Where the heck am I?" Kevin looked around in amazement.
"What happened to me? Who's this?" he asked, looking down at himself.
Suddenly, a flood of memories rushed through his mind.
Countless unfamiliar faces flashed before his eyes.
"Hey..."
A man's voice pulled him out of the memories.
"Hey, son?"
"Yes..." Kevin replied in confusion.
"What happened? You look pale," the man asked.
"Nothing..." Kevin replied as he looked at him. The man was wearing a simple pair of pants and a hat.
"Don't you have work? You're already late," he said.
"Yes, I'll go as soon as possible," Kevin replied.
The man left with a smile.
"I don't understand what's going on, but the owner of this body is named Joel. He's an eighteen-year-old street dancer. The man who came just now is his father. He's a fruit merchant," Kevin muttered as he got dressed.
"At least I have a familiar job."
He smiled and walked out of his room.
"What am I doing? I'm doing the thing I hate right now. I should have just died."
"Son?"
A feminine voice came from another room.
"You didn't leave for performing?" the voice asked.
Kevin walked into the room.
He saw a woman lying on a bed.
"What are you looking at? Come near," the woman said.
Kevin walked over to her.
"Perform very well. Don't hear what others say. You are a really good dancer."
She kissed his hand.
Suddenly, another flow of memories entered his mind.
"Mother?" His mouth moved involuntarily.
"Yes?" she replied as she patted his head.
"Nothing... I'm going."
Kevin left the room, his eyes growing watery.
He felt something he had never experienced in his life before.
He went to the streets, where two people were waiting for him.
"Why are you this late?" one of the men asked.
"Ahh... We're so late. Today's collection will be less," the girl beside him complained.
"I'm sorry. I overslept," Kevin replied.
"Come on, let's start," the man said.
Within a few minutes, they prepared a small stage.
"So... the man's name is Frank, and the girl's name is Casterna. They're the ones Joel has been performing with," Kevin recalled.
Frank opened a box and took out several instruments.
Casterna got dressed and stood in position.
Frank adjusted the instruments and began playing one that looked similar to a ukulele.
Casterna danced along with the music.
Her movements flowed together with the melody.
Her hands and hips moved smoother than oil.
Kevin stared at her in amazement.
He had never seen anyone dance like that before.
"Ahem..."
Frank coughed, signaling Kevin to join her.
But Kevin was too absorbed in watching her.
"Ahem... Joel..."
Frank called out to him softly.
Kevin snapped back to reality and stepped onto the stage.
He slowly took Casterna's hand and placed his other hand on her hip, spinning her in rhythm with the music.
Within minutes, everyone in the marketplace had locked their eyes onto Kevin and Casterna.
Frank intensified the music.
Kevin threw his arms around as he guided Casterna through the dance.
Surprised by his movements, Casterna struggled to keep up with him.
Frank realized something wasn't right.
But instead of stopping, he played multiple instruments at the same time.
The crowd gathered before the stage.
Coins began falling into the donation bag.
Kevin used all the knowledge he had gained from classical dance.
But in the middle of it all, his gaze drifted across the crowd.
His old memories resurfaced.
He saw people laughing at him.
Others looked at him with fear.
It felt as though everyone was staring at him.
He began to sweat.
His feet became uncontrollable.
The music and his movements slowly fell out of sync.
Frank quickly realized what was happening and gradually brought the music to a stop.
When the dance ended, everyone clapped and donated even more money.
Kevin stood there without moving.
Sweat dripped down his face.
"What was that, Joel?" Frank shouted.
"I'm sorry, I was..."
Kevin stopped himself from explaining.
"How did you learn to dance like that?" Frank asked him.
Kevin looked at Frank in shock.
He had expected to be scolded for interrupting their dance.
"You were really good. Did you practice it yesterday?" Frank asked.
"Um... No. I was just dancing in the flow," Kevin said.
"Anyways, we got 200 copper and 50 silver coins," Casterna said with a smile.
"That's the highest we've ever gotten. Let us go to the bar and enjoy this success. Come on," Frank said as he led them toward the bar.
"Hey, Gus! Bring us beer and wine!" Frank shouted to the bartender.
"He's the only one who can drink at noon," Casterna said in disappointment.
Several glasses of wine and beer arrived at their table.
"Drink up. It's all on me," Frank said.
Casterna took a sip of her wine.
Kevin, however, was thinking about something else.
Casterna tapped his hand and signaled for him to drink.
Out of habit, Kevin picked up a glass of beer and finished it in one gulp.
Frank's cup slipped from his hand.
He stared at Kevin in shock.
Casterna was equally stunned, her mouth hanging open.
"What?" Kevin asked them.
"Joel... When did you start drinking?" Frank asked.
Kevin froze.
"Oh, I forgot... Joel doesn't drink. Ah... I'm really fucked up now," Kevin said anxiously to himself.
"Um... I thought I should try some. Haha..." he said, trying to laugh it off.
"Ah... There's a first time to everything. Drink, man," Frank said, already drunk.
"I don't think I can fit into this character. I should be more careful from now on," Kevin thought as he drank another cup of beer.
Casterna stared at him with a smile.
"What?" Kevin asked her.
"Nothing... I just realized you're kind of cute," Casterna said.
Kevin looked at her without any expression.
"Is that so?" he replied.
Casterna's eyes widened.
It was as if she had fallen into confusion.
"Now let's go home," Kevin said unfazed after five cups of beer.
"Yeah... let...s go..." Frank stuttered, completely drunk.
"You are too fine for a first-time drinker," Casterna said to him.
Kevin was startled.
He immediately tried to act drunk.
"Ahh... I'm a bit drunk actually... I'm just not showing it," he said, pretending.
"You are a bad actor, do you know that?" Casterna laughed.
"Yeah..." Kevin replied.
He began walking toward his house.
He looked around.
It was a new world.
New people.
But his emotions remained the same.
He looked around with little interest.
"I don't understand at all. How am I here? Is this an afterlife? Am I dead in my previous life? Ah... I can't think straight. I guess the beer got me after all," Kevin muttered as he looked into the distance.
He saw the huge castle glowing beneath the moonlight.
He lifted his hand.
"That's really beautiful."
He smiled.
A small breeze passed by Kevin.
It was almost as if nature itself was shocked to witness his smile.
The moonlight seemed to grow brighter, even though it wasn't a full moon.
Within that radiance, he noticed a lady standing on the castle's balcony.
She, too, appeared to glow beneath the moonlight.
Kevin stared at her in amazement.
He focused as hard as he could, but he couldn't make out her face.
Slowly, he rubbed his eyes and looked again.
But the lady had disappeared.
He laughed it off and continued walking home.
When he arrived, he collapsed onto the floor of the hall.
As exhaustion overtook him, he slowly drifted to sleep.
-To be Continued...