* * *
When they heard that Lee Jaeyoon was coming to the hospital room, the three of them frowned as if they had planned it.
“Why the hell is that bastard coming here?”
“I don’t know. He said he was coming, so I told him to do whatever he wanted.”
While Minchan was explaining the details of his 11-day leave approval, Hyunsoo received a text from Lee Jaeyoon. It said that if Hyunsoo didn’t mind, he would like to visit him in the hospital.
Hyunsoo couldn’t understand why someone who had locked him up and tormented him would want to visit, but he replied that it was fine.
Avoiding him wasn’t always the best solution. He needed to find out if that man was really Lee Jaehee, and they needed to discuss what to do next.
Honestly, Hyunsoo just wanted to leave this body and move on. He was exhausted and worn out from the series of events that had taken place.
“Don’t snap at Lee Jaeyoon for no reason. I’ll handle it.”
“You mean the person who got locked up, had his phone taken away, and was strangled to the point of being hospitalized?” Jiwon grumbled.
“What am I going to do with that mouth of yours? I can’t even sew it shut,” Hyunsoo sighed deeply, causing Jiwon to pout.
“Anyway, I need to talk to him, so please leave the room for a bit later.”
“What if he tries to threaten you or does something weird again?”
“Who said to go far? Just stay in the next room. He’s practically set up a nest there. If anything happens, I’ll scream, and you can come to the rescue.”
Though they agreed with him, their expressions clearly showed their displeasure. To distract them, Hyunsoo tossed them some tangerines and asked them to peel them.
Thankfully, the three didn’t grumble any further. They spent some time quietly sharing the tangerines until they heard a calm knock on the door.
“I’ll go see who it is,” Yoon said, getting up. His playful expression had suddenly turned cold.
As expected, the visitor was Lee Jaeyoon, carrying a large fruit basket.
Without a word of greeting, Yoon slightly stepped aside to let him in.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Despite Yoon’s cold demeanor, Jaeyoon entered the room with a calm expression. At Hyunsoo’s request for some privacy, the three reluctantly left the room.
Fortunately, no one muttered any sharp words or glared at Jaeyoon.
Left alone in the room with Hyunsoo, Jaeyoon placed the ornate fruit basket on the table.
“Why did you bring fruit?”
“I couldn’t come to the hospital empty-handed.”
Jaeyoon set the fruit basket on the table.
“Please, have a seat.”
Hyunsoo got up from the bed and sat on the sofa, offering Jaeyoon a seat. Jaeyoon walked over and sat down opposite him with composed steps.
“Can you tell me what happened after that day?”
“To put it simply… the person my brother and I mistook was not our Jaehee.”
Jaeyoon explained the situation more calmly than Hyunsoo had expected.
They couldn’t believe the shaman who insisted that the man they thought was Jaehee was actually a vengeful spirit, so they brought in another shaman, but it was all in vain.
The spirit inhabiting the man’s body was indeed a vengeful spirit, and a particularly malevolent one at that.
“My brother and I were also possessed by the spirit. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I have no memory of that time. I only learned of my irrational actions towards you from my father. I’m truly sorry. And my brother… he’s always been told he has weak energy…”
“Weak energy? He sure had a lot to say for someone with weak energy.”
“That wasn’t his true nature. Shameless as it is, I want to apologize on behalf of my family for the rude behavior you had to endure.”
Jaeyoon bowed his head deeply. Even though he didn’t remember, the actions he and his brother took against Hyunsoo were violent.
From the beginning, they had insisted on an exorcism and had labeled him as an unscrupulous demon, subjecting him to confinement and verbal abuse.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he wanted to leave immediately.
“Oh, you don’t need to apologize to me like this. It’s my fault for not being able to gain your trust.”
Despite Jaeyoon’s apology, Hyunsoo’s response was indifferent. He could still vividly remember being denied food, having his phone taken, and being locked up.
“It truly wasn’t intentional. It was as if we were possessed by something…”
Hyunsoo cut him off.
“It’s fine. You didn’t do it on purpose, and you were possessed by something, so it would be ridiculous to get angry. If I’m going to blame anyone, I should blame that weird spirit.”
“Mr. Park…”
“Besides, I’m not in a position to be angry with your family. I’m just a guest in someone else’s body. If anyone has to be mindful, it’s me.”
Jaeyoon felt a surge of anxiety when he heard Hyunsoo’s response. It seemed like he might say he was done cooperating.
“The hurtful words my brother said to you weren’t sincere. Please, allow me to apologize on his behalf.”
“I told you, it’s fine.”
Jaeyoon clenched his fists, distressed by Hyunsoo’s cold demeanor.
He recalled the confusion he felt when he saw the spirit, who had claimed to be Jaehee, wandering around the garden.
The first thing he saw when he came to his senses was the chaotic state of the annex.
“Jaeyoon, what is all this…?”
He remembered his bewildered brother, his parents who looked distraught, and the lifeless body of his brother on the floor, and felt a chilling sensation in his veins. He couldn’t recall the events, but he knew something had gone terribly wrong.
“I know better than anyone that you wanted to return Jaehee’s body to him. I’m not trying to force you to accept my apology. I just wanted to apologize for everything my brother and I did to you.”
Hyunsoo closed his eyes tightly as he looked at Jaeyoon bowing his head once more.
The memories of being treated as a demon were still vivid, and he still harbored a deep resentment toward Jaeyoon and Jaemin.
But thinking about what Jaeyoon must have gone through to come here and apologize despite not remembering anything made him feel somewhat sympathetic.
Sigh…
Hyunsoo awkwardly scratched the back of his neck but stopped when he felt a twinge of pain from the bruises that still hadn’t healed.
He lowered his hand and spoke honestly to Jaeyoon, who seemed unsure of what to do.
“To be honest, I was upset at first. But then I realized that from your perspective, it was understandable. And anyway, the reactions from your parents and yourself were unusually calm. Who would be happy to see their dead brother’s body taken over and pretending to be him?”
“Whether you were possessed or not, you truly believed he was Jaehee, only to find out he wasn’t. It’s like you’ve been struck by lightning twice. It’s not easy to come here and apologize after going through that, so I guess you’re not a bad person.”
Maybe he was pretending to be nice now because he still needed Hyunsoo, but Hyunsoo believed that even pretense had its merits.
“I was a little hurt, but then I thought, who am I to feel hurt by you all? The reason I asked you to come here…”
Hyunsoo paused, and Jaeyoon swallowed nervously, waiting for him to continue.
“I was just curious about what happened. I felt I needed to know the details, so I asked you to come.”
Jaeyoon felt relieved as he noticed the tension in Hyunsoo’s attitude ease a bit.
“The truth is, my brother has been struggling a lot. He cared more about Jaehee than anyone else. It’s been hard for him to accept that the people he trusted were hiding something from him. He’s been really upset.”
“Hmm… Sometimes, even with the best intentions, what you think is good might not be received that way by others.”
Hyunsoo thought back to his recent argument with Minchan.
“If you talk openly and honestly, I think Jaemin will understand. Of course, I’m just an outsider, so I’m hesitant to say too much, but that’s my opinion. I hope it all works out.”
“Thank you for your advice. I’ll have a proper talk with my brother.”
Jaeyoon slowly nodded. He had come to apologize to Park Hyunsoo, but somehow, he found himself receiving counsel instead.
“I really am sorry, Park Hyunsoo.”
“I also feel bad about using your brother’s name while in his body. It was thoughtless of me to guide the kids to the astral realm without permission. I guess I momentarily forgot that it wasn’t my body.”
As they continued to talk, Hyunsoo’s feelings began to ease. An unusual scene unfolded, with both of them apologizing to each other.
Jaeyoon quietly looked at his brother’s body, dressed in hospital clothes.
A clear bruise was visible on his neck—evidence of the attack by a man possessed by the vengeful spirit pretending to be his brother.
“Is your neck okay? I couldn’t help you at the time because everything was so chaotic.”
“It’s just a visible bruise; it doesn’t hurt unless I press on it.”
“But pressing on it would hurt, right?”
“Of course, it’s a bruise; it hurts if you press it.”
“Hmm…”
Jaeyoon scratched his cheek awkwardly.
He had expected Hyunsoo to be angry or to harshly criticize him, but Hyunsoo seemed to be taking it in stride.
Still, one could never be sure about someone’s true feelings.
“Is there anything making you uncomfortable?”
“It would be a lie to say no, but it’s nothing major.”
Hyunsoo gave a vague response. Telling Jaeyoon about the occasional identity confusion he experienced while pretending to be Jaehee wouldn’t solve anything.
In fact, it would only add to the anxiety of Jaehee’s family. Complaining to those who were already under enough stress felt inappropriate.
“If you need anything, please feel free to contact me. I’ll do my best to help.”
“Okay.”
Though Hyunsoo responded readily, Jaeyoon had a feeling that Hyunsoo wouldn’t ask for help unless it was something truly significant.
Aside from the day he went out to visit the shaman, Hyunsoo rarely touched Jaehee’s money.
He only used the funds provided by the Basic Education Center and his salary from the Central Center, and even then, he only bought what was absolutely necessary.
Most of Jaehee’s belongings remained untouched in his room; the only things Hyunsoo had taken were a few comfortable clothes, his uniform, a suitcase, and a cellphone.
His reluctance to rely on others was painfully clear.
“Well, I’ll be going now. Get some rest, and I’ll be in touch.”
Jaeyoon decided to leave, sensing that any further conversation would only make things more uncomfortable for both of them.
“Alright. Take care.”
Hyunsoo saw Jaeyoon out of the hospital room.
After watching him walk away, Hyunsoo returned to the room to find three pairs of eyes glaring at him, having emerged from the caretaker’s room at some point.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Ignoring their stares, Hyunsoo grabbed a banana from the fruit basket Jaeyoon had brought.
“What was so special about that guy that you saw him out?”
Jiwon finally blurted out what she’d been holding in. It was clear that she wasn’t fond of Jaeyoon.
“Jaeyoon came to apologize to me. Honestly, considering the chaos, I think it’s commendable that he pulled himself together and came to apologize in person.”
Hyunsoo peeled the banana and sat on the bed.
Although the confinement and verbal abuse were infuriating, Jaeyoon’s sincere apology had almost completely melted his anger.
Minchan looked at Hyunsoo and asked,
“What did you two talk about?”
“Just about what happened.”
“Is he really… a person?”
“No. A fake. If he had died, he should’ve just quietly moved on; I don’t get why he kept living like that.”
Hyunsoo threw the banana peel into the trash.
When he had stayed at the funeral hall as a ghost, he met many other spirits.
Some were children, and some were elderly. They were his “classmates” from the funeral hall.
‘Young man, there’s no order in who goes first. Don’t be too sad.’
‘I’m not really that sad, but thank you for your kind words, sir.’
There was a kind old man.
‘Did you fight monsters too?’
‘No, I was just someone who helped others fight monsters. Those guys are the ones who do the fighting.’
And there was a cute little kid. They were all kind. He had never encountered a ghost filled with malice.
Even though the encounters were brief, he thought that maybe ghosts weren’t inherently harmful.
‘I’ve had some strange experiences in life.’
Sudden death, possession, and then meeting a malevolent spirit pretending to be the body’s owner.
“But that evil spirit or whatever he was… he was kind of funny.”
“Why?”
Jiwon asked, curious about Hyunsoo’s muttering.
“Well, both he and I are ghosts, so it’ll be awkward if we run into each other later. That crazy bastard. The more I think about it, the more it annoys me. I should beat the crap out of him the next time I see him as a ghost.”
The three of them remained silent as Hyunsoo vowed to get back at the evil spirit.
They had thought Hyunsoo might be deeply troubled by the incident, but it seemed they were mistaken.
“But I don’t even know what that ghost looks like. If I meet a ghost with a smashed head or a flat body, do I just go, ‘Was it you who choked me?’ and start beating him up? Ugh! It’s so frustrating! I should’ve at least asked his name!”
Hyunsoo fumed as he chomped on another banana. The three exchanged glances, realizing they had underestimated Hyunsoo’s resilience.
* * *
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