Hee-yoon felt something tickling her nose as something fluttered against her face. Irritated, she twitched her nose and swatted at her face, leaving a red mark on her pudgy cheek. All she wanted to do was sleep! Smacking her lips, she rolled to her side, her mouth slightly parted with drool oozing onto her pillow. Even in her deep, sweet slumber, Hee-yoon 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 like a stack of blankets placed on top of the foam mat covering the bedroom) 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?! 

Wary of her new surroundings, she was about to remove her covers but paused, her eyes widening at her small, child-like hands. Ugh, not again! Horrified, Hee-yoon shot up in her bed, headbutting the poor boy in the process. Both yowling in pain, they glared at each other with guarded interest. With her eyebrows raised, Hee-yoon tilted her head to the side. Why was this young boy the first person she encountered after her reincarnation? Where was Song Yoo?! 

Completely forgetting her prior worry, Hee-yoon gasped in awe and adoration as she quickly wobbled up to a standing position. Hee-yoon gazed at the young child with her twinkling, ruby-red eyes. Wait a sec… There’s no guarantee that Song Yoo would reincarnate with the same face. What if this kid is Song Yoo? 

Grabbing the boy's hand, Hee-yoon rubbed it against her cheek, 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!"

"...?" Hee-yoon tilted her head and stared at the boy in confusion. Who the heck was Hyun? 

"Hyun? Who is Hyun?"

"GAAAH! HYUN IS ACTING SUPER WEIRD!" The little boy yanked away from Heeyoon's grip and ran away in a flash, leaving the confused child alone in the small dinosaur-themed bedroom.

"What's wrong with him?” Hee-yoon frowned, upset at the little boy’s reaction. It wasn’t like she had cooties! Ugh, whatever. That’s not important right now!

With a dramatic sigh, she glanced down at herself and stomped her foot on the hardwood floor, “Darn it. I guess I’m gonna need to study for the college entrance exam all over again. Ha… My poor youth.”  

Groaning, she plopped back onto her fluffy blankets, staring at the ceiling in defeat. In her past life, Hee-yoon had spent fourteen years studying, pressured to get into a prestigious university one day. She had hoped she wouldn’t be born into a Korean family, but here she was. Well, no matter! Song Yoo was by her side this time! Huh, maybe it's a good thing that I was reincarnated as a child. I’ll be able to watch Song Yoo grow up in the process! 

Feeling giddy, she sprung to her feet and quickly ran to the nearest mirror, curious about her new appearance. Frozen in place, she gawked at the adorable reflection staring back at her. That… was her?! Stunned, Hee-yoon flapped 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? 

Zooming out of the bedroom, Hee-yoon looked left and right, searching for a sign indicating she wasn't stuck in some warped version of reality. I thought I asked to be reincarnated– not isekai’d into some weird fantasy novel! 

Biting on her nail, she hesitantly tiptoed over to the large window overlooking the vast blue ocean in the distance. Huh. It looked normal… There were no elves or gnomes, or whatever else that was in a fantasy setting. Or, at least from what she could gather from the modern homes dotting the shoreline, anyway. Hmm. 

She was about to jump off the small step stool below when a shadow loomed over her. Hesitantly, Hee-yoon 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. Everyone is so cute and handsome~! Kyahh!"

"...? Looks like someone had a good sleep! Come on, let's get you something to eat."

Picking up the young child, the young man descended the wooden stairs and onto the first-floor landing of the cozy home. A petite woman in her 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 his father’s arms, cooing over how adorable he looked. Suddenly, before Hee-yoon could understand the overwhelming emotions stirring up in her chest, she let out a loud sob as tears flooded down her rosy cheeks. 

"Hic… Eomma! Waaaah!"

How odd. Hee-yoon had lost her parents in an accident when she was in college, and had managed to live with the fact that she would no longer see them again. So why did she suddenly miss them so much? Hee-yoon stared at the young woman, her new mother in this new life. There was no doubt that they were biologically related, but… she wasn’t the person who had cared for her when she had been sick, or the mother who took away her pain with a simple bandaid. The reality of the situation hit Hee-yoon like a trainwreck, filling her little heart with emotions that were too complicated and heavy to bear. 

"Oh dear, what's wrong, Hyun?! Oh, my poor baby! Did you have a bad dream?" the young woman asked, bouncing the toddler in her arms.

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

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

“I wonder what’s wrong, he’s never cried like this before.”

“Maybe he’s still feeling under the weather? Should we make another appointment with the pediatrician?”

“WAAAAH! Nyooo! I want my Eomma!” The reincarnated child whimpered, trying to break free from his mothers’ arms.

Popping his head from behind his mother's waist, the young boy from before appeared. He was struggling to hold a white fluffy bear-like creature in his arms.

"Hyun! Look over here! Do you want to play with us?"

"Mmm…" 

Barely suppressing her sobs, Hee-yoon glanced 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, Hee-yoon balked at the boy, flabbergasted that he was treating her like a petulant child. Did he think she was some mindless toddler?! With a huge pout, she took a deep breath and was about to wail like there was no tomorrow when she felt something incredibly soft in her hands. Peeking down at her hands, Hee-yoon stared face-to-face with a mini-version of Cloudy. 

“Arf!”

“...Cloudy?!”

Hee-yoon felt her mouth drop open as she stared at the proud puppy in front of her. What was he doing here?! Before she could even formulate her sentence, the small puppy licked her hands, acting cute for his owner. Hehe, he’s really trying hard to cheer me up, huh? Unable to hide her amusement, a bubbly giggle erupted from Hee-yoon’s lips. 

The tension that had been hanging over the picturesque family soon melted away with Hyun’s adorable giggles. Huddled close, the family of five (including Cloudy) laughed as Hee-yoon (now Hyun) curiously studied her new family members. Looking down at the smiling boy below, 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. 

“... I’m an idiot.”

Climbing down from her mother’s arms, Hee-yoon let out a small sigh as she petted Cloudy’s fluffy head. She had assumed it would be easy to find Song Yoo after she reincarnated. But boy, had she underestimated the situation! Hee-yoon barely knew anything about this place, and she sure as heck had no idea where her beloved actor might be. So what was she supposed to do now? 

Moaning and groaning, the child cursed herself for her naivety. Why hadn’t she asked God more questions before she willingly hopped into that damned elevator?! 

With a small pout on her lips, Hee-yoon hugged the teddy bear-like dog. It was far too late to regret her decision now… She was already reincarnated in this new life. There clearly wasn't any other way Hee-yoon could go back to the afterlife and argue with God about his trickery until she fulfilled her end of the deal. 

Burying her face in Cloudy’s fur, Hee-yoon let out a muffled wail of defeat. Well, there was only one thing she could do. Starting now, she was going to live this new life of hers as Hyun and *hopefully* snag the male lead in her life before time ran out!

SIDE NOTE:

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

*Eomma =  Eomma means ‘Mom’ in Korean. It can also be spelled ‘umma’ as well!  

**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.**