Borrowed Body, Borrowed Life

“…Huh?”

My eyes widened as I stood there gripping the long umbrella like I was about to swing it down.

“Who are you, suddenly calling me—ah. Hello.”

The piercings lining his eyebrows and both ears made it obvious—this was the same guy from the bus stop.

He had long, sharp eyes and finely cut features.
Dressed in a suit, yet somehow not stiff at all—if anything, he looked like a fashion model.

‘He looks like a completely different person when he’s dressed up.’

Snapping out of it, I quickly held the umbrella out horizontally and handed it to him.

“I came to return this. Thank you so much for the other day. And sorry for returning it late.”

“You really came all the way to return it. It must’ve been far—thanks for coming.”

The man replied warmly and stepped closer, lifting the brim of my cap with his finger.

“You look even prettier in the daylight. Why hide it?”

Yeah. Definitely not my imagination.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Why am I ‘darling’? I’ve already got a kid’s father, you know.”

“Oh really?”

I had tried to sound serious, but it didn’t land at all.

The man, wearing a gold name tag that read Jimmy, poked at the furrow between my brows with his finger and spoke teasingly.

“But darling, your kid’s father must be intense. Your pheromones are wild.

I’ve never seen an alpha this possessive—even with a child involved.”

“What? Ah. There’s no kid though.”

“You just said there was a father.”

“Past tense.”

“Huh?”

We both stared at each other for a moment, completely thrown off.

I was the first to recover.

“Wait—more importantly, what about pheromones? What do you mean?”

“What do you mean what. You’re drenched in them. From head to toe. Ugh.

And it’s not that alpha standing behind you, so it must be your ‘kid’s father,’ right?”

Tapping his name tag, Jimmy introduced himself and added,

“I’m a trait carrier too. Dominant omega.”

I still couldn’t perceive pheromones at all.

Even Woo Jaeyoung was no exception so even if he had drenched me in his scent, I had no way of knowing.

“Is that true?”

From what I’d heard, even Gamja was an alpha.

Apparently, a lot of Jaeyoung’s men were.

When I turned sharply, Gamja avoided my gaze, his eyes darting around.

“Well, uh…”

That was basically a yes.

“You idiot.”

Seriously—just because I can’t tell doesn’t mean you can go around scenting me like that! Where are your manners?!

As I fumed, Jimmy glanced at Gamja.

“Oh? The one behind you—I’ve seen you before.”

Gamja nodded politely, and Jimmy looked between the two of us with interest.

“So why are you here today with this cutie? Usually it’s that tall, scary dominant alp—ahh?”

With the sharp instincts of someone in customer service, Jimmy immediately pieced things together and broke into a wide grin.

“So that’s the kid’s father? Oh my. Oh my, oh my. I didn’t think our branch head was like that. Targeting someone this young—honestly…”

“I’m not that young.”

“Aww, really? Want some orange juice?”

Ignore. Just ignore.

I had returned the umbrella—my business here was done.

I turned to leave, but Jimmy grabbed me dramatically.

“Why are you leaving just like that!”

We weren’t even close enough for that kind of emotional appeal.

His phrasing was bizarre.

When I turned back awkwardly, Jimmy winked.

“Aren’t you grateful I lent you the umbrella? Stay a bit.”

“I don’t want to disturb your business.”

“There are no customers. We mostly do made-to-order, and everything’s reservation-based. It’s empty for the next two hours.”

“Then you should rest. Think of it as break time.”

“You look like you were made out of sunlight, but your personality’s sharp. What do I do? You’re too cute.”

“…Are you even listening to me?”

“Yeah, yeah. I hear you. Your voice is really pretty too.”

He definitely wasn’t listening.

Maybe he thought I’d run off, because he quickly added,

“Then help me out a bit. I need to make a ready-made sample design. What’s your name, cutie?”

“Yoo Sowon.”

“Right. If our Sowon picks something, it’ll make my job much easier.”

I almost got swept up in the flow, but snapped back to my senses.

“…I have zero sense for this kind of thing!”

Since leaving the hospital, all I’d worn were plain clothes—white tees, yellow tees, beige sweatshirts, black hoodies.

Jeans or baggy pants.

In short, I had nothing to do with custom suits like this.

‘Someone who actually wears them should be the one choosing.’

Of course, Jimmy didn’t care at all.

He grabbed my shoulders and dragged me inside.

“Don’t be like that. It’s easy. Just pick what looks nice—colors, fabrics. No pressure at all.”

“I literally know nothing.”

“Exactly. If even someone who knows nothing thinks it’s pretty, that’s what we should sell. Pretty things are everywhere in this shop.”

…That actually made sense.

And honestly, since he had helped me before, I felt like I should return the favor.

“I can’t stay long. I’m supposed to have dinner with hyung.”

“Of course, of course. Want orange juice?”

“Do you have apple juice?”

“Guys! Apple juice and snacks!”

I turned to Gamja.

“He says it’s fine—can I stay a bit? Please explain it well to Jaeyoung hyung.”

“Alright.”

Gamja didn’t seem troubled at all.

It felt like he had expected this from the moment I showed him the card.

…Was this part of Woo Jaeyoung’s plan too?

‘It’ll be fine. I’m not a kid.’

I took a sip of the apple juice Jimmy handed me.

The small chunks of apple crunched pleasantly.

“So… what should I start with?”

Free consultation from someone clueless—now open.

“By the way, sir… I said this earlier, but I’m not your ‘darling.’”

Pointing at the pink fabric, I spoke.

It was soft, muted—not too bright.

Jimmy raised a brow while draping the fabric lightly over my hand.

“Ah, that?”

The man beside him—apparently the vice president—answered instead.

“It’s just the boss’s habit.”

He handed Jimmy a measuring tape.

“There are probably five thousand ‘darlings’ across the country.”

So basically—just get used to it.

“Then… does that make you one of his ‘darlings’ too?”

“…In a sense. Though I might actually qualify as a real one.”

Before I could respond, Jimmy cut in and showed me two designs.

I blinked, clueless, as he started explaining stitching and cuts—

Then stopped.

“Would you understand even if I explained? Just pick whatever catches your eye.”

“You can decide that casually?”

Jimmy burst out laughing.

“It’s not even an order—of course we can. Just pick!”

“Then this one.”

“Hmm, the sleeves might be a bit wide. Darling, can you raise your arm?”

“Why my arm?”

“Take a breath and hold it… let’s see…”

“Wait—why do you need my size just to pick clothes?”

“Because you’d look good in anything. Your proportions are great. If we use you as a standard, it’ll turn out perfect. Right, Taeseon?”

“…That does seem likely. If it fits Yoo Sowon, it would probably sell well generally.”

“See? Both boss and vice president agree. Turn a bit. Left arm forward. Good.”

I followed along, a little uneasy.

But honestly, I didn’t agree with being their “standard.”

Someone like Woo Jaeyoung would suit these clothes way better.

‘Come to think of it, he wears suits all the time.’

Except when sleeping, he was almost always in one.

I had expected flashy nonsense like that leopard-print shirt from our first meeting—but surprisingly, he mostly wore clean, classic styles.

Even his wardrobe was full of neutral tones.

No sign of that leopard print anywhere.

‘What was that outfit…’

“Darling, try this.”

Jimmy suddenly dumped clothes into my arms.

“Taeseon, take him to the fitting room. Change and come out—”

“This way, please.”

“Wait—change into what?”

My steps screeched to a halt.

“You don’t know what trying on clothes is?”

“Why would I—”

Why me? Where did this go wrong?

I crossed my arms firmly.

“I’m broke. No hidden gold eggs here. No money. Just… no.”

“Of course. Fittings are free, dear customer. We need to see how it looks on a person.

Taeseon can’t exactly wear this pink fabric, can he?”

I glanced at the vice president.

He was almost 10 cm taller than me.

“It’s a stereotype to say pink doesn’t suit big men.”

“Oh, you say such pretty things. But it’ll suit you better. Go on.”

…What could I do?

I changed.

Pink trousers.

A crisp white shirt.

A calm chocolate-colored jacket.

It felt incredibly awkward.

The jacket sleeves were embroidered with deep red roses—elegant and luxurious.

When I stepped out, Jimmy practically exploded with excitement.

He clapped like thirty times, exclaimed ten different versions of “oh my god,” made me spin around, sprayed me with perfume, and stared at me with shining eyes.

“I’ve been searching forever for someone who can pull off this pink.

How did the branch head hide someone this pretty all to himself?

Seeing how he keeps you close, I can tell how possessive he is.”

“That’s not really—”

“Of course it is. He practically drenched you in pheromones—”

BANG!

The door slammed open.

All three of us turned toward the entrance.

“f*cking hell… chasing a damn rat is exhausting… that bastard Gamja…”

Woo Jaeyoung stormed in, breathing heavily.

“Yoo Sowon—why are you at Lagu…?”

Jimmy stepped forward brightly.

“Welcome, customer!”

At this rate, Woo Jaeyoung might collapse from high blood pressure before we ever reach that “happy ending.”

And for the first time, I was just a little worried about his health.