RACA 36

The protagonists in the movie Eunsol was watching reached a scene where they went to see another film. But the plot of that movie they encountered also strangely mirrored Eunsol’s own situation. It was a story about people possessing different bodies to live their lives. What’s more, it was also a romantic comedy.

Eunsol wiggled his toes inside his sneakers.

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“The idea of people’s souls switching places.”

“Introducing yourself?”

Eunsol turned his head at the teasing question. As soon as his eyes met Pyo Jaebeom’s, he made a deliberately loud slurping sound with his cola.

“You said it too. Didn’t you?”

Eunsol had mentioned something similar before coming to the theater. But judging by his sarcastic tone, he clearly didn’t believe him.

“What if it’s true?”

“Hmm…”

What was with that vague response?

‘If you don’t say anything, the listener goes crazy wondering!’

Whether he knew Eunsol was glaring at him or not, Pyo Jaebeom picked up a wing that still looked steaming hot.

“Ah!”

Seeing the thing he wanted snatched right from his face, Eunsol let out a loud shout before he could stop himself. He quickly realized his mistake and covered his mouth with his hand.

Whether he had any intention of eating it or was just teasing Eunsol, Pyo Jaebeom grinned mischievously, waving the wing in front of his face.

‘Wow, he’s actually pulling that kind of prank?’

How old is he?!

“Isn’t it a bit silly to say something like that out loud?”

“Why?”

“You should drop hints subtly like that guy, so the other person has room to doubt.”

“I’m just an honest person.”

“Ah-ha.”

Finding something else amusing, Pyo Jaebeom chuckled softly and tapped the wing against Eunsol’s lips. The spicy, savory scent made Eunsol open his mouth without hesitation.

He promptly bit down on the tip of the wing, almost making a “ahh” sound. Pyo Jaebeom squinted his eyes approvingly before pulling his hand away.

Caught off guard, Eunsol chewed the chicken while looking at the movie.

‘He doesn’t seem to remember at all.’

He only talks about himself. He seems to feel nothing. Then again, it was the same when he ate the food actor Pyo Jaebeom used to like.

“What about you, CEO?”

Eunsol whispered, leaning his body sideways. Trying to lower his voice, he’d leaned in without thinking, worried Pyo Jaebeom might not hear. But when he looked up at him, he realized the distance between them was closer than he’d thought. The moment he noticed, his heart started pounding.

“What?”

“W-what do you think you would’ve done in that situation? I mean, if you didn’t know your soul had possessed another body at first, but then realized it later…”

Eunsol hurriedly created some distance between them as he blurted out the question. He didn’t want to show his flustered state, but his words came out stammering. Worried that Pyo Jaebeom might be puzzled, he glanced at him. He merely tilted his head and asked indifferently.

“Why would you need to think about such useless things?”

“Just imagining it, that’s all.”

If it was a relief, it was a relief… His heartbeat had finally returned to normal. Eunsol shot him a disapproving glance at his uncooperative attitude and continued.

“You might start being drawn to someone you didn’t like before, or act differently than usual.”

All of these were things Eunsol had deliberately done recently to make Pyo Jaebeom feel uneasy. With all the bait he’d laid out so far, he planned to use this chance to see if there were any clues.

“What good would that do me?”

“It would help me understand what state I’m in.”

“Huh?”

“Wouldn’t it bother you if there were parts of yourself you didn’t know? If you kept discovering unfamiliar aspects of yourself, wouldn’t that feel really creepy?”

Wasn’t that how Pyo Jaebeom felt too? Eunsol thought he suited being an actor adored by everyone far more than this gangster-like persona.

While they might share similar financial comfort, people have their rightful places.

“So you act based on understanding your own situation?”

“Well, yeah…”

Isn’t that obvious? Why else would he act timid, stammering his words and moving cautiously? Wasn’t it precisely to avoid ending up like in the original story, with a broken ankle, swept along by currents beyond his control?

‘Though somehow, I ended up pregnant in the end.’

Look at me now. Aren’t I trying my hardest to turn this situation around?

“Hmm…”

Pyo Jaebeom let out another meaningful chuckle and turned his gaze back to the screen. Eunsol noticed his upper body tilted slightly toward him as he shifted his posture. He stole a glance at him, clenching and unclenching his fist.

Why do I notice every little thing he does, even when they’re meaningless?

‘It’s bad for my heart…’

Eunsol’s ears flushed as he grumbled. Looking back at the screen, he saw the protagonists watching the movie.

He wondered what they might discuss, but both were engrossed in the film. The Alpha occasionally stole glances at the Omega, but that was the extent of it.

Even during the meal afterward, they kept discussing the movie. It wasn’t until nearly the end of the meal that the Alpha casually dropped a hint. Just as a crucial scene was about to unfold, Pyo Jaebeom’s voice came through.

“But from that Omega’s perspective, maybe it’s actually a relief that their souls switched.”

“Why?”

“Being a chaebol is better than being an ordinary office worker, right?”

“What about the opposite, a great actor becoming a gangster?”

“If it’s a rich gangster like me, wouldn’t that be okay too?”

“Well…”

He probably has plenty of money too. But above all, the reputation is different.

“Always worrying about what others think, pretending to be someone you’re not. Compared to that tiresome, exhausting life, living freely now might actually be better.”

Pyo Jaebeom mumbled indifferently, crunching popcorn. His expression showed zero interest in an actor’s life.

“But you might still regret your old life.”

“Do you regret it?”

Eunsol compared his present to his past. The conditions for living like a human being weren’t complicated.

Whether you had freedom or not.

“Yes.”

Eunsol answered without hesitation. Regardless of whether he regretted it or not, he felt this wasn’t truly his.

Catching Pyo Jaebeom raise his eyebrow, perhaps surprised by his answer, Eunsol pretended to focus on the movie and tore open a bag of wings.

When Eunsol was about to graduate high school, his grandmother suddenly told him to move to Seoul.

‘Staying here won’t do you any good.’

Not stopping there, she added that she’d arranged for a place to stay through an acquaintance and told him to live there.

Why did that feel so hurtful back then? Eunsol felt as if he were being torn away, and his heart ached. But it wasn’t until after graduation that he understood his grandmother’s true meaning.

Grandma couldn’t stay by his side anymore, so she’d prepared everything so her grandson could live in a slightly better environment.

The problem was that Seoul was an overwhelming place for a twenty-year-old arriving unprepared.

It wasn’t that he struggled with living expenses or housing. He had the house Grandma left him, and a decent sum for living costs.

‘There was also the insurance money.’

Grandma had meticulously prepared for her grandson, who would be left alone. But loneliness was something he couldn’t fix.

As the hours spent alone in the empty house grew longer, Eunsol eventually turned to the TV and his phone to pass the time. That’s when someone caught his eye by chance.

‘He’s really cool… Are all Alphas like that?’

It was Pyo Jaebeom. That was the first time he’d ever felt curious about someone. He spent his early twenties searching for his videos, and naturally grew interested in acting as a career.

‘I’m such a fool.’

He’d never once considered acting before. Yet driven solely by the desire to become an actor as cool as Pyo Jaebeom, he chose that path.

But it wasn’t until he stepped into the entertainment industry that he truly understood how extraordinary Pyo Jaebeom really was.

He wasn’t a star from the start. Beginning as a child actor at fourteen, he built his reputation through supporting roles in dramas and minor parts in films, a true ‘growth-type actor’.

“What are you staring at?”

“You really have no interest in life as an actor?”

The end credits rolled across the screen. Unlike other audience members who rose immediately after the film ended, the two remained seated.

Pyo Jaebeom seemed momentarily confused by Eunsol’s question, raising his eyebrows before replying nonchalantly.

“Why? Do you think I’d be suited for that?”

His tone was light, betraying that he hadn’t seriously considered this topic. Just seeing him smirk confirmed it. Evidently, this level of engagement was still far from stirring the memories buried deep within him.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed.

‘But well, at least I’ve broken the ice.’

If he continued nudging him like this a few more times, something might finally shift. Eunsol gave himself another mental pep talk and stood up.