Heeyoon felt something tickling her nose as something fluttered against her face. Irritated, she twitched her nose and swatted at her face. All she wanted to do was sleep! Smacking her lips, she rolled to her side, her mouth parted open with drool oozing onto her pillow. Even in her deep, sweet slumber, Heeyoon could hear a low, muffled giggle from her left. Startled, her eyes flew open as she turned to the mysterious source. 

A small boy, around eight years old, was sitting next to the small, makeshift "bed" (which was more of a series of blankets placed on the foam mat of the hardwood floor) that she was in. He stared back at her with a cheeky grin, his vibrant, green eyes sparkling against his jet-black bangs. What the… Who the heck was he?! 

Rolling her eyes, she looked down to remove her covers but paused, her eyes widening at her small, child-like hands. Wait… child…? Horrified, Heeyoon shot up in her bed, headbutting the poor boy in the process. Both yowling in pain, they glared at each other with guarded interest. Heeyoon tilted her head to the side. Why was this young boy the first person she encountered after her reincarnation? Was he who she thought he was?

Completely forgetting her prior worry, she gasped in awe and adoration as she quickly wobbled up to a standing position. Heeyoon gazed at the young child with her twinkling, ruby-red eyes. Was this Song Yoo?! Immediately grabbing the boy's hand, she rubbed it on her face, giggling uncontrollably. Was this a dream?! Who would have thought she would meet Song Yoo as an adorable child?! How cute…! Squealing with joy, she hugged the boy tightly, not wanting to let go. 

"E-Eomma… Hyun's scaring me! He's acting so weird!"

"...?" Heeyoon titled her head and stared at the boy in confusion. Eh…? Why was he freaking out so much? 

"Hyun? Who is Hyun?"

"EOMMA! I THINK HE LOST HIS MEMORIES!" The little boy yanked away from Heeyoon's grip and ran away in a flash, leaving the confused boy (aka Heeyoon) alone in the small dinosaur-themed bedroom.

"What's wrong? Wait!" her eyes widened in shock. A small squeak escaped her lips before Heeyoon placed her hands against her throat. 

Why did she sound like a toddler still? Wasn't she supposed to get reincarnated into an adult man or something? Drats! Does that ignorant God expect me to live out my entire life again? I thought I was finally free from school…! Groaning, she plopped back onto the fluffy blankets, staring at the ceiling in defeat. Well, at least Song Yoo was by her side– which was completely unexpected. 

Feeling giddy, she sprung to her feet and quickly ran to the nearest mirror. Frozen in place, she gawked at the adorable reflection staring back at her. That… was her?! Stunned, she started to flap her arms around like a penguin before bursting into giggles. She really did reincarnate into a boy; how fascinating! Admiring her reflection, she twisted and turned, mesmerized by her sparkling, glowing red eyes. Wait a minute, red eyes?! What was this, some manhwa*?! There was no way she could have red eyes if this was real life! What was going on here?! 

Zooming out of the bedroom, Heeyoon looked left and right, searching for a sign indicating she wasn't stuck in some warped version of reality. God wouldn't lie to her, would he? The Bible even listed lying as a sin! 

Biting on her nail, she hesitantly tip-toed over to the large window overlooking the vast blue ocean in the distance. Huh. It looked normal... hmm. She was about to jump off the small step stool below when a shadow loomed over her. Hesitantly, she peeked behind and gasped, gawking at the handsome man before her. He had the same fluffy black hair and sparkling, ruby-red eyes as her new self. No doubt, this man was her new father.  

"Hyun, did you wake up from your nap? Are you feeling better now?"

"...Woah. He did a good job with this whole weincarnation* thing."

"...? Awwe, is my son still sleepy? Haha. Come on, let's get you something to eat."

Picking up the young child, the mysterious man descended the wooden stairs and onto the first-floor landing of the cozy home. A petite young woman in her mid-to-late 20s brightly smiled as she beelined for the tiny child in her husband's arms. Reaching out for her youngest son, she easily lifted "Hyun" out of her new dad's arms. Suddenly, before Heeyoon could understand the overwhelming emotions stirring up in her chest, she let out a loud sob as tears flooded down her rosy cheeks. In her haste to catch up to Song Yoo, she had completely forgotten to say goodbye to her parents– the very people she had longed to reunite with for the past 50 years. How could she have been so naive?

"Eomma…! Waaaah!"

"Oh dear, what's wrong, Hyun?! Oh, my poor baby! Did you have a bad dream?"

"Nyooo! You're not my eomma…! Hnnng…!”

Confused, Hyun's (aka Heeyoon) mother glanced at her equally shocked husband. They couldn't fathom why their youngest was acting so strangely. Fretting over the crying child, Heeyoon's new parents tried their best to console their son to no avail. 

Popping his head out behind his mother's waist, the young boy from before appeared, holding a big teddy bear in his arms. "Hyun! Look at this! Do you want to play with me?"

"Mmm…" Barely suppressing her sobs, Heeyoon stared down at the little boy with her quivering lips. With a slight frown, she looked away, ready to go into another roaring tantrum. Who cared about that stupid teddy bear?! She just wanted to see her parents again! 

“Peek-a-boo!”

Startled, Heeyoon gaped at the boy, flabbergasted that he was treating her like a petulant child. With her mouth hanging open, she stared at the stuffed toy being shoved into her face. Wow, he really was trying hard, wasn't he? Unable to hide her amusement, a bubbly laugh erupted from her lips. Looking down at the smiling boy, it was obvious that he couldn't possibly be the reincarnation of Song Yoo. Other than the vibrant, olive-green eyes he had inherited from their mother, the boy was an exact copy of "Hyun's" new father. 

Taking the teddy bear from her new brother, the little child let out a small sigh. Thinking that she would find Song Yoo so quickly was a bit far-fetched. But what in the world was she supposed to do now? Why didn't she ask God more questions before she willingly hopped into that damned elevator?! 

With a small pout on her lips, Heeyoon squeezed the teddy bear tightly. It was far too late to regret her decision now… She was already reincarnated as a small boy, and there clearly wasn't any other way she could go back to the afterlife until she fulfilled her mission… Or died– whichever came first.

Burying her face in the teddy bear's nose, she let out a muffled wail of defeat. Starting now, she was going to live this new life of hers as Hyun… and *hopefully* snag the male lead in her life! 

SIDE NOTE:

*Weincarnation = reincarnation; Hyun can't properly pronounce his r's and l's yet… xD

**NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**