Chapter 2

7 am

Coming home from work this day was different from other days. I was leaving on foot because I had left the truck with the accident at the industrial company. I was tired. At the hospital, they said I slept all day and woke up in the evening, but I was mentally tired, not physically, because I was active all day in someone else's body and worked all night. So, even though the two people following me kept glancing to see if I had something to say, I ignored them. I wanted to quickly go home and rest.

"hey."

Jiyong couldn't stand it anymore and called me. why? I looked back as if I was bored. At first glance, what he is going to say is obvious.

"Didn't you really hook up with the high school student from downstairs? Didn't you two hook up with him yesterday and ask him to pretend to be the boss in front of us?"

"why me?"

“Well... I don’t know.”

“Stop talking nonsense and go quickly and get tested again. You were injured after the accident, but without knowing it, you were admitted to the hospital late, and if you suddenly miss work, I will fire you. The same goes for Jeong Chung-yeon.”

We're okay. The two people gave the same answer and looked at me strangely again.

“So everything that happened yesterday is true?”

“How many times do you say it’s true?”

“Then why are you okay?!”

Jiyong actually got angry. I was dumbfounded, so I stopped and turned around.

“Something that couldn’t have happened happened, but as soon as the boss came home from the hospital, he worked all night without a problem and even now, he is still calm.”

“What if nothing happens? You go around with a loudspeaker talking about everything that happened yesterday? Then you get the money? It’s okay because it came back properly.”

I turned around after speaking, but Jiyong still looked at me with eyes that said he couldn't understand me. Next to him, Chungyeon could be heard comforting.

“You know. President Kwon completely forgets everything that happened in the past. Of course, if a problem arises, we fight like dogs...”

Like what? When I turned my head, Chungyeon huffed and looked away.

“Work is over and all I have left is time, shall we go crazy like a dog from now on?”

The moment I took a step forward, I felt a whistling feeling of severe dizziness. Beetle. His body stumbled and tilted to the side. Even though I knew I was falling, I couldn't stop it with my will. But what was scarier was the familiarity. It was like this when I returned from my high school body to my own. Probably not. no. Just simply dizzy... another few seconds of blackout. I opened my eyes, experiencing the dirty feeling of floating on water with my brain bobbing around. I could see the hospital ceiling. Fuck. I raised my head and looked at my body. It wasn't me. Have you entered the body of a high school student again? Does this make sense? Yesterday, when I came into the body, my high school student fell asleep as if he had fainted and was thrown into the hospital. But the same thing happens again....

“Taekin, are you okay? Huh?”

Someone right next to me spoke. I was startled, got up and turned around. A woman who looked to be in her late 40s was looking at me with concern. who are you? I barely swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth. She first revealed her identity.

“Taekin, I’m your mom. Do you recognize me?”

1. Her honest answer could not come out after seeing the woman's eyes filled with worry. Maybe she heard what happened yesterday at the hospital.

“I thought you were late from the reading room, but I didn’t think you had an accident... I’m sorry, mom was at work so I couldn’t call you...”

The old lady wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. I remained frozen, not knowing what to do, and looked around her. There was a cell phone on the small table next to the bed.

“Since you’re awake, I need to call the doctor. Taekin, are you okay? Are you in any pain?”

"...yes."

As soon as she left, she called her phone. After a long signal, Jiyong’s urgent voice was heard.

[I don’t know who it is, but I’m busy, so later…]

“Because your boss collapsed?”

[Huh! How do you do that...who are you?!]

It's your boss. I answered and added with a sigh.

“Fuck, when I open my eyes, I’m in the body of a high school kid again.”

The clock on the wall showed 7 o'clock in the morning.

High school student during the day, me at night. I didn't find out much during the few days I spent going in and out of my mind. It's just that I move at exactly 7 o'clock in the morning and 7 o'clock in the evening, and the body without me is asleep as if passed out. Hasn’t the soul changed? I became convinced of my suspicions when I met numerous fortune tellers and religious figures and grew tired of hearing useless nonsense.

‘I’m sure this time! Originally, I looked after him, but he said he could no longer reveal his secrets and practiced silent meditation at a temple for several years. Then, he came back to the secular world and started a business, saying he wanted to understand the ways of the world.'

'What business?'

'The lottery room.'

'...'

'He's my aunt's sister-in-law's cousin. Only the boss brother will take special care of him.'

So, after practicing silent meditation to understand the ways of the world, I came down to the secular world and met a former fortune teller who runs a lottery room. Of course, I didn't have any expectations. I sat in front of the lottery room owner, thinking that only Bokbi would go out again this time. Jiyong, who brought me with me, asked earnestly on behalf of my lack of motivation.

“Why did your soul change?”

"It's not."

The lottery room owner blurted out and looked at me. After watching in silence for a few seconds, I opened my mouth.

“The original owner hid, and the tiger is sitting there.”

It was refreshing because it was my first time hearing this opinion, but this time I just laughed. A tiger, me?

“I’m not the tiger.”

“It has nothing to do with my personality.”

“Then what am I?”

Jiyong joined in from the side. The owner of the lottery room smiled happily at Jiyong.

“You can’t see our cutie~”

​

 

What cutie? Unlike me, who was shocked, Jiyong continued speaking casually, as if he was used to it.

“I heard our boss is a tiger?”

“Yes. I have rarely seen a spirit in such a clear form.”

“So the boss is great?”

If it were so great, would I be doing business in the market? I had almost given up my expectations of her.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a tiger or a cat, so if you know a way to solve it, please tell me.”

“Actually, she’s not that great because she’s a tiger.”

The owner of the lottery room ignored me and explained it to Jiyong.

“It is rare to see the spirit so clearly, but there are many people with the energy of a tiger. Success and enjoyment of wealth and power is due to the efforts shown within the natural energy. Some people do not become great because they are a tiger or a rat.”

“But it’s good because it’s a tiger.”

“Everything has its pros and cons. The good thing about tigers is that when they set a goal, they only focus on it and run towards it, so they tend to achieve what they have set their mind to. However, they only see what they see, so their field of view is narrow. In other words, they don’t have any sense? Moreover, they have an irritable temperament, so they tend to lose their temper once in a while. "If you smoke, everything will turn over. There is no end to it."

"Wow, that's right. He's just the boss hyung. He works very hard and doesn't spend a single penny on other things just to pay off the store's debt. And he's completely clueless. To put it nicely, he's cool, but he can be a fool sometimes. Besides, if he shows his personality once in a while, Ah, well, there really is no end to it. Right, boss?"

“...I feel like I’m going to have regrets when I see you.”

At the end, Jiyong shut her mouth and avoided her eyes. I turned my attention back to the lottery room owner.

“Where was the original owner hiding?”

“Behind the tiger.”

what? This sound came out naturally. What are you talking about? Please explain so I can understand. She asked strongly, but she just stared into my eyes. And after a while she quietly shook her head.

“I’m not coming out. I’m hiding behind the tiger and turning my back on the world. I’m closing my eyes and covering my ears. Right now, that kid can’t see anything or hear anything.”

“Then why did you drag me in?”

“You went.”

What kind of bullshit is this?!

“Does that make sense? I’m not some kind of superpower, so why would I end up in the body of a guy who’s about to die?”

“I told you. You have a strong spirit, of course, but that alone doesn’t mean you can enter another person’s body. But I guess this student had some similarities with you. Something familiar enough to make you feel comfortable. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen a coincidence like this, but it actually happened. "You didn't know? You jumped in first in that situation."

“So I’ve never done that….”

“Didn’t you show strong feelings toward this high school student when you met him? If it were your nature, you would have wanted to run up to him, grab him by the collar, and beat him up.”

“No, we were in the car and this guy fell right in the back of the car and he and his brother didn’t even look at each other.”

Jiyong explained, but the lottery room owner waited for my answer. I couldn't answer right away because I had a problem. I remembered making eye contact with him in the side mirror before passing out in the car. And at that moment, I wanted to swear at him with all my heart. But if I say this, isn't it really like admitting that I entered the body of a man who was so angry that he was about to die?

“...I saw a high school student looking through the side mirror.”

I explained it briefly to the person waiting for the answer and added it right away.

“But that doesn’t mean that all people who want to curse at others have their souls go into that person’s body.”

"That's right, but even if there was an accident, the student's body is healthy? What if the moment the car hit the student, he thought he was going to die and left everything behind, so it's like he was mentally dead? An empty, living body would have caught you. It could be possible."

What kind of nonsense is this? Strangely, the words that rose up to my throat did not come out. It was really strange. It's like a fantasy novel, but why am I sitting there with my butt pressed up and asking questions?

“Then why does my body return to its original state at night? Are they letting me work at night?”

“Maybe so.”

​

 

Why am I hearing this? I really tried to get up, but I stopped when she said that.

“The child hiding behind you is pushing you. The child who thinks he is dead and is cut off from the world uses all his strength to push you away at night. I guess you felt the desperate need to return to your own body at night. But this is this. "That's all a child can do. I'll tell you in advance, if you want to return to your own body, your original owner will have to wake up and push you away, which is impossible in your current state."

“Damn. That doesn’t make sense. You say you cover your ears and close your eyes, but you can’t push me away, but you can’t push me away? Fuck, then, if I pray and beg you that I’m desperate, you’ll listen? That’s what that bastard is saying now that I’m inside his body. “You know everything and everything you do, right?”

The owner of the lottery room looked at me pitifully and then asked Jiyong.

“Is your boss a little crazy?”

"It's a bit like that. He's good at things he's interested in, but he's terrible at everything else. Sometimes, he says he lacks common sense. When he was in high school, he was ranked last in his class. Last place~ Haha, it's the first time I've seen someone who was last... Hmm, studying isn’t everything in a person’s life.”

That's right, studying isn't everything. Jiyong, who saw my hand clenched into a fist, came to a reasonable conclusion. I also thought rationally. How did this bastard know that I was in last place?

“Close your eyes and cover your ears with your hands.”

The lottery room owner suddenly gave an order. Why me? As I asked, I couldn't help but follow the look in her aunt's eyes. She closed her eyes and roughly put her hands to her ears, but she heard the lady's warning. Press harder. Mr. Geez. Her ears were pressed so hard that they hurt. There was no sound. I just waited in this black world to see when I should let go. What on earth am I doing? Why am I doing this? I grumbled inside for a while. Should I just take it off now? Could it be that two people are laughing at me like this... huh?! Startle. Suddenly, goosebumps appeared from my shoulders to my neck. Without realizing it, I opened my eyes and leaned back. And then I took a deep breath again when I saw what was right in front of me. It was excessive.

"What is this?"

I got up from my seat and looked at him with a straight face. Pointing a knife in front of someone? Is this lady crazy?

“Why are your eyes open?”

That's right... the irritation that had been rising has gone down. I looked at her for a moment and then sat down next to her.

“You opened your eyes because you felt something? That’s it. There is something you can know without seeing or hearing. That must have been your desperation. The child doesn’t know what it is either. He just thinks he has to help. That’s why the child hiding behind you is a body. "I'm barely pushing you away on this off night. Of course, when he opens his eyes and wakes up, I'm going to push you away completely."

“How do I wake up?”

“I don’t know. Why I turned my back on this world.”

She lowered her gaze and took her hand, no, the high school student's hand.

"He's a good kid. He could ignore you who came into his body, but he's trying to send you back somehow. He must have always been a good kid who cared for others. That's why he couldn't tell anyone even if he was worried. How can he solve a problem he can't handle because he's still young? "I guess I was scared because I didn't know what to do. If the child was trying to die like you said... I would have wanted to scream for help, to save him, but I was too kind to do that."

She stroked his hands with both hands as if comforting a child. Strangely, something like heat spread deep inside her chest. I wasn't. Even though I freely use the high school student's body as if it were my own, this feeling was foreign.

“Then the only way is for this high school kid to come to his senses and wake up and push me away?”

There was no answer. The lottery room owner let go of her hand and looked at me quietly. I realized there was another way. But different words came out of her mouth.

“Yeah. That’s it.”

What was it that made me fear and hate so much that I turned my back on the world and tried to die? I don't believe everything the lottery room owner says, but she was right about some of what she said. That there must be something similar to me. Of course, since we are all Korean, we naturally have something in common, but the situation in high school was almost similar to when I was a high school student. This was because he was an only son and his mother earned money alone without a father. Moreover, the reason my father left was the same. After the accident, my uncle came up from the countryside and stopped by. Taek-in held me while her mother was away and made a request to me.

Your father left so cruelly, so you should be nice to your mother. While talking, he got angry and cursed at my father in front of me for having an affair and leaving home, and then gave me pocket money and left. Another wind. Why on earth is everyone cheating? But other than our family situations, I and my high school student had nothing in common. Appearance and especially personality. I turned on my high school student's cell phone, which I hadn't really looked at in a few days. First, I opened a huge pile of KakaoTalk messages that I had not read. Surprisingly, the answer I was looking for came right away. Perhaps it was a group room, but the conversation between several people continued. Most of the words were directed at high school students who did not respond.

[You bastard, are you really a loser? Die quickly, you bastard.]

[Hey, you were discharged from the hospital. I heard it all. Can't you even die? You really are an idiot.]

[Are you still chewing on our words? Do you think that we won't be able to find you? I told you. You can't run away from us until you're gone. Come out of school quickly when they say good things.]

Die, fall down, an idiot who can't even die, a piece of shit, etc. This word came up at least once in every conversation.

“Wow, they are really bad guys.”

Chungyeon said the same thing several times. They are bad guys. bad. He is a bad student. Surprisingly, Jiyong’s expression was stiff and he didn’t say anything.

“I guess you were bullied by those three guys. Why on earth are you bullying your friend?”

“Because you’re an asshole.”

I kept scrolling up the screen and it stopped at a certain point.

[You told me not to come to the bathroom, right? Do you want to die? Will you come to your senses if your secret is exposed to the whole world?]

“Secret? I guess the bad guys took advantage of my weakness and tormented me.”

Mr. Chungyeon shook his head from side to side as if he was tired.

“What on earth do you want to become when you come out to society?”

What could happen? You will be my customer, my business partner, and my neighbor.

“What’s the secret?”

​

 

Jiyong, who had been quiet, opened his mouth for the first time. I moved my finger again to raise the screen, but all I saw was cursing. Even though he wasn't swearing at me, I was so annoyed by it that I gave up looking for it. I looked around to see if I could use a diary app, but other than KakaoTalk, all the apps installed were basic. There wasn't even one of those common games. The only thing on the phone was my mom. I have no friends and the only people who contact me are bullies.

“It looks like I barely used my smartphone. I guess I don’t even want to see it.”

Jiyong muttered and looked at me.

"why?"

“Wouldn’t it be resolved if you scolded them?”

“Do you know who they are? Should I call them on the phone and show them off?”

“No, there’s no need to scold him like the boss.”

The day I returned to my normal self because I was working, he looked at me again and added,

“Since Taekin can’t miss school forever anyway… the boss can just go to school and scold those kids.”

“Fuck, don’t talk bullshit.”

I was truly angry. school? Go to high school?

“Why do I have to go back to school and study? Fuck, why do I have to go through that boring thing again?”

It's not just boring, it's terrible. Even if I slept all day, when I opened my eyes, there was still class left. He couldn't stand it any more, so he skipped class a few times and ran away, only to be called to get his mom. He was scolded by his homeroom teacher, student dean, and even the vice principal, saying they would tolerate him sleeping, but they would not tolerate him skipping school. If it weren't for her mom, she would have been kicked out of school dozens of times. Despite her mother's wishes that she just graduate and her uncle's threats that he would not let her work in the market if she did not graduate, she barely graduated. But go back to that horrible place? Unless I go crazy...

“So, are you going to live the rest of your life switching between two people? We have to solve the problem that Taekin is afraid of. And that problem is at school. The boss has no choice but to go to the school and scold them harshly.”

When I heard it, it seemed plausible. So it was a shock. No, there's definitely another way...

“I don’t think that’s necessarily true. You have to solve your own problems. Even if President Kwon goes to school as Taek-in and solves it, if he goes back to normal, those guys will bother him again. And since Taek-in knows it best, he will live. "I won't cheer up. In fact, I might despair even more about what I can't do."

Chungyeon said the right thing for the first time in a while. This person was exactly the advisor I needed. No matter what, as long as I don't go to school, I nod my head loudly at his words. Mr. Chungyeon was embarrassed by my reaction and added seriously.

“But I think you should go to school.”

It's absolutely necessary. He continued to give advice regardless of how my expression hardened.

“First of all, Taek-in’s mother and school will be suspicious, and we will be able to find out more accurately what Taek-in’s problem is when he goes to school.”

“I found out about the problem, but Taek-in told me not to solve it myself.”

​

 

"That's true. But the important thing is to move Taek-in's heart. If President Kwon tries to find out about the problems that he has no friends and can't even tell his parents, and if Taek-in later finds a way to solve it on his own, won't he open his heart? Originally, there was a cliff. “For someone who is hanging on, just finding a piece of string and lowering them down can be of great help. And…”

Mr. Chungyeon trailed off and added regretfully.

“I think the reason Taekin was needed in the first place was just someone’s interest.”

I don't know why at that moment I remembered the time when the owner of the lottery room held the hand of a high school student.

“Then what about the bullies? Let’s just leave them alone? They’re bad guys. If Taek-in doesn’t work out, you can scold them when the boss hyung returns to normal.”

Jiyong insisted in an unusually excited voice.

“Those kids will definitely be scared if the boss says anything. The boss treats them kindly...”

“Didn’t you hear what Chung-yeon said? You have to solve it yourself.”

"but...."

“What should he do when he is weak?”

"..."

"It's your problem. If you can't get out of it, even if you get help once or twice from those around you, you'll be back to the original state. Even if you give them help, you have to teach them how to solve it on their own. Do you think the situation will get better if you fight instead?"

Jiyong looked like he wanted to retort, but I cut him off first.

“And I don’t want to waste my precious time doing something like that.”

I already don't have enough time to work. To be honest, I didn't want to understand the situation of a high school boy who was being bullied. When she was bullied, all she could think was that she was bullied because she was an asshole. But what can you do since getting out of this situation quickly comes first? However, even if he had no choice but to accept it, he still hated it. School. shit.

  8 am.

I had no energy. My shoulders slumped and my steps were extremely heavy. Seeing the gate of my alma mater for the first time in 11 years reminded me of fond hope. I wish there was a war right now and I didn't have to go to school. Why can't North Korea just dig a tunnel and use it? I crossed the school gate thinking about various things about unification. As I couldn't get used to the awkward school uniform, the situation inside the school gate was also the same.

“What did the late guy do so well when he walks around?”

The teacher who punished late students called me out with his hand. Next to him, many latecomers were already lying down. It will be me soon. Frustrated, I approached him and stopped. Oh my god, it’s Hakju!!! The school master who used to hit my butt every day when I was a student is still around! His graying hair and face had increased wrinkles, but he was no different from before. Even that blue shirt you're wearing now looks like the school uniform you wore back then?!

“What? You’re rebelling by not coming now?”

I had a closer relationship with him than I did with my homeroom teacher during the three years I was in high school, so I was happy to see him. Without realizing it, I called him out of emotion.

“Teacher. Long time no see….”

“Shut up and lie down.”

​

 

I missed North Korea again. I put off my joy and handed out the doctor's note I had prepared. The story was that he had a sleeping disorder in which he fell into non-RAM sleep for an unknown reason from 7 PM to 7 AM and did not wake up to any stimulation. The opinions were obtained from psychiatry, internal medicine, and even a sleep disorder clinic. This wasn't something I went out of my way to go to the hospital for. Whenever I woke up at 7 in the morning, I was always in the hospital.

Taek-in's mother, who was worried that something might have happened to her son during the night, came to see him and was surprised to see her son not waking up, so she took him to the hospital. I think the doctor said to watch because he could commit suicide again. Everyone suspected that he had taken sleeping pills, but even after being admitted to the hospital, they found that he fell asleep at the exact right time, as if he had fainted, and went to several hospitals to get tested and obtain this opinion. Hakju turned over several pages of the report with frowning eyes, but stopped at a certain part. Then he looked up at me and asked:

“Are you Kim Taek-in?”

“Yes,” I answered, and he motioned for me to go in.

“Go to your homeroom teacher first.”

As I nodded and said hello, I heard the sounds of the kids lying down. Hey, you know that guy who attempted suicide? The back of my head stung.

“Um, memory impairment?”

My homeroom teacher saw me and asked first. It was convenient because I didn’t have to get a second opinion from a doctor. How did know?

“I spoke to my mother on the phone. She was very worried.”

I see. I thought of Taek-in's mother, who had been taking me to the hospital for more than a week to get me checked out. Memory impairment. Since I don’t know anything about Taek-in, this might be convenient. However, when interviewing a doctor, I could not lie to even one question.

'Don't you even remember your mother?'

Taek-in, who had been watching anxiously from the side, met her mother's gaze. We had only just met her, and within a week she had become noticeably haggard.

'no. I remember my mother.'

There was only one lie.

“Do you remember me?”

A good-looking teacher in his 40s looked at me and asked, “No.” I shook my head, and she looked at me with serious eyes for a moment and muttered.

“Well, I just need to get to know you again.”

“I don’t remember anything I studied.”

It's 100% true.

“Really? There’s nothing to worry about. Since you’re still a second year student, you have time to catch up until the CSAT. From now on, you’ll just have to work hard and not do anything else during class.”

“Can’t I just sleep?”

“..No way.”

Her expression seemed to have hardened, but she didn't care and handed back the doctor's note that she had given to her student Joo-i. When she saw that, she looked at me like, “What is this?”

“I’m having trouble sleeping.”

“From 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Isn’t there anything else to say?”

It doesn't work. I had nothing to say. Normally, playing with my head and using tricks doesn't suit me. I couldn't do it. All I can do is sleep and use my body to cope.

“Are you uncomfortable coming to school? Do you hate taking classes?”

Before coming here, Chungyeon asked me again. I think it would be a good idea to act thinking about when Taek-in returns to himself. But I don't even know what kind of kid Taekin is, so I can't pretend to be him, right? I have a good excuse for amnesia anyway, so something a little different shouldn't be a problem. Besides, my reaction now is the usual answer that anyone would give.

“Of course I don’t like it. I really hate it. Coming to school is like a nightmare.”

“..Um, yeah.”

She cleared her throat as if she was embarrassed and asked cautiously.

“Is there any other reason why you don’t like school? If so, be sure to tell the teacher. You were such a quiet kid that I didn’t think you had any major problems before the accident. But if you have a problem that you can’t solve on your own, come talk to the teacher. Okay?”

He seemed like a nice person. The problem may be solved surprisingly easily. When her lottery room owner held her hand, she thought she would just have to find someone to help her with her high schooling, as this guy's body responded. Plus, being my homeroom teacher meant seeing him every day at school, so it was perfect. However, she asks why she did not provide any counseling to Taek-in's homeroom teacher before he attempted suicide. At this time, I just took this issue lightly. Her Taek-in says she was too scared to reveal her own problems.

“Yes. I will definitely tell you.”

I nodded, said hello, and got up from my seat. There were still many teachers in the teacher's office because it was before class. Perhaps because it was a private institution, there were many familiar faces to me, but there were also about half that I did not know. Like the teacher who passed by me when I stood up. I didn't see the face. The only thing that caught my eye was that he was tall and, unlike other teachers, he was wearing comfortable sportswear. But as soon as he passed Taekin, a strong shock spread through his body as if electricity were flowing. Thump, thump, thump... My heart suddenly sped up uncontrollably. omg. I took a deep breath and held my heart. what? Why is this happening? I think my face turned red due to the intense heat that was pounding in my chest.

“Are you okay? Taekin, are you okay?”

I didn't even have time to answer that it wasn't okay. Does this kid have heart disease? Isn’t she terminally ill? Just when I had every doubt, like a lie, everything returned to normal. Is it a side effect of entering someone else’s body?

“Taekin, if it hurts somewhere...”

"it's okay."

I was about to turn around after answering her, but she called me.

“If you’re sick, I’ll give you an early leave permit. It’s hard, but you don’t have to endure it at school.”

"it's okay."

“Are you continuing to receive hospital treatment?”

“No. I’m not in any pain.”

“But won’t you continue to receive psychiatric counseling?”

“No. It’s over. I showed you the results.”

I pointed to the memory impairment report I had presented.

“It’s over? Did your mother tell you to stop receiving counseling? You can’t do that. Taekin, even if counseling is uncomfortable, keep getting it…”

“The hospital said it wasn’t necessary. If it’s a memory issue, you can get regular tests, but I haven’t been told to come back.”

"why?"

Only then did I look at my homeroom teacher’s expression. I thought it was just filled with concern for the students, but when I looked again, it wasn't so.

“Why don’t you ask the doctor?”

I flinch. When my homeroom teacher looked into my eyes, she stiffened as if she was surprised. Why are you surprised when I tell you to ask the doctor? After a moment, she smiled awkwardly.

“Okay, you should ask the doctor. When you spoke to your mother on the phone, you were still worried, so I thought you might need more counseling. I was wondering if you might still be having, um, bad thoughts. In that case, it would be better to rest at home and get counseling. It’s the same. If my condition worsens while I’m at school... it will probably have an impact on other students as well.”

This was it. I knew what she was really worried about. I worry about what might happen if a student who attempted suicide tries again at school. Because school is his area of responsibility. I understand. It's not like she put her life on the line for her job, so it makes no sense for her to monitor and help every student 24 hours a day. It makes no sense. Since you are a salaried worker, it is natural that you do not want an accident to occur during your working hours. But she did not cheerfully accept that she understood.

“No suicides at school.”

First of all, I My homeroom teacher was startled by my words and tried to say something, but I cut him off.

“If there’s a problem, I’ll let you know. Then, please stop leaving early.”

Unable to blink her eyes, I left her frozen and headed to her classroom.

She thought it would be awkward to wear her school uniform again and come to school, but what made her even more awkward was the crowd of high school students around her. Just mixing in with people much younger than me made me feel tired. I guess I'm definitely getting older. Just seeing their energy was burdensome and annoying. I couldn't forget that I was 18-year-old Kim Taek-in, but I couldn't pretend to be a guy I didn't know. All I can do is think of myself when I was 18 and endure it. But the problem started as soon as I entered the classroom. The classroom where self-study was taking place in the morning was a bit bustling. As soon as I appeared, it became quiet for a moment. Faces looking at me. I was filled with admiration. Oh my gosh, it’s full of high school students. I looked around inside, found an empty seat, and walked over. As soon as I sat down and put my bag on the seat, I asked the guy who seemed to be my partner.

“Is this my place?”

“Huh? Oh right...sigh.”

Instead of answering, his partner covered his mouth and turned his head. Why is it like that? I looked at him quizzically, but he didn't turn his head to me again. It was strange, so I looked at the other kids, and they also turned their faces away from me.

“Are you saying this is my seat?”

I asked my partner again, but he turned his back on me. He then took out his smart phone and moved his fingers eagerly while looking at me. After a while, the guy in front of his partner checked his smartphone. Then he glanced at me and tapped his smartphone. As if he had been waiting, my partner repeated the same thing. When I looked around a little, I saw other guys doing the same thing. Of course, there were some kids making noise. Everyone is probably whispering about me. It wasn't unexpected, so there's nothing unpleasant about it. However, there was something unexpected.

Taek-in thought he was the weakest in the class because he tried to kill himself because of the bullying. Then, of course, you can just say what you want to say out loud without worrying about what Taekin will think, right? It is also ridiculous to be considerate of a classmate who has attempted suicide. Was it just the three who were harassing them through swearing on KakaoTalk? I bowed down, making guesses. Being awake 24 hours a day isn't usually tiring. While my mind was going back and forth, my body was well rested, but I was mentally exhausted. It's like a situation where the body is fine, but the mind is sluggish. So even though my body slept all night, I was able to sleep again. As soon as I lay down, the whispering became a little louder.

'I guess that kid really doesn't remember anything?'

'I might be faking amnesia because it's embarrassing.'

'It must be really embarrassing.'

Then someone spoke loudly.

“Hey, everyone, stop paying attention to that bastard. What if he tries to kill himself again, saying nonsense about how he harassed us?”

As he spoke, the whispering quieted down. Now I can sleep quietly. Just as I was about to sleep in peace, I heard a message coming from Tiring. I ignored it and kept lying down, and the ringing sound kept ringing. It wasn't my phone, I forgot to turn it off. I took out my smartphone and was about to shut it down, but I saw a message appear on the standby screen.

[Why are you lying down? Are you scared? If you're scared, why do you come to school?]

[Why don’t you try suicide again?]

[Did you think we would look after you if you protested to the death?]

I just turned off the power and lay down again. Tuk. Something hit my body and fell. I just ignored it. Tap again. This time, something heavier, like an eraser, hit my back.

“It’s 3 points.”

someone said Tuk. This time it hit where the back and neck connect.

“Oh, 4 points.”

A few people giggled as they shouted out the score. Tap, tap, tap. Something was flying from all directions. Then one hit me on the head. It was so painful that it made a sound.

“10 points!”

I raised my head. Sasasak. People all turning their heads towards me. I read books, looked at my phone, or listened to music as if nothing was happening. As I looked around at the kids in my class, I felt my heart speed up. It wasn't so much that my legs were shaking like in the teacher's office, but it was faintly pounding. And it felt completely different. An unpleasant chill enveloped my chest. This also seemed to be the body of Taek-in, the original owner, reacting automatically. I lay down to sleep again. Just right. Something flew to my head.

“10 points!”