episode_0002

To address Ji-won, who complained of hunger, I ordered black bean noodles.

Before unwrapping the package, I watched Ji-won shake the black bean noodles container to mix the sauce, realizing that it was indeed Ji-won.

“Sensational~ Sensational~ Delicious Chinese-style noodles~”

The only one around me who sings such a strange song is Ji-won.

“Hey, Kang Ji-hoo, I’m a bit disappointed.”

Soon after Ji-won started unwrapping the black bean noodles, she began to get mad at me.

“Why the fuss? If you bought it for me, just let me eat it.”

“Even if I tell you to just eat it…”

Upon my suggestion to simply eat it, Ji-won looked at the table where the black bean noodles were placed and spoke up.

“Hey! There’s no sweet and sour pork! Isn’t sweet and sour pork a basic item in the 2-person set menu?”

“Forget about the sweet and sour pork, let’s go with 6 fried dumplings instead. Just eat it all.”

Getting angry over just the sweet and sour pork, Ji-won’s reaction is quite similar to mine.

Really… Has she turned into a girl?

“If you think your anger will subside because I give you all fried dumplings, then you’re sorely mistaken.”

Seeing her make such jokes, I realized it was truly Ji-won.

She then sat in the room, eating the black bean noodles and resumed reading her comic book.

Something feels significantly different, but I don’t feel like anything has changed.

I’ve been busy with my studies for two months, unable to hang out with Ji-won.

Is this what two months feel like? I don’t feel any different at all.

Thinking this isn’t right, I gathered myself, stood up, and said:

“Hey, Ji-won, come sit here.”

Seeing Ji-won lying on the bed, I asked her to sit up.

Ji-won sat up, looked at me, and made a scoffing sound.

She soon got up from the bed and sat at the dining table.

And now, I decided to say something most fitting for the situation.

“Why on earth did this happen to you?”

“What? Did I wash my face with cold water this morning? Is there something on my face?”

“No, damn it, not washing your face, but changing genders. Are you some kind of Ranma 1/2? Does splashing cold water in the morning turn you into a girl?”

At my words, Ji-won looked at me thoughtfully.

“Come to think of it, maybe so.”

Though she’s my friend, all she can say is how amazing it is.

Whether she’s calm or just plain stupid, I can’t tell.

My head hurts, and I probably can’t say anything right now.

If I were to take her to the hospital for this, I might end up being the crazy one.

Or if anyone goes to a hospital saying, “I woke up as a woman today even though I was a man yesterday,” they’d probably call the psychiatric ward.

I really don’t know what to do with this guy.

“Well, we’ll figure something out. Are you trying to kill yourself?”

Leaving those words behind, Ji-won lay back down on the bed.

Well… Let’s just get through this for now.

“I’m heading back first. Shower later and call me.”

Initially, I thought maybe it’s like Ranma; I could shower with hot water and turn back into a man.

“I can’t make calls.”

“Why?”

“My phone service got cut off due to unpaid bills.”

“Oh.. Bills.. Damn bills?”

In just two months, this guy managed to accumulate debts.

Or were they pre-existing?

He’s creating legends every moment…

Impressive…

**

I returned home and finished showering.

Today feels tougher than usual.

Ji-won became a woman. Damn, she became a woman.

I scratched my head, unsure of what to do.

I’ve seen scenarios like this in novels and comics, but witnessing someone become a woman without surgery is a first for me. I don’t know if I should sort this out.

As I was typing on Naver Knowledge iN asking, “My male friend became a woman! What should I do?” I received a voice message on KakaoTalk.

Although Ji-won’s phone service was cut off, her KakaoTalk account remained active, so she decided to use voice messages.

“So… what happened?”

“Hehe.. Taking a warm shower after so long felt good.”

It was a woman’s voice. Why did I turn into a woman when I washed with cold water, but why didn’t it change with hot water? As I pondered this,

“After coming back after a long time, you just sleep and leave. Why did you go back?”

I let out a deep sigh at Jiwon’s words.

“No, it’s not the right time to be there now.”

I don’t understand why there is such a lack of distance.

Since I’ve become a woman, shouldn’t I keep a little distance to be normal?

No, this child goes beyond the standard of normalcy.

As I thought about it, I began to understand on my own.

“Thank you for putting in the gas, I had to give up the gas to pay the electricity bill and lived without turning on the boiler.”

Seeing the bill in front of the house mailbox, I had no choice but to put in the gas.

Even though it’s spring now, if you don’t turn on the boiler, you could really freeze to death.

I had to put it in reluctantly, but it seemed to be greatly appreciated by Jiwon.

“Don’t thank me like that, do your job.”

“I’m also working. It just doesn’t pay.”

“We agreed not to call that work.”

At least we’ve reconnected after a long time.

After some conversation, Jiwon soon said he was sleepy and asked me to come over to his place again tomorrow.

Well… We hardly meet, but if we have plans to meet in the future, we should meet.

Like those who keep in touch as before…

**

After finishing work outside, I visited Jiwon’s house again.

Entering the password on the door lock, I walked towards the house.

“Oh.”

“Sorry.”

-Clang!

When I opened the front door, Jiwon was standing there.

And with his T-shirt off, his bare back was visible at the door.

Pink? What’s pink? Chest? Or head?

Various thoughts swirled in my mind.

“Oh, you showed something weird, come in, come in.”

Jiwon gestured for me to come in beyond the door.

I entered the house as it was.

Seeing Jiwon in a white T-shirt and shorts, I felt relieved this time.

“What were you doing really?”

As I asked why he was undressed inside the house, Jiwon smiled mischievously and said,

“It just feels empty because I’m not wearing underwear.”

After saying that, he pointed to the shorts he was wearing…?

“Hey, are these panties?”

“You can wear panties like shorts.”

Oh, damn it…

“My chest felt too exposed, and I was planning to eat at the convenience store, but it felt weird to go out with just pants on, you know? That feeling was too much.”

With Jiwon’s words, I immediately understood what he meant.

If you feel that way, going outside does seem a bit awkward.

“So I tried to buy a bra, but I couldn’t bring myself to go to the lingerie store alone.”

“So, I was going to order online! I was measuring the size!”

Saying that, Jiwon showed me a tape measure in his hand.

“Do you know that’s an industrial tape measure?”

I’m not sure if he realizes that if he presses the button wrongly, the tape could retract and cause trouble.

“Let’s go out, get up.”

In the end, I felt like I had to take Jiwon out myself.

“Do we have to go out? It’s a hassle.”

At Jiwon’s complaint of being lazy, I sighed and chanted a magical spell.

A magical spell that can make even a whale or a shrimp, and even Jiwon, who is too lazy to go out, dance their way outside.

“If I buy you food, will you come out?”

“If you buy me food, I can’t refuse.”

Saying that, he got up from his seat, put on a long padding under his T-shirt, and prepared to go out.

“Jiwon… I’m sorry, but change from panties to shorts before going out.”

Even if it’s a long padding, going out with just panties on.

Although it might look like shorts to someone else, a man would notice the striped panties at a glance.

“That’s how it should be, right?”

Finally, I said I would wait outside and decided to wait for Jiwon to come out.

How did this happen in the first place?

I couldn’t help but suspect that it was Kim Jiwon.

Considering the behavior, personality, and even my embarrassing past that they know about, it’s 100% Kim Jiwon.

But how did it come to this?

While I was asleep, someone took Jiwon, had gender reassignment surgery in Thailand, and sent them back home.

So there was no contact for two months.

Is this really happening?

I don’t know right now…

“Hey, let’s go.”

For now, let’s put out the urgent fire first.

**

I brought Jiwon into a lingerie store.

“Men usually wear all black. Since you’ve become a woman, these pink things are masculine.”

Jiwon was more focused on the color than the design.

“Oh, did you come to see underwear for your girlfriend?”

“No, she’s not my girlfriend, but I did come to see underwear.”

Perhaps because this lingerie store is for women only, I took Jiwon to check the sizes with a measuring tape.

But there are really so many women’s underwear options.

While looking at various undergarments, I was searching for something to gift.

“Sir, you’re here.”

“What? You came quite fast.”

The lady who came to measure Jiwon’s size hurriedly checked the underwear in the warehouse.

“Sir, it seems like all the energy that used to be male has gone to the chest; they’re quite big.”

“Don’t say that loudly outside.”

After waiting for a while, the staff showed three underwear options.

“These are the right sizes for our store’s customers. The others need alterations, which will take 2-3 days. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Grey, purple, black.

Most of them seemed like sizes suitable for middle-aged women, but…

“I like this purple one.”

Jiwon picked up the purple underwear and asked to pay for it.

Purple… Did they match it with their hair color?

I don’t know. For now, they asked to pay for it.

“Please give me this one.”

Decided to quietly give it as a gift.