Chapter 70: something about us

“Guh! Guh! Guh!”

As soon as consciousness returns, he suppresses the rising stomach acid with a cough.

His mind is in disarray, as if it had been hacked to pieces with a knife, and he clutches his neck, which feels as if it were being tightly bound by a rope. And at that moment, something blunt touches his fingertips. It’s what people commonly call the Adam’s apple.

“What… is this?”

He stops mid-sentence, startled by his own voice. It was too unfamiliar to be his own voice.

Overcome by an indescribable sense of alienation, he gently strokes his Adam’s apple.

A sense of strangeness mixed with a feeling of déjà vu.

“A man…?”

Only then does he lower his head and realize his own body.

His calves and forearms are noticeably thicker than before, and the mound on his chest has disappeared without a trace.

A subtle discomfort emanates from between his thighs, tightly wrapped in jeans.

“. ..You’re back?”

For some reason, he takes out the cell phone that was in his pants pocket and looks at his reflection on the black screen. His hair is messy and short, and his eyes are slightly sharp.

He has a rather fierce expression, but he is still a young man with a faint stubble. The face he had given up on ever seeing again.

“Shit! You’re back! You’re really back!”

Overcome with joy, I scream like a mad monkey in heat. I know it’s embarrassing, but I can’t help it.

Even I thought there was almost no chance of success, but the gamble paid off handsomely.

After causing a commotion for a while, I regain my composure and look around.

I was standing in the hallway of an old apartment building with a familiar scent.

After peeking around here and there, I realized it was the apartment I had lived in when I was a man.

The nameplate on the door read “707,” the number of our house that I still clearly remembered.

Yes, it was really our house. Even the milk slot under the front door was exactly as I remembered it.

“…”

I swallowed hard and approached the door. With trembling hands, I unlocked the door and pressed the button.

“1982.” The year Michael Jackson’s Thriller was released.

What if the password is wrong? Such anxiety was quickly dispelled. The door opened immediately with a cheerful electronic sound.

As I flung open the door, the familiar living room came into view through the entrance.

That dial-operated TV—still in use. The first emotion that came to mind.

“Who’s there?”

It felt like walking through a dream. As I stood there, lost in emotion for a moment, a woman’s voice echoed.

Just as I was about to step forward, I froze in place.

It was a familiar yet unfamiliar voice, one I had longed to hear again, and it left me speechless.

“…Oppa?”

“Sooyeon!”

She peeks her head around the wall, and I embrace her tightly, calling out the name of my only sister.

My heart was overflowing with joy. Even though I had once thought of her as an enemy, seeing her again after 17 years made me feel nothing but happiness, and I ruffled her hair vigorously.

Although it had been a long time since we had last met, it wasn’t difficult to recognize her face.

Her gently sloping nose and round eyes, which she had inherited from her mother, were exactly as I remembered them.

Although she had become a little more feminine than before, she still looked as innocent as a puppy.

However, unlike me, who was overwhelmed with joy, my sister’s face was stiff with some kind of shock.

Her eyes were wide open, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have. Her nails, decorated with various accessories, touched my cheek.

“Oh, brother? How did you…?”

“Why? What’s wrong with me? Is it because you like me too much?”

“But… you died three years ago.”

“Huh?”

At those words, I too stiffened. Then my sister quietly pulled away from me and slowly opened her mouth.

“Don’t you remember? Three years ago, you suddenly collapsed from acute coronary syndrome.”

“What, what… Is that really true?”

“It’s true! It’s been a long time since the funeral…”

…What about our parents?”

The shock of realizing that I am already dead is temporary. Suddenly realizing that the house is unusually quiet, I ask.

But my brother remained silent. Are they out? I asked again, and after hesitating for a moment, he shook his head.

I was about to ask where they were, but his sorrowful expression shattered what little hope I had left.

“They both passed away two years ago. In a car accident…”

“What a bastard.”

“It was an accident caused by Dad driving while drunk.”

“…”

…Shit, I have nothing to say.

“…Why don’t you come inside first?”

“Sure.”

At my sister’s suggestion, I took off my shoes and entered the living room. At the same time, my head turned involuntarily.

The old, worn-out sofa, TV, dining table, and a photo of me from my childhood hanging on the wall were still there, stuck in that same spot. I was wearing a taekwondo belt around my waist and striking with my fist.

Seventeen years have passed, but the memory remains vivid.

Without thinking, I compare the scene in my memory with the scene before my eyes.

The familiar scent remains, but the scene has changed a little. For example, the bonsai trees my father used to enjoy growing are nowhere to be seen.

Feeling the absence once again in that empty space, I quickly open my mouth before sadness overwhelms me.

“How have you been all this time?”

“Just getting by.”

“What about school?”

“I dropped out a long time ago and started working.”

“…

…Yeah.”

My brother says he dropped out of school with a sad expression.

I try to say something, but then give up. Even if I, who had been absent all this time, tried to say something, it would just be ugly.

I’m sure there were circumstances that made it impossible for my brother to do otherwise.

“What do you do?”

“Just… BJ.”

“BJ? Really? What kind of broadcast?”

“Just a game broadcast.”

As the conversation continues, I search every corner of the house as if I were visiting my parents’ home.

I open the shelf under the TV for no reason, check what’s in the refrigerator, open the bedroom door, and pause in silence at the cold air flowing out from inside. My younger sister, watching from behind,

does the same.

She silently closes the door and heads to another room. My room… my sister’s and my room.

“Huh, I shouldn’t say this, but when my brother first disappeared, I was a little happy. Finally, I could use this room by myself.

”

“What are you talking about?”

“Still… still, the feeling of loneliness was much stronger. We used to fight a lot back then, but once he was gone, it felt so empty.

”

“…I’m sorry.”

How difficult it must have been with even our parents, the only support we had, gone.

I lower my head to hold back the tears that threaten to spill over. Even then, it’s not enough, so I clench my fist until it bleeds. His fist trembles.

Even his younger brother, who must have been going through the hardest time, isn’t crying, so he doesn’t deserve to cry either.

He forces himself to swallow the tears that might already be flowing.

“You don’t need to feel sorry, bro. It’s not your fault.”

…g

“Come on, come on, open the door quickly. Let’s take a look around the house.”

I open the door without saying a word. Sure enough, the first thing I notice is the broadcasting equipment set up around the desk. The scale of the broadcast is quite large,

and none of the cameras or lights look cheap.

There is almost no trace of me left in the room, which is still warm.

The keyboard and mouse have been replaced, and the only thing left is my face in the family photo on the corner of the desk.

I gaze at the scene for a moment, then spread my hand to sweep away the dust clinging to the desk.

Suddenly, something soft and squishy

comes into my hand.

“Huh?”

“Uh, uh, that, that thing!”

“What is this?”

“It’s nothing, so put it down quickly!”

It was pink, bumpy, and long, shaped like a penis, and I was speechless. Then my sister quickly ran over and snatched the

object… the dildo… from my hand.

…Well, it’s embarrassing, but I can’t say I don’t understand.

Three years have passed, so my younger sister must be a proper adult now. She’s not committing a crime,

and who would criticize an adult for enjoying their s*x life freely?

Anyway, why is this object right in front of the camera… Putting that question aside, I open the wardrobe door.

“…What’s this?”

“Um… just stuff I wear when I take photos and play by myself.”

“By yourself?”

“…Yeah, by myself.”

As I pull open the wardrobe door, countless pieces of clothing are revealed. Maybe real women are different after all. It’s nothing like the me in my dreams.

However, while the upper shelves are filled with casual clothes that one would normally wear, for some reason, the lower shelves are filled with cosplay outfits.

So, these are outfits that you could never wear outside, with a high level of exposure and a provocative style.

Tops that expose the navel are standard, along with skirts so short that underwear is visible, and thong panties that might as well not be worn.

There’s even a bra with the central part of the chest completely exposed.

The vibrant scene feels like an adult toy store, making my face flush involuntarily.

Has fashion progressed this much while I was away? I turned around in surprise to see my sister’s face, flushed the same color as mine.

Well, it’s embarrassing, but it’s not an incomprehensible hobby.

Even without the bean pods, my sister is pretty enough. It’s understandable that she’d be so self-absorbed in her body while wearing thesesexy outfits. I was a woman in my dreams, after all. I can understand to some extent.

“That’s right! Want some pudding, Puda?”

“Oh, is that guy still alive?”

“He’s not even five years old yet, of course he’s alive! Puda, come here!”

As soon as my younger sister shouted, a loud, muffled cry came from somewhere. Soon, a chocolate-colored Poodle came running through the open door, panting.

Despite my father’s opposition, we had brought him home and raised him with care. He was our family’s only pet. I bent my kneesto greet him, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.

“Haha, long time no see.”

However, despite seeing me after a long time, Prada didn’t even glance at me and immediately headed straight for my younger sister.

Prada buried his face in my sister’s pant leg and sniffed her. He kept licking his lips greedily, as if something was particularly appealing. Her blue dolphin pants were covered in saliva and gradually turning navy blue.

“Oh, my goodness, why is the child acting like this? Stop it. It’s not broadcast time yet.”

My younger sister waved her hands, but he didn’t stop.

He dug his head into her crotch and sniffed her private parts.

That series of actions seemed oddly familiar, so I clamped my mouth shut. No, I thought I had clamped it shut, but my jaw dropped open wide, and I couldn’t close it.

I had finally reunited with my family, so why did I have to make such a stupid face?

…Well, if you broaden your perspective, it’s not that hard to understand. -Miral Understanding? Bullshit.

“Shit.”

Before I knew it, I let out a curse, and suddenly there was a gun pointed at my temple.

I pulled the trigger without hesitation.