Duel Standby!
“Thanks?”
The tanned blond delinquent, the original owner of this body, grinned amiably and nodded.
“Why?”
That was all that came out of my mouth. I couldn't fathom what intent lay behind such words.
From his perspective, he'd been living his life diligently when some stranger hijacked his body without permission. So what kind of twisted logic would make him utter words of gratitude?
“Why? You're the one fulfilling my wish.”
Seeming to sense my bewilderment, he spoke in a calm tone.
“Wish?”
“Yeah. My wish.”
It wasn't something I'd done on purpose, but a lingering guilt remained—what if I'd stolen someone's entire life? He might even be here for revenge. I tried to stay on guard with that in mind, but for some reason, he didn't feel like he was lying.
“Here to take your body back?”
I asked point-blank. Any living person would react to that.
“I figured you'd suspect as much. You're a suspicious one, aren't you? Such a pain.”
His tone grated subtly, pure delinquent through and through.
“Take it back? Why the hell would I do that?”
“Well...”
Because it was originally yours. I started to say, but he continued first.
“I'm you now, and you've been me all along.”
His eyes, speaking as if scolding a child, conveyed the truth plainly.
“From the day you entered this body, we've been one. Your subconscious rejected me, so we haven't met until now.”
“No way that's possible.”
“You say that, but deep down you know. Think about it.”
I couldn't argue. I'd felt that eerie disconnect more than once or twice. The way I'd acted—things the old me, a 27-year-old civil servant, would never do. A guy who'd only ever sought personal stability, now robbing a massive crime syndicate and facing down terrorists? It didn't add up.
“......”
Even before his words, the unease had gnawed at me. I'd become someone else without realizing it, a sensation I'd tried to ignore. But some unidentified shadow had always trailed behind me.
“We're not fully fused yet, but we're becoming one. The drugs helped you sleep deeply, speeding things up.”
“Fused?”
The delinquent rubbed his forehead, exasperated by my endless questions.
“...This is getting annoying. Enough yapping—”
Kim Taeyang's body dissolved into a swirl of light and merged back into mine.
No shock. Just a warm breeze brushing past and fading. That was it.
But in the next instant, I understood why Kim Taeyang had dodged my questions.
Status Change: <Kim/Taeyang> → <Kim Taeyang>
Trait Upgrade: <No Genealogy Lv.?> → <No Genealogy Lv.2>
Sync with Kim Taeyang: 100%
A surge of vitality coursed through me, reviving buried memories. From the moment Kim Taeyang's consciousness formed, through passing the entrance exam, to the day of possession—everything flooded back.
Kim Taeyang became me, and I became Kim Taeyang. Guilt had kept us from fully merging until now. But no longer.
Now, I was the fusion of a 17-year-old orphan and a 27-year-old civil servant. The shrewd caution of a low-level bureaucrat coexisted with the reckless thunderbolt fury of a fearless delinquent—like two sides of a coin.
The guilt of stealing another's life? Gone. I was him, living on.
“Yeah. Now I get it. Who you are, how you lived.”
And who we are.
The isolated civil servant had envied the extraordinary on screens, his real life starting at 6 PM and weekends after dull routines.
The genealogy-less delinquent craved modest success, status, ordinary happiness to shield from the world's harshness—plus achievements to wash away his despised past and everyday recognition.
Two utterly dissimilar lives, linked by an inexplicable miracle. One gained the extraordinary; the other, recognition in the ordinary. Whatever the process, both got what they wished for.
“Couldn't have done it alone.”
The words slipped out—spoken by the 17-year-old Kim Taeyang.
“Enduring contempt to prove my strength, making friends and living normally...”
The voice of the boy raised without support trembled faintly.
“Keep living like that. The happy ending you want? I want it too.”
Abandoned by parents, his life marred by misfortune, Kim Taeyang's dream was as ordinary as anyone's. The poignant truth revealed the vulnerability hidden beneath dyed hair and tanned skin.
“No need to thank me.”
I spoke to the other half pulsing within.
“Wasn't just me.”
Without this kid shoving me forward when courage faltered, I couldn't have pulled off these reckless stunts in this world.
“If anyone's grateful, it's me.”
Thump!
My heart pulsed strongly in response. No voice returned. Our conversation marked the complete fusion of the two selves.
“......”
No farewell. From now on, any words to him would just be mumbles to myself.
“I won't forget.”
* * *
<Wake up, Kim Taeyang! It's 4 AM!>
Whispering urgently in his ear did nothing; Kim Taeyang lay motionless on the bed, eyes shut.
<Oh crap, what now? If he sleeps till morning...>
Straddling his waist in a cowgirl position, Gemma pondered. The articulated doll that had carried him here radiated menace at a glance. She'd maintained her disguise even after he fell asleep, avoiding detection, but it was at its limit.
If that guy returned to the lounge, Taeyang was dead meat.
<Ugh...>
But that wasn't the only issue. Kim Taeyang's condition was off. She understood the disguise fading, but his blond hair turning black and tanned skin paling to its original hue? Bizarre.
<He does look better like this... No, not the time for that!>
Even as she thought it, Gemma leaned forward, noses nearly touching.
Dead as she was, why did the room feel hotter? Her cheeks flushed peachy.
<Just a little taste wouldn't hurt... right?>
Muttering, she nipped his earlobe with her lips.
<If this doesn't wake him, we'll see...>
This was an emergency measure to rouse him from danger. Reassuring herself, she slipped her tongue into his ear.
“...What're you doing?”
Kim Taeyang's voice cut through, ice-cold.
<Kiiiiieeeek!!!!>
“Quiet. You're distracting.”
“Thanks. Woke me up right on time.”
Brushing it off, he rubbed his ear, sprang from bed, and activated his disguise.
“Let's crack the safe. They won't stop someone with clearance leaving with cash.”
He strode out. Despite triple surveillance thwarting passwords, he'd found a way: open with Passepartout to lure the guardian, then fake unconsciousness to get carried inside.
But Gemma's mind raced—not with glee at figuring his ploy, but unease.
<Something's... different...>
The flustered nerd from her swimsuit tease was gone. Even after licking his ear, he went about business calmly. Resenting his back and her own shame, she bit her nails, face red.
* * *
Sweeping every credit Yeom Jin-gwan paid Bastards from their vault, I sauntered out. Money mattered here as the final puzzle piece wrecking his plan—and crime proceeds, so no qualms.
With Yun-ju sunbae's pre-scouted blind routes, I escaped tracelessly, circling wide but home by 6 AM for bed.
Up two hours later for school prep. D-day arrived.
4th period. Only Mun Hee-jeong asked about my hair and skin; otherwise, business as usual.
I knew chaos loomed, but skipping class meant cramming post-crisis for exams. Prep was done anyway.
“That Kim Taeyang...”
“Yeah. Looks different.”
Gawking stares ignored—like some exotic beast.
“...As this example shows, Shangju combat always demands maximum efficiency.”
Efficiently. Jang Han-nam butchered English in his lesson.
Theory varied, but pre-2nd semester, homeroom teachers handled all. Jang, a hands-on musclehead, struggled with non-specialties.
He demoed Spirit Lord Transformation + Descent spirit values via device, not formulas—his training intuition didn't translate to teaching.
Brain-muscled types like him aren't cut for theory. Study later. Who to mooch notes from—decent grades, willing...