I Realized My Past Life Too Late

I realized my past life in the bathroom of a rundown motel. More precisely, it happened the moment I was hunched over the toilet, clutching a bloodstained duffel bag and vomiting my guts out.

“Ugh, hrrk!”

It felt like my throat was being torn apart. There was nothing left in my stomach, yet my body kept trying to heave something up. It wasn’t food, alcohol, or even stomach acid. It was memories.

A dark alley. A black van. The damp smell of money. The metallic scent of blood. Men with black dog tattoos. Gunshots. Screams. And the sensation of clutching a blood-soaked duffel bag while running for my life.

“Haa… haa…”

I gripped the rim of the toilet, gasping for air. My hands felt foreign. Long, slender fingers. Veins standing out sharply on the back. Scratches and bruises scattered across the skin. Dried, dark blood caked under the nails. These weren’t my hands.

“What the hell is this?”

The voice wasn’t mine either. It was low and dry, the ends of the words cracking roughly like someone who hadn’t slept in days. I grabbed the sink and forced myself upright. My knees trembled. My palms slipped. At first I thought it was water. It wasn’t. It was blood. Blood covered the sink, my palms, and the sleeves of my shirt.

Only then did my heart start pounding. Slowly, I lifted my head. In the cracked mirror, an unfamiliar man stared back at me. Messy curly hair. Languid, drooping eyes. Round glasses sitting crookedly. A pale face and split lips. He looked less like a frontline villain and more like a suspicious researcher caught digging through forbidden files in the middle of the night.

The problem was that this suspicious-looking researcher’s clothes were soaked in blood. And then there was his neck. On the nape of the man in the mirror was a small tattoo—a black mask curved like a cat. The moment I saw it, a name surged up from the depths of my mind.

Kang Doyun. Villain name: Copycat.

“Ah.”

My breath caught. I knew this face. Or rather, I knew the novel this character appeared in. Surviving as a Hero. A modern hero story I’d devoured every night after work until dawn. A world where, after a massive sunspot explosion decades ago, humans began awakening supernormal powers. Use that power to save people and you become a hero. Use it to commit crimes and you become a villain.

Kang Doyun, aka Copycat, was the latter. And not even a particularly impressive one. He was a subcontracted courier who hadn’t even become a full member of Black Dog. His known ability was imitation. It sounded decent, but in reality it was pathetic. He could only mimic other people’s postures and habits—he couldn’t copy their actual supernormal abilities. A third-rate villain who showed up briefly in the early parts of the original story, clashed with the protagonist Yoon Taeha, and exited without putting up much of a fight. That was who I was now.

“This is just perfect.”

A laugh slipped out. Not from joy. The situation was so absurd that laughter was the only thing that came out. If you’re going to possess someone, shouldn’t you at least get some preparation time? Training from childhood, maybe. Building goodwill with the original protagonist in advance. Or at the very least, waking up a few days before the incident. None of that had happened.

I was already thirty. Already a villain. Already covered in blood, already running with Black Dog’s goods. I had realized my past life far too late.

I picked up the phone lying beside the sink. The screen was cracked, and the case was smeared with blood and dust. The lock screen showed the date: July 17th. The moment I saw those numbers, my mouth went dry.

Today was the day. The opening day of volume one of Surviving as a Hero. The day the original protagonist Yoon Taeha first got dragged into a major incident. The day Black Dog’s illegal transaction went down. And the day Kang Doyun, aka Copycat, essentially exited the original story.

“Of all days…”

I slowly lowered my gaze. On the bathroom floor at my feet lay the bloodstained duffel bag. In my memories, this bag contained Black Dog’s transaction goods. I knelt and opened it. Bundles of cash. Blood-soaked towels. A cheap handgun. And a black metal case. On its surface was a red pattern that looked like a sun being burned away.

I recognized it instantly. A sunspot stone storage case. The first fortuitous encounter that should have gone to the original protagonist Yoon Taeha. And now it was in my hands.

“Why are you here?”

In the original story, Copycat was supposed to show up at the transaction site with this item. He was supposed to clash with Yoon Taeha there. That event would lead Yoon Taeha to come into contact with the sunspot stone and overcome his first major hurdle. That was the starting point of the original novel.

But right now, I was in a motel bathroom instead of an abandoned factory. The sunspot stone was in my hands instead of Yoon Taeha’s. I searched through the memories. Kang Doyun’s memories were fragmented. There had been an ambush while moving to the transaction site. Someone inside Black Dog had tried to steal the goods. Gunshots rang out, people fell, and Copycat had grabbed the bag and fled in the chaos. After that, it was a mess. He’d shot someone. He’d been beaten. He’d crawled into this motel covered in blood and lost consciousness. Right after that, I had woken up.

Backstory that never appeared in the original. From a reader’s perspective, it would have been unimportant background—maybe summed up in a few lines or not mentioned at all. But for me, it was a matter of life and death.

I picked up the handgun. My hand moved naturally. It was Kang Doyun’s muscle memory. I wasn’t a great shot, but I at least knew how to handle the safety. I checked the magazine. Three rounds. Only three.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

Not enough to face Black Dog. Not enough to face Yoon Taeha. And if the Association caught me, it would be even worse. I set the gun down and checked the phone. There were several messages. No sender name—just a single black dog emoji. Black Dog.

There was one more new message below.

I stared at the screen, grinding my teeth. Madok didn’t think Copycat knew what this item really was. That made sense. There was no reason to tell a subcontracted courier the identity of something important. Kang Doyun was just a disposable pawn who only needed to carry the goods to the designated location.

But I knew. I knew what was inside that case. And I knew who it was originally supposed to go to.

The original story’s starting point was the moment Yoon Taeha obtained the sunspot stone. Yet right now, that starting point was twisting in my hands. Even so, I couldn’t just obediently return it. After all, I was an extra villain who would die before the story even properly began.

“First, I have to survive.”

That was the only answer. Only after surviving could I return it, use it, or negotiate with it. If I died, it was over.

I looked at the phone screen again. Below the message list was one unsaved contact. No number. No name. Yet the delete button wouldn’t appear. Just a blank space. A single empty slot. For some reason, it made my throat feel tight. I had the strange feeling that something was supposed to be there. Who was it?

I tapped the blank space with my fingertip. Nothing opened. No contacts, no messages, no call logs. Yet it wouldn’t disappear from the screen. It was like a hole inside the phone.

“Later.”

I closed the phone. This wasn’t the time to stare at a blank space. Just then, the phone rang. No sender name again. Just the black dog emoji. I stared at the screen for a moment, then pressed the call button.

“Yes.”

—Copycat.

A low, rough voice. Madok. The action leader of Black Dog’s Guro line. The villain who had driven Yoon Taeha to the brink of death in the early parts of the original story. In terms of pure combat power, he was not someone the current me could face.

—You’re alive.

“You didn’t send me to die, did you?”

—Talking back?

“It slipped out because I’m scared.”

A short silence flowed from the other end of the line. I licked my dry lips with the tip of my tongue. If I acted too scared here, I’d be discarded immediately. On the other hand, if I acted too confident, I’d be suspected. Copycat was third-rate. But he wasn’t completely stupid. I had to speak at exactly that level.

—The goods.

“I have them.”

—Did you open it?

“I’m not that lacking in judgment.”

It wasn’t a lie. I hadn’t opened it. But I already knew what it was. Madok laughed lowly.

—You have judgment? A guy with judgment runs off with the goods?

“It wasn’t so much running as the scene turning into complete chaos.”

—And?

I glanced sideways at the mirror. Bloodstained shirt. Pale face. Trembling hands. It wasn’t hard to look like a scared man. Because right now, I really was scared.

“If I head to the factory with it now, both I and the goods will be in danger. It would be better to set a new location.”

—You’re making the call?

“It’s not a call, it’s a report.”

I deliberately let my breath shake. Like a third-rate villain desperately scheming to stay alive.

“Even if I die, it won’t hurt you, Madok. But if the goods disappear too, won’t the higher-ups make things difficult for you?”

Another silence. The sound of breathing on the other end felt like it was tightening around my throat.

—Copycat.

“Yes.”

—Are you using your head right now?

I closed my eyes. Even if I said no, he wouldn’t believe me.

“I’m using it because I want to live.”

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—You?

His voice was laced with mockery. I swallowed.

“I know I’m not destined for a long life. Still, if I die together with the goods, wouldn’t that be troublesome for you too, Madok?”

—You’ve gotten quite talkative.

“When you’re scared, you naturally talk more.”

Madok laughed lowly.

—I’ll set the new location. I’ll contact you in one hour. If the call ends, I’ll consider it betrayal.

“Understood.”

—And Copycat.

“Yes.”

—Don’t even think about running. No matter where you hide, you’re just a little cat. And dogs can sniff you out in no time.

Madok’s voice dropped lower.

—When a dog catches the scent, it finds you quickly.

The call ended. I stared down at the phone. My hand was shaking. Madok hadn’t given me time. He had merely loosened the leash a little. Saying he would contact me in one hour meant he wouldn’t give me time to prepare. Saying he would consider the call ending as betrayal meant he would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠continue tracking my location. And that last remark—when a dog catches the scent, it finds you quickly. That wasn’t a joke.

Hound. Black Dog’s tracker. The villain who had most relentlessly pursued Yoon Taeha in the early parts of the original story. A monster who could distinguish the smell of blood, sweat, fear, and even the lingering traces of supernormal factors. If Madok had sicced Hound on me, simply spoofing the phone’s location wouldn’t be enough. I had to scramble the scent as well.

I looked around the room. The bed. Rumpled sheets. A cheap air freshener on the wall. Disinfectant alcohol on top of the mini-fridge. Cigarette butts piled in the ashtray. And the blood spilled on the bathroom floor. Kang Doyun’s memories moved on their own. Mix the scents to blur them. Leave the blood, remove the body. Send the phone far away and lay a false trail in the opposite direction. I couldn’t tell if these thoughts were mine or leftover criminal habits from this body. But they were useful.

I grabbed the disinfectant alcohol and sprayed it on my shirt sleeves and the floor. A sharp smell filled the bathroom. I tore one of the bloodstained towels and shoved it under the bed. I rubbed cigarette butts into the rest of the towels and threw them near the window. It wasn’t a perfect disguise. Hound would eventually notice. But it would buy me a few seconds. With luck, a few minutes. Right now, even that much time was more valuable than money.

I set the phone down on the bed. Turning it off would raise suspicion. But carrying it would let them track me. After thinking for a moment, I approached the window. In the alley outside the motel, a delivery motorcycle was parked. A man who looked like the rider was smoking and looking at his phone. I left the room, went down the stairs. The motel lobby had only one sleepy employee. He didn’t even lift his head. This was that kind of motel. A place that would look the other way as long as you paid, even if someone came down covered in blood.

I pulled a cap low over my face and went outside. As I brushed past the motorcycle, I slipped the phone between the delivery box and the securing strap. The movement was so natural it gave me goosebumps. The delivery driver didn’t notice. He soon stubbed out his cigarette on the ground and got on the bike. The motorcycle drove off. My phone went with it.

I walked into the opposite alley. Three steps. Five steps. Ten steps. Only then did I let out a breath. I had bought a little time. Just a little. The moment Madok realized the phone was moving in the wrong direction, he would conclude I had betrayed him. I had to hide before then.

Black Dog knew several of Copycat’s hiding places. Going to any of them would be suicide. So where should I go?

I searched through the memories of the original story. Guro No. 13 Redevelopment Area. The place where Yoon Taeha had hidden after the abandoned factory incident in the early parts of the original novel. An urban blind spot filled with half-demolished abandoned buildings, rundown shops, illegal immigrants, and transients. Among them, the basement of an abandoned bathhouse. The original protagonist had endured the effects of the sunspot stone there for one night.

Right now, that sunspot stone was with me. In that case, I should use that location first.

I moved while avoiding main roads. I didn’t take a taxi. It would leave a record. I also avoided the subway. Too many CCTVs at every station. Instead, I walked through alley after alley. Past the walls of old villas, past closed hardware stores, pushing my body into alleys piled with garbage bags. Several times I checked my reflection in glass windows. I thought I had wiped off the blood, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I hadn’t. A dark red stain remained below my neck.

I didn’t go into the convenience store. Instead, I hid my body in the darkness between buildings and stuffed a few bills from the duffel bag into my pocket. Carrying the whole bag would draw attention. But I couldn’t abandon it. Inside were towels to wrap the sunspot stone case, the handgun, and other items I hadn’t checked yet.

I caught my breath and started moving again. That was when I heard a short sound from the direction of the motel.

Bark.

I stopped walking. It could just be a stray dog. But in this world, for Kang Doyun who was entangled with Black Dog, running away with a sunspot stone storage case right now—taking the sound of a dog barking as just a dog barking would be stupid.

Bark.

The second sound was closer. I gritted my teeth and quickened my pace. I didn’t look back. Looking back would only slow me down. What I needed now wasn’t confirmation, but distance. I adjusted the strap of the bag on my shoulder. The sunspot stone was still with me. Black Dog was chasing me. The original protagonist had lost his first fortuitous encounter tonight. Everything had gone wrong.

At that moment, I felt a faint vibration from inside the bag. I stopped and looked down at it. The black metal case wrapped in a towel. Something inside was pulsing like a heartbeat.

Thump.

And before my eyes, a black sentence appeared for a split second.

“What?”

The sentence disappeared in the blink of an eye. But I had definitely seen it. Black letters. As clear as if they had been engraved on the inside of my eyelids. I swallowed dryly. This wasn’t a simple fortuitous encounter. Something that should have gone to Yoon Taeha was reacting to the memories inside me right now.

I couldn’t open it now. If I stopped here, I would die. First, survive. Whether like a third-rate villain or crawling like trash. Only after surviving could I make the next move.

A red hero advertisement floated across the sky above.

I looked up at those words, then slowly lowered my gaze. Safe. What a ridiculous word. This city simply didn’t yet know how precarious it truly was.

Before long, I saw a worn sign.

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A half-fallen sign. Shattered glass door. Damp darkness. The place where the original protagonist was supposed to hide. I had arrived there first.

I held my breath in front of the entrance. It was quiet inside. But quiet didn’t mean safe. In places like this, death hid even more easily. I gripped the strap of the bag tightly. Inside, the black case pulsed faintly once more.

Thump.

This time, an even clearer black sentence appeared in the center of my vision.

I held my breath. A damp wind blew from inside the abandoned bathhouse. From somewhere in the alley behind me, the sound of a dog barking came once more.

Bark.

I no longer hesitated. I stepped into the darkness. The original protagonist’s first fortuitous encounter. The seed of the Black Sun. And the true ability that had been hiding inside me. All of it was awakening at once inside this abandoned bathhouse.