* * *

After finishing the victim interview at the police station, Jungjin placed a hand on Jungin’s head and spoke.

“Baby, I’ll handle the civil suit. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Okay…”

Jungin nodded weakly, his gaze dropping to the ground.

He wished time would slow down, but everything was already over.

Now, it was time to tell everyone the truth, but he found it hard to open his mouth.

Greed took hold of him—he knew he shouldn’t feel this way, but he wanted to stay with these kind people just a little longer.

Watching Jungin nervously chew on his lip with a dark expression, Jungjin reached out and freed his lower lip from his teeth.

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

“Hey, little one. What’s there to fret over? And once that guy gets out of jail, things will get even messier, I promise.”

“Mind your language, Lee Jungseo. Jungin’s too young for your foul mouth.”

Though it wasn’t the homeroom teacher’s fault that he was feeling down, everyone seemed to tread carefully around Jungin.

Realizing they were trying to cheer him up, Jungin forced a small smile.

But seeing his fragile smile, one that looked like it might disappear at any moment, tightened everyone’s hearts.

Glancing at Beomhyeon, who had quietly stayed by his side all day, Jungin finally opened his lips.

“Hey… do you guys have a moment? There’s something I need to say. You too, Ki Beomhyeon.”

Hiding his trembling fingers in his palms, Jungin mustered his courage. Together, they headed to Beomhyeon’s hotel.

As the elevator ascended rapidly, Jungin’s heart pounded like it would burst.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he tried to steady his shaky breathing.

Before stepping into the lounge, he excused himself, saying he needed to visit the restroom.

“Haa…”

Entering the bathroom as if escaping, Jungin splashed cold water on his face, trying to regain composure.

“Just be honest. Tell them you’re not the Lee Jungin they know.”

Slapping his cheeks lightly, Jungin took a deep breath and wiped the water dripping from his chin with the back of his hand.

Straightening his posture, he turned to leave, only to be stopped by the buzzing of his phone in his pocket.

Pausing, he pulled it out and was so startled he nearly dropped it.

“What… is this?”

[Choi Jungin. It’s me, Lee Jungin.]

Reading the message, his eyes widened in disbelief, his breathing growing ragged.

Was someone playing a joke?

But whoever sent this message called him Choi Jungin.

Only he and the real Lee Jungin knew that name.

But… with Lee Jungin dead, no one else in the world could know.

How was this possible?

His hands trembled as he read the follow-up message.

[I’m not dead.]

“…What the hell…”

The curse slipped from his lips before he could stop it.

Not dead?

Then why hadn’t he contacted him until now?

Clenching his teeth, Jungin dialed the number of the sender.

The call connected almost instantly, as if the other person had been waiting.

• Choi Jungin.

The voice on the other end was unmistakably his own.

Overwhelmed by the absurdity of the situation, Jungin felt anger rising in his chest.

“What… who are you? You’re alive?”

• Apparently so. I didn’t think Lee Jungjin would tell everyone I was dead.

So Jungjin had lied to him?

Again?

Jungin bit his lower lip hard, pressing a hand to his aching chest.

“What happened? Do you even realize what you’ve done?”

If he could meet Lee Jungin, perhaps he could reverse what had happened.

Growing desperate, Jungin spoke urgently.

“Where are you? I’ll come to you right now. We need to meet.”

• I’m not in Korea.

“What? Are you serious…”

Logically, it made no sense, but from the evidence Lee Jungin had left behind, it was clear he had orchestrated the body switch intentionally.

But why?

What could his reasons possibly be?

“You can’t do this. Do you know how worried your family is? And what about Ki Beomhyeon?”

A dry laugh came from the other end of the line before the voice turned cold.

-Family? I don’t have a family. The same goes for Ki Beomhyeon.

Though it was his own voice, the tone was so unfamiliar that it sent chills down Jungin’s spine.

• Jungin-ah, didn’t you say you’d trade places with me if you could? That you envied me? I only gave you what you wanted, so why complain now?

“Switching bodies with me? That’s insane! You should have at least discussed it with me first!”

Jungin’s fists clenched tightly as he shook with frustration at the other’s callousness.

• I didn’t expect things to escalate like this either. Madam Jang acted quicker than I anticipated.

“Madam Jang? Who the hell is that?”

• Sigh… Jungin-ah, you said you wanted to live as me. You envied me. So just stay as Lee Jungin. That’s all I wanted to tell you.

Ignoring Jungin’s questions, Lee Jungin spoke nonchalantly.

Jungin could sense he was being serious, but he couldn’t comprehend how any of this was possible.

He had so many questions for Lee Jungin.

“This isn’t right. We need to meet. I’ll come to you, wherever you are. Let’s talk this out.”

• Thanks for resolving the school issue. I kind of wanted to see that idiot Park Hyuntae’s face myself, but oh well. Still, you seem to be adjusting well as Lee Jungin. I guess that’s only natural.

Lee Jungin’s dismissive tone and unwillingness to engage made Jungin grit his teeth in frustration.

“You… what do you expect to do about your family? Don’t you feel any remorse for what you’ve done to everyone?”

• You’re really attached to them now, huh? But to me, they’re all just trash, including Ki Beomhyeon.

“What did you just say?”

Jungin couldn’t understand why Lee Jungin was so cold.

He didn’t know everything, but he was certain the family had cared deeply for him.

• I’ve decided to start over here. I even have someone I care about. So you just live well too. You’re Lee Jungin now.

“Wait, Lee Jungin!”

• Take care, Choi Jungin.

The call ended abruptly, leaving Jungin staring at his phone in disbelief.

With a soft click, the call abruptly ended, leaving Jungin to let out a weary sigh.

Was this really the end?

Lee Jungin was alive, and he had truly taken Jungin’s body and run away?

“What the hell was he thinking…”

Jungin tried calling him back, but all he heard was the automated message saying the phone was turned off.

With his head pounding, Jungin pushed through the fog of his thoughts and left the restroom, heading toward the lounge.

“Jungin. Are you feeling unwell?”

“Shouldn’t you go to the hospital first, kid?”

The lounge was empty except for them, likely because they had purposefully avoided taking in guests.

Jungin shook his head weakly and sank into a seat.

“It’s still warm. Have some.”

Accepting the herbal tea Beomhyeon offered, Jungin nodded slightly.

The tenderness in Beomhyeon’s gestures, attentive to every little move he made, made him hesitate once again.

I don’t want to hurt him…

To admit he wasn’t Lee Jungin meant revealing the truth—that the real Jungin had stolen his body and abandoned his family before fleeing.

“Jungin. So, what did you want to tell us?”

Jungin decided to hold off for now.

Knowing that Lee Jungin was alive meant his priority was to find him.

He needed to understand what had driven him to commit such an outrageous act and how he had managed to switch their bodies.

* * *