[Hello, Kang Jaeyoung-nim! I am from of the Afterlife Administration, specifically the Transmigration Unit of the Reincarnation Department!
I have come to you today to discuss your position within this world.]
"Eh?"
Did someone hack my phone??? In my confusion, I could only stare dumbly at the smartphone screen.
While I was texting Yoo Hyeonjin before bed, my screen had suddenly blackened before displaying strange words in a simple format.
I had thought that I was good at internet safety, but clearly I had made a blunder at some point.
Yeah, I've undeniably been hacked…
[No. Your phone hasn't been hacked. I just had to use the medium you were most likely to notice my message on.
If you don't believe me, open a notebook and I can begin speaking to you there.]
As if reading my mind, the obscure individual countered my thoughts.
Out of curiosity, I grabbed a notebook and opened it to a blank page.
Now, don't get me wrong. I was fully aware that there was no possible chance that it'd actually work… I was only curious, okay?
But, contrary to what any sane human being would expect, the words displayed on my phone screen rapidly bled into the originally blank page.
At the sight, my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Any wider and I might've had to fumble blindly for my eyeballs.
Scizophrenia…?
[You believe me now… right? Anyway, let's finish this quickly. I don't have all day.
Name: Kang Jaeyoung
Age: 19
Sex: Male
Role: Yoo Hyeonjin's high school bully
Fulfillment status: Entirely OOC; unlikely to be reverted successfully; issuing punishment is suggested]
"Wait! Hyeonjin's bully?! What kind of nonsense is that?!!"
At the role description, I couldn't hold back my astonishment. I didn't fully understand what it all meant, but I knew the definition of 'role' and 'bully', so I could comprehend that much at least.
My original destiny was to be Yoo Hyeonjin's bully… But like the fulfillment status, or whatever, said, I was entirely off track. In fact, I was pretty close friends with Hyeonjin, so it was a little confusing.
[Kang Jaeyoung-nim. You are an error.
According to the records, your soul was supposed to be sent to a straight romance drama, but you and this role's originally assigned soul were somehow swapped.
Usually, we would proceed with an extermination procedure and just recreate the worlds with the souls in their rightful places, but that damned witch told us not to.
She claims she's one of the prophetesses directly connected to the god of destiny, but I call bullshit. All she does is eat and sleep when she could at least help with the administration work from time to time! If she's assigned to the department, then she should pitch in!!!
Oh, sorry. I ranted.
Anyway, you're staying in this world whether any of us like it or not. So instead, I have to punish you.
Gimme a second to perform a quick analysis…
Alright, your punishment will be nightmares!
You're all set! Thank you for your time, and I wish you the best of luck!]
After such a longwinded speech, they didn't think to at least answer a few of my questions?
Despite them describing it as 'discussing', it really was just them talking at me before disappearing.
Feeling an unbearable foreboding, I grabbed the notebook and shouted into it.
"HEY! You can't just leave!!! I still have questions!!! How am I supposed to interpret this?!! And why am I being punished for something that I didn't even know happened until 10 minutes ago???!!! I didn't do it! It was whoever was in cha-!"
- Bzzz… Bzz, Bzzz…
My shouting was interrupted by someone calling my phone, but before I could answer it, the ringing ended.
Picking up the device, I belatedly saw several messages from Hyeonjin.
I must've been too immersed in the situation to notice my phone buzzing…
Opening the text messages, I saw that he had sent quite a few.
Yoo Hyeonjin:
[Are you okay?]
[Jaeyoungie?]
[I'm getting worried…]
[Text me when you see this.]
"Pfft! He's acting like I'm a little kid. It's not like I was kidnapped."
At that moment, all of my unease evaporated and I was filled with a bubbly energy in my chest. It's strange how the brain is quite susceptible to distractions.
Me:
[Sorry. My dad called me in the middle of it. TT]
[I'm gonna go to sleep. Sleep well.]
Yoo Hyeonjin:
[Thank goodness. Sweet dreams.]
I didn't know for sure if I could have sweet dreams tonight, but the words made me smile regardless.
* * *
"Yo! Dumbass! Buy me a drink, will ya'? I want an energy drink."
A boy that looked similar to Jaeyoung spoke in a snarky tone, wearing an arrogant expression as he turned towards someone who resembled Yoo Hyeonjin.
It was clearly a bullying situation. The victim had a much slimmer build compared to Yoo Hyeonjin, but I could tell at just a glance that it was supposed to be him.
As for the bully, I didn't know who it was… Wait… Is that me?
I'm the bully?? I would never do that to Hyeonjin! If I did, I'd probably loathe myself for life.
When Hyeonjin didn't respond and only looked at the floor, Jaeyoung stood up and grabbed his hair aggressively, pulling it back so that he would face him.
"I thought I asked for a drink. Do you have too much earwax in your ears or are you deliberately ignoring me? Remember that I'm the son of Kang Minsoo, so it'd be better if you just quietly follow what I say."
His voice was close to a snarl as he brought his face up close. Once he finished speaking, he roughly pushed him away and crossed his arms, looking down on the stumbling teenager.
He looked to be waiting for an answer and only retreated upon seeing Hyeonjin nod meekly.
Rahhh! What the f*ck!
I felt like flipping a table at the sight.
I had been lucid from the start, so I knew it was a dream, but I still had the urge to strangle the me in this dream and sternly telling Hyeonjin to stand up for himself!
Well, realistically, the small Korean citizen named Yoo Hyeonjin could get destroyed if he defied the Kang family… But that only made me angrier!!!
Ready to square up with this version of me as I saw the smug look I knew I would never make in my lifetime on his face, I stood in front of him with a fierce gaze.
"Yo! Asswipe! Are your legs just for show? Or did your family recently go bankrupt? Pay for your own goddamn shit."
God, I apologize for my foul language.
But he didn't respond, casually looking down at his phone without a word.
Frustrated, I walked up to him and slapped the back of his head, but my hand went straight through him.
"Eh? What's going on?"
In a panic, I walked around everywhere, slamming desks and chattering to the surrounding kids, but the dreamworld failed to recognize me.
Defeated, I sighed a strained breath as my stomach twisted and my eyes closed.
"Oh! The dumbass is back!"
At the sight of him returning, Jaeyoung stood up and snatched the drink out of his hands.
"Pay me back..."
Hyeonjin glared at him through his hair and spoke determinedly.
"The fuck you just say?"
Jaeyoung's face contorted disturbingly, twisting as if he just saw a cockroach crawling up his leg.
"Pay. Me. Back."
Yes, Hyeonjin! Tell that asswipe who the real dumbass is!
- Smack!
A crisp sound echoed as Jaeyoung slapped Hyeonjin so hard that the boy stumbled to the side and his face immediately swelled.
"Hyeonjin!"
I wanted to run up and support him, seeing his tilted balance, but it wasn't possible.
This goddamn waste of space! Disappear!
And the bully really did disappear… Along with everything else.
* * *
I woke up with a start, my fists unconsciously clenched. It was still midnight and I knew I should go back to sleep, but before that, I needed a session of pillow punches to vent my restrained frustration.
After beating the pillow, I was unable to fall back asleep, so I just stared blankly at the dim ceiling above my bed until it was time to go about my regular routine.
Finally, I was in the car, my chauffeur at the wheel while I stared outside blankly in the back seat.
So that's what they meant by nightmares… It was far from pleasant, infuriating even, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Is it really a harsh enough punishment…? Or will they gradually get worse…
An ominous premonition arose, but I quickly stopped thinking about it.
It'd only make me feel worse if I kept spiraling in my head.
To distract myself from the unnerving feeling, I fiddled with my phone. I knew only one thing that would lift my spirits: talking with Hyeonjin.
It was almost like magic how just seeing him reply to my texts with his kind words made everything wrong in my life feel okay. My fear would dissolve and be replaced by a sense of security and warmth.
I really wanted to see him.
If only I could get to school faster…
Okay… Reality check…
Quashing my trivial complaints, I opened the chat and texted him with a bright smile.
Me:
[Good morning :)]
It only took a few seconds for him to reply at lightning speed.
Yoo Hyeonjin:
[Good morning! Did you sleep well?]
I paused.
If I were being honest, the dream made my sleep terrible and I had stayed awake for most of the night, so it felt like I had pulled an all-nighter. But I decided not to detail it and just replied normally.
Me:
[Yeah. You?]
Yoo Hyeonjin:
[Same. I dreamt of you and we were on a school trip. It was nice ^^]
My smile had already looked like it couldn't get any wider, but sometimes life is unpredictable.
Me:
[Are you at school right now? I'm in the car but I'm almost there.]
Yoo Hyeonjin:
[Yep. Got here a few minutes ago.]
Me:
[Early!]
Yoo Hyeonjin:
[Hahaha XD]
I closed the chat as the car pulled up in front of the school. Waving my chauffeur goodbye, I entered the campus with light steps.
"Hyeonjin!"
Seeing him in front of the classroom, I dashed over with a grin. I didn't know why, but just looking at his gentle gaze made my heart feel warm, and right now, I just wanted to see him.
"Hi, Jaeyoung."
As soon as I got close enough, he pulled me into a tight embrace as if he hadn't seen me just yesterday. Well, it felt nice so I didn't mind hugging him back.
My hands wrapped around him and I could hear his breath hitch near my ear.
"Hahaha!" It was funny how he froze. It reminded me of those silly goats that stiffen when frightened.
When I thought of that comparison, I released another soft bout of laughter.
Abruptly, Hyeonjin tightened his hold, requiring me to tap his shoulder so he would loosen it and I could pry him off me.
Lately, he's been a lot clingier than usual, and it makes me feel strange. Not unpleasant, just strange…
But I couldn't be caught up in such things since the college entrance exam was just around the corner and most of the classes were reviewing.
I'd been studying diligently, and since I was naturally smart, I felt pretty confident.
Just a month to go.
• • •
After getting his daily dose of
Jaeyoung, Hyeonjin could finally breathe a little easier.
For god knows what reason, he had felt suffocated all morning and had a longing to see Jaeyoung.
With such a short hug without being able to properly relish the sensations, the disquiet hadn't fully settled, but it was just enough to barely focus on class.
I want to hold him so bad… Just wait until lunch… Lunch.
He inadvertently peeked at Jaeyoung beside him who was dazedly taking notes. He had said that he slept well, but he looked on the verge of collapse.
That wasn't an exaggeration either. His head kept nodding and Hyeonjin wouldn't be surprised if he fell asleep while standing.
But… It was an opportunity.
"Jaeyoung…"
He whispered quietly.
"Mmh…"
Jaeyoung forced a small grunt in response as if he didn't have enough energy to speak.
He was bounding up to him just a while ago, yet now he had turned into a sleepy cat.
"Lean on me…"
Hyeonjin gently pulled the heavy head towards his shoulder.
"'Kay…"
- Bathump…
His ears turned crimson as the hot breath brushed his neck and the airy voice tickled his ears.
He wanted to hold Jaeyoung more intimately, but he was already asleep and it was still the middle of class.
Despite knowing that, he discreetly brought his nose closer to the silky head of hair, wanting to smell the subtle scent of plums wafting from him.
Jaeyoung had recently began smelling of plums, but he presented as a beta in the subgender test at the start of high school, so they weren't pheromones. It was probably his shampoo.
On that note, let's explain a bit about subgenders for a moment.
For dominants, who occupied 87% of the O/A population, their pheromones always had a sexual power and tended to be on the stronger side, but they also had minute control over the secretion.
On the other hand, for recessives, their pheromones' effect depended on their intentions/mental/physical state. They usually had a weaker control over their pheromones (this can be trained to improve), but they were just harmless fragrances without any aphrodisiacal effects unless they were 1) aroused, 2) in their susceptibility period, or 3) intending to be seductive.
The strength of their pheromones varied widely across individuals. The power could barely surpass beta or be equivalent to a mega-dominant. The strengths were defined as a saturation percentage. The higher the saturation rate, the more sensitive they were to pheromones and the stronger their own pheromones were.
Hyeonjin presented as a recessive alpha with 89% saturation (a strength reaching the mega-dominant threshold), but even though he should be very sensitive to pheromones, they couldn't affect him.
He had even went to a physician for it and apparently, it was a psychological condition that mimicked the effects of an imprint. If the individual loved a specific person strongly enough, then the condition might occur. In fact, the condition was called the heonsin sickness, a quite fitting name in Hyeonjin's opinion.
Basically, he was a hopeless romantic, but he didn't mind. As long as he got to see Jaeyoung everyday, he didn't care if he was single for the rest of his life.
Closing his eyes, Hyeonjin breathed in another whiff of plum, wishing he could smell it constantly instead of intermittently with each inhale and exhale.
Plum was his favorite fruit…
The sweet smell coming off of Jaeyoung, the individual responsible for his heonsin sickness, made him want to… eat him.
But, he could only wrap his arm around the dozing boy's waist, focusing on the rhythmic breathing grazing his neck.
It was a sense of calm, even with the droning teacher and interactive students in the background.
Just for that moment, they were in a world of their own.