Chapter 1: A Brave New World

‘’Fiouuuu, fucking finally! Couldn’t they just quickly let us go? Those motherfucking bastards. At least we’re finished with this bullshit Hyun.’’ arching his back, Jinsung loudly complained.

With contemptuous ease born of habit, I ignored his antics, busying myself with checking my bank account.

Shinhwa Bank-

• checking account: 06 019 021 Won

It’s a shit sum for what amounts to 18 months of mandatory military service. What they paid us is significantly far below average in terms of minimum wage, even though necessities like food, housing, and other little things were taken care of by the army. It was still a waste of fucking time.

While being forcefully conscripted and doing your mandatory service, everything in your life was on hold. You have a huge hole in your resume if you were already working, or about to start working after college, if you were a student your studies were on hiatus and the possibilities of making something of this were fucking slim because of the state of the military.

Annoyingly, Jinsung being himself, shrugged my attempt at ignoring him. I soon felt a weight settle over my shoulder ‘’Oh? You’re checking your bank account? With everything that happened and the hell that we have to go through, I completely forgot that we were being paid for this shit.’’ I sighed internally, quickly closing the app.

If it was any other person or heck if it was me from 2 years ago, I would have lost my shit over this. I’m still not used to him invading my personal space like this. I remember the first few times he did this, I struck him with my elbow.

“Yeah… I wasn’t expecting much but I’m still surprised by how little it is. I can’t even afford the tuition for a semester in a private university with this…”

Jinsung guffawed ‘’Jajajaja, Shihyun, your hyung did warn you about it. You shouldn’t expect too much shit for this. This cute bastard. Was it why you were working so diligently? Don’t cha worry, your hyung got your back. We’re going out to drink. My treat!’’.

I raised a questionable eyebrow, with some doubt in mind, and inquired ‘’If I remember correctly, you’re supposed to have a welcome-home dinner with your family. What happened to that?’’

‘’Nahh, it’s fine we can still go for a drink after that, the night would still be young!’’ He responds, winking, before patting my back, a teasing smirk on his lips.‘’ And who knows? If there are some pretty noonas, your hyung may graciously help you hook up with one, it’s about damn time you pop your cherry’’

I rolled my eyes at him. Not particularly bothered by his last remark. No, this guy can be quite tiring sometimes, he doesn’t have a concept of an indoor voice. Always so damn loud.

If people having such a diverse variety of natural hair colors in an eastern environment with black and chestnut usually being the dominant hair color in the population didn’t manage to cue me in that I was transmigrated/isekai’ed in an anime of some kind ; the weird obsession with sex being the focus of every conversation started between the guys in the barrack, did clued me in on the kind of anime I was in.

That, and a rapid dive on any social media platform.

Only extreme feminists can believe that when guys are alone, the only topic of conversation that we have or that is recurring is about boobs and asses.

Still, in his own way, he’s just trying to look after me, what with me being the only one that stuck out with him when things got tough and him being kind of my only friend in the base. I decided to throw him a softball ‘’Sure, but I prefer if we schedule that for another day, it will be too late. I want to settle in first at my loft then we can do that in private, at your home, or even at my place. You’re my hyung, drink on you. I’m broke’’

‘’I… to think it’s how you felt about me all this time… I-I’m sorry Hyun, I… can’t return your feelings… I only saw you as a friend’’ Jinsung murmured, slowly backing away while crossing his hand on his chest.

This time, I let out a sigh of exasperation at his antics. He can really be too much sometimes. Around us, I could see people giving us weird looks. This is why I don’t often engage him in conversations. He can’t read the mood. Or most likely he can and actively want out of his way to lighten it. He has done it way too many times already at this point for me to think it’s a coincidence. He’s surprisingly perceptive.

‘’Nope, you’re too ugly for me to turn gay for you’’ I snarked back half-heartedly at him while checking my watch. I took note of the time. The next bus out of the base for the city proper is supposed to be at the nearest stop in 15 minutes. ‘’At this rhythm, we’ll miss our bus, I don’t know for you, but I’m sure as hell not spending another damn week in this place if I can help it. C’mon, let’s go!’’

I break into a fast pace down the paved pathway. ‘’Hey! Wait for me! Shihyun! You bastard! Alright, alright! Geez, I’m coming’’ At my urging, Jinsung quickly hurried after me, catching up with me soon after.

We quickly left behind the military base compound and stepped up on a small road with shrubbery surrounding us on either side.

I filtered out the idle chatter of Jinsung next to me, humming at his words from time to time when he was addressing me. I zoned out in my thoughts.

A second chance at life. A new life. In another world. It’s been 18 months since I’ve been unceremoniously dumped in this body. It’s ironic, I always fantasized about having a second chance at life, a chance to correct my past mistakes. Having a go at another life in a fictional world of my choice used to be in my thoughts.

However, presented with the same opportunity… I… I didn’t know what to do. No matter which world I was in, no matter which life I was living, I didn’t know in either case what to do! Nothing manages to change about this fact.

I didn’t have a meeting with a R.O.B. or a deity that explained what happened to me.

I didn’t have a choice when I was forcibly displaced into another body without knowing what happened to my previous life. I don’t know for sure if I even died before ending here.

I didn’t receive an isekai cheat, a system or power, an ability, or anything!

In the first place, the choice to be conscripted wasn’t mine, or his choice for the matter.

Something something orphan, something something inheritance, something something being gaslighted, bullied, and then later on forced out to do some mandatory military service after high school by his legal’s guardians.

This was the start of the plot of a quintessential revenge porn manhwa. Literally.

Everything I managed to deduce about my situation was thanks to the information on his phone.

For fuck sake! I woke up one day on the bus, on the way to the military base, the day of my drafting, without this body's ancient owner's memories!

Thank God that I could unlock his phone with my fingerprint.

I was dazed, lost, and confused. The first few weeks in this new life were a blur. It was as if I was in a lucid dream… except I could taste, hear, smell, and feel things as normal.

It was as if I was a passenger in my body's interaction. I… I needed something, I needed an objective, a goal… I didn’t know what was going on. So daily training and just getting by day to day became my goal.

Step by step, I managed to motivate myself. I fixed myself small objectives. It was little things at first like knowing who I was. Where? When? Why was I here?

Progressively with some help, I dragged myself out of my pit.

Early enough, I could hear the distant sound of incoming traffic, it managed to jolt me out of my thoughts.

And soon enough, the highway appeared in my view. A great rush of excitement flows through me.

At long last, I could taste freedom on my lips.

Beside me, Jinsung was still animatedly talking ‘’-was a real son of bitch. Fucking crazy bastard, like I told him to discretely check out this chick across us, but this dumbass goes ‘where?’ while wildly turning his head left and right! Fuck-’’ I cut short his tirade ‘’We’re here, I think that our bus I’m seeing coming from the other side of the road, hurry up!’’

I quickly checked left and right, seeing that there wasn’t a car coming near enough, I darted for the other side of the road. Behind me, I could hear Jinsung yelling. ‘’Oiiii! W-wait a second you crazy bastard! There no rush! Do you want to be run over by a truck???’’

At his exclamation, a joyous laugh escaped my mouth.

Ah! Not today Truck-nim.