Hyoyeon

Day 6028

The next day, a Sunday, I wake up as Kim Hyoyeon, a.k.a. Hyo. Loves to dance, afraid of spiders, and a proud owner of her dog, Vivian.

                In ordinary circumstances, I would think this was going to be an ordinary day.

Minho emails me, saying he wants to meet up, and that if I have a car, I can come to his house. His parents are away for the day, so he doesn’t have a ride.

                Hyo tells her parents she’s going to do some dance battling with a few of her friends. They don’t question her. They give her the keys and tell her not to come too late.

***

Minho is only 15 minutes away. I figure I won’t have to stay too long. I’ll just have to prove to him that I am the same person as yesterday. Then that’s it.

                He looks surprised when he sees me. I guess he didn’t really believe it would be true. He looks nervous, and I chalk it up to the fact that I’m in his house. I recognize it, but it’s become a blur to all the other houses I’ve lived in.

                He takes me to the living room – this is where guests go.

                “So it’s really you,” he says. “In a different body.”

                I nod and sit down on the couch.

                “Do you want something to drink?” he offers.

                I tell him water will be fine and he goes to get it. I don’t tell him that I plan on leaving soon, and water probably isn’t necessary.

                I hear Minho come back in and don’t look up. So it’s a jolt of surprise when a voice that isn’t Minho’s says, “I’m so glad I have a chance to meet you.”

                It’s a man with slightly silver hair and a gray suit. He’s wearing a tie, but it’s too loose at the neck; this is casual time for him. I stand up, but there’s no way to meet his eyes.

                “Please,” Reverend Lee says, “there’s no need for you to stand up. Let’s sit.”

                He closes the door behind him, then chooses an armchair that’s between me and the door. He is twice the size of Hyo, so he could easily stop me if he wanted to. The question is, does he?

                I decide to come on tough.

                “It’s Sunday,” I say. “Shouldn’t you be in church?”

                He smiles. “More important things for me here.”

                This must have been what it was like when Red Riding Hood first met the big bad wolf. What she felt must have been as much intrigue as terror.

                “What do you want?” I ask.

                He folds hid leg across his knee. “Well, Minho told me the most interesting story, and I’m wondering if it’s true.”

                There’s no use denying it. “Minho wasn’t supposed to tell anyone!” I say loudly, hoping Minho hears me.

                “While for the past month you’ve left Minho hanging, I’ve been attempting to give him answers. It’s natural that he should confide in me when he’s told such thing.”

                Lee has an angle. That much is clear. I just don’t know what it is yet.

                “I am not the devil,” I say. “I am not a demon. I am not any of the things you want me to be. I’m just a person. A person who borrows other people’s lives for a day.”

                “But can’t you see the devil at work?”