Chapter 6
6.
I was planning to go somewhere quiet and secluded for a little while.
I wanted to clear my cluttered head and think carefully about how to turn back into a man.
‘But what the hell is this….’
With Woo Da-yeon chattering nonstop in the passenger seat from the moment we set off, I was on the verge of losing my mind.
“So, Ms. Ha-jeong, what kind of style do you usually go for? Or is there a particular look you like?”
I’d given Woo Da-yeon a different name for me.
It hadn’t seemed worth giving it much thought, so I’d simply reversed my real name.
Seo Geon-woo was a little dim, but he wasn’t completely oblivious, and so far he’d played along without slipping up.
“Well… I don’t really have a particular style. I’ve always worn suits, so….”
“Ah-ha~ So, something bright and cheerful rather than neat but stuffy and dull?”
“Haha… I’m not sure. I don’t know what would suit me….”
“Hmm~ I see. Then you should try on lots of different things first. The best way to find a style that suits you and brings out your best is to try things on yourself, you know?”
“Oh, i-is that so….”
I almost asked how long she was planning to keep talking, but held back.
All she had to do was pick out a few outfits, so did she really have to ramble on like this before we even got there?
‘Living as a woman sure is exhausting.’
I renewed my resolve to get back to normal as soon as possible.
“S-so, where should we go?”
At Seo Geon-woo’s question, the back of my head throbbed.
‘Why are you only asking me more than ten minutes after we set off?’
I desperately held back the urge to shout that at him.
Even when I tried to keep my expression in check, my brow furrowed on its own.
“For trying on lots of different styles, stores like Zara, H&M, or 8 Seconds are pretty good… Hehe, but I guess someone like you wouldn’t be interested in those lower-end brands, would you, Ms. Ha-jeong?”
Woo Da-yeon was as excited as a fish in water. She looked like a little kid thrilled to be going on a field trip.
It was hard for me to share her enthusiasm.
My head was throbbing. I just wanted to get this over with and head out of town.
“I don’t care about that. Let’s just go somewhere convenient.”
“Oh, really? Then….”
As if she’d been waiting for me to say that, Woo Da-yeon started giving Seo Geon-woo directions to the store.
I once again reminded myself never to tell Woo Da-yeon that I was actually Jeong Ha-won and had turned into a woman overnight.
‘If I did, it’d be such a headache I might end up killing her.’
It might be a little annoying, but I decided it’d be better to keep pretending to be Won Ha-jeong around Woo Da-yeon.
We drove for a little over twenty minutes before arriving at the store.
Unlike the department stores I went to whenever I needed something, this place had an outdoor parking lot with no valet or attendants in sight.
The temperature must have risen quite a bit over the past few days, because the heat was starting to creep in.
‘Should’ve brought sunglasses.’
I walked into the store in the same outfit I’d worn yesterday. I didn’t think I’d ever been to a midrange store before.
At least the air conditioning was nice and cool.
As soon as we entered the store, an employee came over, but Woo Da-yeon quickly stepped in front of her.
“We’ll take a look around and let you know if we need anything, unni.”
That was the starting gun.
Woo Da-yeon sidled up to me and gave me an up-and-down once-over.
Then she looked startled.
She moved closer and whispered in my ear.
“Um, Ms. Ha-jeong. Are you n-not wearing underwear…?”
I glanced around to make sure no one was looking, then gave a small nod.
My face flushed with embarrassment.
I’d worried Woo Da-yeon might think it was strange, but her reaction was a little different from what I expected.
“Oh my, as I thought~ People in the upper echelons are free to do even that, huh?”
What was she talking about?
I’d never thought anything like that, but I gave an awkward laugh and brushed it off.
“Still, Ms. Ha-jeong, your bust is clearly on the larger side, so I think you should wear one. It’ll give you a prettier shape. Is the bra itself uncomfortable? Does the underwire or anything bother you?”
If I’d been a woman from the start, I would’ve understood all the things Woo Da-yeon was rambling on about, but right now I was a woman in appearance only. I was completely clueless about that sort of thing.
As expected, all I could do was laugh awkwardly and try to smooth things over.
“I-it’s not that, but I guess something comfortable would be nice.”
“Hmm~ Then let’s look at underwear first. Luckily, they have a good selection of women’s underwear here.”
From then on, I was dragged around like a piece of luggage and made to try on five or six bras.
They measured me first, and I turned out to be a 75D.
Of course, I had no idea what that meant, but Woo Da-yeon looked envious, so I figured it wasn’t bad.
Anyway, the sales clerk showed me how to put it on, and after trying on a bunch of things, I picked the underwear that felt the least restrictive.
“I’ll take ten of these.”
Woo Da-yeon looked shocked at my words and grabbed my arm.
“Oh my, Ms. Ha-jeong. Ten of the same one? Wouldn’t it be better to get a variety of designs?”
Who was I supposed to show them to? Did I really need to do that?
When I bought clothes as a man, I’d just stop by a department store, point out a few things that caught my eye, and buy the lot in a hurry.
I thought nothing was more inefficient than wasting energy choosing clothes and things like that.
But things were different now.
Woo Da-yeon was dragging me around and draining my energy by force.
In the end, it took three hours and forty minutes to visit five stores and buy about seven pieces of underwear in four or five designs, along with dozens of shirts, skirts, blouses, dresses, and other clothes whose names I couldn’t even remember.
I’d already noticed my stamina had gotten much worse since my body turned into a woman’s, and by the time we finished shopping, I was completely exhausted.
‘Why do women live like this?’
I let my rising frustration show by glaring at Seo Geon-woo.
He flinched and quickly looked away.
“Thanks for your help today.”
I somehow managed to control my facial muscles and force out a thank-you to Woo Da-yeon.
“Oh, it was nothing. I had a great time, too.”
I bet you did. You spent hours playing dress-up with me like I was a doll.
I’ll make you pay for this humiliation next time, Woo Da-yeon.
“Since you helped me out today….”
I took out the envelope I’d prepared and held it out to Woo Da-yeon.
I didn’t want to give her anything, but she’d still put her heart and soul into helping me, so I should give her a little something. Just this once!
“Oh my, you didn’t have to give me something like this… hehe.”
That’s what she said as she quickly took the envelope.
There, now take that and get out of my sight.
“By the way, Ms. Ha-jeong, where are you going now? Are you hungry?”
You’ve ruined my appetite.
Please just get lost already.
Seo Geon-woo must have noticed what I was thinking, because he tried to stop Woo Da-yeon.
“Da-yeon, why don’t you head back now? Ms. Ha-jeong has other plans after this….”
“Hmm, really? That’s too bad… Oh, could we exchange contact information? If you ever need anything, I can help anytime.”
No, thanks.
I have absolutely no interest in having any personal contact with you.
“Haha… If I need anything, I’ll ask Seo Geon-woo… I mean, Mr. Geon-woo.”
Take the hint and get lost already.
“Oh… okay. I understand.”
You must be disappointed. This would’ve been a huge networking opportunity for you. But not a chance, you bitch.
I’d never planned on getting involved with someone like you after high school. Today was an exception.
At last, I managed to send Woo Da-yeon off and return to the quiet car.
The back seat and trunk were full of shopping bags, and even the passenger seat was packed, which made the car feel a little cramped. But without Woo Da-yeon, I could finally breathe.
“Ha-won, where should we go now?”
“Hey, Seo Geon-woo.”
My low voice made Seo Geon-woo’s shoulders jump.
“H-huh? Yeah, Ha-won? What is it?”
“You really… sigh, forget it. I’ll question you about today later, so just get going for now. Turn the air conditioning up!”
“O-okay. But where should I…?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake! What did I tell you yesterday? I told you to figure out where we should go!”
In the end, the temper I’d been holding back burst out.
“Oh… I-I guess you did. Sorry….”
“What? You didn’t look into it?”
“W-well….”
“Ha, fuck, seriously… Why are you like this too? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Seo Geon-woo’s face immediately fell.
Whenever I lost my temper like that, he’d make that pathetic loser face and act all pitiful.
But normally, seeing him like that would’ve made me even angrier. Today felt a little different.
‘Why does he actually look pitiful?’
Despite myself, I started to feel like maybe I’d been too harsh.
“Haa… Forget it. Head toward Namyangju.”
“Okay….”
As if reflecting Seo Geon-woo’s unease, the car crept forward cautiously.
*
We drove for about an hour.
The noxious exhaust fumes and city noise disappeared, and wide-open rice paddies and fields came into view.
Instead of the nasty stench of exhaust and fine dust, the smell of earth and fertilizer tickled my nose.
Just that alone made me feel a little calmer.
I had Seo Geon-woo drive us toward a valley where I could hear running water.
We parked somewhere suitable and walked a little way up a mountain path. After a few minutes, I began to hear the sound of water in the valley.
“Um, Ha-won….”
Seo Geon-woo, who hadn’t said a word until then, cautiously called out to me.
I considered ignoring him, then answered curtly.
“Yeah.”
Maybe he noticed my tone had softened a little, because there seemed to be less anxiety in Seo Geon-woo’s voice, too.
“Have you been here before? It’s my first time, but you seem to know the place.”
I stopped walking for a moment and turned toward Seo Geon-woo.
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
That was strange.
I didn’t think that was what I’d meant to say.
“No, haha….”
What a fool.
I let out a faint sigh and continued.
“When I was little, maybe six or seven, I came here with Mom.”
“Oh… I see.”
At the mention of Mom, Seo Geon-woo looked restless again.
For some reason, I felt sorry for him.
I wondered if I really had to go out of my way to do this, but I wanted to ease some of Seo Geon-woo’s anxiety and unease.
So I found myself smiling.
“What do you think? It’s nice, right? The air is clean and cool. If we go a little farther that way, there’s a stream, too.”
Yikes.
I think I overdid it.
“Huh?”
Seo Geon-woo was standing there frozen like a statue, staring at me with a blank look on his face.
“What is it? Why are you staring at me like that?”
What was wrong with this guy? He looked like his soul had left his body.
“N-no, it’s nothing.”
He seemed to have managed to reel his astral-projecting soul back in.
“Did you eat something weird?”
“Haha, no, no. Then should we go check out the stream?”
“Don’t fall on your face. Keep up.”
I said that with great confidence, but after only a few steps, I was the one who fell.
“Aagh!”
“Ha-won!”
I fell and scraped my knee on a rock.
A smear of red blood appeared on the wound.
Seo Geon-woo hurried over and grabbed my leg.
He was staring at the wound with a look like the world was about to end.
‘W-what…?’
Was it because of the pain? Or because I’d seen blood?
Why was my heart pounding?
For some reason, instead of looking at my scraped knee, I found myself staring at Seo Geon-woo’s face as he looked at it.
“Oh, that must hurt. What should I do? We didn’t bring anything with us….”
I looked at him for a moment, then shook my head.
Then, embarrassed for no reason, I snapped at him.
“Hey! Why are you making such a fuss over a scraped knee?”
“But it’s bleeding….”
“It’s fine, it’s just a little—Ugh!”
I tried to stand up as if I were fine, but my leg gave way.
“Ha-won!”
Luckily, Seo Geon-woo caught me in time, so there wasn’t a second mishap.
But… what was that squishy feeling?
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Seo Geon-woo and I met eyes, then looked away at the same time.
It was good that he’d caught me before I fell, but his hand had ended up somewhere it really shouldn’t have.
“Aah! I-I’m sorry, Ha-won!”
He was so startled that he let go of me, and I landed right on my butt.
“Aagh!”
“Whoa! Ha-won!”
Was this bastard doing it on purpose?
“I-I’m sorry.”
“For fuck’s sake… Are you trying to die?”
“I really am sorry.”
Honestly, landing on my butt didn’t hurt that much. I just wanted to tease him a little and see how he’d react.
“What are you sorry for? For making me fall, or for touching my chest?”
Seo Geon-woo’s face rapidly began to turn red.