I'm a Girl?!
His hazy consciousness slowly drifted back to the surface, like bubbles rising through water.
"Ugh... Ah... My head..."
When Lee Han-gyeol opened his eyes alongside a throbbing headache, what met his gaze was not his familiar ceiling, but a lush, vibrant green forest.
The rich scent of damp earth and unfamiliar wildflowers tickled the tip of his nose. The chirping of birds and the rustle of wind through the leaves filled his ears. Everything was peaceful, yet dreadfully unfamiliar.
"Where... am I? I was definitely on my way home after working overtime..."
In that instant, goosebumps erupted over his skin as he realized the voice wasn't his. Instead of his usual low, raspy tone, a clear, melodious voice—like a finely tuned string instrument—slipped past his lips.
"What's with this voice? Why is it so high? Did I catch a cold?"
He tried to sit up in a hurry, only to feel another wave of cognitive dissonance. His field of vision felt significantly lower than usual. On top of that, why did his body feel as light as a feather?
Even the texture of the clothes he wore was bizarre. Instead of a stiff dress shirt, a soft, flowing fabric brushed directly against his bare skin.
"What is this outfit? I don't remember putting this on..."
The moment he pushed his upper body up, something heavy and soft sloshed against his chest, making its presence undeniably known. His eyes widened in sheer horror as he instinctively looked down. Something massive, defying all common sense, completely dominated his field of view.
"W-What is this? Did someone put watermelons on my chest?"
His hand reached out of its own accord and made contact. Soft, elastic, and unbelievably voluminous. No way. This soft, bouncy sensation was, without a doubt, a woman's breast.
"...Huh? Wh-What?!"
He hastily cupped his chest with both hands, but the sheer fullness overflowing his palms made his mind short-circuit, white-hot panic burning through his brain.
"This is insane! W-What is this?! My chest... grew this big?! No, wait, there's no way a guy would have these in the first place!"
With trembling hands, he groped his waist and legs. An impossibly slender, ant-like waist. Smooth, supple thighs. Hair cascading over his shoulders was long and silky, reaching all the way down to his waist. Every sensation was foreign and surreal.
What on earth is this outfit? He was wearing a thin, breezy one-piece dress that cinched tightly under his bust before flaring out like a skirt—something he had never worn in his entire life. It even felt like he wasn't wearing any underwear.
"No way... This can't be happening, right? Please...! This has to be a nightmare, please!"
Overwhelmed by anxiety, he frantically scanned his surroundings and spotted a clear puddle of water nearby. Even a puddle is fine. I have to check. Stumbling toward it, he looked down at the water's surface and froze, his breath catching in his throat.
Reflected in the mirror-like water was the face of a woman he had never seen before. Plump, cherry-like lips, and large, clear, doe-like eyes filled with anxiety and terror. Her flawless, porcelain skin glowed translucently under the sunlight. She was a flawless beauty—as if a god had summoned every ounce of their artistic genius to sculpt her.
"Th-This... is me? I... turned into a girl?!"
Though the reflection was undeniably that of a strange woman, the expression contorted in sheer shock was unmistakably his own.
"No... This has to be a dream! Yes, I must be having a terrible nightmare!"
He shook his head violently, closing and opening his eyes, but the scene before him remained unchanged. Just then, an incredibly obnoxious voice flashed through his mind. It was what that goddamn, lazy deity had said to him.
"I've prepared a smoking-hot girlfriend who will love only you, just as you wished. It should be fine... probably?"
"...That bastard...! That goddamn deity...!"
Han-gyeol—no, the being who had now completely become "her"—collapsed to the ground in utter despair.
“A smoking-hot girlfriend... That's me?! The girlfriend that son of a bitch was talking about was myself?!”
A scream laced with rage and despair echoed miserably through the forest. After wailing for what felt like an eternity, she clutched her head, still on her knees.
"I'm a girl... and with this... ridiculous body..."
The texture of her skin, the weight of her chest, and even the light brush of the dress fabric felt completely foreign. It was a body so unrealistically healthy and beautiful that it felt as if a god had sculpted it with deliberate intent.
"This is impossible... This has to be a dream... Please, someone wake me up!"
She pinched her thigh. "Ow!" It hurt. She slapped her cheek hard. "Ugh!" Only the stinging pain served as proof that this was reality.
"It's real... It's actually real... Damn it!" she practically wailed.
"Damn it...! Goddammit! If this was going to happen, I should've wished to become a dragon or an elf in a fantasy world! Why did it have to be a girl?! And why such an absurdly perfect girl at that?! What the hell am I supposed to do?!"
After sitting in a daze for a long time, she slowly lowered her head. The breasts blocking her view were simply too surreal. Her hands moved up of their own accord.
"...They're real." As she gently squeezed and released them, a soft, heavy sensation filled her palms.
How am I supposed to run around with these? They're going to bounce like crazy every time I take a step. And I don't even have a bra.
Even in the midst of her panic, she found herself shaping them with both hands, only to flinch at the surprisingly sensitive reaction.
"...Wow, I've really lost my mind." Her face suddenly flushed red. Shaking her head, she became conscious of her lower half. Carefully lifting the hem of her dress to check, she froze solid. What was supposed to be there... was gone.
“Oh my god. It's really not there. My... my precious...”
She shook her head violently again, but she couldn't stop her gaze from drifting downward. It was right when she was muttering like a madwoman, spiraling into a mix of confusion and self-loathing.
Rustle. From the edge of the forest, the sound of crushing leaves accompanied a presence that triggered her survival instincts.
"...What is that?" She saw dark shadows moving rapidly. Instinctively flinching, she hid behind a thick bush. "Who's there... Is it a person?"
The creature that slithered out from behind the tree was by no means human. It had rough, bluish skin, four gleaming red eyes, and goat-like curved horns on its head. In its hands, it held bone daggers that looked razor-sharp, and its reverse-jointed legs twitched as if ready to spring forward at any second. Thick, white saliva dripped from its agape maw.
"Is that... a monster like the ones in games?" The grotesque creature hammered home the reality of her situation. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.
One of them let out an unintelligible, guttural screech. "Grrr... Hehehe... Hu-man... Wo-man... Smell... Good..."
It could barely be called speech, but the primal lust dripping from its voice was chillingly obvious.
Damn it, they're targeting me. Fight them? With what? This bare body? Before she could even finish the thought, her body reacted. I have to run! She kicked off the ground and bolted.
"Damn it, why am I so fast?!" Though she wasn't used to this body, it moved far lighter and quicker than she expected. That was her only hope. She sprinted blindly.
The fluttering hem of her dress wrapped around her thighs, and low-hanging branches scratched her tender skin, but her new body was surprisingly agile. This body... is actually pretty useful? No, now is not the time to be impressed!
The heavy breathing and sharp screeches of the monsters drew closer right behind her. "Damn it, damn it! They're faster than I thought! They're going to catch me!" She didn't even have time to look back. She failed to notice a tree root protruding from the ground and tripped.
"Kyaaaah!" Her body pitched forward. She barely managed to brace herself with her hands to avoid faceplanting, but the strength drained from her legs. She gasped for air, her heart pounding frantically. Behind her, the heavy breathing of the monsters and the thudding of their footsteps grew closer.
“Help me!! Somebody...!” At that moment, a sharp thwip sliced through the air. Immediately following was a wet splat as the head of the monster right behind her exploded. Blood splattered everywhere, and the headless corpse lost its balance, rolling forward before crashing into a tree.
"...Huh?" It happened so fast she couldn't even process it.
"Hey, lady! Are you alright?!" The bushes rustled, and a figure burst through along with a shouting voice. It was a young man clad in worn but sturdy iron armor, holding a heavy-looking longsword. Behind him emerged a tall, agile man and a blonde boy with a focused gaze, drawing his bow.
"Chris, right! Luo, cover the left! I'll take the center!" With the command, the three split up.
Before the words even finished, the armored youth charged forward. His sword sliced through the air with a metallic ring, cleaving a monster in half. "Haaah!" The boy called Chris let loose two, then three arrows in rapid succession. The arrows flew true, piercing the monsters' eyes and throats with deadly precision. They collapsed to the ground before they could even screech.
"Another one on the left!" Luo shouted briefly, lowering his stance with dual daggers in hand. He slipped swiftly beneath the monster's guard, slicing the back of its knee. The monster lost its balance and fell, and his dagger immediately slit its throat. A single, decisive strike.
"Rear cleared!" "Two left!" Chris's bowstring twanged twice more. As the last two monsters slumped to the ground, silence returned to the forest.
Han-gyeol—no, Han, who had now completely become a woman—stared blankly at the scene before collapsing onto her rear as the tension drained from her body. "Haaah... Haaah... I'm alive..."
The three men turned to look at her simultaneously. And, as if on cue, their eyes widened in unison. "..."
The armored youth's jaw practically dropped, while the blonde boy's face flushed bright red as he lowered his bow. The man called Luo scratched his neck and averted his gaze.
Why... why are they looking at me like that? Only then did Han realize she was kneeling on the ground, covered in dirt, with her clothes in complete disarray. One of her dress straps had slipped down her shoulder, leaving the upper curve of her breasts exposed. "...Ah, don't look!" She instinctively crossed her arms over her chest.
"...To think such a person was in the middle of a forest like this..." The armored youth murmured in awe, unable to finish his sentence. His eyes wavered with embarrassment.
"If... you are a noble lady, we can assist you..." the man with the daggers added in a low murmur. His eyes flicked back and forth between Han's face and her collarbone.
"My god... She's a real elf..." The blonde boy holding the bow stood frozen, his mouth agape.
Feeling the intense gazes of all three men locked onto her, Han slightly turned her body to hide her chest and pulled down her skirt, screaming internally. What is this, seriously... What is their problem? First it was monsters, and now it's humans?!
Just moments ago, it was a life-or-death crisis, but now... a different, exhausting kind of crisis was looming over her. Ah... Seriously... Is it because of this goddamn appearance? A deeply draining sense of dread, entirely different from being chased by monsters, washed over her.