Light Mr. XX

Name: Kim Min-seok.

Age: 22 years old.

Family: None.

Residence: Has been living in a goshiwon (small rented room) ever since becoming independent from the orphanage.

Occupation: Doing various part-time jobs.

After briefly introducing himself, Kim Min-seok studied the doctor’s gaze. The eyes behind the black-rimmed glasses were calm.

The doctor put down the pen he had been scribbling on the chart with and clasped his hands together, resting them on the desk. He remained like that for a moment, silently observing Kim Min-seok before finally parting his lips to speak.

“You will need a more in-depth consultation, but based on what I see so far, it appears that you are suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder.”

“Dissociative Identity Disorder? Are you saying I’m insane?”

“There’s no need to think of it in such extreme terms.”

“No. Disorder or whatever, I’m telling you, I am Kim Min-seok!”

He had no idea how many times he had repeated this same phrase since waking up. Frustration welled up inside him to the point of bursting, and he pounded his chest with his fist. Ever since he had regained consciousness, starting with those two men he first saw, all the way to arriving at this consultation room, he had constantly insisted that he was himself. Yet, the only response he received in return was that he was insane.

The doctor simply observed him in silence, as if giving him time to calm down. Kim Min-seok let out several deep sighs, each one feeling as heavy as if it could sink the ground beneath him. Only after that did he run a rough hand through his hair and speak again.

“Anyway, I’m getting discharged. I can leave now, right?”

“Seo Ha-yoon.”

“It’s Kim Min-seok.”

“Alright. Then I’ll address you as Kim Min-seok for now.”

“…How considerate of you.”

He had deliberately spoken with sarcasm, but the doctor showed no particular reaction. Instead, he simply picked up the pen he had set down earlier and asked,

“Do you remember what happened before you came to the hospital?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the last thing you do remember?”

“I was on my way home after finishing my part-time job. Then I woke up here, in the hospital.”

After saying that, Kim Min-seok frowned slightly. Come to think of it, he’d been bombarded with questions from others, but he hadn’t even gotten the chance to ask what he was curious about. He turned to the doctor and asked,

“How did I end up in the hospital? Was there an accident? A traffic accident? What about the perpetrator?”

If it was a traffic accident, he might have hit the jackpot. He had been minding his own business when he got hit, and now he was lying in a hospital bed—surely, he could squeeze a hefty settlement out of this. That money would be enough to get by without doing any more part-time jobs until he found a proper full-time job.

“You, Seo Ha-yoon—”

At the sound of that name, Kim Min-seok’s expression immediately darkened, making the doctor quickly correct himself.

“You fell from the rooftop of a building.”

“…What?”

Kim Min-seok couldn’t hide his disbelief.

“Considering that you only sustained a mild concussion from falling from the third floor, I’d say you were incredibly lucky.”

Why the hell would I fall from a building? I was definitely walking home after work—so what the hell was I doing on a rooftop? And why did I fall? Did someone drag me up there and push me off?

His mind became tangled, like a knotted thread. As he furrowed his brows and blinked in confusion, the doctor let out a small sigh. Extending his arm, he reached for a round tabletop mirror at the corner of his desk and pulled it toward them.

“Look.”

The doctor adjusted the mirror’s angle so that Kim Min-seok could see his face. Without much thought, Kim Min-seok glanced at his reflection—only to blink in dumbfounded shock.

Staring back at him from the mirror was a young man with strikingly black eyes and hair, contrasted by an almost unnaturally pale complexion. His features were delicate, resembling the popular idol-type look, and beneath his left eye sat a small beauty mark, adding to his mysterious aura.

If he had seen this face on the street, he might have thought, Oh, is he a celebrity? and taken a second look. But there was a glaring problem.

This was not the face Kim Min-seok remembered.

The face he recalled was neither exceptionally handsome nor unattractive—just the standard, average face of a typical Korean man. It was nothing like this refined, almost princely appearance.

Staring blankly into the mirror, he slowly lifted a hand and touched his face. The person in the reflection mimicked his every move.

“This is…”

He muttered in a daze, his voice trailing off as realization struck.

Until now, he hadn’t even noticed. His voice was different.

The familiar, average baritone he was used to had been replaced by something smoother, softer—almost melodious.

His mind went blank. What the hell is this? That thought filled his head completely.

No matter how many times he looked into the mirror, no matter what expression he made, the face in the reflection followed him precisely. Even when he pinched his cheek, the sting of pain was unmistakably real.

“Excuse me…”

His voice trembled as he called for the doctor. Finally managing to tear his gaze away from the mirror, he turned back to the doctor and spoke again, his tone laced with uncertainty.

“…I think I’ve switched bodies with someone else.”

The doctor nodded without the slightest hint of surprise.

“Yes, that’s a possible way to feel. But don’t worry too much. Amnesia or dissociative disorders caused by strong head trauma usually improve over time. Of course, continuous treatment is necessary.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. I mean, this person—what was the name again?”

“Seo Ha-yoon.”

“Right, this Seo Ha-yoon person. I think I switched bodies with him. You said he fell from the third floor, right? I must have been in an accident too, and because of that, maybe our souls got swapped or something. Can you check if there’s a Kim Min-seok who was admitted here from an accident?”

His own voice was shaking so badly that even he could hear it. He knew how ridiculous this all sounded. But what other explanation was there for suddenly looking like a completely different person? He was Kim Min-seok. He had clear, vivid memories of growing up in an orphanage and everything he had gone through up until now.

“Now, let’s calm down first.”

The doctor gently pushed the mirror aside, speaking in a soothing tone.

“Calm down? Do you really think this is the time to be calm?!”

Without realizing it, Kim Min-seok’s voice rose sharply. He tried to push himself up from his seat, but his legs gave out, and he collapsed back down with a thud.

“I am entirely on your side. So don’t worry too much. Let’s take our time and work through this together.”

The doctor’s voice remained steady and composed. It was obvious he was trying to pacify him. But strangely enough, seeing the doctor’s unshaken demeanor made Kim Min-seok’s own agitation slowly subside.

He let out a deep sigh and wiped a hand over his mouth. His eyes flickered toward the mirror that the doctor had set aside. Noticing his glance, the doctor swiftly held up the mirror again. Kim Min-seok carefully examined the face reflected in it—no, Seo Ha-yoon’s face. He gingerly traced his fingers over his—no, this—skin, feeling the smooth, flawless texture beneath his touch. The sensation was undeniably real.

No matter how absurd it seemed, there was no denying it. He was now inside Seo Ha-yoon’s body.

“…Then what am I supposed to do now?”

His voice was weak, almost defeated. He already knew that whatever answer he received wouldn’t be helpful, but he had to ask.

“Normally, when dissociative disorders of this severity occur, we recommend hospitalization, even if only for a short period…”

At the word hospitalization, his mind snapped to attention. He knew exactly what the doctor meant—admission to the psychiatric ward. A mental hospital?!

Thankfully, the doctor quickly clarified.

“However, since this case was caused by a severe head injury, rather than hospitalization, I believe it would be better to monitor your condition and proceed with therapy.”

Kim Min-seok visibly relaxed. It was already bad enough that he had woken up in someone else’s body—getting locked up in a psychiatric ward on top of that would have been unbearable. Just the thought of it made cold sweat bead on his forehead.

“…So, can I leave now?”

He asked with a dejected expression. The doctor nodded.

As soon as he opened the office door, the two men sitting in the chairs outside immediately stood up.

The man in the black suit frowned upon seeing Kim Min-seok’s despondent face, while the man in brown approached with a kind, reassuring expression and gently supported him.

“What did the doctor say?”

The man in brown asked.

“…He said it looks like I have dissociative disorder.”

Kim Min-seok answered honestly, then turned to the man in the black suit walking beside him and asked,

“Can you check if there’s a patient named Kim Min-seok in the emergency room or among the hospitalized patients here?”

The man in the black suit raised a single eyebrow. His expression screamed, What kind of bullshit is this? His face was utterly impassive, as if he wouldn’t bleed a single drop even if pricked with a needle.

Feeling a sense of futility, Kim Min-seok turned to look behind him instead.

The man in brown met his gaze and stared at him for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and nodding.

“I’m not sure if I can find anything, but I’ll check.”

“Thank you.”

Kim Min-seok turned slightly and gave a small bow of gratitude.

At that, a peculiar smile formed on the man’s delicate face.

For a fleeting moment, something about that expression unsettled him, but Kim Min-seok quickly brushed it off.

There were more pressing matters at hand.

The priority was finding his real body and figuring out how to switch back.

Until then, his best option was to act carefully—just enough to avoid getting thrown into a psychiatric ward.