Part-time Job 01
At that moment, as if reading my thoughts, the smartwatch spoke.
[By the way, there's something you should know in advance. In your case, since your soul has inhabited someone else's body, there is a special restriction.]
A restriction? Things were going so well, why this now?
'What is it?'
[The original owner of this body, Lee Dohun, was supposed to die today. But with your soul inhabiting it, the body has been given new life.]
'So?'
[Although your soul is Lee Jungwoo, you must live out the rest of your life as Lee Dohun. You have to maintain his relationships with his family and friends, and continue his dreams. In short, you have to pretend to be Lee Dohun, not Lee Jungwoo.]
'Why should I? Lee Dohun is dead, and now I'm the owner of this body.'
[But that is the natural order. If you go against it…]
'And if I do?'
[…Your soul may be taken back. You are an existence that disrupts the order just by being here.]
Whoa, is this a threat? Even after being reborn, I can't live as I please… But no matter how many times I asked, the answer was the same.
They say that a soul not recorded in the Book of Life naturally attracts misfortune.
In other words, you might get into sudden accidents or disasters. People often say their fate is cursed, but it's actually because their name is missing from the Book of Life.
[Also, you must never reveal your experience of reincarnation or stories of the afterlife to anyone. You must not contact anyone you were connected to in your previous life. Any act that disrupts the order will incur the wrath of the gods.]
In short, don't stand out and live quietly.
Pretend to be Lee Dohun, not Lee Jungwoo.
"Fine. Got it. What a ridiculously complicated restriction. But I don't want to die again, so I'll follow it. But what kind of guy was he? I need to know that before I can imitate him."
[Lee Dohun was a university student.]
The watch explained in detail about the original owner of this body.
Name: Lee Dohun.
Age: 23.
Currently a sophomore in the Department of Physical Education at Gukseong University.
He finished his first year, served in the military, and is now preparing to return to school.
'Physical Education? No wonder the body's in good shape…'
[And his family currently lives in the United States.]
'The US? Is he a "black-haired foreigner"?'
[No. Dohun has a younger sister, five years his junior. The family moved together for her studies. If you open the wallet, you'll find a family photo.]
I opened the wallet that was carelessly left on the desk. Inside was a family photo of Lee Dohun: mom, dad, younger sister, and Dohun in the middle. The whole family looked good. He seemed to have inherited his height from his father and his face from his mother. But the one who really stood out was…
'Wow, his sister is really pretty. Good genes run in this family.'
[His sister's name is Lee Hye-eun. She's currently a sophomore in high school in the US and hopes to become a cellist.]
'Cello? So she's into music?'
[The family moved to the US because of Hye-eun's exceptional talent. They plan for her to attend Juilliard, as it would be hard to nurture her talent properly in Korea.]
'She's not only pretty but also talented. But if the whole family moved, who's earning the money?'
[Lee Dohun's father is a famous novelist. His name is Lee Chan-myung.]
'Wow! Really? I've read some of his books!'
[His mother's name is Kang Jung-hee. She's a homemaker. Please remember these details so you don't make any mistakes. If you arouse suspicion, a grim reaper might come after you.]
'I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, since the family's in the US, I probably won't see them for a while.'
[Yes. Occasionally, they call to check in, and your sister sometimes video calls you via FaceTime.]
Hearing about Lee Dohun's family suddenly made me think of my own parents. I wondered if they were okay. I must have left a deep scar in their hearts…
Trying to shake off the sad thoughts, I changed the subject.
'By the way, how did Lee Dohun die? He looks really healthy.'
[He died of acute myocardial infarction this morning.]
'Oh no, how could someone so young… He must have died alone, with his family abroad.'
[That was his fate. There's nothing to regret or be sad about. He lived out his allotted time.]
'Geez, fate again! Wait, does that mean his heart was bad?'
[That's why your health was reset upon reincarnation. There are no issues now.]
'Health reset? Is that even possible?'
[Of course. By the way, due to your stat redistribution, Lee Dohun's height increased by about 0.9 cm, but his IQ dropped by about 12 points.]
'What about, you know, that?'
[That's the original size…]
'Wow, this guy was something else. Then he must have had a lot of girlfriends? If he was well-endowed from the start…'
[Before the military, he dated an older upperclassman for about three months. After discharge, he currently has no girlfriend.]
'He served in the military, right? When is he returning to school?'
[This March.]
I picked up Lee Dohun's smartphone to check the date.
'It's early February now, so less than a month left.'
[Correct.]
'Man, I reincarnated and now I'm a returning student… At least I don't have to serve in the military again.'
Just then, the smartphone in my hand vibrated.
—Boss—
"Boss? Who's this?"
Muttering to myself, I answered the call.
"Hello?"
—Oh, Dohun. Sorry to bother you while you're resting. The student working the morning shift had a family emergency and wants to leave two hours early. If you're free, could you come in two hours early? I'll pay you for three hours. Is that okay?
It was a middle-aged woman's voice, gentle and kind.
'Wait, hourly wage? Am I working a part-time job?'
"Yes, boss. Just a moment."
I took the phone away and thought for a moment. It seemed that Lee Dohun was working a part-time job before returning to school. It felt odd to be working at this age, but to maintain Dohun's normal life, I had no choice.
"What time should I come in?"
—Can you make it by 4? I'm really sorry. I even called my daughter, but she said she absolutely can't because she's going out with friends.
"Okay, I'll be there."
"Thank you, Dohun!"
After hanging up, I checked the time on the smartphone. I still had about an hour left.
"Oh right, I didn't even ask where it is."
Just then, the smartwatch spoke.
[It's the Eight-Twenty convenience store, a 20-minute walk from here.]
'A convenience store? So he worked at a convenience store?'
[Yes. The shift is from 6 PM to 2 AM. You get every other weekend off.]
'So I reincarnated just to be a convenience store clerk…'
I was never one for manual labor. Back in college, I once went on a farming volunteer trip and collapsed after just an hour of using a sickle.
Of course, it's not like I've never worked part-time. I always had a full scholarship, but to earn pocket money, I tutored. With my university's name, three tutoring gigs could earn me as much as a new office worker's salary.
'But if his family can afford to live in the US, why is he working at a convenience store?'
[That's because of his parents' educational philosophy.]
'Educational philosophy?'
[His father wanted to teach him independence, so he made him earn his own spending money. Except for rent and tuition, he doesn't get an allowance.]
'Wow, that's some strict parenting.'
In a way, it's quite progressive. Honestly, if they pay for college and tuition, they've done enough as parents.
'So how long do I have to keep this job?'
[He's been working for about three months since his discharge, so he should have enough saved for next semester's expenses.]
'Okay. From now on, I'll look for tutoring jobs instead of manual labor. This is too much of a waste of time.'
[That's up to you.]
Anyway, I should get ready for work. I scanned the neatly arranged clothes on the rack. Since I'd just been discharged from the military, the hangers were pretty empty.
I put on a fleece-lined sweatshirt and jeans, then threw on a dark brown padded jacket.
I looked in the mirror and my jaw dropped.
"Wow! This guy looks like a model no matter what he wears!"
It was amazing. Just a T-shirt and jeans, but I seemed to shine.
Truly, a good face completes the fashion!
I grabbed my smartphone and stepped out of the studio apartment.