His steps toward school were so light he felt like he might fly.
Before leaving for school, Jingi spent about five minutes longer than usual in front of the mirror. Just looking at his sturdy, long limbs and handsome face made his heart swell. So, he gave himself five more minutes of self-love before heading out.
‘Seriously, this face is a crime.’
“I’m worried I might get street-cast.”
He muttered to himself and then giggled, finding it ridiculous. In his past life, he’d been stopped on the street a few times even looking as scrawny as he did; with his current self, he’d probably struggle to take a single step.
Jingi told the people who prepared his breakfast, “Thank you!” and polished off his bowl. He even had a fresh strawberry juice for dessert.
Humming a tune, he left the house and walked down the hill, where he spotted the back of Go Yeol’s head. Jingi grinned, ran up to him, and gave Go Yeol—who was in his athletic gear—a slap on the back.
“Good morning!”
“……Yeah.”
After saying it, he wondered if the greeting was too different from his original personality, but Jingi decided to go with the flow and slowed his pace to match Go Yeol’s.
“In a good mood?”
“Yup. A-mazing.”
“I see.”
Go Yeol nodded silently and patted Jingi’s head. It was a familiar gesture. Jingi hummed and tilted his head from side to side. After everything was settled yesterday thanks to Joo Unyoung, his heart felt so much lighter.
It felt as if every path ahead of him was covered in flowers. The two soon arrived at school. It was early, so the student discipline committee wasn’t out yet. Jingi waved goodbye to Go Yeol as he headed toward the gym.
For some reason, the stoic-faced boy watched Jingi for a moment as if he were worried.
“What?”
“Nothing, you just seem different lately.”
“People change as they live, you know?”
“Don’t they?” he asked, and Go Yeol gave a slight nod.
“It’s good to see.”
At the short reply, Jingi’s eyes crinkled into a wide smile, and he gave the guy’s back a firm slap.
“I’m off!”
“Yeah.”
With his worries gone, even the classroom looked different. Jingi pulled out his chair and let out a long sigh. He leaned his head all the way back, staring at the white ceiling.
‘High school. A real high school. I’m a real eighteen-year-old high schooler.’
“Where else in the world would you find a lottery win like this?”
He felt it once again. What were the odds of a penniless twenty-two-year-old being possessed by a wealthy second-generation chaebol? Well, possession itself was impossible to begin with.
As he stared at the ceiling, he started to feel sleepy. On his first day, his eyes had snapped open at 5:00 AM, but now they were half-closed. It felt like he was back in his past life, where he barely escaped being late because he loved his morning sleep so much.
Jingi closed his eyes and shifted his body, stretching his long legs into a comfortable position. He let all the tension out of his neck and slid his hips forward until his head rested on the back of the chair. Sleep came instantly.
While he was sleeping in that rather silly pose, he heard the sound of someone sitting down next to him with a clatter. Jingi snapped his head up with bleary eyes.
“Did I wake you?”
“Hi.”
“Yeah. You’re here early.”
It was Joo Unyoung, putting his bag down with a small smile. Jingi rubbed his eyes, and seeing the homeroom teacher walk in, he let out a huge yawn and checked the timetable.
‘Ah, math. The subject Choi Jingi is best at.’
He adjusted his posture and stretched his stiff body until his back cracked.
‘I want to brag about this.’ How he woke up one day and was suddenly handsome and rich. If there were anyone he could tell, he would have bragged until their ears were sore. Jingi tapped his cheeks a few times and tried to harden his expression as usual, but it soon softened back into a relaxed look.
‘Whatever. I’ll just do what I want, whether I get caught or not.’ What would happen if I did? It’s not like he’s going to exorcise me.
“Jingi, you seem in a really great mood today.”
“Yeah, I am.”
“That much?”
“Yep. Super great.”
He nodded obediently as he answered. Jingi rested his chin on his hand and met Joo Unyoung’s eyes. Joo Unyoung was looking at him in the same pose.
“Do you like me?”
“Yeah, I li…!”
He was about to answer reflexively, but as soon as he clamped his mouth shut, Joo Unyoung burst out laughing, still resting his chin on his hand. Seeing the way his eyes crinkled beautifully and the corners of his mouth lifted, Jingi’s heart thudded in his chest.
‘Fuck, he is insanely pretty. Seriously.’
“It’s a joke, a joke. Why are you so stiff?”
“No, just… I, I should probably preview the next lesson.”
The back of his neck burned hot. ‘So this is why people get plastic surgery. Since he’s beautiful, just looking at him makes me feel good…’
He pulled out his textbook and flipped it open, and formulas he had never even tried to memorize filled his head. Seeing how they stuck in his mind as if they were branded there without him even having to review, it was clear that Choi Jingi was a genius.
With a brain like this, couldn’t he plan out Joo Unyoung’s love life with such destiny that it would put any romance novel to shame? In his mind, Jingi pictured Go Yeol and Baek Jaehui, placing Joo Unyoung right between them. No matter who he was paired with, it looked like a masterpiece.
‘Man, this is a tough choice.’
It was during lunchtime, while he was rubbing his full stomach and sipping on a carton of apple juice, that an unexpected contact arrived.
His phone, which had been silent all day, gave a long ‘vrrr’. Jingi thought it might be Go Yeol, since the only people he’d really communicated with over the past few days were Go Yeol and Joo Unyoung.
However, the screen showed a KakaoTalk message from an unknown number.
“Who is it?”
“Uh, hang on.”
Since it was a KakaoTalk message and not just a text, he had even less of a clue. Choi Jingi’s contact list consisted of his parents, the driver, the three guys from school, and the homeroom teacher. Jingi squinted and pressed the profile picture. A white Persian cat was stretching its body long.
‘So damn cute. Is it their pet?’
”[O: Jingi, do you happen to have time right now?]”
Why don’t people save their names properly? It’s not like knowing those three letters allows someone to dig up your whole life. Jingi hesitated before replying, ”[Who is this?]” The ‘1’ next to the message disappeared instantly. It meant they had checked it immediately.
”[O: The bus from yesterday~ ^^
Ah, just call me Hyeon-je hyeong.
Anyway, do you have time? Want to come out to the playground?]”
‘Hyeon-je?’ It was a familiar name. Jingi furrowed his brows in thought, but he couldn’t quite place it. Even though he was in Choi Jingi’s body, his past life’s brain remained, yet he couldn’t remember where he had seen that name.
Just then, Baek Jaehui poked at his phone, pouting and grumbling.
“Hey, I asked who it is. Are you meeting some other guy besides this ‘Hyeong-nim’ here?”
“Cut the crap and let go.”
“Crrrap? Did you just tell me to cut the crap? Wow, incredible. Unyoung, did you hear that?”
He shook his arm free and escaped from Baek Jaehui. Jingi gestured to Joo Unyoung—whom he had become a bit more comfortable with since yesterday—that he’d see him later. Joo Unyoung smiled broadly and waved back.
“Yeah, I heard. Your swearing has improved lately.”
“Why are you smiling like you like it? Where did our kind Choi Jingi go, huh! Is that really Choi Jingi? Has this punk been acting fake all this time?”
“Why? I think this suits him better. It’s kind of cute.”
Unyoung meant it. He liked this version much more than the previous Choi Jingi.
