My Own, By Me, For Me

I named this play setup "Female Friend Secretary." It was just to make it easier to find later.

"No convenience features, huh."

You couldn't rearrange the play setups. You couldn't even export them as separate files for organization. They just piled up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in chronological order.

"The fact that hypnosis works at all is an overwhelming blessing, but…"

Still, inconvenient is inconvenient. Anyway. I wondered what kind of reaction Lee Yoo-na would show.

"Hwaaam~."

Yawning loudly, I grabbed the coffee I'd bought at the convenience store that morning and headed for the smoking area. The industry team leader was already there, dark circles heavy under his eyes, halfway through a cigarette.

"Good morning, sir."

"Aah~. Morning~."

The team leader, nearly ten years older than me, looked like he found the entire world tedious.

"Out on field work again today?"

"……."

He gave me a weary look. Anyone could tell he didn't want to work.

"No… yeah…."

What did that even mean?

"Nothing on the schedule, but something will probably come up."

"Ah."

I just felt sorry for him. The administrative district was huge, but there weren't enough people. So one person had to do the work of three. And if that one person somehow managed to get it all done? Then why hire more? That was how things worked—new hires never came, and the remaining staff just got shuffled around. Especially in the industry team; whether it was the district office or the township office, it was always the most brutal department.

"Hang in there."

All I could do was cheer him on. As an 8th-grade clerk, there wasn't much else I could offer.

"Huu~."

"Haa…."

All we could do was exhale long streams of smoke. Even though I'd only been working a year, I was already turning into the kind of jaded office worker who viewed the world with cynicism.

Just as I was about to head back inside after finishing my cigarette, I saw Lee Yoo-na.

"Hello~."

She swept her long hair behind her ear and greeted us brightly.

"Haha, good morning~."

The industry team leader responded with an unusually friendly smile. He always showed me his exhausted, overworked face, but with her it was different. Pretty and handsome people just had that effect—they made you smile without trying.

"Hello~."

When I greeted her too, she glanced at me and gave a small nod. Huh? Wait a second. What was that? Shouldn't she at least smile back? We were friends and colleagues. What was going on?

"……Did you two fight?"

"Ah, no."

The team leader looked at me with pity.

"Then you must have confessed."

"……Why would that be the case?"

"There's no other reason she'd give our kind-hearted Mr. Maeng that kind of look."

He wasn't wrong, but… a confession? Me? The guy who just wanted to work quietly and stay out of trouble? Why would I create that kind of problem?

"I'm not the type to confess knowing I'll get rejected."

"True enough."

"……."

So he was one hundred percent certain I'd get rejected. Great.

Tap. Tap. Ring ring ring—!

The quiet center was filled with the sound of typing and the occasional phone ring, confirming that work was happening. I was busy too, compiling reports for an upcoming meeting. Aside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from getting water for my tumbler, I stayed glued to my seat making meeting materials. Thankfully the weather had warmed up, so there weren't many field complaints coming in. But I knew once spring and summer rolled around, we'd be flooded with seasonal complaints again.

"Hmm…."

It was almost quitting time, and she still hadn't said a single word to me. She hadn't even made eye contact. I couldn't keep staring at her either, or people might get the wrong idea.

"I'm heading out~."

One by one, people started getting up to leave. I slowly stood up and grabbed my coat.

Vrrr!

[Meet me at the beer place in front of your house after work]

Ah, the same place we'd had chicken and beer before.

[Okay]

I sent the reply and got in my car, still completely confused.

"What the hell is going on?"

No matter how much I searched my memory, there was no suggestion telling her to act cold toward me. I decided to just wait and see. I had to stack the second floor of the build anyway.

§

Hof House. I arrived first, ordered two 500ml beers and a whole chicken, and waited.

"Do-yun~."

"Huh?"

Lee Yoo-na walked in still wearing her work mask, shoulders slumped, and called my name.

"Ugh~. Work was so hard today. Oh? Beer~!"

Her sudden change in attitude left me stunned. She didn't care. She picked up a glass and held it out to me.

"Cheers!"

"Huh? Uh, yeah."

Clink! After clinking our heavy glasses together, she took a long, refreshing gulp.

"Haa~. That's the stuff~. Right?"

"Uh-huh."

"What? Why are you being so awkward~?"

It was awkward. "You didn't talk to me at the center today."

Lee Yoo-na's face lit up with interest. "What, were you upset because I didn't talk to you?"

"……When you react like that, I want to say no even though it's true."

She shrugged and giggled.

"No~. It's always been like this since we were kids~."

"……?"

When I gave her a confused look, she stared back like she didn't understand.

"What? Why are you acting like that all of a sudden?"

"……?"

"Whoa~. Are you teasing me now?"

No, I wasn't teasing. I was genuinely curious. How exactly had the memory alteration been applied? I really wanted to know. Memory changes happened automatically, so I never knew exactly how the details got filled in.

"Come on~. You're lying."

"No… I still like it when you smile at me."

Her doe-like eyes widened.

"Whoa~. What? Really?"

Why was she so surprised? "Do you remember when we first met?"

"The library?"

"Yeah, it was always the library. You were always there."

Aha. Okay. So she was the studious type in this version.

"That's why I was always the one who talked to you first~. Once I found out we were the same age, I decided we'd be friends."

In this world, she was the one who approached me first?

"Even at work, you said you wanted to be left alone and told me not to talk to you or act like we knew each other~."

I said something that rude? Every new detail was surprising. What kind of person was I in her altered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠memories?

"Should I pretend to know you?"

"You should treat me the same as everyone else."

"Really? Okay, got it."

She nodded quickly, accepting it without issue. "People at work asked if we fought."

"Us? No way~! That's impossible~."

"Exactly."

At least now I understood her reaction today. Studious. Quiet. Shy. Introverted. That was the personality profile. It would gradually change as the build stacked up. But before that—

"Do you remember last time?"

I planned to adjust her memories to my liking through questions.

"You mean when we went to Busan?"

"Yeah. With your boyfriend……"

Lee Yoo-na frowned mid-sentence. Even frowning, she was pretty. I realized it all over again and said,

"Huh? Boyfriend? I thought I told you not to meet him when you asked for advice."

"Ah… yeah. That's right. I did, but……"

She took a big sip of beer, looking conflicted.

"Sorry…. I did, but…. I actually met him……"

She looked at me apologetically, like she was confessing a sin. I quickly thought through my options. This was the post-hypnosis cleanup phase. Since I'd altered her memories, I needed to ask questions to fill in the details properly.

"I knew it… so that's what happened?"

"Yeah… are you mad?"

In her mind, I was the smart, studious friend who always gave her the right advice for her problems.

"Mad? No. And the person who went to Busan with you was me."

"Oh…. Was it?"

"Yeah. We went to the amusement park together too."

I used every bit of information I already knew about her. I was replacing all her boyfriend memories with myself.

"At the amusement park, you said you wanted churros, so I bought them for you."

"Oh! That was you? Yeah. I think you're right."

Memory chaining. Once one thing clicked, the rest followed easily.

"Hey, Yoo-na. I'm actually pretty upset."

"Hwaat…! I'm really sorry…! Just forgive me this once…. Okay?"

She clasped her hands together and made a sorry face. Because her personality was the same, even just the "childhood friend" suggestion made her act very comfortable around me. The stiff, professional attitude from earlier had completely disappeared.

"Then Yoo-na. Do you remember when we studied together for the civil service exam?"

"Huh?"

She raised one eyebrow.

"Oh! Right! I remember! I remember now~!"

"Really?"

When I gave her a skeptical look, she laughed awkwardly.

"Hehe, actually…. I thought I studied alone……"

"Hey. I'm really disappointed."

"Eing."

She seemed to be using more aegyo than before. As I drank my beer, I realized why. The "childhood friend since we were kids" suggestion had been applied in a situation where she had rescued me from being bullied. There was anxiety and worry mixed in—if she didn't play along with my jokes, I might go back to being that gloomy person. So there was a special quality to it. But now we were just equals as friends. I chuckled.

"Sigh~. Whatever~. I give advice and help, and this is what I get."

"Hey~. Sorry~. Really really. I'll buy the chicken and beer today~. Forgive me~."

"Really? You're buying?"

"Yeah~!"

It didn't really matter who paid, but I needed to shift the mood here.

"Then I'm eating everything?"

When I reacted, her expression brightened again. We drank and talked, and I occasionally dropped memory-related details to fill everything in.

"Do-yun~."

"Yeah?"

"Your little sisters are all in high school now~."

Huh? She had sisters? This was new.

"They've already grown that much?"

I played along like I knew.

"Yeah~. Yoo-jung and Yoo-jin~. They're a year apart, so the younger one will take good care of her, right?"

The names sounded like girls.

"They're still… in Seoul?"

I asked carefully.

"Yeah, of course. You gave them advice back then, remember?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Thanks to you, they got support as a child-headed household and moved into that rental place."

What? A child-headed household? This was getting more complicated. She wasn't alone? I should've had more private conversations before getting the hypnosis app. I needed to change the planned second-floor build. But there was one good thing—she believed all that counseling had come from me. Maybe she thought every bit of advice she'd ever received had come through me. That was actually a good situation.

"They're still doing okay there?"

"Yeah, the landlord is nice."

Then why did she go into social welfare, which didn't pay well? I needed to know. That way I could redesign her life in more detail.

"When I gave you advice back then, I think I told you not to go into social welfare because it doesn't pay well."

"Oh? Oh! Yeah, I know~."

Lee Yoo-na finished her beer and looked at me carefully.

"Want another?"

"Yeah. I'm really craving beer today. Hehe."

She probably wanted to have a serious talk. I ordered two more rounds to get as much information as possible.

"You know why I went into social welfare~."

"……."

I just listened quietly.

"There were older brothers and sisters who came to volunteer a lot when I was young… and people who came regularly from the center……"

She grew up seeing that and thought it was admirable and cool, so she chose that path. She wanted to help kids and people in similar situations to hers. Hmm. That explained why she'd been so deeply affected by the "childhood friend since we were kids" suggestion. She must have had an unusually strong sense of empathy.

"You worked hard."

Just one simple word of comfort, no flowery language. But that was enough to make Lee Yoo-na smile brightly and raise her glass.

Clink.

"Haha~. Still, I'm glad I met you, Do-yun?"

Her face was flushed, either from the alcohol or the warm lighting.

"You always gave me advice whenever I was struggling. When we were kids, I thought you were so cool and I respected you so much. I used to wonder how someone could be so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mature~."

How embarrassing. Haha. So I was like that. Complimenting my past self.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Hehe~. Thanks~, my friend Do-yun."

She thanked me with exaggerated gestures, pretending not to be embarrassed.

"Friends don't need to thank each other."

After finishing the second round, we got up.

"Ah~, I'm so full~."

Since we lived in the same apartment complex, just different buildings, we headed in the same direction.

"When I was looking for a place here, I probably asked you for advice too, right?"

As Lee Yoo-na walked with her arms stretched out, I nodded.

"Yeah."

These kinds of answers mattered. That way, no matter where or when, she'd feel like I'd always been there to listen to her problems.

"Ah. We're here. I'm going in. Do-yun~. Thanks for always listening to me~."

"It's what I always do. Yoo-na. Before you go, there's something I want to show you."

"Huh?"

I took out my phone and opened the app. On the dark background was an unlit candle. Whoosh! When I pressed the button, the candle flame lit up and illuminated the dark screen.

"Huh? What is that~?"

She approached curiously as I showed it to her.

"Look at it for three seconds. It'll make you feel at ease."

"Really?"

Without any suspicion, she stared at the screen.

1 second. 2 seconds. 3 seconds.

First, delete the boyfriend. Yoo-na, I'll change all your bad memories. I'm not a bad person, and neither are your memories, right? And…… her sisters and the child-headed household. I needed to change those memories too.

Lee Yoo-na. You and I are a relationship that can't be separated no matter what. First floor and second floor of the build. Her memories had been perfectly altered "by me."

Whoosh!