“You… Are you my love rival?!”

“...”

“...”

“WHAT?! You really think I’m gonna–”

Before Yoo-jin could even finish his sentence, Hyun shushed him by stuffing the boy’s mouth with a small roll of kimbap. Damn, why was he so loud?! Shooting a tiny glare at the baffled boy, Hyun subtly shook his head as he tilted his head to his brother, who was observing them with great interest. 

Wiping his hands clean with a wet wipe, Hyun angelically smiled before jumping off his seat and pulling Yoo-jin along. “Eomma, appa! We’re done with our dinner! Can we please go play now?”

“Huh? But you guys just started–”

“We need space for cake! Right, Yoo-jin?” Hyun squeezed Yoo-jin’s wrist as he batted his eyelashes at the irritated boy.

“... Sure.”

“I’ll join them too!” Joon suddenly shouted as he stood up and distrustfully glanced at Yoo-jin.

“NO! I want to play with my friend! You played with yours, so why can’t I play with mine?!” Hyun pouted as he angrily placed his hands on his hips. 

“But–”

“Okay, okay. Go on up and play in your room. Don’t make a mess, okay? And Joon, finish your food and work on your summer homework!” Eun-ha clucked her tongue at her oldest son, who looked at his mother in disbelief.

“Ergh… But eomma–”

“Okay! Thank you for the meal!” Hyun shouted behind him as he excitedly dragged Yoo-jin into the house.

~~~

Once inside Hyun’s playroom, Yoo-jin wiggled his arm away from Hyun’s grasp. Just like in the past, this kid was so demanding and pushy! Ugh! Well, at least this meant that he did find Heeyoon in this new life of theirs… But how was he supposed to haul this idiot back to heaven with him?! With a sigh, Yoo-jin plopped onto the squishy bean bag as Hyun closed the door behind them. 

“...Anyways… Do you really think I’ll have a crush on some dude born in 1960?!”

“He wasn’t born in 1960! He was born in the late 70s!” Hyun argued back, his eyes blazing with disbelief and annoyance at Yoo-jin’s misinformation about the actor’s age.

“Same difference! Still an old geezer.”

“Hey!”

“Damn. I’m not after ‘your’ man, so don’t worry. Geez.” Yoo-jin sighed in exasperation. Then and now, his best friend seriously couldn’t take a joke.

“Oh… I guess it’s not that kind of trope then….” Hyun mumbled as a slight frown formed on his forehead.

“...What?”

“Nothing. How do you know about Song Yoo, though?”

“Uhhh. Well…” 

Yoo-jin wracked his head for an explanation. Should he just reveal everything now? But what if he couldn’t find this idiot again once he left?! He had to find a way to keep an eye on this kid! He didn’t venture all this way to let Heeyoon do something dangerous! What if this idiot got the wrong guy and failed the mission…?! Who knew what would happen then!

“I-I’m here to help you find him! I’m your, uh, guardian angel?” Ah, crud. Why did he add the last part?!

“REALLY?!” Hyun beamed with excitement as white roses bloomed behind him like a halo. Yoo-jin grimaced, avoiding the child’s twinkling ruby eyes. Ugh…

Damn, he actually believed it?! Clearing his throat, Yoo-jin awkwardly scratched his head as he smiled at the starry-eyed boy, “... Y-Yup. God sent me to make sure that you, uh, complete your mission!”

“But how though…? Like, how do you even know about me??”

“Well, you’re famous up there as the stupid girl who got reincarnated for an actor, all within five minutes of arriving. I mean, come on. That’s pretty stupid, don’t you think?”

“... Ahem. Anyways. How are you going to help, though? You’ll be leaving soon.” Hyun looked away, embarrassed, but paused as he gasped in horror. “Wait… Are you sure you aren’t trying to steal him away from me?!”

“For the last time, no! I don’t want some crusty old guy! Shouldn’t you worry more about what’ll happen if you don’t seduce him? Did you even ask God about that???”

“Erm… No…? But if you’re supposed to be my ‘guardian angel,’ you can tell me in God’s stead, can’t you? What’ll happen if I don’t end up seducing Song Yoo?”

Aghh…! Yoo-jin didn’t think Hyun would actually ask him! How the hell was he supposed to know?! He wasn’t the one who made a deal with that stupid God of theirs! Dammit, why didn’t God send them some manual or something about this “mission?” Chewing on his lip, Yoo-jin awkwardly avoided eye contact as Hyun’s observant gaze followed his every move. He had to think of something– quick!

“Huh. You don’t know either, eh?”

“No! That’s not true; I do know!”

“... Right. What is it then?” Hyun asked as he smirked at Yoo-jin’s blatant lie. Who would have thought he’d meet someone just as bad at lying as him? Though… he had improved at it while living as ‘Hyun’ for the past three years. 

Sitting up from his seat, Yoo-jin put his hands together as he rested his chin on his knuckles. Then, with a serious look, the seven-year-old looked up at the skeptical boy, “You’ll just repeat this life over and over again until you make Song Yoo fall for you… But by then, who knows if you’ll even remember why you came down here.”

“... Why are you lying–”

“Does it look like I’m lying?”

Hyun fell silent. He hadn’t even thought about what would happen if he failed to accomplish his deal with God. Was he going to have to live out this life repeatedly, like this kid suggested? Hyun didn’t want that at all! It was already hard pretending to be Hyun! Whenever he was with his new family, he felt so guilty for taking over some random kid’s life just to meet Song Yoo again… 

Noticing his best friend’s troubled expression, Yoo-jin stood up from the bean bag and approached the despondent boy. “...Why do you want to be with Song Yoo so bad? To the point where you abandoned your family? He doesn’t even know that you exist!”

“...Because he was the one who inspired me to become a screenwriter.”

“What does that have anything to do with–”

“You wouldn’t understand– nor do I expect you to. I just wanted to see Song Yoo again and thank him… Even if he doesn’t know who I am.”

What the heck?! Yoo-jin stupidly stared at his friend. In all the years Ye-ji (Yoo-jin) had known Heeyoon, she never knew that Song Yoo had been the reason why her best friend had switched majors. She had thought Heeyoon was crazy for double majoring in creative writing and film instead of majoring in mechanical engineering… It was just like her to do something like this. 

“Alright, fine. I still don’t understand why that has anything to do with you being so reckless… But I’m gonna help you get that guy no matter what!”

“How?”

“I dunno. But… if we’re going to do this, I need you to promise me two things.”

“... Ha. What are they?”

“First, do NOT, under any circumstances, go after a guy solely because you think he could be Song Yoo.”

“... What’s the other condition?”

“Promise me that first one; then I’ll tell you the second condition.”

“Ugh. I promise.” Hyun muttered, rolling his eyes at Yoo-jin’s adamant behavior. What was he, his mom?!

“Second, let’s be friends.”

Surprised, Hyun stared at the chagrined child in front of him. Huh…?! That was it? That’s all he wanted? Unable to suppress the bubble of laughter at the tip of his tongue, Hyun giggled at Yoo-jin’s proposition. Why did this remind him so much of the time he became friends with Ye-ji in his past life…? Granted, Heeyoon (Hyun) had been the one who shyly asked to be friends. 

Extending his hand for a handshake, Hyun smiled at Yoo-jin, “Sure! I have a good feeling we’re gonna get along quite well!”

“Likewise.”

The two boys grinned as they shook hands on a deal that neither of them would ever forget.

**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.**