Chapter 2
After the unfair contract was concluded.
Just as I was about to return home and cool off, I suddenly felt like I'd forgotten something important.
"Come to think of it, Senior. What should I do about my identity?"
Whether I liked it or not, from now on I'd have to live in this tiny woman's body.
The problem was that my outward appearance had changed enough to make me look like an entirely different person.
Since my appearance had changed, there were bound to be problems with things like my ID photo and various other details, and that was worrying me....
"Ah, if that's the case, I'll take care of it. I have connections, and I've done this a few times."
Connections...?
"Senior, don't tell me you're doing something illegal—"
"I just happen to know someone in the department that handles nonhuman species, okay?"
For a moment, I imagined that someone like this senior might have connections to the darker side of the world, but fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case.
"You seem to have imagined something unpleasant."
"Out!"
The senior gave me a chop on the head, saying it was unpleasant, as if they'd read my thoughts like a ghost.
I'd only thought it in my head because I was afraid they'd hit me.... It's unfair!
"It'll take about a week, so come back to the lab around then."
"Yes…."
...And.
The senior started to say something, then suddenly looked me up and down with an exasperated expression before continuing.
"When you come next time, at least wear your clothes properly."
"Ah…."
Hearing that, I lowered my head and looked over my outfit.
A T-shirt that was slipping down because it was the wrong size, and a pair of pants I could only keep on by cinching the belt tight.
It was a complete clothing disaster caused by my old clothes no longer fitting now that my body had gotten smaller.
This was after I'd barely managed to find clothes I'd worn in middle school and put them on,
but even this size was too big for me now.
The T-shirt looked like a dress, which said it all.
"I-I didn't choose to dress like this...!"
It was a disaster caused by rushing over in a daze after my transformation, without having time to worry about my clothes.
The one saving grace was that I'd taken a taxi here, so only a few people had seen me....
"...Want to borrow some of my clothes?"
For some reason, the senior asked me with an oddly softened gaze, and I only nodded without saying anything.
======
"I finally made it…."
In the end, I returned home wearing a tracksuit set I'd borrowed from the senior.
Maybe it was because I'd walked home instead of wasting money on a taxi, but I felt tired in every way.
Perhaps it was because I had to walk more now that my legs had gotten shorter….
"This is so uncomfortable…."
On top of that, perhaps because I'd walked so much, my whole body was drenched in sweat, sending my discomfort index soaring to the point of reaching outer space.
Anyone who saw me would think I'd run a marathon in midsummer, but all I'd done was walk in early spring, and this was what happened.
According to the senior, being a snow woman meant I'd become more susceptible to heat, but this seemed to go beyond mere vulnerability….
Being a snow woman is so inconvenient….
Beep-
In the end, my choice was to turn on the air conditioner.
My parents would smack me on the back if they saw me and ask what I was doing turning on the AC in spring, but I had no choice if I wanted to survive.
"Haaah…."
As cool air flowed from the air conditioner, I immediately went over to bask in its refreshing breeze.
Normally, I wouldn't have done this for fear of catching a cold, but for some reason, I wanted to right now.
The cold air felt good, too.
"I can live again…."
I didn't know why, but standing in the cold breeze made me feel as if my strength were returning.
Was this another characteristic of snow women?
Hmm…. But leaving the air conditioner on all year would make the electric bill....
As I sat in the cold breeze, worrying about such practical matters, I began to feel strangely unsettled.
Ah, whatever…. My head already hurts from this transformation, and my brain doesn't have enough memory left for pointless worries....
“...I want something sweet.”
They say people crave sweets when they're depressed, and all of a sudden I began to want something sweet.
Something incredibly sweet, enough to fill my mouth with sweetness—
Of course, there was no guarantee anything that sweet was in the house.
“...Wait, there was one thing.”
Come to think of it, I think there was some chocolate left over from last time in the kitchen.
Eating that should make me feel a little better, right?
All right, let's eat.
Having thought of that, I immediately got up and headed for the kitchen.
======
According to my memory, the chocolate was in the kitchen.
On the top shelf of our cupboard.
“......”
Come to think of it, I'd thrown it up on the top shelf so my older brother wouldn't find it.
I hadn't thought much of it then because I could easily take it down, but….
“I can't reach it….”
I reached toward the chocolate, but since it was too far away, my hand only waved uselessly through the air.
“Ngh…!”
The cupboard, which I'd been able to reach easily before my transformation, now felt impossibly far away…. No, it really had physically become farther away, but still.
I knew I'd gotten incredibly short, but feeling it like this made me realize anew just how much smaller I'd become.
I'd worked so hard to grow taller when I was young, so it made me sad to think that all that effort had suddenly been invalidated.
Who put the chocolate way up there where it's so hard to get!
...Oh, right. That was me.
“Nghh…!”
This time, I stood on tiptoe and stretched my hand toward the chocolate, my target.
Thanks to standing on tiptoe, I got closer than before, but my arm was still waving through empty air.
Ngh…! As if I'd give up…!
If it had been somewhere completely out of reach, I might have known to give up, but the fact that it was just barely within reach needlessly stirred my desire to take on the challenge.
If you're going to challenge me... I'll accept...!
“Just a little farther…!”
I rose onto my tiptoes as high as I could, until I was precariously balanced, and stretched my hand toward the chocolate.
Then, perhaps my persistence had finally paid off, because my hand barely touched the chocolate package, and at the same time—
“Ah”
My foot cramped from pushing myself too far onto my tiptoes.
“Aaaah-!”
The pain in my cramped leg threw off my balance—
Bang!
“Auuugh….“
I took a spectacular fall backward.
Ouch….
The trash bag behind me softened the impact somewhat, but even so, my whole body began to ache.
Well, still….
I got the chocolate out, so that's enough.
I proudly gazed at the spoils of victory in my right hand and smiled.
“I won.”
The spoils were incredibly sweet and delicious.
======
After eating the chocolate and feeling a little better, I returned to the living room with a tape measure and ballpoint pen.
“Phew…. Good…."
From what had happened earlier, I'd realized my height had decreased much more than I'd expected.
Therefore, I became curious about exactly what my height was now.
If you're curious, you should find out right away.
I immediately leaned my back against the wall, stood up straight, and made a mark with the ballpoint pen.
I had to be taller than 150 cm.
Thinking that, I pulled the tape measure up to the mark, and the number at the point where its markings stopped was—
148 cm
“...Huh?”
Thinking I must have read it wrong, I closed my eyes and opened them again.
The tape measure still said 148 cm.
...Did I measure my height wrong?
Just in case, I drew another line beside it with the ballpoint pen and measured my height again.
It was still 148 cm.
“......”
148 cm? Really? That's all my height is?
The gloomy feelings I'd barely managed to push aside began creeping back up.
Maybe I was even more shocked than when I found out I'd turned into a woman.
I couldn't even reach 150 cm…!
Even absurdity has its limits—making me this short is too much!
No, I knew I was short, but seeing it as a number right in front of me was even more shocking.
“Haa….”
For no reason, I suddenly felt gloomy and no longer wanted to do anything.
Covered from head to toe in negative emotions, I moved toward the bed as if being dragged along, then immediately dove onto it.
The soft bed welcomed me after I'd been worn out by everything that had happened since morning.
Perhaps because fatigue had built up, my eyelids gradually closed and sleepiness came rushing over me.
I could just go to sleep like this—
[Riiing—!]
“Eek?!”
...I was about to fall asleep, but the sudden ringing of the phone startled me fully awake.
What is it...? Did Senior Seoyeon have something to say?
Wondering what was going on, I picked up the phone that had been sitting on my desk, and the name I saw was—
[Lee Hyunwoo]
“......”
But on the phone screen was the name of my old friend, not the name of the senior I had a love-hate relationship with.
He wouldn't call without a reason.... Is he asking me to get on the game?
But I was in absolutely no mood to play a game right now.
Besides, I couldn't even begin to figure out how to explain my voice right now.
“Ugh.”
So I chose to throw the phone far away.
If he asked later why I hadn't answered, I could just say I'd been asleep.
I really wasn't in the mood to see my friends right now.
I should just sleep….
======
“They’re not answering.”
A man said this while staring at the disconnected call.
“Maybe they're still asleep? Seolhwa always gets up late.”
A woman with a ponytail followed behind him and continued,
“That works out even better. The surprise will definitely work, then.”
The man carrying a cake followed the two and said with a grin.
The three companions chatted as they climbed the stairs of an old villa.
They were Seolhwa's friends, who had secretly prepared a birthday party for her.