After getting into Nam Heejae’s car, I first scanned through the text message history as planned.
Although my concern for Jang Haesu wouldn’t easily subside, once I was possessed into “Excessively Brilliant,” the task given to me was ‘dealing with Baek Sahyun.’ And to do that, there were two things I needed to find out.
First of all, where had the real Nam Heejae and Chae Eunwoo arranged to meet? Since I wasn’t the real Nam Heejae, I had no idea about “the place they first met” that Chae Eunwoo mentioned in his text.
Heading toward Chae Eunwoo, who would likely have a lot of useful information, I sent a three-character text.
Eunwoo
Almost immediately, a response arrived with a vibration.
Yes! Where are you?
Being twenty years old, he’s definitely bright and lively.
I pressed the keypad while arbitrarily imagining Chae Eunwoo’s appearance.
Where were we supposed to meet? I’ve been a bit forgetful lately
He’s probably as cute as his personality, and as the novel’s protagonist, he might be just as excellent as Baek Sahyun. Chae Eunwoo replied quickly again.
I get like that sometimes too haha. I’ll send you the location!
After checking the address that arrived consecutively, I entered it into the navigation system while scrolling through the phone with my other hand. I was trying to find any content that might provoke Baek Sahyun’s wrath, specifically, traces of an… affair between Chae Eunwoo and Nam Heejae.
Their conversations so far went like this:
Are you at the library, Eunwoo?
Yes haha. Where are you, hyung?
Near the library. Want to eat together?
I’d love to, but didn’t you say you were busy?
I have time to eat with you.
Oh, that’s quite suspicious…?
Of course, these were plain conversations faithful to the original setting of them being university seniors and juniors. It was just that I, knowing the whole story, felt a few questions in between these stereotypical text messages.
For example, Nam Heejae’s excessive kindness or Chae Eunwoo’s excessive modesty.
Do you need that class note I mentioned before? I have one that wasn’t made public because of the professor’s request.
I’d be so grateful if you gave it to me, but I keep just receiving things from you ㅠㅠ I haven’t done anything for you, hyung
I’m not expecting anything in return, so it’s okay.
But it’s such a valuable note…
I said it’s fine. Should I pick you up after your class ends?
Why would you do all this for someone like me?
As a high school graduate, I had no idea what the hell this “class note” was, but I could guess it was an essential item for exam preparation.
Both Nam Heejae, who readily offered to give such a thing, and Chae Eunwoo, who hesitated instead of eagerly accepting it, were quite subtle.
I’m just trying to ease your burden. I heard you’ve been struggling with various things lately.
I don’t know what kind of luck I have to meet someone like you, hyung…
Such ambiguous conversations were repeated over and over.
And the most recent conversation that became the source of the current situation:
Hyung! Do you have time tomorrow by any chance?
I think I’ll be free in the afternoon. Right now I’m out for a bit because of some family business.
How about 6 PM then? At a restaurant near Daehangno!
Sure. Let me know the address, and I’ll be there on time.
There wasn’t anything unusual, more than I thought. Chae Eunwoo proposed first, and Nam Heejae accepted as usual. Since dinner appointments between them were a frequent setting in the story, the content itself wasn’t problematic.
Except.
‘A guy who should be crying his eyes out and calling from a payphone, why?’
Isn’t Chae Eunwoo in a situation where he has nowhere to go and needs to ask Nam Heejae for help? For such a situation, his text was far too carefree.
I’m really going to pay today!
No matter how I looked at it, he just seemed like a freshman excited to have dinner with a senior he liked.
Ah, the questions keep piling up. Baek Sahyun, who should be quietly observing, suddenly comes to find Nam Heejae, and the guy who should be pleading for help with a broken ankle is making dinner plans in Daehangno.
“Why is nothing going according to expectations?”
Aren’t people who are possessed into novels supposed to thrive based on their vast knowledge? At least that’s the theory of Jang Haesu, the fantasy novel expert.
“Haah.”
But to think that even though I know the entire plot, I still can’t avoid threats and torture… it feels like all my energy is draining before I even start the engine.
I helplessly rested my head on the steering wheel. Suddenly, Haesu’s passionate voice struck my mind.
“You know what? There are various versions of devices that hinder a possessed person from achieving their goals.”
“…It’s just a novel, does it even have devices?”
“Are you stupid, oppa? It’s precisely because it’s a novel that such devices are possible. Like creating variables to make predictions difficult, or awakening other characters.”
“You sound so knowledgeable, Haesu. Variables, awakening. Sounds fancy.”
“Not fancy at all. Since it would be boring to awaken everyone, they give changes to just one person.”
I think she gave some subtle explanation, but since I listened while dozing off, I couldn’t trust whether my memory was accurate. Probably, Haesu had said in an excited tone:
“Listen carefully. They awaken the most normal character.”
“Awaken them?”
“And they hide the past narrative with the most abnormal character so that the possessed person doesn’t know.”
“How do they hide it?”
“I’ll tell you next time. I’m tired of explaining now.”
If I had known this would happen, I should have concentrated when Haesu was talking. Who would have thought that I’d get hit by a hit-and-run and be possessed into a gay romance drama?
“Phew.”
After taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, I firmly gripped the steering wheel.
“Let’s meet Chae Eunwoo first. Meeting him should give me some clues.”
With a resolute heart, I started the engine.
Perhaps because it had been a while since I drove, sweat kept forming on my hands holding the steering wheel.
‘Take it slow, take it slow. It’s an expensive car, so I need to be careful…’
However, I made a mistake just 1km into the drive.
“Fuck! What are you trying to do, you bastard!”
“I’m sorry! I’ll back up!”
Driving slowly without thinking, I almost collided with a turning vehicle at an intersection.
The driver, who had been shouting loudly for a while, finally backed away after spitting toward my window. Taking his advice not to live my life that way to heart, I resumed driving.
“What is this…”
But gripping the steering wheel wasn’t easy at all.
The sound of tires screeching just before the collision, or the view rapidly expanding as if zoomed in, all muddled my mind. The situation of the hit-and-run where my body directly collided with the vehicle began to resurface.
My breathing collapses and my focus gradually blurs. Typical trauma symptoms. Determining that further driving was impossible, I urgently found a spot near a commercial building and parked.
“This is crazy. Why is it so hard to breathe?”
Suddenly, I felt like lamenting my situation of not being able to rest in peace even after death.
Should I just bite my tongue and die? Then maybe I could return to Haesu.
I was recalling Haesu’s face, which resembled my original body, and reminiscing about the years I had lived for her, when someone knocked on the passenger window.
“Is that you, Heejae hyung?”
And what followed was a voice filled with innocent laughter. I lowered the passenger window with a button, but my vision was blurred, making it difficult to get a clear picture.
I took a few breaths to calm my racing nerves. Narrowing my eyes, the wavering figure seemed to become a bit clearer.
Ah, I could recognize him immediately.
“…Chae, Eunwoo?”
“Hyung. Are you okay?”
The sentences that described him were truths without a hint of exaggeration.
– Chae Eunwoo is a charming omega who seems like the personification of sweetness. A smile as if honey is dripping, a clear complexion. Eyes that are gentle but not dull, and dimples that deepen every time he smiles. An omega without a single flaw.
– His untainted personality, things like honesty and innocence, was enough to captivate Baek Sahyun.
– This omega, who captured Nam Heejae and even made Baek Sahyun fall in love with him, always exuded a cotton candy scent. Just as sweet and lovely as himself.
Chae Eunwoo. Yes. That cute and clear eye smile was unmistakably Chae Eunwoo. Dressed in a stylish hoodie, he was radiantly handsome like any idol, and I blinked and thought:
“…Are you a fairy?”
Though I meant to just think it, I was so out of it that I unwittingly muttered it aloud. In response, Chae Eunwoo, flustered and a bit shy, blushed and answered:
“Th-thank you. I feel embarrassed being complimented. Actually, I thought you might be lost, so I came looking for you. I saw a familiar car and when I checked, it was really your car. Amazing, right?”
Examining my complexion carefully as he spoke, Chae Eunwoo truly looked like the personification of goodness. Perhaps because my mind was dulled by trauma, I lost my mental grip and just blankly appreciated his face.
Then Chae Eunwoo, fidgeting, whispered:
“Hyung, you seem sick, quickly unlock the door. I’ll park for you.”
“……”
“You came out making time in your busy schedule to meet me… Heejae hyung?”
That’s a welcome suggestion. Honestly, I didn’t have the energy to park either. After a couple of polite refusals for form’s sake, I let Chae Eunwoo into the car.
As soon as we switched seats, he took the wheel familiarly and finished parking in an instant. Since his skills exceeded my expectations, I complimented him despite feeling exhausted.
“You drive well.”
I was inwardly anxious, feeling like I was handing over the wheel to a high school kid who just finished the college entrance exam.
Chae Eunwoo smiled brightly and replied:
“I learned from you, of course.”
“Hmm?”
“You even paid for my driving school fees, hyung. I always feel sorry and grateful.”
What? Did Nam Heejae teach Chae Eunwoo how to drive? He must have been really into him. I knew that a novel couldn’t capture every single action of its characters, but this wasn’t a very favorable situation for me.
“…You don’t need to apologize.”
Let’s just skip topics I don’t know about.
“Let’s get out now.”
“Yes, hyung!”
The good-natured Chae Eunwoo immediately threw open the car door. I was startled when he even ran quickly to the driver’s side, trying to open my door for me.
“Hey, do this for your girlfriend. For your girlfriend.”
When I momentarily forgot that I was Nam Heejae and spoke, Chae Eunwoo was startled and stammered:
“…I’m sorry. Was that unpleasant?”
Seeing his guilty expression, I hurriedly shook my head. Right. I was inside a gay novel.
“No. It was just a joke. Really.”
“……”
“Haha. I haven’t been meeting people, um. So my humor skills have declined, I guess.”
If it had been the original Nam Heejae, he probably wouldn’t have made such an uncool excuse, damn it. But Chae Eunwoo actually comforted me.
“It’s alright! You’ve always been the serious type, hyung.”
Though I was confused whether he was comforting me or taking a jab at me. Knowing Chae Eunwoo’s thoughtful personality, I’d guess it was the former.
