A Life That Isn’t Mine

It felt like I had a nightmare while I slept.

In the dream, I was terrified.

I was wary of someone.

And then… someone comforted me.

The memories, already fading, lost their strength.

I didn’t know how long I had been submerged in that pitch-black, surging unconsciousness.

But a few clear facts surfaced without warning, lighting up my dim mind and helping me wake again.

I had been dropped into some kind of world.

Like a stray dot misplaced on a perfectly drawn picture.

Like a pitiful, unmarked island on a map.

That was how I came to live here, so suddenly.

And not even my own life—

Someone else’s.

‘Let’s think.’

Was the timing of the possession just bad?

Or was it because this body’s condition was too terrible?

Not only were my original memories from before the possession gone, but even this body’s memories—and the original story—were hazy.

Still, maybe because I had read the book relatively recently, fragmented pieces began to come back to me before long.

‘Yoo Sowon.’

That was the name given to me.

‘Yoo Sowon’ loved the man named ‘Woo Jaeyoung,’ the narrator of those record-like texts—and the man who came all the way to the seaside to find me.

Just like Sowon himself, that man didn’t quite belong in this world.

And yet, Sowon wanted something very ordinary with him.

He wanted a simple, cliché kind of love.

To share affection.

To have a child together.

To live happily.

But that wish never came true.

For some reason, he had to abandon that hope.

And he ran away from Woo Jaeyoung.

During those two months on the run, he completely gave up on the idea that Woo Jaeyoung would ever find him.

Just like his ‘wish,’ Yoo Sowon believed he, too, had to disappear.

‘……Is this some kind of tragedy?’

No way.

I’ve always liked happy endings.

I’ve always dreamed of living like a happy story.

This suffering—this must just be a temporary trial to create an even more perfect ending…….

My stomach churned.

Proof of how vividly real this story felt.

I’d always enjoyed immersive stories, but I never expected to eliminate the distance by possessing a character and experiencing it firsthand.

Still… it was okay.

Strangely, this bizarre sense of reality even gave me comfort.

Even without anyone telling me, I knew what I had to do.

I just had to become happy.

Every story ends at its happiest moment.

That’s where the final period is placed.

I had possessed a story that would end once ‘Yoo Sowon’ became happy.

All the while I thought that, a large hand gently stroked me.

At times, it felt like it was brushing over me.

At times, patting me.

At times, holding me so I wouldn’t be thrown too far away.

From within the darkness, a low voice echoed.

“It’s okay.”

It was strange.

The moment I heard that, an odd sense of optimism filled me completely.

Like everything would be fine.

Like it could be fine.

Like I could make it fine.

In that pitch-black world, that unknown voice felt like my only answer.

“…….”

When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by a bleached-white ceiling.

The beeping of machines pierced one ear and slipped out the other.

From the IV hanging in my peripheral vision, a golden liquid dripped steadily, slowly seeping into my arm.

The moment my fingers twitched, something rushed in and covered the back of my hand completely.

A large, hot, solid hand.

“Yoo Sowon!”

When I turned my head slightly, I saw the face of the man I had seen just before losing consciousness.

Woo Jaeyoung.

As I tried to open my mouth, he immediately frowned.

Even though I had only barely parted my dry lips, he seemed to know exactly what I was about to do.

“Don’t talk.”

Why not?

Before I could even ask, he moved faster.

Despite his large frame being crammed awkwardly into a backless chair, he moved so quickly that it felt like his position changed every time I blinked.

Woo Jaeyoung wiped my lips with a damp cloth, then pressed a button on the humidifier, making thick mist pour out twice as fast as before.

Then he raised the bed slightly and brought a cup of lukewarm water to my lips.

Only then did I realize just how dry my throat was—painfully so—and how intensely thirsty I had been.

But I couldn’t even fully quench my thirst.

Before I could drink even half, Woo Jaeyoung pulled the cup away with a strict expression.

“Get Doctor Jang’s permission before drinking the rest.
I’ll let him know you’re awake.”

I tested my voice carefully.

A slightly hoarse sound came out, but thankfully, there was no pain.

“Mm.”

“What is it? Does something hurt?

Are you uncomfortable? Can’t speak? Should I call someone?”

No, no!

Please calm down!

It’s not like that!

Wanting this big, intimidating man to stop making a fuss, I quickly answered.

“No!”

Woo Jaeyoung’s eyes widened.

His pitch-black pupils moved rapidly as he scanned me.

“……Then?”

I glanced around.

This wasn’t the beach where I had been dragged by the waves.

Nor was it the corner of that container where I had hidden and met him.

It was a hospital room—clean to the point of feeling obsessive.

A private room, at that.

It seemed I had been sleeping the entire time while receiving treatment.

Woo Jaeyoung must have arranged all of this.

As I hesitated, he narrowed his eyes impatiently.

“You’re not in pain? That doesn’t make sense.”

I gave an awkward smile.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t meet his strange expectations—

I wasn’t in pain.

My body felt sluggish, and my joints ached a little, but that was all.

“I’m okay…….”

Thinking that might not be enough, I quickly added—

“……I feel refreshed after sleeping.”

At that, Woo Jaeyoung’s expression turned bizarre.

He looked down at me like he had just seen a ghost, then tilted his head back with a sigh.

The veins in his neck bulged and then settled, oddly catching my attention.

“Yoo Sowon.”

“……Yes.”

“Do you know how long you’ve been asleep?”

Huh?

Well… since I was sick, probably longer than usual?

After thinking for a moment, I answered—

“Eight hours?”

“Eight hours, my ass.”

Woo Jaeyoung clicked his tongue and tilted his head.

Gesturing toward the sliding door, he spoke again.

Through the curtain-covered glass, I could faintly see large shadows moving around.

“Three days.”

What?

“More than three days.

Eighty hours straight.

Those bastards out there ate fifteen bowls of rice while watching over you.”

As I froze with wide eyes, he stepped closer and bent down.

“Sowon.

Doesn’t that make you feel something?”

Fifteen bowls in three days.

Five a day… assuming three meals… that’s about one and a half bowls per meal—

“They eat well.”

“……f*ck.”

Woo Jaeyoung covered his face with one hand.

I mean, eating well is a good thing, isn’t it?

What’s the problem?

As I stared blankly, he straightened up abruptly.

At least 190 cm tall, with a thick, imposing build—

Yet his movements were sharp, never sluggish.

Like a well-dressed black beast, he paced around the room, sighing heavily, muttering things like “I’m losing my mind,” “damn it,” and “maybe I should starve those idiots.”

‘If you don’t like it, just say it out loud.’

What’s the point of grumbling to yourself?

And why starve people for eating well?

There’s an old saying—ghosts who die full look better.

Ignoring my unimpressed gaze, he muttered a few more things before taking a deep breath.

“Fine.
Let’s go step by step.”

Thud!

His fist slammed into the wall.

Startled, I looked over—

It was a red button labeled “Call Medical Staff.”

“First, call Doctor Jang. Then check your condition.

Fix whatever’s wrong, one by one.”

I didn’t feel particularly sick right now, but there was no harm in agreeing.

I nodded quickly.

“And then we find the bastards who did this to you and bury them.”

Wait—bury them? Where? Like kimchi? Why?

“We’ll think about the rest after that. What do you think?”

What do I think?

You sound like a gangster……

Realizing that this was the Woo Jaeyoung that Yoo Sowon had loved, my expression turned flat.

Did Sowon have no taste?

Love might not care about gender, but at least the person should be kind and decent, right?

With someone this rough and dangerous, the future was going to be exhausting.

‘If I need a happy ending to leave this story…Should I run away from Woo Jaeyoung?’

Whether I ran, loved, or did something else—

The most important thing was getting better first.

Leaving this hospital came before anything else.

After finishing my calculations, I wet my dry lips and said—

“Okay.”

The moment I finished speaking, the sliding door opened smoothly.

A stern-looking man in a white coat stood at the entrance, glancing at me.

“You’re awake. May I come in?”

That must be Doctor Jang.

He felt cold.

His pale, clean face, rimless glasses, and neat attire gave him a restrained yet cynical air.

With a thick file in hand, he looked strict to the point of intimidation.

He waited politely for my response, while quickly scanning the machines attached to me and my condition.

Calm. Professional.

If he was my doctor, I should tell him to come closer.

But for some reason, I couldn’t speak.

It felt like the water I hadn’t fully swallowed was blocking my throat.

My body stiffened.

I quickly turned my head to hide the tension on my face.

Because a single line from the original story surfaced in my mind.

[Jang Hanseon is someone sent by Gong Chanhyuk.]

He’s an enemy.

He must be.

Even without memory, I felt certain.

As I remained frozen without answering, Woo Jaeyoung stepped forward.

Shielding me behind his broad back, he shoved a hand into his pocket and walked toward the door.

With just a few strides, his dark figure pushed the doorway open.

“Get out.”

Calling someone only to kick them out—

It was as rough and natural as his personality.

“We’ll talk outside.”

As the two large men left, the room fell quiet.

I took a deep breath and slowly sat up.

At last—

This was the moment my life as someone else truly began.