episode_0003

A day passed at the hospital.

Hmm. Is it just one day after a month?

I don’t know, but they said I was just lying down for a month.

So when can I be discharged?

Are they really going to do tests for a whole month? What’s the point of that useless act?

They said there is no treatment. It’s pointless. It’s just an act to prove that I’m a woman.

“Ugh.”

“Hello. How are you feeling?”

“I’m hungry….”

“They said we need to do a physical examination today, right?”

The nurse came early in the morning as soon as the sun rose.

I tossed and turned, feeling slightly tired as I got up, but I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I stretched out my soft, flabby arms and legs like rice cakes. I felt self-conscious and stopped.

“After this, will we have a meal? Maybe there’s beef radish soup.”

“Oh right. You’ve been lying down for a month, so of course there’s food!”

“Ugh….”

Food. Isn’t that what babies eat?

Still… at least you should feel the taste of chewing.

I kept thinking that I wanted to eat tonkatsu with my brother.

I also want kimchi, and after a long time, make thick tonkatsu and dip it in the sauce I made.

They say meat tastes better if you dip it in salt.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes….”

Supported by the nurse, I sat in the wheelchair.

I only remember experiencing disabilities at school, so why did it turn out like this?

“But how will I grow taller like this….”

“It’s later~ You’ll have to stay here for at least another month.”

“…What?”

I’ve never heard such a thing before.

It seems I’ll need more time to meet my brother.

It’s a bit foolish to think like this, but at least as an adult, I won’t starve and wander around.

“Phew….”

“You’ve worked hard~ There may be some differences, but shall we start with the meal?”

“That… is food.”

A spoon and a bowl. It’s truly unappetizing food.

If they say it has no taste, then it must be tasteless, but this one really has no taste. In other words, it’s tasteless.

Since it doesn’t taste like anything, when you think it has no taste, don’t you feel like the food tastes bad? It just really has no taste.

“Sigh….”

“For the next week, you’ll have to see it differently, how about trying to think of it as more delicious?”

“Ugh, I don’t want to. Can’t you just give me something to die for?”

Taking a spoonful feels like drinking water from a spoon.

Honestly… I wonder if I can fill my stomach with this.

I don’t want to eat, but I feel like I have to eat something, so I’m forcing myself to eat.

“You can’t even have porridge. If you eat it now, you’ll vomit immediately. If you listen to me, at least within 3 days, you can have low-salt food or something similar, so please bear with it.”

“Yes.”

I don’t have medical knowledge, and the nurse isn’t trying to keep me in the hospital longer, so I decided to trust and follow her.

Secretly sighing, the nurse looked a little pitiful.

“Phew… You’re the kindest person I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh. Really?”

Even as I said it, I wondered if this wasn’t a joke on me, but it seemed like it was just a childish prank.

“Yes. That’s right!”

Then she sat next to me and talked about various things.

People who secretly bring ramen because they dislike the food, overturn their meals, or try to escape because they claim not to be sick….

They all seemed like crazy stories, but… is it okay for this nurse to talk about her work like this?

“Phew… I feel relieved… Oh! My name is Choi Soo-hyun. Since we’ll be seeing each other for a month, please take care of me. Mr. Jiu.”

“Yes. Please take care of me.”

“Hmm? Oh…”

While pondering on irrelevant thoughts about the laws of hospitals, Soo-hyun exclaims as if amazed by something she sees.

“Is there something on my face?”

“Oh. Have you ever seen yourself in a mirror? You must be curious!”

I wonder if there’s really something on my face.

There’s no mirror around, and I can’t move, so I wasn’t particularly curious about my face. However, now that she’s approaching me like this, I’m slightly curious.

“Hmm… I’ve never seen myself. I do need to see how I look, but…”

“Then… may I show you?”

“Hmm… Yes.”

Soo-hyun takes out her phone and shines it on my face.

How do I look—

“Oh.”

“How is it? What are your impressions of seeing your own face for the first time?”

I am at a loss for words.

To cut to the chase, it’s beautiful. Very much so.

The short, pointed hair that used to gaze up at the sky now falls down to my shoulders, shining like silk when touched.

My small eyes have widened, making my double eyelids and thick eyelashes stand out, giving my eyes a somewhat cold appearance, almost icy, and my skin is as pale as the first snow of winter.

There’s no trace of artificiality, so although I may appear pale, it doesn’t seem sickly; rather, it looks natural.

How on earth…

“…It’s a woman.”

“And an incredibly beautiful one at that. I thought you were a real angel when you smiled earlier.”

Even hearing such words, I wonder if I should be pleased by them.

For now… am I a man or a woman?

A significant cognitive dissonance arises from my striking appearance.

If I were ugly, I could just cover my chest and pretend to be a man. But when you’re this pretty… there’s no way to hide it.

Soo-hyun talks about various things before leaving due to some incident.

The lively room suddenly feels empty, lying on the sloping bed as if lounging or not, staring blankly at the air.

I could see the window swaying in the wind.

Though it doesn’t feel real, the green leaves are already turning red, occasionally strong winds hitting the window, showing that autumn has already arrived diligently through nature’s signs.

I want to go home right away to see if my brother is living properly, but unable to, I absentmindedly stare outside the distant window.

Time… really doesn’t pass quickly. It’s only been a day.

It feels like entering boot camp.

They say it’s best to get in and out of the military quickly, so I chose the fastest route and entered as a cook.

After getting checked before graduation and almost running off to the military right after graduating, it felt like I was escaping. There wasn’t really anyone chasing me.

Well… after being discharged, my sister came looking for me, saying she was getting married.

And somehow, I became close with my brother-in-law…

Becoming close with my brother-in-law isn’t because I dislike it.

It’s just that the reason we became close is because of my sister.

We could have met under normal circumstances.

From the moment I met my brother-in-law, I found it quite fascinating.

***

“Good.”

I didn’t realize how great it was to be discharged from the military.

The world seemed abundant, and people moving towards their goals looked so unfamiliar yet satisfying, making my steps light.

The best part was not having to eat mess hall food anymore.

Well… it’s been several months since I was discharged.

My hair is civilian now.

After seeing a military uniform that I thought I’d never see again, even memories of when I served have become hazy.

The faces of colleagues, juniors, and seniors have all become blurry. Since we haven’t even contacted each other, we’ve never met in society.

ㅡWhoa!

I buy frozen shrimp tempura and throw it directly into the greased frying pan.

I don’t know why the military doesn’t serve shrimp tempura.

As expected, homemade is the best.

I take out the well-fried shrimp tempura and put it on a plate.

“Wow….”

With a crispy sound, the taste of the shrimp inside is directly felt.

Freshly made hot tempura dances in my mouth.

My taste buds are enjoying it. This is paradise.

Half of the shrimp tempura I bought to eat a lot is already gone.

“Phew….”

I should buy more later.

Even when eating rice, you should eat it as a snack when you’re bored.

-Ding dong~

“Uh, who is it.”

I didn’t hear anyone coming from my father.

Looking at the screen on the intercom, there was a man I didn’t recognize no matter how hard I tried to remember.

“Who are you.”

As the microphone flows through the speaker, the man looks down at the camera.

Even though he came close to the camera to the point where he seemed like a celebrity, his face size hardly changed.

The slightly draped coat and black turtleneck go really well together.

With long, slender legs clad in slacks, I honestly thought he had come dressed in a suit.

So…why did this handsome person come here?

[The person who will become Yeongmi’s husband!]

“…What?”

Even with this grainy resolution, how did this person with distinct features get caught by my sister?

“Well…if you’re looking for my father, he’s not here right now.”

Today is Saturday. Yet my father is still working.

And he’ll be back in the evening.

[Hmm…then I’ll just leave this here!]

“Uh, you don’t have to do that…”

Now then…should I call him brother-in-law?

Brother-in-law bows his head next to the box and greets the camera.

Watching him walk away, I felt dumbfounded.

Sister…no, human parasite. What have you done.

…Oh. A basket.

Opening the door slightly, there is a box next to it. Looks like he brought tangerines because it’s winter.

At a glance, the quality of the tangerines looks appealing.

He must only eat these during winter.

*

“Why are there tangerines?”

“Someone named brother-in-law came.”

“Oh. Quite something.”

We put the tangerines on a plate and ate them in the living room.

“Tastes good.”

Father quietly nods his head and says.

Although he may not express it verbally, he certainly does so non-verbally.

So we’re not that big after all, except for sudden mutants like my sister.

“By the way, was this brother-in-law similar?”

Similar…?

“Not at all. He was handsome and kind, almost like what my sister would do.”

If brother-in-law’s nature is truly as I saw it, if it’s really like that…sigh.

I feel a bit sorry for brother-in-law.

A person who disappeared suddenly for a few years to repent and learn cooking…unlikely.

Asking me to hand over a hidden bankbook without any news at home, it’s unlikely he has turned over a new leaf.

“Hmm…poor thing.”

“Yeah, indeed.”

I prepared to leave, thinking they might divorce soon.

“I’ll be back~”

“Sure. Take care.”

Where I’m going is the convenience store.

Not thinking of buying anything expensive here but going to work part-time.

With no dreams and feeling uncomfortable being a homebody, I got a job at a place where the turnover is low and they were hiring.

The night air is at full winter temperatures, making it bitterly cold even though I’m dressed warmly.

“Hello~”

“Yes.”

I take turns with someone who looks really sleepy. The sound of quietly crawling in is evidence.

Now it’s my turn to be sleepy.

No people, time doesn’t pass dirty, wondering if there’s something to fill, I look around and see slightly empty ones.

Fill it up at the end.

“Sigh….”

Even if you curse, there’s no one to come back and fill it up, anyway, I was starting to feel sleepy too.

Since cleaning is what I like the most.

“Ugh….”

But just because I like it doesn’t mean it’s good to clean up other people’s shit.

It’s kind of annoying.

-Jjallang

“Welcome.”

My body responds to the jingling sound.

It’s like the feeling when your ears react to a military bugle call and your body automatically gets up, the sleep is slightly disturbed and the body moves to find the guest.

…?

“Hello~”

It’s a face I’ve seen somewhere before.

Good-looking. The hair and face shape are nice.

There may be one or two good-looking people, but I’m sure I’ve seen this face.

Maybe a celebrity.

I don’t think so…but to meet like this.

When such thoughts abound, the man already comes with two triangular kimbaps and water.

“That will be 3800 won.”

“Yes, here you go.”

Even as he calculates, the strange unease doesn’t disappear. It seems to get worse instead…

Well. If we’re meant to meet, we’ll meet.

South Korea isn’t as big as the United States, I don’t believe in fate, but if it’s meant to meet someone, meeting them somehow is destiny.

Or maybe it’s just a coincidence.