episode_0005

Park Si-hyun often visited my place, but truth be told, our homes weren’t all that close.

It wasn’t too far, just different school districts from high school, but still required taking the subway.

The school was located somewhere in between, so taking a bus would have sufficed.

Thus, to go to Park Si-hyun’s house, I had to take the subway.

“It’s crowded today.”

“It’s the beginning of the year.”

Despite it being past rush hour due to the new year, the subway was bustling with people.

Mostly students overflowing at this time before the start of the semester.

Among them, there were many who seemed like couples.

You could tell by seeing them holding hands or engaging in conversation.

“Hmm, quite a few couples.”

“Why? Are you envious of them?”

“Well… not really.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t envy holding hands with a guy.”

No matter how much he might have changed, this guy was still a sly one.

Would he envy girls flirting with guys?

As I said, he just wrinkled his nose and said nothing.

“Obviously. Why would I envy that? You’re the one who should be envious, right?”

“I’m honestly envious.”

“…Envious?”

“Because I’m a guy. I want to hold hands with a pretty girl.”

“…So?”

“What?”

“Hold it. My hand.”

Suddenly, he reached out his hand.

What’s gotten into him?

Seeing my slightly flustered expression, Park Si-hyun urged me on.

“What are you waiting for? Hold it.”

“Why should I hold your hand?”

“Because I’m pretty?”

“You’re not a girl.”

“But I am for now, because of you. Hurry up and hold my hand.”

His hand, which had been in his pocket, looked slightly red as if it were cold when he held it out to me. Unable to leave it hanging, I reluctantly took it. It was very soft and warm.

“It’s way warmer than during sex…”

“Do you only think about sex? Who’s going to listen here?”

“Who’s going to listen here? Also, is that something you should be saying?”

“Tsk. It’s because of you that it’s turned out this way.”

Ugh. He’s completely blaming me.

…Well, it’s true that it’s because of me.

But I didn’t threaten him with a knife to make him obsessed with sex, and besides, he willingly provided the pretext, the scoundrel.

However, now it seemed like a good thing.

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I rode the subway with someone.”

“Yeah, it has.”

Usually, we’re busy doing things at home, so riding the subway together was indeed a rare occurrence. Unfortunately, that day, luck wasn’t on our side, and the subway was a bit crowded.

“It’s so crowded… I really don’t like the subway when it’s like this.”

There were no seats available. Naturally, we had to stand, but it wasn’t a big problem as we only had a few stops to go. However, standing among people was a bit awkward. It wasn’t me who felt awkward, to be precise; it was precisely because of this guy.

“Hey, come over here.”

“Huh? Why all of a sudden…”

“Why? Just come.”

If you stand in the middle of the crowd, you might get bumped into. Of course, the likelihood of such a thing happening was low, given that it wasn’t Line 1, but one never knows.

So, I nudged him towards the door where I was standing, almost as if I were shielding him.

He seemed to catch onto my intention, his expression subtly changing, and soon he chuckled and said, “What, are you worried about me getting bumped into?”

“I’m not worried; I just feel uneasy.”

It’s not worry, it’s just uncomfortable. It’s fine for me to touch your butt, but it’s different if someone else does. It’s like when someone you don’t know suddenly reaches out and takes food from your plate; it feels unpleasant. Even aside from that, there’s a slight sense of responsibility.

“Hmm, I see. I thought we were playing at being a couple again.”

“Ugh, do you have to talk like a dog all the time?”

“What? It’s my feeling, so what? Hmph.”

Just because we did something like this, does it make us a couple? To say such dreadful things, he clearly hasn’t turned over a new leaf yet.

I guarantee he’s seriously considering a plan to disrupt my studies and ruin my life.

Perhaps even inviting him over this time is part of that plan.

Of course, I set the condition for him to study as well.

“This is our stop. Let’s get off. Oops-”

A moment later, we arrived at our stop.

But then, the sudden stop caused him to stumble and nearly fall.

Fortunately, he managed to grab onto me in front of him, preventing himself from falling.

“Hey, be careful. You almost fell.”

“Oh, uh…”

“Why is your voice like that?”

“…No, it’s nothing. Um, let’s hurry and get off.”

The one who had been leaning against my chest for a moment hurriedly got off with a somewhat flushed face.

I wondered what was going on, but I didn’t pay much attention and followed after him.

When we got off the subway, I could see the neighborhood where Park Si-hyun lived.

It was a high-end apartment complex, where relatively affluent middle-class people lived.

Park Si-hyun’s house was just about at that level.

“Your mom is probably at home.”

“What about your dad?”

“He’s probably at the gym.”

“Come to think of it, your father used to be a martial arts fighter, right?”

“Oh.”

Park Si-hyun’s father used to be quite a famous mixed martial arts fighter.

Of course, as I have no particular interest in martial arts and it’s been 10 years since he retired, only those who remember him from back then would recall.

It’s probably his influence that made this guy start babbling about becoming a martial artist.

The problem was that he used that to justify hitting me.

“What did your father say? I’m going to your place. I’ve met him once before.”

“Huh? Oh, he didn’t say anything in particular. He just said he wants to talk to you more next time.”

Is that so? Surprising. People with daughters are sensitive about their daughters hanging out with boys.

But maybe that doesn’t apply here because this guy was originally a boy? I don’t really know.

But then, for some reason, this guy started saying things that I didn’t ask about.

“But my mom seems to really like you. She must have a good impression of you.”

“Why is your mom acting like that again?”

“Well, it’s because she thinks I’ve become a bit more girly since meeting you… Hah.”

“What?”

“Okay, enough of that. Let’s go inside quickly.”

What did I just hear? For a moment, I doubted my ears.

He became more girly? This tough guy?

I couldn’t understand, but after thinking for a moment, I came up with a somewhat reasonable guess.

One day, this guy suddenly became a girl. However, the perception of those around him was always that he was a girl.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t the memories of Park Si-hyun’s parents about him from the past also have changed?

When he was a boy, he used to sing about becoming a martial artist, so if those memories changed appropriately, they probably wouldn’t remember him as being particularly girly, would they?

She’s a girl, but not particularly shy, causing a lot of concern as that kind of girl.

“…Probably.”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Hmm, so bland.”

They arrived at his place.

Park Si-hyun unlocked the door and opened it. Soon, Hyun followed her into the entrance.

“Mom! I’m home!”

“Si-hyun, you’re back? You went to that kid’s house again today?”

“Well, Mom, I brought Geon-woo with me.”

“Oh, really?”

With a clear, almost innocent voice, Park Si-hyun’s mother walked over. She was an incredibly well-built woman, to the extent that one wouldn’t think she was Si-hyun’s mother just by looking at her. If not for being called “mother,” she could easily pass for Si-hyun’s sister. It was natural for her to be extremely beautiful; after all, Park Si-hyun’s mother used to be an idol. She had some popularity, but like all female idols, her career had its limits, and now she was retired. Nevertheless, her beauty remained unchanged.

“It’s been a while, Geon-woo.”

“Hello.”

“What brings you to our house today? Lately, you’ve been a bit distant. I thought things were getting cold between you and Si-hyun. Although Si-hyun talks about you all the time.”

“Well, you asked if Geon-woo would come…”

“Hmm? I… Oh, right, I remember now. Excuse my absent-mindedness, hehe.”

Watching the two women converse, they seemed to have a close mother-daughter relationship, which was somewhat unexpected. Given that her father was a martial artist, this guy would have been more influenced by him. But seeing them now, they conversed as if they had always had a mother-daughter relationship.

“So, did you come to help Si-hyun study again?”

“Yes. It’s been a year since I started my supplementary classes. I chose to do it, but even she needs to get serious.”

“That’s good! I was worried about what Si-hyun would do about college. She looks like me in the face, but her head and personality are so much like her father’s, I was really worried. Meeting you is a relief. Indeed, girls need handsome and reliable men-”

“Mom!”

“Oh my, I talk too much. Come on, don’t mind me and come inside.”

After the stormy conversation, blushing Park Si-hyun took my hand and headed to the room.

I was led into his room. Behind me, Si-hyun’s mom was smiling mischievously. It seemed like she was misunderstanding something significant.

“Sorry. My mom is a bit nosy…”

“Oh, it’s nothing. But your room, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? And it’s changed a lot.”

“Has it?”

“Yeah. It feels more like a girl’s room now.”

When I came to this guy’s house before, his room gave off a ‘first and foremost, a girl’s room’ vibe. So, apart from the fact that there were girls’ underwear in the closet, it felt more like a boy’s place, as if the fact that he was originally a boy was quite evident. The macho posters on the wall and the overall plain and untidy feeling contributed to that impression.

But now, it was the complete opposite.

“You’ve put up pink wallpaper, there’s a teddy bear… even the bed sheets have been changed to look like a girl’s room.”

“R-really?”

“Hmm… you’re really trying hard. Trying to look like a girl, huh?”

“What? Well… yeah, kind of.”

There must have been a sense of discomfort from suddenly becoming girly. He probably tried to eliminate that discomfort. It was both inappropriate and somewhat satisfying. Decorating the room like this probably wasn’t particularly enjoyable for him as a guy. Thinking that, I teased him with a smirk.

“That’s not right! If you could just turn back into a guy, there’d be no reason for all this now!”

“Uh… yeah. That’s true…”

“Well, don’t get too disheartened. The curse has definitely been lifted, so you’ll probably turn back into a guy soon, right?”

“…I don’t know, maybe.”

“Until then, just keep pretending to be a girl and take care. You might never be able to go back for the rest of your life. Who knows? Living as a woman might be better.”

“…Idiot.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing.”

For some reason, Park Si-hyun went to the bed and hugged the teddy bear placed on the pillow. What’s wrong? Why does she look a little sad? Did I say something too harsh? I feel a bit awkward for no reason.

“Hey, enough… Let’s do something.”

“Something?”

“Yeah, that’s why you came here, right?”

I approached Si-hyun, who was sitting on the bed.

“It’s something exciting and fun.”

“What?”

And then I pushed Si-hyun onto the bed.

Park Sihyun lay there, slightly surprised but not resisting.

“Hey… my mom’s here…”

“You’ve done it before when your mom was around, haven’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“So let’s do it. Study.”

“Okay, stu- what?”

“I mean study. It’s exciting and fun when your grades improve.”

Studying is exciting and fun when your grades improve. What’s the problem?