Chapter 1
That morning, something felt strange from the start.
Even though the weather didn't look particularly hot, it felt strangely hot, enough to wake me up.
For some reason, my field of vision seemed much lower than usual, and the distance to the bathroom felt farther than normal.
And the strangest thing was….
“...Who is this?”
The reflection in the mirror had become a girl I'd never seen before in my life.
Blue hair that fell all the way to her waist.
Dark blue eyes that looked ready to close at any moment from drowsiness.
And, at a glance, an incredibly small frame and snow-white skin.
She looked cute just from her appearance, but….
“Why is a girl like this reflected in the mirror…?”
More than that, what I wanted to know was why the mirror reflected a little girl instead of me.
“...No way.”
At the thought that had suddenly occurred to me, I raised one hand.
The girl in the mirror raised one arm in exactly the same way.
“......”
This time, I raised my other hand, and the girl in the mirror copied me perfectly.
I didn't know what expression I was making, but I felt sure it was one of utter shock, just like the girl in the mirror.
“...Is this for real?”
Whether it was because I had encountered an incident that exceeded my brain's capacity first thing in the morning, or because my brain didn't want to accept reality, a mild headache began to spread.
Wondering if this might be a dream, I pinched my cheek, but it hurt normally.
And then the girl in the mirror frowned….
No, I frowned.
“Haa….”
Once I realized that this situation wasn't a dream but reality, all I could do was sigh.
I wanted to deny it somehow, but at this point, I couldn't deny it anymore.
Apparently, I had become a woman.
======
"It's Demi-Human Mutation Syndrome."
"Demi…. What?"
"Demi-Human Mutation Syndrome. Don't make me say the same thing twice."
The woman in front of me, whose dark circles were especially prominent, said that and began drinking the coffee beside her.
The place I'd come to wasn't a hospital… but a university research lab.
It was a lab in the Department of Demi-Human Studies.
And the woman drinking coffee in front of me was this lab's slave… I mean, graduate student, Choi Narae-sunbae.
I figured someone with her strangely encyclopedic knowledge might know something, so I came here before going to the hospital.
Sunbae had been flustered at first, but after hearing my explanation, she quickly reached the conclusion I'd expected.
"You've heard of it, right? It's still causing quite a commotion."
"I have heard of it…."
A mysterious phenomenon that had begun about six months earlier.
It involved some people suddenly transforming into demi-humans, the kind of beings you would normally only see in comics.
The incident threw the entire world into an uproar, and it was said that discussions surrounding the mutants were still ongoing.
And the name given to this phenomenon was Demi-Human Mutation Syndrome.
"......"
"What's wrong? You look upset."
"Of course I do…."
The scariest thing about demi-human mutations was that there was no cure.
I remembered Sunbae telling me that, even though the whole world had been working on it for several months, there had been little progress.
There was no cure.
That meant I would have to live in this small woman's body from now on.
As I thought about that, the anxious feelings I'd shoved aside began to surge back up.
How was I supposed to live from now on in this small, fragile-looking body?
What was I supposed to tell my family and friends?
What would I tell my school…? And what about my identity…?
Maybe my confusion showed on my face, because Sunbae looked at me and offered some words of comfort.
"Don't be so pessimistic. There are good points, you know."
"Good points?"
"You're incredibly cute, so isn't this better than before?"
"That's not comforting at all….
======
A few minutes later, after barely managing to pull myself together, I asked Sunbae about something I'd been wondering.
"But am I really a mutant? I look like an ordinary person…."
Mutated people had their own distinguishing features.
For example, dragon mutants grew horns and wings, while elf mutants developed long ears.
However, although I'd turned into a woman, I didn't seem to have many features characteristic of a demi-human.
The only thing that could count as a trait was my blue hair.
"Well…. Even among mutants, the extent of each person's transformation differs."
Sunbae said as she filled out what looked like some paperwork.
"Well, you seem to have transformed into a species whose appearance is similar to humans."
"If they look that similar, can they really be called demi-humans?"
"Of course. You don't have to look any farther than vampires. They look exactly like humans, don't they?"
Sure enough, aside from their characteristic fangs, vampires looked identical to humans.
Then… could I have become a vampire?
"No, you're not a vampire. You made it here just fine, and it's still morning."
Ah, right.
If I had been a vampire, the game would have been over the moment I left my house, so I couldn't be one.
...Anyway.
"...I only thought that. How did you know?"
"I can tell what you're thinking."
Sunbae said this as she took another sip of coffee and looked down at me.
So wherever I went, I was already in the palm of her hand…. This sunbae was kind of scary after all….
"Anyway, demi-humans whose appearances don't differ much from humans generally have changes in their constitutions, you know?"
Sunbae took out a marker and began drawing something on the whiteboard.
It was a cute-looking vampire and a picture of the sun.
"The vampire I mentioned would be in danger if it came into contact with sunlight, so your constitution must have changed in some way too."
Sunbae said this and drew another picture of a vampire suffering under the sun.
My reaction to hearing this was-
"...You draw cute pictures, sunbae."
"...Mind your own business."
Sunbae swiftly turned her head as if nothing had happened after hearing my compliment, but she couldn't hide the slight flush on her cheeks.
Seeing this side of Sunbae was refreshing.
"So, after transforming, was there anything particularly unusual about you?"
"Even if you ask whether there was anything particularly unusual…."
The morning had been so hectic that I hadn't had time to pay attention to anything like that.
Everything felt strange because even my senses had changed after I became shorter….
The only thing that seemed a little strange was….
"I did feel a bit hot today."
"...Hmm"
Sunbae thought about what I'd said for a moment, then suddenly approached me and grabbed my arm.
“Eek?”
"...As I thought, you're quite cold."
Sunbae gave me her verdict.
Cold….? But I'm hot right now….
"How about taking your temperature?"
Before I could even process what Sunbae meant, she handed me a thermometer.
I didn't really know what was going on, but I followed her instructions and tucked the thermometer into my armpit.
Beep-beep-
A few seconds later, the temperature measurement was complete, and I immediately handed the thermometer to Seoyeon-sunbae.
“What did it say?”
“20.3 degrees.”
“Oh…. That's pretty low…. No, wait, did you say 20 degrees?”
The average human body temperature was 36.5 degrees.
Getting a reading of 20 degrees was obviously abnormal.
While I was utterly flustered by this impossible temperature, Sunbae calmly began organizing the information on the whiteboard.
1. More vulnerable to heat.
2. Cold skin.
3. Low body temperature.
4. A human-like appearance.
"Putting all of this together, there's only one possible conclusion."
Sunbae tapped the board with her marker as she spoke.
"Seolhwa, you've become a Snow Woman."
“A Snow Woman...?”
Snow Women were said to be beautiful women from old legends.
I remembered hearing that they were beings who wandered through blizzards, enchanted people, and froze them to death.
Had I really become one of those Snow Women…?
“Snow Women are a species made up entirely of women, as the name suggests. So you becoming a woman makes sense too.”
Sunbae began speaking in a calm tone, but she couldn't hide the excitement in her expression.
I suppose transforming into a Snow Woman was pretty interesting to her... but I was feeling deeply troubled and conflicted right now….
How was I supposed to live from now on? What was I supposed to tell my parents and friends? What would change after I became a Snow Woman?
My anxiety about a future I knew nothing about continued to grow.
“By the way, you're lucky.”
“...Lucky? Do Snow Women have a cure?”
“No, it's because you're probably the world's first Snow Woman mutant. You should be proud.”
Sunbae said this while giving me a thumbs-up.
That wasn't comforting at all….
“And there's something I'd like to suggest.”
“A suggestion?”
“I haven't decided on my next research topic yet.”
“...What?”
“Would it be all right if I made you my research subject?”
What on earth was Sunbae suddenly talking about?
A research subject meant she wanted me to be her test subject.
In other words, Sunbae planned to study me to uncover the secrets of demi-humans and the characteristics of Snow Women, but….
“I refuse.”
I rejected her immediately, without a second thought.
Narae-sunbae was dangerous enough even when I was merely meeting her, and becoming her test subject… That was practically a death sentence.
Absolutely not. I would never do it, even if it killed me!
“...I see. What a shame.”
“So I can't…. Huh?”
To my surprise, Sunbae gave up readily and went back to working on her computer.
Th-This is strange…. I was sure Sunbae would force me, even if she had to threaten me….
“What a shame. It was a proposal that would have benefited both you and me.”
“...Benefit me too?”
How would becoming a lab rat possibly benefit me?
“Mutants have to visit ordinary hospitals frequently for examinations to ensure their safety, you know?”
Sunbae paused to sip her coffee, then continued.
“But demi-human mutations aren't covered by insurance-”
“Sunbae, let's sign the contract right now! I'll be your test subject!”
“Oh, I like that enthusiasm.”
As soon as I showed interest, Sunbae handed me the test-subject consent form and a pen from beside her.
I can't believe she'd already prepared this….
How much had this woman already anticipated?
“But what's the difference between getting examined at a hospital and getting examined by you?”
“Hm? Nothing much, except for one thing.”
“One thing?”
“Whether or not it becomes an unethical experiment.”
“......”
I decided to pretend I hadn't heard that last comment.