The walk home felt shorter than usual. Ra-ik's body was humming with the residual heat of the game, and coming in contact with herself in such a delightful funny way was creating a pleasant exhaustion that made the world seem a little softer at the edges. if anyone would have seen him right there and then they would have suspected that do ra-ik actually had a thing for meang se-na. But who tell them it was se-na not do ra-ik and she was actually happy meeting herself and feeling shy of herself and well protecting herself from the harms she was about to fall into. She really did look like she was not se-na and had a crush on herself.
Finally in her delight as she approached the gate of the small house, a sound drifted over the fence that made her stop in her tracks.
It was the grandmother's laugh, clear, bright, and ringing with a genuine delight that Se-na even though had heard last night in her eight year old body felt like it had been ages that she heard her laugh. Despite not being blood-related, she felt a sudden, sharp thump in her chest. At last, she thought, someone in this weird, strange world who actually has my goodwill at heart. For a moment, the cold walls of her doctor-self crumbled…well not a moment since the moment she woke up in this new body she had been feeling cheerful, happy and flushed all the emotions she had nevr felt In her real life. She wasn't just going home; she was going toward the only light she'd found in this timeline.
She pushed the gate open and ran inside. "Halmo…"
The word died in her throat.
The small courtyard was an absolute scene of domestic carnage. Four sturdy, sweat-dampened boys, Seon-ho and the rest of the starting lineup were swarming the yard. They had stripped off their school shirts and were wearing nothing but their white undershirt vests, their jackets tied haphazardly around their waists like makeshift tool belts.
One was aggressively scrubbing a stone walkway; another was attempting to beat a rug with enough force; and two more were trying to organize a stack of firewood with the intensity of youth.
"Whaaa...?? What are you doing?!" Se-na almost cried out, her eyes bulging.
At the sound of her voice, the four boys snapped to attention. In perfect, rehearsed unison, they dropped their tools and bent at the waist in a ninety-degree bow.
"ANNYEONG HASEYO, JUIN-NIM!" they roared. "We are here to fulfill what we promised!"
The sheer volume of the "Master" greeting made Se-na jump back a foot, her hands flying up in a defensive, half-bow reflex.
" Promise??? Ahhhhhhhhhh" she said in realization.
"It was a joke! Hey! Hey!" she hissed, waving her arms frantically. "Stop that! Get up!"
Seon-ho stood up, wiping sweat from his forehead with a dirty forearm. He looked at her with a terrifyingly sincere expression. "What? We men do not joke with our words!"
To emphasize the point, he beat his chest with a clenched fist. Thump-thump. Immediately, the other three followed suit, the courtyard echoing with the sound of teenage boys hitting themselves to prove their honor.
The grandmother, who had been sitting on the porch with a bowl of peas, let out a muffled laugh behind her hand.
Men? Se-na wanted to laugh. You are mere fifteen-year-old rebellious kids! What do you even know about being men? But she bit her tongue. It was better they didn't know the truth about "men" yet…their pride was too entertaining to crush.
Before she could form a coherent protest, Seon-ho was already across the yard. He threw a heavy arm around her neck, nearly dragging her back out toward the center of the yard.
"Today, you are the Master! Order whatever you want! We are at your service!" they shouted again in unison, their voices cracking in that awkward, teenage way.
From behind the sea of white vests, the grandmother stood up. She moved slowly, her body frail and aged, yet there was a new radiance in her face. To Se-na, she looked like she had grown more beautiful with every wrinkle.
"Aigoo, stop that," the grandmother reprimanded them, though her eyes were dancing with mischief. "There are no masters and servants here. You are all friends. I am just glad Ra-ik has such good, loud friends to keep the silence away."
At the praise, the four boys immediately transformed. They began to swoon over themselves, wriggling their eyebrows at Se-na with incredibly smug, proud looks. They looked like four golden retrievers who had just been told they were "good boys."
One of them started flexing his bicep while holding a broom. "Did you see that, Ra-ik? Your grandma thinks I'm good! Maybe I'll stay here forever!"
"In your dreams! I'm the one who fixed the fence!" another shouted, elbowing him aside.
Watching them compete for the grandmother's affection; four titans of the basketball court reduced to bickering over who could sweep the best and Se-na finally lost it. A loud, genuine burst of laughter erupted from her lips, the sound echoing through the courtyard.
For the first time since the soul-swap, the weight of being a doctor, a man, or a confused traveler vanished. She was just a kid in a yard, surrounded by idiots and a grandmother who made the world feel safe.
"Fine!" Se-na yelled over their bickering, pointing at the kitchen. "If you're at my service, then the Master demands... that you all go wash your hands! Halmeoni is making food, and if you touch it with those dirty paws, I'll be the one who beats you!"
The boys cheered as if she'd just given them a medal and scrambled toward the water pump, shoving each other the whole way.
The grandmother stood on the porch, watching them go with a soft, melting look in her eyes. It was as if she hadn't seen Ra-ik truly happy in an eternity, and seeing him laugh so freely seemed to wash years of worry from her face. As her gaze met Se-na's, she chuckled and gave a small, knowing wink, a secret signal between the two of them.
Without even thinking, Se-na winked back. Or, she tried to. Unconsciously.
Ra-ik's face wasn't built for subtle expressions. Instead of a smooth wink, his entire left side of his face scrunched up, his eye twitching violently while his mouth pulled into a lopsided grimace.
The grandmother erupted into a fit of laughter, clutching her sides. "Oh, my dear lion!" she wheezed, wiping a joyful tear from her eye. "You still can't even wink, my baby!"
Se-na's face turned a shade of red that rivaled the strawberry lollipops from earlier. She stomped her foot, the embarrassment of a teenager merging with the indignity of a Chief Surgeon.
"Halmoniiiiiii!" she wailed, her voice cracking as the four boys at the pump turned around to see what the commotion was about.
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