Hyun sighed as he flopped onto the living room carpet, bored out of his mind. It was nearly a week since she– er, he– had been “reincarnated” as Hyun. Since his arrival, Hyun had learned (well, more like observed) a couple of things regarding his new life. 

First, while this new world was quite similar to his old one, one difference he found thus far was that everyone had unique-colored eyes that would have been hard to see in his previous life. …Which wasn’t much, considering that he hadn’t left the house the past week, so there was no knowing if his hypothesis was even correct. 

Second, it was the year 2009 F.D. From what Hyun could gather, ‘F.D.’ was a labeling system (similar to BCE/ CE/ AD) that stood for “Finis Domini” or “the end of the lord.” He didn’t quite understand what that meant, but he did know that this stupid “God” of his hadn’t reincarnated him as an actual newborn. Rather, he woke up in a four-year-old’s body!!! 

Hyun bit his lip as a typical plot from the many webcomics/ manhwas he’d read in his previous life surfaced in his mind. What if… he was in a situation where he was “reborn” into someone who had already died?! 

A shiver went down Hyun’s spine, spooking the small boy into a bout of hiccups. Grabbing his sippy cup, he downed it until the vibrations in his throat finally subsided. A content belch erupted from his lips as Hyun placed the sippy cup back down on the carpet. Embarrassed, he covered his lips as a slight blush crept across his nose. …Hopefully, his father hadn’t heard him. 

With a sigh, the little boy tried to calm down his thumping heart but failed as he felt himself get warmer with a burning rage. He tried to feign nonchalance by angrily smiling down at his trembling hands. God wouldn’t actually put people’s souls into corpses, would he…? But why the hell did he wake up in some four-year-old’s body, then?! Did that stupid– ahem, happy-go-lucky creator recycle bodies now?! Graah! That jerk…!

The small child scanned his surroundings before spotting his unsuspecting prey. He grabbed his stuffed, purple dinosaur lying on its back and began to punch it, releasing all his frustrations. Of all the possibilities, God chose to put him in a freaking dead body?! What kind of sicko was he?!

“...Ugh, I think I’m gonna puke just thinking about it… Blech.”

Tossing his poor, beat-up dinosaur to the side, Hyun plodded past his father– who was completely unaware of his son’s brief bullying of his stuffed animal. He stopped in front of the huge bay window that overlooked a series of small, cute shops and the vast ocean in the distance. Gazing outside on his tippy toes, Hyun watched as families flocked to the bakery’s grand opening across the street from his home. 

His mouth drooled upon looking at the to-go boxes people were holding. All he could think about was the variety of scrumptious cakes stored in those adorable basket-shaped boxes. Hyun crawled over to the sofa with a cheeky smile, where his dad was busy typing away on his laptop. Tugging on his dad’s pajama pants, Hyun stared up with puppy eyes, begging for attention. 

“Hmm? What is it, Hyun?”

“...Outside. I want cake, cake, cake, and more cake!”

“Erm… Hyun, do you remember what I said last time? Cake has a lot of sugar, so it’s a no-no, okay? Unless it’s a special occasion.” 

“But, but you pwomised!!! You said I can go out once I’m all better!!!” Hyun pouted, his puppy eyes shimmering with unshed tears as he pulled on his father’s pant legs. 

Averting his gaze, his father awkwardly coughed before he barely managed to mumble an answer from behind his laptop. “Erg... No… I can’t.”

“Pwetty pwease~?!” Hyun pouted even more earnestly. This time, holding his hands in a prayer position as he laid his head on his father’s lap, looking pitiful like an abandoned puppy.

“Agh! Fine… But don’t tell eomma, okay? Promise appa* first!”

“Okay! Pwomise!”

“Hehehe~ So cute! Come on, let’s go get some cake then!”

“Yay~!!!”

~~~

Hyun giggled as he and his father walked down the streets in a matching pale blue hoodie and black joggers. Finally! After a whole week of being cooped up in the house, he was free to explore and learn about his new world! As the pair stood in line, the bright, young child glanced left and right– marveling at the picturesque weather. The warm rays of sunlight hit the blue ocean at just the right angle, making it sparkle and glimmer like a sea of sapphires. Combined with the backdrop of the mountains filled with blooming wildflowers, it was a marvelous sight.

“...Wow…!”

“Hyun, do you know what kind of cake you want?” his father ruffled Hyun’s mop of raven-black hair as the little boy shrugged his tiny shoulders.

“Mmm… I don’t know! Can I go look?”

“All right, but be careful and make sure you can see me, okay? Also, don’t bother the other customers. Promise?”

“Pwomise!”

Wiggling his hand away from his father’s grasp, the adorable child skipped towards the cake display– all the while avoiding the small crowds in the shop. Squeezing between the tight space, Hyun firmly planted himself in front of the large display filled to the brim with various delectable pastries and desserts. Hyun felt himself salivating as soon as he saw the fluffy cakes meticulously decorated with jewel-like fruit and whipped cream. Yum~! 

With his face nearly pressed up against the glass, he watched as the part-timer carefully restocked the refrigerator. Catching the sparkling, ruby-red eyes of the young patron, she stifled a chuckle at the face Hyun was making. How adorable!

“Woah there, Hyun, back up a bit. Did you choose which cake you want?” his father asked, his deep but gentle voice oozing with love and affection for his youngest son. 

Excited, Hyun turned to face his father when he froze, tilting his head at the pink flower petals falling down at his feet. Huh…? Why were there flower petals falling within the shop? This wasn’t a flower shop and a bakery, was it? But more importantly, was it just him, or did everything suddenly seem so bright and magical? 

Slowly, he gazed up at his father and felt his mouth hang open in disbelief. Hyun gawked at the twinkling sparkles and the ring of flowers poofing out from behind the handsome, black-haired man. Hyun could literally see the words, “sha-la-la-la~” accompanying the pretty-boy effects he had often seen in manhwas or webcomics– Wait… no way.

Was this new world of his… a fictional setting?!!!

“Oh, for God’s sake…!”

**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.**