Chapter 1Why Can't They Smell My Son's Stench?

When my son, Leonard Chester, breaks his leg, I rush over to take care of him.

I catch a strong, rotten stench the moment I walk through the door and offer to tidy up the place for them.

Leonard's roommates immediately looked displeased. "Where's this smell you're talking about? There's no smell! If you think this place is too shabby, then have Leonard move somewhere else. You shouldn't pull your seniority and try to gross us out! We won't fall for that stuff!"

Leonard limps over and shoves me impatiently. "You should just come visit me if you want to! Why do you have to stir up trouble and embarrass me?"

It's just a bunch of university roommates sharing an old apartment in an aging residential complex. They're all eating and drinking together, with smoke filling the room.

I notice that the room is filled with smoke, but even that can't mask the awful stench. Is something wrong with my sense of smell?

Yet, when I go to sleep that night, the smell is so overpowering that I can't fall asleep.

I finally realize that the odor is coming from Leonard. I quickly take him to wash himself and scrub him repeatedly, but the stench remains just as intense. I have no other option but to hire a cleaning lady and have her disinfect the house inside and out.

Leonard's roommates feel offended and start arguing with me. In the ensuing chaos, I'm pushed to the ground, and my temple strikes the sharp edge of the coffee table. I die on the spot.

I open my eyes and realize I've returned to the moment when it all begins, standing at the door for the first time. I'm greeted by the overwhelming stench once again.

* * *

The foul, decaying odor made my stomach turn instantly, but everyone else acted as if there was no smell at all. How could Leonard Chester, my son, not even notice it?

Leonard asked, "What brings you here, Dad? You see, my roommates have been looking after me just fine. I'll be returning to university in a few days anyway, so there's really no need for you to come see me."

I was still in a daze when Leonard came up to me and took my bags. He said I didn't need to visit, but I could see the emotion in his eyes. I'd always been too demanding of him, which had strained our relationship, but I knew he desperately wanted me to acknowledge him.

His roommates were also very welcoming and invited me to join them for pizza-and-beer night.

I knew that if I kept quiet about the foul odor coming from Leonard, I could avoid offending them and keep things good with everyone. I'd died accidentally after an argument with them in my past life, so I decided to be patient this time and investigate the smell without provoking any disputes.

The next morning, I went straight to the hospital for a checkup, which showed my sense of smell was perfectly normal. I even conducted several more tests to make sure I could smell the same things as everyone else. In other words, the odor had to be real.

I was the only one who could smell the odor, while Leonard and his roommates couldn't smell it at all.

I decided to test their sense of smell, so I immediately bought perfume, fermented herring, ripe blue cheese, and a few other strong-smelling things. I placed each of them in a separate corner of the house.

I soon realized, however, that Leonard's odor had already spread throughout the room and covered up all the other odors. There was no point in continuing the test. They wouldn't notice anything I'd hidden, even with normal senses of smell.

Just as I was about to retrieve the items and arrange them all in one place, Leonard suddenly rushed out of his room. "What's that awful smell, Dad?"

I was instantly overjoyed. "Can you smell it too, Leonard?"

Leonard furrowed his brows. "It's so bad I can hardly breathe. How could I not notice the smell?

I quickly grabbed Leonard by the shoulders, intending to take him to the hospital to find out the source of the odor. I'd reached an age where I no longer dwelled on many things. I just wanted to make peace with Leonard and repair our relationship.

Leonard suddenly shoved me aside, marched over to the corner, and pulled a box of ripe blue cheese from behind the curtains.

He shot me a reproachful look and said, "You know how much my roommates care about hygiene! Why did you hide a box of ripe blue cheese here? Do you want to attract some mice?"

I hadn't even had a chance to reply when Leonard's roommates returned from their classes. They covered their noses and grimaced in disgust as soon as they entered. They found everything that I had hidden within two minutes.

"We've been respectful toward you, so we'd appreciate it if you'd do the same for us. If you want to stay here and look after Leonard, then stop bringing these awful-smelling things into the house!"

I was instantly overcome with unease. What on Earth was happening? How could they not smell the foul odor, no matter how strong, yet smell a jar of fermented herring that hadn't even been opened?