OMS 9

How should he describe this, showing up at his own funeral after screwing around with his brother-in-law? Park Dong-sik sat in the back seat of the car, staring blankly at the exterior of the funeral home. The pattering rain only added to his miserable mood.

He thought he had experienced enough in life to handle anything, but…

“Fuck…”

Startled by his cursing, Kim Yoon-ah turned around. Park Dong-sik took a deep breath and stepped outside. When Kim Yoon-ah followed with an umbrella, he waved her off, covered his face with a hat and mask, and walked toward the funeral home.

Going down to the basement, he walked slowly along the hallway, seeing mourners packed on both sides. Passing through the sounds of crying and commotion, he reached the last funeral parlor. The small screen in front displayed the deceased’s name: [Park Dong-sik]

He drew in a sharp breath, barely believing it. So I really am dead…There were no mourners present, just a white-haired man who had collapsed in a heap in a wrinkled black suit, fast asleep.

Empty bottles lay scattered around him, and he was snoring heavily, too drunk to notice anyone’s presence. On the altar, incense was burning beside a photo of Park Dong-sik from his middle school entrance ceremony.

That young, innocent face…Though he wondered how that man had gotten hold of the photo, there was no time to dwell on such details. Park Dong-sik stared blankly at his own face in the photograph.

[Mr. Park Dong-sik has passed away. His body was found by the dock last night, and CCTV footage showed him jumping, so it was ruled a suicide. They’re proceeding with the funeral without an autopsy.]

After standing dazed for a while, Park Dong-sik removed his shoes, entered, and tried to wake the sleeping man. Wake up! Look at me! The man who had beaten him and stolen his savings had grown old and frail. The smell of alcohol was overwhelming. Damn it, just wake up! The man barely opened his eyes, and Park Dong-sik grabbed his collar.

“Where is my body—I mean, Park Dong-sik’s body?!”

The man just made a drunken groan and closed his eyes again, not moving. Damn it, really! Park Dong-sik threw him to the floor. Hearing the commotion, mourners from the neighboring room glanced over at them. Feeling frustrated and confused, Park Dong-sik stood back up.

Get it together, Dong-sik. This isn’t the time for this. If they cremate the body, you might lose any chance of returning. You need to find the body first. He rushed to the morgue but naturally couldn’t enter. After some deliberation, he called Kim Yoon-ah who was waiting outside. As she listened to his explanation, her expression twisted in disbelief.

“So…you’re saying…Mr. Hee-soo… you want to see Park Dong-sik’s body…?”

“Yeah, I need to see it with my own eyes. That bastard of a father is too drunk to be of any use. So could you use your influence? You have that kind of ability, right?”

Kim Yoon-ah looked troubled. Without being family, it would be difficult to view a body in the morgue. Plus, wanting to see someone else’s body—why? What kind of relationship did they have? But she couldn’t ignore Lee Hee-soo’s desperate plea. After some consideration, she managed to arrange some time by bribing a funeral home employee.

A cold chill hit them as they entered the morgue. The acidic smell made Park Dong-sik tense up. The employee guided them and pulled out the compartment at the very end. Something covered in white cloth slid out—it was clearly a body, though covered.

Park Dong-sik looked at the employee and Kim Yoon-ah.

“I have something to say to the deceased. Could you give me a moment alone?”

The employee reminded him to be quick before leaving. Kim Yoon-ah kept looking back as she reluctantly left. Once the door closed, Park Dong-sik, now alone, grabbed the edge of the white cloth. His fingers trembled slightly. He never imagined he’d be seeing his own corpse like this.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled back the cloth and collapsed on the spot. So this is what it means for your legs to give out. This is what falling off a cliff feels like.

“Ah…fuck…”

The area around his eyes turned red. Something impossible had happened. This can’t be…Why…Why am I…Breathing heavily, he staggered to his feet. With difficulty, he stood and properly examined his own face.

Though bloated from the water, it was definitely Park Dong-sik. It was definitely his body. Park Dong-sik rubbed his face in disbelief. He had thought it would be like in the movies—a body swap—and naturally assumed he could return. He thought finding his body would lead to a solution.

“Damn, this is too much…”

He ground his teeth and pressed his palms against his eyes. Where did the real Lee Hee-soo go? Did he die? Or is he inside this body? Park Dong-sik called out to his body, “Mr. Hee-soo?” In his emotional state, he even shouted “Hey!” but there was no response.

A feeling of helplessness washed over him right then. Damn it. He banged his head against the morgue door with a thud. After staying like that for a while, the employee came to tell him it would be best to leave. After pushing his body back into the refrigerator, Park Dong-sik collapsed outside the morgue door.

Kim Yoon-ah, waiting outside, looked worried.

“Are you okay? Should I drive you somewhere?”

“No…I’ll just stay like this for a moment.”

“Okay…”

Park Dong-sik thought to himself. If they cremate the body, there’s no possibility of return. But even if he could return to a body that’s already dead and decomposing, could it possibly be normal? But you never know…still…After much internal conflict, he called out to Kim Yoon-ah.

“How long can they keep it in the morgue?”

“Pardon?”

“Can we delay the funeral?”

Kim Yoon-ah’s expression showed her lack of understanding. Ah, right—she doesn’t have that authority. Currently, only Park Chun-bae, his blood relative, has that authority. Blood ties, however disgusting they may be. Damn it. Park Dong-sik sighed and got up, dusting himself off.

After telling Kim Yoon-ah to go ahead, he headed to the funeral parlor. But there was an unfamiliar man standing there. Maybe someone from the office? As he approached, pulling his hat down low, he saw that the mourner was paying respects at the altar.

Just as he thought the man looked familiar, the mourner turned around, and Park Dong-sik quickly hid himself. Why was Kim Jun-han here…Did he find out that Park Dong-sik died trying to save his wife?

While watching silently, Kim Jun-han glanced at the collapsed Park Chun-bae before disappearing down the tear-filled hallway. Was that man with him his secretary? While still confused, he saw another familiar face coming toward him. It was someone he never expected to see. He almost didn’t believe his eyes.

“Is this where I leave the condolence money?”

The butcher shop owner, Mr. Jang, asked Park Dong-sik. When there was no response, he wrote his name in the guest book, took out a white envelope from his chest pocket, placed it in the donation box, and went up to the altar. He glanced at Park Dong-sik’s drunken father, bowed, and instead of incense, lit a cigarette and placed it on the altar.

Various emotions crossed Park Dong-sik’s eyes as he watched this. What did I say to Mr. Jang two days ago? I said either you die or I die. Well, I ended up dead. And he still came here after hearing that. What a shameless person.

He laughed bitterly as Mr. Jang went inside. When an employee brought food, he filled a glass with soju and drank it down without any side dishes.

“That idiot…Threatened to cut open my stomach, but ended up drowning instead.”

He sighed, muttering to himself. Park Dong-sik watched him for a long while from a distance away.

Brother. Don’t you hate me…? I was so disrespectful and acted so nasty, why did you come here…?

Damn…Making my heart feel so unsettled.

His eyes reddened as he poured himself some soju, and an employee came to set up a meal. Seeing the red yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), he felt emotional again. Having yukgaejang at my own funeral…While sitting quietly without touching his spoon, he overheard the employees whispering.

“I’ve never seen a funeral with so few mourners.”

“Looking at his father, can you blame them? Drunk all day like that, how well could he have raised his son?”

“Only the dead one is pitiful.”

“Pitiful? What’s pitiful about him? I heard he was a loan shark.”

“Really? How’d you know?”

“Didn’t you see the detectives who came earlier? I overheard that he jumped into the sea. They’re saying it was suicide.”

“Suicide? Why?”

“Who knows. Meanwhile, his father was asking the police if suicide would pay out insurance money.”

“My goodness, what kind of father says that?”

Park Dong-sik, who had been quietly listening, snickered. If it were really suicide, I wouldn’t feel so wronged. Wasn’t this just drowning after being grabbed by a water ghost? But was that really a ghost?

The more he thought about it, the harder it was to explain what had happened. Park Dong-sik grew up by the sea and was confident in swimming, yet died so meaninglessly. Could it be that Lee Hee-soo became a ghost, killed me, and trapped me in his body…?

While lost in these thoughts, Mr. Jang stood up. Though his jacket and pants were worn, they were black, showing he’d made an effort to dress appropriately. He bowed to the workers, looked at the funeral altar one more time, heaved a deep sigh that made his shoulders rise, and left.

They say you can tell how a person lived by their death…Looking at the empty funeral parlor, he clearly realized how he had lived his life. After sitting for a long while, Park Dong-sik got up and approached Park Chun-bae.

Searching the pockets of his father, who was sleeping heavily, he found a key. Opening the donation box with it, he found envelopes inside. Seeing only two, it meant only Kim Jun-han and Mr. Jang had visited so far. Without hesitation, Park Dong-sik took them and put them in his pocket before standing up. It was only right that he took them, after all, it was payment for his life.