Reborn as Han Areum
I died. I flopped down flat inside the tent. The cold dampness of the sleeping bag crept up my spine, but right now, I had no time to worry about that. Just in case, I pulled my ID out of my wallet one more time.
[Han Areum, born 0X (21 years old)]
No matter how many times I looked, the smiling beauty in the photo was exactly the face I'd seen reflected in the copol. And that face was now mine.
That was when it happened. Grrrrowl~ A cute rumble shattered the silence, echoing from my stomach. Last night, before the downpour hit, I'd only boiled up one pack of ramen in the copol... so yeah, after passing out from the lightning strike and waking up, it was no wonder my stomach was glued to my back. Cold, hungry, sticky. My whole body was caked in mud like I'd rolled in it. I looked like a total bum.
First things first... gotta get outta here. I stopped overthinking and got ready to pack up the tent. It was still drizzling lightly, but nothing like the insane torrent from last night that would've sent me straight to bed with a cold. Like always, I grabbed the wet tent skin with one hand and yanked it up.
Thud. The tent skin flopped limply from my hand and fell right back down.
"Huh?"
Something was off. Had the tent soaked up too much water? I gripped it harder and tried again.
Whoosh—thud. Same result. The tent just fluttered lightly in place.
Something was wrong. Even soaked to the brim, it shouldn't have been this heavy. Finally, I grabbed the skin with both hands and strained with a grunt. My whole body trembled as I poured everything I had into it, barely managing to peel it back.
"Hngh... haaah..."
I collapsed onto the ground, panting raggedly.
Did... did becoming a woman tank my strength too? Where'd my muscle go?! I couldn't even lift a soggy tent? In disbelief, I looked down at my arms. The solid, gym-honed muscles from my guy days were gone. In their place was a slender arm, pale and smooth-skinned, with bones faintly visible underneath.
If I'd been a girl from the start of this trip, how the hell had I hauled all that heavy gear by myself? The puzzle pieces clicked. Yeah, I hadn't lost my mind from the lightning. This was real. I'd actually turned from a man into a woman.
In the end, what should've taken ten minutes to pack up dragged on for over an hour. Sweat—or maybe rain—drenched me head to toe.
Damn it, is this body made of just bones and fat? Feels way weaker than an average woman's... I felt the severity of my new situation down to my bones.
I finally lugged the last gear box to my beat-up SUV. The moment I hoisted it into the trunk, my foot slipped on the wet ground, and the box slipped from my hands.
The heavy corner slammed right onto the top of my foot.
"Ugh...!"
Pain doesn't hit right away— it creeps up slow, like a monster from the abyss. Soon enough, a stinging ache shot from my foot, spreading through my whole body. Tears welled up.
"KyaAAaAaH! FucK! ThiiiIS HuuURTs SoOO MUuuCH!!!"
A top-tier scream burst out reflexively. But what came from my mouth wasn't the gravelly, thick uncle voice I'd expected... it was a clear, bright, tinkling soprano, like striking a perfectly tuned xylophone.
"......."
For a moment, the whole world went silent. No rain, no wind. Just that voice echoing in my ears like a haunting refrain.
What the hell was that voice? Feels like cognitive dissonance kicking in. That crystal-clear tone was my voice...? I couldn't even muster a bitter laugh. The mismatch was too absurd.
Forgetting the pain in my foot, I stood there for ages, reeling from the shock.
I finally snapped out of it, limped over, and loaded the rest of the gear into the car. Sliding into the driver's seat, I turned the key, and the heater blasted warm air. Only then did my rain-chilled body start to thaw a bit. I buckled up and glanced at the side mirror out of habit.
And silence again.
In the mirror sat a dazed beauty, face smeared with sweat, dirt, and mud. Stray hairs stuck to her cheeks, grime streaked her skin. And yet... she was still gorgeous.
No way, even looking like this, her features hold up? Is this the TS cheat key from those novels...?
I reached up unconsciously and touched the face in the mirror. Smooth skin, straight nose. Living twenty-odd years with this face would've come with its own headaches, no doubt.
Haa... shit. Looks like it'd be exhausting just to live with this face...
Vroom. The rickety SUV pulled into a rest area parking lot. Exhausted and starving, I couldn't drive anymore.
Time to grab some food first.
I got out and headed for the bathroom. Then I froze mid-step.
Oh. Right. Women's bathroom now.
The blue stick-figure pictogram—so familiar for over thirty years—was now forbidden territory. My face burned. Awkwardly, I turned and headed for the red one on the opposite side.
The women's bathroom. A mysterious realm I'd never willingly entered in my life.
Shh. The automatic door slid open, and I stepped inside, trying to act natural—but anyone could tell I was stiff and awkward. Luckily, it was mostly empty. I slipped into a stall, locked the door, and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Sit down to pee...?
Obvious, sure, but after a lifetime of standing, sitting on the toilet felt ridiculous. My body shuddered at the unfamiliar sensation. I ignored it, did my business, and headed out. At the sink, a woman fixing her makeup eyed me up and down. I couldn't read her gaze exactly, but it made me shrink. I rushed to wash my hands and bolted.
My soul felt half-gone.
"Hoo..."
Tension easing, I sighed in relief. My steps to the food court felt like lead weights.
Even eating's a chore now.
I scanned the menu board. Tonkatsu, udon, ramen... and one item that jumped out.
[Spicy Pork Rice Bowl]
Yeah, that's the one.
"One spicy pork rice bowl, please!"
The auntie taking orders looked a bit surprised at the sight of me... probably just my imagination? I took the pager and sat by the window. Soon, it buzzed wildly. I jumped up, grabbed my food, and dug in.
Steam rose from the spicy pork rice bowl, the pungent aroma hitting my nose. I shoveled it in furiously—not chewing, just stuffing. That was the proper way a man tackled jeyuk.
Mmm, delicious. Koreans run on rice power, after all.
As I scarfed it down, I felt eyes on me.
What? Whispers and glances from nearby folks.
"Look at her eat—so hearty."
"Must be traveling solo."
First time seeing someone chow down like this? I grumbled inwardly and refocused. But the stares didn't stop. Curiosity won; I looked up at my reflection in the opposite glass window.
And the spoon froze.
In the glass: a beauty with gochujang sauce smeared everywhere, eyes wide, cheeks bulging as she aggressively devoured the rice bowl. One leg propped up on the chair like some classic uncle pose. The sheer dissonance...
Ahem... yeah, this might be a bit much.
My face heated up. Awkwardly, I dropped my leg, wiped my mouth with a napkin. Suddenly, the food lost its appeal.
Back home, I sorted the gear and flopped onto the bed. Habitually, I grabbed my smartphone and checked my YouTube channel. Subscribers unchanged, no new comments. I clicked one of my uploaded videos.
There, in front of my familiar dome tent, stood a mud-caked Han Areum. Goosebumps prickled my skin at the disconnect. Every video I'd shot and edited—starring me—now featured Han Areum.
I stared blankly. It was the same boring footage I'd made. But something was different. Just swapping the uncle protagonist for a beauty shifted the vibe entirely. My old vids felt like chill healing camps; hers looked like gritty survival camping—skilled hands struggling with brute force, full of effort.
A lightbulb flashed in my head.
"Th-this... could actually work?"
I bolted upright in bed. Yeah, decision made.
Let's do it. I was planning to camp and chill for a couple more months anyway. No reason I can't just because the body's different.
I clenched my fist.
The failed camper Hangeol was dead. I was reborn—not as uncle camper Hangeol, but as beauty healing camping expert Han Areum.