Huh?

After Poni vanished, I was left alone to sort through the chaos in my head. I hadn't even considered that the person I'd overlooked in my scheming might wake up in the meantime.

"Mm."

"Gah!"

I jumped at the sudden unfamiliar voice. Only then did I remember this was a hotel room as the woman opened her eyes. Not knowing what to do, I rolled my eyes frantically.

Should I say hello?

While I desperately racked my brain for a solution, the mysterious woman bolted upright in bed and grinned slyly.

"Yesterday was great."

Huh?

"Don't worry about debuting."

Huh?

"You're awfully bold."

Me?

I couldn't muster any response to this woman spouting incomprehensible words. She looked at me frozen stiff and chuckled awkwardly, brushing it off casually before continuing.

"With a face like yours, you didn't need to go to such lengths. Even now, I can't figure out what possessed you to pull that stunt."

What stunt did I pull?

"Then again, I'm the crazy one for going along with it."

At that moment, a speech bubble popped up beside the woman.

She's a director? Wait, no—before that, that's Poni's speech bubble style. Did Poni set this up?

It matched Poni's bubbles perfectly, so I immediately realized it was their doing. And it wasn't just random; it was helpful info tailored for me.

So the one-night stand I thought it was had a deeper meaning. Listening quietly to her, it seemed Honey Enter was the company I belonged to. And sharing a bed with one of their directors...

Gah! So last night's sex was body lobbying?!

It was an ironclad crime scene—no way out.

"Um...!"

"Let's forget today ever happened. And never pull anything like this again. Your face is your talent. So what if you can't sing or dance? That's why they call it visual center."

No, that's not—listen to me!

"Act like you don't know me if we run into each other again. I will too."

Leaving me flustered, she got up coolly and headed into the bathroom.

Alone now, I was forced to feel like a shy bride on her wedding night.

"Whoa."

Totally grossed out. But damn, that woman was a total bro—er, sister.

What the hell is going on? What's the plot here?

I slept with a hot woman. Woke up to her saying she'd slot me into the debut lineup. Told me not to worry. What is this?

What else? Body lobbying, obviously.

Clunk!

"Gasp!"

The bathroom door flew open barely a minute after she'd gone in. She emerged in a loosely tied robe, not caring that her body was on full display, and rummaged for her clothes.

"Oh, right—even if I recommend you, if you cause trouble, you can get cut from the group anytime. So behave. But as long as you avoid major screw-ups, debuting should be smooth sailing."

Slam!Ding!

The door shut.

"......"

She's gone? For real?

Silence hung heavy.

"Ha... haha."

I forced a hollow laugh to shake off the emptiness. My head was still a mess.

So... to sum up, that woman was an exec at the company, and I slept with her? From the looks of it, I lobbied to get into the debut group. And she agreed before leaving.

Didn't Poni say this was a brand-new body they made? So why'd the plot twist like this? No matter how I sliced it, that sneaky butterfly had planned this.

But even scanning around, there was no Poni to complain to—they'd vanished.

"Sets up this mess, says collect coins and I'll come back, then dips. What a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠jerk!"

No way they'd show if I called now. They emphasized sex was the only summon method.

So that's why they boosted my stats for debut. Clever setup. As long as I don't quit, debut's guaranteed?

Idol debuts this easy? I'd resented Poni's threats of scrapping me if I failed, but this secret fix melted my grudge away.

Now I feel bad for them.

Next time I summon Poni, I'll apologize. The scrapping threat still pissed me off, but honestly, I hadn't exactly earned their trust either. Call it even.

Plus, with my idol path suddenly wide open, any lingering unease about unintentional body lobbying faded. Felt damn good.

Am I really debuting as an idol?

Still unreal, but I couldn't stay dazed forever.

First, shower.

My crotch was sticky.

Poni's setups went beyond the exec hookup.

My clothes pocket had a phone loaded with my home address and passcode, trainee schedule, Honey Enter's location—everything packed in. Like they were saying, Don't freak out, just adapt.

Prep work on point.

And my info too.

Orphan, huh? Makes sense for a fabricated identity—adding family would complicate things. Calling some stranger "mom" sounds like a headache.

I'm no cuckoo bird; no thanks to fake moms. Orphan's easier. No one I know means no awkward encounters.

Plus, the memo said they'd hypnotized Honey Enter staff to believe Jin Haesol had been a trainee all along. But fine-tuning detailed memories was too much, so no close friends despite time there. And my C-Class self was slated for a class change to debut group soon.

"No acquaintances makes adapting easy. Damn good work."

I'm no novel protag who can bluff flawlessly. But the director probably fudged relations to slot me in.

"Where to now...? This address? My place, right?"

Stranger in a strange world—no home meant homelessness. Scary as hell. Only hope: Poni prepped a pad.

Heading to the personal info address.

Stares incoming.

Stepping out, every pedestrian was female. Streets full of women hammered home this wasn't Earth.

Men really are scarce. Wild.

Don't underestimate 9:1. Tons of women stared openly. Walking felt burdensome.

Cab it?

Public transit? Their gazes drilled holes—nope, surrendered.

Fuck, is this handsome guy's plight? Should be bowing gratefully, but nope. Terrifying.

Young women gawked outright, stopping dead. Rare sight in a male-scarce world.

Still adapting, their stares terrified me.

How to walk streets now? Self-quarantine?

Cabbie: woman too. Earth has 'em, but gender-flip awareness made everything novel.

Home sweet home—exact layout as my old place loomed.

"Address matches... gotta be. Identical structure."

Poni went this far? Inside: furniture, layout—perfect replicas. Even door code!

Gotta apologize to Poni extra.

"Whoa, top-tier service?"

Felt like returning home, not invading. Almost forgot not-Earth.

Body swap haze lingered—no major dissonance.

No wear-and-tear. All brand new.

Not exact copies—new buys, zero use.

"PC!"

New rig too!? Pumped, checked it.

New, but...

"If new, why not top-shelf?"

Decent age visually. Newish, but meh specs. Unknown brand.

"Pity."

Many unfamiliar icons/names, but core OS same—easy adapt.

Earth-like world, huh? Maps identical...

Names differed though. Corps, subways, regions, capital—altered.

Otherworld perks: no language barrier.

Korea-like? Lucky. Korean works.

President: woman. Lawmakers: women. CEOs: women. Woman-world.

Where the men at?

"Curious about guys."

Thought: streams? Male streamers common in gender-flip novels—avoid stares indoors.

"Whoa, women everywhere."

"Internet streams" search: sites galore. Top one: tons of popular streams.

"Search what?"

Never cammed guys before. Gross, but tried "male cam."

"There!"

First dude in this world! Watched ad, entered.

Click. X out condolences.

"Sh, shit."

Shouldn't have clicked.

I'm an idiot.

Male cam? Should've searched male idols! That's my future gig!

"Phew... ha."

Searched male idols, checked stages.

"Yes! Safe!"

Relief: male idol performances Earth-like. Women dominate society due to scarcity, but masculine stayed masculine, feminine feminine.

"Eww. Not BTX or anything. Mediocre kids—why the frenzy?"

Obvious lip-sync, flashy-but-sloppy dance flailing.

"That one's solo flopping? Oof, sprained wrist."

Women lost it.

Cute? Lame idols.

Gender-flip life as male: easy peasy.

Major worries gone. Dove into PC research on this world's idols.

Honey Enter: huge, top 3 agency.

Whoa, litRPG vibes. Salaryman uncle becomes male idol here? Fuck my life.

Self-loathing surged. Males rare = instant fandom on male idol debut. Destiny for XYs.

Small agencies debut any male for profit. But Honey Enter aimed global stars—no randos. Fierce comp.

Gender alone no ticket.

Honey chatter everywhere, including my group.

"Oh, juicy intel?"

Goldmine comments for me. Honey-tier fame meant trainee names buzzed pre-debut.

"Juni and Jeki locks for debut group."

Befriend on sight. Skill-less me in debut? Bad rep incoming.

"How many groups tanked on discord rumors?"

Idols burned for bullying—no thanks.

I'm too old for that shit. Catch one wrong vibe, befriend aggressively.

Maxed-out 30s salaryman survival strat: full unleash.