Beside him, his mother explained the situation without pause, trying to help him recover his memories. Thanks to her, Son Kang-woo had little difficulty grasping what had happened. More than anything, the fantasy novels he had read as a hobby proved surprisingly useful.
What had happened to him closely resembled the events he had encountered in those novels.
The boy whose body he now inhabited was named Kang Woo. By some strange coincidence, their names were remarkably similar. Perhaps it was a sign from heaven.
The boy had grown up with his single mother in an isolated rural town of ten thousand people. He was just about to enter high school. Having excelled academically in middle school, he had applied to Goryeo Science High School for the Gifted.
Although such schools were supposed to nurture geniuses, most students who entered science high schools these days had spent years studying ahead at private academies.
Unfortunately, Kang Woo came from a poor family, and living in the countryside had made it impossible for him to attend a proper academy. But his middle school science teacher had noticed his extraordinary talent for science and enthusiastically written him a letter of recommendation, allowing him to apply to the school.
Had he gone through the regular admissions process, he would undoubtedly have failed. However, as a child from a single-parent household, Kang Woo had barely managed to gain admission through a special admissions track for socially disadvantaged students. It was the first occasion for celebration of its kind in his town.
Then, a week ago, he had climbed the snow-covered mountain behind his home, slipped, and lost consciousness. Although nothing appeared to be physically wrong with him, he had not regained consciousness.
As a result, Kang Woo's mother had spent the entire week at his bedside, doing little but crying.
“Heaven must have been watching over us. My son has come back to me safe and sound.”
“I'm sorry.”
In any case, he had to accept reality now. Whatever the reason, he had no choice but to live as Kang Woo rather than Son Kang-woo from now on.
Still lying in bed, Kang Woo wiggled his fingers and toes. Fortunately, nothing hurt in particular. If anything, his body was younger and healthier than before. Back then, he had been worn down by research and the hardships of life, with little time or energy to look after his health. He rather liked having a young body again.
He did not know what had happened to the original Kang Woo, but it seemed likely that when Son Kang-woo fell from Daecheongbong Peak and this student died on the mountain behind his home, Son Kang-woo's consciousness had entered the boy's body.
Whatever the case, Son Kang-woo, who should have died, had been given another chance to live as Kang Woo. He could hardly call that a bad thing.
A mobile phone lay beside the bed. It presumably belonged to Kang Woo. He turned it on and checked the date, along with the news.
Exactly one week had passed since his fall from Daecheongbong Peak.
More than anything else, he wanted to know what had become of Son Kang-woo after the fall. Although he was not particularly famous, a search through the news turned up a brief article.
- Son Kang-woo, professor of physics at Hanseol University, dies in hiking accident. He slipped to his death while climbing Daecheongbong Peak on snowy Mount Seorak with Professor Ma Do-hwan of Hanguk University.
- The death of the renowned authority on room-temperature nuclear fusion technology is expected to deal a serious blow to the field.
- His colleague, Professor Ma Do-hwan, mourned the deceased and remained at the funeral hall for three consecutive days.
As he stared at his phone, anger surged through him, and his insides seethed.
He knew. He was a dead man. His mind understood that, but apparently his heart had yet to accept it. How was he supposed to come to terms with having his very existence erased from the world?
What infuriated him most, however, was the situation as it stood.
For years, people in the scientific and technological establishment had shunned him, sometimes openly and sometimes behind his back. As he had discovered that day on Daecheongbong Peak, it had all been Ma Do-hwan's doing. Ma Do-hwan had envied him and obstructed him at every opportunity.
Yet now that he was dead, people were finally lamenting the loss of a shining star in the scientific community. Meanwhile, Ma Do-hwan, the murderer who had killed him, was being portrayed as a good man for mourning his death.
'And all the while, he was probably laughing to himself, thinking I deserved to die.'
People must have been full of praise for Ma Do-hwan's devotion to his deceased colleague. And the more they praised him, the better his public image would become.
'He really is a politician's son, playing politics like that. That rotten bastard.'
Until now, Kang Woo had believed that politics had no place in science and technology. He had believed that ability was all that mattered, and that research papers published in prestigious journals and a record of major projects were everything.
Looking back, however, Ma Do-hwan had become a professor at Hanguk University and firmly established himself in the scientific community through nothing but political connections, despite his lack of ability. Considering his age, it was easy to imagine just how much stronger his position would become in the years ahead.
His thoughts were a tangled mess.
“C-could I have some water, please?”
Kang Woo had filled a paper cup with water and was just about to drink when there was a knock at the hospital-room door and several people entered.
The instant he saw who had come in, his eyes widened as far as they could go.
“Kang Woo?”
Someone addressed him, but Kang Woo was too stunned to respond immediately. He could only stare blankly at the visitor.
“Woo, say hello. This is the kind gentleman who heard about our unfortunate circumstances and offered to help us. He's a professor at Hanguk University, apparently... A very famous one, they say. He's agreed to pay all your hospital bills.”
Not a word his mother said seemed to register.
The person standing in front of Kang Woo was none other than Ma Do-hwan! Dressed in an immaculate suit, he gazed down at Kang Woo with the same refined, dignified expression he always wore.
How could this be happening?
Behind Ma Do-hwan stood two people who appeared to be reporters, conducting an interview with small voice recorders in hand.
It did not take Kang Woo long to understand what was going on.
He glared at Ma Do-hwan, that wolf in sheep's clothing. What an extraordinary coincidence. Even after finding himself in Kang Woo's body, he had somehow become entangled with Ma Do-hwan again. Was there truly no escaping his connection to that man?
He wanted to spit in the face of Ma Do-hwan, who was wearing a false smile in hopes of earning himself a reputation as a benevolent professor who helped impoverished, gifted middle school students.
“Haha, I came as soon as I heard he had regained consciousness.”
“Thank you so much for your concern. Woo, you should thank the professor.”
Ma Do-hwan approached Kang Woo.
Damn it! There was nothing he could do right now. To think he had to look his mortal enemy in the face again, under circumstances like these. Of course, Ma Do-hwan had no idea he was Son Kang-woo.
“Haha, I've always taken a keen interest in gifted young people who will shoulder the future of our nation. Isn't this student the very future of South Korea? I would like to help him not only with his hospital expenses, but also with any difficulties he might face in his studies after enrolling at the school for the gifted.”
Kang Woo squeezed his eyes shut at Ma Do-hwan's oily speech.
What was he supposed to do about this bastard? For now, he was merely a boy about to enter high school, and one who had only just recovered from an illness at that.
So perhaps it would be better to keep quiet...
But then he remembered the last words Ma Do-hwan had said to him. Kang Woo flew into a wild rage and hurled the paper cup in his hand straight at Ma Do-hwan.
SPLASH!
Water splattered across Ma Do-hwan's face, throwing the people around him into disarray.
“W-what the hell is this?”
As a startled Ma Do-hwan glared at him in disbelief, Kang Woo continued thrashing about like a madman.
“Aaagh!”
“Woo!”
His startled mother grabbed his arm and tried to calm him down.
“P-Professor, the boy still isn't quite himself...”
Embarrassed by the flustered mother's apology, Ma Do-hwan turned sharply away, his face flushed bright red.
* * *
Three days later, Kang Woo stood in front of Goryeo Science High School for the Gifted (KOSHS).
Ignoring the doctor's advice to remain hospitalized until he had fully recovered, he had discharged himself the very next day. Part of the reason was that there was nothing particularly wrong with his body, but more importantly, he had no desire to remain in the hospital using money provided by Ma Do-hwan.
Located on the outskirts of Seoul, Goryeo Science High School for the Gifted was a school for gifted students established under the Gifted Education Promotion Act. Unlike ordinary science high schools, it selected outstanding students from across the country.
Strictly speaking, it was not a science high school, but most people did not distinguish between science high schools and schools for the gifted. Their curricula were similar, after all, and the school's very name included the words 'Science High School for the Gifted.'
Consequently, people sometimes called it Goryeo High School for the Gifted and sometimes Goryeo Science High School. The students could not even be bothered with those names and simply called it 'Go-gwak.'
Its expansive grounds and new buildings hardly resembled an ordinary high school. It even had a gymnasium that doubled as an auditorium, along with dormitories. Its appearance certainly set it apart from conventional high schools. Visible in the distance, the round planetarium dome on the roof of one of the buildings was the school's symbol and trademark.
Kang Woo smiled as he watched the students hurrying along.
Today was the orientation day for incoming students. It was still winter vacation, and the returning students would not begin classes for another two weeks. The new students would spend the next two weeks in a preparatory enrollment program before formally entering the school in early March.
The students around him were the promising young minds who would be entering their first year. About half had come with their parents, while the others had come alone or with friends.
Kang Woo's mother had wanted to accompany him, but he had talked her out of it. She was busy, and work had piled up while he was in the hospital. She could not afford to miss another day just to accompany him.
Traveling all the way from the countryside to Seoul was a long journey, and not an easy one for a middle school student. But Kang Woo had been in his thirties in his previous life, so it posed no difficulty for him.
The students' faces were filled with bright smiles.
“Tsk, tsk. They have no idea the hell that's waiting for them...”
What kind of place was a science high school for the gifted? It was where students reputed to be geniuses gathered from all over the country. Until now, these students had routinely ranked first in their schools and lived with the pride of being geniuses. But the moment they entered this school, they would realize that they were merely ordinary students, not geniuses at all.
That was precisely why the preparatory enrollment period existed: to cushion them against such a shock.
His heart raced. The prospect of spending time among geniuses was thrilling!
Checking the time on his phone, Kang Woo quickened his pace toward the school, only to notice an attractive café near the main gate. Its name was Gauss Café, befitting its location outside a science high school. Naturally, he could not pass up a cup of coffee.
He needed a little time to relax, and he happened to have some spending money from his mother. Truth be told, he had been desperate for a cup of coffee ever since waking up in the hospital.
Kang Woo opened the door to Gauss Café and went inside. With the influx of incoming students, a long line had formed in front of the counter.
As he joined the line, he overheard the conversation between two girls standing directly ahead of him.
“There's a test today, right?”
“Yeah, a diagnostic assessment.”
“Are you confident?”
“I've worked through all the practice problems the academy gave us.”
“Really? I haven't finished mine yet...”
Judging from their conversation, they were students who had attended a private academy. He had a fairly good idea which one.
It was hardly a secret that one famous academy in Daechi-dong, Gangnam, accounted for nearly half of all students admitted to schools for the gifted. The academy recruited outstanding middle school students from across the country before anyone else could and armed them with years of advanced study to get them through the entrance examinations.
Of course, none of that applied to Kang Woo, a boy from the countryside who was now living a second life.
Still standing in line, Kang Woo took a closer look at the two girls.
'Ah!'
One of them had a pretty but cool and composed face, with fairly long hair falling past her shoulders.
She had the sort of face that practically had 'intelligent student' written across her forehead. She looked like someone who hated losing and carried herself with the aloof dignity of a crane, setting herself apart from everyone else. There was something about her that made her difficult to approach.
The other girl was rather cute. She wore her hair in a neat bob and had round, silver-rimmed glasses. Although her face showed the weariness of someone who had spent far too much time studying, her eyes sparkled with energy.
But their conversation made Kang Woo realize something new.
'Ah, there's a test today?'
Then again, what did it matter? The other students might worry about it, but Kang Woo had not the slightest intention of trying to score well.
For now, adjusting to his new circumstances came first. His only concern was how tedious the exam might be.
“Cha-hee, could you help me solve a problem?”
The cute girl with glasses set down her bag and took out a workbook. It was a thick science problem book bearing the name of an academy.
Kang Woo's gaze naturally drifted toward the workbook as well.
“I got completely stuck on this one yesterday...”
The cool-looking girl's expression tightened slightly. It was not because she could not solve the problem. She simply did not want to solve it for her friend.
“Su-a, are you really going to study after coming all the way here?”
“Studying in a café always works better.”
“...Well, I suppose it does.”
“We still have time, don't we?”
The two girls collected their coffees and moved to a table. Kang Woo, who was next in line, took some money from his pocket.
“One Americano, please.”
Since it was winter, he ordered it hot.
Coffee in hand, Kang Woo hesitated for a moment. Should he head straight up to the school, or relax in the café for a while first?
Just then, he noticed an empty seat by the window. As it happened, it was right beside the two girls who had been standing ahead of him.
Kang Woo took a seat, gazed out the window, and leisurely sipped his coffee.
There was nothing quite like a morning coffee.
Of course, the sight of a boy who had only just graduated from middle school putting on such a sophisticated air was rather ridiculous.
Still, if you were going to live, you might as well live with style—even if it killed you.