* * *
“Mr. Park Hyunsoo.”
“…Yes.”
Hearing his name called after a long time felt unfamiliar, so his response was slightly delayed. Jaeyoon, who had been silent until now, had a cold expression unlike before.
“Do you remember what I asked of you—to take good care of our Jaehee until he returns?”
It was referring to the promise made at the basic training center. Hyunsoo nodded, acknowledging that he remembered.
“I’d like you to keep that promise now.”
Jaeyoon embraced the man’s shoulder next to him. It was a gesture full of familiarity.
“Our Jaehee has really returned.”
“Just to see the faces of the team members…”
Hyunsoo was unable to complete his request, his throat tightening.
What should he say to the team members?
Despite thinking about it dozens of times, his mind went blank.
‘Will they leave? Did they leave because they don’t like me anymore?’
He had confidently assured Minchan that it wouldn’t happen. It felt like a lie. Hyunsoo felt as if all the blood had drained from his body as he waited for Jaeyoon’s response.
“I’m sorry, but contacting the Shaman to prepare a quick ritual may be difficult.
“A final farewell should be okay, right? I’m not saying I won’t return the body, but not allowing a farewell…”
As Hyunsoo was about to protest, Jaemin abruptly interrupted.
“Jaeyoon said that those espers were from the same team and had been together for six years. Moreover, they are S-class espers. Who knows if they might go berserk and abduct our Jaehee’s body? Ah, don’t tell me you’ve been with them in our youngest’s body?”
Jaemin demanded, his eyes wide with suspicion.
“What are you talking about… No, that’s not true at all. Of course, I have done some mucosal guiding before, but…”
“Seriously, do you have no conscience? Using someone else’s body like that. Who gave you permission to do mucosal guiding? Were you planning to take over his body completely?”
The sharp reprimand left him in darkness. He wanted to explain that it wasn’t like that, but he couldn’t.
‘It’s true that I had thought of living in this body.’
The shamans couldn’t find Lee Jaehee’s spirit, and the family had given up. Moreover, D Team still needed him, and he couldn’t abandon them.
While sincerely wishing for Jaehee’s soul, he had shamelessly tried to live using his body and name.
“Jaemin, stop.”
“You too, Father! You should have at least tried to find Jaehee somehow. Just relying on the shamans and giving up when Jaehee is clearly here…”
“So, whether that person is really our Jaehee is still…”
“Dad. It’s me. I’m your son Jaehee. Can’t you recognize me even in this body?”
The man who had been smirking spoke to Jaemin’s father, who was sitting in stunned silence.
“Answer my question, and then I’ll acknowledge that you’re our youngest. I’ll even apologize for not believing.”
The only evidence he had was the man claiming to be Jaehee and remembering asking the family to go on a trip.
“If you’re really our youngest, you should know this. Last year, on Mom and Dad’s wedding anniversary, you gave them a gift. A very special one. We cried when we saw it. What was it, Jaehee?”
“……”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“I… I don’t know. I don’t remember! I said I don’t know!”
The man, suddenly having a fit, began tearing at his hair before striking himself with his fist. Alarmed, Jaemin and Jaeyoon tried to stop him, fidgeting.
“Dad! Why are you doing this? Jaehee is suffering!”
“Do you really believe that friend is our Jaehee? I don’t know. I’ve raised him for 22 years, but I’ve never seen our youngest act like this. And you all are strange too, as if you’re under some spell…”
He frowned as he tried to continue, but a terrible headache overwhelmed him, causing him to stagger.
“Let’s end it here for today. We’ll talk again when the day breaks. Mr. Hyunsoo, don’t leave. Stay here and rest. Jaemin and Jaeyoon, you two go to your rooms.”
“I’ll perform a ritual first thing tomorrow, so don’t even think about running away. Understand?”
Jaemin, leaving with a venomous remark, supported the man and exited the living room. His words were sharp and cutting, despite his weak nature.
“Since Jaehee isn’t back, you’ll have to stay in the guest room.”
Though he had no intention of fleeing, Jaeyoon sparked a small burst of energy threateningly.
An A-class esper could easily overpower anyone if they chose to.
But since he was in his younger brother’s body, he couldn’t do that. Hyunsoo had no choice but to comply.
“Yes.”
He had no idea what was going on. He had come on a sudden call and now faced the possibility of disappearing without properly saying goodbye to D Team.
In the guest room, guided by Jaeyoon, Hyunsoo stared at his loudly ringing phone in his pocket.
“Please hand over your phone.”
“Are you going to stop me from calling the kids too?”
“I know that D Team has a teleporting esper, Mr. Kim Yoon, right? Also, everyone here seems to have excellent combat abilities. People who can easily kill others…”
“Our kids have never killed anyone.”
Hyunsoo retorted with a frown. It was astonishing to hear him make such statements when he himself had service experience.
“Who knows if the first victim might be one of us?”
“Mr. Jaeyoon, that’s a bit too harsh.”
“I’ll take the phone.”
Jaeyoon took the phone from Hyunsoo’s jacket pocket without consent. With a difference in strength, he had no choice but to be easily disarmed.
Seeing Jaeyoon’s strangely altered attitude, Hyunsoo was puzzled before being pushed into the room.
Hyunsoo stood blankly, staring at the closed door. Everything had happened so quickly that it was hard to process.
‘Is the real Jaehee inside that man?’
He recalled the man’s anguished cries and his frantic denial. It was honestly shocking to see someone fighting for their identity like that.
Anyone would react that way if someone else was using their body.
‘What about the kids…’
Without a phone, there was no way to contact D Team. Just as he was about to leave the room to consider borrowing a phone from someone, a knock sounded.
“It’s me.”
It was Jaeyoon. He burst in, looking down at Hyunsoo with unfocused eyes.
“The Shaman says the ritual should be held tomorrow afternoon. Normally, it takes at least a week of preparation, but honestly, it’s hard to wait.”
“Tomorrow afternoon?”
Could a ritual really be prepared in just one day? Hyunsoo was taken aback. The time left for him was too short.
“Can I at least call the kids before that?”
“I already told you that’s not possible. Besides, my brother is very angry. And most importantly, talking to people who have been together for six years might change your mind, Mr. Park Hyunsoo.”
It was a comment that implied mistrust in him. He thought he had gained the family’s trust, but it seemed otherwise.
Reflecting on it, he had only sought shamans and visited temples early on, and once he failed to find the real Jaehee, he had acted on his own.
He accepted D Team’s request, and even though it was under orders, he had participated in variety shows using Jaehee’s name.
He introduced himself as Jaehee, turning his head as if it were natural when Jaehee’s name was called.
The family had reluctantly tolerated him all this time, but they had harbored doubts.
“And to prevent any unfortunate events, I’ll manage the locks from the outside.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Mr. Park Hyunsoo, just attend the ritual tomorrow afternoon, and then return our Jaehee’s body. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“Wait a minute, Jaeyoon!”
Before he could argue properly, the door was shut.
As the click of the lock brought him to his senses, he desperately grabbed the door handle, but it was firmly shut.
‘Crazy. Did they lock the door from the outside?’
There was only a rattling sound; the door, which had been open just a moment ago, was now securely closed. His vision blurred with anger.
Hyunsoo steadied his swaying body and tried to think clearly.
‘The real Jaehee has appeared, and I need to undergo the exorcism tomorrow afternoon… The door is locked from the outside… This is just madness. At least they didn’t sprinkle salt on my face.’
Despite his anger, his mind grew cold.
Trapped in a situation where he couldn’t even step outside his room, with only a few hours left in the day, he was completely stuck.
“Looking for someone else’s body…”
Hyunsoo clenched his fist as he suddenly realized the meaning of the words he had muttered unconsciously.
He couldn’t believe he had so casually said something about taking over another person’s body.
“Crazy. Park Hyunsoo, you crazy bastard.”
Taking over the body of a living person was something only a demon would do.
‘How did I end up like this?’
Even if it was unconscious, he was disgusted with himself for even considering such a thought, and he squeezed his eyes shut in loathing.
* * *
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