SDM 45

Why did I skip class that day? Seong-woon regretted it terribly as he worked on the assignment. He was at his wits’ end, pulling his hair out as he stared at the Accounting Principles course that was getting harder and more voluminous as it progressed.

Isn’t the professor taking this subject way too carelessly? How can he explain only 3 chapters himself and then tell students to study 30 pages independently? Does that make any sense?

“Hyung.”

“Hm?”

Ho-yoon, drawing musical notes on staff paper in front of Seong-woon, suddenly looked up. His brightly smiling face was truly pleasant to see, but Seong-woon couldn’t manage to draw even a single smile on his own face.

“Hyung, do you perhaps not know accounting?”

“How would I know something like that? Chang-yoon hyung knows it well.”

“That hyung… can’t teach.”

He really doesn’t have an ounce of teaching talent. Seong-woon was already thoroughly fed up with Chang-yoon’s teaching method of telling someone to run when they can barely stand.

“I told you to get a tutor.”

“…What if I post something online?”

“Huh?”

“What if people start saying I’m stupid?”

There’s a huge  difference between Baek Sang-hyun asking if he got in through connections, and the whole country saying, “Oh, that guy got into school through connections!” Besides, Seong-woon now realized he had been underestimating his own recognition until now, so he couldn’t help but be more cautious.

“Um… Weren’t you doing a study group? Are you not doing it anymore?”

“I don’t want to do it anymore….”

“Did you start disliking Baek Sang-hyun?”

Yeah, I dislike him. …No, it’s not that I dislike him, but I don’t understand what his intentions are! First he despises someone, then suddenly he likes them, spouting nonsense about their soul changing or whatever… Huh?

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing….”

So, when he thought Ryu Chae-yoon’s body had Ryu Chae-yoon’s soul, he despised him, but now that he thinks the souls have switched, he likes him? He doesn’t actually know whose soul is in Ryu Chae-yoon’s body, right? …No way…

Although the thought that he might have predicted even that crossed his mind, Seong-woon shook his head vigorously in denial. Baek Sang-hyun’s attitude changed not long after the semester started. How could he know that after meeting and seeing each other only a few times? It doesn’t make sense.

“Chae-yoon, what’s wrong? If you don’t want to study, you don’t have to! Let’s take a leave of absence, right now.”

“I can’t do that….”

“Why?”

“I need to get a B0.”

“Why do you need to get that?”

“I don’t know either…”

Seong-woon covered his face with both hands and rubbed it dry for a while. Then he suddenly got up, grabbed his books and notes, and ran up to the second floor with a clatter. He naturally ignored Ho-yoon’s desperate calls from behind.

Hey!

─ …Yes.

C1012!

─ Yes. This is C1012 from the Reincarnation Management Committee.

What if… I mean, if it’s revealed that the soul in this Ryu Chae-yoon’s body is Jin Seong-woon’s, what happens then? Is there some kind of penalty?

─ No. There’s nothing like that.

So it doesn’t matter if it’s revealed?

─ Of course. However, you’ll have to deal with the consequences that follow the event.

Like being treated as a crazy person?

─ That’s right… The subject of the most recent soul adjustment project was almost burned at the stake for being treated as a witch.

What?!

─ Well, it was the 17th century after all… Fortunately, they didn’t end up receiving punishment in the end. We handled it well.

Wait, so this project existed even 400 years ago? Am I the first since then?

─ Yes, that’s correct. It’s really… not a common occurrence. That’s why the initial tutorial was a bit lacking in explanation. Everyone had a hard time finding the manual because it had been so long.

I see. It makes sense that they were treated as a witch if their soul was said to be switched.

─ Hmm, with the current level of Earth’s civilization, maybe they’d just end up in a mental hospital?

…Are you messing with me right now?

─ But who knows? For someone who’s already expecting it, a confession, there might be hope.

C1012, who had said something incomprehensible, seemed to quickly vacate his position. He comes when called, but if he doesn’t have much to say, he just leaves just as fast. It seems like even the RMC organization was pretty busy.

Seong-woon, clutching his head and drooling, glanced at the “Gongjo” script spread out next to the bed. To think I actually read those two volumes out loud, I must have been crazy with my terrible stamina. No, then isn’t Baek Sang-hyun, who’s been saying all these meaningful things, the crazy one? His anger flared up and subsided repeatedly, like someone with bipolar disorder.

Just as he was pushing the script aside, his phone rang. Fortunately, it wasn’t Baek Sang-hyun, but Hyeong-seok. He had already ignored Baek Sang-hyun’s calls and messages countless times.

“Yes, hyung.”

─ Young master. Um… well….

“What’s wrong?”

─ Would you like to appear on a variety show?

“…What?”

A bell seemed to ring in his head. Suddenly, a hologram popped up urgently and spat out words.

Sudden Quest

Appear on “Let’s Play Together”

Reward: Stamina boost and partial recovery from illness

Deadline: D-14

No penalty for failure

Soul Adjustment Project in progress….

“……”

─ Young master?

“…What kind of variety show? Surely not ‘Let’s Play Together’?”

─ Ah, did you perhaps get contacted first?

Seong-woon barely managed to hold back a stream of curses. Wow, that Karma thing is incredible? It’s seriously making it impossible to avoid Baek Sang-hyun now, huh? He spat out his admiration like a curse.

“Don’t tell me Baek Sang-hyun is appearing…”

─ I see you’ve heard in advance….

Is this for real? Seong-woon sighed while sitting on the edge of the bed. He felt so angry and frustrated that he couldn’t control anything about the situation; he felt like he might burst into tears.

─ There was originally a shared scenario, but Baek Sang-hyun said he wanted to change it a bit.

That variety show with the childish title “Let’s Play Together” was an observational show about celebrities’ days off. Baek Sang-hyun had only appeared once on an RBS actors’ group variety show before, and hadn’t shown his private life at all until now….

“Why would I do a variety show…?”

─ Well… Baek Sang-hyun said he wants to include scenes of studying with you.

“What did you say?”

─ He said that on his day off, studying with you is his work… Something about sincerity…

Bullshit… Seong-woon, who had been speaking harshly, suddenly felt like screaming. He breathed heavily for a while, his Adam’s apple bobbing roughly, then flopped onto the bed and thrashed about, but it didn’t help relieve his frustration.

Why the hell is Baek Sang-hyun doing this? Can’t we just live as seniors and juniors who vaguely know each other, pretending not to know anything? Why does he keep trying to create unnecessary points of contact!

…Ha, no. Of course, it’s necessary to fulfill Ryu Chae-yoon’s wish, but… Does it have to be now? Would it kill them to give me some time to prepare myself mentally?

─ Um, young master… If you really don’t want to, you don’t have to do it. We can just refuse that stupid variety show.

But there was a slight weariness in Hyeong-seok’s voice. Others might not have noticed it, but to Seong-woon, who was sensitive to others’ negative emotions, it sounded louder than thunder.

Baek Sang-hyun’s whims – for a popular celebrity, this level of fussiness isn’t really a problem. So the variety show production team would have casually modified the script and made a request to RBS, that is, to Ryu Chae-yoon’s side – and the ball would have come back to the agency, and they would have asked Hyeong-seok to persuade him.

If he were to fully utilize his position as a third-generation chaebol and say he doesn’t want to do it… Hyeong-seok would be the one to hear all the unpleasant words. If Baek Sang-hyun’s variety show appearance falls through – promotional articles have already been released – Hyeong-seok would be treated within RBS as a manager who couldn’t even persuade one actor.

“What if I say I won’t go?”

─ Then you don’t have to go.

“No, I mean… Will Baek Sang-hyun not film the show if I don’t go?”

─ That’s not something you need to worry about, young master.

“Hyung.”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. As if choosing his words, Hyeong-seok maintained his silence, and only after spending a bit more time did he open his mouth.

─ He said he won’t film if you don’t appear. But really, it’s not something you need to worry about. It’s their side being stubborn, so we’re not at fault at all.

“It must be troublesome for you, hyung.”

─ What would I be troubled about? It’s fine.

At Hyeong-seok’s forcefully bright voice, Seong-woon pounded the bed with his fist. How many people are struggling because of that bastard’s whims and stubbornness all of a sudden!

“When is the filming?”

─ …Tomorrow.

Wow… You’ve really lost it, Baek Sang-hyun. Seong-woon felt sorry on behalf of Baek Sang-hyun for the variety show production team who had to suddenly change all the scripts and filming locations the day before, and the manager team who had to cast an unexpectedly added character.

He was even tempted to give up on the stamina boost and illness recovery, but thinking about the people who would be struggling to resolve this situation, he couldn’t refuse to appear either. Right, if I film, he won’t be able to say weird things, and he won’t be able to do strange things either!

“They just want us to study, right?”

─ Study, have a meal… That’s about it, they say. The filming location is Baek Sang-hyun’s house… apparently.

“Why at home? We could do it at school…”

– It’s a holiday.

“Hah…”

– But, young master, didn’t you study there just last week?

Yeah, I did, but… That day, the key… Anyway, after that incident and hearing too many strange things since then, I’ve decided to avoid meeting privately from now on.

While it’s important to fulfill Ryu Chae-yoon’s final wish – to get entangled with Baek Sang-hyun somehow – isn’t Seong-woon’s own emotions and feelings equally important?

– Did you fight?

“Am I a child?”

– Hmm…

Seems like he wants to call me a child. Since turning 20, there were times I felt embarrassed for actually acting childish.

– If Baek Sang-hyun is really threatening or bullying you…!

“…”

– Why aren’t you answering? Is he really bullying you?

What would happen if I honestly said ‘yes’ here? Seong-woon briefly imagined Ryu Changyun’s eyes rolling back, and shuddered. Ryu Changyun might play the role of ‘Shin Jeong-woo’ in <Orbit Collision> better than Baek Sang-hyun.

“I’ll tell you right away if there’s a real problem. You know I can’t handle pain or difficulty well.”

– That was in the past. You’re not like that these days.

For Hyeong-seok to say this, Seong-woon had failed at acting like he had amnesia. He banged his head on the bed several times, reviewing his acting career so far.

…Was there ever someone to give such a disastrous performance? Now, no one would believe him even if he claimed to have amnesia.

“…Tell them I’ll take part in the variety show.”

– If you really don’t want to, I can handle it.

“There’ll be cameras, so nothing should go wrong…”

– Yes, actually I feel much more at ease than when you went to that house alone last week.

“Let me know when I need to leave.”

– They said they’ll film the study session in the afternoon and dinner, so you don’t need to leave early. I’ll go to the main house by 1 PM.

“Okay…”

– Rest well.

At the kind farewell, Seong-woon flopped onto the bed and quickly pulled up the hologram with his eyes. There were three quests piled up. Apart from getting a B0 in accounting principles, all the quests were related to Baek Sang-hyun. Seong-woon gritted his teeth as he read them.

What could Ryu Chae-yoon’s wish be that required getting so entangled with Baek Sang-hyun? Did they really have to have sex? But Ryu Chae-yoon’s feelings for Baek Sang-hyun seemed very plain…

Seong-woon had already read all the diaries in the fan room, and he could assert that there was ‘absolutely’ no sexual desire detectable there. Or was it just not shown in the diaries? …Did they really have to date?

Strangely, Seong-woon didn’t want to engage in the ‘dating’ Baek Sang-hyun proposed. It somehow felt like violating Baek Sang-hyun’s emotions. He wasn’t Ryu Chae-yoon and… Wait a minute. Doesn’t Baek Sang-hyun think this ‘Ryu Chae-yoon’ isn’t ‘Ryu Chae-yoon’ right now?

…It’s complicated, it’s all so complicated. His forehead started to feel hot. Ryu Chae-yoon’s body, unable to handle the shock, seemed about to burn up. Not wanting to be carried to the hospital in Ryu Changyun’s arms again like last time, Seong-woon took some fever medicine and lay down on the bed.

If he had to pick one good thing about being in this body… It’s that he never has trouble sleeping due to his terrible stamina.

With no strength left to worry, Seong-woon fell asleep with his face buried in the pillow.