Chapter 5
Hyunwoo was extremely worried about his friend Jihoon, who had recently been taken to the emergency room.
'I tried calling, but a woman's voice I'd never heard answered...'
There was no way I'd dialed the wrong number, so why wasn't Jihoon answering?
Even if it was just a severe case of body aches, Jihoon's fever had reached 40 degrees. Who wouldn't be worried?
Since he wasn't answering, I wandered around the park near the hospital and tried calling him, but this time no one answered at all.
While walking around the park and calling him, I saw a woman with an unbelievable figure.
The moment I called, her phone rang briefly too, so
I tried talking to her in case I could get some help, but she said it had been an alarm rather than her ringtone, so I couldn't bring myself to ask anything else.
Should I try calling one more time...? Or should I go to the hospital and ask?
He hasn't answered any of my calls, so calling again probably won't change anything...
It would probably be best to go to the hospital and ask in person.
'Who was that woman...?'
Even in a padded jacket, she had that much volume...
That was far too large to achieve with one or two inserts...
She was someone I'd never seen in real life before.
With a figure like that, she could probably make money as an internet streamer...
Thinking about the woman who kept appearing before my eyes, I headed to the hospital.
"Excuse me, I'm here to visit a patient."
"Yes, could you tell me the patient's name?"
"Han Jihoon."
"Yes, please wait a moment. It might be difficult to visit him, but I'll check anyway."
"Yes, I understand."
Difficult to visit him?
Was he still seriously ill...?
What kind of illness made it difficult to visit him...?
"I'm sorry, but it seems a visit won't be possible."
"Ah, is that so...? I understand..."
"It's not an ordinary illness but a rare disease, so the hospital isn't sure whether it should allow visitors either."
"Ah... I see... I understand..."
He isn't answering his phone either... I guess all I can do is go home...
*
After returning from my walk, I cleared my head and rested. Then, instead of a call, I received a text.
It was another message from Hyunwoo... I didn't think replying to a text would reveal my identity...
Should I just tell him not to worry because my condition has improved? Yes, I should at least send him that much.
'My condition has improved a lot, so I'm feeling fine now. You don't need to worry.'
After sending the text, I found myself with another problem.
I probably couldn't keep avoiding him and running away forever.
The longer you leave a trail, the easier it is to catch you...
"Knock, knock, knock"
"Yes, come in~"
The person who knocked was Jiyeon.
Jiyeon spoke with a worried expression.
"I just received some information. It seems your friend came to apply for a visit."
"A-A visit???"
"Yes. Fortunately, the message was passed on to me, so I told him that a visit wouldn't be possible, but..."
"That's a relief..."
"The fact that he came all the way here to visit you makes me think he might keep trying to see you from now on."
"I suppose so."
"What would you like to do, Jia?"
"I..."
"You could forget your old connections and build a new life with new ones, or you could keep living without forgetting the people from your past..."
"No matter how close a friend was, if their appearance changed this much, I don't think I'd believe them either. So... I think I'd rather forget."
"I see. I respect your decision, Jia. If someone from before the change remained by your side after you'd changed like this, it could be painful too."
"..."
"Oh my, I'm talking about such a gloomy subject on the happy day you're being discharged. It's almost lunchtime, so enjoy your meal. I'll be going now."
"Yes, see you later."
Jiyeon waved to me and left the hospital room.
My thoughts were a mess, and I was worried Hyunwoo would call again, so I turned off my phone.
"Sigh... What should I do...?"
All I could do was sigh. He was an old friend, so I couldn't simply cut him off, but I'd changed so much that reconnecting with him seemed impossible.
Let's imagine the opposite situation. If Hyunwoo had changed like this... could I even look him straight in the eyes?
Of course, if we brought up stories that only the two of us knew, I might become certain that he really was the person I knew, but could we get along without things becoming awkward?
What if a same-sex friend suddenly became the opposite sex?
I didn't think I could do that. At least I knew I wouldn't be able to shake off the awkwardness and get along with him right away.
Besides, wasn't there a saying that men and women couldn't be friends...?
'Yeah, I'm sorry, but let's forget each other and move on... If Hyunwoo finds out later, I'll apologize and say goodbye... I should be able to do that...'
It was almost lunchtime, so I decided to forget everything for now and just eat. Phew...
Time really doesn't pass when my phone is off...
I turned on my phone for a moment and was surprised to see a notification.
It was an in-game message notification from the person I'd added as a friend in the game before I went to the emergency room.
'You haven't logged in lately. Is something wrong?'
Something is wrong... A lot has happened...
But who would believe me if I told them?
If someone told me, 'I got sick, went to sleep, and woke up with a different sex!' I wouldn't believe them either.
Since it was true that I'd been hospitalized, I should just tell them that much.
'I collapsed and went to the emergency room, and I'm currently hospitalized. I think I'll be discharged soon.'
After pressing send, I turned off my phone again in case Hyunwoo called.
Come to think of it, what should I do about my luggage?
I had a mountain of things I'd bought yesterday. How was I supposed to take all that home...?
Before I knew it, lunch had arrived, and I was a little hungry after going for a walk.
Mmm~ I can't believe the hospital is serving stir-fried spicy pork. It's a little lightly seasoned, but it's good.
A spoonful of rice, a piece of spicy pork with tofu on top, and then a sip of soup—that's the taste of Korean food.
After finishing lunch and brushing my teeth, I noticed once again that my breasts swung far too much.
They bounced while I brushed my teeth, while I walked—no matter what I did...
I guess that's why I need the strength to protect myself...
But this wasn't a fantasy world, and there was no magic or anything like that here.
There was no way to protect myself by developing some other kind of strength without building up my physical strength.
After brushing my teeth, I was lying on the bed watching TV when I heard a knock.
Uh... Who is it?
"Yes, come in~"
"Jia, it's me."
"Ah~ It was you, Agent~"
"Um, I'd appreciate it if you called me by my name."
"Your name?"
"Yes, please call me by my name. Being called Agent feels a little strange."
"But you never told me your name..."
"Oh, did I not?"
"No... You never told me even once."
"Haha, I made that mistake, then. Please call me Minsu."
"Yes, Mr. Minsu. But what brings you here?"
"First, you'll need to come with me to court next Monday."
"That's for the name change and resident registration number, right?"
"Yes. Even if we submit the paperwork, it won't be completed until March at the earliest."
"I've already decided on my name, so I can go right away."
"Yes. Also, it will be difficult for you to take all that luggage by yourself, so I'll come back around three and drive you home."
"I feel so bad making you do that..."
"Not at all. There's so much that you couldn't carry it all by yourself."
"Yes, I understand. I'd appreciate your help."
I smiled and replied to Minsu's kindness.
"Mr. Minsu? Are you all right?"
"Ah, ah! It's nothing. I'll come back at three, so please have everything ready before then."
"Okay~ See you at three~"
For some reason, Minsu's cheeks had turned red, and he hurried out.
What was that...? Did I embarrass him?
Was something wrong...?
*
Minsu (a pseudonym) was flustered.
He had looked like an ordinary man, so what kind of rare disease could have transformed him into a woman with a body like that?
'Sigh, that outrageous figure... I know she used to be a man, but those looks are completely unfair...'
His face felt hot. Thinking back to the hospital room, he had definitely sensed a distinctly feminine scent...
There had been a masculine scent too, but the feminine scent had been unmistakable.
He'd forgotten that he was supposed to meet Nurse Park. He should go find her right away.
Could that body really seduce people merely by staying still...? He had even forgotten what he was supposed to do, as if he'd been bewitched...
"Oh? Agent?"
"Ah, Nurse."
"Did something happen with Jia?"
"No, not at all. She seems to have quite a lot of luggage, so I'm going to drive her home at three."
"Ah~ I see. If you don't have anything else to do today, would you like to join us for the party?"
"A party?"
"Yes, we're holding a party to celebrate Jia's discharge."
"No, I'm all right. I have a few other things to take care of."
"I see. Thank you for helping Jia."
"It's simply part of my job. It's nothing."
"But your face is awfully red."
"M-My face is red? That's not true!"
"Oh my~ You look completely lovestruck~"
"W-What?!"
"Could it be that you fell for Jia at first sight~?"
"Aah! No, I didn't! What are you talking about? I'm leaving!"
Minsu ran down the stairs with his face bright red.
Watching him, Jiyeon smiled and thought, 'He definitely fell for her~'.
*
Jiyeon thought about Jia, who would soon be discharged.
Jia must be getting ready to leave her room by now. I should go check on her.
"Knock, knock, knock"
Jiyeon knocked on the door to Jia's room.
"Gasp! J-Just a moment~!"
Jia's rather startled voice came from inside.
'What could she have been doing to be that startled...? Was she changing clothes...?'
A moment later, Jia opened the door with an embarrassed expression.
"Were you tidying up your room?"
"Ah, yes. That's right."
Jia answered while wearing a skirt and blouse, her face flushed.
She must have been trying on clothes when I arrived. She hadn't even finished buttoning up and seemed to have hurriedly thrown everything on without fixing it properly.
"Oh my, Jia, your buttons..."
"Ah, th-that is... I mean..."
While Jia stammered in a panic, Jiyeon pushed her into the room and against the wall.
"Jia, were you changing clothes?"
"Yes, that's right! I heard the knock just as I was finishing getting dressed...!"
"That's not the problem."
"Huh?"
"Are you seducing me right now?"
When Jiyeon said that, Jia became flustered and couldn't say a word.
"I'm... sorry..."
Jia said it while shedding a tiny tear.
Jiyeon was extremely flustered.
She had remembered Jia as a man and only meant it as a joke, but Jia seemed much more emotionally fragile than she'd expected.
"No, it was just a joke... I'm sorry for making you cry. You looked so pretty with your buttons undone..."
"P-Pretty...?"
'Poof.' It looked as if steam had burst from Jia's head.
Jia's face was bright red, her eyes squeezed shut, and she looked incredibly alluring.
'Ah, come to think of it, this is a wall pin...'
Only then did Jiyeon realize that she had pushed Jia against the wall and pinned her there.
Their heights were similar, so neither one completely overpowered the other, but considering how vulnerable Jia currently was around both men and women, this was clearly Jiyeon's fault.
"I suddenly felt like teasing you... I'm sorry, Jia."
"Ah, no, it's okay..."
Just then, Jia kept sneaking glances over Jiyeon's shoulder before hurriedly buttoning up and fixing her clothes.
"Jia...?"
"Nurse, what are you doing?"
Minsu had arrived in front of the room and spoke to Jiyeon.
'Ah, so Jia started moving in such a hurry because she saw Mr. Minsu...'
Only then did Jiyeon turn around and speak to Minsu.
"Minsu, please take good care of our Jia."
"Our Jia?"
"She looks so young on the outside. Don't you want to protect her?"
"Ahem, I'll drive Jia home."
Minsu and Jiyeon each took some of the shopping bags and headed with Jia to the underground parking lot in the elevator.
*
"Hmm... I have to be discharged soon, so should I change clothes?"
Jia looked through the shopping bags one by one as she decided what to wear.
'I have pants too, but the weather is nice today... Should I wear a skirt?'
Now that I was completely a girl, wouldn't wearing a skirt actually be more natural?
I had worn pants for so many years that I didn't miss them.
I could still wear pants now, but skirts had been impossible for me before and were an option only from now on, so I decided to try one.
If I wore my blouse outside the skirt, I wouldn't look neat, so I should put on the blouse first.
Just as I took off my patient clothes, slipped on the blouse, and started pulling up the skirt, I heard footsteps approaching the hospital room.
'!!! This is bad. Has Mr. Minsu already arrived? I need to get dressed quickly...!!'
I hurriedly zipped up the skirt and started buttoning my blouse when I heard a knock.
"Knock, knock, knock"
"Gasp! J-Just a moment~!"
Jiyeon already? Was something wrong??
Without even finishing the buttons, I hurriedly tucked the blouse into the skirt and opened the door.
While I was flustered, Jiyeon pushed me against the wall.
Wait, is this... a wall pin...?
My heart was pounding.
"Are you seducing me right now?"
Jiyeon said this while bracing one hand against the wall.
"I'm... sorry..."
Something hot trickled from the corner of my eye.
Was it another tear...? I sometimes cried when I read touching novels, but I hadn't been so emotionally fragile that I cried in everyday life... I didn't even know how many times I'd cried already.
After receiving Jiyeon's apology, I saw Minsu approaching from behind her and hurriedly buttoned up and fixed my skirt.
Minsu was also one of the people who knew I had been a man, so it was incredibly embarrassing to be seen wearing a skirt in front of him. Still, even if I was embarrassed, I should at least straighten my clothes.
"Minsu, please take good care of our Jia."
? Why was Jiyeon saying that? Our Jia?
I was an adult... I might look like a minor on the outside, but I was unequivocally an adult. Still, hearing her say that made me feel... strange.
Together with the flustered Minsu, we gathered up the shopping bags and took the elevator down to the basement.
*
"I'll drive you straight home, Jia."
"Yes, thank you. And thank you for helping carry everything too, Jiyeon."
"Oh, don't mention it~ It's nothing between us. Minsu, please take good care of Jia~"
"Yes, leave her to me."
Minsu answered while looking straight ahead.
The shopping bags went in the back seat, I took the passenger seat, and the car set off.
The neighborhood I saw again after such a long time looked much the same as before.
I was the only thing that had changed.
Thinking that made me feel... a little sad.
"Huh?"
Uh... Why was Hyunwoo in front of my house?
Had he come here because he couldn't visit me at the hospital?
When I stared at Hyunwoo standing in the distance, Minsu seemed to notice him too, because he stopped the car before reaching my house.
"Is that person... your friend?"
"Yes, he is... Though I suppose I have to say he isn't anymore. He was... a friend before."
"You must have complicated feelings... Shall I park for a while and stop by a nearby café with you?"
"I think we should."
Minsu parked in a nearby lot and came into the café with me.
He said he'd pay and told me to choose first.
'Oh? They have melon soda. I'll have melon soda and... strawberry cake.'
I ate sweets normally, but maybe because my body had changed, I was craving them a little more than usual.
I also seemed to be drawn to things I normally never ate.
"I don't know much about desserts or baked goods... I'd appreciate it if you chose something for me too, Jia."
"Ah, yes! I will."
I chose a chocolate cake marked as a popular item and placed the order.
A little while later, our order came out along with the iced Americano Minsu had chosen, and we returned to our seats and began eating.
'Mmm~ It's delicious. It's a good thing it's a slice of cake. If I'd ordered a whole cake, I might have regretted the melon soda.'
Before, even when I went to cafés with friends, I only drank something. I never thought I'd voluntarily order dessert...
"Hmm, sweet cake isn't bad with coffee."
"Right?"
I smiled and replied to Minsu.
I didn't usually smile much, but perhaps because I'd eaten so many sweets, I found myself smiling again.
"Your friend will probably give up and leave after about thirty minutes. We'll eat slowly, then I'll drop you off in front of your house."
"Thank you."
Exactly thirty minutes later, we finished eating, left the café, got back in the car, and headed to my house.
Fortunately, Hyunwoo had apparently already gone home, since he was nowhere to be seen. Minsu helped carry my luggage inside, then drove away after saying, 'If you get sick, make sure you go to the hospital!'
*
"Sigh... Jihoon... Are you not even home...?"
Hyunwoo had gone all the way to Jihoon's house and pressed the doorbell several times, but no one answered. Even when he put his ear to the door, he couldn't hear anything, and since he hadn't been allowed to visit at the hospital either, he wondered if he should finally give up. He went outside and decided to wait.
'Let's wait fifteen minutes. Maybe I'll be able to meet him somehow.'
But even after twenty minutes, Hyunwoo still couldn't meet Jihoon, so he turned around and headed to the bus stop to go home.
Thinking that he would no longer be able to meet Jihoon, Hyunwoo forced himself to forget him, boarded the bus, and headed home.