sovbooks Chapter 4 Who the hell are you?
Chapter 4 Who the hell are you?
As dawn broke and the musty smell of the basement hadn't dissipated, Kim Min-jun's hoarse voice exploded.
"Holy crap! Who the hell are you?!"
Su Yu was dreaming when the shout nearly made him roll off the bed. Before he even opened his eyes, a blinding white light slammed into his face.
It was Kim Min-jun's phone, with the flash on full blast, making people dizzy.
"Don't move! Keep this angle!" Kim Min-jun was like a madman, frantically swiping his fingers across the screen. "This is too weird, really, too weird."
Su Yu squinted and saw two pictures side by side on the screen. The one on the left was taken secretly the day before yesterday; his face was ashen, and his eye bags sagged down to his chin, making him look like a zombie that had just been unearthed. The one on the right was taken just now; it was high-definition and uncensored, showing clear skin and bright eyes.
"Speak," Kim Min-jun tossed his phone onto the bed, plopped down on the edge, and looked at him like he was an alien. "Where did you get your head transplant last night? Give me the address, I'd sell a kidney to get one."
Su Yu propped herself up and sat up, her throat parched: "I didn't go to the hospital."
"Are you kidding me?" Kim Min-jun pointed at his nose. "You think sleeping will shrink your bones back to normal? Your face used to be so big, and now it's a V-shape! And your eyes, they used to be dead fish eyes, now they're as bright as if they've been electrified!"
Su Yu ignored him, stepped off the ground barefoot, and walked towards the sink on the cold cement floor.
The cold water splashed on his face, making him shiver. He looked up at himself in the mirror.
Things have definitely changed.
It wasn't the kind of swelling that comes off after a good night's sleep; it was more like—as if someone had wiped all the dirt off my face with an eraser. My skin was unnaturally pale, my pores were so fine you couldn't see them, and my jawline was so sharp it looked like it had been carved with a knife.
The most frightening thing is the gaze. It's so dark and heavy that when you look in the mirror, you feel like the person in the mirror is staring at you.
"I'm serious," Kim Min-jun leaned closer, winking, "Your looks have skyrocketed. Before, when we walked down the street, people would look at me like I was an idiot, and you like you were invisible. Now? People look at you like a cool, aloof god, and I look at you like an idiot's lackey."
Su Yu grabbed a towel and wiped her face: "Shut up."
"Stop pretending to be cool." Kim Min-jun was still nagging. "Those girls from the next class were asking yesterday who that handsome Chinese guy at the convenience store was. I told them he was my roommate, but they didn't believe me and said I wasn't good enough for him."
Su Yu zipped up her coat and went out the door.
"Hey! Don't go! Let me take a couple more pictures to post on WeChat Moments!"
When I arrived at the convenience store, Mr. Park was squatting at the entrance unpacking packages.
"Good morning." Su Yu turned to the side.
Boss Park looked up, and the paper cutter in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".
He picked up the knife, looked up, and stared at Su Yu for a full five seconds, his expression changing from confusion to shock, and finally to looking at a monster.
"Su Yu?"
"Um."
"You..." Boss Park stood up and circled him. "Didn't you sleep last night? Or did you take some kind of medicine?"
"Slept very well."
"Then how come you..." Boss Park gestured to his face, "You've become more handsome? No, you've become younger. You look like you've lost five years."
Su Yu was too lazy to explain and went into the store to put on an apron.
Mr. Park was still muttering at the door, "Strange, really strange. My daughter spent 400 million on hyaluronic acid injections, and she didn't get this kind of effect."
At 2 PM, there was no one in the store.
Su Yu was squatting on the ground arranging instant noodles when the doorbell rang.
"Welcome." He didn't look up.
The footsteps stopped in front of the cashier.
Su Yu stood up, carrying two packets of Shin Ramyun, and saw Shirley. She wasn't wearing a mask, her long hair was down, and she was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. She was looking at herself in the mirror next to the cashier when she saw Su Yu approaching, and her movements suddenly froze.
"What are you looking at?" Su Yu put the noodles down.
Shirley turned around, her eyes wide, and scanned him up and down three times: "You...you've been secretly dating someone behind my back, haven't you?"
"no."
"Then how did you become so beautiful?" Shirley leaned closer, her nose almost touching his face. "Last week, only your eye bags disappeared, but this week your skin looks like it's peeling! How come your skin is so fair? What foundation are you using?"
"It's no use."
"Liar." Shirley reached out and poked his cheek. "Soft, warm, not painted. Strange, very strange."
She took two steps back, tilting her head to examine him: "Also, your reflexes have gotten faster."
Su Yu's heart skipped a beat: "What?"
"The way you looked up at me when I came in just now," Shirley gestured, "was so fast. Like... someone who's trained in martial arts. You used to be so slow, but now you react in the blink of an eye."
Su Yu didn't speak. This was the second person to speak.
"Maybe I've been sleeping well lately," he said evasively.
"Don't give me that." Shirley bought a bottle of water, leaned against the counter to drink it, and said, "I'll be back tomorrow. If you change your mind again, I'll call the police and have you arrested."
Why are you arresting me?
"I'm afraid you'll turn into an alien." Shirley made a face, pushed the door open, and left.
Yoon Shi-yoon arrived at four o'clock in the afternoon.
The bruises on his face had completely disappeared, leaving him clean and clear. He took a bottle of sports drink and placed it on the table.
"1500." Su Yu scanned the code.
Yoon Shi-yoon handed over the money, but didn't leave; he stared at his face.
"What are you looking at?"
"Your bone structure has changed." Yoon Shi-yoon's tone was flat, as if reciting lines. "Your cheekbones have receded, and your jawline has become more defined. This isn't just swelling going down; it's the bones moving."
Su Yu's hand trembled, and the barcode scanner almost fell to the ground.
"joke."
"I'm an actor, I make a living with my looks." Yoon Shi-yoon pointed to his eyes. "I have a good eye for people. Your face is at least three shades more refined than last week. And..."
He paused, his gaze deepening. "The 'lines' on you have become brighter."
Su Yu suddenly looked up. Yin Shiyun had already turned and left, only turning back at the door: "If you feel something is wrong, go to the hospital for a checkup. Don't try to tough it out."
The door closed.
Su Yu stood there, his palms sweaty.
Was his bone moving? Had the lines become brighter? He subconsciously touched his jaw; it was indeed tighter than before, and felt hard to the touch.
It's 8 PM, time to leave work. Just as I stepped out the door, my phone vibrated.
Shirley: "Are you home yet?"
Su Yu: "Just left."
Shirley: "Seriously, you scared me today. Not in the way of becoming more handsome, but... you were practically glowing. Like you had special effects applied."
Su Yu stared at the screen without replying.
Shirley posted another message: "Don't change tomorrow, or I won't even recognize you."
Su Yu smiled and replied, "I'll try my best."
He put away his phone and walked towards the semi-basement. The streetlights cast long shadows of his body. He looked down at his hands; his fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles. The soreness in the base of his thumb was gone, replaced by a strange lightness. It was as if these hands didn't belong to him, capable of performing some incredible movement at any moment.
Back in that leaky little hut, he stood in front of the sink and looked in the mirror one last time.
The person in the mirror was so unfamiliar that it made his heart race. It was the same face, yet completely different.
Su Yu turned on the tap, and cold water gushed out. He scooped up the water and splashed it on his face, over and over again, until it was bone-chillingly cold.
"Stop thinking about it," he told himself. "I have to go to work tomorrow."
I turned off the lights and lay down in bed. My phone lit up.
Sherry: "Goodnight, monster."
Su Yu: "Peace."