled, and tears poured out uncontrollably. His mere appearance  had undone Ji-an’s defenses completely.

Standing dazedly by the roadside, crying, Ji-an suddenly locked eyes when Jeong Hee-seo spotted him. 

Surprised, Ji-an couldn’t even think of turning to run away. His feet felt glued to the ground as though bound by invisible chains. Even though he had been desperate to see Jeong Hee-seo, now he only wanted to flee.

Jeong Hee-seo bent down to say something to Yoon Woo-young standing beside him, then walked straight towards Ji-an. With each step he took closer, Ji-an’s heart seemed to hit the floor and bounce back up again.

Finally, Jeong Hee-seo stood right in front of Ji-an. The lingering scent of his pheromone-laced cologne was dizzying.

“What’s this about? Why are you here?”

His eyebrows twitched, seemingly surprised by Ji-an’s tear-stained face. Ji-an moistened his suddenly dry lips with his tongue.

“…Well.”

It was hard to look him straight in the eye. To him in this world, he was just Seo Ji-hyuk’s brother, his in-law. And considering the letter’s claim that Ji-hyuk had been utterly ruined, he might not even be that anymore

“H-hyung. I—”

“Hyung?”

Jeong Hee-seo’s face suddenly crumpled. At the same time, Ji-an’s heart ached. It was truly an unfamiliar expression. Even in that other world where Ji-an had barged in on him with a pregnancy test, Jeong Hee-seo had never made such a face at him.

“What’s this about now.”

Jeong Hee-seo snorted. He roughly rubbed his jaw with a complicated expression. He looked somewhat tired.

“There are still many reporters lurking around. We’ve lost a lot because of your family, so it’s troublesome for you to be loitering around here.”

“…”

“Please make sure you don’t get photographed and end up in the news while wandering around.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Ji-an reflexively bowed his head and apologized. He hadn’t realized it would hurt so much to see Jeong Hee-seo not recognizing him.

“I had… I had some business nearby.”

As he mumbled an unconvincing excuse, a handkerchief suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

“Why on earth are you crying here?”

Ji-an stared blankly at the handkerchief with his head still lowered. When he remained like that for a while, Jeong Hee-seo waved his hand, urging him to take it.

“…”

Before he could even thank him, when he lifted his face from the handkerchief, Jeong Hee-seo had already vanished. The scent of his pheromones lingering on the soft cloth brushed his nose.

Despite his request not to linger around, Ji-an couldn’t leave for a long time. He kept watching Jeong Hee-seo’s retreating figure until it disappeared completely. Jeong Hee-seo truly didn’t turn his head even once. He used to always turn around, as if tethered by some invisible thread when Ji-an watched him…

‘Ji-an.’

‘I’ll be back soon. Be good and rest.’

As if hearing hallucinations, Ji-an raised his hands to cover both ears. He had been told not to cry, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

“What should I do? Hyung told me not to go out because it’s cold.”

Ji-an rubbed his face hard with the handkerchief Jeong Hee-seo had given him until it turned red.

“I’ve come too far away.”

He wiped his blurred vision and clenched his fists.

This was no time to be like this. He needed to find a way back. There was no time to cry.

Ji-an, deep in thought, turned around. He recalled the part of the letter where that ‘Seo Ji-an’ suggested he seek out Seo Ji-hyuk. If he confirmed everything that needed confirming, perhaps he’d find a way to return. Even if no solution presented itself, he felt he should try everything that came to mind.

Since Seo Ji-hyuk was the root cause of all the incidents. First, he should go find him.

As Ji-an turned resolutely and walked away, he didn’t know that at the very last moment, Jeong Hee-seo had turned to look at him again. Ji-an was just filled with the thought that he had to return to Jeong Hee-seo’s side.