Minju was now laying on the couch, watching an episode of that detective show her dad likes. At first she'd thought about watching the rerun of one of her favorite dramas, but she needed to think, and she needed the empty noise of the TV to ground her in reality.

 

She had accepted that Eunyoung… Chaewon… wasn't Eunyoung. It was still too crazy for her to think, but she needed to process it, more than anything because she'll be interacting with Chaewon far more often.

 

Was there a possibility that Eunyoung's body was inhabited with someone else's soul?

 

If she thought about it, Eunyoung had had a pretty terrible death. She had been working non-stop to publish her investigation, which had been a secret kept from her ('To protect you,' Eunyoung said ironically), and, apparently, that had been deadly. She had fallen asleep at the wheel and had fallen from the bridge and into a dry riverbed. Her car had been a total wreckage, and Eunyoung, in the doctor's own words, had 'miraculously' died a quick, gore-less death.

 

She had been relaying the news to their families, grieving for the woman when she was called by an excited and out-of-breath doctor, who was suddenly telling her that Eunyoung had woken up after the autopsy. She had woken up without any injuries, quite energetic and… combative, breaking the nose of a mortician.

 

If Eunyoung had miraculously come from the death without any apparent injuries, was it a stretch to think that, in the time Eunyoung had been dead, the soul of a stranger had inhabited Eunyoung's body?

 

She sank deeper into the couch, feeling overwhelmed at the idea.

 

She believed in the supernatural at some point, maybe a scary ghost story or two, but she had never delved too deep into spiritual beliefs. Maybe she ought to make a visit to a shaman? Take Chaewon with her, while she was at it.

 

Chaewon.

 

Kim Chaewon.

 

That's how she said she was named.

 

Chaewon, the person she had spent the past few days with. She had invited her into her home, curated her injuries, taken her to visit her mom, and slept beside her, the person that had wiped her tears not long ago, saying that she liked having her around.

 

She knew she ought to be feeling more uncomfortable, but part of her couldn't find it in herself to feel so, maybe because she hung onto the hope that Chaewon was really Eunyoung, who had something happening in her head… maybe because if it was true, and Chaewon was another person, she had spent enough time with her to feel comfortable (or to, at least, not feel like she was a stranger anymore).

 

It was all too confusing, and she'd need time to process this.

 

Should she step back and stop trying to be so close with this person?

 

Suddenly, she heard knocks on the door, and she stood up quickly, rushing to open the door. To her relief, it was Chaewon, who looked disheveled, as if she had gone done something stupid again.

 

"What took you so long?" Minju said, already worrying about what had happened to the woman.

 

"Took a detour," Chaewon answered, still out of breath, lying through her teeth. There was a definite reason as to why she didn't want to tell Minju anything.

 

 

 

[Chaewon had sat on one of the tables of the small café, her fingers drumming on the table impatiently, her face covered by a mouth mask. Part of her doubted he'd show up and she'd have to hunt him down again, while another part of her thought that the Ravens had already gotten to him.

 

Regardless, she had hidden herself as best as she could, and could now only wait for the person that might help her piece out the puzzle of her murderer.

 

Finally, one Jung Jungwoo entered through the door, huffing and puffing, as if he had rushed here. He turned his head several times, looking for her, and when he finally saw her, he walked towards her table.

 

"Sorry, I tried to come as quickly as I could," he excused himself hurriedly while he sat in the seat opposite hers.

 

"Whatever," she said, not wanting to get stuck on something unimportant. "Already paid for some drinks. Now, what do you have for me?"

 

"Straight to the point? Okay," he tried cracking a joke, but stopped when he realized that she wasn't in the mood. "So, I was first offered a job as an accountant when an acquaintance of an old job recommended it to me."

 

"Name?"

 

"Kim Seolchan."

 

"Go on."

 

Jungwoo sighed. "He told me it was a job with a good pay, better than the pay I was getting in my previous job, so I took it. It took me very little time to realize that I was working for a shell corporation, but, since other legal companies use shell corporations to avoid taxes, I didn't think much of it. The pay was really good, after all."

 

Chaewon nodded. She knew about that, alright.

 

"However, after a while, the shell corp offered me to work in an even better paying job. I obviously accepted, and went to receive the paperwork to work with." Jungwoo grimaced. "It was obvious. Their clothes, their attitudes, everything was a red flag, but I was too blinded by the pay that I went into the office of the boss."

 

"He then proceeded to tell me what they really were, and what they would expect from me from now on. It was then that I finally understood the weight of what I was about to do, so I rejected the offer." Jungwoo took a pause. "He told me it wasn't an offer, it was an immediate order that if I disobeyed, it would cost me my own life."

 

"You accepted," Chaewon stated, but there was no accusation in her tone.

 

"What else could I do?" Jungwoo exclaimed, agitated. "I wanted to live another day!"

 

"Pipe down," Chaewon warned, turning to look at the waiter, who was speaking with other clients, to then disappear into the kitchen. "So, what do you know about them?"

 

"Just… I know that most of their income comes from loans and drugs, and this year they went further and started contacting overseas corporations for funds. They want to expand their business."

 

"How do you know this?" Chaewon asked.

 

"I heard them talking. I have some documents. They threatened to kill me if I said anything." Jungwoo trembled, as if assaulted by the memory. "That's when I decided I couldn't do it anymore."

 

Chaewon nodded. So this meant that the Motor Roars were looking for independence by allying with overseas gangs. It was an ambitious project, but one very dangerous.

 

"Does that help?" Jungwoo asked, his body still weak from the memory.

 

"I'll need your books, everything related to the Motor Roars," Chaewon commanded, not willing to give Jungwoo any more information than needed. Finally, the waiter came with their drinks.

 

"I have them in the trunk of my car," Jungwoo said hurriedly as he sipped on his coffee. Chaewon gave a sip to her coffee, but spit it out immediately. The coffee was meant to be bitter, alright, but there was an undercurrent of something strange. Smacking her lips for a moment, her eyes widened and she snatched Jungwoo's cup. Jungwoo was surprised at Chaewon's actions, but he didn't object.

 

Poison.

 

"Where is your car?" Chaewon whispered.

 

"Two blocks from here, why?"

 

"You're going to get up and walk calmly to your car. I'll follow you at a distance. Whatever you do, don't panic." It didn't seem to help, as Jungwoo panicked immediately and stood up abruptly from his seat. Chaewon felt the need to face palm, but she didn't do it, aware of the two people at one of the tables who were now looking at both of them.

 

Jungwoo went out first, rushing through the door, disregarding Chaewon's instructions. Chaewon cursed under her breath and followed him almost immediately.

 

"Where the …?" She quickly located Jungwoo, who was now running towards his car. Turning to look behind her back, she noticed those people were now running out of the store, getting to her.

 

"!" She exclaimed and started running. She needed Jungwoo to see another day, so she needed to rush towards him, aware that there might be a possbility that they were already pursuing him.

 

She ran without a break, pushing people into the men's way to try and slow them down. It worked a little, but Chaewon was aware that if Jungwoo was still there, trying to get into his car, he would be intercepted quickly. No matter what, she'd end up having to fight them or something.

 

Finally seeing Jungwoo try to open the driver's door of his car, Chaewon stopped, turned around, and gave a high kick. Unfortunately for her, Eunyoung's body doesn't have the skills she has, so the man was able to grab onto her leg.

 

"," she cursed again before she moved again, managing to get her leg out of the man's grasp. The man tried punching her, but she was able to avoid it, and punched the man in the face.

 

She gave a kick to the other man's balls, but her foot was caught. Already anticipating that, Chaewon used the time to punch him in the Adam's Apple. The man choked, making him clutch his neck.  Chaewon gave a small look at the place where the car had been, but it wasn't there anymore. She took this as a sign, and started running again.

 

It took several hours to finally shake them off, having had to run, hide between whatever was available, and sometimes throwing things at them.

 

When she was finally out of their reach, she called Jungwoo.

 

"H-hello?" the man asked fearfully.

 

"It's me," Chaewon said. "The documents. I need them. Where are you?"

 

"How do I know you're not with them?" Chaewon pinched the bridge of her nose.

 

"Because I had to fight them off for you, you ing idiot." She sighed when there was only silence. "Whatever, if you don't want to be seen, just send the papers to the address I'll be sending you."

 

"I can do that," he stuttered, relieved.

 

"Good. I'll be expecting them." Chaewon sighed.

 

"And, Jungwoo? Get the out of this country."]

 

 

 

"No lying," Minju said sternly. "What did you do?"

 

"Nothing too bad. Just… I had a conversation with someone who had some info." Minju huffed.

 

"You're not going to tell me what it was about?"

 

"I will," Chaewon reassured. "Just, give me a break." Minju opened the door widely, letting Chaewon in.

 

"Should we talk here or in my room?" Minju asked cautiously. After all, she didn't want her parents to know about Chaewon yet. She was still on the fence as is.

 

"Your room would be better. I don't want your old man hearing what I'm going to say," Chaewon answered, turning to look to the living room.

 

"Okay, let's go to my room."

 

Although Minju believed that Chaewon was an entirely different person, inviting her into her room didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Chaewon clearly felt the same, as she sat on the desk chair, stretching her arms for a moment.

 

"Can you tell me what are you? What are you doing?" Minju asked again after she had sat down on her bed.

 

"Well, I am part of a gang, and, well… I died."

 

"If it's not too much to ask, how did you die?" Minju questioned carefully. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be a touchy subject for Chaewon.

 

"I was in a fight with some dudes from another gang." Minju gasped. "When I had managed to take them out, I was suddenly shot on the back, probably by someone in my gang. I'm sure I died, and then, out of ing nowhere, I woke up in this body."

 

"What have you been doing until now? No lies," Minju warned again, making Chaewon huff, but comply nonetheless.

 

"I was looking for a way to get revenge on the er that killed me."

 

"Revenge is a terrible idea," Minju chastised. "You were out and about with Eunyoung's body doing god knows what."

 

"At the moment I didn't care," Chaewon admitted. "I just thought that if I found out who tried killing me, I would be able to go back to normal."

 

"And you didn't have any other idea other than get yourself beaten?" Minju asked reproachfully, both worried by the damage on Eunyoung's body and Chaewon herself.

 

"That's how I've always done things," Chaewon replied defensively. "What else could I do?"

 

"Maybe make a consultation with a shaman," Minju offered the idea she had previously thought of. "Violence shouldn't be the first answer to a problem."

 

Chaewon ignored Minju's last words. "A shaman? Those that talk about ghosts and ?"

 

"Why not? They believe in a spirit plane. Maybe they can explain what has happened to you." Chaewon thought about it for a moment.

 

"I mean… well, yeah, I guess we can try that." Chaewon shrugged.

 

"The thing you were doing before you came here… Was that related to revenge?"

 

"Well…" Chaewon pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes and no." At Minju's inquiring look, she sighed. "When I first left Eunyoung's family dinner, I went to a fighting ring, and… well, a person promised to give me intel on my gang in exchange of eliminating a reporter's source for an investigation." Chaewon took a deep breath. "That reporter was Eunyoung."

 

Minju's eyes widened. "You mean Eunyoung was involved in this?"

 

"She was investigating the gang related to that fighting ring. I decided that, instead of killing the source, I should try to get the info he has to understand what was going on. After all, that gang is related to mine."

 

Minju shook her head, almost mournfully. "Eunyoung, I told her she shouldn't be doing something so dangerous." She then turned to look at Chaewon, her eyes filled with fright. "Does this mean that Eunyoung was victim of foul play?"

 

"Maybe, maybe not," Chaewon said, trying to soften the blow that represented a horrible possibility. Secretly, though, Chaewon leaned towards yes. "Whatever the case, what she was doing was too dangerous."

 

"I know we're talking about a gang, but how dangerous is dangerous?"

 

"Dangerous she should leave the country if she wants to live," Chaewon replied honestly. "Honestly, Minju, this is too dangerous for you to even know."

 

"Why would you even get involved in this?" Minju mumbled. "How did you get into this?" Minju then asked Chaewon clearly.

 

"It's not important," Chaewon waved off.

 

"Was it your choice?" Minju insisted, wanting to understand Chaewon's mind.

 

"It was." Minju deflated at the answer, making Chaewon sigh. "Because there weren't any good options for me."

 

"What-?"

 

"Just… I couldn't do anything else," Chaewon cut Minju off. "The point is, I wanted to understand Eunyoung. I wanted to see if it wasn't just a coincidence that our bodies changed. This gang is a thing we both have in common."

 

Minju decided to leave the matter be. Regardless of how she felt, she knew that Chaewon had a right to privacy. Moreover the defensive way she talked when Minju wanted to delve into Chaewon's story made Minju think that maybe she did need to spend more time with her to get her to open up more.

 

"You think there is a mission?" Minju asked instead, intrigued by Chaewon's line of thinking.

 

"Maybe? I don't know." Chaewon shrugged her shoulders. "I guess visiting that shaman thing might help."

 

"Then we should." Minju turned to look at the door. "How is Eunyoung's investigation related to your gang?"

 

Chaewon sighed. "Not a word about this to anyone, okay?" Minju nodded. "The gang I am a part of, The Ravens, is a big gang, which really, is an overarching entity that absorbs minor gangs and uses them as henchman. The gang Eunyoung was investigating is one of those, focused on this fighting ring."

 

"Are you their boss?" Chaewon snorted.

 

"No. I am part of the Ravens, and although I am a bit higher in hierarchy, they had no reason to listen to me at all. I am disposable." Minju frowned.

 

"They don't care if you die?"

 

" no. There are many dudes that can fight in my place, though few can defeat me," Chaewon bragged, making Minju grimace.

 

"And, what did he tell you?"

 

"Ah, that he'll send me the info later," Chaewon answered, choosing to not let Minju about her interactions with him. It was enough for her to know her connection with Eunyoung, anyway.

 

"Oh. Then, what should we do now?"

 

"Wait for the info to arrive? Maybe go to the shaman?"

 

"I'll look it up and make an appointment for next weekend," Minju assured Chaewon. "Shouldn't be too hard." After that, the conversation died there, making the atmosphere an uncomfortable one. There were many questions Minju had for the woman inside Eunyoung's body, but she wasn't sure where to start, knowing that Chaewon was pretty reluctant about speaking about her life.

 

"You said you like having me around," she settled on saying, making Chaewon groan.

 

"Don't make me regret saying it." Chaewon turned her head to avoid Minju's gaze. She had told Minju that in a moment of weakness, and, now, she was completely embarrassed by the memory.

 

"It's not bad to want a friend once in a while," Minju said softly, reminded by Chaewon's admission at the arcade.

 

"It's stupid," Chaewon barked. Still, she couldn't find in herself to regret telling her about her friendless adolescence, not when she had managed to get such a warm feeling at the touch of her hand.

 

"It's not. You like having me around. You're not such a bad person to have around either." Her words made Chaewon turn to look at her. "Is that surprising?"

 

"Well, yeah, I made you cry."

 

"You have been bad towards me sometimes," Minju agreed. "But you have your nice moments, too." Chaewon looked at her agape for a moment.

 

"Sorry," Chaewon apologized, not knowing what else to say. The earnest way Minju had said it made her feel a twinge of guilt at all the times she had made Minju upset. Was this girl an angel?

 

"Don't say sorry anymore. Just… Try to be nicer?" Minju suggested hopefully. Chaewon took a moment to nod slowly, but when she did, Minju smiled.

 

"I'm a very person… but I'll try."

 

"The first step to changing is admitting your mistakes."

 

Chaewon huffed. "Is this a 10 step program?"

 

"Maybe," Minju said playfully. "Please stand by for the next steps." Chaewon snorted, a smile peeking through her lips.

 

"I guess I will."