Discharge Celebration Party

"Finally home... But was it always this smelly?"

With Mr. Minsu's help, I carried my belongings inside, then began organizing my closet by taking out the men's clothes I couldn't wear now and stacking them neatly.

But the male smell... Was it really this strong? Since I usually took care of things in the bathroom, I thought most of it would have gone out through the ventilation fan...

I suppose the smell that builds up in a place where someone lives can't really be helped. I wasn't a pubescent boy, and I showered every day, so I don't think it was because I didn't wash.

"Ugh... But it does seem pretty strong. I should air the place out completely."

I opened all the windows wide, gathered up all the clothes to throw away, and... I had to throw away all the underwear, so I'd better set that aside first.

Once I removed all the lightweight T-shirts and underwear I'd worn as undergarments, I felt strangely disconnected from my current appearance.

When I looked in the bathroom mirror, there was clearly a young woman there, but there wasn't a trace of a woman anywhere in the room.

Of course not, since a man had lived here alone.

But as for me, there wasn't a trace of a man anywhere on my body.

My fingerprints or genes might still show traces identical to the old me, but that would only prove that it was the same body, not anything about my sex.

Thinking that way made me feel sad again...

For now, I should check my at-home clothes one by one, trying them on and throwing away anything that didn't fit.

"Huh? My butt got bigger, so these pants won't go on... Ah, this top doesn't fit either because my breasts are too big..."

At this rate, I would probably have to throw away most of my clothes.

The tops I forced myself into were too tight across my breasts to wear, and the bottoms were so tight around my hips that they were hard to put on.

I guess I really have to throw away all my clothes...

"Ah, this..."

Sigh... My military uniform... I probably won't have any reason to wear it again... right? I still had more than six months until reserve forces training, and my ID would be changed before then, so I probably wouldn't have to go at all... right?

Even though I had been a soldier, would they really call me up for reserve forces training looking like this...? It wasn't like student reserve training, which only lasted a day; mobilization meant two nights and three days...

Even when I was a man, I'd written down the wrong pants size and ended up wearing them extremely oversized. If I wore them with this body, they'd slide down no matter how tightly I fastened the belt...

'Ah, right, my phone!'

I had only just realized that I'd left my phone turned off even though Jiyeon would be coming over later.

I hurriedly turned on my phone, saw a missed call from Jiyeon, and immediately called her number.

"Hello? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I forgot I'd turned it off because I was worried my friend might call."

"I see. I'm about to get off work, so could you give me your home address?"

"Yes, just a moment."

"Yes, I just checked it. I'll take the bus straight there."

"Yes! I'll be ready!"

I need to hurry and tidy up. I can give away the clothes I can't wear, so I'll gather those up, and throw away the underwear...

I should run the vacuum quickly. I don't have much time, so I'll just give it a quick pass...

I hung the clothes one by one in the empty closet, gathered the underwear in one place, and put it in the drawer at the bottom of the closet.

Since I was filling the closet with new clothes, I also replaced the newspaper lining...

'Pants here, sweatshirts here, hoodies here, winter outerwear on the very outside... Once it's organized... done!'

Hmm, this should be good enough, right?

I heard the doorbell. Was Jiyeon already here?

"Yes~ I'm coming out now~"

When I opened the door, thankfully it was Jiyeon standing there, not someone else.

"Jia! I'm here!"

"Welcome! I haven't finished tidying everything yet, but come in if you don't mind."

"Oh my, those clothes...?"

"I checked whether I had anything I could still wear, but everything was too tight and didn't fit... I'm going to give away the outerwear and throw away the underwear."

"Ah~ So that's why you piled them up~!"

"Have you finished sorting your things?"

Jiyeon said this while taking hold of my wrist.

"Uh, yes, I did finish sorting them."

"Then let's go straight to the convenience store!"

"Yes, let's go!"

I went into the convenience store with Jiyeon.

After choosing snacks, drinks, and side dishes like dried meat and peanuts, I picked out sanitary pads in the right size and put them in the shopping basket.

"Jia, let's have you try these on when we get home too."

"Huh? These are... stockings?"

"We already tried on a skirt, so it would be a shame not to try stockings too, right?"

"I suppose so..."

We stood at the register with all the things we'd picked out.

"I'll pay."

"Huh? Are you sure? I think we picked out quite a lot..."

"I was the one who suggested having the party, so I'll buy it."

"Yes, thank you."

Ah, but the part-timer keeps glancing over here... I understand, but of all days, I'm buying sanitary pads too...

Ugh... This is embarrassing...

We left the convenience store and headed straight home.

"Ugh... I don't know why, but I feel a little embarrassed."

"It is a little awkward, isn't it? But that employee was staring a lot~"

"That doesn't matter much, but since it was my first time buying something like that, I felt a little embarrassed."

"Ah~ That makes sense~ It's usually fine when the employee is a woman, but it can be a little awkward when it's a man."

Once we got home, we decided to start the party later at night and eat a light dinner first.

"How about pasta? The portion isn't that big, so I don't think it will fill us up too much."

"Hmm... Sounds good! We bought so many snacks that if we eat a big dinner, we won't be able to eat much of them."

Jiyeon nodded, then handed me the stockings.

"Are you... trying them on now?"

"Yes. You bought a skirt yesterday too, so give them a try."

"But I don't know how to put them on..."

"Roll them up neatly, be careful not to catch them with your toenails, and slowly pull them up. Once they're on, smooth them out a little too."

"Okay, I'll try them on. Please wait a moment."

Huh...? These aren't just stockings; they're pantyhose...

Well, regular stockings would be uncomfortable if they slipped down, so I suppose these might actually be better.

After struggling into the stockings, I put on the skirt and opened the door.

"Ugh... Jiyeon, how do I look?"

"Wow... Your legs are incredible. You look absolutely gorgeous!"

"Ugh... I'm embarrassed..."

"Wow, Jia, now that I look at them, your thighs are incredible too..."

"Ugh... Please don't say I've gotten fat..."

"They're so firm... How should I put it? They're beautifully full. I'm jealous."

"Ughhh...!! I'm so embarrassed... I want to take these off."

"Hahaha, Jia, your face is so red it looks like it's about to burst! Hahaha!"

I went back into the room, took off the stockings and skirt, and changed into pants. Then I heard the doorbell and opened the door to receive the delivery.

"Enjoy your meal~"

The delivery person said this while going down the stairs.

I closed the door, put the delivery food on the dining table, and got ready to eat.

"By the way, Jia, calling each other with -ssi feels a little formal, so do you want to call each other unnie and dongsaeng?"

"W-Would that really be okay?"

"Yes. Since we keep adding -ssi, it feels like we're... keeping our distance."

"I suppose that's true, Jiyeon... Unnie..."

"Hahaha, this is surprisingly embarrassing..."

"It is..."

"Ah, the pasta's getting cold. Let's eat!"

"Yes!"

We began eating the delivered pasta, and afterward, we started chatting about little things from our everyday lives.

"What did you usually do, Jia?"

"I didn't have a graduation ceremony, but I had essentially graduated from college, so I stayed home... and rested?"

"Then what was school life like?"

"Well... I entered in 2020, and that happened to be during COVID, so everything was online, right? Most classes were held remotely too, so how should I put it... I don't think the classes were very fulfilling. We occasionally had in-person classes, but even those were held periodically, and most people who were already close gathered among themselves to go drinking. Even the people who had entered the same department in pairs only talked among themselves, so I never really had a chance to make friends."

"Th-Then what about MT?"

"There was no talk of it during my first year because of COVID, and in my second year, the department I was in voted 70 percent against going on an MT, so it didn't happen."

"Ah... I see. A lot certainly changed during COVID. So you graduated from a two-year college?"

"Yes, that's right. I had to go to the military too..."

"Ah... Right."

After that, we passed the time listening to little stories about everyday life, including how Jiyeon unnie became a nurse. Once our food had settled, we opened a few of the snacks we'd bought.

Listening to Jiyeon's story, being a nurse sounded incredibly difficult.

Studying must have been hard, of course, but there were also plenty of things resembling the abuses of power I'd only ever seen in the military, even though most students had never enlisted.

"Jia, do you know why I didn't buy any alcohol?"

"Hmm... Is it because I look too young? My ID hasn't been updated yet either..."

"That's part of it, but there's another reason."

"I'm curious."

"Want me to tell you?"

"Yes! Tell me, Jiyeon unnie!"

"Aww~ If you put it that way, how could I not tell you~ How cute~"

Even though she hadn't had any alcohol, Jiyeon unnie hugged me tightly and spoke as if she were drunk.

"Ugh, I can't breathe, unnie..."

"It's a somewhat dark story... When I was in college, the students held a drinking party, and I was invited. A close friend had invited me, so I went... but a fourth-year senior drank too much and..."

Jiyeon unnie released me and spoke in a dark voice.

"Ah..."

"It's okay. It didn't actually become a crime or anything; he was just coming on too strongly, so I left the party right away. But I didn't like alcohol to begin with, and after something like that happened with a very drunk man, I stopped drinking."

"I don't like alcohol either, so I only drink a highball when I meet a friend after a really long time."

"I think we have more in common than I expected."

"I think so too!"

But then Jiyeon unnie suddenly hugged me again and said she was going to sleep over.

I said it might be awkward because the smell of men hadn't completely cleared from the house, but she said, 'I like Jia, so what does a smell like that matter?' and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth, saying, 'Tomorrow's Saturday, so I'll sleep over~'

She even called me over to brush our teeth together halfway through...

"Should we... wash up together?"

"Aren't we already washing together right now?"

"No, I mean... shower."

"? Huh?"

"Why, do you not like it?"

"No, it's just... A shower is a little... I mean, it would be really embarrassing...!"

I couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes. Shower together, all of a sudden...? Why would she say something like that...!

Jiyeon unnie wouldn't let go of me, saying, 'I'll teach you how women wash themselves!' and...

In the end, I only set out towels, clothes to change into, and underwear, then took everything off and showered with her.

Still, since I was so embarrassed, we washed while facing away from each other, and Jiyeon unnie washed my hair, so I learned at least how to wash it.

"Jia, I'm so jealous. Can I have some of your boobs?"

"Eek!"

I was startled when Jiyeon unnie hugged me from behind and nearly fell over.

"Was I... being too much?"

"When your breasts touch my back... Please move away, unnie... I'm so embarrassed..."

"Ah, s-sorry."

After drying ourselves and getting dressed, we chatted while drying each other's hair with the hair dryer.

Jiyeon unnie didn't seem very embarrassed talking about it, and told me various stories about girls' middle and high schools.

Whenever the subject of physical affection between women came up and I covered my eyes in embarrassment, she seemed to enjoy it and would touch my breasts here and there with her fingers, saying, 'No matter how I think about it, I'm jealous~'

Something about this felt strange, but was this normal between close female friends...?

Or was Jiyeon unnie more excited because of my figure?

Could Jiyeon unnie perhaps be into women too, or something like that...?

That would be a little scary... 'Even if my body looks like this, my mind is still that of a man, so I don't mind, but...' Maybe my body was especially sensitive, because whenever her hands touched my breasts or pelvis, it felt strange.

"Hehehe, our Jia's breasts are huge."

"Haa...!"

"Oh, did I squeeze too hard?"

"It's... my nipple..."

"S-Sorry... I went too far, didn't I? When you look at it one way, this is sexual harassment..."

"N-No. It doesn't feel bad when you touch me, Jiyeon unnie."

"Oh, you're just saying that to make me feel better... right?"

"No, it's not that. I think my body is just a little sensitive... It's not painful, though..."

"Eek...! I didn't think of that. It's only been a few days, so you must be especially sensitive... I'm really sorry."

"I-It's okay."

Jiyeon unnie said she'd talked too much about herself and, since it was already late, said she wanted to hear about me too, whatever I wanted to talk about.

"Hmm... There are two options."

"Two?"

"One is my past, which isn't a happy story, and the other is just pointless small talk."

"It's a celebration party, so let's go with small talk. What is it about? Something naughty? I like anything!"

I asked Jiyeon unnie's permission and brought up the following story.

There was an experiment where sensors were attached to men and women to see what kind of videos aroused them.

Men didn't become aroused when they watched genres they disliked, whereas women varied from person to person but became aroused regardless of whether it showed a conventional relationship or a same-sex relationship, and some were even aroused by videos of animals.

I don't know whether it was a reliable experiment, but apparently even people whose physical arousal had been confirmed said, 'I wasn't aroused.'

I wasn't good at talking and had no idea what subject to bring up, so I chose the wrong one, but Jiyeon unnie took it in stride, saying, 'I think I could get aroused by women too...?' as she lightly ran a finger down my back to my waist.

"Hngh❤️"

"How does it feel? Your voice seems to be getting a little... sultry? Hehehe."

"Ugh... It feels a little strange... I don't know how to explain it."

When I made a sound like that and hugged her, Jiyeon unnie said, 'Ugh... I feel like I'm committing a crime, so I'm sorry...' She said she felt guilty, as if she were touching a minor.

I suppose that even though she knew my age, she couldn't help the impression my appearance gave.

More importantly, was my voice really that sultry...? I didn't think so.

"Oh, it's getting a little late. Are you really okay with sleeping at my place?"

"Yeah, I live alone too. I rent a place near work."

"Then that's a relief. Let's sleep together."

"Hehehe~ Should we~?"

"Th-That's not what I meant. We're really just going to sleep."

"Okay, okay~ Hahaha."

There was only one somewhat large bed, and I couldn't make a guest sleep on the floor, so I was about to sleep there myself. But Jiyeon unnie said, 'You got smaller too, so we can sleep together,' hugged me, and lay down on the bed.

Whether she was doing it in her sleep or as a joke, Jiyeon unnie put her nose against my body and sniffed.

"Huh? Our Jia, you smell kind of sweet."

"I-Is that so? I did eat something sweet at the café today..."

"Hmm~ I don't think it's because of what you ate. Maybe your body is working actively? Especially that part? Or maybe it's your hormones? I don't know, but it's normal for your body odor to seem sweet."

"Is that so? If it's normal, that's a relief. But, unnie, I think I should take something off before bed..."

"Take what off?"

"Ah, no, I mean... I think I should take off my bra before sleeping..."

"Ahh, right. Even without underwire, it's uncomfortable to sleep in."

"Let's take them off like this. It's cold, so we can just stand up like this, turn our backs to each other, and take them off."

We slept with our backs turned to each other like that.

I fell asleep first, so I don't know what Jiyeon unnie did, but when I woke up, she was hugging me and sleep-talking, 'Jia... Try this too...' so I guess nothing happened.

Still, no matter how I looked at it, showering together yesterday had been a little strange...

But nothing serious happened, so it was probably fine.

When I checked my phone, there was... a text from Hyunwoo. I thought he'd given up and gone home, but I guess he hadn't given up hope.

The text said, 'Jihoon, I'm glad to hear your illness has gotten much better, but it's a shame we couldn't meet. If it's difficult for you to meet people, I won't come looking for you anymore. Take care of yourself, okay?'

...If I'd still been a man, I probably would have let it slide... Sob... Is this what the hormones are doing...? I feel like crying...

"Sob... *sniff*..."

Don't cry... I'm not alone right now... Sob...

"Waaah... Sob... hic..."

"H-Huh? Jia, why are you crying? Did I hit you in my sleep?"

"Sob... It's not that... Ugh..."

As I said that, I showed Jiyeon unnie my phone screen.

Jiyeon unnie comforted me as I continued sniffling, then looked at the phone screen and hugged me without saying a word.

"Everything's okay, Jia. Everything's okay..."

"Sob... Do you really think so...?"

"Have you calmed down a little?"

"Yes..."

"No one is at fault here. It's just that this illness... On the surface, it might look like a strange disease that made you beautiful... but in reality, it's a frightening disease that keeps you from recognizing even your family and friends, isn't it? It didn't just change your appearance; it even changed the sex of your internal organs..."

"Yes... That's right... I normally wouldn't have cried over something like this. I was always a little prone to tears, but I wouldn't have cried over this..."

"Scientifically, I think estrogen is said to make people more emotionally sensitive than testosterone. The same goes for brain structure: men tend to think mainly with one side or the other, while women have stronger connections between both sides, whether a thought requires the left or right brain, so women seem to act more emotionally than men."

"Maybe this illness happened so you'd be honest with your emotions?"

"Is that so..."

"All right, enough sad talk! The sun's up, so let's prepare breakfast together!"

"Breakfast?"

"Yes, we have to eat breakfast."

"I don't know if we have... any ingredients."

Jiyeon unnie said, 'You had yukgaejang last time, right? This time I'll make you delicious kimchi stew!' and went out to buy ingredients.

I took out three packs of instant rice and the frozen chicken skewers from the freezer, then decided to make fried rice.

It was a simple dish Jia occasionally made when she wanted to cook something quick.

I lightly microwaved the spicy chicken skewers to thaw them, then put a little oil in a pan, stir-fried them, and added the slightly warmed instant rice to fry it all together.

Three packs of rice didn't seem like enough, so I added three more.

"I'll add oyster sauce and stir-fry it a bit... Done! It just needs a little more."

A little later, Jiyeon unnie returned with the ingredients and prepared kimchi stew beside me.

"Standing side by side like this, we look like a married couple."

"Ugh... You keep saying embarrassing things..."

"It's your fault for being so cute, Jia! Heehee."

I apologized to Jiyeon unnie for not being able to make better fried rice for her, but she smiled brightly and said, 'It's fried rice you made with your heart, Jia, so what's the problem? It's simple, with no special ingredients, so I could make it at home too!'

I had planned to live without relying on Jiyeon unnie, but if she was this good a person, maybe it would be okay to rely on her a little.