Getting a second chance at life isn't exactly as enchanting as it seems.
Sohee Young, who lived life like the callous person she was, dies. She gets another chance to live life correctly though, and that is by swapping lives with Lina Park, who die...
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WALKING DOWNSTAIRS, SPICINESS and the trademark smell of kimchi—chili powder and garlic, along with a hint of the sour ginger that made the odor pungent—and the sizzling of samgyeopsal greeted me. I thanked my grandparents, who absolutely loved kimchi, for giving me the experience to handle the stench, at least. If it weren't for them, I would have gagged on the spot. Though we had the occasional kimchi in our house, it lasted for a few days before Father complained about how it ruined his fragrant house.
"The sleepyhead's awake!" Andrew proclaimed as I walked into chaos of Lina's mother stirring the pot of steaming kimchi jjigae in one corner of the kitchen, Lina's dad handling the meat in the other corner, and Andrew carrying chopsticks and spoons to set the table. Behind him, cucumber and ssamjang, lettuce wraps, fish, and other various side dishes laid on the counter.
"Sleepyhead?" My eyebrows creased. More like digging through Lina's room to see if anything could help me pull off her act better while Marshall stayed for entertainment. The only thing I found when scrolling through her phone was that Lina followed me—something I still couldn't process. It did explain her why she worried about me, though.
"Because you fell asleep again," He teased. "You didn't even notice Imo and Samchon come in, and you're usually the first one down."
To be fair, I had heard them come through the door, but didn't want to face them yet. Luckily, Andrew thought I fell asleep and told them so, giving me the chance to prolong the meet a little while longer. Andrew knocked on my head. Startled, I stared at him.
"Help me carry the dishes over to the table," he motioned. Biting back a sarcastic comment, I nodded my head and grabbed a few dishes to the tiny, wooden table placed under a light fixture with exactly four chairs. Not like the extra chairs we had, in case guests came to eat with us. Though it could have been the endless amount of family photos and small decors here and there, but Lina's house felt... cozy, different from the sterile, marble feeling in my own home, as if nobody resided in it.
Another knock on my head. "Stop slacking off!"
"An-de-woo," Lina's mother scolded jokingly in a thick accent. "Leave Lina alone for today. You'll survive doing most of the work."
"Not today, Imo," he whined. "I think I might die by hunger because Lina didn't feed me. She made me do all the work when we got home, too. I was practically her servant today."
Though I probably wouldn't have said anything, my jaw dropped when he turned back to stick out his tongue at me. What a petulant child. To think an hours ago I complimented his kindness. For giving me a piece of chocolate.
"I didn't eat lunch today, either!" I protested.
"Because you fell asleep!" He shot back. Wrong choice of words. Like a bomb exploding, my parents' heads snapped up, accompanied by their wide eyes. "You fell asleep during school?"
No, in reality your daughter died and we switched bodies and while the reviving happened I probably looked dead to the world during the whole lunch period. Instead, I mumbled a quick ne. Shooting a glare at the Snitch, he threw his head back and laughed. For some reason, he seemed more in his element here than at school. And I felt completely out of mine, both as Lina and Sohee. I've never had anyone joke around me—either my RBF or harsh, blunt commentary scared them off—and the fact that Andrew kept bouncing back to tease me caught me off guard.
"But at least she didn't trip on the way home," he added.
Of course Lina had to be a walking disaster. Recalling how he gave me a funny look when I rolled my shoulders back and made it home without stumbling over my feet once, I sighed. Even though I was in Lina's body, and though I hadn't done a modeling job for years, the countless hours of holding one pole in front of me and another in the back to walk straight had turned into instinct.
Lina's father frowned, deep in thought. "Maybe you've been too tired because of all the AP's you've been taking lately."
True, since I now had to take five out of the seven available slots in my schedule, and the dark circles under my eyes agreed with how I felt: dead to the world. Still, it shocked me that Lina's dad spoke up, a stark contrast from my own father, who wouldn't even use a single brain cell to care about me.
"Honey, what are you talking about!" Lina's mother stopped stirring the jigae and set the ladle down. "She took six last year and came out fine. Besides, it'll be good for her in the future and it's too late for her to withdraw during the semester, anyways."
Jarringly, a memory came at me, a late night discussion with her parents as Lina stood there, hands clasped together politely.
"But I thought I did ask to withdraw during the semester." Huh. I guess parent expectations existed in every family.
"Well, yes," Lina's mother let out a nervous laugh, and her gaze flicked briefly to Andrew. "But we all came to the conclusion that it would be better if you didn't, because it would hurt your records."
Conclusion? That clearly didn't happen, judging by the way Lina's mother acted. Instead of a general agreement, it probably ended with an executive decision. Maybe this was an only child thing.
"What would you do if I dropped out right now?"
Complete silence. Both parents didn't tear their eyes away from the foods, and Andrew maintained his uninterested, I'm Not Here facade.
"Okay!" Lina's father exclaimed in an upbeat tone, transferring the samgyeopsal over on a plate. Yoo Seok Park was one of those men with a large build, and because his voice also sounded deep, the high-pitch voice didn't match. "I think we're ready to eat."
"I'll take the plate," Andrew offered, springing into action. Lina's mother brushed past me, holding the jigae.
Arms wrapped around my shoulders. In an instant, I stiffened, uncomfortable at the constant touches everyone gave me. From the samgyeopsal aftersmell—which wasn't pleasant—my surprise heightened. Physical contact didn't exist in our family, and with Lina's father having a build similar to my father, the gentleness in the hug felt uncomfortable.
"You'll be fine wherever you go," he murmured in Korean. When he ruffled my hair like a dog, I squirmed until he released me.
"Let's eat!" Lina's mother clapped her hands together, expression bright again. I sat down, and as she handed me a bowl of spicy kimchi jigae, I inwardly hoped that I wouldn't choke. My lack of tolerance for spicy food would be a major giveaway. Watching how Andrew brought over the bowls of steaming rice, I noted how different the atmosphere appeared from the dinners I usually ate. Whenever I would open my mouth to say something, I'd have heard my father's irritated, "Shut up and eat," and I'd have to act unaffected, staring down at my food while holding back tears. It'd been like that since we were young. Of course, Mom tried to comfort me, but her getting scolded too had her quickly learn that it wasn't best to do anything. Which distanced the two of us.
"Oh! Andrew, you should sit next to Lina," Lina's mother pushed him gently towards me, and sent me a wink. At Andrew's compliance, I fought the urge to groan. That wink meant one thing: that Lina's mother approved Andrew as a potential boyfriend, and likely at Lina's request, wanted us together.
