Having heard stories through the person involved that weren’t even described in the book, I was immersed in a dazed feeling. What came after that was sympathy based on compassion.
No matter how much everyone lives carrying at least one sad story… I thought Baek Sahyun’s life was seriously unfortunate even for a novel protagonist. I also wondered if the violence and neglect he suffered as a child had made him into this psychopath-like human.
So with the duty of an elder, I came to hold the determination to let Baek Sahyun live like an ordinary person in their twenties of his age. Because if I showed him the fun of an ordinary life, my life would become easier along with it. Since Baek Sahyun, who frequently did creepy actions, would change into a Baek Sahyun who only did understandable actions.
Thus, the training camp named ‘Baek Sahyun Rehabilitation Project’ began in my hotel. Bringing Baek Sahyun into the guest room, I cleared my throat with an ahem and opened my mouth.
“From now on, we will rough it together until you act like an ordinary person in their twenties. Do you understand?”
Drawing on my past experience as a demon instructor, I seized the initiative from Baek Sahyun. Baek Sahyun looked at me with a displeased expression.
“In this cramped place?”
Even if you looked while doing forward rolls, it was a fucking spacious hotel, but it seemed not to satisfy Baek Sahyun. But this too would help with his mental education.
“Training in a cramped place is more effective. If not, why would they build barracks so small like mouse droppings on military training camp grounds?”
“……”
“It’s because that way the troops’ discipline is maintained and they don’t become lax, you punk.”
Having taught a lesson to a guy who hasn’t served in the military, my shoulders rose. I hummed while tapping Baek Sahyun’s shoulder.
“Let’s order chicken before washing up.”
“…Why chicken?”
This time too, Baek Sahyun asked back with a look of complete incomprehension. Having to explain even things like this one by one made me feel a bit sorry as I was reminded of the life this bastard had lived.
“Two guys in their twenties tearing into chicken while watching action movies at dawn is an essential course you must go through. Even I, you know? On weekends I’d buy one from a nearby place that fried chicken cheaply and tear into it together with beer.”
Though I tore into it with just Haesu without any friends. There were many days I got scolded after pushing all the legs and wings to Haesu and only eating the dry breast meat. Thinking of Haesu made me feel melancholy, so I put my arm around Baek Sahyun’s shoulders as if doing the older brother role I couldn’t do for Haesu.
“Tomorrow is pig’s feet. The day after is bossam. The day after that is pizza, and the day after that after that is….”
“Eating late-night snacks makes your belly stick out.”
But that bastard Baek Sahyun answered primly and dropped my arm. Touching and feeling Nam Heejae’s abdomen, which far from having a belly had only nice muscles, I tilted my head in puzzlement.
The moment I was about to speak, Baek Sahyun grumbled.
“You acted like you had it hard, but I guess you had time to tear into chicken while watching movies with friends.”
“Then was I supposed to be at the construction site 24/7 year-round moving materials? I’m a person too.”
When I objected, thinking what the hell this bastard saw me as, Baek Sahyun answered in a cynical tone.
“And I don’t watch action movies and stuff.”
“You can watch other things.”
“If I’m going to watch, I’ll watch animation.”
“……”
“I have a theatrical release I’ve been saving. It’s called ‘Easyman – The Great Booby-Booby Disaster.'”
“Fuck…, what kind of title is that?”
Since it was a movie I didn’t want to watch just from hearing about it, I had no choice but to cancel the late-night snack plan. Since there were many tiring things today anyway, I said let’s just sleep for now, but Baek Sahyun appealed.
“It’s an episode that introduces the protagonists’ past. You can clearly see that Easyman was a bad man who shook the heart of a girl named Cherry….”
“Don’t you have school tomorrow too?”
Not wanting to watch Easyman under any circumstances, I changed the subject and asked.
“Let’s go to school together. When’s your first class?”
There was a ‘Baek Sahyun Rehabilitation Stage 1’ course to go through even while commuting. Taking a side road on the way to buy a bowl of gukbap. I planned to give him the experience of putting lots of seasoning paste in hot soup and taking a spoonful. While having pleasant conversations about how the world turns, and nagging him a bit too….
“I have a free period.”
“Free period? What’s that?”
“A day without classes. Yours starts at 9:30 AM, right?”
“…Ah.”
I think I need to drastically revise the plan again. Though it would be nice if he came out with me even without classes, I didn’t particularly want to wake up someone who could sleep in late and drag him along. While I was thinking of arranging a situation to have a drink after all my classes ended, Baek Sahyun spoke first.
“I’ll come pick you up when your last class ends. Let’s eat dinner together. You choose the menu.”
While nodding my head at the feeling of somehow having the initiative stolen, I didn’t feel refreshed.
“I’m showering first.”
I’d sweated quite a bit of cold sweat earlier and thought I should wash before anything else, but the moment I was about to enter the shower, a question suddenly crossed my mind and I turned back to look at Baek Sahyun.
Come to think of it, there was one question I really wanted to ask while listening to his story.
“…But you know. Then, did I suddenly possess Nam Heejae’s body?”
“……”
“Because, in my case, I got hit by a car and when I opened my eyes I’d become Nam Heejae. So Nam Heejae too… wouldn’t there be some reason he left his body?”
Whether he left voluntarily or was forced to leave, I don’t know. At the same time, I made this hypothesis too.
“Could Nam Heejae possibly be inside my body?”
“Your body?”
Baek Sahyun, who had been silent, showed a delayed reaction. I explained with confidence.
“Wouldn’t it be more pitiful if he’s wandering alone through the nine heavens? Well, if he possessed my body that would be pitiful in its own way, but anyway. If you have to choose, even if it’s someone else’s body, the living side is much better, right?”
“…I wonder.”
Baek Sahyun shrugged as if he didn’t know. I thought since he’s the protagonist he might know something, but I guess not. As expected, will things like this inevitably remain mysterious supernatural phenomena?
Thinking I should apply with my story to an occult program or something if I get the chance someday, it was when I was walking toward the shower.
“He took sleeping pills often.”
Baek Sahyun whispered calmly.
“Each time he took them, he swallowed them by the handful. The manifestation drug aftereffects were severe.”
It seemed to be a story about Nam Heejae. Hearing this, it seemed that bastard Nam Heejae also lived a life that wasn’t smooth. As expected, the saying that there’s no one in the world without a story must be correct.
“He lost consciousness sometimes. He couldn’t go to the hospital. If Chairman Nam found out he collapsed because of drugs, he’d be distanced from management rights.”
“……”
“So that’s why he started becoming close with Nam Heedo, with whom he’d originally had a relationship no different from estrangement. He needed a doctor who would check his physical condition without Chairman Nam knowing.”
Even stupid me could quickly infer why Baek Sahyun was telling me this situation. So… if my trigger was a hit-and-run, Nam Heejae’s could be sleeping pills, couldn’t it? To be precise, it would be because of an overdose.
“…Did you think of him as a real friend and want to straighten him out? Even thinking of making him an alpha?”
The more I heard, the more he seemed like a failing bastard to be friends with, so honestly it was hard to understand why Baek Sahyun tried to rehabilitate him.
Even if he saw his biological father overlapped in him and wanted to try things he couldn’t do as a child, something bothered me.
Baek Sahyun neither affirmed nor denied and just looked somewhere at the ceiling. I wondered if it was too burdensome a question, when he slid his gaze back to me and answered.
“He died.”
“……”
“My biological father.”
“…What?”
“After I took Baek Seonghee’s hand and left, drunk driving led to an accident. The investigation result was suicide. A suicide note remained at home.”
Baek Sahyun walked toward me step by step. Strangely, I didn’t feel like avoiding him. Baek Sahyun, who arrived in front of me and stopped, raised the corners of his mouth in a smile.
“And in the suicide note….”
“……”
“It was written, ‘The sin of not being born an alpha.’ He rationalized why he was ruined like that….”
“Sahyun-ah.”
In that moment, I came to understand the situation in front of the villa when Baek Sahyun, unlike himself, had shouted overcome with emotion.
“How long are you going to go on about alphas? Just because your traits change doesn’t mean your life changes, okay? I already saw the result with my eyes. You don’t even know how it ended.”
“What happened to Nam Heejae, that’s not your fault. You know that, right?”
So I really wanted to tell him. I gripped both of Baek Sahyun’s shoulders tightly and repeated.
“It’s absolutely not your fault. Anyone who heard would have said the same thing as me. The person at fault is….”
The person at fault is, fuck, the author who created this shitty worldview. But I didn’t add that. Instead, I emphasized once more.
“…If anyone says it’s your fault and throws a fit, bring them to me. Your hyung will catch them like catching a mouse.”
Then Baek Sahyun giggled and grasped my hands resting on his shoulders and answered.
“Yes, hyung.”
Using such an affectionate tone that even I who was listening felt embarrassed.
“From now on I’ll call you hyung.”
❖ ❖ ❖
When I finished showering and came out, Baek Sahyun was already sitting on the sofa, having fallen into a light sleep. I’d wondered why there was a savory smell during my shower, and sure enough, three boxes of chicken and two cans of beer were placed on the table.
I wondered why he ordered three boxes, but seeing they were fried, seasoned, and soy sauce flavored respectively, I could guess.
‘…He must have ordered all three since he doesn’t know which flavor I like.’
I picked up one beer can and sat next to Baek Sahyun. Looking at Baek Sahyun’s face as he slept soundly, I thought. How strangely curious—he didn’t seem as scary as before.
…I might have really developed affection despite the dislike.
