* * *
Lost in self-reproach, Hyunsoo eventually snapped back to reality. His phone had been taken, and there was no computer or house phone. The guest room only had a bed and a few pieces of furniture.
‘This is driving me nuts.’
Right after hearing from Jaeyoon, Hyunsoo had told the three others that something had come up and he needed to visit Jaehee’s family home briefly.
Their expressions had turned sour, but they told him to be careful. They trusted him, which is why they let him go, but now things had gone wrong.
‘Think, think some more.’
Hyunsoo moved his creaky body and sat on the bed, racking his brain, but no good ideas came to mind.
The real Jaehee had returned, and he needed to disappear.
That fact hadn’t changed. His eyes grew hot, knowing he would have to leave without even saying a final goodbye.
‘I was supposed to have a Christmas party with the kids.’
He thought of Yoon and Jiwon, who had excitedly reserved a cake.
Minchan had even cleared his entire Christmas Eve schedule and refused any emergency calls.
They were all looking forward to the Christmas party, but now he couldn’t attend.
‘Was I really planning to stay in someone else’s body?’
Sharp criticisms echoed in his mind.
Right after the possession, he hadn’t wanted to deceive others and had voluntarily sought exorcism.
But now, he had unconsciously sought out another body.
‘If I keep losing my humanity like this…’
Hyunsoo was terrified. It felt like he was being punished by the heavens for trying to live against the natural order.
Suddenly, he thought that it might be better for everyone if he just disappeared rather than become like a demon from a movie.
‘I hated pretending to be Jaehee in the first place. It’s a good thing the real Jaehee is back. Sure, it’s annoying that I couldn’t say goodbye to the kids, but…’
He could understand why Jaehee’s family was anxious, but there was no need to lock him up like this. They must have had such little trust in him.
Then again, they probably thought that if he made a goodbye call, Yoon, who could teleport, might storm in with Minchan and Jiwon. It made sense in a way.
“Ugh. My head hurts.”
It felt like his head was about to split open. Just a little while ago, he had been enjoying an end-of-year party, living as if nothing had happened, but now it all felt like a dream.
He felt like he had been swept up in a whirlwind without any preparation. In the end, Hyunsoo gave up and lay down on the bed, forcing himself to sleep without even washing up.
‘I’m going to disappear tomorrow anyway, so Jaehee can wash up for me.’
At this point, nothing mattered. There was nothing he could do until the exorcism, so all the intense thoughts and actions he had gone through felt utterly pointless.
Hyunsoo woke up to a strange noise outside and groggily ran his hand through his disheveled hair, staring at the firmly closed door.
‘Not yet. What time is it…’
There were no windows in the room, so it was hard to tell the time. Being trapped in the room was annoying enough, but the hunger pangs made him suddenly furious.
‘No matter what, they should at least feed me. It’s Jaehee’s body, after all. This is too much. The rich are worse, after all. Ugh.’
His stomach was upset, and he had no appetite, but it was more about his mood than anything else.
It was bad enough to not give a proper send-off to a dead person, but starving him?
That was just heartless. What was all the care and respect they had shown him up until now for?
As soon as the real Jaehee showed up, Jaeyoon’s attitude had changed like night and day.
Hyunsoo had felt only gratitude and guilt toward him, but now, he was just dumbfounded by how things had turned out.
‘What’s the point now?’
Hyunsoo let out a deep sigh.
He was dominated by a feeling of resignation, but he still felt uneasy, so he washed his face and tidied his hair.
With nothing else to do, he sat in a daze, trying to pass the time.
Just as he was getting annoyed from sitting around, the firmly closed door finally opened.
“Come out.”
Jaeyoon looked even more haggard than before. It seemed the preparations for the exorcism were complete.
Now, all that was left was to disappear. Surprisingly, when the time came, he felt no emotion at all. Maybe it just didn’t feel real yet.
Without a word, Hyunsoo followed Jaeyoon to the annex.
The preparations for the exorcism were in full swing, with Jaemin standing there with his arms crossed like a supervisor.
‘What’s this? They said they’d call me when the preparations were done…’
The way people kept glancing at him felt strangely uncomfortable. Too tired to respond to each one, he just stared blankly at the floor.
Then, a shaman dressed in colorful robes appeared from one side. The shaman, who had a gentle look, briefly glanced at Hyunsoo before turning to Jaemin.
“I’ve seen him before, but let me see the youngest master of the house.”
“Our Jaehee is still sleeping in his room.”
“You said it was urgent, so I prepared everything in a rush, but I need to see him in person, don’t I?”
“You can bring him before the exorcism starts.”
A quiet argument followed between Jaemin and the shaman.
While Jaemin might have been good at sharp-tongued insults, he couldn’t win against a shaman who had been through countless trials.
Jaemin clicked his tongue in frustration and left the annex.
“Jaeyoon, keep an eye on him so he doesn’t run away.”
He had no intention of running away, but they were still treating him like a demon to the end.
‘Damn it. The way he talks. Jaemin is supposed to be soft-hearted? Even a passing dog would laugh at that.’
The whole situation was irritating Hyunsoo, but he thought maybe this was how he should have been treated all along.
His family had been unusually kind before, and realizing that oddly made him feel more forgiving.
‘Fine. Call me a demon or whatever. I’m leaving anyway. I didn’t ask to be here, and I’m a victim too.’
Why should he care about the reactions of people he’d never see again?
Hyunsoo looked around with an indifferent expression.
“I’ll sit here for a bit. My legs hurt.”
“Go ahead.”
His legs were sore from standing around. The preparations for his exorcism were in full swing, and he didn’t want to be in the way.
Hyunsoo sat quietly in the corner. Jaeyoon watched him with hollow eyes, making sure he didn’t try to escape.
Time passed slowly.
Hyunsoo snapped back to reality when he realized that Jaeyoon’s parents had arrived at the annex.
Glancing over, he saw that Jaeyoon’s mother looked deeply troubled.
“What on earth is going on?”
Hyunsoo silently observed the exhausted faces of Jaehee’s family members, turning his head toward a sudden noise.
Jaemin was entering the annex, dragging the skinny man he had met the day before.
The man, who had been frowning heavily, seemed reluctant to enter, and the sight of his face made Hyunsoo feel a chill. He quickly looked away, focusing instead on the elaborate altar.
The moment the ritual started, it was as if everything was over. Hyunsoo sat there blankly, staring at the colorful fruits and foods.
He came out of the room when he heard that the shaman had brought the youngest child.
Jaemin, boasting, said that the shaman had instructed him to bring the child, who had been sound asleep, forcibly awakening him.
The shaman, upon seeing the man Jaemin had brought with his arm around his shoulders, frowned and trailed off.
“What on earth…”
“Is there a problem?”
Jaeyoon asked, but the shaman’s face turned frightening as she suddenly pointed at the man standing beside Jaemin.
“Did you bring this random suicide spirit as your youngest? Tsk tsk. How pitiful… His head is smashed, and his body is flattened—imagine how much pain he must have been in when he died!”
The shaman’s voice changed in an instant.
It was no longer the gentle tone she used to admonish Jaemin but a sharp, powerful voice, as if she had been possessed by a god, her demeanor entirely transformed.
“No! No!” the man screamed, but the shaman’s furious voice immediately followed.
“How many more will you ruin? A murderer who even took his own life!”
As soon as the man screamed, the atmosphere froze.
Among the shocked family members, the only one who remained calm was Park Hyunsoo, inside Lee Jaehee’s body.
‘Isn’t the ritual starting?’
He watched the chaotic scene unfold, indifferent to it all.
Suicide spirit or whatever, he was only curious when the exorcism ritual would begin.
“Hehehe! It’s mine! That body is mine! I’ll have it!” The man’s eyes gleamed as he suddenly lunged at Hyunsoo, who was sitting quietly off to the side. Hyunsoo, pushed back by the man’s force, fell over. His wrist throbbed, possibly from landing on it wrong as he fell.
“Get out! It’s my body! The one I marked! You fake! Fake! I’m going to be Lee Jaehee!”
“Oh my God…”
The man’s violent behavior made the couple recoil in horror. The man straddled Hyunsoo and began to choke him.
The people who had followed the shaman in, their faces drained of color, finally managed to pull the man off. Hyunsoo simply blinked, staring blankly.
‘What the hell is this… My throat hurts.’
The sound of people chattering became more distant. It felt as if his body and mind were drifting apart, floating in space.
“He’s completely possessed! Even if the eldest is weak, how did the second end up like that?”
The shaman—or was it the god she served?—scolded harshly.
Jaemin and Jaeyoon silently looked at the mess in the detached building.
A half-prepared altar, Park Hyunsoo curled up clutching his throat, their terrified parents, and the shaman with a grim expression all created a chaotic scene.
“Mom! Mom! I’m Jaehee! Your son. Hehehe!”
The man, seeing no reaction from Hyunsoo, turned his attention to the brothers’ mother, rushing at her.
She stumbled back, blocked by the altar, as Jaemin and Jaeyoon, seemingly regaining their senses, rushed over in alarm.
Three men were needed to subdue the man who had attacked their mother. He wasn’t using ordinary strength.
“It’s mine! I’ve wanted it for so long! Give me that body! I’ll make it mine!”
Drooling, the man grinned grotesquely. His disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes, and gaunt face were terrifying.
“Do you even know where you are?”
The shaman’s scolding voice seemed strangely quiet to Hyunsoo.
His body felt heavy, as if submerged in water.
Hyunsoo blinked several times, trying to adjust to his blurring vision, but he no longer wanted to watch the chaos.
‘Damn it. Why is my life so exhausting?’
He let out a small cough before passing out.
* * *
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Thanks for translating
Thenks
stupid brothers