* * *
“No way! I could never go back. I can’t live without my smartphone anymore. I got scolded yesterday for watching it for twenty hours straight!”
Lowell couldn’t help but chuckle at the young man who had only been in the modern world for a year.
He wasn’t sure who had scolded him, but it made sense.
“And besides, I love this strong, healthy body—and I’ve even got a rich, sweet boyfriend! There’s no reason for me to go back.”
“A sweet boyfriend?”
“Yep! He’s huge but totally clumsy, so I have to take care of everything.”
Eunoh puffed out his chest proudly.
Lowell looked at him, wondering how such a ditzy person could possibly take care of someone else.
‘Maybe his boyfriend’s just playing along and letting him take care of him?’
Of course, Lowell had enough manners not to voice that out loud.
Instead, he asked the real question.
“So… why did you keep calling me?”
“Oh, right! I figured I should explain why our bodies got switched.”
“You know the reason?”
“Yup! It was all because of me.”
Lowell watched him silently, unsure where this unpredictable young man would take the conversation next.
“I was playing in the mountains when I found a snake—it was hurt! It looked so pitiful, so I sprayed the healing potion I had with me on it. Later, that divine beast said it was in the middle of shedding when it got attacked by a monster.”
Lowell could barely follow the story, but he kept listening.
He had many things he wanted to question.
Why did someone with such a weak body go hiking?
Why treat a random injured snake?
If it was a divine beast, it must’ve been massive—wasn’t he scared?
And could you even call that thing a “snake”?
‘Let’s just let it go.’
Lowell figured it was better to let someone like this finish talking before asking questions.
Otherwise, the topic would spiral in unexpected directions.
“Anyway, the divine beast said since I saved it, it would grant me a wish. So I said I wanted to live a long life filled with romantic love.”
Lowell had to cover his mouth to stifle a laugh.
He was ridiculously pure—almost to the point of foolishness.
“But then the divine beast said that was impossible in this body. That my destined partner wasn’t in this world, and if I stayed like this, I’d die soon! So I asked it to send me to where my soulmate was!”
Now the pieces of the story were coming together for Lowell.
“But… I’d read a novel about this world when I was in my original one.”
“Oh yeah, the divine beast explained that too. What was it again…”
Euno scratched his head, trying to remember, then suddenly lit up.
“Oh, right! Because the wish had to be fully granted, my body and spirit had to live long. So for you to live in my body, you needed a sort of guidebook—and that got sent over in a way that fit your world. Language was one of them. Didn’t it feel weird to understand a language you’d never learned?”
“It was the same as English.”
Lowell had always assumed the person who created the novel had written it in an English-speaking setting, which explained why he had no trouble communicating.
“I’ve never even seen Hangul before, but I could read it as soon as I opened my eyes! I felt like a genius!”
Eunoh laughed brightly.
Lowell had never imagined his own face could smile like that.
“I even studied a bit about this body before I came here! Though I didn’t understand half of it.”
Lowell began to wonder how Euno was managing to survive in the harsh, fast-paced modern world.
But then he realized it wasn’t his place to worry—that such a thought was condescending.
He shook his head.
“Thank you for telling me. So that’s why you called me here?”
“Um… yes! Actually, Lowell hadn’t fully accepted the body yet, so it wasn’t stable. They said if he ever lost consciousness and his connection with the body weakened, our souls might switch back again. It’s a sickly and troublesome body, but since Lowell is content with it now, I called him here to tell him that it’s okay to fully accept it.”
Lowell let out a small “Ah.”
The only reason he hadn’t fully accepted life as Lowell, despite being satisfied with it, was simple.
He pitied the real Lowell—and felt just as guilty.
That feeling had struck him deeply for the first time when he met the Count and Countess of Clarke.
And it had only grown stronger after seeing them try to kill their own child without a second thought.
‘We’ve never even met, but… if the original Lowell had been here, wouldn’t he have been hurt by all this?’
Lowell gave a wry smile.
He thought he was hiding his feelings well, but Eunoh had been stealing glances at him for a while now.
‘Maybe he wanted to help ease the burden on my heart.’
Eunoh’s patience didn’t last long.
“I’m happy, so I hope you’ll be happy too, Lowell! You found romantic love in that world too, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
Lowell thought the term romantic love sounded childish, but he still answered without hesitation.
“Then this must be our final farewell. Thank you, Eunoh.”
“Heehee, thank you too, Lowell! You just need to head back that way.”
The two shook hands lightly and turned away from each other.
Lowell’s steps grew quicker as he walked down the path bathed in light.
‘I want to see Felix as soon as possible.’
His heart felt lighter than ever before.
And at the end of the path, Lowell smiled brightly.
Morris, who had stayed up for two nights straight, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Felix, who had been resting his face against Lowell’s neck, straightened up as well.
“Lord Lowell will be waking soon. He’s returning along the path of dreams.”
The tension in the room skyrocketed.
Felix tried to ignore his racing heartbeat and focused all his attention on Lowell.
The man who had remained still like a doll suddenly twitched his fingers, and his eyelids began to flutter.
Felix looked at him with a tearful expression, as if witnessing a miracle.
And Lowell didn’t keep him waiting long—his eyes snapped open.
The moment their gazes met, Lowell smiled softly.
“Felix, I missed you.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Felix reached out and held the hand that had gently cupped his face.
“I’m sorry I kept it from you.”
“I’ve said this before—it’s okay. You’re back now, and that’s all that matters.”
Felix’s voice was shaky with emotion.
The fact that Lowell had caused it made his chest ache.
“You don’t look well…”
Lowell wanted to say more, but a sudden, sharp pain forced him to bite back his words.
‘The stab wound hasn’t fully healed yet?’
But the pain felt different—sharper, deeper.
It didn’t feel like a wound at all.
It was growing, like a drumbeat inside him, echoing louder and louder.
“Fel… Felix?”
Panicked, Lowell finally noticed the unfamiliar faces around the room.
“Lowell, I need you to listen—please don’t panic.”
Felix spoke gently, as if calming a child, but the tension in his voice cracked at the end.
‘That kind of line… always means you should panic.’
* * *
