2- Lost Soul's Second Chance

Observing all the unfamiliar people passing the street in a daze, Evelyn could not help but sigh. She had been sitting under the Nara tree with an empty small wooden bowl in front of her for hours.

She still could not understand it. She died, right? Of course, she had; the feeling of being burned to dust still lingered on her skin like a parasite, making her sweat and shiver from the memories.

Then, why am I still alive? Why am I still breathing? And why am I not in pain? My body is still intact, as well.

Seeing the buildings that seemed straight out of historical Chinese dramas and the people almost all wearing long-sleeved hanfu, as if the sun's heat did not bother them, Evelyn knew she was neither in heaven nor purgatory nor certainly not in hell.

Well, it's hot, I'll tell you that much. But that doesn't mean I'm underground. I live a decent and introverted life, so the place you were thinking of is far from my league.

"Then, where is this place?" Evelyn asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

She clearly remembered embracing her younger sister moments before as death approached them. Then, surprisingly, she woke up lying on the street.

But she had died. So why would she wake up smelling like she hadn't bathed in centuries?

"Wait, is this still my body?"

Evelyn started groping around herself until her hand stopped at her chest, only to be surprised.

"Why is this flat? Where are my breasts?"

She continued downwards anxiously until her hand stopped in the middle.

"What's this? Is this what I think it is?"

Uncertain of what she had just touched, she checked again, and it was indeed a cucumber.

"Why on earth do I have a cucumber? What's going on?" Evelyn exclaimed, panic written all over her face.

She glanced through the crowded streets, her eyes restlessly searching for something until she spotted two elder men carrying a large mirror.

Immediately, she stood up and ran after them, stopping in front of the mirror to look at herself, only to be utterly shocked.

"What is this? Who...?" She trailed off, her face stunned as she realized how different her appearance was from before.

"This is not my body. It's someone else's," Evelyn confirmed.

My soul's inside someone else's body. Not only that, it's a man's! I'm inside a man's body!

"Ha! Fantastic! Just fantastic!" she yelled, disbelief and amusement lacing her tone.

Seeing her new appearance confirmed that she had died. But why was she inside this man's body? Was this her second life of sorts? Should she call it a second life? 

But, again, why put my soul in a man's body instead of a woman's? What could have happened to this man for my soul to be inside his body?

Was this God's gift? Could I call it that way? Wait, was there such a thing as a second life? Was that saying true?

"Oy, Ye Run Chu! Get out of my way! I don't have time for your erratic moods today. Hurry up! Scram, scram," The sudden voice of an adult man rang out, tinged with frustration as he pushed his hand-driven wooden cart laden with a hefty block of ice, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Ye-Run-Chu? Grandpa, is that this guy's name?" Evelyn asked, striding towards the man.

"Huh? If that's not your name, am I just calling out random names like a madman here? And who are you calling Grandpa? Out of my way already!" the man replied, annoyed. He clicked his tongue before leaving in anger while Evelyn absentmindedly repeated and mumbled the name of the person whose body she now inhabited.

"Ye-Run-Chu, how should I spell it?" She wondered when suddenly, her stomach growled, and she felt a wrenching pain inside, making her groan in pain.

She strode to the side of the road, bent slightly, and crouched down, clutching her stomach.

"Ugh... I'm hungry," she mumbled pitifully, searching her— or should we say his— pockets for a penny but finding nothing.

"Right. I forgot that I am a beggar," Evelyn muttered wearily, recalling his state upon waking up and noticing a bowl three steps away earlier.

"Ye Run Chu, ha, sounds Chinese. Am I literally in China right now? Ye Run Chu. Could this guy die of hunger? I didn't steal anyone's life, right?" he wondered, as his eyes glanced at the street until they spotted the food stalls, each bursting with aroma and hot mist from various delicacies.

Evelyn, now in the body of Ye Run Chu, sniffed the air and couldn't help but feel even hungrier.

"Aiyooo—hiss..." His stomach grumbled in pain again, causing his brows to furrow in irritation.

"Damn it," he cursed.

Forcing strength into his body and ignoring the hunger, Evelyn stood up. His face filled with determination, and for the first time, he decided to do something he had never imagined doing before.

"I can't die again. I was lucky to be given another chance at life. I can't waste it. Now, to fill this empty stomach, I must borrow," and by borrowing, the closest thing he meant was 'stealing,'

"That's right, borrow someone's help first; we can repay them later," he said, slowly enacting his plan.

He strode through the crowd, blending in seamlessly. With lightning speed, his right hand slipped into someone's purse and took some money.

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