episode_0013

“Should I open it?”

“Go ahead. Wait, Hanyeol, why are you so nervous about opening a department lounge door?”

“Hey, this isn’t just any ordinary situation. Plus, I’m kinda looking forward to seeing everyone’s reactions.”

“What’s so surprising about this… Just open it.”

Clunk. The sound of the door opening echoed, and the students inside turned their attention toward us.

Judging by the many unfamiliar faces, it seemed there were quite a few freshmen from the class of ’18.

“Huh…?”

And then there was my classmate, Han Tae-hoon. He was casually sitting in the lounge, probably joking around with the underclassmen, but even his eyes widened when he saw me and Hanyeol walk in.

“Hey, Hanyeol. Who’s the woman behind you?”

“Hey, you explain it, Seohyun.”

“…Seohyun? Wait, hold on. That scary-looking guy next to you is her?”

“Sorry for looking so intimidating, Tae-hoon. I was just as shocked when I woke up like this.”

The only classmate in the lounge was Han Tae-hoon. Jo Min-hyuk and Heo Ji-hoon had just left for class.

“Whoa, damn… I’m seriously shocked. What’s with the horns?”

“Dragon horns.”

“So you’re the draconic variant that’s been going around online?”

“Yep.”

“You can summon lightning too?”

“I can also use fire. Want to see?”

“Whoa… Show me. That’s wild.”

I raised my fingertip slightly. I couldn’t make it too strong—just enough for a candle-sized flame.

Flicker.

A small flame danced at my fingertip, and Tae-hoon, along with the freshmen, stared in awe.

“Wow…”

“Hey, is that all the firepower you got?”

“Not even close. If I went all out, the whole building would burn down. I’m keeping it at the minimum.”

“Senior, you can use fire too?”

“Yeah. It feels more like my main ability compared to lightning. Lightning needs prep time, but fire’s pretty much instant as long as I control the output.”

“Wouldn’t it have been better to just shoot fire when subduing that Minotaur variant?”

“Fire doesn’t knock people out. The doctor said tasers work on variants, right? That means electricity affects them… So, yeah, something like that.”

“Ohh.”

“By the way, Seohyun, how do you know Si-hyun and Su-yeon?”

“Si-hyun was at the scene when we caught the Minotaur variant… and I met Su-yeon through her since they’re close.”

“Si-hyun was there?”

At the mention of Si-hyun, one of the underclassmen perked up with curiosity and asked me.

Si-hyun nodded and explained to her classmates.

“Oh, yeah. I almost died, but Senior Seohyun saved me. She just appeared out of nowhere, threw the Minotaur like it was nothing, then called down lightning—BAM!—before vanishing. It was like watching a hero movie.”

Si-hyun summarized the incident briefly. Hearing this, Tae-hoon looked at me with disbelief.

“But why are you still not letting her speak for herself?”

“After knowing me for years, you still don’t get it?”

“Oh, right. This guy’s a voluntary loner. Forgot for a sec because of how you look now. Still, glad you’ve warmed up to the underclassmen. Guys, this is my classmate, Yoon Seohyun. You saw her briefly during orientation, right? Isn’t her variant power insane? And who’d have thought the scariest-looking guy would turn into someone who could slap an idol’s looks back and forth?”

“Uh, haha…”

The underclassmen visibly cringed at Tae-hoon’s words.

But they couldn’t hide their curiosity, their eyes sparkling with interest.

My changed appearance probably played a part in that.

My old face… yeah, it was pretty terrifying.

The kind of face that made people avoid me on sight.

A complete world-shaking transformation.

“You all look curious. Feel free to ask anything.”

“If you’re a dragon, do you have wings?”

“I do.”

“Whoa… Can you show us?”

“Can’t. Everything else is fine, but that’s a no.”

“Is there a reason?”

“My clothes would rip. Unless I’m wearing something with an open back, they’d get shredded… I don’t even want to bring them out. Plus, they’re about four meters long—if I unfolded them here, there wouldn’t be enough space. Everything would probably get wrecked.”

“Whoa… That big?”

“Yep. Once, I accidentally brought them out at home and got an earful from my little sister.”

“How do you feel about changing from male to female?”

“Uncomfortable. And… unfair. If this had happened just two years earlier, I wouldn’t have had to go to the military.”

“Ah…”

“Speaking of, do you still have to do reserve training?”

“Nope. They exempted me.”

“Damn, that’s kinda enviable…”

“If you’re jealous, become a variant too.”

“Hard pass. I like being normal. By the way, aren’t you getting love calls from STEM departments now?”

“Why, to experiment on me?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a no. I’m not signing up to be a lab rat.”

“Senior, will you be at the department gathering?”

“Yeah. I’m late, but I want to try being more involved now.”

“You? Did becoming a variant shake the heavens or something?”

“Well… It’s just, the perception of variants is so messed up that if I don’t do this, things will only get harder later.”

“Why?”

“If I don’t show that I’m a safe variant, more people will get uneasy just knowing one’s attending school, right? Then eventually, I’d have to hide completely. Even now, I was wearing black contacts and a hat until just earlier.”

“…That does sound uncomfortable. Oh, right. Can you get drunk?”

“Nope. Alcohol just gets broken down automatically.”

“Damn… Can’t even bet on drinks with you. The weakest drinker in our year is now the strongest.”

“You know I quit drinking a long time ago.”

“Well, at the gathering, the kids are gonna keep handing you drinks. You’re not gonna refuse every time, right?”

“I mean, I won’t, but… I really don’t wanna drink soju. Ah, underclassmen, you’re coming to the gathering too, right? Then, please, just beer for me. Soju tastes awful.”

“Yes!”

“Oh, and if any of you ever feel threatened because of being a variant, just message me. I’ll help. I may look like this, but I’m strong.”

“Speaking of, they say the later a variant’s transformation, the stronger they are. How strong are you?”

“Uh… Wanna see? Hanyeol, got a coin?”

“Here.”

I crushed a 100-won coin between my fingers. But instead of just bending in half, the center of the coin punched straight through, leaving a hole.

“Whoa… I should never pick a fight with you.”

“Hanyeol said the same thing earlier. But this wasn’t even using much strength…”

“How far do you think you could go at max?”

“Dunno. Can’t even gauge my own limits.”

“Terrifying.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got no reason to use my strength on people. Unless they’re a variant who crosses the line.”

“That’s a relief. By the way, aren’t reporters gonna swarm you at school?”

“Maybe.”

“Lately, media’s been interviewing ‘safe’ variants… If word gets out about you, they’ll come running, won’t they?”

“If they do… Well, I might do the interview. I want to show that we’re not threats. There are plenty of variants living normal lives, but the few troublemakers make the rest look bad.”

“Good thinking. Hey, if you get interviewed, can I photobomb?”

“Why you?”

“Would be fun to be on the news once.”

“…You’re impossible.”

“That’s my charm. Ah, sorry, guys. Got carried away catching up with my classmate. Get his number at the gathering and make him buy you food later.”

“Hey, Tae-hoon. Seohyun’s sense is disastrous. Earlier, he offered to buy Su-yeon and Si-hyun lunch, so I thought they were going somewhere fancy—then he just took them to the cafeteria.”

“Seriously?”

“Come on, they had class right after. Couldn’t go far. I said I’d treat them properly next time.”

“When will this guy ever learn?”

Tae-hoon clicked his tongue at me. Seriously… That bastard Hanyeol, snitching like that.

What must the underclassmen think of me now?

“Too late for ‘human.’ I’m a dragon now.”

“Oh, right. Anyway, you guys should get closer to him. He’s a good person, just… socially awkward.”

“Hey, you’re one to talk about social skills. Weren’t you the one who pissed off the seniors during orientation and got us all chewed out as freshmen?”

“But I got better.”

“Ugh. Anyway, everyone, he’s just as much of a lunatic as I am, so don’t just look at me like I’m the weird one. Got it? And if you get his number at the gathering, don’t mistake him for some generous senior buying you cheap meals—make him treat you to something expensive.”

“Ahaha! Got it!”

“Oh, Seohyun. Don’t you have class soon?”

“Time flew. Hanyeol, you taking Dialectology?”

“I am. Anyone else? Doesn’t seem like it.”

“Then let’s go. Gotta grab seats in the back.”

“Pfft, like you won’t stand out anyway with those horns.”

“I just like the back row.”

“Whoa, damn. I’m seriously shocked. This is next-level surprise.”

“Us too.”

“Glad I’m not the only one. So, what do you think of Seohyun?”

“She seems nice?”

“Right? Get close to her. She’s the real deal—always the first to help when someone’s in trouble. Like earlier, when she mentioned that mess I caused as a freshman.”

“Yeah.”

“Anyone know the details?”

“Just vaguely. Heard you ‘shook up the department’ or something.”

“Back then, she looked so intimidating that even seniors avoided her. Total ‘don’t mess with me’ vibes. You know how some people just have that natural bulk even without working out? That was her. Like a guy built for sports who ended up in literature. Meanwhile, I was scrawny back then.”

“You were?”

“Yep. Anyway, there were some real jerks back then—all graduated now. Couldn’t believe a top uni like ours still had that toxic hierarchy crap. And Seohyun hated it. Once, I got cornered over some petty thing, and when I was about to get hit, she stepped in and glared at the senior like she’d kill him. Here, look at her pre-variant photo. See this face? Now imagine murder in those eyes.”

“Whoa… One wrong move, and you’d get folded in half.”

Nam Su-yeon stared at the photo Tae-hoon showed her.

“Exactly. There was this one senior, absolute trash, and she straight-up told him, ‘You fucking bastard.’”

“Seriously!?”

“Yeah. Never in my life have I heard ‘you fucking bastard’ sound so lethal. Then she just looked at the seniors like they were pathetic and said, ‘You got into a top Korean university just to play pretend military?’ Senior’s ego got wrecked, so he swung at her.”

“Wow.”

“She took a few hits, then wrecked him. Other seniors tried to stop her, but she was gone. That guy got, like, eight weeks of medical leave. She fights dirty.”

“Damn.”

“After that, all the toxic hierarchy crap died in our department. The TAs covered for her hard, especially Professor Shin Jeong-min. So our year never messes with her. She looked out for us when we were isolated.”

“I see…”

“Anyway, she’s a good person. Just puts up strong walls. But if you get past them, she’ll go all out for you. So hang around her at the gathering. She’s surprisingly fun to tease—reactions are gold.”

“But seniors, aren’t you shocked that Seohyun’s a woman now? With looks like that, shouldn’t guys be falling over?”

At Su-yeon’s question, Tae-hoon scoffed.

“We’ve known her for years as that face. You think we’d suddenly feel different? And even now, she’s still Seohyun. Her looks changed, not how we treat her.”

“Kinda jealous of that bond.”

“We had to stick together. Anyway, get along with her from now on.”

“Yes!”

Si-hyun answered Tae-hoon’s words.