"Ugh!"
My head was splitting. It felt like someone was rummaging through my brain without permission.
Foreign memories, not my own, were forcefully entering and clumsily settling in my mind.
Panting, panting.
I was out of breath. My consciousness was slipping in and out.
The dizziness made the world spin around me.
"Haa, haa... damn it..."
I clutched my head and staggered to my feet. Then, I went to the water dispenser and poured myself a cup of water.
I needed something to clear my mind.
The cold water filled the transparent cup.
Gulp, gulp.
I quickly drank the cold water.
The chilly liquid flowed down my throat like a waterfall, helping me regain some strength.
By then, those alien memories had already settled in my mind.
"...What the hell."
These are the memories of 'Lee Se-won,' me.
"Is this for real?"
Even though I thought it was nonsense, the world seemed to confirm it.
Nothing else but those alien memories, that experience of my mind being invaded, proved it.
Even if the world was staging a Truman Show just for me, there was no way they could invade my mind and implant memories.
A phenomenon that couldn't be explained by any theory.
That very phenomenon explained the bizarre situation.
Thanks to that, I felt a bit unsettled.
"No..."
At least give me some warning.
What am I supposed to do, suddenly brought here? What about the family and friends I left behind!
I groaned for a full hour. People don't adapt easily to sudden situations.
I was no different. I was overwhelmed by anxiety, unable to adapt to the sudden situation.
And as time passed...
In the end, I decided to accept it.
"...Sigh."
Yeah, it's already happened. Getting serious alone won't give me answers, and there was nothing I could do about this phenomenon.
If there's no way back... I have to adapt.
Come to think of it, I didn't have any friends.
Instead of lamenting, I decided to chew over the memories of 'Lee Se-won' that had come to me.
Fortunately, the memories themselves didn't consume me. I was still the main subject.
It felt like 'Lee Se-won's' memories were displayed in a corner of a reading room. So, I could take them out and use them whenever needed. It was a convenient way to remember.
I closed my eyes and quietly examined his memories.
'Age 22, Lee Se-won, male.'
Height 176cm, weight 70kg.
First, the physique was the same.
The past was also not much different from my original self.
Similarly, I felt talent, despaired, and ultimately failed. Twice.
This guy seemed no different from me in the overall framework.
The only difference was something like this.
But that difference was quite significant.
'...This guy received confessions?'
The original me, the loner Lee Se-won, had never received a confession.
In high school, it was an all-boys school, so it couldn't be helped, but even in middle school, which was co-ed, I had never received a confession.
It's a bit sad.
But this 'Lee Se-won' was different. Twice in middle school and once in high school.
It seemed he had received a total of three confessions in his life.
For some reason, he rejected all of them, but the fact that he received confessions was important. It meant that someone had definite affection for him, right?
'Are all guys like this in this world?'
Receiving a few confessions in their lifetime.
A question arose in my mind.
I got up from my seat and headed straight to the bathroom to check my face in the mirror.
Just in case there was some difference.
I had never been told I was ugly. To be honest, my basic looks were decent.
Even in high school, I had heard things like, 'This guy looks good, but why is his personality like this?'
Anyway, I had some confidence in my appearance.
Objectively speaking, at least an average face.
The problem was what other differences led to the result of 'confessions'...
As I checked the mirror, I couldn't help but be surprised.
"...Oh."
It's me.
Definitely me, but somehow an upgraded version of me.
My skin was flawless, my nose was straighter, and my jawline was sharper.
My sharp eyes and the dark circles under them were the same, but... anyway, I looked quite handsome.
Even without the mirror buff.
"...Did this guy take care of himself?"
I admired my surprisingly neat face and briefly searched through 'Lee Se-won's' memories.
This world's 'Lee Se-won' seemed to care more about his appearance than I did. There were memories of him doing facial massages at night or diligently researching and finding skincare products like cleansers that suited him.
They say people change when they take care of themselves. Even with just that little effort, the original base shone enough.
Good. This is good news.
There's never a disadvantage to having a good impression.
In fact, there's no better ability than this to make life sweet.
"The family background is also similar to where I used to live..."
After that, I spent a long time going through 'Lee Se-won's' memories. To adapt well to the changed world, I needed existing information.
In that sense, his memories were useful. Similar yet different common sense clearly showed me what kind of world this was.
The memories of 'Lee Se-won,' which had been replaying from the age of one, were now opening the age of 21. It was the time when I gave up on entering art college and looked for another path.
At that time, I... that is, the original me, chose to become an adult content artist. It was a job where I could make use of the abilities I had built up so far and earn some money. Even though it was slightly illegal in South Korea, there was no better job for me at that time.
Thanks to the many people who loved my drawings, I was able to recover my self-esteem.
So, I thought that this 'Lee Se-won' would have taken a similar path.
He must have had lingering feelings for drawing.
"...Huh?"
But it wasn't. The guy took a completely different path from me. He suddenly entered a strange university and started his university life without any particular thoughts.
He ate at the school cafeteria, made friends, studied... He spent an ordinary daily life like other students.
No, that's not it.
Actually, 'Lee Se-won' didn't even do that properly.
The guy, who seemed to be doing well for a while, gradually became lazy.
He skipped classes because he didn't feel like attending, sometimes because he was tired, and eventually, he didn't even set foot in the university.
At his stupid behavior, I could only sigh inwardly.
"Oh, this stupid guy..."
Still, he should have managed what he could. Rather than being completely absent, he should have taken a leave of absence.
Such behavior was nothing but denying and postponing reality.
He should have either given up quickly or held on to the end. He made the worst choice.
Thanks to that, I was worried about the tuition and rent he had to pay.
The amount of money going out was no joke.
Wait, rent?
'Come to think of it, how is this guy living alone?'
In my case, I earn money by drawing, but he doesn't, right?
At that thought, I suddenly got goosebumps all over my body.
I immediately turned on my phone and opened the banking app I frequently used. My heart had never been this anxious.
"Please, no, please..."
Originally, there should be an amount around 10,xxx,xxx.
It's the money I saved by working hard for a year. It couldn't have disappeared!
I checked the balance, hoping it would still be there.
But...
[128,100 KRW]
The reality was cruel.
"Haaaaahhh!!!!"
I screamed seriously.
My mind, which had been trying to adapt, was about to burn out!
But 'Lee Se-won's' memories poured oil on the fire, making it burn even more.
Over 6 million won in student loans to repay.
Moreover, the rent for this place was borrowed from his parents a few times.
"Aaaaaah!!!!!!"
No! This isn't reality!!!
The horrifying sight made me almost lose my mind.
So now, I'm a complete loser with debts exceeding 600 million won? The fixed reader base I had in Pixiv didn't exist from the beginning?
'Lee Se-won,' you bastard!!!! How could you do this to me!!!!
It was unbelievable. Fear engulfed my entire body.
It felt like Niarlathotep was in front of me. Niarlathotep... His true identity was none other than a debt of 6 million won!
It was a more terrifying fact than anything else.
"Phew... calm down, calm down."
After raving for a while, I finally managed to calm down.
Yeah, no matter how much I freak out, nothing will change. I just have to accept it. It was a truly fucked-up fact. Or maybe in this changed world, it's a bitch-like fact.
I thought such silly thoughts and delved into the guy's memories again.
I hoped to find something helpful.
Fortunately, 'Lee Se-won' still had a part-time job he had been doing. It was a cafe part-time job.
'Lee Se-won's' only source of income.
"...Oh."
But it says he quit recently.
"Hehe, damn."
At this point, I laughed rather than got angry. 'Lee Se-won' is such a useless guy.
I gave up my expectations for him. Fine, I'll solve everything myself.
There were many things to think about, like money, but actually, the most urgent thing right now was this.
A formal text message on my phone.
[You are hereby notified that you are subject to academic probation for the 20○○ first semester. Please do your best in managing your grades so that your academic performance can improve. For more details, please visit the Academic Support Team.]
It was an academic probation message. The content was that I would soon be excluded from our school, so I should come quickly.
I wasn't expelled yet, but it was almost there.
There was only one way to solve this.
"Phew... I have to go."
I'm going. To school.