Pondering on Earth
I spent a long time mulling it over on Earth. Like most choices, once made, there was no easy way back.
In the end, my conclusion didn't change.
"I'm dropping out of university."
There were several reasons behind the decision. The first was that no matter how much I thought about it, spending time at college wouldn't benefit me at all. Better to train my skills during lecture hours instead.
Employment? My bank account was already flush with cash. The father of that bastard—the hero who saved another dimension—was pretty damn capable on Earth too. From what I remembered, he was a fairly well-known fund manager. Sure, he'd sold off all his stocks by now.
'Besides, money's no issue. I plan to make plenty using the System soon enough.'
The second reason was that after two full months of effort, I'd finally gathered all the intel. On Go Dayeon, specifically.
'Damn... Couldn't even join the group chat, no friends to fish for rumors from. Took way longer than expected.'
I remembered her personality and tendencies, but the details had faded from memory, so I had to start from scratch. Couldn't go digging around and risk rumors of me stalking her, so no footwork. Just superhuman hearing to eavesdrop on every scrap of info.
Luckily, Go Dayeon had a ton of acquaintances and friends. Plus, her face was well-known, so she came up in conversation a lot. That's how I wrapped up the intel in just two months without actively prying.
And the most important reason—the final one... College life was more boring than I'd expected.
Not the major or lectures. Before the body swap, I had that ambiguously handsome look. Now, I'd been reborn with a full-on model-level appearance.
As a guy, wouldn't you expect certain perks?
'...I figured I'd at least get swarmed by girls to the point of exhaustion just walking down the street.'
I'd even mentally prepared to enjoy it. But things didn't go quite as planned.
At first, with the fresh handsome glow-up, plenty of girls approached me. But that faded quick. After I shot them down cold a few times, they started just spectating from afar.
Simple reason for turning them away.
'With Go Dayeon in my sights, starting something casual would make her—given her personality—never give me the time of day...'
Unavoidable choice for someone like me, aiming to date her and torment Baek Hamin.
Thanks to that, I popped up frequently on our university's Aeta (short for AniTime, the community app college kids use).
This insanely hot guy shows up out of nowhere—no one knows him, yet he's sitting through lectures. Bound to spark talk.
No one connected the "Park Chanyoung" called during attendance to the fatass who'd vanished a few months back. Just wild guesses floating around: transfer student, gap year kid, incoming freshman next semester, prof's son, celeb padding attendance for a diploma, has a girlfriend—nope doesn't, plays hard to get too much, etc. Endless chatter.
Hell, gay rumors cropped up now and then.
Every time I saw those posts, I'd rage-report them nonstop till they got taken down.
'Who the hell's calling me gay? Fucking crossing the line.'
Anyway, no glamorous "handsome guy exhaustion" life like I'd hoped. Just plain exhaustion.
Occasional sneaky photos aimed my way. My hypersensitive superhuman senses picked up the stares and even faint shutter clicks.
Calling them out once or twice was enough; now it's too annoying, so I ignore it. Without Natural Healing, the stress would've piled up bad.
I headed straight for my advisor without hesitation. Time to request a meeting and submit the withdrawal form.
But...
"Hah, heuk...!"
"..."
Ran into someone I had zero desire to see.
Baek Hamin, still a hot topic on SNS and Aeta—famous for totally different reasons than me.
'Probably getting his own share of sneaky pics, but for other vibes.'
He was wearing the glasses I'd seen on day one. For a lazy ass like him, wearing contacts for a week straight was effort. Gave up and went back to specs, huh.
"What're you staring at?"
"Uh, ugh..."
He shot me a slightly terrified glance. Not full trauma, but the memory of my beatdowns lingered.
Oily scalp-matted hair, dark stubble across his philtrum. Turtleneck posture, hunched back, slumped shoulders... Made me doubt if that body was really my old self. Pathetic as hell.
"I've dropped like 70kg since the swap, and somehow you've packed on exactly that much? How?"
"..."
And the cherry on top: the ballooning fat. His slight-over-180cm height kept it at "pig" level. Any shorter, and it'd be "fucking pig." His chin was already buried in flab.
"Kukuku... If you're bulking to dodge the army, good luck. I aced the physical last year—grade 1. Once you hit that, no BMI public service dodge for five years, even on re-exam. You know that, right?"
"Ugh..."
Sudden short-term weight gain like that? Caught, and it's active duty or jail for draft evasion.
If he skips service? I'll report his ass everywhere till he's shipped off. Worst case, drag him to court.
Heaven couldn't complain. Just enforcing Korean law proper.
- Tremble tremble...
Baek Hamin averted his eyes, unable to retort, just praying this moment passed quick.
Seeing him so pitiful killed any urge to tease more. Head in the sand like an ostrich denying reality—what good was verbal jabs?
I wanted inescapable mental blows, not snark. Like stealing his ex right out from under him.
- Step step.
No more talk. Wasted my time. I left him behind and kept walking to my advisor.
*
Why drop out if I need college to meet Go Dayeon? Because I'd found ways to see her off-campus. Better than campus, actually—no forced approaches. This was half "coincidence," half "natural."
"Lemme check... A.Light crew. Videos confirm it."
Go Dayeon was vice president of the girls' dance club. Her dance gigs extended beyond campus.
Full member of an amateur dance team called a "crew."
So, I'd tracked down her crew.
'Seemed like a secret only close friends knew... Got lucky.'
Not famous. YouTube channel barely scraped triple-digit subs. Just hobby dancers, so no surprise.
I messaged their official account on the Naver Band app. Simple profile, expressed interest in joining.
Kept it polite and formal. First impression counts, even sight unseen.
Never learned dance, but no sweat. Body flexibility was top-tier, reflexes let me mimic simple choreo after a watch or two. Dance follows beats, after all.
"Oh? Weekday, and quick read."
Reply came fast. Flowery long text boiled down simple: They're free now—can I meet?
No schedule? No reason to say no.
Swapped a few more messages. Settled on a cafe midway.
Close by. I arrived in exactly 15 minutes. 15 more till meet time, so I sat early.
Can't loiter in a shop, so ordered at the counter first.
But my quick arrival? Theirs was quicker. Guy spotted me before my coffee hit.
Matched my described looks, clearly.
"Park Chanyoung, by any chance...?"
"Ah, yes. That's me. You're with A.Light, right?"
"Yeah. Whoa... Sorry on first meet, but you're insanely handsome...? Looking for a pro team? If so, sorry—we're just amateurs..."
He mistook me for an idol trainee scouting experience, apologized flustered.
I chuckled, cleared it up.
"Haha, perfect—this is exactly what I'm after. Just for fun."
"...Ah, gotcha. Then you're a great fit."
- Vrrr!
Vibration buzzer on the table went off. Drinks ready.
I nodded apology to the guy, grabbed both pre-ordered drinks from the counter.
"Didn't know what you'd like, so I picked. Cafe latte or Americano—which ya prefer?"
"Heuk! You got mine too?!"
"Haha, can't drink alone. Ah, no caffeine?"
"Nah, Americano's fine. Thanks, I'll enjoy it."
He brightened, took the cup politely with both hands.
Basics down pat.
"Ugh... Should've bought yours..."
"If I join, you'll get plenty of chances to treat the newbie, right?"
"Haha, if you join, I'll senior you proper."
"Just kidding."
His goodwill visibly spiked. 3,500 won for major first-impression points? Steal. Especially from someone vetting newbies—must have pull in the crew.
"Y'know, we skipped proper intros. Park Chanyoung, hoping to join A.Light."
"Nice to meet ya. Im Junhyeok. Vice leader and treasurer."
"Treasurer, huh? Can I hold you to that 'senior role' joke from earlier?"
"Hahaha! Absolutely. Mind a few questions?"
"Ah, sorry. I keep interrupting. You might have plans after... Let's get to it."
"Was fun chatting. Anyway... Chanyoung, any dance background?"
"Nope, total noob. Just followed YouTube choreo at home sometimes? But athletic background—flexibility and sense are decent, if I say so."
"Kuk! Confident, eh?"
I tossed it light with a grin. Im Junhyeok, already liking me, chuckled easy.
First meet: impressions exchanged, done.
He gave next week's full-team practice spot. Check basics then, intro rules and members.
"Skill check's just main/sub dancer material. Total beginner? No boot—we don't ditch newbies. No pressure."
"Got it."
Swapped numbers, parted.
Not really here to dance—no practice time sunk. Goal's Go Dayeon, period.
Time he gave: Saturday. Few days, first meet as Park Chanyoung.
'Play long game. She's got walls.'
Go Dayeon's the type you bond first, then dive in. Least from what I knew of her.