NINE

The week of Abby learning how to rap and dance had passed in a flash and their last day together had finally come. Abby had asked Cain if he could call in and ask for an extension, he didn't think they would give him one but he still called. And just like he thought, they didn't let him have any more days off. They said they wanted him back at the dorms with the group whether his injury had healed or not. He was expected to report in early morning the next day.

Abby felt like she was going to have a panic attack the moment Cain told her this but she didn't want him to see it happening so she left to her room and locked herself up. She was going to have to take some of her anxiety medication and sleep the rest of the day. She just wanted to shut everything out and was even going to skip out on work for the day. She didn't think she was going to be able to concentrate either way. All she could think about was how she was going to have to live a life completely different than hers, one she wasn't comfortable with. 

She knew many people would love to be in her place but if it were possible she would switch places with any one of those people. So long as their life was one that was not of an idol, one where they wouldn't have to go out and be in constant contact with so many people, she would gladly switch places with them. All she wanted was a life where she could feel safe, she didn't care about fame or anything else.

Cain felt frustrated. He wished he could do something, anything just so that she wouldn't have to suffer. Because he knew Abby was going to suffer while she pretended to be him. She was going to have to wake up early each morning just to do something she didn't even want to do. And not only that but she was going to have to work hard at doing something that was new to her, things she wasn't used to. She was going to feel uncomfortable 24/7 surrounded not only by people but by people she didn't even know.

Abby might have been a fan of Adam but they were still strangers to her. Strangers that she saw as scary because of all their germs and she was going to have to share a room with one of them. Cain knew it was hard to do something you feared and for Abby, this was something she feared. She feared sharing spaces with others and she feared places that were crowded with people yet she was going to have to face both those fears whether she liked it or not and he felt at fault for it.

All week long apart from learning Spanish and teaching Abby how to rap and dance, he had looked for information on body switching. And just like he had thought, he found no useful information. The only things that came up in his searches were dramas and movies about body switching so he decided to watch some of them. He thought that perhaps by watching them he would get an idea. But all the dramas and all the movies were basically the same.

They had already tried reenacting the moment they switched bodies. And all the characters in the dramas and movies that had tried that but still hadn't been able to switch back bodies just had to accept the fact that they couldn't do anything about it. Those characters had to go on living the other person's life until something "magical" just happened at the end and they were able to switch back. But dramas and movies were all just made up, nothing in them was ever real.

Cain did however notice that a lot of the times when the characters had been able to switch back bodies, it had been because they went to go see a psychic that told them what to do. They of course had to do a series of things first as switching back bodies never seemed to be an easy thing in either movies and dramas but in the end they were able to do it. Cain couldn't believe he hadn't thought about seeing a psychic before. If only they would have gone to see one that day they switched, perhaps by now they would have been back in their own bodies. 

He didn't know how Abby would feel about seeing a psychic so he hadn't told her but he had made an appointment to see one. Apparently she was the best in Seoul and it was because of that that she only saw clients that had appointments. He had called the week before to make an appointment and the psychic had wanted to give him one at the end of the month but he told her that it was urgent and that he would pay twice as much if she were to see him sooner. He had already borrowed money from Josiah so he had enough money to pay double if need be.

He decided to leave a note for Abby to let her know that he was going out. He had seen her go inside her room instead of to her office so he didn't want to disturb her just in case she was sleeping. He wrote the note and left it on the refrigerator. Abby often went to the refrigerator since she tended to drink a lot of water so she was bound to see it if he put it there.

Cain didn't want to end up bringing any germs from outside with him so decided to wear the same kind of protective gear Abby had worn that day at the clinic, he hoped she wouldn't mind him using her supplies. He was planning on buying her some more once he got his allowance since he was already going to spend all the money Josiah had let him borrow on the psychic.

The place was nearby but it was still too far to walk and if he walked he would only get sweaty since it was daytime and the sun was out. His only options were to either take a bus or a taxi. He thought about what Abby would do and he was pretty sure that she would much rather take a taxi than a bus where there were more people and germs. He wasn't a Germaphobe but he was starting to think like one, he had to if he wanted to understand Abby. He wasn't going to see her different way of being as weird but he was going to try to be understanding and even supportive. In the end he chose to take the taxi.

The place where the psychic was located looked very shabby but he guessed that didn't matter so long as she was good and able to help them out. He had heard of many so called "psychics" really just being scammers but Mrs. Kang had good reviews on Yelp and even had over 30 years experience of working as a psychic.

Cain knocked on the door but it was so old that he almost felt like he would end up knocking it down so he decided to just yell out her name.

"Mrs. Kang! Are you there?! I have an appointment with you!" 

"Cain, is that you?" 

He was shocked to hear his name. He hadn't told her his name or even the situation he was in over their phone call. There was also the fact that his voice was that of a woman's and not of a man's. But yet she had called him by his name.

"Cat got your tongue my boy?" 

The old creaky door opened and an old lady with a head full of white curls and freckles walked out. 

"Ajumma!" 

He was shocked to see that it was the same old lady from the clinic, the one that had said she was late to her appointment.

"I've been expecting you. I was surprised it took you this long to call me. But where is your body? Why is the girl not with you?" 

She knew! She really knew! Cain was excited at the thought that she perhaps also knew how to switch them back.

"I do know the way for you to switch back." 

She had just read his mind! Cain gasped and backed away. He didn't know if he should be happy or scared. He always thought mind reading would be scary if it were possible, just the fact that someone could read your mind was creepy. He wondered if there was a way to block her out of his thoughts. 

"There is no way to do that my boy. I know everything. I even know you're scared right now. Not only can I read your mind but I can feel your emotions as well. And not only are you scared but you are lovestruck as well. You like this girl, don't you? The girl whose body you now possess. You'll do anything for her." 

The ajumma sounded so certain in her words but she was indeed right.

"How is this even possible?" 

She had been spot on about everything. But that was a good thing because it meant she was legit. There was no way she could have faked all that.

"Of course I am legit. I would never scam people. Those who do so are just despicable." 

"Ok. I get the point. You can read my mind and I can't really stop all of my thoughts so I'll appreciate it if you just stopped saying all my thoughts aloud." 

"I've only been doing so because I wanted to prove myself. I always do this with all my customers. I want them to feel sure that they are trusting the right person. So my question to you now Hwang Cain, do you trust me?" 

She probably already knew but just wanted to hear it aloud.

" I do." 

He really did. He was sure there wasn't another psychic as legit as her and she was going to be worth every Won he ended up spending on that appointment.

"So now that you trust me, I'll need the girl to do so as well. Bring her to me. She is a part of this after all. She has to hear what I have to say just as much as you do." 

"I think she was sleeping when I left the apartment..."

"I understand you don't want to wake her but I only work when everyone that is involved is present. If she's not here then I'm sorry but I won't be able to do anything for you. I'm a busy woman so if both of you aren't here within the hour I'll move on to my next appointment."

"Fine. I'll bring her. Please don't move on to another appointment. She doesn't live too far from here, we can probably be here in like 20 minutes." 

It had taken him less than 10 minutes to get there so he was sure they could make it back in 20 minutes. There was a taxi passing by just then, Cain extended his arm out and waved at the taxi driver.

He ended up running all the way to Abby's apartment. The elevator had been taking too long so he decided to take the stairs instead. She lived on the 6th floor so by the time he got there he was out of breath. He regretted not having waited for the elevator though because all that running had made him sweaty. 

He had been in such a rush that he had almost forgotten that he was going to have to wipe himself with a disinfectant wipe and spray himself with disinfectant spray. It was a good thing that both the wipes and spray were right by the door so when he saw them he quickly grabbed them and disinfected himself. He was glad that the wipe was at least able to get rid of some of his sweat.

"Did you go out somewhere?" 

Abby had walked out of her room when she saw Cain spraying himself. He was happy to see that she was awake and that he wasn't going to have to wake her up.

"I was but I came back for you because she wants to see us both."

"She? Who are you talking about?"

"The ajumma! She's a psychic!" 

"What ajumma?" 

"I'll explain on the way but can you please just come with me? She can help us!" 

"Help us? You mean switch back?!" 

Abby couldn't believe what she had just heard. She thought perhaps she was still sleeping and that she was just having a dream. She pinched herself but once she felt the pain, she knew that it wasn't a dream.

"Yes! Now come on! The taxi is waiting for us!"

Abby grabbed a face mask, face shield and gloves before following Cain out. And just like he said, he started explaining everything once they were in the taxi. But before that he had to tell the taxi driver to ignore their conversation because they were just going to be practicing their lines for a drama. Once Cain had told her everything, Abby couldn't believe that such a normal looking ajumma was a psychic but he assured her that she was legit. He even told her how she was able to read his mind and that she should be careful with her thoughts once they were there. Abby was freaked out at hearing that but she was also happy that they had not only found someone that believed them but someone that could actually help them.

Normally Abby wouldn't want to go inside such a shabby old looking place. She thought there were probably hundreds if not thousands of germs in there but she had to try and ignore that thought and focus more on why they were there. And they were there to find out how to switch back. The ajumma was their only hope. 

"You two came just in time, it took you 20 minutes just like you said." 

The ajumma looked at Cain and then at Abby.

"Hello Abby. I can see that you are worried about germs being in this place and I know the place may look old but I can assure you that I am a very hygienic person. I clean this place everyday and even wipe it down after seeing each of my customers so there is no need for you to worry. The spirits that help me want a clean place to live in so I have to give it to them or else they'll leave and I'll be left without a job."

Abby looked around and noticed that the place did indeed look clean despite being old. She felt a bit better at knowing the ajumma cleaned often. She could only imagine how many people she saw in a day. 

"I actually don't see that many people in a day. Perhaps only 5 or 6? Not everyone believes in psychics so it's not like I got people knocking on my door all the time." 

Abby's eyes widened. The ajumma had just read her mind, just like Cain had said.

"I thought you had a busy schedule, that's why you didn't want to give me an appointment until the end of the month." 

He didn't like it when people lied to him and he had to do a lot of insisting, begging and even bribing just to get the appointment they had.

"Do you really think I want to work long hours? I make my own schedule so I decide how many appointments to take in a day. You should feel honored that I am missing one of my favorite dramas just to see you two. So now let's not waste any more of my time. I have a question for you Abby, it is the same question I asked Cain. Do you trust me?"

Abby had never really believed in psychics but that was before. Being there in that place with the ajumma and having just seen how she had read her mind, she had no doubt that she was what she claimed to be. She believed her and therefore trusted her. 

"I do." 

At this the ajumma looked under her table and pulled out two twigs and placed them on top of that same table. Abby thought of it as weird for the ajumma to have two twigs with her but then she saw that they weren't really two separate twigs but instead looked to be a twig that had been snapped in two. She was reminded of the twig she had tried to get at the clinic that had ended up snapping in half when she fell. 

"This is the same twig from that day. The one you had tried to grab but ended up fainting while doing so. It snapped in half and that's what actually caused your bodies to switch. You two thought that you switched bodies because one of you fell on top of the other, didn't you?" 

Both Abby and Cain were mind blown at this. They would have never thought they switched bodies because of some twig.

"There were other twigs on that tree but this specific twig called out to you, didn't it Abby? It sensed your need and it called out to you. It wanted to help you but not in the way you wanted it to help you." 

Cain had no idea what the ajumma was talking about but Abby did, at least partly. The twig had indeed called out to her if she could even think of it that way. It was the twig that had stood out to her the most even though there were others there. And she had wanted that twig so it could help her open the door. But what she didn't know was what the ajumma meant by saying that the twig wanted to help her but not in the way she wanted. In what other way could a twig help her?

"Matchmaking and healing. Those are the two purposes of this twig. The other twigs on that tree have different purposes. But this specific twig wanted to help you find love and to heal. You are sick, aren't you? With two mental illnesses." 

As if it hadn't already been enough that her mom had been trying to matchmake her, now even a twig was trying to do so.

"I am." 

Abby couldn't believe the ajumma would even know about her mental illnesses. And if she knew about her having them then Abby had no doubt she also knew what those illnesses were.

"First it was Agoraphobia caused by a car accident then it was Mysophobia caused by the Coronavirus. Am I right?" 

Abby didn't know why she would even ask when it sounded like she already knew. So far the ajumma hadn't been wrong on a single thing.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Have you ever heard the saying to kill two birds with one stone?" 

Abby nodded a second time. It was a popular saying so of course she knew it.

"Well your love will end up being the cause of your cure to your mental illnesses. It may not make sense to you now but it will later."

Cain had been silent the whole time and had just been listening to their conversation. But there was one thing he was curious about, why him? According to the ajumma, the twig wanted to help Abby out, so where did he fit in with all this? Did the twig also want to help him out with something? He didn't think so because he wasn't sick with anything.

The ajumma interrupted Cain's thoughts. 

"Why you? Is that what you want to know? Why not someone else?" 

He nodded. 

It turned out that her being able to read his mind was actually not as bad as he had thought. At least that way she was going to know what it was he wanted an answer to without him even having to ask her, at least not verbally.

"You are the perfect cure to her illnesses and you also happened to be at the right place at the right time. And I can already guess what your next question is going to be, why are you the perfect cure? Well don't feel too special just yet. You are an idol, aren't you? You are surrounded by hundreds and even thousands of fans constantly, it is the worst nightmare for someone like Abby, an Agoraphobic Germaphobe. But in order for her to get rid of these illnesses, she'll need to be exposed to the things she fears most. Because those fears are a part of those illnesses. If she no longer has these fears then she'll be cured. But facing her fears is a must and there is no better way to be exposed to these fears than by being an idol."

That meant that the switch hadn't happened because it was him but simply because of the fact that he was an idol. But he wasn't the only idol, there were hundreds of idols out there. It could have been any of those hundreds and all simply because of what they were. It could have even been another member from Adam or even a girlgroup member. Cain started feeling guilty for having been there at that moment because had he not then perhaps Abby might have switched bodies with someone else, perhaps even a female idol. And of course Abby would have most likely preferred to have switched with someone that was of the same gender.

"Don't feel so down." 

The ajumma lifted Cain's chin up. 

"You are special but in another way. Any other of the members of your group might have been able to be her cure but in the end you will still be the cause of her betterment. Because you ended up being there at that moment and at that place. It may seem like coincidence but it had to be one of you. So really there were only seven other people that could have done the job, not just any idol like you were thinking right now. It couldn't have been a female idol. It had to be a member from your group."

//"It had to be a member from Adam because one of the members is going to be Abby's true love, the one she is meant to be with."// 

Cain heard the ajumma's voice inside his head. She was speaking to him and only to him. His eyes widened at the realization. 

//"Is it going to be me?"// He thought. 

//"That I do not know. The spirits won't tell me such things. All I know is that it could either be you or someone connected to you, meaning another Adam member. And this is why the body switching could have only been done with a member from your group. Because one of you happens to be her soulmate."//

Cain wished it was him. He really liked Abby. 

//"All I can give you is a little advice, you have to be patient with her just like you are now. She is a hurt soul. Her heart was broken before and it will be hard for her to let love into her life once again. She'll need time, time so that she can heal. Then once she has healed she can love again because only then will she be able to allow that feeling into her life. So you must not abandon her. Abandonment was the cause to her heartbreak."//

Abby noticed something strange was going on between the ajumma and Cain. They were both staring at each other but neither of them had spoken a single word in a while. She cleared her throat to get their attention. There was something she wanted to know. 

"You want to know something, don't you? Go ahead, ask." 

The ajumma turned to see her. 

"You said this twig's purpose was matchmaking and healing but you also said something about the other twigs having a different purpose, does this mean that the tree is...special?" 

Abby didn't really know what to call it. She had never heard of a tree that had twigs with "purposes". 

"It is. I planted that tree with my mother and my grandmother when I was a little girl. They too were psychics like me. And when a tree is planted by three psychics that are blood related, that tree becomes special. It becomes blessed by the spirits and those spirits will forever be the guardians of that tree. Because the spirits are the ones that give each one of those twigs a purpose."

Cain had thought the tree had to be special somehow and it turned out he had been right. He hadn't really believed it back then but it had been the only thing that explained what had happened. And he thought it was cool that a tree like that actually existed. But what wasn't cool was that Abby was going through an uncomfortable situation because of it. A situation that she hadn't wanted and didn't choose to be in. He just wished the twig would have been more considerate and considered how Abby would have felt about this. She obviously didn't want to be an idol, she didn't want to be him. She never asked for any of it. Why were shooting stars that made wishes come true not possible but twigs that granted things you didn't ask for were?

"Shooting stars do make wishes come true but only when that wish will do the person good. Otherwise, the wish won't come true. Because no one really knows what will be good for them but God does and God is the one that sends out these shooting stars. And God knows when something will do a person more bad than good, so when it's wishes like these, he doesn't allow them to come true." 

Abby didn't know what the ajumma was blabbering about. Neither she or Cain had mentioned anything about shooting stars. The ajumma had seemed at least somewhat sane to her but now she couldn't help but think that perhaps she was senile.

"I am not senile. And it's true that neither of you actually mentioned anything about shooting stars, at least not aloud but this guy here did, in his thoughts. He was thinking about shooting stars and why they didn't grant people's wishes." 

Cain blushed at this. He couldn't believe the ajumma would betray him like that but he guessed she had to defend herself if Abby was thinking she had gone senile.

"Time's up you two. My next appointment will be arriving soon. Take the two pieces of the twig with you and wait for them to bloom flowers. Once the flowers have bloomed, you will each have to eat those flowers and then you will go back to your own body." 

The ajumma handed them each a piece of the twig. 

"And when will the flowers bloom?" 

Eating flowers from a twig sounded unsanitary to Abby but at that point she was willing to do anything just to go back to her own body. 

"The flowers will bloom once the twig's purpose has been achieved. Meaning you'll have to be healed and you've kissed the one you are destined to love." 

"So never?" 

The idea of her no longer having either Agoraphobia and Mysophobia seemed almost impossible but what was even more impossible to Abby was the fact that she'll be able to find someone she was destined to love. She had stopped believing in love the day Jun abandoned her. 

"Never say never my dear. You never know what the future holds for you." 

The ajumma smiled and waved goodbye at them as they walked out.