Chapter 4: Sister

“That guy awakened?”

Seong-yeon, Kyung-ho’s older sister, muttered disbelievingly as she looked down at the KakaoTalk chatroom.

To think that the guy who acted like a gaming addict every day and just leeched off their parents actually awakened…

She couldn’t believe it.

No, to be honest, she was envious.

To think that the guy who just played and ate every day actually awakened…

When one awakens, they are initially given a 100 million won Awakener support fund, and furthermore, they receive 3 million won every month as an Awakener subsidy until they die.

In other words, Kyung-ho would now live a life free of problems, even if he just ate and played for the rest of his life.

Meanwhile, she was working her fingers to the bone like this.

‘…Hah, I’m so envious…’

Thinking that, she sighed and looked at the remaining work.

“Haa… did I really choose the wrong career?”

Her job was a video editor.

At first, she was interested in the film industry and aimed to become a film director or something similar, but while pursuing that dream, she realized that opportunities to succeed in the film industry were too scarce, so she changed direction and entered the field as a freelance editor.

For now, she was trying to make a name for herself as a freelancer, but… since she wasn’t well-known, even if she prided herself on her skills, not much work came in, and half her time was spent on self-promotion, and the other half on actual work.

Even working her fingers to the bone like that, she wasn’t earning much money.

Still, she had persevered with the mindset that she would definitely succeed someday, but… thinking about her younger brother, who had become an Awakener, rarer than a lottery winner, and would now eat and play for the rest of his life, a strong moment of ‘sage time’¹ washed over her.

He was a guy who had played and eaten since childhood, and now even leeched off his parents…

Seeing him live better than her, who had worked hard and was still working hard, she couldn’t help but feel a moment of ‘sage time’.

“Ah… I can’t do any more today.”

In the end, she sighed and had no choice but to turn off her computer.

With this mindset, she felt she couldn’t work any more even if she tried.

First, she needed to see her brother, who would be visiting tomorrow, and clear her thoughts.

****

Today, I put on a mask and unhesitatingly took a taxi home.

The driver was quietly reserved, only glancing at me, so I also quietly looked at my phone until we arrived home.

I pressed the familiar apartment floor number, stood at the door, and then, *beep-beep-beep-beep*—I familiarly entered the door lock password and went inside.

“Who is it~? Kyung-ho?”

As I entered, I heard my mother’s voice from the kitchen, and I cleared my throat with a *hem!* and replied.

“Yes. It’s me, Mom.”

“…?????”

As expected, the voice that came out was not my familiar one, but a voice of incredibly beautiful timbre, so much so that even I was surprised to hear it.

It was thanks to the added setting, Voice Part: Heavenly Voice Part.

And Mom, with a bewildered expression at my voice, peeked her head out from the kitchen.

“Kyung-ho, what… what’s with your voice…?”

And Kyung-ho’s mother, Kim Mi-kyung, who had peeked out, soon widened her eyes upon seeing the beautiful woman standing in the entryway.

Hearing the voice, his father, Shin Kyung-soo, who was coming out of the master bedroom, also stopped abruptly upon seeing the unrealistically beautiful woman standing tall in the entryway, then took off his glasses, wiped them thoroughly, put them back on, and looked at the entryway.

“…Kyung-ho?”

“Yes, Mom.”

How long had they been frozen like that?

At Mom’s sudden words, I replied, and time began to flow again.

*Sizzle!!!*

“Oh my! It’s burning! It’s burning!”

“…Hmph, I heard you changed a lot, but… you really… changed a lot, didn’t you?”

“My gender completely flipped.

I was surprised too.”

“Hmph…”

Ignoring their expressions, I took off my shoes, entered the living room, and plopped down onto the sofa.

Her appearance, still wearing shabby sweatpants, completed a pose that seemed to have emerged from this very household, which highly contrasted with her looks, but her mannerisms were exactly the same as his previous self.

Only then could Shin Kyung-soo barely accept that the woman was his son.

That familiar skill of sitting in the living room and retrieving the remote control with her toes… it was truly a shocking sight that didn’t match her appearance, but Kyung-ho’s true self was clearly visible.

*Click*—and with the sound of the TV turning on, Mi-kyung, who was tidying up in the kitchen, finally conceded.

That laziness, turning on the TV as soon as he got home… indeed, it was her son.

“Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!!!”

Well, her laughter and voice were very… very different, but… still, feeling somewhat relieved, she continued cooking, waiting for her last daughter to arrive, and began setting a lavish table.

****

How much time had passed watching entertainment shows like that?

Around the time a lavish meal was set in the living room, *beep-beep-beep-beep*—the sound of the door lock opening announced the arrival of the last family member, his older sister.

“I’m home! My little brother is ho…?”

“Yo, Sis.”

“…??? Who…?”

“It’s me, Kyung-ho.”

“…?!?!?!?!?!”

I saw my sister’s face contorted in such a bizarre way for the first time in my life.

Her shock must have been immense, as she stood there with her mouth agape, simply pointing at me, unable to speak… until she finally managed to utter some words…

“Th-This beautiful woman is really Kyung-ho…?”

“I knew you’d say that, Sis, so I brought all the proof documents.

Here, this is my genetic test report, proving that my current DNA is 99.99% identical to my male DNA, excluding only the chromosomes.

And this is a document from the Awakener Association proving that I am indeed Shin Kyung-ho.”

“…Ugh… really…?”

Saying that, Seong-yeon naturally took the handed documents and read them, then looked at the beautiful, almost unreal woman in front of her, still finding it hard to believe.

‘This is really my younger brother?

That guy who acted lazy every day, leeched off his parents, and had zero future prospects?’

Rubbing her eyes, she looked at her again.

Even after looking again and again, it was hard to believe; indeed, a beauty truly worthy of the term ‘beauty that could topple a nation’ was standing there…

As a fellow woman, her appearance was truly enviable, even inspiring admiration.

Yet, a woman with such looks was scratching her head and wearing shabby sweatpants… and despite that, she still felt beautiful, which utterly astounded her.

Not only had her younger brother become a woman, but he had become a super-gorgeous beauty, to the point where she, as a woman, couldn’t help but feel envious?

“…What kind of novel is this…?”

“I think so too, Sis.”

Her sister, who had muttered blankly, then stumbled and sat down blankly, beginning to eat her meal.

Her parents also nodded as if understanding her, then opened their mouths.

“First… let’s eat and then think.”

“Eat well.”

“I’ll eat well~”

“…”

Enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal after a long time, I was the only one who could eat without any worries.

****

“…Ahem-hem!! All right, Kyung-ho… I understand well that you’ve awakened, seeing your appearance, but… what ability exactly did you awaken?”

“Yes! This mother was so surprised! Suddenly, my son became my daughter! And she returned as such a beautiful foreign young lady!!! What ability did you awaken for something like this to happen!? Huh?!”

Beside him, Mom was also looking at me, her eyes full of curiosity.

Although my sister didn’t speak, her eyes were burning with eagerness, indicating that she absolutely had to hear what ability I had awakened.

At their expressions, I couldn’t help but scratch my cheek.

After all, if I told them I had transformed into a game character, my preference for creating my game character like this would be exposed…

But I had no choice but to open my mouth.

They didn’t seem like they would let it go without an explanation.

“Well… I gained the ability to transform into a game character.”

“…A game character?”

“The game you play every day, you mean?”

“Yeees…”

“You acted like a gaming addict, and your ability turned out to be exactly the same…”

My sister’s words were slightly incorrect, to be precise.

Originally, it was an ability to become anything, but I had chosen to become a game character.

However, there was no need to explain that far, so I simply averted my gaze and remained silent.

“So, what abilities does this ‘game character’ have?”

“First, my appearance changed like a game character… and I can use skills.”

Saying that, I showed them the most basic magic—Fire, Ice, and Lightning—on my fingertips, just as I had shown the Association President.

*Whoosh! Crackle! Zap!*

Seeing the flames, ice, and lightning burst from each of my fingers, my parents and sister, naturally, looked at my fingers with wide, astonished eyes, full of wonder.

Of course.

Awakeners are extremely rare, known to be fewer than a hundred thousand worldwide.

In Korea, there are barely 30 or so, so they naturally wouldn’t have seen one before.

But seeing it right before their eyes, it was naturally astounding… To be honest, even though I was the one doing it, I was amazed too.

“Hmph… Yes… that’s amazing.”

“But is that all your abilities are?

What are you going to do with making ice, fire, and lightning…?”

“About that… Sis! I have a favor to ask!”

And based on what Mom said after seeing my abilities, I looked at my sister, then gathered my resolve and decided to say what I had wanted to say.

What I wanted to do.

¹*Sage time (현자 타임): A slang term referring to a moment of profound contemplation, disillusionment, or a feeling of pointlessness, often after an intense experience, in this context, triggered by a stark contrast between one’s own efforts and another’s effortless success.*