#117

 

After waking up, I rested deeply in the luxurious single-room hospital ward, all thanks to Chairman Seong’s concern for me.

 

— Absolutely! Absolutely take a good rest!

 

—Huh? But the doctor said there’s nothing wrong with my body, and I need to go home to take care of my lovely plants.

 

— Don’t worry about that. Those damn pests who like you will take care of it themselves.

 

— …Really?

 

— Yes. So please take it easy if you’re worried about the wrinkles on this old man’s forehead.

 

Although he didn’t say it directly, it seemed that Chairman Seong also thought I must have been greatly shocked by what happened with Moon Gyeong-sik’s incident. As a result, his approach towards me became even more cautious.

 

‘Well, I’m fine now.’

 

When I realized the unbelievable truth of the transmigration, it was extremely painful, but after seeing off Seong Chan-young, my heart became very peaceful.

 

As the feeling of stability finally filled the void in my anxious heart, I accepted Chairman Seong’s excessive concern. After all, worries stem from affection for others. Now that I have to live as ‘Seong Chan-young,’ I didn’t refuse Chairman Seong’s overprotectiveness.

 

For that reason, I was lying comfortably in the luxurious ward, nibbling on fruits and chatting away.

 

Just as I was about to peel an orange, I heard a polite knock on the door.

 

“Yes, come in.”

 

Knowing who was coming, I gladly allowed the visitor into the room.

 

Soon, a robust alpha with slightly tanned skin stepped into the hospital room. It was Moon Gyeong-sik, holding a bouquet of flowers.

 

“Hello, Seong Chan-young ssi. I heard you woke up, so I came to visit.”

 

“Are you being discharged now, Moon Gyeong-sik ssi? Is your grandfather alright?”

 

“His condition continues to deteriorate… But thanks to the support from Seong Eun Group, he’s comfortably spending his time in a pleasant environment.”

 

“That’s fortunate.”

 

Moon Gyeong-sik, now free from Seong Chan-young’s possession, had a clear and dignified demeanor.

 

— Did I… fall together with Seong Chan-young ssi?

 

It seemed that Moon Gyeong-sik had no recollection of what happened during the possession. He appeared clueless as to why he was drawn to Chairman Seong and the angry alphas.

 

The only saving grace was that once Seong Chan-young’s soul departed, the incidents caused during his possession vanished. This included the accident where Moon Gyeong-sik got injured due to alcohol, and the event where Seo Eun-soo was stabbed with a knife.

 

Not having to explain the bizarre occurrences was convenient, but Chairman Seong and the alphas still looked at Moon Gyeong-sik with suspicion. Before they committed anything, I forgave him anddidn’t hesitate to arrange for caregiving support for Moon Gyeong-sik’s grandfather through Chairman Seong.

 

It was both a request from Seong Chan-young before he left and a natural action for Moon Gyeong-sik, who was a victim of possession. Despite opposition, I firmly stuck to my decision, and eventually Chairman Seong and the alphas raised the white flag for me.

 

‘I will this no matter what, so what are you going to do?’

 

“I didn’t realize you’d care this much. Thank you. I only caused trouble for you…”

 

“No, it’s okay. It was just a mishap.”

 

“You’re not at fault. I should be the one apologizing for causing such a fuss… I’m really sorry…”

 

Seeing the meek alpha continuously expressing his apologies with a troubled expression made me feel quite awkward. Revealing the truth would likely lead to treating him like a lunatic, so it was the best course of action, but it still left me feeling uneasy.

 

“I’ll make sure to repay this favor someday.”

 

Moon Gyeong-sik, looking at me with sparkling eyes, was a bit burdensome. I felt sorry, but I won’t be involving with him in the future. That was the result of a compromise with Chairman Seong on condition that he do so.

 

‘He’s extremely overprotective.’

 

“Alright…”

 

Just then, a knock sounded, and Seo Eun-soo peeked his head into the room.

 

“Oh, Chan-young ssi, you have a visitor. If it’s not too much trouble, could you step out?”

 

“Oh, uh, yes! I’ll leave first!”

 

As soon as Moon Gyeong-sik saw Seo Eun-soo, his face paled like rice cake, and he quickly excused himself. Whether it was due to the events that caused harm to Seo Eun-soo during his possession or not, Moon Gyeong-sik seemed to avoid him at all costs.

 

“That person came again?”

 

Or perhaps Seo Eun-soo’s oddly polite demeanor towards Moon Gyeong-sik was because he wanted to repay his favor.

 

“Yes, he came to say thank you.”

 

As I finished peeling another tangerine and was about to eat it, Seo Eun-soo glanced at me and then took the tangerine from my hand to peel it himself.

 

“I’ll peel it for you.”

 

“Oh… but my hands are perfectly fine.”

 

“I want to peel it myself and feed it to Chan-young.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“…Is that not okay?”

 

Seo Eun-soo looked sullen as he mumbled. I tolerated Seo Eun-soo’s actions because his expression reminded me so much of General’s behaviours.

 

“……but I’ll feed myself.”

 

‘I can’t be spoon-fed by someone has a much worse injury and isn’t fully healed yet!’

 

My conscience didn’t allow it. Even if I knew this was Seo Eun-soo’s own fox act, I couldn’t allow it!

 

“It’s too bad…… But if Chanyoung doesn’t like it, I understand.”

 

With a sigh, Seo Eun-soo calmly sat next to me and began to peel the tangerine. He even divided the fruit into bite-sized pieces to make it easier to eat.

 

As I watched his actions, I suddenly asked Seo Eun-soo, 

 

“Eun-soo ssi?”

 

“Yes?”

 

Yum, the tangerine was very delicious. After eating the tangerine that properly imbued the sweet and sour taste, I mustered up the courage and asked Seo Eun-soo.

 

“You were the one who made the wish repair, right? You wanted to start your life over from the beginning because you didn’t want to be manipulated.”

 

Silence fell. Even in the awkward silence, I continued to enjoy the tangerine Seo Eun-soo had peeled. When the last piece was gone, Seo Eun-soo finally spoke.

 

“…How did you know I made the wish?”

 

“Because your life changed the most.”

 

Originally an Omega, Seo Eun-soo became an Extreme Dominant Alpha. This was an extremely rare case, and it was strange that such a trait transformation happened only to Seo Eun-soo, something that didn’t occur in the original work.

 

Seo Eun-soo didn’t seem surprised by this at all, as if it was something that was bound to happen. 

 

He accepted his transformation naturally.

 

Like someone who had wished for it.

 

‘And there was also the memory of being stabbed by Moon Gyeong-sik. He was the one who seemed most confused when he recovered.’

 

After realizing that others couldn’t remember Moon Gyeong-sik’s actions during Seong Chan-young’s possession, he seemed to accept the situation without much fuss.

 

Seo Eun-soo smiled at my words, unperturbed, and then asked what he was curious about.

 

“So, does that means… Seong Chan-young also made a wish?” Seo Eun-soo asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“May I ask what the wish was?”

 

“I wished that if there was a next life, I could live happily for a long time in a healthy body. I wanted to do the farming that I had always wanted in a rich living environment.”

 

It was a statement that directly revealed that I wasn’t the real Seong Chan-young. Yet, Seo Eun-soo just nodded calmly.

 

“I see.”

 

“I’m not the Seong Chan-young from before you rewound time with a wish repair. Is that okay with you?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“…I mean, you said you liked me.”

 

‘Arghhhh!’

 

It took me a lot of courage to say it out loud. The tangy sweetness of the tangerine I had eaten to calm my nerves was about to resurface through my throat.

 

“Actually, I’m glad. What’s the problem with that?”

 

‘Yeah. I knew this would be the reaction.’

 

Perhaps because he also made a wish, he quickly accepted it. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in Seo Eun-soo’s feelings for me.

 

‘…I’m relieved.’

 

I had worried a lot in my mind. I was afraid that Seo Eun-soo, who had rushed to protect me and even got injured, might reject me. But Seo Eun-soo consistently affirmed his feelings for me.

 

“I’m not in love with the old Seong Chan-young, but Seong Chan-young I see now.”

 

“Ack.”

 

Seeing my embarrassment, Seo Eun-soo chuckled warmly.

 

“You’ll have to get used to hearing this from now on. There are five of us, including me, who will say the same thing.”

 

“Ugh…I…”

 

That’s right. I hadn’t paid attention because of Seong Chan-young’s incident, but there were five alphas confessing their feelings for me. Darn it.

 

Seo Eun-soo looked at me with amusement, then reached out to pat my head.

 

“It must have been tough for you, knowing that Seong Chan-young also made a wish.”

 

“…Yeah. It was.”

 

“Still, I’m glad you told me. If you didn’t trust me, you wouldn’t have shared that with me.”

 

Seo Eun-soo consistently spoke to me with warmth and kindness. His hand felt warm too, and I couldn’t resist his gentle touch on my head.

 

Because…

 

‘Because… I also…li…li..like Seo Eun-soo.’

 

Oh no. It was so difficult to admit. To think that I was experiencing love, something I had only read about in books. It was unbelievable.

 

I became aware of my feelings after everything with Seong Chan-young was settled and I woke up. The first thing that came to mind was Seo Eunsu’s face.

 

Confirming that he was unharmed, my heart, which had been racing, finally calmed down and returned to its place.

 

During the confrontation with the rampaging Seong Chan-young, I thought I was going crazy when Seo Eun-soo got injured trying to protect me.

 

The thought of losing the joyful memories I had shared with Seo Eun-soo, his gentle smile, and sweet scent that I could only see and smell when he was around, terrified me.

 

‘I don’t want to lose this person.’

 

I was surprised by my own realization at this moment.

 

This feeling solidified even more when I confirmed that Seo Eun-soo was someone who, like me, had changed his own fate by making a wish.

 

In this world, I desperately wanted to hold onto the one person who could understand me.

 

When I didn’t resist his touch, Seo Eun-soo seemed delighted.

 

“…Can I keep petting you?”

 

“Am I your pet?”

 

He didn’t stop, though. Seo Eun-soo seemed to enjoy it.

 

‘Darn it.’

 

Faced with my first love, I felt completely helpless.

 

‘I’m doomed.’

 

I never thought I’d end up liking another guy…

 

‘But what can I do? I can’t help it.’

 

I just had to accept it. Somehow, things would work out.

 

Seeing me like this, Seo Eun-soo couldn’t help but smile.

 

“Stop smiling. It’s annoying.”

 

“I’m just excited thinking about how the foam will come off those people when they realize I won your heart.”

 

“Ah.”

 

How am I going to deal with them?

 

‘Ha…’

 

I was jumping from the frying pan into the fire. ^[1] 갈수록 태산이었다 is directly translated to ‘The more you go, the bigger the mountains get.’ It is used when bad things are keep happening and seems like it won’t end. So I decided to use the most similar idiom.

 

At that moment, the four alphas who were diligently taking care of Chan-young’s lovely crops were engulfed in a sense of foreboding.

 

“What’s this? This ominous feeling?”

 

“Grrr, growl, howl!”

 

Even General growled as if sensing something.

 

“Is it because we didn’t spray the tick repellent?”

 

“Ah, could it be?”

 

Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, the alphas dismissed it as just Chan-young’s nagging, forgetting about the possibility of something else.

 

Entirely unaware of the fact that a fox named Seo Eun-soo was slyly sticking close to Chan-young.

• 1. 갈수록 태산이었다 is directly translated to ‘The more you go, the bigger the mountains get.’ It is used when bad things are keep happening and seems like it won’t end. So I decided to use the most similar idiom.