episode_0008

“Come in.”

A familiar voice. It was Professor Shin Jung-min.

Since my freshman year, this teaching assistant had always gone out of their way to accommodate students’ needs.

I’d received their help quite a few times when in tough spots, and they’d even covered for me when I messed up.

In a department where I had no close friends outside of my male classmates, they were the only professor I could truly rely on.

When I opened the door and entered, suspicion flickered in their eyes as they looked at me.

“What brings you here?”

“I’d like to apply for course retakes this semester.”

“Retakes? Are you by any chance a student from the Korean Literature Department?”

“Yes. I’m a Korean Literature student.”

“That’s odd… I’ve never seen you before. What’s your name?”

“Well, this is how I look now… It’s me, Seohyun. Professor Jung-min.”

“Seohyun? Yoon Seohyun, Class of ’14?”

“Yeah. The Seohyun who always got into trouble and needed your help. I mutated and ended up like this.”

“…Good heavens.”

Even as they said it, they didn’t seem to believe me—until they looked at the documents I submitted and gaped. I’d even brought my hospital records, just in case.

“So… your gender changed too?”

“That’s how it turned out. I’ve heard it happens sometimes, but I never thought it’d be me.”

“Good grief… Anyway, you’re retaking last semester’s courses, right?”

“Yes. Do I need to submit anything else?”

“No, this is enough. Ah, but you should probably inform the professors of the courses you’re retaking.”

“I figured as much.”

“It’ll save them the shock. If it’s too much, I can talk to them for you.”

“Ah… I think it’d be better if I visited them myself. Especially since I basically disappeared without a word last time.”

“Fair. The professors don’t have much going on right now, so they should be in their offices. By the way, when did you wake up?”

“It’s been about two months now. I was apparently asleep for a full three months.”

“What did you mutate into?”

“Uh, a dragon.”

“A dragon?”

“Yeah. A Western dragon, to be precise. They’re usually called dragons, right?”

“A dragon? Wait. Then… is this you?”

They pulled out their phone and showed me an article from two months ago. How embarrassing.

“Ahaha… Yeah. That’s me.”

“Good lord. That’s incredible. So the lightning thing was real too?”

“Yeah. I think it’s a racial trait. You could say I just… naturally awakened to it?”

“That’s amazing… You’re not gonna zap me with lightning if you get mad, are you?”

“Would I really do that?”

“Hey, you once headbutted upperclassmen for pulling stupid power trips. And you were a big guy back then…”

“Ugh, why bring up ancient history? That was before I even went to the military. Besides, becoming a dragon mellowed me out a bit. I won’t do that kind of thing anymore.”

“Why’d your personality change too?”

“I think the mutation gave me some emotional stability. Even the doctor who specializes in mutants said so when I first woke up—that they’d never seen a mutant so emotionally well-adjusted. So you don’t need to worry.”

I waved it off, and the professor smiled.

“That’s a relief. Well, since you’ve mutated, why not try expanding your social circle? It was always a shame seeing a good kid like you only hanging out with your male classmates because of that one incident. Try getting closer to the underclassmen too.”

“The underclassmen are scared of me. And with how bad public perception of mutants is already… I don’t think that’ll work. Besides, I prefer having a few deep relationships over a wide social circle.”

“Well, that’s your call. I won’t push. But I hope you find more joy than exhaustion in connecting with others.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice, Professor.”

“One more thing—now’s the perfect time to change how others see you. You’ve even gotten prettier, so you might even find someone to date.”

“Professor. I was a guy until two months ago…”

“I know, I know. You’re talking about psychological resistance, right? Gender identity issues are common among mutants who’ve changed sexes. But it’s good to keep your options open. People’s values change over time.”

“I think so too. But still, not now.”

“Fair. Anyway, I was really worried, but I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks for worrying about me. My old classmates were really concerned too, which was kind of touching.”

“Well, you guys were always attached at the hip. Though, honestly, you did seem a bit like your own little isolated island.”

“Yeah, I guess we were. The five of us stuck together.”

“Do they know you mutated?”

“They know I mutated, but I’ll give them the details when the semester starts. That’s the kind of thing you talk about face-to-face.”

“I see. Well, it’s gonna be chaos once the semester starts. Oh, you’re a third-year now, right? You’ve got the academic field trip coming up.”

“…Yeah. I was supposed to go last time, but, well, this happened.”

“It’ll probably be early in the semester, so try getting closer to the underclassmen then. I’ll help set things up.”

“I’ll try. Thanks, Professor. I’ll go visit the other professors now.”

“Wait a bit. The department head should be here soon. Better to wait five minutes than run around looking for them.”

“Got it.”

While waiting, the professor asked about what I’d been up to the past two months, and I said nothing much had happened.

“Wait, there was a student from our department when that Minotaur-type mutant was caught!?”

“Yeah. A girl named Lee Si-hyun. Do you know her?”

“Of course I do. I remember all our students. Wow… what are the odds? She’s your junior, right?”

“She probably doesn’t know. I just gave her my name and left. People were trying to take pictures of me.”

“I see. The semester’s gonna be full of interesting events.”

“‘Events’ is one way to put it…”

“Ahaha. Well, try getting closer to Si-hyun when the semester starts. She’s well-liked in the department, so your social circle’ll expand in no time.”

“Isn’t that a bit calculating?”

“Since when are social interactions not calculating? Besides, if you’re her life’s savior, she’ll probably approach you first. If she does, don’t brush her off too harshly.”

“I won’t go out of my way to do that.”

“Then we’re good.”

Around then, the department head walked in.

Professor Kim Yeon-hwa, the department head.

She taught modern literature.

“Oh, you’re here? Professor Jung-min.”

“Ahaha. Of course I am.”

“Honestly, no teaching assistant is as diligent as you. Anyway, is what I asked you to prepare ready?”

“Yes. Ah, Professor, I have something to discuss. Do you have a moment?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“It’s about this student here.”

“I don’t recognize her. Have we had such a pretty student in our department?”

“Ah, Department Head. I’m Yoon Seohyun, Class of ’14.”

“Seohyun!? That big guy? Ah, I heard you were on a medical leave of absence, but you mutated?”

“Yeah… I’m really sorry for disappearing without a word.”

“No, no. Mutations happen. More importantly, are you okay? Given how poorly mutants are viewed, it must’ve been hard.”

“Ahaha… It wasn’t too bad.”

“That’s a relief. Was it difficult adjusting, especially with your gender changing too?”

“I’m not sure if it’s a racial trait, but I’ve been emotionally very stable. There wasn’t much to adjust to.”

“I see. What’s your species?”

“A dragon.”

“…A dragon? Eastern or Western?”

“Western. The kind usually called a dragon.”

“Goodness, how fascinating. Did you apply for course retakes? We’ll be seeing you this semester, then.”

“Yes. I’ve applied. Haha… I’ll do my best.”

“Good, good. If anything’s difficult, let me or Professor Jung-min know. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, Professor Jung-min. Do the other professors know Seohyun mutated?”

“No. I was just telling Seohyun to visit their offices.”

“Is that necessary? There’s a meeting today, so I’ll just tell them.”

“Ah, thank you, Department Head.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s what the title’s for.”

The department head dumped a flurry of words and vanished like the wind.

“…That saves some trouble. Well, are you heading out now?”

“Ah, yes. I should. Need to prepare for the semester too.”

“Right. Take care.”

After visiting the department office, my unemployed life continued.

Of course, I occasionally stopped by the hospital for checkups.

Other than that, the only notable thing was my little sister dragging me around everywhere.

Complaining that I always wore dull clothes, she treated me like her personal dress-up doll.

“Wow… It really, really suits you.”

“…Just how much do you want to embarrass me, sis?”

“But isn’t it nice to dress up so brightly? Right, Seo-ah?”

“Yeah, yeah. I was getting tired of all the gloom too.”

My sister laughed, and for some reason, she looked especially annoying today. Must be my imagination.

The reason I’d become her dress-up doll was entirely thanks to our mother, Lee Min-hwa.

After raiding our apartment (well, sisters’ apartment now), she took one look at my wardrobe and scolded, “You’re a woman now, why are all your clothes so dull?” before dragging me and Seo-ah to the department store.

And so, I now lived the life of a photoshoot model.

Because of my horns, Mom even got me brightly colored hats.

“Make an effort to dress up. You’ve become so pretty.”

“How are you saying the exact same thing as Yoon Seo-ah?”

“Did she say that too? Well, we are mother and daughter.”

“…Whatever you say.”

By the time we swept through the department store and returned home, I was exhausted.

Even as a dragon, I rarely got tired—but the boundless stamina women exhibit in department stores was too much to handle.

Mom, having stormed through our lives, left to meet friends, claiming she had plans.

As I sat dazedly in the living room organizing my now-vibrant wardrobe, Seo-ah approached.

“The semester’s starting soon. How do you feel? Nervous?”

“Not really. Just dreading group projects again.”

“Ugh. Anyway, I’m in the humanities too, so if you’ve got no one to hang with, we can stick together.”

“You’re a freshman. Act like one and bond with your classmates.”

“Unnie. You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“Female uni students pretend to get along in the first semester, but after break, cliques form. Everyone hides knives behind their backs, and group chats multiply.”

“You think I don’t know that? Still, make at least one safe space in your department. I did.”

“Hmm… Fine. But I can drop by sometimes, right?”

“…Do what you want. If anyone bothers you, tell me immediately.”

“Why? Gonna help me?”

“Help? I’d help the brave soul who messed with you. I know your temper. This is about stopping you from causing trouble.”

“……”