‘He’ was bewildered.

‘Where… is this?’

It was due to the disconnection in his memories.

“Ryu Seo-ha!”

The situation was strange. A handsome man who looked like a prince from a fairy tale, but with a much more intimidating aura, was calling him by an unfamiliar name and touching various parts of his body. The fact that those blatant touches didn’t feel unpleasant was also odd.

“Are you alright? What on earth did you drink…?”

“What are you doing?”

But he couldn’t let a stranger keep touching his body. When he swatted away the man’s hand, the handsome face visibly hardened.

“How dare you…!”

Blue flames sparked in the handsome man’s eyes. Suddenly, ropes appeared out of nowhere and moved on their own, tightly binding the middle-aged woman sitting across from them. It was a sight that made him doubt his eyes.

‘He’ could only freeze with wide eyes as he saw the middle-aged woman float up into the air above the table. Telekinesis. The supernatural power he had only seen in novels was unfolding right before his eyes.

“I’ll thoroughly scan your brain.”

The handsome man who had displayed this amazing phenomenon grabbed the middle-aged woman’s head with his very large hand. His expression as he glared at the woman with bulging eyes was incredibly menacing.

“Stop!”

Before he could even recover from the shock of witnessing such an unreal phenomenon, ‘he’ had to jump up from his seat and cling to the arm of the unidentified handsome man. It seemed like the man was about to kill the woman right then and there.

This can’t happen. He couldn’t bear to watch someone die before his eyes again. Seeing the man, who looked strong by anyone’s standards, threatening someone who appeared much weaker in comparison made his stomach churn.

He thought the violent hand would turn towards him next, but surprisingly, the handsome man didn’t shake off ‘his’ hand that was trying to remove the man’s arm from the woman. Something felt strange.

“Ha. Even in this situation, you worry about others first.”

The handsome man’s cold voice pierced ‘his’ ear as he stood protectively in front of the middle-aged woman, trying to calm his slightly quickened breath from the tension. The polite speech that didn’t match the situation also gave him an odd feeling.

“This is assault punishable under Article 260 of the Criminal Code!”

‘He’ deliberately raised his voice to erase the strange sensation that kept tugging at his heart.

“So what?”

‘His’ eyes wavered slightly at the handsome man’s indifferent retort. Even those who make light of the law usually hesitate when confronted with specific legal clauses. His boldness was so overwhelming that it made ‘him’ feel flustered instead.

“I’m going to call the police.”

But without showing any of that wavering, he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his phone. Though well aware of the futility of public power and the flaws in police investigations, there was no better card to pressure someone who resorts to violence first.

“…Ha.”

The handsome man exhaled lowly as if dumbfounded and twisted one corner of his mouth.

“What, are you thinking of handing this over to the Hunter Crime Investigation Bureau?”

“……”

‘His’ eyes rolled left and right at the unfamiliar agency name.

“Not only have you forgotten me, but you’ve even lost your common sense.”

“What…”

The handsome man, who seemed to ponder for a moment, wrapped one arm around ‘his’ shoulder and pulled him into his embrace. Although ‘he’ tried to shake off that hand by tensing his body, it was utterly futile.

A thick silver ring was fastened around the neck of the middle-aged woman who had fallen to the floor with a thud. Before ‘he’ could check if she was alright, ‘he’ was led into the bathroom by the handsome man’s gentle but forceful guidance.

“Now, who do you see?”

The handsome man, firmly holding both shoulders from behind, asked an abrupt question. But ‘he’ couldn’t immediately turn around asking what he meant. It was because his face reflected in the full-length mirror looked unfamiliar.

The features harmoniously arranged on the small face were different from what he remembered. The strangely curved eye corners gave off a sorrowful impression as if he were a doomed prince. It was an inexplicably alluring atmosphere.

The bridge of the nose and lips, which drew soft lines, created an infinitely clear impression. The skin, glowing so white it was dazzling, was flawlessly clean, and the sleek body lines stretched long and slender, reminiscent of a model.

Every time the long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, the large, moist eyes like those of a deer wavered back and forth, unable to find their bearings. Is this what they call possession? Such an absurd thought crossed his mind amidst the confusion.

“Seems like a completely unfamiliar face to you.”

‘He’ turned his head towards the handsome man, who was muttering lowly as if he had some idea. The breathtakingly handsome face held his gaze. The surreal beauty, different from what he had seen in the mirror, made him wonder if he might be dreaming.

Trying to stay calm, he slowly traced back his last memory. While doing a night shift loading and unloading job at a logistics center, a cargo truck was rushing towards him…

His heart sank. It was because a scene that appears as a cliché in many web novels came to mind.

Then what happens to the original owner of this body? Are they gone forever? Just like that, so futilely, without having done anything wrong? He even wished that his brain was showing him hallucinations while in a coma state.

“What are you worrying about again on your own?”

The handsome man, who had been closely observing ‘his’ expression, asked quietly. When ‘he’ flinched and took a defensive stance at the hand naturally caressing his cheek, the sharp eyes narrowed even further.

In novels, protagonists always try not to let anyone find out about their possession… ‘He’ seemed to have already buttoned the first button wrong. But he couldn’t keep his mouth shut if he wanted to grasp the situation.

“…Who are you?”

He asked quietly, trying hard to hide his anxiety. Will he accept it as memory loss, as per the common development in novels? No matter how he looked at it, the handsome man before him seemed like a gangster… Would he readily accept the lost memories?

“Let’s go home for now.”

Before the quiet voice resembling a sigh ended, the scene in his vision changed along with a slight dizziness. Startled, ‘he’ hunched his neck and reflexively grabbed the handsome man’s collar tightly.

“You still have that endearing habit.”

The handsome man smiled and ruffled ‘his’ hair as if praising him. Hurriedly letting go of the other’s clothes that he had been clutching, ‘he’ stepped back and looked around anxiously.

The splendid interior of the mansion caught his eye first. Is this the house owned by the handsome man? Being a gangster who can even use supernatural powers must allow him to live in such a lavish house.

“Oh? You’re back already?”

A beautiful woman with long straight hair, lying on the sofa in a sloth-like posture, greeted the two with a puzzled expression. Thinking she might be the handsome man’s lover, ‘he’ quickly lowered his gaze without staring too long.

“…Seo-ha?”

Then the woman, approaching while dragging her slippers, called out the unfamiliar name with a voice thick with doubt. It was the same name the handsome man had used. When ‘he’ carefully met her eyes, the woman’s expression, which had been almost excessively bright, instantly hardened.

“What’s this, why are you in this state?”

His heart sank again. What did he do wrong this time? They hadn’t even exchanged a word yet. Unconsciously, he looked up at the handsome man as if seeking help. Even though he was just as much a stranger.

“This is Ryu Seo-ha’s older sister.”

Thinking ‘he’ was asking for an explanation, the handsome man calmly revealed the woman’s identity. ‘His’ eyes widened to the size of basins.

‘This body’… has family?

❖ ❖ ❖

“A freshman at Korea University?”

The woman who introduced herself as ‘his’ older sister, Ryu Jeong-ah, asked with a hollow laugh. When ‘he’ hesitated slightly before nodding, her smiling face took on a mischievous look.

“Aww, that’s right! Our Seo-ha, if you had just gone to school properly, you could have easily been the top entrant there. What’s your major?”

“…Liberal arts and sciences.”

“Ahh, look at you using formal speech! So cute!”

When ‘he’ answered a beat late, blinking his eyes, a high-pitched sound resembling a bird’s chirp burst out boisterously. She was clearly the type he would normally want to keep at a distance, but strangely, he felt a familiar and comfortable feeling.

“Let’s detoxify first.”

The handsome man, who had naturally dodged Ryu Jeong-ah’s hand reaching out to pinch ‘his’ cheeks, said as he laid out small glass vials on the table.

“I’d like to talk with Ryu Seo-ha from that time too, but we don’t know what side effects there might be.”

‘He’ honestly confessed that he didn’t think he was ‘Ryu Seo-ha’, prepared to be sent to a psychiatrist, but the handsome man still seemed to believe that he had drunk something poisonous and was experiencing memory confusion.

“Are these all potions? Amazing!”

Ryu Jeong-ah exclaimed brightly as she examined the vials. Her attitude showed no concern at all for the owner of this body. He had revealed the truth hoping to find a way to return the body owner’s soul to their family’s embrace. He felt a bit regretful now.

“Here, start with this one.”

“…I have a policy of not eating food given by strangers.”

He firmly refused the vial offered by the handsome man. It was because he had experienced all sorts of things due to being labeled as the son of a serial killer. There was even a time when he was rushed to the emergency room after drinking a beverage laced with pesticide that someone had given him, saying it was to cheer him up.

“Ah! The Guild Master isn’t a suspicious person! Look, he’s so famous you can find him right away if you search the internet.”

Ryu Jeong-ah showed him her phone, trying to reassure ‘him’. As she said, news article titles including photos of the handsome man appeared. Overseas city arson spree, artificial island perimeter bombing, assault on diplomatic envoy… Was he a terrorist rather than a gangster?