SRSYT C1

Chapter 1

“Seojin, if you were born again, what would you want to do?”

He was too tired even to open his eyes, so he kept them shut while his noona asked.

“Mm. I’d like a solid job. Something stable, with a guaranteed income.”

“And?”

“A warm home would be nice too.”

“Anything else?”

“A house of my own, and enough money that living isn’t a problem. Say, two billion won?”

It was a joke, of course. It was never going to come true.

How did it end up like this?

“Appa!”

A bright voice rang right beside him. Something poked him in the back.

“Appa, wake up!”

His mind was still heavy and slow to surface. Even half-asleep, though, he had no choice but to come to.

“Where is this…?”

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he should have seen was a spotless white ceiling, recessed fluorescent lights set at even intervals, and medical equipment fixed to the wall by the bed.

Instead there was wallpaper: a blue sky, clouds, cute little animals. And that was nothing compared to the shock of seeing what stood in front of him.

“Appa!”

“…What? Are you talking to me?”

The child looked about five. Hair tousled down to her shoulders, as if she had just woken up, she stared at him with round eyes.

That face did not feel unfamiliar.

“Appa! What’s wrong? It’s me! Euni! Noh Eun!”

The little girl pointed at her own chest with a tiny thumb. She was so cute, cheeks puffed out, that he wanted to cup her face and blow on them.

“Appa, hurry and get up. Euni has to go to daycare! Hurry! Hurry!”

Her small hands grabbed his arm and tugged with surprising determination. He stared, then asked awkwardly,

“Appa?”

“Yes, Appa! Are you still asleep?”

The little head that had been dragging him along tilted to one side.

“Euni goes to daycare! Appa has to go to the new company starting today! You’re late, hurry!”

She could not wait any longer and started pulling his arm again.

“Uh… okay.”

He let himself be hauled out. Morning light filled the living room.

Am I still dreaming?

Last night, before he closed his eyes, the last things he had seen were a hospital ceiling, the bitter sting of disinfectant, and the beep—beep—of a vital-sign monitor.

Now there were two rooms, one bathroom, a bright living room and kitchen. The whole layout of the house was clear at a glance.

“Appa! Euni will wash by herself!”

The five-year-old suddenly dropped his hand and shot off. She bounced like a rabbit.

Her destination was the mint-colored bathroom door.

That’s the same too.

No wonder it felt like a dream.

“Appa! Euni’s washing her face!”

He drifted over at her call. She had pulled a little stool under her feet and stood at the sink with great dignity.

“Hurry! Hurry!”

He stepped closer and, without thinking, looked in the mirror.

“Oh.”

The face in the glass was familiar. Of course it was. It was his own. Then he met the eyes of the little lady fussing with her sleeves.

“Appaaa, are you still sleepy?”

At her clear voice he shook his head, then looked in the mirror again. From every angle, it was him. The loose t-shirt and pants were the same as usual too.

So what was this bewildering situation in front of him?

“Euni will wash!”

“Ah, no. I’ll do it.”

That snapped him out of it. He went into the bathroom. His head was still a mess, but he rolled his sleeves to the elbow.

He had to deal with what was in front of him first. He washed her face, combed out her tangled hair, and tied it into two pigtails.

All those years of taking care of his noona in the hospital were useful now.

“Appa! Euni wants toast today!”

He opened the fridge at once. Instead of the usual jumble of dairy, drinks, and leftover containers, ingredients and side dishes were lined up in order.

He took out butter, milk, and eggs and set a pan on the stove. While the child carefully poured milk into a cup, he seasoned the egg wash, soaked the bread, and fried it. A sweet, nutty smell filled the kitchen.

“It looks tasty!”

Milk had left a white mustache on her mouth. A laugh slipped out of him. He wiped it away with his thumb and flipped the bread.

When it was golden, he moved it to a plate and met her eyes.

“Jam too? Or whipped cream?”

“Mm… both!”

“Alright.”

He spread jam first, then whipped cream on top. He wondered if he should cut it for her, but she pinned it with a fork and sliced it neatly with a plastic knife, so there was no need. Only after she had eaten and gotten dressed by herself did he finally breathe.

“Appa, hurry and get ready for work too!”

The little lady even looked after the father who still had not adjusted. That was how he ended up back in the room, opening the closet.

He picked something close to his usual taste, changed, and looked around. Then he found a phone sitting neatly by the bed.

He woke the screen and opened the photo app. It was full of pictures with the little girl, and pictures of her alone.

He scrolled through the thumbnails in a daze, then stopped at a strange set of photos.

Three documents laid side by side.

A family relation certificate, an adoption report confirmation, and an adoption decision.

“Ah.”

A sigh came out on its own.

Under birth mother: Shin Eunyeong. His fingertip stopped. The screen slowly went dark, but that name stayed sharp on his retina. She was someone he could never forget.

Not blood family, but a noona bound to him more tightly than blood ever had been.

That was why the child’s face had looked familiar.

“Don’t tell me that’s really it?”

Flustered, he opened the messenger app. He scanned the top conversations and found one that caught his eye.

Manager Kim, Righteous Information Office

He tapped it with shaking hands.

Manager Kim, Righteous Information Office: Noh Seojin-ssi ^^ Thanks for coming in for the interview today. Let’s do well starting tomorrow. You’ll come, right? ^^

Me: Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Manager Kim, Righteous Information Office: Okay. Good ^^ I put a decent interview fee in, so make sure I see you tomorrow. Get some rest ^^

Me: Interview fee? There’s such a thing? You don’t have to give me that.

Manager Kim, Righteous Information Office: No, no. I’m grateful you’re coming in right away ^^ See you tomorrow ^^

After reading the messages stuffed with old-fashioned emoticons, reality hit him all at once.

“Is this real? I transmigrated? Into the novel my noona wrote?”

If anyone asked how a few clues were enough to be sure, the answer was simple.

He had practically written that novel with her.

How did it end up like this?

It had only been a playful conversation in the hospital. Where he wanted to go first after discharge, what he wanted to eat, what he wanted to do first.

What else was there for people locked in a hospital for years?

“Appa! The daycare van is here!”

She was already at the front door, urging him. He shoved the phone in his pocket and took Euni downstairs. A yellow van was waiting.

“Hello, teacher!”

“Hi, Euni! Hello, Euni’s father.”

“Hello, teacher.”

He greeted the teacher, made sure the child got in, then opened the map app. Twenty minutes on foot to the office.

Every change made his situation clearer. And that made it easy to guess what would come next.

He reached a shiny building, rode the elevator to the eighth floor, and walked down a wide hallway on shaking legs.

In front of the sign that read Righteous Information Office, he sighed.

“An information office… No matter how you look at it, it’s an errand center.”

We find anything. Honest prices, reliable service! Fast, accurate, and safe. We complete your request!

The slogan posted at the entrance reeked of it.

Should I just go back now?

While he hesitated, the door flew open with the perfect timing every story required.

“Huk!”

He swallowed a gasp and looked up. A man so tall he nearly touched the ceiling stood there, terrifyingly handsome, frowning.

Seojin knew this man.

Yoon Haegang. The secondary yandere top who loved the main bottom so much he tried to kidnap and imprison him, failed, and vanished.

And Seojin himself was Noh Seojin, the villain secretary who would be written out right beside him.

The moment the guess became certainty, his mind went blank.