Was it this side that unilaterally stole Baek Doha’s body? In fact, thinking about the information gathered after possessing this body, Baek Doha had turned his back on the world himself.
Leaving behind such a good home, his grandfather who was family that loved him, and a group that was on a winning streak.
What kind of wound had he received? And that…
‘Can the current me even avoid it?’
He was scared whenever the danger called death came to mind. If it were Lim Sehyun, he would know something. Should I ask? But if I ask something like that, it would definitely be strange.
If Lim Sehyun pressed about how he would know that, in the end he’d have no choice but to confess the truth, but Lim Sehyun, hearing that he himself is the protagonist of a novel, would obviously treat me like a crazy bastard.
He didn’t know about other people, but he didn’t want to be treated as a crazy person by Lim Sehyun. Let’s just pretend not to know until death.
While Sehyun was looking at the things in the room, Doha also started browsing through this and that. He might normally feel guilty about carelessly looking at other people’s things, but since Lim Sehyun was shamelessly committing the crime, his guilt disappeared too.
Is bad influence rubbing off on me?
He saw a photo of Baek Doha’s parents. He heard they had passed away, and he could see where Baek Doha’s excessive beauty came from.
“Your parents are abroad, right?”
“Yes.”
What is an idol anyway? Now they’re all adults, but is it so dazzling that they’d decide to live as trainees separated from their parents since childhood?
A life on display just seems tiring.
“Aren’t you lonely?”
“Why bring that up now? I’m past that age.”
Does he still have eighth-grader syndrome here too?
“Hyung, can I look at this album?”
“Have you been asking before looking until now?”
“Hey, still, I thought it might be a bit rude.”
“You’ve been consistently rude.”
At Doha’s answer, Sehyun laughed loudly. It wasn’t something said to make him laugh. Really, he’s been consistently rude since entering this body.
He didn’t exactly give permission, but perhaps because there was no extreme rejection, Sehyun browsed through the album, flipping through it.
Doha was also a bit curious about the contents, so he stood beside him and looked at the photos. If he’d known this would happen, he should have come to the main house earlier to collect this and that information.
Young Baek Doha in the photo was wearing a sailor uniform-style kindergarten uniform with a pouty expression. His cheeks were so plump, it made you want to poke them.
“Just like now. Full of complaints.”
“…He’s just cute though.”
Doha tried to snatch the album, but Sehyun dodged here and there and turned the next page.
“Who’s this friend?”
Sehyun’s hand stopped. In the photo he pointed at, a slightly older Baek Doha was with someone. Baek Doha in kindergarten uniform and next to him, a young-faced boy smiling brightly.
“A friend?”
“He looks really cute. Round eyes too.”
“Right.”
“There are a lot of photos of this friend?”
“They must have been close.”
“You’re talking about it too much like someone else’s story. Wouldn’t you have memories at this level?”
“You seem to frequently forget about my memory loss.”
“Did even your childhood memories fly away?”
Sehyun looked at Doha as if finding it novel.
“Yeah.”
“Hmm, you really can’t even recite the multiplication tables?”
“I never said anything like that.”
As they turned the pages of the album, Baek Doha gradually grew up. Entering elementary school, graduating, and at some point there were even photos taken in school uniform. By such Baek Doha’s side, there was always his grandfather.
His heart felt strange for no reason.
“Come down now!”
Just then, a shout to come down came from downstairs.
Sehyun put the album he’d been looking at back on the bookshelf.
“Shall we go?”
“Yeah.”
They came out to the still unfamiliar hallway and went down the stairs following the delicious smell.
* * *
75-year-old Mr. Baek Suncheol, like people of his age tend to be, had quite old-fashioned notions.
Being a singer wasn’t even a proper job to make a living, and working with your face fully exposed was no different from spending your whole life trapped in a transparent prison despite having a perfectly healthy body.
Can you comfortably gulp down a hot bowl of soup rice anywhere, or even going out to the neighborhood supermarket once, you have to worry about your appearance.
Even breathing while watching others’ reactions, living anxiously like a puppy that needs to poop—isn’t that the so-called fate of an entertainer?
Say one word wrong and people point fingers, chew your rice wrong and they’ll chew you out for having no manners.
How is that living like a human? Being a clown selling smiles in front of others—flowers don’t bloom for ten days, so after blooming briefly in youth, what’s left is just a diseased shell.
Mr. Baek Suncheol clicked his tongue. Why his precious child would struggle to walk such a thorny path—to the old man’s eyes, it was completely incomprehensible.
Moreover, his grandson had been talented since childhood. Not only studying and sports, but singing and dancing too, which ultimately led to this situation.
“Eat.”
Sitting at the head of the long dining table, Mr. Baek Suncheol spoke gruffly.
“Thank you for the food!”
“Thank you for the food…”
Sehyun and Doha picked up their spoons. Everywhere their hands went was a feast. All the delicacies of land and sea were on this table.
Oxtail soup glistening with luster, freshly grilled ribs, japchae and assorted jeon, and various side dishes neatly arranged.
“Thank you for the food! Wow, Father. Did you really make all this at home? It looks even more delicious than a restaurant.”
“Father?”
Doha thought Sehyun had made a mistake.
“Ah, Grandfather. You look so young that I keep feeling like you’re Doha hyung’s father.”
“…”
His social skills are insane?
Doha looked at Sehyun with a dumbfounded face. And Mr. Baek Suncheol was the same. The young lad greeted well politely, but the way he struck up conversation was like someone who had swallowed at least one smooth-talker whole.
“The braised ribs taste extraordinary? Try this once.”
He wasn’t like young people these days. No, regardless of past or present, it’s hard to be this friendly.
Is he originally a gregarious personality?
Sehyun chattered away with his characteristically shameless smile. Grandfather tried to maintain a dignified expression, but couldn’t hide the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
“It’s nothing special. If it suits your taste, eat a lot.”
“Thank you. I was already lacking energy from our recent activities, but today I’ll properly nourish my body before I go.”
Sehyun tactfully placed a large piece of rib on grandfather’s rice bowl. That fox-like bastard. His skill at buttering up elders was no joke.
Doha also took a spoonful of oxtail soup broth. As the rich and savory broth went down his throat, his empty stomach was warmly heated.
“It’s delicious.”
An exclamation slipped out without him realizing. Grandfather pretended to eat quietly, but was stealing glances at Doha drinking the soup from the corner of his eye.
‘…Why is he looking like that?’
While scooping the soup, Doha made direct eye contact with grandfather’s intense gaze. Below his wrinkled eyes, sharp and deep pupils were staring intently at Doha. It was as if looking right through him with an X-ray.
I’m going to get indigestion.
Doha’s spooning naturally slowed down. Did he notice that I’m a fake? Or does he not like the way I’m eating?
“…Grandfather, why aren’t you eating?”
Doha asked carefully. Only then did grandfather withdraw his gaze and clear his throat.
“Ahem. I’m eating. You eat a lot. You’re so skinny.”
Grandfather spoke curtly and pushed the jeon plate toward Doha.
Like that, Mr. Baek Suncheol also began moving his chopsticks.
“It feels like I’m eating vegetables for the first time in ages.”
Sehyun kept moving his chopsticks as if so excited. He didn’t seem like he originally had a big appetite.
“Ahem.”
After filling his stomach a bit, Mr. Baek Suncheol wiped his mouth and opened it.
“So, when are you ending that singer life?”
At the words grandfather suddenly threw out, Doha choked while trying to swallow the oxtail soup broth.
“Cough, what?”
“You’re an idol or whatever, didn’t you ask me to pay the penalty fee because you were going to quit?”
Grandfather asked while calmly drinking water. For a moment, silence flowed over the dining table. He felt a piercing gaze from the side. It was obvious without looking. Sehyun’s eyes must have turned into axe-eyes.
‘I’m screwed.’
Doha coughed and hurriedly turned his head. If he said ‘Yes, I’ll quit soon’ here, the regressor sitting next to him might flip the table. But if he said ‘I’m going to continue though,’ grandfather’s scolding would fall.
“Ahem! When did I… ever say that? Haha.”
Doha laughed awkwardly and avoided his gaze.
