TWO

"I should be the one asking that, who are YOU? Did you get plastic surgery to look like me? Wait...why does my voice sound like a woman's? And why do I have an accent?" Cain didn't have a girly voice. His voice had changed to that of a man's years ago, he was turning 21 soon. He also most certainly did not have an accent like that of a foreigner for he had been born and raised in Korea his whole life. He could understand why someone would get plastic surgery to look like him though, his good looks were always praised by both fans and the media.

"Why do I look like you? Well I don't know.” Abby scratched one of her cheeks as she tilted her head to the side. “I would actually say you look like me." And not only did the person look like her, they sounded like her too but the voice that came out of her...It didn’t sound like her own! It was deeper, like that of a man’s. Not only that but her accent, it was gone. She spoke like any man born in Seoul! Her eyes widened at the realization.

Cain was quick to recognize his own voice. Not only did the person look like him but they also sounded like him. "Did you steal my voice? Wait...that's not possible." He shook his head. But if it were possible he was sure there were people that would love to sound like him.

Too mesmerized at having seen someone identical to her, Abby almost forgot she was laying on the ground. But as she felt the weight on top of her, she pushed the woman away. The thought of all the germs gave her a crawling sensation all over. Her only consolation was that the stranger wore as much protective gear as her. It was however not the only thing they had in common. The clothes, there were the same as hers. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. EVERYTHING was EXACTLY the same. It was as if she were looking at a mirror except her reflection waved a hand at her.

"Hello. I was asking you a question. Why are you wearing the same clothes as me? Are you perhaps a stalker? It's okay if you're a fan but getting plastic surgery to look like me and even dressing like me is going too far. Can't you just love yourself for who you are? And why does my voice still sound like this?! Ugh!"

She too wanted to know why her voice sounded like a man's and why another person sounded like her. But although the voice she now had didn't sound like her own, it sounded an awful lot familiar. She had heard it before and she was determined to find out whose voice it reminded her of so she decided to test out the voice some more. Clearing her throat, she opened her mouth to speak, "I'm going to be late for my appointment and I'm sure you are too. So could you please just open the door so we can go in? I really don’t know how to answer your questions as I too could ask the same to you"

"Why don't you open it yourself?"

"Because the door handle is disgusting and infested with germs."

"Well okay weirdo."

Abby watched as the woman that looked like her walked ahead to the entrance of the building but instead of opening the door, she saw as she stopped in front of it. The scream that followed made Abby bend down and cover her ears.

"You call me a weirdo and yet you're screaming from looking at your own reflection?! What's wrong with you?!"

"My own reflection, you say?! This isn't me! And that's why I screamed!” No matter how much Cain touched his face, what he saw reflected on the glass doors did not change. “I’m Korean and a man, not some Latino woman!"

"Well someone hit their head too hard." Abby rolled her eyes and walked ahead but stopped once she got to the front of the doors. Her eyes widened at the sight. Instead of seeing her own reflection she saw her bias, Hwang Cain.

She shook her head as what she saw could only be a hallucination. Her mind was playing tricks on her by making her see what she wanted to see. Either that or she hit her head too hard when she fell. Although there was also the possibility that the disinfectant spray she had been spraying everywhere could have been toxic to her. She didn't think that was the case though as she had been using the sprays for over a year and they had never caused such an effect on her. She tried to think of all the possible explanations and only one came to mind, it was however something that only ever happened in Korean dramas. Body switching wasn't possible in real life. Asking the woman her name was the only way to eliminate such a thought. "What’s your name?"

"My name? Well shouldn't you be telling me yours first?"

It wasn’t the type of attitude she would have expected from her bias, if he indeed was her bias. Oddly enough she felt a twinge of sympathy and decided to give him her name. "Abigail Hernandez but I prefer to just be called Abby."

"So you're a woman then? But why do you look like a man? Why do you look like me?"

"You still haven't told me your name. Do you have a woman's name or a man's name?"

"A man's of course! Hwang Cain."

She let out a gasp as she shuffled back some steps. It was just as she thought. She didn't want it to be true but it was, she switched bodies with her bias! The idea alone seemed so unbelievable that she felt the need to confirm one last time. "Hwang Cain? Like THE Hwang Cain? Main dancer and lead rapper of Adam?"

"You're forgetting the visual part."

He didn’t answer her questions like she wanted him to and that only exasperated her more. "Just answer my question! Are you or are you not him?!" She felt like shaking the answer out of him but held herself back.

"I am WHO. I am YOU but...I am NOT." Cain mumbled to himself as he tilted his head from side to side. Nothing made sense to him no matter how much he tried to think of an explanation.

"Tell me you are not who I think you are!" Even though she was holding back, her fists had already started to shake.

"If the person you think I am is Hwang Cain from Adam then I'm sorry but I cannot say that I am not."

"So...is that a yes to you being Hwang Cain from Adam?"

"Yes." He nodded slowly.

Just then Abby felt a tap on her back, she turned around and saw a little old woman with fluffy white hair and freckles. "Excuse me but could you two please move out of the way? I'm running late to my appointment."

As Cain didn't move out of the way, Abby grabbed him and moved him to the side. It felt weird to think of her own body as a "him" and even more to refer to herself as her bias. They would have to figure out what caused them to switch and how to return back to their own bodies. But first they needed to get their vaccination, she didn't plan to leave without it. Determined, she grabbed Cain a second time just as the old lady opened the door but as he wouldn’t budge, she had to stick out a foot to hold open the door.

"Could you please not grab me like that while you're in my body? It'll ruin my image." He hissed while he pulled himself away from her grasp.

"Well then start moving your ass if you don't want me to move it for you. You have to get that vaccine for me just like I'll be getting it for you"

Once inside Abby’s eyes immediately darted to the front. She had never been to that particular clinic but they were all the same, with a big counter up front, a door to the side and of course the many chairs. A great relief flooded her when she saw the little old lady was the only one in line. There were however many people seated in the waiting area but at least she didn’t have to do one of the things she feared, stand in a long line where she would feel trapped. A feeling that triggered her panic attacks.

There was a sign-in sheet and a cup with pens, both things people tended to touch often. It was why she had taken her own pen with her but feeling around her pockets which instead of soft fabric were dark jeans, she remembered everything she had was now on Cain. She turned to see if he was behind her but saw he was neither behind or beside her, instead he sat on one of the many chairs in the waiting area. If she left to get the pen from him it would leave her at the end of the line which one had started to form after their arrival. She wasn’t sure how many people there were but it almost seemed as if they came out of nowhere.

Hesitating on what to do, she just stood there.

The young woman behind the counter was however impatient and had the sign-in sheet extended out to her. “Well are you going to take it or not? I’m sure if you don’t then others behind you will.”

“A tissue.” Abby mumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“Can I have a tissue please?”

“Here, take one.” The woman pushed a mint green tissue box at her.

With a tissue in each hand Abby was able to grab both the clipboard and a pen. She only meant to sign herself in but realized her mistake after she had written her name and returned the sign-in sheet. "I was signing in for a friend but forgot to sign myself in. Could I have the sheet back please?"

The woman extended the clipboard back to her and she grabbed another tissue.

Just as Abby was about to take a seat next to Cain, she remembered she would need tissues to sit down. Even though she was in a different body, her feelings about germs hadn’t changed.

Back in line for the second time but this time actually forming a line with more than one person, she had to take deep breaths and close her eyes. The best thing for her to do was pretend she wasn't there but someplace else, a place she felt safe. She basically meditated right there and then until she heard a voice call out to her.

"Forgot to sign someone else in?" The same woman at the front desk cleared her throat.

Abby had been too focused in her meditation to notice everyone ahead of her had already taken a seat. She was now in front of the line and without having even moved. The people behind her must have thought it odd when the line was moving but she wasn’t.

"No...I uh...actually wanted to ask for some more tissues."

"Here. Take as many as you like and please don’t disturb the line again. There are other people here that actually need to sign-in."

With a bunch of tissues in hand, she headed to where Cain sat. The seat next to him was however already taken by a tall muscular guy that seemed to be trying to flirt with him. If only the guy knew he was actually flirting with another guy then his face would have most likely turned just as red as Cain's was at that moment. Seeing such a thing made her giggle.

Cain no longer wore the goggles, mask, face shield and gloves but had he still been wearing them, she was sure no one would have tried to flirt with him. It wasn’t that she was bad looking, many guys used to flirt with her before but it had been years since someone had. Not since she became a weirdo that kept herself at home because she was too afraid of the what-if’s.

There being two empty chairs next to each other across the room, Abby grabbed Cain and took him to sit on one of them. She normally wouldn't dare touch another person but her own body was an exception. Because touching Cain didn't feel like she was touching someone else.

"What did I say about touching me?" He squirmed in his new seat while he glared at her.

"That it makes you look bad but I'm sorry that I'm still not used to thinking of my own body as you. Besides, you should be thanking me for saving you from that flirty guy back there. Or were you actually enjoying it?" She gave him a teasing smile while trying to hold in her giggles from earlier.

"As if! I’m actually glad you got me away from that guy but having touched me like that was still not okay. You could have just called for me."

"Yea because that has proven to be so effective Mr. Statue." With all the tissues laid out on the chair, she took a seat next to him.

"Well sorry if I'm too shocked that I'm no longer in my own body!" Just then everyone in the waiting room turned to look at them.

Getting people’s attention was the last thing they needed. Abby was sure they would be thrown in a loony bin if they were to say they switched bodies. She had to say something to justify his words. "Sorry for the commotion everyone.” She got up and bowed. “My friend here actually has Depersonalization, it’s why she said she's no longer in her body. She didn't really mean it literally, she just feels that way." With that all eyes were off them.

"What did you say I have?"

"Depersonalization."

"I know you said that but what is that?"

"Google it if you want to know. It's hard to explain and even harder to understand if you haven't had it." Because she had Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia caused by PTSD, two of the things she often experienced were Depersonalization and Derealization. This meant that in some cases instead of having a panic attack she would either get DP or DR (sometimes even both at the same time). It was an experience similar to that of being on drugs as it helped "escape” reality in a way. Her psychologist actually told her it was what her mind was trying to do. And because she was able to escape reality, she would not get her usual panic attacks. However, DP and DR were rarer to get. But Abby much preferred such sensations over feeling like she was in danger when most of the time she really wasn’t.

Cain did as she told him and googled what Depersonalization was. "The persistent feeling of observing oneself from outside one's body or having a sense that one's surroundings aren't real." He read out loud from his phone. “Isn't that what we're going through right now? Not just me but both of us."

He was right in a way but what they were experiencing was much more literal.

"Sort of...except this is different because this isn't just a feeling but we're actually in each other's bodies and it’s because of that that we are able to observe ourselves from outside our own bodies."

"And what do you think caused this?"

"How the heck should I know? I probably know just as much as you do, which is that we've switched bodies. I AM YOU and you are me."

"Well do you think we could switch back? My group is having a comeback soon and then we'll start preparing for a world tour."

"Comeback? A world tour?" Abby's voice came out shaky. Just thinking about the possibility of living as Cain made her heart start to race. His life, it was different from hers. It was everything she feared. Flying in airplanes, concerts and meeting fans, they were things she couldn’t do. She had to reach for her bag of pills just to feel some comfort. Her psychologist told her not to get too dependent on medication but she always tried to keep them near her. Even if she didn’t always take them, knowing she could at any moment helped. "I would love to switch back because I most definitely could not be you. I however don’t know how to do so. We could try to figure out what caused all this but just in case if we aren't able to right away, do you perhaps think the comeback and world tour could be postponed?" She bit her bottom lip while she waited for him to respond.

"Do you think I'm a solo artist?”

“Of course not.” She shook her head.

“Then why did you ask such a question? I have no say when my group has a comeback or concerts. I just go along with whatever EVE plans for us." There had been times he wished he were a solo artist just so he would have more control over such things. His label however rarely debuted solo artists and when they did it was when a trainee was all-around talented. Him being only a rapper and a dancer left him with no other choice but to be in a group. He was happy performing with the seven members but as there were three other rappers amongst them, his lines were shared and therefore limited.

"Well would it at least be possible to call in sick?"

"You mean to skip all promotions for the comeback and even skip the concerts?"

Abby nodded. She knew it sounded crazy but it would be crazier to have her, an Agoraphobic Germaphobe act as an idol. On top of that she had no talent whatsoever with dancing, rapping or singing.

"Being an idol isn’t like a normal job. I cannot simply call in sick and I can’t just think about myself but I have to consider others as well. Think about the other members, don't you think they would be disappointed to know if I were to all of a sudden want to skip out on everything we’ve worked hard on for months? It would be like I'm neglecting my duties not only to them but to the fans as well. You're a fan, right? Do you at least understand where I'm going with all this?"

Abby nodded a second time but this time with a frown.

"Hey don't frown. That's only going to wrinkle my pretty face. I make money off that face you know."

"I thought you made money out of your talents, not your face."

"Well when your position is that of the visual, part of your job is looking pretty and that means no frowning." Cain pulled Abby's frown into a smile. "There. That's better. Now I actually look pretty."

"I thought you said no touching."

"I'm a woman now. I can do whatever I want, you however cannot."

Not only was Abby a man now but she was also an idol. She could understand why he would want her to be careful with her actions but it still didn't make sense for him not to follow the same rules simply because he was now a woman. "Well that's just sexist." She crossed her arms.

"Aren’t things always like that though? Women get away with things men don’t so now it's my turn. I have to at least get something out of being a woman, don't you think?"

She didn’t get a chance to respond as a tall young female nurse called out her name at that moment. She stood up immediately but then remembered she was no longer herself and sat back down.

"They are calling YOU, Abby." She kicked Cain on the leg to get his attention.

"Oh. Right. I guess that's me now." He stood up and walked to where the nurse was.

"Don't get too used to it! We're switching back the first chance we get!"