Chapter 20
A few days after I went for a walk with my friends.
I was suffering from some inexplicable pain.
“Ugh…. My head….”
It was only 10 a.m., still too early to get up, but the headache kept tormenting me, so I forced myself out of bed.
A headache whose cause I couldn't figure out at all.
It was a nasty thing that had been tormenting me for several days.
On top of that, I was a little dizzy or nauseated, which put me on edge for no reason….
This pain had been stressing me out terribly for the past few days.
And today, for some reason, my lower body felt damp, which made me feel even more uneasy….
...Huh? Damp?
“N-no way….”
Anxious, I pulled up the blanket and looked down at my lower body.
Then I saw blood flowing from my lower abdomen and staining my pants.
Phew, thank goodness. At least I hadn't wet myself at my age.
I'd gone to bed after drinking cola yesterday, so I was a little worried—
“...Wait, that's blood?”
No, no, no—if that's blood, isn't this an even more serious situation?
Why was blood coming from there in the first place?
Had I contracted some fatal illness?
My physical condition had been bad lately, though….
“...Ah…. Now that I think about it….”
I forced my sluggish body to move, picked up the smartphone rolling nearby, and checked the date.
Today marked about one month since I had transformed.
...So it's that time.
======
I never dreamed that, in my lifetime, I would end up having a period.
Then again, I never dreamed I'd turn into a woman either….
“This is driving me crazy….”
The pain in my lower abdomen, as if someone were jabbing it with a needle, sent a surge of irritation through me.
No wonder I'd felt strangely ill and on edge for the past few days….
So all of that had been a precursor to this day….
I searched online and found that menstrual cramps varied from person to person, but my first bout seemed pretty severe. Damn it….
Experiencing the period I had thought I'd never have in my life and searching up its symptoms made me feel miserable in more ways than one….
I really had become a woman….
“Uee….”
I didn't even have the strength to get up, so I collapsed with my face buried in my pillow.
I needed to do something, but I couldn't summon any strength at all.
“Come to think of it…. Does having a period mean I can get pregnant too….”
A chill suddenly ran through my entire body.
Pregnancy…. The thought that I, who had been a man, now had a body capable of getting pregnant made my dizziness intensify.
Well, it's not as if that's ever going to happen, so maybe it doesn't matter….
“First, I need to ask someone for help….”
It was only natural, but I knew absolutely nothing about how to deal with a period.
The only thing I knew was that I needed to use sanitary pads, but I didn't even really know what they were….
Since there was a limit to what I could learn through searches, I figured it would be better to call someone who had gone through this many times.
“The problem is, who do I ask….”
If I asked Haru, they'd definitely use it as an excuse to play some kind of prank….
Narae was absolutely out of the question….
If I called that senior, they'd make a huge fuss about writing a research report on a Snow Woman's period,
and if they did that in front of me right now, I'd have to commit the ultimate act of insubordination and punch my senior in the jaw.
“Then I guess that leaves only Ms. Chaeyeon….”
Of the three people I knew, I called the most conscientious one, Ms. Chaeyeon.
“Oh, Seolhwa, what's going on?”
“Um…. Ms. Chaeyeon, the thing is…. I….”
======
Ms. Chaeyeon could only keep exclaiming in surprise after answering the phone.
She probably had never imagined that someone would ask her about menstruation at the age of twenty-one.
On top of that, she didn't know that person had originally been a man.
The one fortunate thing was that, like my friends, Ms. Chaeyeon handled it well….
“My goodness…. You must be having a hard time too…. If your first period hurts that badly….”
“Hahaha…. Both my body and my heart hurt….”
“First, make sure you buy some sanitary pads and put one on, as I said. Don't forget to stick it to your panties. And change it regularly.”
“Yes….”
I never thought I'd live to see the day I had to wear a sanitary pad, let alone be taught how to put one on.
I really feel like crying….
“And for the pain, warming your lower abdomen a little should help.”
Warm my lower abdomen….
“...No matter how bad the pain is, I don't want to perform a magic trick that separates my upper and lower body.”
“Hmm…. True, that would be difficult for you since you're a Snow Woman.”
Given my physical constitution, warming myself would obviously make me melt, so that method was out of the question.
“Then medicine should make it a little better. I'll send you a message with the recommended medicine. Just get plenty of rest today.”
“Yes…. Thank you….”
The call ended after I got a few pieces of advice.
To summarize Ms. Chaeyeon's advice, I should put on a sanitary pad and get plenty of rest.
I didn't have any particular plans today anyway, so resting wasn't a problem, but….
“A sanitary pad…. How am I supposed to buy one….”
Naturally, I had to go to the convenience store outside to buy one.
But in my current condition, there was no way I could leave the house.
“Ngh…. Then….”
======
That day, Hyunwoo was out taking a walk because he had nothing else to do.
“...Huh? Who's calling….”
When his smartphone suddenly rang, he picked it up and saw a call from the friend he'd saved as Loli Snow Woman.
Since she should still have been asleep at this hour, Hyunwoo was slightly surprised that she was calling and quickly answered, wondering if something had happened.
“Hy-Hyunwoo…. Hyunwoo….”
“Seolhwa…? What's wrong with your voice?”
When he answered, he heard his dying friend's voice, which left Hyunwoo even more flustered.
What on earth had happened to make his friend sound like she was dying?
Had she gone out alone again and run out of energy, accidentally turned off the air conditioner, or was this because she couldn't eat ice cream?
There were far too many possibilities for him to figure it out.
“P-please…. Can I… ask you for just one favor…?”
“W-what favor? I'll do anything, so just tell me.”
Hearing his friend ask for a favor in a dying voice, Hyunwoo readily told her he'd do anything.
What kind of condition was Seolhwa in for her to ask in a voice like that?
Was she really in danger? Had she been kidnapped or something?
With all sorts of thoughts running through his mind as he waited for her to speak, Seolhwa finally managed to say—
“...C-can you buy me some sanitary pads?”
======
Ding-dong—
While I was collapsed on my bed, unable to move even a single step, the bell of salvation rang.
“Finally….”
When the delivery person I'd been waiting and waiting for finally arrived, I somehow forced my dying body upright and headed straight for the door.
When I opened it, Hyunwoo was standing there with his face completely covered by sunglasses, a hat, and even a mask.
“...Aren't you hot?”
“...I'm dying of heat.”
Hyunwoo, dressed in clothes that looked unbearably hot, handed me the bag with what was clearly a sour expression, though I couldn't see it.
“...Even with my face covered up this thoroughly, the part-timer asked whether I was buying something for my girlfriend.”
“Ahaha…. Sorry….”
I apologized to Hyunwoo for suffering needlessly because of me and accepted the bag.
Inside were several sanitary pads I'd asked for, some ice cream he'd apparently bought for me to eat, and medicine.
What a perceptive guy….
“Sigh…. Whatever. I can more or less figure out what happened, so take care of yourself.”
“Yeah…. Sorry…. See you next time.”
Fortunately, Hyunwoo caught on quickly, so I didn't have to explain the situation while in this much pain.
Perhaps he knew it was best to leave me alone, because he said little before disappearing.
======
“Will this do….”
I managed to put on a sanitary pad more or less the way Ms. Chaeyeon had taught me.
...Ugh, as expected, it feels awkward and weird….
“I should go to sleep…. I feel like I'm dying from the pain….”
Just as Ms. Chaeyeon had said, the best thing to do when you're in pain is rest.
The pain in my abdomen kept getting worse, so I didn't know whether I could sleep, but I should at least lie down.
“Aah….”
I collapsed onto the bed and pulled the blanket over myself.
A soft bed and blanket, along with an air conditioner set to 18 degrees.
The pain hadn't gone away yet, but with items like these, I was sure I'd be able to fall aslee—
Ding-dong—
Just as I was about to drift off, the bell suddenly rang through the house.
“Who is it…. Why now of all times….”
Normally, I would have wanted to go out and see who it was, but my condition was absolutely terrible.
If I just ignored it, they'd assume no one was home and leave….
Now, back to sleep….
Ding-dong—Ding-dong—
But the bell kept ringing, refusing to stop.
It was starting to get irritating.
“There's no one homeee….”
In a dying voice, I indirectly shouted for them to go away.
Surely they'd leave after that…. If they had any common sense….
Well…. I didn't know if they could hear me with my voice sounding so weak…. But they'd just leave…. Please….
This time, determined to finally escape my pain by sleeping, I buried my face in my pillow.
Surely, surely the bell wouldn't ring agai—
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong—!!
“...Goddammit….”
In the end, I had no choice but to shuffle like a zombie to the door and open it a crack.
“Hey, Snow Seolhwa, why did you take so long to get up?”
Juhyeok, utterly devoid of tact, was standing outside my door.
“There's a tournament at the PC café today! Hurry up and come play with us!”
He woke me up while I was suffering through my period for that stupid reason…?
All the stress I'd accumulated from being in pain boiled over to its limit in an instant.
“So hurry up and get dressed….”
Without listening to Juhyeok, I flung the door wide open, reached out my hand, and shouted,
“Absolute Zero!!”
=======
The tactless ringing of the bell finally stopped.
At last, I had obtained the right to sleep in peace and quiet.
At last….
“It'll feel a little better when I wake up….”
I moved my dying body, collapsed onto the bed, and gradually drifted off to sleep.
Hoping I would wake up the next day free of this pain, I drifted off to dreamland.
It wasn't until I woke up that I learned the second day of a period was even more painful.