-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Reborn in Another's Body
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kim Geonwoo's eyes flickered wildly.
Even in the face of death, he had remained defiant, but the voice of his mother coming from Oh Taekyu's phone left him shaken.
No matter when he heard it, his mother's voice was always tender.
She had spent her entire life in tears for her worthless son.
But right now, hearing his mother's voice filled Kim Geonwoo with nothing but rage.
Grit!
"Oh Taekyu!!!"
Click.
Hearing Kim Geonwoo's shout, Oh Taekyu pressed the end call button on his phone.
"Why are you doing this, hyungnim? You'll scare Mother."
"Oh Taekyu! Is this how I taught you?"
Oh Taekyu was resorting to blackmail.
If he didn't release Yoo Daesik, harm would come to his mother.
Kim Geonwoo had no choice but to seethe with anger.
Yet Oh Taekyu met Kim Geonwoo's fierce glare head-on, his mocking expression unwavering.
"You always told us yourself. No matter what happens, prepare multiple layers of backup. And even if by some miracle you survive this, you'll end up in a bad spot."
"...?"
"That bitch who harassed our director? We took care of her. Left a kitchen knife with your fingerprints on it next to the body as a little gift."
"A knife with my fingerprints? Ridiculous. You think the cops will fall for such an obvious trick?"
Kim Geonwoo let out a scoff.
Leaving a knife with fingerprints? Anyone could see it was an attempt to frame him.
But Oh Taekyu remained brazen.
"It's obvious, sure, but it's foolproof. We've got witnesses lined up, and the detectives in charge are on our side. More than enough to make it look like you killed her and then killed yourself, right?"
"...."
At the word "suicide," Kim Geonwoo's eyes turned ice cold.
Not content with framing him for murder, they were forcing him to commit suicide as well.
Kim Geonwoo was speechless at Oh Taekyu's cruelty.
But that wasn't the end of it.
"And we have to save Mother too."
Kim Geonwoo, who had been staring at him silently, finally spoke.
"...Did you send someone to Mother?"
"Sent two of our sharpest guys."
"...."
"Hyungnim. I don't want to lose both of you today. This is the truth."
Oh Taekyu's deception made Kim Geonwoo's stomach churn.
Yet right now, it was the only thing Kim Geonwoo could cling to.
"...Fine."
With that, Kim Geonwoo released Yoo Daesik.
***
In front of Oh Taekyu and his gang watching on.
Kim Geonwoo stood at the bridge railing.
To fulfill Oh Taekyu's demand.
All the preparations for his suicide were already complete.
He took the writing tools prepared by his subordinates—no, now Oh Taekyu's men—and scrawled a crude suicide note on a scrap of memo paper.
It claimed he had killed a rookie actress after she rejected him, and now he was taking his own life to atone.
Absurd nonsense.
But Oh Taekyu seemed pleased with the ridiculous note, flashing a satisfied smile.
"You wrote it yourself, so take good care of it."
He handed the memo paper to a subordinate wearing gloves, then turned back to Kim Geonwoo.
"I don't want your blood on my hands either. Handle it yourself. Do that, and I'll take care of Mother. You know what she means to me, hyungnim...."
He couldn't trust the bastard's words.
But with no other choice, Kim Geonwoo gave up everything and stepped up to the railing.
"Throw your phone and wallet over here."
At Oh Taekyu's command, Kim Geonwoo pulled out his phone and wallet.
And in that moment.
Bzzz. Bzzzz!
The phone in his hand vibrated.
There was only one person who would call at this hour.
Pulling the phone from his jacket pocket, Kim Geonwoo's pupils trembled faintly.
The screen showed "Mother" as the caller ID.
Answering would only make it worse.
But in his final moments, Kim Geonwoo wanted to hear his mother's voice.
In the end.
"What is it, calling so late?"
He answered his mother's call in his usual gruff tone.
- No, Taekyu just called a bit ago, and I thought I heard your voice. But it cut off right away... Is everything okay?
She must have overheard the brief conversation with Oh Taekyu earlier.
"Oh, that? Just a little spat with Taekyu."
- Why call and hang up like that?
"The punk was gonna tattle to you, so I snatched the phone and hung up."
Kim Geonwoo forced a laugh, speaking in a playful tone.
Hoping his mother would buy it.
- Ha! Adults acting like kids... Do you know what time it is? Tsk tsk tsk.
Responding to his mother's scolding tongue-clicks, Kim Geonwoo said.
"Sorry. It's nothing, so don't worry and go to sleep."
His voice trembled slightly despite himself.
Kim Geonwoo tried to hang up quickly, but his mother's voice came first.
- ...Geonwoo.
"...Y-yeah?"
- ...Really nothing going on?
She must have sensed the fear in his voice.
His mother asked again, but his answer was the same.
"Nothing at all, Mom."
- Really?
"I told you."
- Alright... As long as nothing's wrong.
"...Sorry."
- Sorry for what? My hotshot son the boss apologizing to his mom? Don't say silly things this late. Go to sleep.
The call ended with her voice laced with worry and reproach.
Head bowed as emotions swirled before death, Kim Geonwoo tossed his phone and wallet to Oh Taekyu.
Thud.
"...."
"...Farewell."
Oh Taekyu bowed toward Kim Geonwoo without even picking up the wallet and phone from the ground.
.
.
.
Standing on the railing, Kim Geonwoo bit his lip until it bled.
'I didn't want to die like this.'
With death looming, rage melted his brain.
'You bastards! You'll pay the price.'
Just as he was receiving punishment and meeting a pathetic end.
Yoo Jaeman, Yoo Daesik, and Oh Taekyu would receive their due as well.
Splash!
Kim Geonwoo hurled himself into the river, fervently wishing their miserable deaths.
In that instant.
[Why not handle it yourself instead of leaving it to others?]
An unknown voice rang out.
[You can't answer now. No headspace for chit-chat right before dying. We'll talk later.]
His eyes widened at the successive voices.
'Who the hell...'
But there was no time to question.
Before he could open his mouth, the icy river water swallowed him.
Splash!
***
Death was all too easy and swift.
The frigid water flooding his lungs killed him before he could feel much agony.
Perhaps the suffering had lasted longer.
In the cold river, the flow of time wouldn't have registered properly.
But in that moment, Kim Geonwoo realized something strange.
'...My consciousness... lingers? Why?'
Death meant all bodily functions ceased.
The 'brain' stopped too.
No room for 'consciousness' or thoughts like 'why?'
Yet he was still 'thinking,' a vital biological process.
So then?
'...What the hell is...'
As Kim Geonwoo puzzled over it, the voice from before—now clearly a woman's—spoke again.
[Already so shocked? Makes me worry for what's ahead. Then again, hard for narrow human minds to grasp this.]
'Who are you? Who's playing this prank!'
Kim Geonwoo wanted to shout.
But only thoughts formed in his mind, no voice.
As if reading his mind, the woman's sultry voice echoed.
[Me? I'm the 'being' granting you a chance. Hmm, no time, so let's do it this way.]
As the woman's voice faded, something astonishing happened.
'What do you mean 'this way'... Gasp! What is this!!!'
The woman's 'thoughts' flowed into his consciousness.
Sometimes like blazing flames.
Soon the flames became raging river waters enveloping his mind.
Then all his senses submerged into an endless river.
And.
When the waters fully poured into Kim Geonwoo's consciousness.
'...!!'
He was stunned.
He had 'comprehended' the transcendent being's plan, far beyond human limits.
'...You're going to save me?'
[Yes. If you accept my conditions. And as you see, not in your original body. A sort of possession.]
Death, then revival in another's body. Conditions...
Kim Geonwoo couldn't comprehend.
From sharing her thoughts, she was what humans call a 'psychopomp.'
A being overseeing human life and death.
And now, she wanted him to deliver 'punishment' to Yoo Jaeman, who would commit countless evils ahead.
Unbelievable.
If he could devour Yoo Jaeman right now, he would.
But Kim Geonwoo couldn't help questioning briefly.
'...The punishment you mean—is it death?'
[Punishment comes in many forms. None easy, of course. But with your grit, you might succeed.]
'I... don't quite get it, but...'
[...However?]
'Alright. I accept those conditions!'
Not just Yoo Jaeman.
His son Yoo Daesik, and the traitor Oh Taekyu—they'd all pay dearly.
[Good. That resolve is enough.]
Satisfaction colored the woman's voice.
Reading the fleeting emotion in her tone, Kim Geonwoo suddenly wondered.
'What history does she have with Yoo Jaeman, for a transcendent being like her to want him punished?'
But his doubt didn't linger.
[No time left. The Regression Gate is about to close. When you live again, make sure he gets proper punishment.]
As the woman finished, his consciousness began to fade.
Desperate to resolve his questions, Kim Geonwoo pressed on.
'Alright, deal. But who exactly are you...'
But his words never finished.
A sudden intense flash enveloped him.
***
How much time had passed?
Kim Geonwoo blankly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
'Am I really alive again...'
He had followed the woman's words but remained skeptical.
Yet here he was, eyes open after drowning in the river.
And.
'Just a slight headache... no other pain. Can it really be this fine?'
He moved his limbs, feeling no pain, only a faint headache.
Lying in bed, Kim Geonwoo waited for the headache to subside.
After some time.
As the headache eased, he sat up and absentmindedly scanned the room, spotting a mirror on the wall.
And.
"...!!!"
Seeing his reflection, Kim Geonwoo was speechless for a long while.
Dumbfounded, he merely caressed his face.
The deep wrinkles from years on the streets were gone, scars and wounds vanished.
'I heard it'd be someone else's body... but this is... shocking!'
Staring at the mirror briefly, Kim Geonwoo gasped.
A familiar face stared back—one he knew well.
The youngest son of Daehan Group chairman Lee Myeongguk, who once rivaled Seojin Group for top spots in the business world.
"Lee... Daehyeok?"
The name suddenly came to him.
The original owner of this body he now inhabited.
And then other memories surfaced.
Lee Daehyeok. Age twenty-six. Jobless, depressive who had attempted suicide.
In 2013, after Daehan Group was acquired and dissolved by Seojin Group, the chairman's youngest son.
'I died in 2021. So how many years back is this?'
Boss, Become a Chaebol